Growth hormone (GH) is a protein hormone which is naturally produced and secreted by our bodies via the anterior pituitary gland which is a pea sized structure located near the base of the brain. This hormone controls complex processes such as muscle, skeletal, and neurological growth as well as metabolism.
Here’s a list of its uses from Breakingmuscle:
- Increased protein synthesis
- Increased lipolysis (decreases fat)
- Increased sarcomere growth
- Reduced liver uptake of glucose and enhanced formation of new glucose (gluconeogenesis)
- Supporting the pancreas and its production of different hormones like insulin, glucagon, ghrelin, etc.
Women produce more growth hormone than men (at different times of the day) and the amount of growth hormone we produce is positively correlated with the amount of estrogen we produce. It seems strange because men are generally much larger and have an easier time gaining muscle than women, but that’s because it’s not just growth hormone that effects whether or not we can gain muscle.
It also has a lot to do with testosterone and we all know men have a lot more of that. It is generally accepted that growth hormone works much easier with testosterone than with estrogen. So, how can us women make better use of our growth hormone? I mean, we make so much more of it!
How to increase growth hormone and gain muscle
Ever seen a super muscular woman and thought “Wow, if only I had muscles like those”, well now you can! That is, if you learn how to reap all the benefits of growth hormone.
As we mentioned above, women produce more growth hormone than men. So, we’re already at an advantage. Now, let’s take it to the next level!
High Intensity Training
Breakingmuscle states that “Hard-hitting workouts increase growth hormone levels in both men and women, with the highest GH production occurring when workouts last longer than ten minutes and push athletes past their lactate threshold.”
High intensity workouts like p90x, HIIT, and Cross Fit are great and will work perfectly for this, but they can also be very expensive since they include either fitness videos or classes.
Here is an example of a high intensity interval training workout for you by Michael Banks, owner of Body by Banks, which only uses a treadmill and, if you wish, weights:
Warm Up: On the treadmill, with the incline set at a challenging angle, power walk at a speed of 3-3.5 for 7 minutes. Keep your elbows up above your heart. Stop; get off the treadmill, and stretch.
Sprint: Drop the incline to 0, increase the treadmill speed, and sprint hard for 30 seconds. Aim for 90% of your maximum heart rate. To recover, bring your speed down to 3 and walk for one minute.
Squats: Get off the treadmill and squat, with your bottom out to the rear and your legs slightly apart. Then jump from the squatting position into the air, landing in the same squat position as before. Do this for one set of 15 or 20, working your quadriceps. If you’re already in good shape, hold dumbbells by your sides.
Overhead Presses: Do 15 or 20 overhead presses with the weights, pushing them straight up and directly over your shoulders.
Sprint: Get back on the treadmill and sprint for 30 seconds (no incline). The goal is to be at 80% of your maximum heart rate. To recover, decrease your speed to 3 and walk for one minute.
Triceps Extensions: Using dumbbells, do one set of 15 or 20 overhead triceps extensions. Your elbows should point toward the ceiling, with the weights behind your head. Lift the weights directly above your head and back down again.
Pushups: Do one set of 15 pushups, with your elbows at a 90-degree angle from the body. Modification: Do the pushups with your knees on the ground, but do 25 instead of 15.
Sprint: Back to the treadmill. Sprint for 1 minute, aiming for 70% of your maximum heart rate. To recover, jog for 90 seconds.
Jumping Jacks: Do one set of 15 or 20 jumping jacks. If you’re strong enough, add two 10- or 15-pound dumbbells. Lift up the weights when you jump out, in an overhead press position, pulling them back down to shoulder height as your legs go back together.
Finale: Incline your treadmill to an angle that really challenges you — but don’t hang onto the treadmill’s rails. Walk at a 2.0-3.5 speed for 30 seconds, aiming for 60% of your maximum heart rate. To recover, bring the treadmill down to a 1.0 incline and drop your speed to 1.9 or 2.0 for a 1-minute walk. Finish by stretching.
Strength Training
Strength training also raises growth hormone levels. Women benefit most when their strength training is more intense with less rest during a period of time.
Protein Post Workout
Some studies show that women have a growth hormone increase after consuming whey protein post workout. (This little fact has a lot of controversy surrounding it. The whole “eating post workout” thing does. Keep a close watch on the studies in the future to find out more about this.)
Fasting
Fasting has been used for tens of years by people in religious communities and everyone does it every single night for 8 hours. There are a million different fasting schedules which range from a few hours to a few days.
Those who fast in the health and fitness community usually follow a 16:8 or a 20:4 fasting schedule. During which you fast for 16 hours a day and have an eating window of 8 hours or fast for 20 hours a day and have an eating window of 4 hours. This is called intermittent fasting.
Many studies have been conducted on the effects intermittent fasting has on growth hormone, and, so far, it’s only positive results. Some studies show up to a 2000% increase! The increase happens because during a fasting state the body is releasing less insulin. When insulin is present, growth hormone cannot be. They are negatively correlated. So, if you want to release more growth hormone you must first decrease insulin.
Surely, there are great things to come from fasting in this department. I recently wrote an article on intermittent fasting for women here on YouQueen. Please check it out if you are curious about how fasting can increase growth hormone!
