What is Growth Hormone?
By sara solomon
Human growth hormone (HGH) is produced by your pituitary gland.
Growth hormone is crucial to your health! It provides adults with the following benefits: (1)
Strengthens your bones
Increases your muscle mass
Promotes lipolysis (helps you burn fat!)
Increases protein synthesis (helps you build muscle)
Supports the pancreas’ ability to make insulin
Stimulates your immune system
This explains why some athletes risk injecting themselves with synthetic growth hormones. But why resort to this risky method when you can naturally tap into your own growth hormone by implementing the following strategies in this article.
.
Maximize Your Growth Hormone’s Fat-Burning Effect in 5 Easy Steps:
.
1. Intermittent Fasting
Secretion of growth hormone increases when you fast.
This is good because HGH is one of your star fat-burning hormones! (2)
Let me repeat myself: Fasting is known to significantly increase HGH secretion. In fact, in one recent study, 24-hour fasts increased HGH by 1300% in women and almost 2000% in men. (3)
2. Fasted High Intensity Resistance Training
Research has demonstrated that high intensity resistance training triggers an increase in HGH. (4)
Yes! Fat burning is correlated with workout intensity (5).
Remember: fat burning occurs after the workout during the recovery period.(5)
We already know that fasting increases your HGH production.
So it only makes sense to kill 2 flies with 1 shoe and engage in high intensity fasted training to maximize the body’s HGH release.
Please note that if you eat a high sugar meal before exercising, it will impair your exercise-induced HGH production. (5) This is one of the many reasons why I train fasted.
3. Waiting at least 2 Hours Post-Workout before Breaking Your Fast
If you eat a high sugar meal or drink a sugary recovery beverage after exercising, it will STOP exercise-induced HGH production. This means you will miss the exercise-induced HGH enhanced fat-burning effect that normally occurs 2 hours after exercising. (5)
I like to wait at least 2 hours after my workout before breaking my fast to maximize my fat burning. Why? So I can take advantage of the post-workout growth hormone surge to cut my body fat! Besides, I’m not hungry post-workout anyway.
Furthermore, insulin suppresses HGH: so if you hold off on the immediate post-workout carb snack, you can prevent an HGH-suppressing insulin upsurge. (6)
Fast with BCAAs!
I drink Gaspari’s Aminolast BCAAs during my fasted state. More specifically, I drink…
10 g approximately 10-15 minutes before my fasted training
According to a 2004 study in the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism; BCAAs may enhance protein synthesis in skeletal muscle during recovery from resistance exercise training by increasing the phosphorylation of p70S6k when ingested in a fasted state prior to commencing the workout. (7)
10 g during my fasted training
10 g after my fasted training. This is especially important because I do not break my fast immediately post-workout. I often don’t break my fast until 4 or 5 hours after my workout. No I’m not crazy, I just understand the fat-burning benefit of waiting a few hours after my workout before breaking my fast. I know that consuming any type of sugar post-workout will stop the fat-burning benefits of exercise-induced human growth hormone. Thanks to sugar-free BCAAs, I can maintain my fast and still burn fat after my workout.
According to Martin Berkhan, regular feedings of BCAAs in the fasted state both pre and post workout ensure that:
Muscle protein synthesis is stimulated and protein breakdown is inhibited (8).
BCAAs contain leucine, which is a key player in protein synthesis. (8)
Appetite is suppressed and insulin sensitivity is maintained.(8)
Maximal benefits for muscle protein synthesis are achieved with minimal caloric load (8).
Aminolast BCAAs are sugar free and only 10 calories per scoop. You would have to eat more than 500 calories (which means breaking your fast) to get an equivalent amount of BCAAs into your circulation. (8)
4. Go to Bed Early and Sleep for 8 hours!
Did you know that insufficient sleep can cause your growth hormone secretion to decrease, which can increase your chances for weight gain?(9)
Growth hormone is released from your pituitary gland as you enter into the deep sleep part of your sleep cycle. (10) You typically have about 4 of these cycles when you sleep for 7-8 hours a night. So if you go to bed late and only get 5-6 hours of sleep, then you just cut your normal dose of growth hormone in half. (11)
5. Stop Eating Carbs/Sugars 90 Minutes Before Bed
We just established that your growth hormone release is related to deep REM sleep.
