The "Anabolic Ratio", Its Importance, and You

[marmel75]

I decided to write this because I talk to many people who do not understand this important concept and how it relates to their muscle building endeavors. Most people simply think about how much Testosterone is in their system when they think about building muscle, but fail to consider the importance of the stress hormone Cortisol which competes for uptake at the receptor sites with Testosterone. Cortisol is the stress hormone, which is necessary, but in many people it is either way too high or stays in tehir system way too long due to some factors I will discuss.

One of the most effective ways to reduce Cortisol is through meditation. It has been shown to be able to reduce Cortisol release up to 50%. It is no secret that virtually every bodybuilder does meditation to create a mind-body connection, but more importantly, whether they know it or not, reduce their Cortisol levels. This is important for several reasons. First, it is the ratio of Cortisol to Testosterone that determines what state the body is in. This is called the "Anabolic Ratio", and when Cortisol is higher than Testosterone(no matter how high Testosterone is), the body is in a Catabolic State. When the level of Testosterone is higher than Cortisol, the body is in an Anabolic State. Many people mistakenly believe it is simply the level of Testosterone that is what is important in building muscle. They are wrong. It is this misunderstanding that leads some to espouse their belief that lifting weights in the morning is the best time to build muscle. This is also wrong.

The body follows a natural cycle in which it is Catabolic in the morning and Anabolic at night. Typically, Cortisol levels are highest in the morning and then drop slowly throughout the day. Testosterone levels are highest overnight(why enough sleep is so important to building muscle), and then slowly drop until late afternoon when they start to rise again. While Testosterone levels ARE higher in the morning, what they fail to realize is that Cortisol levels are also high, which effectively cancels out the effect of Testosterone(remember they compete for the same receptors) and leaves the body in a net Catabolic State. This is good if you want to get skinnier and burn fat, not if you want to build muscle. While levels of Testosterone are lower during the late afternoon and evening than in the morning, Cortisol levels are at their lowest point this time of day, which means the "Anabolic Ratio" is at its peak for muscle building. The saying "night time is the right time" for muscle building applies here.

To make things worse, many people do things to sabotage themselves, such as take in large amounts of caffeine, especially first thing in the morning. Why is Caffeine so bad? Apart from being a rather crappy drug in which you need more and more and more relatively quickly to maintain the same effect, it GREATLY EXTENDS the half-life of Cortisol(keeps it active in the body for a longer period of time--up to 18 hours). Guess what this leads to? You guessed it...an artifical extension of the body being in a "Catabolic State" in which it is literally impossible to build any muscle. So instead of the body being in an "Anabolic State" around 4pm, it might not be til 2 or 3 AM when the increased Cortisol levels drop off, leaving a very short window for building muscle. What does this lead to? Lots and lots of work for little results. At the very least, it leads to lots of work for far less than optimal results. Imagine doing the exact same job you do now at work and gettig paid 60-70% of the money. That is what you are doing to your muscle building capabilities by taking in caffeine, esepcially in large amounts. This is why people who take in a lot of caffeine are usually skinny(or at least skinnier than they would be, all things being equal)...you are in a a near never ending Catabolic State, which is a state of breaking down(fat, muscle, etc).

If you are looking to build muscle, STOP TAKING CAFFEINE, in ANY form!!

If you insist on taking caffeine, at least try and blunt the release of Cortisol by meditating and taking things like Holy Basil or Phosphatidylserine, which blunt the release of cortisol as well.

Hopefully some people find this useful, I will post some other things of interest every few weeks to try and help people understand how hormones and their effects can help or hinder your efforts in the gym...

 

[GameTime76]

My best workouts were always in the morning, when I was rested and fresh. Some bodybuilders prefer to train later in the day, but the majority of guys and competitors I've been around also liked to train first thing in the day. To this day Bill Pearl gets his workout in at 5am and then has the rest of the day to pursue his other interests. If you work regular hours at a job, this means getting up very early to get your training in. When I got to the gym at 7am. I'd see guys with a full work schedule just finishing their training and hitting the showers before going to their jobs. This showed a lot of dedication on their part, but its this kind of dedication that yeilds the best results.

If you absolutely have to train in the evening, or if thats your personal preference, of course you can get results with that schedule as well. Just ask yourself whether you think you are achieving the maximum possible from your workouts this way and whether you are training late because you dont have the motivation to get up as early as necessary for regular morning workouts .

