Oooh, aahh. Everywhere you go these days, buff guys and fit girls always make the cover of the latest magazine, movie, etc. You want to be that it guy or girl that makes heads turn when you walk down to the Cali beach, but through the journey of endless exercise and dieting, there just doesn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Well my friend, after our discussion with acne (which would be really awkward if you didn't read that blog post) its time for another discussion with fitness and the relationship between our muscles and hormones!
What is muscle, exactly?
Muscles are made of bundles of muscle fiber. Those bundles are called sarcomeres and are also bundled until we have a giant muscle, of many little muscle fibers. For example, one muscle is like one rope. There are many individual threads (muscle fibers) that make a thicker piece of rope (muscle), which eventually bundle up enough to create a large rope (muscle).
However, not all muscles are the same! There are three main muscle types: Skeletal muscles, which move the body parts and are attached to or work with the body's skeleton; Smooth muscles, which creates movements in the organs; and Cardiac muscles, which work to move and maintain the beat and rhythm of the heart.
What kind of hormones are used when we want to build muscle?
Well, for many of us who like short answers: Growth Hormone, Glucagon, IGF-1, Testosterone, Insulin, and Cortisol. What? Why and how are these hormones used for muscle building? Well, I'm glad you asked!
In this post, I'll just cover the three most well known hormones all of us have probably heard one time or another: Growth Hormone, Testosterone, and Insulin. For more information about all the hormones mentioned and their juicy details, visit this fabulous muscle website!
Our first hormone: Growth Hormone, or GH, is you guessed it, the same hormone that the body releases to promote bone growth (Brownie points for reading my bone and hormone post!)! Growth Hormone and Testosterone work in harmony, to promote fat burn and muscle build. Growth Hormone also promotes the strengthening and regeneration of connective tissue, in order to support those big 'ol pecks you're growing!
Moving onto the next, Testosterone, as mentioned in its cooperation with Growth Hormone, plays a vital role in muscle building. Not only does the amount of Testosterone determine a person's sex, but also promotes the burn of fat while stimulating muscle growth by increasing the rate of protein synthesis.
And finally, Insulin. Think of Insulin as that one frienemy in your life: sometimes they're so great, but then the next minute they're the exact opposite. That's exactly how Insulin is! Insulin is a great hormone when it promotes the growth of our muscles, but it becomes our worse enemy when it promotes weight gain. The dreaded weight gain Insulin promotes happens when your liver (where Insulin secretes from) and muscles cannot take anymore insulin your body produces, and in turn, takes the excess glucose (sugar) in your body to fat cells to eat up.
Works Cited
"How to Build Muscle Fast." : Importance of Hormones and Building Muscle. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
Medical News Today. "What Are Muscles?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 17 Sept. 2014. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
Rogers, Paul. "Build Muscle by Manipulating Hormones." N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
"Testosterone vs. Estrogen: How Hormones Affect Muscle Growth." Testosterone vs. Estrogen: How Hormones Affect Muscle Growth. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
What is muscle, exactly?
Muscles are made of bundles of muscle fiber. Those bundles are called sarcomeres and are also bundled until we have a giant muscle, of many little muscle fibers. For example, one muscle is like one rope. There are many individual threads (muscle fibers) that make a thicker piece of rope (muscle), which eventually bundle up enough to create a large rope (muscle).
However, not all muscles are the same! There are three main muscle types: Skeletal muscles, which move the body parts and are attached to or work with the body's skeleton; Smooth muscles, which creates movements in the organs; and Cardiac muscles, which work to move and maintain the beat and rhythm of the heart.
What kind of hormones are used when we want to build muscle?
Well, for many of us who like short answers: Growth Hormone, Glucagon, IGF-1, Testosterone, Insulin, and Cortisol. What? Why and how are these hormones used for muscle building? Well, I'm glad you asked!
In this post, I'll just cover the three most well known hormones all of us have probably heard one time or another: Growth Hormone, Testosterone, and Insulin. For more information about all the hormones mentioned and their juicy details, visit this fabulous muscle website!
Our first hormone: Growth Hormone, or GH, is you guessed it, the same hormone that the body releases to promote bone growth (Brownie points for reading my bone and hormone post!)! Growth Hormone and Testosterone work in harmony, to promote fat burn and muscle build. Growth Hormone also promotes the strengthening and regeneration of connective tissue, in order to support those big 'ol pecks you're growing!
Moving onto the next, Testosterone, as mentioned in its cooperation with Growth Hormone, plays a vital role in muscle building. Not only does the amount of Testosterone determine a person's sex, but also promotes the burn of fat while stimulating muscle growth by increasing the rate of protein synthesis.
And finally, Insulin. Think of Insulin as that one frienemy in your life: sometimes they're so great, but then the next minute they're the exact opposite. That's exactly how Insulin is! Insulin is a great hormone when it promotes the growth of our muscles, but it becomes our worse enemy when it promotes weight gain. The dreaded weight gain Insulin promotes happens when your liver (where Insulin secretes from) and muscles cannot take anymore insulin your body produces, and in turn, takes the excess glucose (sugar) in your body to fat cells to eat up.
Works Cited
"How to Build Muscle Fast." : Importance of Hormones and Building Muscle. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
Medical News Today. "What Are Muscles?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 17 Sept. 2014. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
Rogers, Paul. "Build Muscle by Manipulating Hormones." N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
"Testosterone vs. Estrogen: How Hormones Affect Muscle Growth." Testosterone vs. Estrogen: How Hormones Affect Muscle Growth. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.