Subject: Re: Extremism vs. Moderation

[Guest guest]

Message: 2

Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2005 14:14:39 -0000

From: " wachendorfia " <leroy23@...>

Subject: Re: Extremism vs. Moderation

--- In , " " <crjohnr@b...>

wrote:

> Choose your own path and good luck.

>

> I believe there is a logical flaw in offering body builders as examples

> of extremely low BF levels. I'm sure they have more than adequate fat

> they just have so much muscle that as a percentage it looks small.

>

> JR

Hi, and all--

Competitive body builders will dramatically lower their body fat to

extremely low (and possibly dangerous) levels, e.g., 3% or less for

men, 9% or less for women, just briefly for the duration of a

bodybuilding show. This process is called " cutting. " They spend most

of the year " bulking, " i.e., eating hypercalorically in order to add

lean muscle mass, but in the process they also tend to add fat and

their bodyfat may hover at levels as high as 20% or more for many

months at a time.

It's important to bear in mind that competitive sports aren't about

health, they're about winning, often at any cost. Many if not most

competitive bodybuilders also use potentially dangerous anabolic

and/or weight loss drugs. Longevity isn't their primary goal.

--Completely concur. Just as yo-yo dieting is known to be harmful (and as even

too-fast steady fat loss is likely problematical), I can't imagine that these

repetitive feast and famine cycles are, in the end, doin' a body good.

Maco