Fitness Volt
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Exercise Guides
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
  • Nutrition
    • Supplements
    • Diet
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
  • More
    • CrossFit
    • Results
    • Fitness Calculator
    • Mr. Olympia 2022
    • Profiles
    • 2022 WSM
    • Arnold Classic
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
    • Deals
    • Food Facts
  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Exercise Guides
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
  • Nutrition
    • Supplements
    • Diet
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
  • More
    • CrossFit
    • Results
    • Fitness Calculator
    • Mr. Olympia 2022
    • Profiles
    • 2022 WSM
    • Arnold Classic
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
    • Deals
    • Food Facts
  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
No Result
View All Result
Muscle Science
Evidence Based
Evidence Based Research
This article was written by one of our qualified writers, and fact-checked by our experts. The numbers in parentheses (e.g. 1, 2, 3, etc.) throughout the article, are reference links to peer-reviewed studies.
Our team of experts include a board-certified physician, nutritionists, dietitians, certified personal trainers, strength training experts, and exercise specialists.
Read Our Editorial Process

Anabolic Vs. Catabolic Metabolism – Definitions and How They Affect You

Learn the difference between anabolism and catabolism so you can harness their power for greater gains!
Patrick Dale, PT, ex-Marine

Written by Patrick Dale, PT, ex-Marine

Last Updated onDecember 1, 2021

Anabolic Vs. Catabolic Metabolism

Anabolic Vs. Catabolic Metabolism

Bodybuilders and fitness fanatics often use terms that are all but meaningless to non-exercisers. Unless you work out, things like the pump, positive nitrogen balance, lactic acid buffering, isolation exercises, and concentric and eccentric contractions are nothing short of gibberish.

Bro-speak, bro-science, plus an abundance of information on the internet, means that many exercisers use lingo when talking about training and nutrition. Unfortunately, in a lot of cases, even the people using these terms are not entirely sure what they’re talking about!

Needless to say, this can lead to a whole lot of confusion…

For the sake of clarity, in this article, we’re going to take a look at two frequently used terms – anabolic and catabolic – explaining what each one means and how they can be manipulated for greater gains.

Table of Contents Show
  • Anabolic Metabolism
  • What About Anabolic Steroids?
  • The Anabolic Window – Truth or Fiction?
  • Catabolic Metabolism
  • Anabolic vs. Catabolic Metabolism
  • How to Minimize Catabolism and Maximize Anabolism
    • Stimulate – Don’t Annihilate
    • Feed Your Muscles
    • Supplement Wisely
    • Use But Don’t Abuse Cardio
    • Get More Vitamin Zzzzz
    • Try to Minimize Stress
    • Try to Naturally Elevate Your Testosterone Levels
  • Anabolic Vs. Catabolic – Wrapping Up
  • References:

Anabolic Metabolism

Training Abs

Anabolic is an adjective for anabolism, and you could be said to be in an anabolic state. In simple terms, anabolism means building. Anabolism is the holy grail of conditions for bodybuilders. After all, it’s what’s needed to build bigger, stronger muscles.

Like almost everything that happens in your body, anabolism is controlled by hormones. Hormones are chemical messengers that tell cells, organs, and systems how to behave.

The primary anabolic hormones are:

  • Testosterone
  • Growth hormone (GH)
  • Insulin Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1)
  • Insulin
  • Estrogen

While most people associate anabolism with muscle growth, that’s just example of anabolism. Gaining fat is also an anabolic process. After all, it involves building bigger fat stores. That’s why our list of hormones includes estrogen and insulin, and not just the usual muscle-building hormones testosterone, GH, and IGF-1.

In anabolism, your body uses small compounds to make larger structures. For example, amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are used to build bigger, stronger muscles. In much the same way, excess nutrients from food are turned into and stored as body fat. Your fat cells swell, which is a type of hypertrophy.

For anabolism to occur, you need:

  • A trigger – e.g., an intense strength training
  • Energy – from food
  • Building materials – mainly amino acids from protein
  • Sleep – when anabolic processes are at their highest
  • Hormones – adequate testosterone, IGF-1, GH, etc.

What About Anabolic Steroids?

Anabolic steroids are mostly synthetic variations of testosterone and growth hormone. These substances mimic the effects of the natural anabolic hormones produced by your body. An abundance of these hormones means that you can remain in an anabolic state for longer and build muscle in less than optimal situations, e.g. while dieting or training much harder or longer than normal.

Of course, taking steroids can cause a host of unwanted side effects, including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, mood swings, acne, depression, and premature death (1).

The Anabolic Window – Truth or Fiction?

A lot of exercisers believe in something called the anabolic window. This term describes the 2-3 hours that immediately follow a workout. The theory is that all food consumed during this time is preferentially diverted to your muscles to fuel anabolism. As such, eating after exercise is critical for building muscle, and if you miss it, your gains will suffer.

While the anabolic window theory makes a certain amount of sense, studies have revealed that it doesn’t exist (2), and you won’t harm your progress if you fail to eat shortly after exercise. Providing you are eating enough generally, you will gain muscle even if you don’t consume food during the anabolic window.

