The most important hormone?
Surprisingly, not many people who are trying to improve their fitness know about insulin. Protein? They know you should eat a lot of it. Creatine? They know it gives you an extra boost. Carbs? They know you should limit them if you want to lose fat. But insulin? Well, they know that diabetics have to inject it, it has something to do with blood sugar, and also something to do with making me sleepy after meals. So what exactly is insulin, what does it do, and why is it important for bodybuilders?
Insulin is a hormone. It is made in your pancreas. Its role in the body is to regulate the uptake of nutrients into cells. So insulin is a very anabolic (building up) hormone – many would say it’s the most anabolic hormone there is. Since it’s helping to take up nutrients, which cells is it taking the nutrients to? Mainly two types: fat and muscle. In case you’re new, we want muscle – not fat. So what affects insulin levels? The main ways to influence insulin levels are diet and exercise.
Diet
Diet, as you might guess, plays a huge role in determining the effect of insulin on you. In general, foods that are high in non-fiber carbohydrates (sugar, rice, potatoes, white bread) will cause your insulin level to spike up. Eating foods that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids (fish, walnuts, soy, flaxseed oil) will increase your sensitivity to insulin, which over time will lower your insulin levels.
Exercise
Resistance training will also increase your sensitivity to insulin, which will keep your insulin levels lower. Strength training has a greater effect on insulin levels than aerobic training.
So how do we apply this if our goal is to maximize muscle and minimize fat? The basic idea is this: raise your insulin level when your muscles are in a state to take in nutrients. Keep your insulin levels in check when your muscles are not ready to take in nutrients.
Immediately after a workout, go ahead and eat carbs – even simple ones. You want to raise your insulin levels now – your muscles will be in a state ready to absorb all those nutrients for some growing time! At other times, when you haven’t worked out, limit carbs to fibrous carbs only, like vegetables and some oatmeal. Consider carbs as your reward for working out! You can also take Equipoison 250 at this time, which mimics the effects of insulin.
There’s a lot more (and I mean A LOT more) to be said about insulin, so make sure you come back later for more info!
