The index of insulin resistance is very important in bodybuilding, because it affects muscle and fat mass. Find out how you can control it! Mass gathering cycles in bodybuilding involve the consumption of a large number of calories. However, there is a limit in everything, and at a certain time you can gain not muscle mass, but fat mass. Of course, if you consume more calories than you expend, then the fat gain is quite predictable. But it is not always the case only in the calorie content of the diet and insulin resistance in bodybuilding is no less important here.
The mechanism of action on the body of insulin
In the body, insulin plays two roles: transport and storage. This hormone delivers nutrients to the inside of tissue cells. When carbohydrates are consumed, they are transformed in the body into glucose, which then enters the bloodstream. The blood carries the substance throughout the body, and it ends up in the cells, which use it for energy.
When the glucose concentration is high and the substance cannot be fully utilized, then fat accumulation is created with the help of insulin. After the food processing process is complete and in the absence of insulin, glucagon is activated. Thanks to him, the full potential of the food that has been consumed can be realized, and fat reserves are used if necessary. When insulin synthesis begins, the glucagon concentration decreases.
However, there are situations when insulin levels are very high, which leads to a response from tissues that begin to resist it. At such times, insulin is unable to deliver glucose to cells and the level of the substance begins to rise. This leads to an excess of glucose and, as a result, its conversion to fat.
At the same time, adipose tissues begin to actively synthesize cytokines, which are inflammatory mediators and cause chronic processes. This fact also affects the acceleration of the production of the hormone insulin.
Insulin resistance and fat-free mass gain
Most athletes conducting mass-gathering cycles very often face one of two options for the development of the situation. Some of them try to consume as many calories as possible, trying to gain the maximum possible amount of muscle mass. If this scenario develops, then insulin is synthesized in large quantities and this leads to the development of insulin resistance in bodybuilding. As we said above, these are the most favorable conditions for the body to create new fat reserves.
This can result in the athlete gaining more fat mass than muscle mass. After that, you need to start using a dietary nutrition program to get rid of excess fat and see muscles. And here again, insulin resistance in bodybuilding can put a spoke in the wheels. When an athlete begins to lose weight, he loses more muscle, rather than fat. Tissues prevent insulin from delivering glucose and muscles cannot be supplied with the required amount of energy. Does the athlete see a very disastrous result in the final of this situation? the fat is shed, but with it the muscles are gone.
There is a second way to gain weight, in which certain restrictions on calorie intake are imposed. Not only is it necessary to consume a limited number of calories, it is also necessary to strictly adhere to a certain ratio of all three nutrients.
Of course, this approach requires maximum discipline and self-discipline from athletes. It is very important to choose the right foods and prepare them. To many, this version of the mass-gathering cycle may seem the only correct one, but it will not bring the desired result either. The fact is that according to this method, you will be limited in calories.
Most assume that a similar approach to nutrition can be used over a long period of time. As a rule, good results in this case can be obtained only in the first one and a half or two months. During this period, you may not gain fat mass at all. However, after the above period, the rate of mass gain slows down, and then stops altogether. The main reason for this, again, lies in insulin resistance. This is due to the consumption of large amounts of carbohydrates and unsaturated fats. Of course, you can gain less fat by using this mass gaining cycle, but nevertheless, it is still wrong. After gaining weight, you can go on a diet and get rid of fat, but a lack of calories in the diet will result in muscle loss.
But if you follow the correct nutritional program, then insulin resistance can be transferred to the stage of remission or completely eliminated. To gain muscle mass with the least amount of fat, tissues must have a high insulin sensitivity.
If the tissues are sensitive to the hormone, then less insulin is required to process and then metabolize carbohydrates. It has been established that insulin and somatotropin are antagonists. When insulin levels are low, the concentration of growth hormone is high, which helps burn fat. You can avoid high insulin resistance and gain quality mass consistently. To do this, you need to use the calorie cycling of your nutrition program. When gaining weight, the duration of a microcycle is three weeks. Two of them are for mass gain, and you will need to consume a lot of calories, and one week will contain negative calories. You will have to fast for 7 days before starting the microcycle.
In the first and second weeks of the microcycle, you need to consume 40 to 50 calories for every kilogram of body weight. Start at the lowest setting and then adjust the calorie content according to your results. Also at this stage, you need to adhere to the following nutrient ratio:
- Protein compounds - 30%;
- Carbohydrates - 50%;
- Fat - 20%.
In the third week, the calorie content of the nutrition program should already be 24 calories per kilogram of body weight, and the ratio of nutrients will be as follows:
- Protein compounds - 55%;
- Carbohydrates - 20%;
- Fat - 25%.
You can learn more about insulin resistance in bodybuilding in this video:
[media =
