how can a guy in bodybuilding be considered natural?

[hardcoreback]

ive been thinking about this for quite sometime.. a natural bodybuilder is one who:

1. doesnt take steroids?
2. how about testosterone boosters?
3. how about creatine?
4. how about other supplements?

is cheating the same as unnatural?
i know for the fact that all pros are not natural.. even skip lacour. but to be called natural, what must one do or avoid?

tnx.
no to steroids, no to gh gut..
long live my 28-inched waist.. hehe

[live4fitness]

Natural means not doing this illegal, like steroids or GH. Everything else you can do. How else can you grow? creatine is for the birds anyway. All it does is put water in your muscles and when show time comes all that water is depleted out and so there for your muscles will get smaller.

[hardcoreback]

really? then what supps must i use?  im using creatine.. and knowing that this water thing will indeed occur i ncontest time.. then whats the best supps? help me... i dont want a muscle thats gonna be gone when contest time comes... man... tanx anyways... your help will be appreciated...

[live4fitness]

I have suggested a few to already. L-glutamine, BCCA (branch chain amino acids) AP (anabolic pump). Find a good suplement place and talk to the sales people and they should help or ask on bb forums what they recommend.

[jameslh]

I disagree a natural body builder does not use supplements at all and derives all necessary nutrition from foods.  You can't define a natural body builder based upon the fact that they use legal supplements, its bs.  Steroids were not classified as an illegal substance till 1990.  So does this mean that all body builders that used steroids up until 1990 are considered natural.  Well then that puts the rest of us at a disadvantage.  Plus think of all, i mean the list is huge, of supplements that have been banned after it has already been on the market.  One recent one that comes to mind is Ephedra, not saying that this drastically alters your body, but some body builders would use it to get an extra boost of energy during their lifts.  Now the FDA banned the sale of ephedra products in 2004.  Whos to say that they won't ban a supplement that you are currently using down the road and bam you are no longer a natural body builder.  Don't even get me started on the laws in different coutnries, so all these substances could be completely legal in one coutnry and not in another.  So based on your definition a body builder in Mexico who is legally taken steroids is just as natural as one in the US taking only legal supplements.  

So in my opinion the true 100% natural body builder pretty much cannot exist or if he or she were to exist would get little or no attention because there are too many others out there obtaining weigh lifting gains through unnatural means.

[Knud]

I sorry, but you're wacked!  Creatine, glutamine, are from amino acids, just like branched chain amino acids.  They come from natural sources, not a chemical drug.  You might as well say a natural athelete can't eat meat, because that's where these supplements come from.

I'm not a bodybuilder, but I take a great multi-vitamin and Omega 3 from xtend-life.  I also take two different protein shakes, BCAA's, Lean Out (a fat transport system), L-Carnitine, Glutamine and Liver Tablets all from Beverly International.  These supplements are all made from natural ingredients, not chemicals like a chemical steriod that has been banned.

So, I would lighten up on your feeling towards supplements and how, in a natural way, they can help you.