Many bodybuilders are only obsessed with Bubble Gut, or abdominal distension.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
The real problem is phenomena like Diastasis Recti, where the abs become blurry and the midline separates.
If you just dismiss it as having a bit of a belly, you’ll be stuck running in place, unable to cross the threshold to the elite level.
In bodybuilding, especially at higher levels, strange things happen to the abs.
First, the very center of the abs, that thing called the Linea Alba, stretches like a rubber band, causing the abs to separate left and right.
Second, even when some competitors cut their body fat to the extreme and dry out completely, the definition of their abs evaporates.
You must have seen it happen to monsters like Jay Cutler, whose abdominal outline became blurry.
What does that mean?
Here, an amazing connection emerges with a phenomenon experienced by pregnant women.
During pregnancy, a hormone called Relaxin is secreted.
This guy is in the same family as Insulin or IGF-1, and its main role is to remodel collagen tissue, softening areas like the pelvis so they can expand for childbirth.
Now, why do you think such hormonal action can occur in a bodybuilder’s body?
It’s simple.
Because of the unique hormonal environment created in bodybuilding.
The combination of Growth Hormone, Insulin, and Anabolic Steroids can sometimes elevate levels of the female hormones Estrogen and Progesterone to a state similar to pregnancy.
Hell, some builders even lactate, don’t they?
In such an environment, is there any reason a Relaxin-like effect wouldn’t occur?
I said Insulin, IGF-1, and Relaxin are one family, right?
When these guys join forces, they weaken not only the ligaments between the abs but also the collagen tissue in the joints, increasing the risk of injury and leading to a slew of builders needing joint replacement surgery.
While it’s common for tissue around the eyes or temples to stretch, this kind of separation between the abs is particularly pronounced in bodybuilding.
This phenomenon is almost permanent once it starts.
A bodybuilder I know said this.
He struggled with obesity when he was young, then lost weight hard and built his body, but within 1-2 years of starting to blast hormones, especially Growth Hormone, his abs split and never came back.
Look at Jay Cutler.
His abdominal outline almost disappeared at one point, and although it recovered somewhat after reducing drug use and his body got smaller, the separation in the center of his abs remains.
The reason the abs themselves aren’t visible is that the stretched tissue doesn’t recover.
Even as I write this, there must be more than a few builders who feel a 1-2 cm gap between their abs when they flex or relax.
If you touch it, it feels soft and weak, like if someone poked it right there, it would just sink in.
This abdominal separation often comes with hernias.
Ronnie Coleman also had multiple hernia surgeries throughout his career.
His tremendous intra-abdominal pressure and excessive drug use weakened the connective tissue of his abdominal wall, ultimately causing hernias.
Many builders face similar issues.
Because the tissue between the abs is weakened, it’s much easier for organs to be pushed out by internal pressure and create a hole.
This isn’t just a coincidence; it should be seen as a cause-and-effect relationship.
If you keep increasing intra-abdominal pressure while having weakened connective tissue, it leads to hernias and eventually lands you on the operating table.
At the Olympia level, it’s hard to find a competitor who hasn’t had at least one or two hernia surgeries.
So, how should this be solved?
Surgery?
There are three or four, no, five different surgical methods, but they involve forcibly pulling the abs and stitching them together. Can you imagine how that must feel?
It’s horrific.
The results aren’t guaranteed either.
Exercise?
Some studies suggest that taping to stabilize specific muscles or transverse abdominis exercises might offer slight help, but most conclude they are ineffective.
The statistic that about two-thirds of pregnant women experience this, and only about one-third of them recover, exists for a reason.
This is where a true biohacker’s strategy is needed.
It’s fasting.
It’s based on rat studies, but there are results showing that fasting for several days reduces organ size by nearly 10%, and after fasting, they return to normal size in a rejuvenated state.
What does that mean?
It’s the possibility that through autophagy, unnecessary proteins in the body, especially unused connective tissue, can be broken down.
By reducing the visceral fat that was pushing the abs out through fasting, the pressure on the stretched tissue also decreases.
This suggests that gradual improvement can be expected over several fasting cycles.
Of course, when a muscular builder starts fasting, the initial muscle loss will make them scared and want to quit.
But if you want to reduce abdominal protrusion, there’s no other way.
Muscle can be rebuilt, but a damaged abdominal structure doesn’t come back easily.
The important thing is that unless you overeat or skyrocket your IGF-1 levels again, your abdominal size won’t increase as easily as before.
Here’s the conclusion.
The disappearance and separation of the abs is not just a simple pot belly.
It’s highly likely the result of a combination of hormonal imbalance and its resulting Relaxin-like effects, plus the pressure from internal organs.
To solve this, you need to reset your internal environment through fasting and reduce the burden on the weakened tissue.
Dabbling in ab exercises won’t cut it.
Remember, the real battle is happening inside your body.
Reference Materials
1. “Relaxin signaling in the context of growth hormone and insulin: from reproduction to metabolism”
This paper explains that Relaxin shares signaling pathways with Insulin and IGF-1, and can influence connective tissue remodeling and metabolic processes.
It serves as evidence for the claim that a bodybuilder’s hormonal environment can induce Relaxin-like effects, causing phenomena like Diastasis Recti.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28844855/
2. “Intermittent Fasting and Autophagy: Implications for Health and Disease”
This paper shows that fasting, particularly intermittent fasting, induces cellular autophagy, which recycles damaged or unnecessary cellular components, promoting cellular health and recovery.
It provides a theoretical basis for the potential reduction of abdominal protrusion and recovery of weakened connective tissue.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30343575/
