For those older, natural bodybuilders out there, the idea of manipulating the body's release of natural hormones through exercise and diet should be quite exciting. Learn why and how...
For those older, natural bodybuilders out there, the idea of manipulating the body's release of natural hormones through exercise and diet should be quite exciting. The hormones I'm referring to are the "big 3", testosterone, GH and insulin.

For those who are older, the body's natural output declines as we age, so being able to take maximum advantage of these is essential if you want to make big gains. Regardless of whether or not you are using pro-hormones - like I do - the right approach to training and diet will allow you to make the most of this opportunity.

Some of this information came from the August 2003 issue of Ironman magazine but this is a topic I was looking at back in the 90's (for those who don't know, I took a total 5-year lay-off from the sport around 1997 after 15 years) so I know this approach is not new but hopefully I can give you some tips that will help you get better results than you're getting now.

The body's natural production of testosterone can be increased through hard work on the big, compound movements, especially those where the body actually moves up and down, such as the squat and deadlift. Also, the bigger the muscle, the more testosterone is released in response to the exercise. What's bigger than the legs and back?

So, starting your workout with 3-5 sets of heavy squats or deadlifts done for reps in the 6-10 range will work wonders. That's easy to do on leg and back day but what if, like me, you train, say, chest and tri's on a separate day and shoulders on another day (as in the routine listed in my "Coming back after 5 years, part two" article)?

What you need to do is begin these workouts with either squats or deadlifts. I don't mean you have to work yourself into the ground but 1-3 working sets at a moderate weight will get the process started. Remember Vince Gironda? He used to have his trainees begin their arm workouts with squats! Why? Because he believed it "set the adrenal gland up for growth".

He was pretty much on the right track. Of course, many people use split routines - so you could just design a split routine that had you doing squats one day and deadlifts on another day but I find I can design a better split with out those limitations.

For one thing, I find as I get older I can't really do the same volume of work in a single day with enough intensity as I could 10 years ago. For another, research shows your body begins to shut down it's output of anabolic hormones after 45-60 minutes. My current split allows me to complete every workout in 45 minutes or less.