At the moment, growth hormone for muscle growth is almost the main reason that modern athletes look simply incomparable. As for all athletes in general, up to the end of the 80s of the last century, none of the professionals knew anything about this. Everyone has long known that the use of steroids for bodybuilders is an integral part. But in this sense, growth hormone for muscle growth is a very special topic, because even now, because of too high a price, not everyone can afford it. Although the quality is worth it. At the same time, do not forget that this is an absolutely legal drug, unlike some types of steroids. This hormone has practically no side effects that could lead to problems associated with the body. But only the right method will be able to provide a good result that will last for a long time.
At its core, it is a natural hormone that does not enter into confrontation with any functions of the body, so it becomes one of the most effective drugs that can help achieve goals.
Attitude to the drug
In a sports environment, there are quite conflicting opinions about this drug - starting with enthusiastic exclamations and ending with dismissive alertness. This is due to the fact that any innovation is doomed to either success or failure. Unfortunately, the last one came out with this drug, but not because of its inefficiency, but because the muscle growth hormone - somatotropin - is absolutely useless for some athletes, while for others it is a real panacea. Moreover, more than half of the athletes who used this hormone did it wrong. Efficiency can only be achieved by trial and error, but given the cost of this drug, not everyone can afford it.
Proper use of the drug is necessary not so much in order to save your money. Rather, it is used to actually get a decent result, which the athlete is going to. The effectiveness of the drug depends not only on the correct application, as some individual parameters can affect this.
Professional Medical Research
In more detail, biology will help to understand its effect on the body. Growth hormone, which was administered to patients, showed rather mixed results. The largest and most fundamental study, which made a big response, was conducted by Dr. Rudman, who subsequently published the results in a medical journal on July 5, 1990. Based on the data obtained, the scientist managed to increase the muscle mass of the subjects by 8.8% within 6 months, and this without physical exertion. A loss of subcutaneous fat of 14.4% was also recorded without diets and dietary changes. Despite the fact that other positive advantages were reported in his report, no one else could achieve such results. Whether this was due to the high level of professionalism of the doctor and his dedication to the topic, or whether the data were fabricated, no one knows for sure.
Types of Growth Hormone
Somatropin is a human growth hormone. Peptides are the basis of growth hormone, which is due to complete identity with the same amino acid sequence as the original one produced by the body. Somatropin is an extract from the pituitary gland that was previously obtained from corpses, but this method is currently prohibited. Now human growth hormones are produced using genetically modified bacterial cells. At the same time, the initial product obtained in this way does not differ at all from the originally created hypothalamus. It is referred to as rHG (recombinant growth hormone), but it is often referred to simply as somatropin, or somatra.
Natural secretion of growth hormone
Human growth is due to the presence of growth hormone in the body. So, in a man’s blood its content is at the level of 1–5 ng / ml. But this indicator is not even average, because during the day it changes and can reach up to 20 and even 40 ng / ml. Such a spread depends on individual characteristics, and if a person with the maximum hormone index introduces an additional portion into the body, then most likely he will not feel much difference, and he will not be visible at the physical level either. By the way, the "folk method" of determining a large number of hormones still works. So, a man looks at his feet and hands: their size should be much larger than the average. This is the genetic predisposition of any person. For all this, this method cannot be called the only true one, since there are exceptions to the rules that do not in any way relate the size of individual parts of the body to the level of the hormone. All individually in each case.
What regulates the natural secretion of growth hormone?
The endocrine gland, located at the base of the brain and affecting the growth, development and metabolism of the body, is responsible for the process.
The level of growth hormone directly controls the hypothalamus. By the way, he is the main controller in the case of the genitals. The amount of growth hormone and its need for the body is determined by two peptide hormones:
- Somatostatin.
- Somatoliberin.
Thus, in urgent need, they fall directly into the pituitary gland. In this case, growth hormone begins to be produced faster due to micropulse signals, but it can be increased with the help of ordinary manipulations:
- peptides;
- somatoliberin;
- ghrelin;
- androgen secretion;
- healthy sleep;
- physical training;
- a large amount of protein.
Using these methods, you can increase the natural concentration of growth hormones at least three, or even five times, but do not forget that only a reasonable combination of hormones, training and sleep can provide good results.
What can he do
The action of hormones affects human growth, which is why they have such a name. In addition to stimulating muscles, there is also a positive effect on a number of other areas of the body:
- improves blood lipid composition ;
- normalizes metabolic processes;
- increased sexual activity;
- catabolic processes in the muscles are inhibited;
- joints and ligamentous apparatus are strengthened;
- the process of burning fat is enhanced;
- accelerates the growth of young people (up to 25 years);
- increases the stock of glycogen depot in the liver;
- increases the tone of the skin;
- quickly heals body wounds and regenerates new tissues;
- increases the size and number of liver cells, genital and thymus glands.
Hormones: table relative to age
The maximum peak of growth hormone occurs in approximately 20 years. After this, secretion declines by an average of 15% over the course of 10 years.
At different time periods of life, the concentration of growth hormone changes. In any case, the larger the age, the less hormones are reproduced in the body. The table clearly shows on average the tendency for a decrease in growth hormone relative life. Thus, it becomes clear that the best age to take care of yourself and your body will be precisely the period from 15 to 25 years, and it is best to do it from an early age. In other words, “muscle buildup” will be more productive precisely at the time of the most active periods of hormone production. But you should not understand this in such a way that after 25 years no one has a chance to visit the gym and see the effect of training, just, most likely, you will have to make more efforts.
