GH -> IGF is the culprit. The receptors in the gut result in the bloated look. Insulin isn't implicated in the bloat... LR3IGF-1 is GH on (pardon the pun) GH on steroids.
Yeah, and the craziest thing of all is that he wouldn't own it after he lost. He said it was the photographer's fault for taking pictures of him from unfavorable angles. What a tool.
I'm just having fun. That said, undulating pull ups are bullshit. There was a time, many a year ago, when I did kipping pull-ups and chin-ups for high reps. This was before I began doing them weighted and using proper form. Yeah, it's cool getting ever higher numbers, but it's just wrong. It's all momentum. Proper strength training is the path of most resistance, not least. And I never looked like a fish out of water like the crazies I've seen in CrossFit videos. That is just so over the top. Really.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12157963 Good article on The Great Ronnie Coleman. Guy was head and shoulders above everyone else for most of a decade. Now he’s in debilitating pain and finished his 10th back surgery. Sad, but that’s the price you pay.
Wow, really out of touch with Bodybuilding here, I didn't know who was Phil Health... I actually look at pictures of bodybuilders on internet forums, usually on their blog, but competition seems quite boring, and all white guys look ugly with the black paint IMO. Just for that reason sure Schwarzeneger looked much better in competition, he didn't need to paint himself black with orange reflects. Black guys must have an advantage nowadays, at least they don't need to deface themselves that much with the over the top creaming and tanning. Same for the Physique guys in competition, seen a few blogs of guys competing and they look great, doll like waist and wide shoulder, but I wouldn't say that about the pics in baron's link, dunno why judges think the black painting make them look nicer... Fwiw about the distorted gut,I've read both Destriero and Baron explanations before, guys claiming it is a caused by high use of both Insulin and GH seem to take a more authoritative tone when explaining it, but I never looked into it precisely. Read about lots of guys taking GH, some who are quite massive, and that pregnant look seems rare.
He seems like a good guy but he destroyed himself: Dr Michael Hisey, an orthopaedic surgeon at the Texas Back Institute, describes Coleman's condition as an "advanced stage of degeneration" from the "wear and tear of all the weight he's put on his back over the years". Sounds like too much volume and frequency, not to mention the weights he moved, thanks to the drugs that precluded him from feeling the early warning signs of "too much." Not to mention that steroids weaken connective tissue, if I am not mistaken. Man, talk about a bad brew. The thing you said about "that's the price you pay." Frankly, I would not want his physique for free, with no strings, drugs or drawbacks attached. I know he worked for it and he sold his soul to drugs wholesale, but the look is just too freakish. As an aside, I think Mike Mentzer also stopped training years before he passed because of back injuries, which, if I am not mistaken, resulted from crazy squat numbers (weight, not volume).
I agree on all. I think the present day Olympia look is ridiculous and the body damage is unbelievable. I don’t get it
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2778097/ GH causes organ growth. How does one test for GH levels? Via IGFBP-3. IMO the majority of distension is the result of GH and/or IGF use; diuretics + carb loading; possible insulin use. Insulin is a DISTANT third. IMO it doesn't contribute to distension. What you've heard? I've used all of the above. I've administered all of the above.
I met Coleman at the 2002 or 2003 Arnold Classic. He walked into the theater wearing a bright purple suit. The dude looked as wide as he was tall. He worked out nearby (that week) and I witnessed him squat >700 for three. There is a handful of journal articles on connective-tissue disruption. I think it's BS. Ask Crossfitters why they can't workout due to injuries less than a decade after they stop competing. The majority do not run gear, or certainly not nearly the level of a BBer or powerlifter. Tendonitis. Stating that gear destroys connective tissue, without data, is analogous to stating that only short people enter gymnastics.