If you want to maximise your growth potential then maximise your hormone levels (that’s right I said yours…not always those supplied by “Organon” or “Humatrope”!). If you are going to get a bit of exogenous help then assessing your own blood levels before, during and after is even more vital to both ensure the dosages are correct and working as desired, as well as ongoing health checks.

Unfortunately my experience is that most bodybuilders will ask for blood tests only when things start to go wrong. I have worked with national and professional athletes who have only thought to warrant tests when they have suffered negative effects. Prevention is a lot easier, quicker and cheaper than having to deal with a toxic liver, raised LDL cholesterol, high triglyceride levels, suppressed thyroid output, over stressed adrenal glands, compromised luteinising hormone levels, male pattern baldness and prostrate problems due to elevated DHT levels (see the Dave Palumbo column talking about elevated DHT…you can also use a herb called Saw Palmetto to prevent the conversion of test to DHT by blocking the 5 Alpha Reductase enzyme) etc…get the picture?? (go see Flex’s column – he is suggesting the same thing about regular blood tests!).

It is the nature of this sport that risks with homeostasis (the bodies’ balance of all functions) can be put out of sync due to extremes of dieting, intense training and pharmaceutical use. But there is much that we can, and should, do to offset these disruptions. One of the simplest is to give nutritional support (outlined later) to the various organs and systems involved. To assess whether this is required is often a basic series of blood tests for the function and levels of hormones and compounds that may be affected. This can be done cost effectively and may save you from needing medical intervention and medication to rectify problems at a later date. I have personally been visited by professional bodybuilders who after almost a year off any intake of anabolics/androgenics have very low testosterone levels, greatly suppressed immune systems, high liver enzyme levels, high cortisol levels etc. This particular bodybuilder is not a person that “abuses” with high dosages, some are just more sensitive to side effects than others. The athlete concerned is in the process of rectifying these issues but had they not made the small investment for the blood works then they would have continued in ignorance, and made matters worse. Another client found that they had very serious reason to consider their regime since they had suffered a mild myocardial infarction (read heart attack) and they were not aware of it! This was shown, and later reconfirmed by many hospital visits, by an ECG reading. The same person had massively elevated liver enzymes, showing that the liver is being overtaxed to detoxify undesired compounds. (These findings only came to light because of the extensive tests that I was authorising as part of a study on a nutritional supplement). It is not to say that your bodybuilder career is over if you have any such issues…just be aware and be careful. One client recently won a national championship and achieved that elusive Pro status with an ongoing medical thyroid problem. By regulating the prescribed medication and ensuring that no undue risks were taken to exacerbate the problem we were able to get the competitor into the shape of their life…and helped them to win the whole damn show!


So what tests should you be getting done??

Well, without going crazy paranoid (and expensive) these are the ones that I generally suggest…

• Biochemistry profile including HDL and LDL Cholesterol, Triglycerides, Liver Enzymes, Electrolyte Levels, Fasting Glucose, Urea, Creatinine
  
• Thyroid Function including TSH, T3, T4 and thyroid anti bodies
  
• Adrenal Function including DHEA and Cortisol
  
• Male Hormone Panel including LH, FSH, Testosterone and DHT
  
• OR Female Hormone Panel including LH, FSH, Oestrodial, Progesterone and Prolactin
  
• Immune system and allergy markers such as Neutrophils, Lymphocytes, Monocytes etc and IgG, IgE etc.

…this list could go on and on but tests should be specific to the needs of the client and so selected as and when required.

Always try to get your GP to authorise what he/she will…that way it is free. The issue is that you are often opening yourself up to the self righteous lectures on the dangers of the substances used, and the results will go onto your medical record. Alternatively you can go private and just need to find someone who knows what to test for and how to interpret the results. A knowledge of what you are taking and the effects that may have are a must…and you need to be honest!! No “yeah, yeah I am natural (except for 200 mg of deca a week)” allowed. If someone like me is going to help you then cut the bull and tell it how it is.


What to do if there something not quite right?

Whoever has authorised the tests and worked through the results with you should have a good working knowledge on how to deal with any issues that may arise (let’s hope that they don’t). I work with nutritional support then but if things need a more medical approach I try to consult with doctors to get the best treatment possible (working with G.P.s is often a bloody nightmare but necessary in many cases…the patient/client needs their medical interaction but I don’t want a whole load of medications thrown at them with no thought of the consequences…i.e. side effects). Follow up checks are vital if you have been dealing with any issues to ensure the correct treatment has been given and that it is rectifying the problem. How many times does your doc actually evaluate any given treatment regime?? No not too often! So how do you know that it is effective and that it has caused no other feedback issues within the endocrine system (very often one issue will lead to a knock on effect as this bodily system “speaks” to the other glands involved and regulates the output of hormones according to the message that it receives).

This is a major topic and without giving a major physiology lesson I would suggest that you consider running a series of basic blood tests – whether it be to maximise your natural growth or to give a baseline to work from when dealing with pharmaceutical assistance (read GH, insulin, anabolic/androgenic steroids, thyroid preparations, thermogenics etc. etc.). It will enhance the efficiency of any regime and oh, yeah…may just prevent you from screwing your health up!!

Cain Leathem is an Exercise and Nutrition Consultant who uses various labs to analyse blood tests that he authorises. If you need help in these matters you can reach him via cain@gbfitness.com