Training naturally for optimal hormonal response

**Grunt76** · 01-10-2006, 03:58 AM

So the million$ question is: do all the good hormones increase concomitantly with cortisol or is there a way to structure the workouts so as to maximize GH & test while minimizing cortisol?

I have read a few studies that show that hGH response is the greatest when training with 60-90s rest between sets during 37-45 minutes total and that cortisol increases more when resistance training is continued beyond the 45-minute mark.

Now I also just read that short-rest (60s) training increases cortisol MORE than 3-minutes rest between sets.

This is kinda puzzling. I've done searches on this board and found little, same on PubMed. I know I had found the hGH study on PubMed but can't seem to find it anymore.

Help would be appreciated. Thanks.

sulcop · 01-10-2006, 07:45 PM

Here is part of my book on Hormonal minipulation training.

Everyone has a theory on reps sets and workout parameters. Most programs work, and all will stop working at some point. This is where the theory of micro cycles comes in. Frequent change in workout stimulus has been proven to make longer lasting gains and maximize results. There is one area that most programs fall short and that is hormonal manipulation. After all the most effective way to build muscle is to combine anabolic hormones and training. Any IFBB pro is proof positive of that. Manipulating hormones artificially and training to enhance the effects of those hormones creates a powerful synergy. But we as natural bodybuilders refuse to compromise and cross those boundaries, but does that condemn us to being small? NO! For every bodybuilding drug there is a corresponding hormone that is naturally produced by the body, and can be manipulated by your training. Finding a way to increase the secretion of your natural hormones is the second biggest factor in your program selection. Through careful manipulation of training variables you can increase various growth producing hormones and the corresponding receptors in your muscles that mediate their anabolic effects. Through careful manipulation of training stress you can convince your body to release each hormone at specific times, and increase receptor sites on the muscle itself. Interested? Read on. A “smart” training program will fulfill three necessities:
1) Provide enough stress to the muscle fibers to trigger repair and growth.
2) To increase the levels of various anabolic hormones.
3) Up regulate corresponding muscle receptors and get the most out of those anabolic effects.

Before we get into the nuts and bolts of the training design lets look at various forms of training and there affect on hormonal manipulation and the effect on the muscle receptor sites. Now these are not my ideas, I did not develop anything, and most of this is common knowledge to most of you. I am just here to link it all together, after all I am just a dumb cop with a degree in aviation science so what do I know? I know enough to look at the science behind the training theories and what corresponds to specific muscle building hormones and anabolic states.

First lets look at testosterone boosting and training. We know through endless research that testosterone, the holly grail of muscle building hormones, it triggered through specific training. That training consists of heavy movements, specifically heavy partial squats. This is not a 1/4 squat but to parallel or just short with a maximum poundage. Rep speed should be constant with a explosive acceleration. Forced reps are great to increase the intensity of the exercise as well. The workout also needs to be short, less than 45 minutes is best. Anything longer and testosterone levels will plummet rapidly! Testosterone boosting has long-lasting effects and the effects are compromised when too many workouts of this type are strung together too often and this is why the old 20 rep squat programs have short lasting results, but by manipulating this type of workout infrequently, say every six to eight days, you can maximize the effects. All high intensity training will increase your testosterone level to some degree, as long as the sessions are kept short. It will not be as potent as the testosterone boosting squat workout, but it will enable you to extend the effects of the workout as you focus on manipulating other hormones. If squats are out of the question then leg press or rack dead lifts can also fit the requirement, but squats are the king of testosterone boosting workouts, and yes ladies this means you too!
Negative only training has been shown to force the muscle to secrete insulin like growth factor 1 and fibroblast growth factor, tow powerful autocrine/paracrine anabolic hormones. This type of training causes extreme soreness and muscle trauma and again needs to be done infrequently. Sets need to be limited to 2-5 Negative only sets of 6-10 reps. That is a 10-15 second Negative with a 3-5 second pause between the reps. Between all sets stretch, and if you’re not familiar with Dante’s stretch protocols then I would research it. All other movements this training session should be heavy with a maximum stretch at the bottom and peak contraction at the top. Hold the top and bottom positions for 2-4 seconds. Again this training needs to be infrequent with 24-30 days between Negative only workouts for the same body parts.

Another training fact is growth hormone manipulation training. If you combine a heavy compound exercise with an explosive positive and slow Negative and a single-joint movement for the same muscle a pronounced GH releasing effects occurs. This superset will boost GH secretion and increase GH receptors on the trained muscle. The second exercise needs to be lighter and you should go for the burn. Reduce the range of motion as the muscle fatigues to optimize the burn. A superset of bench press done heavy with a 5-6 second Negative for 6-10 reps combined with cable crossovers done for 15-25 controlled reps and 4-5 partials or burns at the end would be an ideal chest combination. Only the combination of more GH secretion (the compound exercise) and increasing the GH receptors on the muscle (quick burns) will induce muscle growth.

