Human Growth Hormone (HGH) And Exercise Human Growth hormone is a powerful substance produced in the body. It tends to be produced and released in a pulsatile manner, often revolving along our circadian rhythm. Its primary role is the growth of bodily tissues and is often at its highest peak younger in age while we are growing rapidly and begins to slowly decrease as we grow older. Gender also plays a role in how much growth hormone we release, with females surprisingly releasing more than males. Growth hormone is involved in the turnover of muscle tissue, which is particularly important for those of us who are looking to add lean muscle mass, as well as the remodeling of bone and collagen tissues (Godfrey, R., et al., 2003). It also helps with the regulation of our metabolisms, which are essentially all the reactions that occur within the human body. Two of the biggest factors that play a role in the release of this hormone are sleep and exercise. Sleep Generally, our growth hormone release is highest during the first part of the night, which is why getting to bed at a decent time for a good nights rest is so important. When we cut our sleep short, we blunt the effect of growth hormone, thus also limiting our recovery and muscle growth ability. Exercise Exercise is probably the largest contributor to growth hormone release. Exercise appears as though it effects the growth hormone release through numerous different mechanisms such as: ■Neural Input ■Direct stimulation by catecholamines ■Lactic & nitric oxide ■Changes in acid-base balance (Godfrey, R, et al, 2003) Different types of exercises impact the HGH in different ways however. Resistance TrainingResistance training offers one of the most influential environments for exercise induced growth hormone release (EIGR). The major factors that determine how much an increase is produced are load and frequency. When we lift heavier loads at a greater frequency (less rest time) we cause our bodies to release greater amounts of growth hormone.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 14:26:22 +0000
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