Kevin P. Hunter - Bodybuilding Complete: 2 Books in 1: Bodybuilding Science & Bodybuilding Nutrition

You already know that exercise and healthy eating is fundamental to the way you look and feel. Hormones control our lives from every aspect. It affects the metabolism, body, appetite, how much you weigh, how much fat and muscle you have; and it affects energy levels, emotions, and mood.

When everything is balanced, metabolism will be improved as well as energy. This is why people who have a fast and healthy metabolism burn calories more efficiently. Those with a have slower metabolism shows extra fat on the hips and/or stomach. Burning calories faster means higher energy levels that you need for a productive day.

There are many hormones and they all work together in a system; but since I am not here to teach you biology, I am going to tell you about those that affect your muscles, weight, and health.

What are hormones?

Particular cells release hormones that affect other cells in the body. All organs create hormones; they travel through the blood and other fluids in the body. These hormones are affected by the food we eat and the lifestyle we live. Understanding which has the most effect on muscle growth and weight, and learning what food affects them, will bring you success in bodybuilding and any other type of training you might do.

At first, you might be surprised why I have started off with hormones as a top priority; but yes, they are that important. They are all about fat loss, muscle growth, and overall health. It is essential to learn everything you can about hormones in order to change your body.

There are two types of hormones: anabolic and catabolic. The anabolic builds up the body while the catabolic breaks down the body. In bodybuilding vocabulary, this means anabolic hormones help in building up muscles and catabolic means the inverse or muscle loss.

Here are the sic hormones that play the principal role in muscle growth and fat loss. I am going to explain all about their function and, most importantly, how to use them to increase your workout performance:

• Testosterone
• GH growth hormone
• Insulin
• Thyroid hormone
• Cortisol
• Estrogen

Testosterone

Testosterone is known as the male hormone since it stimulates male characteristics. Both women and men have this hormone, just in different amounts; men have a lot more. It serves an essential role in our body in terms of bodily and sexual development, behavioral and metabolic characteristics, and a lot more.

This male hormone is produced in the testes and also the adrenal glands. After it is secreted into the blood, about 97% is bound to globulin and albumin (proteins).

This binding has three purposes:

• It serves as a storage depot or reservoir used to dispose of fluctuations in the plasma testosterone.
• It protects the testosterone from the kidneys and liver, from being degraded.
• Testosterone becomes soluble so that it can be easily transported by the blood.

The other small percentage of testosterone is not bound to the plasma and thus it is known as free testosterone. It interacts with cells and causes physical changes.

When it comes to regulation of T levels, it is controlled by two factors: the plasma protein binding capacity and the total T levels in the blood. This means that when the binding capacity increases, the free testosterone lowers. This is why certain T supplements and certain drugs can reduce its capacity and there is freer testosterone.

Even when we were embryos, T levels had the final word for us being male or female. For males, testosterone production lasts until ten weeks after birth and when puberty arrives, it stops. This is the time when the levels are through the roof. In this period, men show are surprisingly different from women looking from many angles such as body weight and muscle formation, drawing them to more aggressive sports like football. It is sad that testosterone starts to decline after 30 years of age, and by the time we turn 70-80, one-third of it is gone.

Here is how testosterone makes all the difference:

• Growth of testes, scrotum, and penis during puberty
• Enlargement of the voice box larynx-- with the result being a deeper voice
• Formation of sperm
• Hair growth face, chest, pubic area (and for some men the back)
• Increased skin darkness and thickness
• Increased sex drive
• Increased metabolic rate
• Increased blood volume and higher number of red blood cells
• Kidneys retain water and sodium
• Increased muscle protein, which means muscle mass is increased
• Muscle glycogen gets broken down less during exercise
• Bones retain calcium
• Sebaceous glands (sweat) are increased and in some cases result in acne