 

[EvilAgenda]

Thanks Marmel, that was quite educational.

tl;dr

Caffeine - NO
Meditate - YES

GOOD 8 HOUR SLEEP - SUPER IMPORTANT

 

[marmel75]

My best workouts were always in the morning, when I was rested and fresh. Some bodybuilders prefer to train later in the day, but the majority of guys and competitors I've been around also liked to train first thing in the day. To this day Bill Pearl gets his workout in at 5am and then has the rest of the day to pursue his other interests. If you work regular hours at a job, this means getting up very early to get your training in. When I got to the gym at 7am. I'd see guys with a full work schedule just finishing their training and hitting the showers before going to their jobs. This showed a lot of dedication on their part, but its this kind of dedication that yeilds the best results.

If you absolutely have to train in the evening, or if thats your personal preference, of course you can get results with that schedule as well. Just ask yourself whether you think you are achieving the maximum possible from your workouts this way and whether you are training late because you dont have the motivation to get up as early as necessary for regular morning workouts .

1. Never compare what bodybuilders are doing unless you are taking steroids. What will work best for someone on steroids versus someone off steroids are 2 different things. As an aside 90% of what is in those muscle magazines is BS. Those are not the routines they do, they are the routines some ghost writer who is likely a trainer has written for the magazine. How do I know? A friend of mine wrote one for a magazine a few times.

2. The number one cause of muscle failure is poor hydration. When are you least hydrated? First thing in the morning. You are leaving reps and up to a 20% increase in weight on the table. Heavy weight is what causes muscle growth, not reps. No amount of reps will get you bigger without lifting heavier weight, the body doesn't work like that. As an aside, can you answer the question of why muscles grow in the first place? There is one causitive thing that will prevent muscle growth in its absence.

3. Regardless of what you think, numerous studies which can be found on ergo-log.com show lifting at night grows bigger muscles. It not rocket science, your bodies hormones are set up to gain muscle at night. Motivation never plays a part in what I do. Optimal results for the hard work I put in is. I have gotten up plenty of times to do cardio in the mrning---the optimal time to burn fat during the catabolic cycle. Learn to work with your body not against it.

 

[GameTime76]

1. Never compare what bodybuilders are doing unless you are taking steroids. What will work best for someone on steroids versus someone off steroids are 2 different things. As an aside 90% of what is in those muscle magazines is BS. Those are not the routines they do, they are the routines some ghost writer who is likely a trainer has written for the magazine. How do I know? A friend of mine wrote one for a magazine a few times.

2. The number one cause of muscle failure is poor hydration. When are you least hydrated? First thing in the morning. You are leaving reps and up to a 20% increase in weight on the table. Heavy weight is what causes muscle growth, not reps. No amount of reps will get you bigger without lifting heavier weight, the body doesn't work like that. As an aside, can you answer the question of why muscles grow in the first place? There is one causitive thing that will prevent muscle growth in its absence.

3. Regardless of what you think, numerous studies which can be found on ergo-log.com show lifting at night grows bigger muscles. It not rocket science, your bodies hormones are set up to gain muscle at night. Motivation never plays a part in what I do. Optimal results for the hard work I put in is. I have gotten up plenty of times to do cardio in the mrning---the optimal time to burn fat during the catabolic cycle. Learn to work with your body not against it.

Your muscles will only grow when they are subjected to an overload. They will not respond to anything less. Muscles will not grow bigger or stronger unless you force them to. Making your muscles contract against a level of resistance they are not use to will eventually cause them to adapt and grow stronger. But once they haved adapted sufficiently, this progress will stop. When this happens, the only way to continue to grow is by further increasing the amount of overload to which you subject them. And the primary way of doing this is to add weight to your exercises. Of course this has to be done gradually . Using too much weight too soon usually makes it impossible for you to perform your sets using proper technique, and can often increase your risk of injury as well.

Yes, your muscles grow at night, but its only when your sleeping.

When I used Bill Pearl as an example for someone who gets there workout in at 5am. He is not sme steriod using bodybuilder. He is a Training coach for football athletes and is famous for his 5X5 routine. Which originated from Reg Park - a bodybuilder in the 50's. For those of us who do train in the morning. We dont just jump out of bed and start training. We eat breakfest and drink water beforehand. That way we get all are carbs, fats, protein, nutrients and energy we need for our body

Whether you choose weight lifting, bodybuilding or power training you will see results. It all depends on your goals and what type of body you want to create.

EDIT - I meant Bill STARR

 

[DanZy]

Please show some sort of scientific backing to any of this, otherwise it's just a theory.

