Bodybuilding with Anabolic Testosterone: Low-T and Muscle Health

Pretty much everyone understands that Testosterone contributes to masculine muscle development, but most people don't necessarily understand the underlying mechanisms which cause Testosterone to perform its muscle building and strength-enhancing function.

Everyone knows that the higher the level of Testosterone that a person has, the easier than it is to build muscle when working out but let's discuss how and why Testosterone stimulates muscle development.

The Function of Testosterone

Testosterone is known as an Androgen. Androgens are hormones which stimulate and encourage the maturation of the male body during adolescence, such as puberty, the deepening of the voice, hair on the arm, legs, chest, and underarms, enlarging of the penis, etc.

Testosterone also plays a lesser role in female sexual development. After puberty, Testosterone and other Androgens are correlated with aggressiveness, sex drive, and muscle mass.

Successful men are said to on average have higher testosterone.

Testosterone and Muscle Development and Building

Testosterone profoundly affects the body's ability to build muscle mass, and it also encourages the muscles to develop more quickly in response to physical activity like working out, and the usual wear and tear associated with a regular busy life

. Androgens as a group promote the anabolic processes of the human body, anabolic as in growth, increase in size. These are the processes which build us and sustain our health and wellness.

As Testosterone levels fade, this causes the normal decline associated with aging to occur more quickly, and there is much debate in the scientific literature as to how much of the aging process is directly due to this Hormone Decline, lifestyle patterns, and genetic family factors.

How Does Testosterone Stimulate Muscle Development?

Strenuous activity and anaerobic exercise stimulate the growth of muscles by inducing microscopic tears in the muscle tissue. The human body recognizes this physiological trauma and responds by healing those tiny tears.

In curing those tears, it increases both the size and the strength of the muscles.

The body accomplishes this through protein synthesis, a mechanism by which the number of strands of protein in the fibers of the muscle is increased.

There are many hormones which encourage this development, including IGF-1, Sermorelin, a derivative of Human Growth Hormone which can be purchased. Testosterone, however, is the strongest anabolic influence on muscle development.

What is the Biological Mechanism by Which Testosterone Encourages Protein Synthesis?

Testosterone stimulates protein synthesis because it links to receptor sites which are located on the outside of each muscle cell.

After Testosterone activates the cell, it increases the rate at which protein synthesis occurs within the cell.

When Testosterone activates these receptors, it puts the muscle cells into overdrive, increasing the rate at which the muscle building process takes place as well as raising the stimulating effects of weight lifting and vigorous activity.

Testosterone also encourages the release of Human Growth Hormone, which facilitates healing and further speeds up the rate of muscle development.

The Influence of Testosterone on the Muscles Over Time

The result of protein synthesis is cumulative. By engaging in anaerobic physical activity on a regular basis, it can increase the size of the muscles considerably.

With more muscle, the body can participate in a more strenuous physical activity, whether that means one can sprint more quickly or lift more weight.

This, in turn, stimulates an even greater release of Human Growth Hormone and Testosterone, which amplifies many factors associated with physical activity, including recovery time, strength, and the size of the muscles.

This is why Testosterone is so sought after by bodybuilders and weightlifters. Testosterone increases the fruits of the labor associated with these activities.

Of course, it is illegal to use Testosterone strictly for aesthetic and performance enhancement, but Testosterone is perfectly legal for use by patients with a legitimate deficiency.

Testosterone is Not the Only Hormone Which Builds Muscle

We always dwell on Testosterone, but there are some other hormones which also have an anabolic influence on muscle development.

Other hormones that play a role in muscle enhancement are HGH, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Hepatocyte Growth Factor, IGF-1, and Insulin.

One reason why we pay so much attention to Testosterone is that the hormone is specifically designed to enhance strength, whereas other anabolic hormones increase power as a secondary function.

Human Growth Hormone increases muscle tone and strength in a few different ways. Sermorelin is being touted as a better alternative.

First, it enhances metabolism at the cellular level, increasing the efficiency and activity of the body, which benefits the muscles. Second, HGH speeds up the physiological process of rehab which takes place after a workout.

HGH is a potent healing hormone which causes the muscles to recover from exercise more quickly, allowing individuals to work out longer and harder and see better results.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy for the Treatment of Testosterone Deficiency

Low-T has a pronounced negative impact on muscle development and is one of the primary symptoms which can alert a patient to undiagnosed Testosterone Deficiency.

Without sufficient Testosterone, the muscle cells don't get the full signal to increase protein synthesis, and the body becomes less responsive to exercise, which leads directly to the loss of muscle mass and having to work harder and harder to attain the same strength training goals until desired results are simply unattainable.

If you are growing older and getting frustrated about the way that your body no longer builds and sustains muscle, you may be a candidate for Testosterone Therapy with Testosterone Injections, Pellets, Gels, or Creams.

We are a licensed and board-certified medical clinic that has professional affiliates all across the United States, and we can help you learn about your underlying Hormone Balance and what treatments may be available to you to improve your health and wellness.

We encourage you to give us a call or contact us via the form on this page, and we will help you set up an appointment!

References

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