Did you know that a major growth hormone surge occurs during the first 30-70 minutes after falling asleep? (5)
Did you also know that carbohydrates can disrupt your nighttime HGH output? (5)
Carbohydrates trigger insulin release (this is your fat storing hormone). Insulin antagonizes the fat-burning effects of growth hormone. In other words, HGH and insulin do not like each other (5).
So if you go to sleep having just eaten carbohydrates, your blood sugar will rise, which will cause insulin to be released which will diminish your nighttime growth hormone release. (5)
Key point: to enhance growth hormone output during your sleep, do not eat carbohydrates 90-minutes before going to sleep. (5)
References:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/mastering-the-mystery-of_b_446483.html
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting-weight-loss/#ixzz2B1geJ3wM
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110403090259.htm
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/post-workout-fasting/#ixzz2B1dO5OPX
http://www.hghmagazine.com/2-habits-that-immediately-stop-natural-hgh-production/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/post-workout-fasting/#ixzz2B1dem45V
Karlsson, Hakan et al. Branched-chain amino acids increase p70S6k phosphorylation in human skeletal muscle after resistance exercise. American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism. July 1, 2004 vol. 287 no. 1 E1-E7. http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/287/1/E1.full
http://www.leangains.com/2010/05/early-morning-fasted-training.html
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/how-sleep-works/myths-and-facts-about-sleep
Takahashi Y, K.D. (1968). Growth hormone secretion during sleep. J Clin Invest, 47(9)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/mastering-the-mystery-of_b_446483.html
Human growth hormone (HGH) is produced by your pituitary gland.
Growth hormone is crucial to your health! It provides adults with the following benefits: (1)
Strengthens your bones
Increases your muscle mass
Promotes lipolysis (helps you burn fat!)
Increases protein synthesis (helps you build muscle)
Supports the pancreas’ ability to make insulin
Stimulates your immune system
This explains why some athletes risk injecting themselves with synthetic growth hormones. But why resort to this risky method when you can naturally tap into your own growth hormone by implementing the following strategies in this article.
.
Maximize Your Growth Hormone’s Fat-Burning Effect in 5 Easy Steps:
.
1. Intermittent Fasting
Secretion of growth hormone increases when you fast.
This is good because HGH is one of your star fat-burning hormones! (2)
Let me repeat myself: Fasting is known to significantly increase HGH secretion. In fact, in one recent study, 24-hour fasts increased HGH by 1300% in women and almost 2000% in men. (3)
2. Fasted High Intensity Resistance Training
Research has demonstrated that high intensity resistance training triggers an increase in HGH. (4)
Yes! Fat burning is correlated with workout intensity (5).
Remember: fat burning occurs after the workout during the recovery period.(5)
We already know that fasting increases your HGH production.
So it only makes sense to kill 2 flies with 1 shoe and engage in high intensity fasted training to maximize the body’s HGH release.
Please note that if you eat a high sugar meal before exercising, it will impair your exercise-induced HGH production. (5) This is one of the many reasons why I train fasted.
3. Waiting at least 2 Hours Post-Workout before Breaking Your Fast
If you eat a high sugar meal or drink a sugary recovery beverage after exercising, it will STOP exercise-induced HGH production. This means you will miss the exercise-induced HGH enhanced fat-burning effect that normally occurs 2 hours after exercising. (5)
I like to wait at least 2 hours after my workout before breaking my fast to maximize my fat burning. Why? So I can take advantage of the post-workout growth hormone surge to cut my body fat! Besides, I’m not hungry post-workout anyway.
Furthermore, insulin suppresses HGH: so if you hold off on the immediate post-workout carb snack, you can prevent an HGH-suppressing insulin upsurge. (6)
Fast with BCAAs!
