Post edited 1:12 pm – June 27, 2010 by gregsfc
Great information Darrin!
The reason I constantly ponder on chemical and hormonal concerns is that I feel like there is something about the way my body reacts to resistance training, rest and proper nutrition that is different than most lifters. My body seems to strongly resist gaining strength and size, regardless of my program (intensity, type of exercises, frequency, rest between sets, and volume) and nutrition plan. I'm constantly searching for something I can do differently or, at least understand what's going on in my body, even if I can't do anything about it.
With regards to a positive nitrogen balance, it is claimed by many companies that their supplements help produce this result, even though I don't quite understand the significance of staying nitrogen positive. Sounds like this phrase is being used just to sell products. If eating lots of vegetables is the way to create this balance, then I'm probably doing all I can do.
With regards to cortisol, I feel like it is possible that this is one factor that may hinder my progress. Is it possible that some people start producing cortisol during exercise before others or more easily than others?
From my reading, cortisol actually breaks down muscle and works counter to what most lifters are striving for. But my workout durations never exceed one and a half hours and the intense part of my routine is usually 30 minutes or less. I also sip on a protein/simple carb drink while lifting and take down another serving immediately afterword. I then try to take in a solid meal 30 min to one hour later. I've been on programs previously that are of much shorter duration (say 30 minutes) with no better results.
On steady-state training, I usually go the minimum for aerobic benefit (20-22 minutes) and, I never exceed 30 minutes. But when I start a lifting program, I can almost double my calorie intake (compared to a lifestyle with only a moderately physical job), and make only minor muscle and strength gains; and that's only for the first month or so; then I completely stall.
Another loose theory I have (and I need to do more reading on this) is insulin. From previous reading, I understand that insulin helps produce hypertrophy and this is why we should eat simple carbs around our workout times. While insulin is also attributed to depositing fat in our bodies, and therefore, simple sugars should be controlled throughout most of the day, creating this insulin response during and after workouts should help our bodies release other hormones that help grow muscle (testosterone, growth hormone, etc.). I can't remember for sure, but it also seems like insulin also helps reduce cortisol.
In my insulin theory, it is possible that my body doesn't easily produce insulin (type 1 diabetes) or produces insulin that doesn't properly react on blood sugar (type 2 diabetes). In either of these scenario, sipping on a simple sugar would not help my cause, because the insulin (or the lack there of) would not produce the physical response I want. The thing that blows this theroy, however, is that my blood sugar has run high only for the past few years, and this would not explain why I have a history of being a hard gainer, even in my early twenties. However, throughout my early twenties, I knew very little about how to lift for stength and size, and looking back, I was doing almost everything wrong.
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