Insulin depletion workouts followed by a high carb drink post training can maximize the insulin effect of muscle building. Insulin will shuttle carbs into one of two places, fat cells and muscle cells. By training to delete glycogen in the muscle and bring in as much blood as possible, then follow the session with a high GI carb drink you can better train the muscle to store carbs in the muscle and maximize the anabolic effects of insulin. Think about your carb depletion workout’s pre contest. They are designed to do just this, and then maximize the volume with carbs and shuttle the nutrients into the muscle cell. Why do we only do this precontest? Would it not be best to throw in a few of this type of workouts a week and harness the growth and recovery potential of insulin? Use a typical carb depletion workout of high rep, and short rest fast tempo workouts. Use non traumatic movements, cables and machines, and reduce the range to increase the pump and force more blood into the muscle. Follow the workout with a high-carb food or even better a high GI post workout shake. A hour or two after training take in another high carb meal.

Muscle tension will rapidly increase the number of androgen receptors on the trained muscle and negate the effect of the cortisol receptors. By increasing muscle tension, and decreasing fiber trauma you can harness the power of the secreted testosterone, IGF 1 and GH in the muscle. The reduced fiber trauma will decrease cortisol production and receptors as the training induces fiber growth. This workout would be the opposite of the Negative only workouts. You want to accentuate the positive part of the movement and negate the negative effect. The Negative workout will maximize trauma, but this workout is designed to minimize it. Movements need to be done with a 4-6 second positive, and a 2-second pause at the top and bottom and a 1-2 second Negative. Train strictly and keep the muscle under tension for as long as possible, Use static holds at the end of each set to really increase the tension on the working set, and get a maximum contraction at the top of each rep. Use movements that have the greatest range of motion and peak contractions such as leg extension and hack squats for the quads. Avoid bouncing and too many sets as long workouts this will burden recovery and release cortisol.

Sully

**Grunt76** · 01-10-2006, 11:23 PM

That post is golden. Thanks a million times, man. Do you think you could look at my split and give it a rating on 1-10 based on your knowledge? I am attempting to create a workout that will grow what I have and let me do some light cardio for 20-30 minutes right afterwards without going to cortisol city. The idea is recomping at the moment. Assume the diet is good, which it isn't but it's another thing altogether that I'm fixing up at the moment. I know I'm asking for a lot, but it's better for me to ask than not to, right? Plus the bros might learn something from it too. Anyways, whenever you get around to taking a look would be great.

Here: My 5-split, 45 minute, 6-second TUT/rep workout

pu12en12g · 01-14-2006, 06:00 AM

Good discussion so far... this might be of help:

Quote:

J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2003 Jun;43(2):243-9.

A single set of low intensity resistance exercise immediately following high intensity resistance exercise stimulates growth hormone secretion in men.

Goto K, Sato K, Takamatsu K.

Doctoral Program in Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.

AIM: The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of an additional set immediately following high intensity resistance exercise on growth hormone (GH) response. METHODS: Subjects (n=8) performed 4 resistance exercise protocols (bilateral knee extension exercise) on separate days. The protocols were categorized into 2 types of protocol, namely "Strength-up type (S-type)" and "Combination type (Combi-type)". The S-type was resistance exercise which consisted of 5 sets at 90% of 1 repetition maximum (RM) with 3-min rest periods between sets, whereas the Combi-type is a training protocol which adds an additional set (either 50% of 1 RM [C50-type], 70% of 1 RM [C70-type] or 90% of 1 RM [C90-type]) to the S-type. Serum GH concentration and blood lactate concentration were determined pre-exercise and at 0-60 min postexercise. Relative changes in thigh girth and maximal unilateral isometric strength were determined pre-exercise and immediately postexercise. RESULTS: The increasing values of GH concentration (DGH) in the S-type was the lowest of all protocols. On the other hand, DGH in the C50-type showed a significantly (p<0.05) higher increase than in the S-type and C90-type, and a relatively higher increase than in the C70-type.

CONCLUSION: These results suggests that a high intensity, low volume training protocol to induce neural adaptation resulted in little GH response, but GH secretion was increased by performing a single set of low intensity resistance exercise at the end of a series of high intensity resistance sets.

Also see this one:

Changes in satellite cells in human skeletal muscle after a single bout of high intensity exercise
http://jp.physoc.org/cgi/content/full/558/1/333

