How do HGH and testosterone help the body build more prominent, more defined muscles? First, they serve as catalysts, instructing the body to make muscle with protein. Protein also can be used to build cells, tissue, and hormones. Also, it can be used by the body for energy when the other macronutrients are not present.
Thus, it would help if you had HGH, testosterone, IGF, protein, and other hormones to build muscle. When hearing about muscle gain, you might have heard about HGH or human growth hormone. HGH is an anabolic hormone synthesized, saved, and secreted by specialized cells of a gland present in the brain. The cells are somatotropic, and the gland is the pituitary gland.
HGH helps you grow and stimulates bone and muscle tissue growth through the metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
It is also a potent regulator of immune function, among other physiological processes. In childhood and adolescence, HGH is required to promote growth in height. In adulthood, it handles several maintenance tasks in your body, including keeping the body lean and reducing fat accumulation, strengthening bones, and protecting the organs from aging.
Testosterone is a hormone with a lot of functions. It is present in both genders, but the levels are more in males than in females. Testosterone works on different body parts, such as muscles, hair follicles, bones, liver, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems. In males, its levels increase during puberty.
This supports male sexual characters’ development, such as body hair, a deeper voice, sex drive, and increased height and muscle mass. Although it is thought of as a male hormone, women also have testosterone in much smaller quantities. It has various functions for women, but the essential ones include promoting bone density and a healthy libido. Taking anabolic steroids, including testosterone, raises levels of this hormone in the body, which, along with HGH, helps bodybuilding and toning muscles.
How to increase testosterone and HGH production naturally?
Many things affect the production of testosterone and HGH. These include exercise, stress, emotional excitement, diet, and aging. It’s important to note that you will produce better results by following these tips in tandem rather than just doing one and ignoring others. For instance, doing high-intensity training without enough sleep will not help as if both are being done together.
HIIT or high-intensity interval training:
Studies have shown that High-Intensity Interval Training is a potent stimulator of testosterone and HGH release. A good example is performing 30 seconds sprint intervals with a one-minute rest between sprints, five or more times in a workout.
The intensity should be at a level where you are pretty uncomfortable, can’t carry on a conversation, but not be going completely flat out. This type of training can increase testosterone and HGH multiple times at baseline levels. When done once or twice per week besides your weight training, it can have a very beneficial effect on bodybuilding.
Getting more sleep:
Getting adequate, good-quality sleep will work miracles for your whole body. This is because you go through different cycles when you sleep, from light sleeping, where you will wake comparatively quickly, through to heavy sleep when you sleep deeply, and it’s much harder to wake up. During Stages 3 and 4 of sleep, your Slow Wave Sleep cycle is when you release most testosterone and HGH.
Your body cycles through these stages often during a good night’s sleep, so it stands to logic that the more good sleep you get, the enormous potential for optimizing your testosterone and HGH Release.
Reducing body fat levels:
The natural production of testosterone and HGH is related to the body fat a person has. If you are male and have too much belly fat, you are shortchanging your testosterone and HGH levels. Keep your body fat levels in the normal to low ranges optimize the average production of these hormones that help bodybuilding.
For men, this means having a body fat percentage of 15%, and for females,18%. This means YOU HAVE to be careful with your diet and manage your calories accordingly. You can also reduce body fat by adding extra cardio to your bodybuilding regimen.
Intermittent fasting:
Although not a new dieting trend, it has been shown to increase HGH and testosterone, beneficial for bodybuilding. We can try it in various ways. First, you choose a couple of days weekly when you eat less than usual, affecting spiking HGH release and testosterone production.
When you wake up in the morning, you are in a fast state. Fasting incites HGH release as a protective mechanism; it helps mobilize fats for fuel, reducing body fat. When you eat, your HGH is high, and your body quickly switches to an anabolic state. This strategy helps you in bodybuilding and getting leaner.
Avoiding fast sugars:
Eating sugars within a couple of hours post-workout will make the hypothalamus release somatostatin, an inhibitor hormone, which will decrease your production of HGH. It will also reduce the release of testosterone, but that mechanism is not precise yet. Simple sugars have a high glycemic index, so they spike insulin levels, inhibiting HGH release.
If you want to maximize your HGH and testosterone for bodybuilding, have a protein shake instead of sugary drinks after working out.
Also, some of the natural testosterone supplements that increase testosterone levels in the body naturally include:
- Zinc
- Vitamin D
- Amino acids (D-Aspartic Acid)
- Ashwagandha (a herb)
- Ginger
- DHEA
- Tribulus Terrestris
While those which increase HGH levels include:
- Glutamine
- Creatinine
- Ornithine
- Glycine
- L-Dopa
By consistently implementing techniques in your bodybuilding routine, you will experience a remarkable increase in muscle size, growth rates, and strength gains. Additional supplements mentioned will also help achieve your desired goal in less time.