FEMALE MUSCLE

With increasing interest in natural competitions and an influx of competitors in the sport who prefer to participate as “natural” athletes, there seems to be a debate about fat-loss supplements and whether they’re “natural.”

There really isn’t an argument that anabolic steroids are not natural or that you can’t use CLA, green tea, or bitter orange and still be a “natural” athlete. However, some claim that the more hardcore fat burners shouldn’t remove you from the natural list either.

The two major drugs discussed are usually clenbuterol and ephedrine.

1. Clenbuterol
Clen is a very selective class of drug that was originally used as an asthma medication. It’s a beta 2 agonist, meaning that it stimulates receptors to relax smooth muscle in the bronchioles of the lungs, which improves breathing. However, clen’s secondary effects are what potentially give it a major impact on lipolysis (fat burning), improving lean muscle, and increasing energy. This one is popular in the bodybuilding community. Warning: Some research shows it may increase the risk of heart muscle cell death in high dosages.

2. Ephedrine.

Ephedrine is a naturally occurring compound derived from a Chinese herb called ma huang. Don’t be deceived by its “naturally occurring” title, though; this substance is a non-specific beta 2 agonist, so it certainly can stimulate specific fat-burning activity in fat cells, but it also increases heart rate and blood pressure, which could increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. It increases energy but is hard on the adrenal glands, which can increase the risk of burnout. Ephedrine is structured similarly to amphetamines, and there are reports of psychological dependence in some individuals.

Individuals who think that clenbuterol or ephedrine shouldn’t be eliminated as “all-natural” tend to look at anabolic steroids as the only drugs that are unnatural. This is a very narrow point of view because in the world of sports, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) consider a wide array of banned substances that athletes use to enhance either performance or appearance as “unnatural” and/or “unsafe.”

If you look at the prohibited list from CCES and WADA, there are 10 pages of information with specific compounds listed. Here are some of the banned categories:

Beta 2 agonists
Diuretics
Anabolic agents
Hormone and metabolic modulators
Peptide hormones and growth factors

I understand the debate from a subjective perspective, but at the end of the day, if you’re serious about doing well in natural shows and would like to continue to compete, then the definition of “natural athlete” will not be your own, but will be the definition outlined by the organization in which you’re competing. If you still choose to take the risk and test positive, you not only face embarrassment and loss of titles but also lose out on competing in a sport you love.

On the truly natural front, I personally don’t see any issues with using natural fat burning compounds such as green tea, CLA, or bitter orange. These types of ingredients have other health benefits but should be used as supplements only, meaning that there’s no replacing a super-strict pre-contest diet and intense training regimen when it comes to getting the body sliced and diced for the stage.

For more information about Ephedrine and Clenbuterol, click on the links for articles!