By now, most people know about the importance of human growth hormone with respect to slowing down the aging process. Supplement manufacturers have been taking it to the bank with various supplement combinations that are supposed to increase growth hormone levels.
One particular product being heavily promoted costs about $3 per day to take the four capsules per day. They claim that some people had up to a six-fold increase in growth hormone levels after taking the supplement.
But, when I researched this particular combination, there was no evidence that this claim is anywhere close to accurate. So is there a proven way to increase growth hormone levels? Yes, there is. And it costs only $0 per day.
The authors of the study enlisted the help of 10 men. They wanted to investigate the effects of exercise intensity on growth hormone levels. So, they had the men exercise for 30 minutes at three different intensities: mild, moderate, and high-intensity training. Here’s what they found.
The levels of growth hormone increased from each exercise intensity. And the greater the intensity, the greater the increase in growth hormone. At the high-intensity workout, the men doubled their growth hormone output.
More recent research has shown that we can get the same increase in growth hormone with only 15-20 minutes of intense exercise. This form of exercise is the one I have been discussing for years. It’s called HIIT for high-intensity interval training. Here’s a good way to do that.
You will need aerobic exercise equipment to do this. The only equipment I don’t recommend is a treadmill. I don’t like treadmills for HIIT because there’s too much of a chance of injury. Any other equipment is good, including stationary bikes, rowing machines, ellipticals, and steppers.
Get on the exerciser and go at a pace that doubles your breathing rate for two minutes. At the end of the two minutes, go into sprint mode for 30 seconds.
This sprint should be so intense that when you hit that 30-second mark, you should be pretty much spent – nothing left – out of breath with a rapid heartbeat.
Then switch gears and go as slowly as possible for three to four minutes or until your breathing and heart rate have settled down.
Repeat this cycle two more times and do this three times per week. You will get a huge increase in your growth hormone levels, and the only problem you will have is what to do with the $90 per month you just saved by not buying the supplement.
Yours for better health,
Frank Shallenberger, MD
Sources:
REF: Pritzlaff CJ, Wideman L, et al. Impact of acute exercise intensity on pulsatile growth hormone release in men. J Appl Physiol 87, 498–504.