The Ballast Ball is like a regular Swiss Ball on steroids. It's full of an exciting substance that makes it perfect for a killer upper body and core training workout, as shown here in this video.

Discover innovative fitness equipment, training techniques and delicious low fat recipes at Fitzness.com.

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Eight short years ago, Marion Jones was the pride of the US -- raking in medals at the Sydney Olympics. Then things fell apart when it was revealed that Jones took performance-enhancing drugs. She was stripped of her medals and was sentenced to time in prison for lying to federal prosecutors. In her first interview since her release, Jones spoke to Oprah about what really happened.

According to Jones, her former coach, Trevor Graham, gave her pills he described as flax seed oil. Jones, who took numerous substances such as vitamins and creatine, didn't question what he was giving her. Jones said she was instructed to put the tablet under her tongue for a while and then swallow it. Later, during the investigation, prosecutors showed Jones a vial of a designer steroid nicknamed "the clear." Jones now admits that she recognized it immediately as the substance her coach had given her. "I made the decision I was going to lie and try to cover it up," explained Jones. "I knew that all of my performances would be questioned."

There's a lesson for all athletes here. From the average Joe to the high school quarterback to elite athletes -- we're all responsible for what we put into our bodies. Supplements such as whey protein and creatine are frequently used by athletes. But even legal supplements shouldn't be used without knowledge and caution. Proper nutrition, consistent exercise, and appropriate training are your best bets for keeping your body in peak condition.

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"I learned it by watching you," the young man explains to his father after it's learned that he's using drugs. That's how the now famous commercial from the 1980s unfolds, reminding parents of the influence their behaviors have on their children. Fast forward 20 years or so, and kids now have constant access to information that extends far past the walls of their home, yet in some circumstances they remain utterly deprived of knowledge.

A case can certainly made these days that professional athletes, Hollywood celebrities, and rock stars have an obligation, a duty, to the youth in this country to be role models. Kids today not only turn to their parents for answers or guidance, but they rely on what they see and hear on YouTube and MySpace. And, if part what they're hearing and seeing is the concept of a physical ideal, some young people will do what they mistakenly feel is necessary to achieve it -- even it if means taking the same dangerous steps those athletes or celebrities have taken.

In efforts to raise awareness of the growing trend of teenage steroid use, and to dispel the notion that a physical ideal actually even exists, the Ad Council has launched a campaign called "Don't Be an Asterisk," referring to the asterisk that has been placed in the record books after the names of athletes who reportedly used performance-enhancing drugs. Parents and kids alike can visit the interactive website www.dontbeanasterisk.com to learn more about the negative effects of steroids, in addition to finding a surfeit of information on how to live a healthy, drug-free life.

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Many competitive athletes have to undergo drug tests. Is drug testing for scholars in our future, too? According to the UK's Academy of Medical Sciences, certain drugs have been used by healthy people to boost alertness and mental awareness.

Aricept (an Alzheimer's treatment), Ritalin (for ADHD), and modafinil (for day-time sleepiness) have been used by some people to get an edge up on tests and exams. Like steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs used by some athletes, this gives the student an unfair advantage. Also like steroids, using drugs in ways other than they are prescribed for can be seriously detrimental to health.

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Do you strain when you workout? I mean really, really strain? Dig in with all your might and pump out your last few reps? For all intents and purposes, this is a good thing. It requires pushing your muscles to some degree of failure (not total failure, though -- technical failure*) to continue experiencing hypertrophy (growth). That all being said, there are a few downsides to such physical strain, one of which may be roid rage. No, not steroids, but hemorrhoids.

Along with constipation, sitting on a toilet for prolonged periods of time, a lack of hydration, and a diet deficient in fiber, strenuous weight training can cause hemorrhoids, which themselves are dilated veins in swollen tissue. One way to help prevent against hemorrhoids while lifting is to make sure that you're not holding your breath during exercises. Take in a good amount of air at the start of the movement and then exhale as you complete a repetition. Wearing a weightlifting belt may also help, though the jury's still out on that one.

Oh, right, the little asterisk* from above -- total failure is the point when you cannot complete another rep, regardless of how much you squirm, shift, twist or contort your body. Not a good thing, as it increases the risk of injury. Technical failure, by contrast, is the point when you can no longer perform a repetition without compromising the position of your body during the execution of the movement. This is the better point at which to end your set.

