GH is a hormone secreted by the frontal lobe of the pituitary gland. The peak of its production is during puberty – the teenage years. After the end of the most intensive phase of body growth, i.e. at the age of about 18-20 years, the level of GH in the body begins to decrease, but does not fall off completely. It is estimated to decrease by about 14% around age 30, and the decline is even more intense in later years. While in adolescence somatotropin acts mainly on the growth of the skeleton along, in the later years of life it already takes on a slightly different role. This means that after the peak of growth at around 20 years of age, we will no longer grow an inch, although growth hormone will still be present in the body.
Growth hormone has many very important functions. In adults, it is secreted in about five ejections per day – especially during the deepest sleep phase. It is during the somatotropin ejections that many regenerative processes take place:
There is a reason why it is said that sleep is the best regeneration. Not only do we get up then with renewed energy, but physically we feel better too – we are in less pain, the damage is regenerated and weight loss and training make sense!
For people recovering from major surgery, sleep and rest is the best way to recover as quickly as possible. Also, after accidents, patients are often put into a drug-induced coma to speed up the recovery process. It is said that you can stimulate the action of growth hormone and thus adapt its regenerative and proliferative properties to your own silhouette goals. All you have to do is influence your diet and lifestyle accordingly!
Excess fat on the abdomen causes the growth hormone level to be significantly reduced. Abdominal obesity impairs the production of GH, especially in men. However, it is good to know that once the excess weight is lost, growth hormone levels return to normal. For men who want to get rid of their fat and gain muscles, this means one thing – it is impossible to “convert” fat into muscle, bypassing the process of reducing excess weight. You need to lose weight first, and only then take on muscle mass and sculpting.
This is a very popular recent diet style called intermittent fasting. It means to maximize the period between the last meal of one day and the first meal of another, without denying yourself anything during the several hour window for eating. This type of fasting has many benefits, one of which is the increase in blood GH levels, which can be used to train harder and gain muscle mass! Insulin spikes are able to interfere with the natural production of growth hormone. So by not provoking insulin secretion, i.e. not eating for several hours, you can increase GH levels by up to 2-3 times after just 3 days of fasting!
These have nothing to do with doping and have no negative effect on your body. On the contrary, they contain selected amino acids that have a wide range of effects on our body. For example, arginine increases your growth hormone level and thus affects our ability to induce muscle mass growth! However, research shows that arginine should not be taken during workout, but without any physical activity – it has the best effect then! Therefore, you can use arginine not so much as a mass gaining supplement, but as a regeneration accelerator, for example after burns, accidents or injuries. Beta-alanine also has a similar documented effect on GH secretion.
As mentioned earlier, sugar supply = insulin output = impaired growth hormone secretion. In order to cut this chain, it’s a good idea to give up sugar or at least significantly reduce your sugar supply. This will minimize insulin release into the blood and raise GH levels to a level that will finally allow you to gain weight during strength workout.
Again, this has to do with insulin output. The body produces the most growth hormone when it is not bothered by insulin in the blood and during extended periods of not eating, and at night. So it is worth establishing a time before sleep, after which we do not eat anything. The already popular 6 pm, which has become a myth, seems to be ok if you go to bed at 9 pm. If you go to bed later than that, set this time for yourself at 7-8 pm. Try to make sure that your evening meal does not contain too many carbohydrates. By doing so, you will minimize the glucose spike and insulin release into your blood. This, in turn, will prevent you from blocking GH output at night when it is most intense.
GABA is gamma-aminobutyric acid, a dietary supplement. It has a very good effect on the nervous system, calming the brain and aiding sleep. Melatonin, on the other hand, is a hormone secreted during sleep that affects the depth of sleep, among other things. If you have trouble sleeping, supplementation with GABA or melatonin will improve sleep quality, and therefore support increased GH output. Very often problems with regeneration of the body or achieving optimal results of strength workout are connected with improper sleep – so many people underestimate it. So it is worth thinking about it and possibly helping yourself to get a deep, soothing and regenerative sleep.
GH is secreted in high doses through high-intensity exercise. If you have trouble working out the right pace or intensity to get that intensity, try getting a personal trainer at a club. Besides – exercise will help you lose weight, and losing body fat will support you in the fight for better muscles by stimulating growth hormone!
To achieve rapid muscle growth it is worth using sports nutrition, which not only increases muscle endurance but also grows muscles by stimulating the growth hormone secretion. Combined with a healthy diet, physical activity and an optimal amount of sleep per day, this can produce surprising results. Not only will you start to see results from your gym workouts, but you’ll also feel better recovered and your potential body damage will heal much faster!