As important as testosterone is in T Maxing and improving your body , it’s not the only hormone you need to know about. Theres several others that play vital roles which we should look at. And that is Growth Hormone , Insulin and Cortisol…

Growth Hormone (GH)

This is your personal liposuction factory ; the biggest broccoli patch in the fat burning garden. Even more than testosterone, it mobilizes your body’s fat to be used as energy. Well known as a peptide hormone, growth hormone is released in response to different stimulus , including holding your breath. Though your levels of all hormones rise and fall over the course of the day , GH has a unique system of action that works in spurts. The biggest spurt being at night when your asleep. Vital intensity exercises cause bonus spurts. Weight lifting , which doesn’t burn a huge number of calories while ultimately leads to more fat loss , plays an important role in GH. Which is one of the many reasons many of us chose weight lifting rather than long periods of cardio.

Insulin

Insulin is one of those good and bad hormones. It’s bad when a lifetime of overeating and underexercising have left you insulin resistant , or unable to properly use insulin your body generates , which can lead to diabetes , heart disease , high blood pressure , ect. And insulin is good when it comes to your post workout meal , since it speeds sugar and protein to your muscles for refueling and repair. Infact when your packing on muscle you want to make your insulin surge and move nutrients to your muscle as quickly as possible. Insulin seems to be an anticatabolic hormone which helps prevent muscle degradation.

Cortisol

This stress hormone is the biggest enemy you have. Cortisol promotes fat storage, particularly in your midsection. It also signals your body to use muscle protein for energy. In other words; it’s an testosterone kryptonite. It shrinks your muscles and grows your gut and ruins your life. A well planned lifting program supresses overall cortisol levels because the more your muscles shape up , the less cortisol your body will produce. One thing you should know is aerobics as most people know them actually increases cortisol production.