Increase Hormones Naturally

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past 5 years, you know that hormones have been all up in the media within professional sports - especially in baseball.

One by one, our athletic heroes are getting busted for using steroids to enhance their athletic performance and hormone production.

The guilty may never make it into Cooperstown, but they did make it to... 

Congratulations, boys.

Your medal is in the mail.

Seriously guys, steroids might not affect your bat, but why would you ever use something that could shrink your base-balls?!

And why didn't you come to me first?

Here are some quick tips on how to increase hormones that are essential for burning fat and building muscles - naturally - through exercise.

Testosterone is the primary hormone that interacts with skeletal muscle. It is involved in protein synthesis (muscle building), influences other hormones (i.e. growth hormone), and interacts with neurotransmitters. All of these factors have a direct effect on force production - how much you can lift.

1. Perform exercises that use large muscles groups or compound exercise (i.e. squats, bench press, pull-ups)

2. Lift heavier weights (85 - 95% of your 1 repetition maximum)

3. Moderate to high volume of exercise, use multiple exercises, sets, and reps

4. Short rest in between sets of 30 seconds to 60 seconds, increases Testosterone and Growth Hormone

5. Resistance train regularly, 2 years of consistent exercise can increase the amount of testosterone release after exercise

Studies show that growth hormone (GH) has more effect on strength gains in women then testosterone. GH is the most potent anabolic (muscle building) hormone in the body. It also is highly involved in many aspects of metabolism including; protein synthesis, the use of fat during exercise, and fat breakdown.

1. Workout at higher intensities. This can include lifting heavier weights or increasing the volume of exercises

2. Short rest between sets and reps (less than or equal to 60 seconds)

3. Consuming protein and carbohydrates before and after working out.

* Resistance training also increases metabolism for 24 hours after working out unlike aerobic training which only increases metabolism for a few hours after working out before returning to normal levels.