Testosterone, growth hormone. These "dirty" words in bodybuilding should not be ignored by natural athletes. We must realize the stuff itself isn't harmful, the abuse of it is. Your body produces these chemicals and this article is on how to maximize the effect they have in your body.
First we must convince our bodies to produce growth hormone. This can be done by using our knowledge of when the body naturally produces GH and simulating that situation more often. Here's how to produce more GH:
1-Sleep more often. 30-60 mins. after we fall asleep our body produces its largest amount of GH. To harness this benefit take two naps during the day and take a short break from sleep in the middle of the night.
2-Take the amino acids leucine, orinthine alpha ketoglutarate, and ketoisocaprate half an hour before sleep and during the break in the night.
3-Train 2-3 times per day in shorter more intense workouts.
4-Keep the gym temperature high (70's) and take a daily suana.
5-Get enough potassium, vitamin C, and aminos.
When the pituitary gland produces GH this is only the first step in tapping the bodies anabolics. Next we must turn this large amount of GH (which only builds a small amount of muscle) into Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF-1 which goes into the muscle for large growth). This must be done by maintaining a high insulin leval in the body throughout the day. To do this one must eat at least six meals a day. An extremly important time for insulin need is during and after the workout.During the workout one should sip a 7-10% complex carb recovery drink. After the w.o. a 165lb male will need to eat :
200g complex carbs
10g glucose
15g fructose
25% daily protein need in egg or whey hydrosolate form.
The next step is to protect thyroid metabolism and this can be done by eating high class protein and getting the right amount of iodine.
The final step is to stimulate testosterone and to do this one needs to maintain the right amount of boron, zinc, and BCAA's, while maximizing GH levals. The following points on how to increase your bodies testosterone are from Chris Thibaudeau's article Testosterone Training on the BIGBOYS page:
1-You should stick with as many multi-joints exercises as you can.
2-You should use a training load high enough to fully stimulate testosterone production.
3-Keep your reps in the 5-10RM range.
4-Keep your rest between sets in the 3-1 minute(s) range according to your intensity level.
5-For maximum testosterone release keep your time under tension between 40 and 70 seconds.
6-Train early in the morning if you can. Not to worry if you can't since this don't have a huge effect.
7-Increase your post workout protein intake to take advantage of the testosterone spike.
If you follow these techniques you can naturally get the effects of growth drugs without the danger. They are hard and you must follow them day in and day out but the growth you get will pay off. For more information on this process read Optimum Sports Nutrition by Michal Colgan