Do Hard-Gainers Exist? by Jerry Brainum 3/23

 

Although anyone can build muscle once they embark on a resistance training program, it seems that some gain more muscle faster than others. Those that experience difficulty in building muscle mass are referred to as "hard gainers." Many reasons are offered to explain why some find it harder to build muscle. Probably the most common reason to explain why one person makes significantly more rapid muscle gains than another person is hormones. Specifically testosterone and growth hormone. These are the major anabolic hormones in the body that affect the rate of muscular growth. Those with naturally higher testosterone levels will find that once they commence a regular resistance trianing program, the gains will come fast and furious, unless they do something to block those gains, such as poor nutrition, or not recovering sufficiently between workouts. How important is testosterone to making gains? A study published a few years ago involved supplying young men with a drug that blocks the activity of testosterone in the body. One group of young men got the drug, while the others followed the same training routine, but didn't get the blocking drug. The results showed that the men who received the blocking drug made no muscle gains at all, zero. A famous study published in 1996 proved once and for all the influence of testosterone on muscle gains. In this study, men who received a testosterone injection gained muscle even without exercise, although those who both exercised and got the testosterone made the best gains.

Other hormones with reputed anabolic effects are anabolic only under special circumstances. An example of this is growth hormone. Although growth hormone is thought to be a potent anabolic hormone, when administered by itself it does not promote muscle gains, although it does help to preserve muscle, especially during stringent dieting conditions. Growth hormone seems to work best for promoting muscle gains when provided with other anabolic drugs, such as anabolic steroids. However, in those who are deficient in growth hormone, such as many people over age 40, growth hormone is definitely anabolic. It also becomes more anabolic right after an intense training session. One study looked at which hormones provided anabolic effects immediately following training and found that only growth hormone and cortisol provided anabolic effects, but surprisingly testosterone didn't. Testosterone provides anabolic effects only when it's provided in a sustained fashion. The short burst of testosterone following a workout only lasts for about an hour, not enough to produce any significant anabolic effects.

Insulin is another hormone that many think is potently anabolic. The primary function of insulin in the body is to transport glucose into cells, and it also acts as a storage hormone helping to store carbohydrates as glycogen and excess calories as body fat. But a secondary effect of insulin is to promote amino acid entry into muscle. Once the amino acids, especially essential amino acids are in muscle, protein synthesis proceeds, and that . . .