I drink Gaspari’s Aminolast BCAAs during my fasted state. More specifically, I drink…
10 g approximately 10-15 minutes before my fasted training
According to a 2004 study in the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism; BCAAs may enhance protein synthesis in skeletal muscle during recovery from resistance exercise training by increasing the phosphorylation of p70S6k when ingested in a fasted state prior to commencing the workout. (7)
10 g during my fasted training
10 g after my fasted training. This is especially important because I do not break my fast immediately post-workout. I often don’t break my fast until 4 or 5 hours after my workout. No I’m not crazy, I just understand the fat-burning benefit of waiting a few hours after my workout before breaking my fast. I know that consuming any type of sugar post-workout will stop the fat-burning benefits of exercise-induced human growth hormone. Thanks to sugar-free BCAAs, I can maintain my fast and still burn fat after my workout.
According to Martin Berkhan, regular feedings of BCAAs in the fasted state both pre and post workout ensure that:
Muscle protein synthesis is stimulated and protein breakdown is inhibited (8).
BCAAs contain leucine, which is a key player in protein synthesis. (8)
Appetite is suppressed and insulin sensitivity is maintained.(8)
Maximal benefits for muscle protein synthesis are achieved with minimal caloric load (8).
Aminolast BCAAs are sugar free and only 10 calories per scoop. You would have to eat more than 500 calories (which means breaking your fast) to get an equivalent amount of BCAAs into your circulation. (8)
4. Go to Bed Early and Sleep for 8 hours!
Did you know that insufficient sleep can cause your growth hormone secretion to decrease, which can increase your chances for weight gain?(9)
Growth hormone is released from your pituitary gland as you enter into the deep sleep part of your sleep cycle. (10) You typically have about 4 of these cycles when you sleep for 7-8 hours a night. So if you go to bed late and only get 5-6 hours of sleep, then you just cut your normal dose of growth hormone in half. (11)
5. Stop Eating Carbs/Sugars 90 Minutes Before Bed
We just established that your growth hormone release is related to deep REM sleep.
Did you know that a major growth hormone surge occurs during the first 30-70 minutes after falling asleep? (5)
Did you also know that carbohydrates can disrupt your nighttime HGH output? (5)
Carbohydrates trigger insulin release (this is your fat storing hormone). Insulin antagonizes the fat-burning effects of growth hormone. In other words, HGH and insulin do not like each other (5).
So if you go to sleep having just eaten carbohydrates, your blood sugar will rise, which will cause insulin to be released which will diminish your nighttime growth hormone release. (5)
Key point: to enhance growth hormone output during your sleep, do not eat carbohydrates 90-minutes before going to sleep. (5)
References:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/mastering-the-mystery-of_b_446483.html
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting-weight-loss/#ixzz2B1geJ3wM
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110403090259.htm
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/post-workout-fasting/#ixzz2B1dO5OPX
http://www.hghmagazine.com/2-habits-that-immediately-stop-natural-hgh-production/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/post-workout-fasting/#ixzz2B1dem45V
Karlsson, Hakan et al. Branched-chain amino acids increase p70S6k phosphorylation in human skeletal muscle after resistance exercise. American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism. July 1, 2004 vol. 287 no. 1 E1-E7. http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/287/1/E1.full
http://www.leangains.com/2010/05/early-morning-fasted-training.html
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/how-sleep-works/myths-and-facts-about-sleep
Takahashi Y, K.D. (1968). Growth hormone secretion during sleep. J Clin Invest, 47(9)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/mastering-the-mystery-of_b_446483.html
The pituitary gland in our body produces HGH, or the Human Growth Hormone. The HGH is responsible for a number of functions in our body. Though HGH is naturally produced in our body by the pituitary gland, there is a notable drop in the production of HGH as we age.
ReplyDeleteDue to this action of the pituitary gland, we observe certain changes in ourselves like the skin texture and elasticity changes, immunity levels go down and there is a palpable decline in sexual desire.
Also, health problems could arise. helpful genf20 plus site