01-10-2006, 07:45 PM	#2
sulcop Pro Stature Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Cape Cod MA Posts: 127 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 4	Here is part of my book on Hormonal minipulation training. Everyone has a theory on reps sets and workout parameters. Most programs work, and all will stop working at some point. This is where the theory of micro cycles comes in. Frequent change in workout stimulus has been proven to make longer lasting gains and maximize results. There is one area that most programs fall short and that is hormonal manipulation. After all the most effective way to build muscle is to combine anabolic hormones and training. Any IFBB pro is proof positive of that. Manipulating hormones artificially and training to enhance the effects of those hormones creates a powerful synergy. But we as natural bodybuilders refuse to compromise and cross those boundaries, but does that condemn us to being small? NO! For every bodybuilding drug there is a corresponding hormone that is naturally produced by the body, and can be manipulated by your training. Finding a way to increase the secretion of your natural hormones is the second biggest factor in your program selection. Through careful manipulation of training variables you can increase various growth producing hormones and the corresponding receptors in your muscles that mediate their anabolic effects. Through careful manipulation of training stress you can convince your body to release each hormone at specific times, and increase receptor sites on the muscle itself. Interested? Read on. A “smart” training program will fulfill three necessities: 1) Provide enough stress to the muscle fibers to trigger repair and growth. 2) To increase the levels of various anabolic hormones. 3) Up regulate corresponding muscle receptors and get the most out of those anabolic effects. Before we get into the nuts and bolts of the training design lets look at various forms of training and there affect on hormonal manipulation and the effect on the muscle receptor sites. Now these are not my ideas, I did not develop anything, and most of this is common knowledge to most of you. I am just here to link it all together, after all I am just a dumb cop with a degree in aviation science so what do I know? I know enough to look at the science behind the training theories and what corresponds to specific muscle building hormones and anabolic states. First lets look at testosterone boosting and training. We know through endless research that testosterone, the holly grail of muscle building hormones, it triggered through specific training. That training consists of heavy movements, specifically heavy partial squats. This is not a 1/4 squat but to parallel or just short with a maximum poundage. Rep speed should be constant with a explosive acceleration. Forced reps are great to increase the intensity of the exercise as well. The workout also needs to be short, less than 45 minutes is best. Anything longer and testosterone levels will plummet rapidly! Testosterone boosting has long-lasting effects and the effects are compromised when too many workouts of this type are strung together too often and this is why the old 20 rep squat programs have short lasting results, but by manipulating this type of workout infrequently, say every six to eight days, you can maximize the effects. All high intensity training will increase your testosterone level to some degree, as long as the sessions are kept short. It will not be as potent as the testosterone boosting squat workout, but it will enable you to extend the effects of the workout as you focus on manipulating other hormones. If squats are out of the question then leg press or rack dead lifts can also fit the requirement, but squats are the king of testosterone boosting workouts, and yes ladies this means you too! Negative only training has been shown to force the muscle to secrete insulin like growth factor 1 and fibroblast growth factor, tow powerful autocrine/paracrine anabolic hormones. This type of training causes extreme soreness and muscle trauma and again needs to be done infrequently. Sets need to be limited to 2-5 Negative only sets of 6-10 reps. That is a 10-15 second Negative with a 3-5 second pause between the reps. Between all sets stretch, and if you’re not familiar with Dante’s stretch protocols then I would research it. All other movements this training session should be heavy with a maximum stretch at the bottom and peak contraction at the top. Hold the top and bottom positions for 2-4 seconds. Again this training needs to be infrequent with 24-30 days between Negative only workouts for the same body parts. Another training fact is growth hormone manipulation training. If you combine a heavy compound exercise with an explosive positive and slow Negative and a single-joint movement for the same muscle a pronounced GH releasing effects occurs. This superset will boost GH secretion and increase GH receptors on the trained muscle. The second exercise needs to be lighter and you should go for the burn. Reduce the range of motion as the muscle fatigues to optimize the burn. A superset of bench press done heavy with a 5-6 second Negative for 6-10 reps combined with cable crossovers done for 15-25 controlled reps and 4-5 partials or burns at the end would be an ideal chest combination. Only the combination of more GH secretion (the compound exercise) and increasing the GH receptors on the muscle (quick burns) will induce muscle growth. Insulin depletion workouts followed by a high carb drink post training can maximize the insulin effect of muscle building. Insulin will shuttle carbs into one of two places, fat cells and muscle cells. By training to delete glycogen in the muscle and bring in as much blood as possible, then follow the session with a high GI carb drink you can better train the muscle to store carbs in the muscle and maximize the anabolic effects of insulin. Think about your carb depletion workout’s pre contest. They are designed to do just this, and then maximize the volume with carbs and shuttle the nutrients into the muscle cell. Why do we only do this precontest? Would it not be best to throw in a few of this type of workouts a week and harness the growth and recovery potential of insulin? Use a typical carb depletion workout of high rep, and short rest fast tempo workouts. Use non traumatic movements, cables and machines, and reduce the range to increase the pump and force more blood into the muscle. Follow the workout with a high-carb food or even better a high GI post workout shake. A hour or two after training take in another high carb meal. Muscle tension will rapidly increase the number of androgen receptors on the trained muscle and negate the effect of the cortisol receptors. By increasing muscle tension, and decreasing fiber trauma you can harness the power of the secreted testosterone, IGF 1 and GH in the muscle. The reduced fiber trauma will decrease cortisol production and receptors as the training induces fiber growth. This workout would be the opposite of the Negative only workouts. You want to accentuate the positive part of the movement and negate the negative effect. The Negative workout will maximize trauma, but this workout is designed to minimize it. Movements need to be done with a 4-6 second positive, and a 2-second pause at the top and bottom and a 1-2 second Negative. Train strictly and keep the muscle under tension for as long as possible, Use static holds at the end of each set to really increase the tension on the working set, and get a maximum contraction at the top of each rep. Use movements that have the greatest range of motion and peak contractions such as leg extension and hack squats for the quads. Avoid bouncing and too many sets as long workouts this will burden recovery and release cortisol. Sully __________________ www.SOAbodybuilding.com

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