Three must-do upper-body muscle builders: to develop the ultimate top half, you have to work your lower body

Men's Fitness, Feb, 2003 by Matt Fitzgerald

When you hear the word hormones, you probably think about sex. Then again, chances are you're already thinking about sex anyway.

Our point is that hearing the word hormones isn't likely to prompt you to think about muscle. Yet there's a powerful connection between hormones and muscle growth, and the more you know about it, the more you can take advantage of it.

You don't need a degree in endocrinology, which is the science of glands and hormones, to maximize muscle growth. All you need to know is which strength-training methods make the best use of your body's anabolic (muscle-building) hormones.

HORMONES AND BIG `UNS (MUSCLES, YOU PERV!)

"A hormone is a chemical that is produced by a gland or tissue and released into the bloodstream," says William Kraemer, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. "Hormones regulate and mediate virtually every process that occurs in the body." Muscular development is one such process. Here's how it happens.

* How hormones get released: Many different kinds of events can stimulate hormone release. Exercise damages muscle cells, depletes energy stores, and even causes anxiety. The body interprets these effects as various forms of stress, which trigger the endocrine system to release specific hormones that can assist in building new muscle proteins, replenishing energy stores, and responding appropriately to the anxiety.

* The good and the bad: From the perspective of those trying to build bigger muscles, two categories of hormones are especially important: anabolic and catabolic.

Anabolic hormones help build muscle proteins, while catabolic hormones help break them down. Muscle tends to grow when workouts cause short-term increases in the anabolic/catabolic hormone-release ratio. Testosterone appears to be the most powerful anabolic hormone, according to Kraemer. Their tenfold advantage in testosterone is believed to be the primary reason that men are able to generate far greater muscle growth than women.

Other anabolic hormones that play a lesser (or less understood) role in muscle growth are human growth hormone, insulin, and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor). The most notorious catabolic hormones are cortisol and progesterone--in chronic oversupply, these can lead to fat deposition, suppressed immune function and muscle catabolism, wherein the body feasts on its own muscles.

STIMULATE YOUR GLANDS

What's the best way to train to generate greater release of anabolic hormones? "That's one question I've been trying to answer for several years now," says Kraemer. Here's what he and other exercise physiologists have learned thus far:

* Lift heavy. "The first principle is that the more muscle tissue you can recruit and involve, the greater will be the stimulating effect on the endocrine system," explains Kraemer. And the more weight you lift, the greater the number of muscle fibers that participate. While you don't need to go as far as to perform a lot of two-rep sets as many powerlifters do, Kraemer says that five- and six-rep sets should be a recurring part of your program if you're serious about putting on muscle size.

* Use compound movements. Aiming to maximize muscle-fiber involvement, you should also make compound (or "multijoint") movements such as the squat and deadlift workout staples. Because hormones circulate throughout the entire body, performing compound movements, particularly those that involve the large muscle groups of the lower body, can help you add mass to your entire body.

* Keep rest periods short. The results of a study performed by Kraemer and colleagues revealed that rest periods of one or two minutes between sets are more effective at optimizing hormone release than either shorter or longer rests. Shorter rests diminish your strength for later sets, while longer rests result in a weaker metabolic signal to the endocrine system.

* Don't overdo it. When individual workouts are too long, the release of cortisol, a catabolic hormone, spikes, and you wind up breaking down more muscle proteins than you build. What this means is that no strength workout should last more than an hour.

THE DRILL

Don't be fooled by the small number of exercises. These are all multijoint movements that recruit a maximum number of muscle fibers, leading to an increase in anabolic-hormone production. They will make you grow, top to bottom. Perform four or five sets of five to eight repetitions each, resting one or two minutes between sets. For the first set, choose a weight that you can lift no more than eight times. Add more weight when you are able to manage only five reps or fewer. To improve muscle definition, alternate this workout with other lower-body routines that isolate individual muscle groups and involve more repetitions.

THE EXERCISES

1. DEADLIFT (lower back, upper back, legs, glutes, trapezius, core) Place a weighted barbell on the floor. Stand with your shins two or three inches behind the bar, your feet placed shoulder-width apart, and your toes pointing slightly outward. Squat down and place your hands on the bar just outside your knees using an overhand grip. Your arms should be straight and your torso angled forward only slightly (1a). Contract the muscles of your midsection to stabilize your spine, then stand fully upright (1b). Keep your spine neutral and use only your thighs and glutes to lift the bar. When you reach a standing position, pause, stabilize your spine once more and lower the barbell back to the floor, keeping your spine neutral and your head up. Rest for two seconds before performing another rep.