Growth hormone and bodybuilding: 5 tips to boost it naturally

In bodybuilding and sport in general, thegrowth hormone is often associated with doping. Indeed, some athletes resort to injections to build muscle mass, lose fat and boost performance. This is extremely dangerous. But did you know that it's also possible to stimulate naturally your growth hormone? Find out how to boost its secretion.

What is growth hormone?

Growth hormone is a substance secreted naturally by the human body. It is also known by different names:

• Somatotropin
• Somatotropin
• Somatropin
• Human growth hormone (hGH) or growth hormone (GH).

Growth hormone is a polypeptide hormone. This means that it is composed of several amino acids. Indeed, this protein molecule contains 191 of them.

It is produced by the pituitary gland, a tiny gland located in the brain that is part of the body. endocrine system. 🧠

The role of growth hormone is simple: to enable humans to grow by developing their muscles and bones. It is at the origin of growth during childhood and adolescence.

In some children, growth hormone production may be insufficient. This hormonal deficiency is then responsible for stunted growth in the child.

In the event of such a deficiency, a healthcare professional may prescribe a growth hormone treatment with the aim of helping children catch up with their physiological delay and reach a "normal" adult size.

The best-known example is undoubtedly that of the Argentine soccer player Lionel Messiwhich underwent daily injections growth hormone from the age of 8. According to some specialists, this enabled him to grow 30 centimetres taller.

There is a decrease growth hormone secretion in adults. But it continues to play an important role, particularly for athletes and body-builders. 🏋️‍♂️

Growth hormone and bodybuilding: what does it do?

What are the effects of growth hormone?

Whether as part of a weight gain or dryness, optimizing GH secretion is essential.

Indeed, the GH is an anabolic hormone, just like testosterone and insulin. In fact, the 3 are intimately linked. When the production of testosterone increases, the same is often true of growth hormone. And vice versa.

6 tips to increase your testosterone naturally

Growth hormone acts directly on the metabolism (in terms of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins). It therefore promotes hypertrophy and muscular growthas confirmed by a meta-analysis carried out in 2009 by Danish researchers.¹

In addition to increasing muscle mass, it helps to reduce the risk of heart disease. body fat. This is what interests many athletes, who want to find the right balance between lean mass and fat mass to achieve a lean, muscular physique.

Growth hormone is also believed to help make sprinters faster.²

Lastly, this hormone has a positive effect on blood pressure and on the cardiovascular system.

As you can see, GH enhances physical performance. This is what drives some athletes to dope, despite the many side effects and the fact that it's forbidden.

The dangers of GH doping

Injectinggrowth hormone for bodybuilding (or any other strength sport) is both dangerous and forbidden. ⛔️

The doping growth hormone appeared in the 1980s. As medical advances made it easier to detect anabolic steroids, another doping agent, unscrupulous athletes turned to GH.

The desired effects are those mentioned above:

• Rapid weight gain
• A loss of body fat
• Increased strength,
• A slowdown in the effects of aging.

However, certain expected effects are now being called into question by science. This is particularly true of gain in strength and endurance.³

The use of growth hormones to enhance performance has been prohibited for many years by World Anti-Doping Agency (AMA).

Hormones have side effects and are extremely risky for health. The dosage used is much higher than that recommended by doctors for treatment to make up for a GH deficiency in a child, for example.

In fact, all sports are involved, whether in endurance or strength sports. From soccer players to bodybuilders, cyclists, combat athletes, rugby players, sprinters and long-distance runners, doping unfortunately affects all disciplines.

Yet the dangers of GH doping are many. GH injections can be responsible for the development of cancer, diabetes or hypertension, and for the disproportionate growth of certain organs such as the heart or liver.⁴.

Put simply, injecting growth hormone into a healthy adult reduces life expectancy. In the short term, it seems like an easy solution. But in the long term, its effects are absolutely disastrous.

Fortunately, it is possible to optimize your growth hormone in the following ways natural.

How to stimulate growth hormones naturally?

To speed up your muscle developmentIt's interesting to know how to optimize growth hormone stimulation naturally. 

So you can enjoy its character anabolic.

In fact, you'll find that these tips are no miracle cures. Most of them are closely linked to the implementation of a healthy, balanced lifestyle, starting with sleep and diet.

Here are 5 concrete tips to boost your growth hormone.

1. Improve the quality of your sleep

Did you know that growth hormone is largely produced at night, during the deep sleep phase? 😴

The quality of your sleep is key to increasing your GH⁵. To maximize its secretion, you should sleep between 7 and 9 hours a night.

