You now have some basic workout for every muscle group in your body, and you might have already built a mass of muscles since the last article published on this blog. I admit being distracted from it a lot in the past couple of years. I apologize and will try to make it up.
Body building and gaining muscles is important and is worth the effort, time, and dedication you put into it. The results are life changing.
One thing most people don't pay attention to though. And that thing is more important that building the muscles.
You know, muscles are part of your skeleton. That's why the muscles your train in the gym are called "skeletal muscles". Their job is to move your bones around your joints, like curling your arm for example.
So if your bones are not strong enough, your muscles are going to be uselss. Ask me. I know.
One of the reasons I can not train with the weights I used to warm up with in the past is that I have osteoporosis. And one of the reasons I had it early in my life is that I didn't pay attention to "building bones" as much as I was focused on building muscles.
Here are some facts you need to keep in mind while evaluating the issue.
1. You only have until you turn 30 (some sources say 25) to strenghten your bones with as much calcium as possible. Whatever extra calcium beyond what you need in your blood will be stored in your bones. After that age the flow of calcium is reversed and your bones start losing mass. The more bone mass you start with at that point the longer it will take you to reach osteoporosis or osteopenia.
2. You need 1200 mg of calcium every day to build healthy bones in your first 25-30 years. And since you are adding calcium to your bones in the form of calcium phosphate you'll need that too in your diet. Magnesium is a facilitating factor and the deposit of calcium in your bones can not be done without it.
3. All of the above is useless if you don't have enough vitamin D3 in your blood to move the calcium from the blood to the bones. It's actually harmful to your liver if you have that much calcium in your blood and there's no vitamin D3 to move it to your bones and teeth.
4. If you focus on bones nutrition while training with weights you are stimulating your bones to gain more mass by causing tiny stress fractures that will be calcified while healing (the same principle of building the muscles).
Calcium, vit. D3, magnesium, and phosphates are your best friends. Keep their company all the time.
After the age of 30 the need for calcium doesn't go down. You need to maintain a certain level of calcium in your blood. If you don't get it from your diet your body will get it from your bones. You don't want that to happen.
If you are concerned about your blood calcium level you should give your doctor a visit and have blood work. And it becomes urgent if you are having too many spasms/cramps, fractures, or your teeth are not in good shape.
Never neglect your bones. They're more important for moving your body and protecting your internal organs than the muscles. And you only have that small window of time to build them. So don't waste that opportunity or you'll regret it for the rest of your life like I do right now.
If it's too late for you give your doctor a visit and ask for a bone mass test. It's done by X-ray on your pelvic area. Based on that your doctor will tell you where you're standing and whether you can train with heavy weights or not. Whatever your doctor says it's your responsibility towards your body to follow it.
I hope this article will help someone avoid my destiny.
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