There is one premise you must never omit when talking about inflammation.
Inflammation is fundamentally not bad.
No, rather, it is an essential defense mechanism we have evolved for survival.
For over a million years, our bodies have set up this inflammation system to fight against external environmental stress.
You reading this right now, me, everyone—we can all survive, train, eat, sleep, and prepare for the stage by tearing our muscles thanks to this inflammatory response.
However, the problem lies in persistent chronic inflammation, a state of hyperinflammation.
Simply put, it’s like a fire that won’t go out and keeps burning.
For example, going to the sauna three times a week can be good, acting as a hormetic stressor.
Similarly, high-intensity weight training also causes inflammation, but that can also be a growth signal.
The problem is for the person who lives in the sauna 24/7, the guy who just trains to death morning and night.
If inflammation continues like that, at some point, the body starts to malfunction.
The truly scary part is when your body doesn’t seem all that bad, but a fire is already burning inside.
Your skin is fine, your workouts are going well, and you seem to be sleeping, but for some reason, your condition remains mediocre.
In such cases, you shouldn’t mistakenly think, “I’m healthy.”
In fact, a few weeks ago, a young bodybuilder told me boastfully.
“I’m on a complete anti-aging routine with daily NAD+ IV drips and glutathione intravenous injections.”
I couldn’t help but shake my head upon hearing it.
Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant, but injecting it intravenously every day is giving your body the wrong signal, saying “No inflammation, no problem.”
Then, immune alarm systems like TNF-α or interleukins turn off.
And then what happens?
Your body might miss the growth of cancer cells.
Antioxidants aren’t always good either.
There is even research showing that the group that took high-dose Vitamin E for a long time actually had a higher cancer incidence rate.
Why?
Oxidative stress is also a weapon that kills cancer cells, and if antioxidants eliminate all of it… So, how can you identify a state of high inflammation?
Here, you absolutely must check with numbers.
You can never catch it by subjective feeling alone.
You need to look directly at the data through a blood test.
1. Blood Test Markers
CRP (C-reactive protein)
It’s a systemic inflammation marker secreted by the liver.
It’s best to check it as high-sensitivity CRP.
Check it every 3 months.
A level above 1.0 is already a danger signal.
Fibrinogen
It’s involved in blood clotting, but high levels indicate a state of systemic inflammation.
It’s an inexpensive marker but quite accurate.
Advanced Inflammation Panel
Tests provided by places like Quest Diagnostics or Genova include direct measurement of cytokines like IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α.
This is a truly precise test.
When professional bodybuilders design their chemical cycles, they always reference this panel.
2. Organ-Specific Inflammation Markers
Liver
If ALT/AST levels are chronically high, you should suspect inflammatory liver disease, not just simple fatty liver.
Cardiovascular
F2-isoprostanes, oxidized LDL, MPO (Myeloperoxidase) are key indicators showing cardiovascular inflammation.
Athletes with high oxidized LDL may recover more slowly from high-intensity training.
3. Subjective Symptoms Can Also Be Hints
Skin: Itching, eczema, scalp dandruff
Joints: Pain that appears when tired or cold
Gut: History of inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease, colitis
Brain: Brain fog, decreased concentration, reduced learning ability
Sleep: Lack of deep sleep, light sleep where you don’t even dream
Immune System: People who say, “I never get a cold.” This might sound good, but it could be a state where the immune system is so hyperactive that it suppresses infections entirely.
The problem is that immune system can’t catch cancer cells either.
Now, one important message here.
There are no benefits to a state of chronic high inflammation.
Not a single one.
No chemical, no routine, works perfectly in a state of high inflammation.
Inflammation is a warning light.
Don’t just think about turning off the light; you need to trace the cause of why it lit up.
American chemical research experts also repeatedly emphasize the importance of inflammation control.
He discovered that his CRP levels spiked within a day after high-intensity training and only uses NAC and selenium-based glutathione precursors in his recovery routine, not glutathione itself.
The reason?
It’s to avoid turning off the body’s warning system while only reducing the metabolic burden.
As a protocol example, professional bodybuilders run advanced inflammation panels at 6-8 week intervals during the season.
If CRP levels rise, they periodically use a ketogenic-based diet and short-term anti-inflammatory supplement combinations (NAC + Ursodeoxycholic acid + α-LA).
However, intravenous glutathione injections are absolutely forbidden.
The reason is as explained before.
Summary?
This isn’t the kind of information that can be summarized.
From the moment you read this, bodybuilding is no longer just exercise; it becomes system tuning.
And the first key is inflammation control.
Fire is necessary, but a persistent fire is a conflagration.
Don’t put it out.
Identify the cause and tune it.
That’s what masters do.
References
An authoritative review paper covering the impact of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress on aging and disease, scientifically explaining the importance of inflammation control and precautions when using antioxidants.
Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress in human aging and disease (Nature Reviews Immunology, 2014)
https://www.nature.com/articles/nri3721