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Have you ever wondered why some guy at your gym, who you know for a fact has only been working out for about three months, is suddenly twice your size? Giving him the benefit of the doubt, it could be because he's genetically gifted, a stickler to eating a clean diet, and an absolute animal in the weight room. Buuuuut, when you then ask for that benefit of the doubt back, he freaks out and breaks your outstretched hand. Let's call a spade a spade: This guy may be on steroids.

Steroids cause both men and women to pack on muscle at an alarming rate, but this growth comes with great risk to overall health. Apart from the more benign problems, such as breakouts of acne on the shoulders and back, steroids can also increase the risk of heart disease. What's more, in spite of these and many other associated health problems, many steroid users form a psychological dependency on the drug, for they fear losing their muscle gains once they stop taking it (which they mostly will).

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There's more talk than ever these days about performance-enhancing substances, chief among them being HGH and steroids (aka "juice"). Veteran pitcher Roger Clemens just returned from a trip to the hill of a different kind to testify before a Congressional committee, and it seems as though the case against slugger Barry Bonds may again be opened. But, aside from aging sports figures, fading Hollywood stars, and every single contestant in the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding contest, who else uses these drugs?

As for HGH, an estimated 30,000 people in the U.S. have visited so-called "anti-aging" clinics to be administered HGH. The associated health risks are incredibly high, yet vanity appears to win out over better judgment in many of these cases. Steroids, which have been linked to a number of health risks of their own, are used by far more people, most of which are neither old nor seemingly in possession of poor judgment.

Based on the results of a new study, the vast majority of steroid users are educated men in their 30s with an average annual income of close to six figures. Without an athletic career on the line, a movie legacy to cling to, or a bodybuilding title to defend, thousands upon thousands of people put their health at risk in order to broaden their shoulders. And, because steroids are a psychologically addictive drug, many users have great difficulty stopping once they have witnessed results.

Last week, Roger Clemens told a congressional committee that he never used human growth hormone, also known as HGH. He is one of many athletes who have come under scrutiny as of late for their admitted or alleged use of this performance-enhancing substance. Still, one salient question remains: What exactly is HGH?

First of all, HGH is not the same as steroids. Natural HGH is created in the pituitary gland. It's primary function is to stimulate the production of bone, muscle, and cartilage in kids as they grow. But, somewhere around the age of 20, the amount of HGH produced goes into decline, dropping precipitously once we reach old age. This, ostensibly, is why an estimated 30,000 Americans have tried synthetic HGH.

Proponents of HGH -- including aging action star Sylvester Stallone, who was stopped by Australian authorities last year for attempting to bring the substance with into the country him during a press tour -- claim that it can help build muscle, reduce body fat, and dramatically slow the aging process.

But at what cost?

HGH works by stimulating the liver to increase production of the natural Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1). However, there is a great deal of research showing that elevated IGF-1 levels are strongly associated with an increased risk of colon, prostate, and breast cancers.

The risks associated with HGH are clearly not worth the unsubstantiated anti-aging properties it supposedly has. Best I can tell, the only way HGH can help prevent people from getting any older is to increase their chances of dying early.

Do you trust the quality of those daily dietary supplements you ingest each morning (and each night for many of us)? The old adage says that "you get what you pay for," and it's never been truer than in the supplement industry. Filled with low prices and inert ingredients, those shelves full of $4.99 supplements are basically selling empty husks in many cases.

But, do those capsules contain substances that can be detrimental to your health instead of just containing nothing? According to a recent report, yes.

Traces of steroids were found in many dietary supplements, announced nonprofit group Informed-Choice. In addition, 11.5 percent of tested supplements contained banned stimulants as well.

Are your supplements really "clean," or do they contain substances that should not be there? How do you know one way or the other? The answer is there, thought it will take quite a bit of digging.

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Think steroid-user and what's the first image that pops into your head? Probably some kind of athlete looking to get an edge over the competition right? But according to a recent survey of over 2,000 confessed steriod users the majority are not professional athletes, they're simply guys looking for better personal results in the gym.

Now it seems these steroid-using "gym rats" are more responsible about it than some other groups (the majority are aware of potential side-effects and get blood work done regularly), but it's important to realize that using steroids without a doctor's prescription is not a good idea. Hopefully having a better idea of who the biggest steroid-using group is will help experts better educate and reduce harmful side-effects.

