Squats To Natural Growth Hormone Production

**RoNNy THe BuLL** · 06-19-2002, 12:12 PM

This is just a theory I came up with and I was wondering if any of you brave souls would mind trying it out and letting me know what happens within three weeks. It's simple, do a squats. 4 sets of 12 reps 10 minutes before your regular routine, EVERY workout day and when you get to legs, add it in as normal. You don't have to necessarily do heavy weight, just get a good pump. I'm theorizing that when you get the quads pumping, the testosterone and natural growth horomone will start running rampant 10 minutes post Squat and you'll get a bit extra growth. Just a theory, I'm going to try this out myself but if there's any takers who want to get in on it, lemme know and keep it updated.

**Buddha_Red** · 06-19-2002, 12:30 PM

Oh hell you know this deserves a :BUMP: just in case

**footballcat** · 06-19-2002, 04:45 PM

im not going to try it but bump

**jeffylyte** · 06-19-2002, 08:46 PM

the only problem i see is that the studies that show that squats are a great excersize for hormone production and overall mass building ( and there are some..just pickup any book from Dr squat for references) usually have you doing pretty heavy weights going to exhaustion or just before. Doing this every day will certainly lead to overtraining and thus catabolism, putting you in a depressed state of hormonal action and negating any benefits. Doing very little weight probably wouldnt do too much for the hormones, so it is a rock and hard place kind of this.

Just my opin though

**RoNNy THe BuLL** · 06-19-2002, 08:52 PM

What about doing it 2-3 times a week, even a moderate pump to stimulate SOME sort of anabolic hormone activity would be beneficial for anyone. Is 10 minutes added to a normal workout too much? Hmmmm....

**RoNNy THe BuLL** · 09-18-2003, 12:22 AM

This was ONE of my first posts! But I'm still curious SOOOOOOOOO

BUUUUUUUUUUUUUMP

**Calipso** · 09-18-2003, 05:46 AM

lol bump a thread that died in june 02.

**saboudian** · 09-18-2003, 12:43 PM

Well, even though this thread should have died long ago, i'll comment.

If i were to use this idea, i would steal a chapter from EDT and set up a "core" exercise at the front and rotate them just as is done in EDT.

**Warrior** · 09-19-2003, 01:05 AM

I am with saboudian on this. Most big compound movements will produce a good endogenous cocktail. Use this practice - but spread it out to other compound movements and try other intensities, like EDT, to get a good natural androgen surge.

Legs obviously produce their fair share of anabolic hormones due to them holding the largest muscle groups in the body (Quads, Hams, Glutes). But I wouldn't overtrain them in a hope to harness it. Overtraining just leads to a decrease in endogenous androgens. Let them rest and grow... just never neglect the bodypart if not just for this reason...

I like the way your thinkin' stuff like this comes to my mind a lot - but I don't think legs should be trained so often... big muscle groups = mega trauma = increase rest = growth/supercompensation.

In addition to... you only have so much energy stores (glycogen, CP, and basic CNS envolvement). By doing Squats before every workout is favoring legs over everything else since intensity could never be 100 percent for the proceding movements.

The closest I would get to this is alternating a light, moderate intensity day (4-5 days rest) with a heavy, extreme intensity day for legs (6-7).

**brad fuel** · 09-21-2003, 06:59 PM

A hormonal surge will last for a few hours. Is there really any benefit of having the extra surge while you're working out? Like many of you have said before, you're not growing in the gym. Why not put the squats at the end of the workout to get the surge then.
Or even better yet, do it later on in the day. If you work out in the morning, do the squats in the afternoon or evening. This would keep your GH elevated for a longer period of time through out the day