 

[AlexDP]

My best workouts were always in the morning, when I was rested and fresh. Some bodybuilders prefer to train later in the day, but the majority of guys and competitors I've been around also liked to train first thing in the day. To this day Bill Pearl gets his workout in at 5am and then has the rest of the day to pursue his other interests. If you work regular hours at a job, this means getting up very early to get your training in. When I got to the gym at 7am. I'd see guys with a full work schedule just finishing their training and hitting the showers before going to their jobs. This showed a lot of dedication on their part, but its this kind of dedication that yeilds the best results.

If you absolutely have to train in the evening, or if thats your personal preference, of course you can get results with that schedule as well. Just ask yourself whether you think you are achieving the maximum possible from your workouts this way and whether you are training late because you dont have the motivation to get up as early as necessary for regular morning workouts .

As long as you don't have any back issues, that's fine I guess. McGill says you shouldn't train in the morning though as it's more stressful on your back. And he's pretty much the best in his field, so I go with his advice. In any case, working out is better than not working out.

 

[marmel75]

The body grows muscle in response to overload, but the reason is because it believes that gravity has increased. The muscle growth is a response to this "stronger" gravity and the bodies fight against it.

Without gravity, no muscle growth can occur. If you were to bench press 1000 lbs in outer space for 50 reps, it would do nothing because there is no gravity.

 

[AlexDP]

The body grows muscle in response to overload, but the reason is because it believes that gravity has increased. The muscle growth is a response to this "stronger" gravity and the bodies fight against it.

Without gravity, no muscle growth can occur. If you were to bench press 1000 lbs in outer space for 50 reps, it would do nothing because there is no gravity.

That is utter bull****. Gravity pulls you down. In a deadlift you pull stuff up. You still get stronger. By your reasoning you could only get stronger by doing bench presses and squats. The body grows, because it thinks it needs to get stronger. That is it.

 

[marmel75]

That is utter bull****. Gravity pulls you down. In a deadlift you pull stuff up. You still get stronger. By your reasoning you could only get stronger by doing bench presses and squats. The body grows, because it thinks it needs to get stronger. That is it.

I'm afraid your understanding is incomplete. Your body exerts a force equal to that of gravity at all times, otherwise we would be crushed. When you pull something up, the reason it is heavy is because gravity is pulling it down. Otherwise without gravity you would be able to lift it with your pinky finger.

If you don't believe what I posted talk to the NASA scientists who had to figure out how to prevent their astronauts from losing muscle in the absence of gravity. Gravity and muscley alone is the driving force in gaining muscle.

 

[GameTime76]

The body grows muscle in response to overload, but the reason is because it believes that gravity has increased. The muscle growth is a response to this "stronger" gravity and the bodies fight against it.

Without gravity, no muscle growth can occur. If you were to bench press 1000 lbs in outer space for 50 reps, it would do nothing because there is no gravity.

You are correct, Our muscles are designed by evolution to overcome the pull of gravity rather then work against machine resistance, so the biggest gains you will make in building size and strength will come from pumping iron - using barbells and dumbells. Most of the good Bodybuilders I know have also been Power Lifters. Forcing the body to lift against gravity, to coordinate and balance masses of iron, gives it a structure and quality that high repetition, relatively light training alone does not provide.

Aditionally, a report from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research indicates that testosterone production is increased when you do large-muscle-group, free-weight exercises at the same time. Such as; Squat, Deadlift and the less often performed exercise today like the power clean.

Now I'm not against Machines. It would be hard to really work the lats without a Lat Pulldown Machine. Or fully isolate the inner chest without using a pec deck. Though resistance is resistance and its true your muscles dont know the difference.

IF we lived on the Moon we would only need one-sixth the amount of muscle we need on earth, with its greater gravity.

 

[AlexDP]

I'm afraid your understanding is incomplete. Your body exerts a force equal to that of gravity at all times, otherwise we would be crushed. When you pull something up, the reason it is heavy is because gravity is pulling it down. Otherwise without gravity you would be able to lift it with your pinky finger.

If you don't believe what I posted talk to the NASA scientists who had to figure out how to prevent their astronauts from losing muscle in the absence of gravity. Gravity and muscley alone is the driving force in gaining muscle.

Yes. That is all true. And I don't contend that. However it is not your body thinking it needs to be stronger because there is suddenly a bigger force of gravity. That's where you're wrong. The gravity never changed.

 

[marmel75]

Yes. That is all true. And I don't contend that. However it is not your body thinking it needs to be stronger because there is suddenly a bigger force of gravity. That's where you're wrong. The gravity never changed.

You are correct that gravity doesn't change, however the weight causes your body to adapt because it believes it has. Again, this was discovered by NASA and the Russian space programs having difficulty keeping astronauts from losing muscle mass. They were successful by using the other part of the equation...acceleration.