And if you have trouble falling asleep and meeting that quota, these tips may help:

• Eat light foods at the end of the day to aid digestion. 🥦
• Don't consume stimulants such as coffee after 5 p.m. ☕
• Avoid TV and smartphone screens as bedtime approaches. 📱
• Focus on relaxing activities like reading. 📖
• Freshen up your bedroom for a good night's sleep (the recommended temperature is 18°C). 🌬️

2. Meet your protein needs

If your growth hormone secretion is insufficient, chances are it's related to your power supply. 🥗

Get enough amino acids to boost growth hormone production.

Some of them are known to contribute to GH secretion, including glutaminearginine, lysine and the 3 BCAAs (branched amino acids) that are leucine, isoleucine and valine.

Depending on your goal, allow between 1.5 and 2 grams of proteins per kilo of body weight.

If your diet is insufficient in terms of protein intake, it may be appropriate to consume food supplements for weight training.

3. Favour complex carbohydrates

To increase your hormone production and activate your muscle gainlimit simple carbohydrates and prefer complex carbohydrates.

The fast sugars present in the vast majority of industrial products block the production of GH. It is better to opt for growth hormone stimulating foods such as brown rice, whole grain bread, sweet potatoes, oatmeal or legumes.

Overall, a balanced diet is essential to reach your goal. Beware of processed foods!

4. Regular physical activity

L'intensive training is ideal for secreting growth hormones.

Several researchers who have studied the subject agree that workouts volume, lead to a greater increase in the hormone. This was the case, for example, of Professor Kraemer and his team in the 1990s.⁶.

In other words, it's better to do 5 sets of 10 repetitions with suitable weights on an exercise (bench press, squat, deadlift, etc.), rather than 10 sets of 1 repetition with heavy loads. This parameter should be taken into account when designing your weight-training program.

L'aerobic exercise at high intensity also has a positive effect on hormone levels. Raising your heart rate facilitates the release of GH, which makes physical activities such as CrossFit, cardiotraining or HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) particularly interesting.

5. Fill up on vitamins

The vitamin D and the vitamin B6 are invaluable in boosting your GH production. As well as being essential for staying healthy, these vitamins have a direct influence on the creation of hormones and their proper use by the body. 🥝

This is also the case for the magnesium and the zinc2 minerals essential to the proper functioning of the human body.

There are supplements whose only role is to increase GH. These are the growth hormone boosters. They are generally composed of amino acids, vitamins and minerals. However, it is much better to meet your needs through your diet and to target your deficiencies precisely by choosing specific food supplements.

Some sportsmen and women also use testosterone boosters, a chemical anabolic hormone (in the same way as insulin) which is involved in GH release.

Conclusion

Thanks to these few methods, you now know how to increase your growth hormone naturally. If there's only one thing you need to remember from this article, it's the importance of adopting a good health practices. Pay particular attention to sleep, diet and physical activity if you're looking to gain muscle.

Notes and references

1. Rubeck KZ, Bertelsen S, Vestergaard P, Jørgensen JO. Impact of GH substitution on exercise capacity and muscle strength in GH-deficient adults: a meta-analysis of blinded, placebo-controlled trials. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2009 Dec;71(6):860-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2009.03592.x. Epub 2009 Mar 28. PMID: 19508603. ︎
2. Udo Meinhardt, MD, Anne E. Nelson, PhD, Jennifer L. Hansen. The Effects of Growth Hormone on Body Composition and Physical Performance in Recreational Athletes: A Randomized Trial. 2010 May. Annals of Internal Medicine. ︎
3. Hau Liu, Dena M. Bravata, Ingram Olkin, et al. Systematic Review: The Effects of Growth Hormone on Athletic Performance. Ann Intern Med.2008;148:747-758. [Epub 20 May 2008]. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-148-10-200805200-00215 ︎
4. Hau Liu, Dena M. Bravata, Ingram Olkin, Smita Nayak, Brian Roberts. Systematic Review: The Safety and Efficacy of Growth Hormone in the Healthy Elderly. 2007 January. Annals of Internal Medicine. ︎
5. Van Cauter E, Plat L. Physiology of growth hormone secretion during sleep. J Pediatr. 1996 May;128(5 Pt 2):S32-7. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(96)70008-2. PMID: 8627466. ︎
6. Kraemer WJ, Marchitelli L, Gordon SE, Harman E, Dziados JE, Mello R, Frykman P, McCurry D, Fleck SJ. Hormonal and growth factor responses to heavy resistance exercise protocols. J Appl Physiol (1985). 1990 Oct;69(4):1442-50. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1990.69.4.1442. PMID: 2262468. ︎