Adequate Sleep
At night, the body repairs itself. So, naturally, growth hormone is excreted during this time. If you are not getting enough sleep, you may be interfering with growth hormone. But don’t just get more sleep for that reason… You really need sleep! Here are some things that may help you fall asleep faster and get a richer, deeper sleep from Sleepfoundation:
Try to keep the following sleep practices on a consistent basis:
Stick to the same bedtime and wake up time, even on the weekends
This helps to regulate your body’s clock and could help you fall asleep and stay asleep for the night.
Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual
A relaxing, routine activity right before bedtime conducted away from bright lights helps separate your sleep time from activities that can cause excitement, stress or anxiety, which can make it more difficult to fall asleep, get sound and deep sleep or remain asleep.
Avoid naps, especially in the afternoon
Power napping may help you get through the day, but if you find that you can’t fall asleep at bedtime, eliminating even short catnaps may help.
Exercise daily
Vigorous exercise is best, but even light exercise is better than no activity. Exercise at any time of day, but not at the expense of your sleep.
Evaluate your room
Design your sleep environment to establish the conditions you need for sleep. Your bedroom should be cool – between 60 and 67 degrees. Your bedroom should also be free from any noise that can disturb your sleep. Finally, it should be free from any light.
Check your room for noises or other distractions. This includes a bed partner’s sleep disruptions such as snoring. Consider using blackout curtains, eye shades, ear plugs, “white noise” machines, humidifiers, fans and other devices.
Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows
Make sure your mattress is comfortable and supportive. The one you have been using for years may have exceeded its life expectancy – about 9 or 10 years for most good quality mattresses. Have comfortable pillows and make the room attractive and inviting for sleep, but also free of allergens that might affect you and objects that might cause you to slip or fall if you have to get up during the night.
Use bright light to help manage your circadian rhythms
Avoid bright light in the evening and expose yourself to sunlight in the morning. This will keep your circadian rhythms in check.
Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and heavy meals in the evening
Alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine can disrupt sleep. Eating big or spicy meals can cause discomfort from indigestion that can make it hard to sleep. It’s good to finish eating at least 2-3 hours before bedtime.
Wind down. Your body needs time to shift into sleep mode, so spend the last hour before bed doing a calming activity such as reading
For some people, using an electronic device such as a laptop can make it hard to fall asleep, because the particular type of light emanating from the screens of these devices is activating to the brain. If you have trouble sleeping, avoid electronics before bed or in the middle of the night.
If you can’t sleep, go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel tired
It’s best to take work materials, computers and televisions out of the sleeping environment. Use your bed only for sleep and sex to strengthen the association between bed and sleep. If you associate a particular activity or item with anxiety about sleeping, omit it from your bedtime routine.
Other ways to help you sleep:
Melatonin Supplements
While some say melatonin does not help people fall asleep, I can assure you from personal experience that it does in fact help me fall asleep. It may not work for everyone, but it’s worth a try if you are having difficulty falling and/or staying asleep.
Growth hormone deficiency
Since growth hormone is used to regulate so many different systems in your body, a growth hormone deficiency can be dangerous for your health. Here’s some extra information on growth hormone deficiency to educate you in case you may suffer from it.
Here are some symptoms, as stated by GHFound, commonly reported by people who have a deficiency in growth hormone:
Physical Symptoms:
- Lack of energy or fatigue
- Muscle Weakness
- Weight Gain
- Decreased Sexual Desire
- Sleep Problems
Psychological Symptoms:
- Shyness
- Withdrawal from others
- Nervousness or anxiety
- Sadness or depression
- Feelings of hopelessness
The causes of growth hormone deficiency are different for everyone and can happen at any age. Here is a list of possible causes as stated by GHFound:
- Tumor: Many adults with growth hormone deficiency have had a tumor in the pituitary gland. This tumor may damage the gland, or the gland may be damaged at the time of surgery to remove the tumor.
- Surgery: Surgery may be required to remove a tumor from the pituitary, as mentioned above. If surgery in the area of the pituitary or the hypothalamus is needed for some other reasons, the pituitary gland may also be injured, causing growth hormone deficiency.
- Radiation: Exposure to radiation, usually given as a treatment for a tumor within the head or as part of a bone marrow transplant, can damage the pituitary gland and lead to growth hormone deficiency.
- Congenital: Some infants are born without the ability to produce growth hormone. These infants will continue to have growth hormone deficiency after they reach adulthood.
- Idiopathic: Many children with growth hormone deficiency develop it for unknown reasons. This is called “idiopathic”. Many of these children will continue to have growth hormone deficiency as adults.
- Inflammation: This is an uncommon cause of growth hormone deficiency. Inflammation of the pituitary gland may be caused by chronic infections or by chronic inflammatory disorders such as histiocytosis and sarcoidosis.
- Autoimmune: Injury to the pituitary gland may occur because the body’s immune system reacts against the pituitary. This usually occurs in women, generally during or after pregnancy.
- Age: Growth hormone decreases with age. This is completely natural and does not need to be treated with hormone supplementation.
If you think you may be suffering from growth hormone deficiency, you should consult a health care professional. If needed, they can prescribe growth hormone for you. However, these prescribed growth hormones are not for people to use as fitness supplements. This can be a very dangerous thing to do and can make other hormones in your body get out of whack.
I think I have a growth hormone deficiency… :(9