PART 3 - SLEEP AND HORMONES

My Superpower

I can read scientific texts on nutrition and strength training all day long with fervor. Then I obsess until finding a practical application to daily life. Ok, so its not cool like supersonic flight but it's how I designed this program. 

I saw the need for a healthy and sustainable means to strength and size. Most online programs are more complicated than string theory. Everything here is based on the research of much smarter people. I pieced everyting together in a way that made sense to me.

Performance Enhancing Drugs

As far as I can tell, this final piece is the balls of the program...literally. The endocrine system...consider it your Arc Reactor. Like Iron Man, without this powersource, gains are puny.

Steroids work, which is exactly why Keto Superhero is geared to boost your endogenous steroid hormone production. Your personal cocktail of performance enhancing drugs, manufactured by your endocrine system. 

Boner Problems

You will feel a sharp increase in aggressiveness and libido at the beginning of this program, I sure did. You will feel like a goddamn man and you might have the occasional never-ending boner. This can be distracting but it's not unmanageable. Take this as a sign things are working. Horny = Healthy

A word on Steroids

Steroid use is so common within the fitness realm it’s almost required for membership. Non users are referred to as “Natty” (short for natural). I didnt know this until recently but it's important when choosing a fitness program. Online fitness gurus use a wide variety of performance enhancing drugs ranging from anabolic steroids to fat burners and powerful stimulants. Most don't disclose their usage publicly, especially if they're selling something. This isn't fair to clients, who will surely be dissapointed when they dont experience results as advertised.

I'm not the most shredded guy online, not by a long shot. But theres no hidden pills, potions or powders here. Everything I do is outlined in Keto Superhero and you can expect similar results.  

I’ve never used steroids. I don’t mind if others do, it's none of my business. I just dont think they are in line with total wellness. Just my personal opinion. 

Hormones

“In addition to the amino acid supply, the hormonal status of an athlete plays a very important role. Several hormones secreted by different glands in the body affect skeletal muscle tissue. These effects are classified as either catabolic, leading to the breakdown of muscle proteins, or anabolic, leading to the synthesis of muscle proteins from amino acids. Among the anabolic hormones are testosterone, growth hormone and insulin like growth factor.” -Zatsiorski "The Science and Practive of Strength Training"

Those anabolic hormones that Dr. Zatsiorski is refering to are all made out of cholesterol. Are you starting to see the value of 12 eggs a day and high fat? 

Cholesterol has been labeled as a bad guy, but the sooner you get over that, the sooner you can reap it's health benefits without worry. Here are some of my favorite articles to calm any Fat-phobic nerves.

https://chriskresser.com/new-study-puts-final-nail-in-the-saturated-fat-causes-heart-disease-coffin/

http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/cholesterol-friend-or-foe/

Excess carbohydrate and sugar lowers testosterone. Unlike traditional fitness diets, Keto Superhero is very low in sugar and carbohydrate. A big advantage over your oatmeal pounding gym partner?

Link: Negative effects of high glucose exposure in human gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons.

So, Increasing cholesterol and decreasing carb/sugar is good for our hormones. Why then do so many people eat low cholesterol, high carb/sugar diets? For one, its what we were taught in school. Remember the food pyramid? The largest portion of which was processed carbohydrate? More like Failed Pyramid. The average exerciser is swimming upstream against hormone production. Is this what draws so many to steroid use? Because they’re not making enough of their own? so many questions in one paragraph...

I’m not smart enough to know exactly what’s going on biochemically, but I’ll try to explain my theory as simply as possible.

1.       Increased protein consumption leads to an anabolic response and supplies raw materials for protein synthesis.

*Eating more eggs and meat makes muscles grow.

2.       Heavy strength training causes protein breakdown leading to protein synthesis and anabolic hormone production.

*Lifting heavy things makes muscles grow.

3.       Increased cholesterol consumption supplies the raw materials for anabolic/steroid hormones.

*Eating lots of fat makes muscles grow.

4.       Amino acid supplementation during rest periods boosts protein synthesis.

*Eating Perfect Amino before bed makes muscles grow.

5.        Adequate recovery and sleep allows for anabolic/steroid hormone production and protein synthesis.

*Sleeping a lot and taking rest days makes muscles grow

SLEEP

“Strength gains are greater if trainees exercise when they are not tired”- Zatsiorsky

The bottom line: If you want to get big, you must sleep big. Sleep at least 8 hours per night. Only during deep sleep are muscles grown and hormones produced. You can train like a chimpanzee on PCP but if you don’t sleep well you won’t make gains. Type A personalities beware. Here are some tricks I use to sleep big:

1.       Limit artificial light exposure after sundown. Avoid it like the plague. It disrupts your circadian clock, triggering wakefulness. 10 seconds of artificial light can halt melatonin production for 4 hours. No phones, laptops, vehicle headlights, TV or bright bulbs. Use blue blocker glasses if you must use artificial light in the evening. 

2.       No caffeine after 2:00 p.m.

3.       Sleep in complete darkness. If you can see your hands it’s not dark enough. No LED lights from electronics either.

4.       Put phones on airplane mode. Cellular data disrupts sleep cycles. The alarm still works in airplane mode.

5.       Grounding Mat. By far the best sleep hack I have.

6.       Supplemental Magnesium and Zinc. I take this after dinner. It’s a damn tranquilizer.

7.       Sleep with ear plugs, an eye mask and breathe right strips.

8.     Read in bed to fall asleep faster. Do meatheads read? Be like Beast.

Conclusion - "Why so serious?"

Obviously I'm not a Superhero. But compared to life before ketosis, I kind of feel like one. Im having fun with fitness. I could have drolled on with hard facts and science, but theres plenty of that on the internet. It's exciting to write with hyperbole and imagination. I'm not a research scientist or a medical doctor, I'm just Dad. My kid has inspired me to have more fun which is what this was about. 

My goal is to be the best Dad, boyfriend and coach I can be. Overall, more happiness and fun in life is my pursuit. Fitness is a tool to support those goals, it isn't the goal itself. 

I see young people sacrificing so much in the name of abs and arms. Their lives revolve around fitness. I commend the hard work but is that really what life is about, looking sexy? Dont fall prey to the "Eat, Sleep, Train, Repeat" lifestyle if thats not what your life was meant for. 

Know what your ultimate goals are and design your fitness around them. For me, this is what that looks like.  

If you want to be more Superhero like but everything you've tried has been too extreme, unsustainable, or doesnt work without steroids, I challenge you to try Keto Superhero.

I hope someone takes something away from what I've shared. I put a lot of time and sweat into this. If you have any questions please reach out in the comments or by email. Let me know how training is going, seriously, I can chat training all day. Nerd alert.

Thanks for reading

Gabe