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09/03/09
Cortisol is a steroid hormone that occurs naturally in the body as a result of anything we do in our daily travels that places our body under stress. When you get frustrated after catching a red light, cortisol levels rise. When your roommate drinks the last Diet Dr. Pepper and you get upset, your cortisol levels rise. They rise when you have a long day at work. They rise when you’re studying for a big exam in school. And above all, they rise significantly when you engage in a tough workout in the gym.
The best way to envision cortisol is to see it as the anti-testosterone. Think about all the wonderful things that testosterone does in your body. It builds new muscle. It makes you stronger. It makes you leaner. You become more aggressive, active and powerful. Testosterone is the basis for everything good in bodybuilding. Cortisol is, unfortunately, quite the opposite. Cortisol breaks down muscle tissue and defeats muscle protein synthesis. You get less benefit from the foods you eat as your cell walls resist protein’s absorption and uptake. Cortisol reduces your strength levels and recovery ability as well. “Smaller, weaker, and slower” is most accurate in this case. Cortisol preserves your body fat. Cortisol even leads to bone loss. Cortisol does everything it can to make you look like an untrained person. You have to do everything you can to defeat cortisol. Cortisol is the enemy of the bodybuilder!
Users of anabolic steroids don’t have to worry all that much about cortisol levels in their bodies. Anabolic steroids nullify cortisol in a most meaningful way. Red blood cell count is immediately elevated with the use of AAS, halting many cortisol effects immediately. Bone degradation is stopped. Recovery ability suddenly climbs dramatically. Testosterone levels – and the accompanying levels of muscle mass, strength, and muscle enzyme activity leading to the growth of new muscle – are through the roof. Memory will improve. Your immune system will grow stronger, making you more resistant to illness which can keep you out of the gym. As long as you are “on cycle”, cortisol doesn’t affect you.
Natural bodybuilders don’t have this benefit. They must change their lifestyles in order to limit the influence of cortisol upon their physiques. They must increase sleep and improve diet to help offset cortisol’s damage. They must remove as many negative stressors form their lives as possible. The use of morning cardiovascular exercise can benefit this as well, since cortisol levels are always highest in the morning, and cardiovascular training helps to minimize its impact. Avoid caffeine, and take all your vitamins. Glutamine’s ability to limit cortisol’s effects upon the natural bodybuilder are well known.
Remember that you will never be able to completely stifle cortisol’s presence or abilities. It is a part of that miraculous chemistry set that is the human body, and it will always be there. What you can do, in order to gain and maintain as much muscle as possible, is to work as hard as possible to minimize the impact of cortisol on your muscle-building processes.
