The Role Of Hormones And Gaining Muscle (3)

Testosterone

Produced by the testes, testosterone’s main job is in the body is to help build muscle by directly stimulating protein synthesis. It also helps to burn fat and establishes your sexual characteristics. Women produce much smaller amounts of testosterone than men in their adrenal gland, which is why women typically have much less muscle mass than men.

Typically, testosterone levels start to decline in the average man at around 40 (without proper diet and exercise). This can lead to muscle loss, fat gain, bone mass loss and even depression. Luckily, with the right kind of exercise regime (like heavy weight training) and proper diet (with high unsaturated fat levels) you can fight against this decline, if you’re over 40, and even promote testosterone production at any age. High unsaturated fat levels in your diet stimulates maximum testosterone production in your body. It does this by increasing your cholesterol levels. The right levels of cholesterol, combined with a heavy weight training program, will cause your body to bump up natural testosterone production, which will help you gain more muscle!

Growth Hormone (GH)

Women typically have higher growth hormone levels when exercising and at rest than men. Growth hormone works with testosterone to help build muscle and keep body fat levels as low as possible. It is released in response to low blood sugar levels caused by fasting, dieting, exercise or sleep (we’ll be doing all of these to maximise GH production, except for the fasting part of course!). When growth hormone is released into the body, it promotes muscle growth by increasing protein synthesis and causing the release of IGF-1. It also promotes fat loss by moving stored fat into the bloodstream to be used as energy for the body. This is growth hormones primary function. Because growth hormone does this, it reduces the amount of glucose and protein your body uses for fuel, which means more protein for muscle growth.

Growth hormone is produced by the anterior pituitary gland (which is right behind your nose, at the base of your brain) and peaks at around 20 years of age. At around 20, the average person will be producing around 500 micrograms of growth hormone per day. Under normal circumstances (without a healthy diet or exercise) your body will begin to reduce this production by around 24% per decade, starting at around 31 years old. So at 40 years old, your pituitary gland will typically be producing around 200 micrograms per day and at at 80 years old, only 25 micrograms per day.

Main Benefits Of Increased Growth Hormone Levels Are-

* Promotes muscle growth
* Promotes fat loss
* Increases bone density and strength
* Increases organ size and density
* Thickens and smoothes skin

How To Increase Growth Hormone Levels

* Get a good night’s sleep every night as growth hormone is released in high levels during sleep
* Keep blood sugar levels moderate whenever possible as consistantly high blood sugar levels will reduce growth hormone production
* Keep training sessions short (around 70 mins long) and intense (lift weights that are heavy for you) as this will boost growth hormone levels both during and after your workout
* Keep your fructose levels to a minimum (sugary foods are high in fructose). High fructose intake can block the functions of growth hormone and, in turn, stop the burning of stored fat for fuel.

Here Are Some Supplements That Increase Growth Hormone Levels

* Glutamine - Glutamine can increase natural growth hormone levels by 400%, regardless of age. I would reccommend taking 1-2g of glutamine 2-3 times, spread evenly, throughout the day.

* Arginine And Orthinine Combined - Studies have proven that taking arginine and orthinine together, combined with a weight training program, result in lower body fat levels, higher strength levels and higher lean muscle mass levels. These results are based on 5 week studies of participants taking 500g of arginine and 500g of orthinine combined, twice a day.