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Ever wonder how baseball players like Mark McGuire and Barry Bonds can line up and hit all those home runs with superhuman effort? In a way, maybe they are superhuman, since the products used to greatly enhance those home run-hitting abilities really don't put them on the same playing field as those that don't.

Steroids, which can boost muscle mass by 10 percent (sometimes more) can boost the home run percentage of batters by more than 50 percent, according to a U.S. physicist.

Notice it did not take a medical expert to say that, but a scientist who studied the relationship between muscle mass and the speed of one's baseball bat swing. Result: that ball's speed can be much faster as it leaves the bat due to the faster swing caused by the greater muscle mass.

That takes all the fun out of sports equality, though -- right? Or is that a concept that no longer has any meaning?

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What are the most harmful drugs? Chances are you'll answer heroin and cocaine, and while those are those are numbers 1 and 2 on a list from the Science Select Committee (respectively,) did you know that alcohol rounds out the top 5, along with street methadone and barbiturates? That's right -- though it's legal, good old booze is considered worse than LSD, ecstasy, tobacco, steroids, marijuana and many others.

I suppose I can see why -- it's abused by many people and it's also pretty addictive -- but despite it's addictive qualities, many people can safely drink without becoming alcoholics or alcohol abusers. I certainly think that tobacco is far more addictive, and LSD and ecstasy are far more harmful to your body.

What do you think about the list? Are your surprised?

(via Fitbuff)

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After being diagnosed with cancer I read everything that I could about the disease and what contributes to it. The word "steroid" was implanted in my mind as a big "No No" that contributed to certain cancers. Six years later one of my medical doctors studied all of my medical reports even as far back as childhood, when I had a high ANA reading on a blood test. She immediately referred me to a Rheumatoid specialist to determine if I had lupus. Sure enough I was diagnosed with lupus and one of the first things he mentioned was steroids for the inflammation. I threw up my arms in an "X" as if to ward off the medications that could bring more cancer back into my life. He set me at ease a little bit on the various types of steroids and why I needed them to control the inflammation in my joints, pleurisy (inflammation around lungs), and pericarditis (inflammation around heart).

Both alone and in combination, the powerful steroids estrogen and progesterone and their synthetic equivalents (estrogen derivatives and progestins) can cause breast cancer. The dangerous performance enhancing steroids taken by athletes are male steroid hormonal drugs that build muscle. One of their risks is liver cancer. Corticosteroids are different from the "anabolic steroids" that weightlifters and other athletes sometimes take illegally to increase strength and do not cause cancer. Prednisone is the synthetic corticosteroid preparation most often used in the treatment of lupus. And in some instances to help with inflammation in cancer patients to control pain. Those individuals with organ-threatening diseases like heart, lung, brain, kidney, and liver, usually need corticosteroids in order to prevent loss of function in the organ. In addition to prednisone, some other cortisone derivatives include hydrocortisone, methylprednisolone (Medrol), and dexamethasone (Decadron).

Some of the more common side effects of steroids include changes in appearance such as acne, development of a round or moon-shaped face, and an increased appetite leading to weight gain. Steroids may also cause a redistribution of fat, leading to a swollen face and abdomen, but thin arms and legs. The skin becomes more fragile, which leads to easy bruising. An increase in susceptibility to infections may occur with high doses of steroids. Prednisone may also aggravate diabetes, glaucoma, and high blood pressure, and often increases cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. Steroids also can suppress growth in children.

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We've talked about antibiotics in meat in this blog before. A new study by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Marshfield Clinic has made a strong link between the usage of antibiotics in chickens and the presence of "supergerms" in the humans who eat those chickens.

Antibiotics are used, quite reasonably, to help sick chickens get better. But they are also increasingly used as a growth stimulator. That is, antibiotics are fed to the all the chickens all the time on some farms.

The Marshfield researchers set out to find whether this obvious overuse of antibiotics led to the development of drug-resistant bacteria in the intestinal tract of the people who subsequently ate the meat. The connection was undeniable. They found the so-called "supergerms" much more often in the people who ate the antibiotic-laden chicken than in the vegetarians in the study or the others who ate organic chicken. This may seem obvious to a lot of us, but now that there is a government-sanctioned study pointing clearly to the link, hopefully something will change.

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