Hormones, definition and description

Dino Nikolic
Creator and author of Muskultura
Health Coach
Fitness Instructor
16.10.2018

Hormones are substances produced by certain glands in the body. They are transported through the body by internal liquids, to regulate the function of cells and organs. They perform specific biological functions and enable communication between organs and tissues. With this, they regulate bodily functions such as digestion, breathing, sensory perception, sleep, secretion, formation and development, movement, reproduction, etc.

The word hormone comes from the Greek word hormon which means “that which sets in motion”.

Hormones regulate everything that happens inside your body. They represent one of the most potent biological agents that science is increasingly delving into, uncovering even new hormones that were previously unknown. The entire hormonal system in the body is interconnected; in other words, a change in one hormone can lead to alterations in many others.

It is hormones that direct the body toward building muscle mass, burning fat, and strengthening bone density, but also others exert opposing effects. Thus, weight training or exercising can be very precisely defined:

Weight training is a method of regulating and directing hormonal activity towards desired outcomes.

That is, increasing those which positively influence the body composition, and lessening those that inhibit the increase of muscle mass, that activate storing excess fat, that “spend” or “eat away” the muscles. This should be the guiding principle in everyone’s training and dieting regime. If not, that’s a blind alley.

When talking about hormones, we can’t omit nutrition as well. Bad dieting or improper diets will suppress the beneficial effects of hormones and increase the negative effects, thus nullifying the wanted effect of weight training. Also, mistakes in training will nullify the wanted results even from the most proper dieting. Our nutrition and weight training programs take care of these factors. Besides, there is no better education than achieving superior results with properly directed knowledge and effort:

I want: Training and nutrition program

The hormones included here are not described with all of their functions. Described are only some of the positive and negative functions that are of greatest interest to us regarding building muscle mass and burning off excess fat. And when we say “a negative characteristic”, it doesn’t mean that those hormones are not necessary for other purposes in the body.

Hormones have a direct influence on your physique, structure, body composition (muscles, fat, bones, water), and aging.

The human body has around 50 hormones. Here we will describe those that are of greatest importance to us regarding weight training, building muscle mass, and losing excess body fat.

Insulin, definition and role

Insulin is a hormone that is released when carbohydrates, i.e. sugars are present in the blood. It collects and allocates the sugar for immediate energy requirements, brings a part into muscles and the liver (if they aren’t already full) and converts the rest into fat and stores it. It also stores dietary fats but they…

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Estrogen, definition and role

The term estrogen (same as oestrogen) pertains to a group of chemically similar hormones which are dominant in the female body and responsible for development and maintenance of the female characteristics. Estrogen is present in the male body too, in much lower amounts. Some small amounts of testosterone are always converted into oestrogen in the…

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Estrogen - female hormone

Cortisol, definition and role

Cortisol is a hormone which spikes during moments of physical or mental stress. It’s secretion increases during moments of heavy exertion, such as weight training or jogging, as well as in stressful situations in everyday life. There is also increased secretion of cortisol during moments of starvation and lack of sleep. Cortisol is necessary for the…

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Testosterone, definition and role

Testosterone Testosterone is one of the most important hormones in building muscle mass. The male human body produces it mainly in the testicles and a small amount in other glands. In the female human body, it is produced in the ovaries. Men have significantly higher testosterone levels than women. It is directly responsible for your…

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Increasing the Human Growth Hormone

Human Growth Hormone (somatotropin), definition and role Human Growth Hormone (HGH), or somatotropin as it is further called is a vital hormone in the human endocrine system. The endocrine system is a system of glands that secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream. The Human Growth Hormone is secreted by the pituitary gland, a small gland…

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