It is also worth adding that the secretion of growth hormone has its peaks during the day. The peak occurs every 4-5 hours, and the most intense production begins at night, approximately 60 minutes after falling asleep.
The mechanism of production is as follows. The hypothalamus gives the command to the pituitary gland, which, in turn, begins to synthesize growth hormone. The hormone enters the bloodstream and travels to the liver, where it is converted and becomes somatomedin. It is this substance that directly enters the muscle tissue.
Scope in sports
Human growth hormones are widely used by athletes and athletes in particular in 4 areas:
- muscle gain ;
- the fastest possible healing of joints that were injured (precisely because the hormone is effective for healing tendons, it is actively used not only in strength practice, but also in athletics, tennis and football, where Achilles damage is quite common);
- burning excess fat;
- help athletes in whom growth hormone begins to fall due to age-related changes.
Frequency of Injection
Human growth hormone will become effective only if taken correctly. Somatropin was previously administered by injection 3 times a week, but soon specialists began to give injections every day in order to increase its effectiveness and simultaneously reduce negative moments. Scientists still managed to put an end to many years of disputes over the proper intake of the hormone. The most effective is an injection every other day. Thanks to this practice, it was possible not only to qualitatively increase the level of effectiveness, but also to make sure that the sensitivity of the receptors does not decrease, regardless of how long the course of administration is.
However, it is worth noting one nuance: the practice of injecting every other day gives good results only when the athlete’s diet is not cut, and the athlete himself receives the required number of calories during weight gain. In the pre-competition period, daily injections are recommended. This is due to the fact that the calorie content of food at this moment is reduced.
The best time for injections varies on average 1-2 hours before or after exercise. In the event that the training takes place in the late evening, it is necessary to slightly adjust the hormone intake: for example, the first injection is done in the morning, and the second - a couple of hours before the start of the exercises.
According to experts, for the best result during the course of taking hormones, it is best to completely adjust your usual training regimen and start visiting the gym every other day, along with taking the drug. Naturally, this is relevant only during the "work on the mass."
The active time of the hormone is called the half-life and averages from 2 to 4 hours. Despite the fact that this is not the half-life of the drug in its classical sense, the most active phase is observed precisely at this time. This is due to the fact that after 4 hours the drug stops suppressing its own secretion of growth hormone, but the level remains elevated for about 14 hours in a row. Based on this, it is not recommended to do an injection before bedtime, since the level of own secretion is maximally active precisely in the first hour of sleep. But it is also worth noting that with the introduction of an injection in the late evening, sleep becomes stronger and deeper. Also, during this period, burning of subcutaneous fat occurs much more intensively, so the question of what time to do the injection becomes an individual issue based on specific goals and objectives.
Side effects
With all the positive and unique moments, growth hormone for muscle growth also has several undesirable side effects, which can be manifested in an increase in blood pressure, disruption of the thyroid gland, an increase in the size of the kidneys and heart, and hypoglycemia. In the case of long courses with a large dosage, there may be a risk of early development of diabetes in those athletes who have a genetic predisposition to this disease, or who already have it in the initial stages.
Particular attention is given to hypoglycemia. This hormone reduces the activity of insulin. Thus, it is like a protective mechanism that is able to warn of an impending hypoglycemic coma. Any athlete knows that as soon as the blood sugar level decreases, the secretion of growth hormone immediately increases. But at the time when the athlete uses a high-calorie diet during weight gain, the hormone also provokes a large release of insulin. Thus, the risk of hypoglycemia increases several times. Blood prolactin may also be increased, but it does not make sense to seriously fear this, because there are no more than 1/3 of sensitive athletes for it. But even if it does occur, then it is easy to cope with it with bromocriptine. The last possible side effect may be considered “tunnel syndrome”, which is caused by a pinched nerve in the carpal tunnel.
Speaking of the latter. A rather “interesting” side effect of the use of growth hormone is this so-called “tunnel syndrome”. This disease is typical for those who work a lot at the computer, and is a neurological disease, manifested by prolonged pain and numbness of the fingers.
Once again about genetic differences
Once again, it is worth recalling that growth hormone for muscle growth affects everyone in different ways. Some athletes do not feel any effect on the body at all, due to the fact that antibodies are not formed, but for other athletes this is a real panacea. So, there is a noticeable increase in mass or the fat-burning effect of the substance is manifested. One interesting study showed that the response to this growth hormone directly depends on the level of testosterone.
Growth hormone and anabolic steroids
It is worth remembering the following: in order to get rid of excess fat or increase body weight, it is not enough to take only growth hormone. Steroids in this case will be an excellent supplement. Most of all with somatotropin, the use of testosterone, special preparations "Stanozol", "Trenbolone" or "Methandrostenolone" is relevant.
Thus, if the athlete will be very responsible in choosing the dosage and taking the drug, then growth hormone can help to achieve the necessary results and at the same time will not cause any side effects. But even if they occur, almost all of them are reversible. By the way, plus it’s worth adding that scientists have discovered a certain anti-aging effect of the hormone on the body (along with other positive effects).
Naturally, it is only necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle and eliminate all bad habits, and in the case of taking medications it is best to consult with a specialist or doctor.
Thus, now you have an idea of ​​what hormone is responsible for growth, how exactly its synthesis occurs and how it can help achieve the goal. It is necessary to purchase drugs only in specialized institutions that have all the necessary documents and a license. Despite the fact that spoiled or expired growth hormone is practically not able to adversely affect the body, there will be no benefit from such a product, and money will be wasted. Adhering to the simple rules regarding its purchase and application, you can easily and quickly achieve the desired results.