Hormone

The word 'hormone' comes from an ancient Greek word meaning 'impetus'. Hormones are chemicals that travel through the body affecting cell metabolism. They are, in a sense, a bit like messengers that travel around the body providing instructions to the cells about how they are going to behave. Straight away you can probably see that this is an extremely important function, that will have an impact upon all aspects of your physical health and size. In fact a common excuse for being overweight is that it is due to hormone activity, but the truth is that this is a very rare occurrence. Most often people are fat because they eat badly and excessively and don't exercise.

How hormones work

Hormones are best thought of as a kind of messenger from one cell to another.

• A hormone is created in a particular tissue
• It is then stored until needed
• The hormone is then transported to a cell if its message is required
• The cell receiving the hormone has a receptor that recognises it
• The cell then responds to the message relayed by the hormone, for example it may say 'store fat'
• The hormone then degrades

This is a massive over simplification of how the process works, but the essence is that your cells respond to whatever 'message' certain kinds of hormones bring.

Hormones and your workout

Your body is constantly sending hormones out to convey messages to cells. When you are healthy this results in what we would term normal bodyweight and general wellbeing. But hormones can become unbalanced with a range of results from weight fluctuations to becoming progressively more unwell. The first goal of anyone, no matter what they are training for, should always be to maintain good health. Beyond that there are times when any serious bodybuilder will wonder if adjusting hormone levels could lead to better results. There are supplements that adjust hormone levels in favour of better body building outcomes, in particular increasing testosterone. A supplement such as Axis HT can increase the levels of this hormone, which in turn can help with maximising muscle gain and improving work rate in the gym.

Hormones and supplements

As messengers to the cells, hormones can play a pivotal role in things like weight gain and even mood swings. A good diet and regular exercise will play a part in regulating them. For serious body builders, supplements that adjust hormone levels can help achieve good results. These sorts of supplements have been scientifically developed, so they work safely with your body's natural hormone balance. As with any aspect of body building it is always good to seek out advice and use proven products.