Human Growth Hormone, definition and role
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) 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 located at the bottom of the brain. This gland secretes several different hormones and regulates the body’s development and growth.
The Human Growth Hormone is necessary in infancy and puberty to stimulate growth in height. After the 18th year, HGH leads to healthier body composition and is responsible for functions such as:
- Stimulation of muscle growth
- Repair of muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons
- Keeping the body muscular
- Lowering body fat
- Strengthening bones
- Protecting the organs from aging
- Improving blood circulation
As the name says, it stimulates growth, reproduction and regeneration of cells. It is responsible for development of the body and directly regulates the growth of muscle mass.
It stimulates formation of new cells, cell growth and helps muscle recovery. It is how the body builds new muscle mass. HGH influences conversion of body fat into energy (burning fat) and builds stronger bones. It also influences your sleep.
As it is with testosterone, proper weight training boosts the production of HGH. Nutrition and sleep have enormous influence whether it will be produced, how much and how long. Higher growth hormone levels mean faster and easier growth of muscle mass. It plays a key role in forming a muscular physique.
Mistakes in nutrition and training are mistakes because their result is a decrease of this and other needed hormones. Thus it is of key importance to have a proper training and nutrition program.
About 75% of the HGH production in the body occurs during sleep. That is why 8-hour sleep is necessary. No supplement can compensate the production of this hormone in place of sleep.
Higher body fat = lower HGH production
HGH production decreases over the years. It’s decrease is followed by lowering muscle mass and bone density, increasing body fat – especially in the abdomen region, and worsened cardiovascular health.
Simply put, as HGH decreases you start looking and feeling older.
Only if you sit back and do nothing.
You can significantly alter the decrease of HGH with weight training, nutrition and enough sleep. If you follow the recommendations of Muskultura, you’ll come to recognize that too much meaning and panic is attributed to “age”.
Human Growth Hormone levels can be established and monitored through blood tests.
Training, emotional state, stress, nutrition, sleep, age – all these influence the production of HGH in your body.
Age is the least of the problems. There are far more negative factors to growth hormone than age. The first step to increasing this hormone is to eliminate those factors. Here are some of them:
- Diet abundant in carbohydrates
- Excessive exercise
- Excess body weight
- Insufficient sleep
- Mental stress
- Artificial sweeteners
- Flavor enhancers
- Alcohol
- Drugs, sleeping pills
How to Increase Human Growth Hormone
- High-intensity training and sprints. These activate muscle fibers responsible for strength and explosive activities, and this boosts natural production of growth hormone.
- Have enough sleep. Eight hours of sleep at night enables optimal HGH production.
- Eat good quality protein and fats. Before bed it is best to have a good protein meal with fats and low or zero amount of carbs.
- Blood sugar increase suppresses the release of HGH. Carbs enormously spike blood sugar, especially in today’s way of eating.
- Switch to this diet in combination with intermittent fasting (two meals a day).
- Have last meal not directly before sleep but earlier.
- Take a full complex of vitamins and minerals.
- Intake of the amino acids L-arginine and L-lysine by 5 grams each daily, can greatly increase growth hormone.
- Glutamine, take 5-10 grams before bed or after training.
- Don’t exercise too long and too often.
- Order a training and nutrition program from us. Our programs are designed to obtain maximum growth hormone.