The most talked about hormone in bodybuilding is Growth hormone (GH). GH is released from the pituitary gland and exerts four functions that benefit the bodybuilder. These include: fat burning, muscle preservation, immune support and muscle building. Let's delve into the fantastic world of GH and look at how each one is affected by GH levels.
Fat burning is initiated in the body when calories are reduced. When you eat fewer calories than the body needs, the body breaks down body fat stores for fuel in order to make up for the shortage of incoming calories. However, hormones also effect fat burning. For example, when calories remain reduced for an extended period of time, the body suppresses the production of hormones that support metabolism. Therefore, with long term dieting, fat burning can come to a screeching halt due to a decline in fat burning hormones. One of those hormones responsible for fat burning is GH. When calories decrease, GH levels generally increase. An important note is that over time, with continual dieting, GH levels begin to drop. If you hope to get as lean as possible, the ideal diet would be one that prevents the decline of GH release and favors GH production.
One role of GH is to enact a metabolic switch where protein is protected during dieting states. When calories decline, the body burns more body fat and in turn it also tends to burn protein along with it. Some of this valuable protein comes from your muscle tissue! When you burn muscle tissue, the body significantly lowers its metabolic rate. This phenomenon stands against the purpose of reducing calories. When you keep GH levels elevated during dieting, the body moves away from burning protein, allowing it to burn more body fat. Elevated GH levels protect your muscles from being burned away. This keeps the metabolism healthy and allows you to burn what you hope to burn; body fat.
When I am helping a bodybuilder prepare for a show, I am always in tune with how he feels. I don't want the bodybuilder to get too tired, irritable, weak or fatigued for an extended period of time. I have always monitored these signs because I thought those were factors indicative the bodybuilder may be over dieting. Over dieting is what happens when a bodybuilder eats too little and winds up having a metabolic slowdown and a loss of muscle. I have realized that a big part of avoiding those states also has to do with immune status. The immune system is the complex web of defenses that keeps you healthy and supports muscle recovery/repair; it must be kept strong during any dieting phase. While over dieting decimates your immune system, elevated GH levels support it. In theory, as long as your GH level remain elevated, you can diet a little harder and a little longer without killing your immune system.
Although GH is a noted fat burner, it also supports protein synthesis in the body. It increases the body's ability to take the amino acids you eat and shuttle them towards muscle tissue to support protein synthesis. It also sets in motion an increase of by products of GH called somatomedins. These by products of GH dramatically increase the appetite and the repair of damaged muscle tissue. Increasing somatomedin levels can coax the body to build up muscle tissue without a stimulus! What the hell does that mean to you!? In theory, with greater somatomedin levels, you can grow without training. Will you get huge with elevated somatomedin levels without training? No. Will you stay in a mild positive nitrogen balance - or growth state - without training? Yes! To summarize, getting GH levels to rise is an important part of stimulating new muscle growth when you hit the gym hard.
GH is directly related to carbohydrates. Carbohydrates initiate an increase in insulin release. While there are some benefits to insulin, there's a dark side to it as well. Insulin blocks fat breakdown and interferes with maximal GH release. In short, where you have high levels of insulin, you'll find low levels of GH. The opposite is also true; where you find low levels of insulin, you'll find high levels of GH. The easy solution: decrease your carbohydrate intake. Less carbohydrates demands less insulin, raising GH levels. Here are some tricks you can use to modify your carbohydrate intake. Reduce your portion sizes by 1/3. You do not have to get too technical and measure every gram of carbohydrate that you eat. Do your best to "eye ball" your servings. If you eat 1 plate of pasta with chicken at a meal, reduce the portion size by 1/3 less pasta. The same applies for a potato or yam. If you eat a large yam, just cut off a third of it and discard it. This automatically does two things; it helps control insulin output and it changes the ratio of carbohydrates to protein. When the ratio of carbohydrate to protein favors protein without severely decreasing carbohydrate consumption, the body responds with subtle increases in GH levels.
Slow digesting carbohydrates release less insulin than fast digesting carbohydrates. Getting the body to produce less insulin will allow for greater GH release and fat burning. For example, 50 grams of carbohydrates from yams will produce less insulin than 50 grams of carbohydrates from white bread. They may contain the same carbohydrate and calorie count but they produce a different hormonal response in the body. Not sure which carbohydrates are slow digesting? In general, carbohydrates with a lower glycemic rating are slower to digest and make good choices (especially for people who struggle with body fat and desire higher GH levels). The very best low glycemic carbohydrate sources are cream of rye cereal, oatmeal, rye bread, buckwheat noodles, buckwheat pancakes, red potatoes and yams. Here is a link to a good source for more information on the glycemic index, http://www.glycemicindex.com.
Avoid Carbs At Night
The body experiences a natural GH burst within 90 minutes of falling asleep. The GH burst is maximized in the absence of carbohydrates. Listen up! When you eat carbs before bed, the GH burst is smaller than when you avoid eating carbs before bed. Skip the carbs and GH levels will rise. This is one reason why people who eliminate carbs before going to bed claim it allows them to lose fat faster. Skipping carbs before bed changes your hormonal profile allowing you to burn more fat.
Arginine is the amino acid companies are touting as a "pump producer". It helps support muscle pump by allowing for greater blood flow to muscles. More importantly, it increases the production of GH. Five to 10 grams taken 90 minutes before training or at bedtime enhances the GH release that comes with training and sleep.
The human body has the ability to get used to anything you do to it. It is incredibly adaptable. That's why bodybuilders have to change around their training programs. An effective training program often becomes ineffective over time because the body completely adapts to training stimulus. Without fresh stimulus, there is no cause for the body to change and grow. The same is true with getting the body to output greater amounts of GH. Over time, after using arginine as a GH releaser, the body adapts and produces something called somatostatin. This is your arch-enemy; it blocks the effects of GH. Switching the stimulus for the GH release - using a different GH releasing amino acid - allows the body to avoid the blocking effects of somatostatin. Glycine, a very inexpensive amino acid, can be an effective GH releaser when taken before training and at bed. You'll need 3-4 grams each time.
Glutamine Cocktail
Immediately after training, a combination of 20 grams of whey protein mixed with 40 grams of very simple carbohydrates will increase GH release. Simple carbohydrate sources can be maltodextrins, a carbohydrate drink, cream or rice cereal mixed with sugar, or a carbohydrate powder. Adding 5 grams of glutamine to that post workout shake is a very good idea. The glutamine not only enhances the carb up process but further enhances GH release. This meal should be consumed immediately after training. As close to having completed the training, the better.
GABA
Gaba increases levels of furanone (2,3H-furanone di-hydro) which increases gamma-hydroxybutyric acid in the brain to trigger GH release.
Glycerylphosphorylcholine (A-GPC)
Alpha GPC is a source of choline. Choline not only supports muscle contraction but increases acetylcholine levels. It has been shown that when acetylcholine levels in the brain rise, there is also a corresponding rise in GH production.
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