If you're struggling to gain weight right now even though you are following a very intensive bodybuilding workout program, the problem may be that you are just not maximizing your growth hormone response in the body enough.

Growth hormone is one of the most important hormones when it comes to building muscle tissue because essentially it is what signals the body to produce new mass.

This is a big reason why guys who are in the age range of 15-24 experience such good muscle growth development - it is at this point when their growth hormone is naturally the highest.

After this age though, growth hormone levels will start to decline and usually, you'll see a corresponding decrease in muscle development as well.

Luckily, there are some simple techniques you can use to boost it back up again and get the results
you're looking for.

Here's what to consider.

Sleep More

Sleep is the optimal time when your body will be releasing growth hormone, so do you best to get as much sleep as possible.

Some studies have even shown that the hours before midnight are preferable, so if your schedule allows, go to bed at 10 pm rather than 1 am.

Reduce Total Rest Time Between Sets

Another way to induce a higher growth hormone response in the body is to decrease the total rest time you take in between your sets.

For example, if you're currently resting for one minute, bring that down to just thirty seconds.

Forcing the body to work faster means a greater hormone production in the body, which then means better weight gain for you.

Eat More Calories - Particularly Dietary Fat

Next up, on the diet side of things, try and maximize your calorie intake as best as you can. You likely already know that you'll need to be taking in more calories than maintenance in order to just gain weight period, but trying to get a good intake of healthy fats is going to put you one step further from
your goals.

When you're trying to gain weight, do not fear fat in the diet - it's really going to help you.

Be Sure You Are Getting Enough Rest Days In

Finally, the last thing that will be absolutely critical for optimizing growth hormone is resting enough in between your lifting sessions.

If you're lifting five days a week, this is providing the body with very little rest in between - which is a surfire way to burn yourself out and deplete all your hormonal reserves.

At bare minimum you should have one full day of complete rest off each week, and then preferably another two or three where you're just doing light activity (walking, swimming, etc).

So, next time that scale is not showing an increase in muscle mass, consider these points. Growth hormone is a very powerful substance in the body and doing whatever you can to maximize it is well worth your effort.

Learn more common muscle building tips. For more information on workouts and nutrition, please visit http://www.shannonclarkfitness.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shannon_Clark