PUT THIS ON YOUR PLATES
So, you’re hitting the gym, and hitting it hard. You can work until there isn’t an ounce of sweat left in you. You get home, get into the shower (hopefully) and when you get out, you look in the mirror, flex until you grunt, but don’t see the body you want. Your muscles aren’t bulking up as fast as you expect, and any stubborn fat isn’t moving. You’ve discovered the power of hormones.
HORMONES TAKE CENTER STAGE
Hormones are chemical messengers secreted by the endocrine system. Vast in number and comprising an intricately interconnected system, they are considered to be the body’s most powerful biological agents, regulating almost every organ and tissue function. It’s easy to take our hormones for granted until they stop performing as they should. And with diet and training taking center stage, the importance of hormones becomes an overlooked fact in bodybuilding.
HORMONES AND BODYBUILDING; BULK UP YOUR KNOWLEDGE
It is important that athletes have a basic understanding of these powerful messengers. Manipulating these hormones to your advantage ensures successful adaption, training, health, and performance. Hormones influence muscle growth and strength in different ways. There are several hormones involved in bodybuilding that contribute to muscular hypertrophy (muscle-building) and fat oxidation (fat burning). Whether it’s simply developing a training plan or gearing up for competition, it’s important to understand the difference. Anabolic hormones such as testosterone, enable our muscles to grow. Catabolic hormones have the opposite effect.
CATABOLISM; CAN BE A BEAST OF A PROBLEM
While you could view catabolic hormones as the enemy of the bodybuilder (since they can prevent or inhibit muscle growth)—your body still requires them in limited concentrations for normal metabolic function. Adrenaline, glucagon, and cortisol are the main catabolic hormones that all, in different ways, can prevent muscle mass.
ANABOLISM; PUTTING SOME REAL MUSCLE INTO IT
Anabolic hormones metabolize small and simple molecules into much larger and more intricate forms. This leads to the building of organs and tissues. High levels of anabolic hormones are essential for the bodybuilder as they’re the driving force behind both bone and muscle growth. Anabolic hormones insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1, estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, and human growth hormone all can lead to impressive mass gains.
TESTOSTERONE; THE “ARNOLD” OF THEM ALL
This male hormone is primarily produced by the testicles, and by the ovaries in women, albeit in lower quantities. Testosterone regulates muscle mass, strength, and fat distribution, but it also functions to increase red cell production, energy, mental health, focus, libido, and bone strength. Testosterone is possibly the most critical hormone in bodybuilding.
WHEN TESTOSTERONE STARTS TO MAX OUT
A lot of things can affect testosterone levels including nutrition and eating patterns, rest, the amount of sleep you get, stress, and quite simply, your lifestyle. Exercise can even cause levels to fluctuate. And certainly, testosterone levels tend to lessen with age. But at what age can it put you out to weightlifting pasture? The unfortunate reality is that over 15 million American men suffer from testosterone imbalances. It’s a testosterone deficiency epidemic— even men under 40, who previously were assumed to have high testosterone, are now finding themselves with Low T. And the real problem, is that they might not even know it. When they can’t bulk, they just sulk.
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING IS ANYTHING BUT A GOOD THING
Ok, not what you want to hear, but overtraining can also lead to decreased production of testosterone. Overtraining syndrome (OTS) happens when the body is exposed to excessive training and gets inadequate periods of rest. Symptoms can be reduced strengths and dexterity, a drop in physical performance, prolonged periods of pain after workout sessions, persistent muscle soreness, insomnia, and increased blood pressure and heart rate. In study after study, results showed that athletes who trained excessively had testosterone levels reduced by as much as 30% than the normal range.
BHRT; THINK OF IT AS HORMONAL CONDITIONING
Maximize your testosterone levels, maximize your muscle mass. Chisel away. Build impressive boulders. Grease up and get ready for titles. Because with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, you can truly condition yourself to win. Bioidentical hormones like testosterone, are clinically the same as those naturally produced by the body. This allows the body to use them in exactly the same manner as it does its own hormones. This means they can safely and easily be absorbed and processed by the body without rejection, or negative side effects. Bioidentical hormone therapy has been proven effective at helping those with imbalanced hormones and is especially beneficial to athletes who need to perform their best, but can’t take a break from their sport for their body to regulate hormones naturally.
RESULTS YOU’LL GET PUMPED FOR
When it comes to testosterone imbalances, you can’t self-diagnose. When you think you’re doing everything right, and it isn’t doing the job, it’s time to see a hormone specialist, like an expert at Sculpted MD. They have had years of experience helping athletes of all ages and both sexes reach their peak. Treating hormone imbalances is a procedure that has to be done right. At Sculpted MD, they understand the intricacies of precisely administering the exact number of hormones your body needs, based upon advanced testing. Every individual is different, so every protocol is individualized.
WHEN IT COMES TO REPS, WE CAN’T REPEAT THIS ENOUGH
If you want to showcase a beach-worthy, stage-ready body, you need to call Sculpted MD for an appointment now.