However, that said, if it’s convenient to eat shortly after your workout, there is no reason not to.

You can read more about the anabolic window here.

Catabolic Metabolism

Catabolism

Catabolic is an adjective for catabolism, which basically means breaking down. In a catabolic state, your body breaks down tissue into its constituent parts. This includes the breakdown of muscle glycogen into glucose for energy and muscle tissue into amino acids. Burning fat is also a catabolic process.

The primary catabolic hormones are:

  • Cortisol
  • Adrenaline
  • Glucagon
  • Catecholamines

Catabolism, like anabolism, is a natural part of your metabolism. Your body is constantly breaking things down to use for other purposes. The problem is when catabolism becomes excessive and outpaces anabolism.

Factors that can contribute to excessive catabolism include:

  • Lengthy cardio workouts
  • Overtraining
  • Not getting enough sleep
  • Too much stress
  • Not eating enough
  • Not hitting your macros, especially protein
  • Ignoring your body’s need for rest and recovery

 

As such, while it is not necessary to avoid catabolism altogether, bodybuilders and anyone else looking to get stronger or more muscular should try and tip the metabolic balance away from catabolism and toward anabolism. This puts your body in a favorable state for muscle repair and growth.

Taking anabolic steroids minimizes catabolism. This helps explain why bodybuilders can do hours of cardio, follow a strict diet, and still preserve or even gain muscle.

Anabolic vs. Catabolic Metabolism

Metabolism

Many bodybuilders view anabolism and catabolism as opposing forces, with anabolism being good and catabolism being bad. However, that’s an overs implication of what are two codependent processes.

In fact, one cannot exist without the other.

When you hit the gym and train, your workout depletes your energy and causes microscopic trauma to your muscles. These are catabolic processes and are the trigger for anabolism.

Afterward, providing you rest, sleep, eat, and avoid excessive physical activity, your body will make the switch from catabolism to anabolism. During this time, the damage caused by your workout is repaired.

However, your body is not content with getting you back to where you just were. Instead, it builds MORE muscle so that, when you train again, your workout is not so stressful. As a result, and with subsequent workouts, you continue to get bigger and stronger. This is called supercompensation.

How to Minimize Catabolism and Maximize Anabolism

So, catabolism isn’t as evil as a lot of exercisers believe. In fact, without some kind of catabolic event, anabolism is less likely to occur. In short, you need to break your muscles down for them to grow back bigger and stronger. So, catabolism is a necessary part of the bodybuilding process.

That said, excessive catabolism is a problem, and if breakdown exceeds building, you’ll lose rather than gain muscle. As such, most exercisers should try and minimize catabolism and maximize anabolism.

Remember that catabolism is the trigger for muscle growth, but too much will impair muscle repair, recovery, and growth. Use these strategies to keep you in the catabolism/anabolism sweet spot for maximum gains.

Stimulate – Don’t Annihilate

While you need to train hard to trigger anabolism, there is a difference between intense and excessive. In most cases, 4-5 workouts per week is enough, and an hour or so per session should be plenty.

Longer, more frequent workouts could tip the balance away from anabolism and toward catabolism. Instead, determine how little training you need to achieve your goals and not how much you can tolerate. Doing more is not always better.

Feed Your Muscles

Your body needs calories and macronutrients to grow. If you aren’t eating enough, your body won’t have the energy and nutrients needed to fuel the anabolic process. If you want to build muscle, make sure you’re eating enough, and have all your nutritional bases covered.

Supplement Wisely

Supplement

While you don’t have to use supplements for bodybuilding, there are a few that could help minimize catabolism or enhance anabolism.

Good choices include:

  • Creatine
  • Protein powder
  • HMB
  • ZMA
  • Vitamin D
  • Testosterone booster

Use But Don’t Abuse Cardio

Low intensity, steady-state (LISS) cardio workouts are highly catabolic. That’s why long-distance runners are so slim. While cardio is essential for the health of your heart, lungs, and circulatory system, doing too much could hurt your muscle-building progress.

For most lifters high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is better than LISS cardio. Studies suggest that HIIT is more anabolic than catabolic. Whereas, for LISS cardio, the reverse is true (3).

If you feel that you have do a lot of cardio to lose weight or shed fat, you should overhaul your diet instead. That’ll save you a whole lot of training time and also reduce catabolism.

Get More Vitamin Zzzzz

Your body is at its most anabolic while you sleep. Not getting enough sleep can lead to lower levels of testosterone, GH, and IGF-1 and elevated cortisol levels (4). Because of this, if you want to maximize anabolism and minimize catabolism, you should do your best to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night and not just at weekends.

Lack Of Sleep

Try to Minimize Stress

All types of chronic stress are catabolic. Acute training stress is a necessary part of the bodybuilding process. Still, prolonged exposure to other kinds of stress will lead to increases in the production of the catabolic hormones and a subsequent decrease in anabolic hormones.

Types of stress include:

  • Financial
  • Emotional
  • Familial
  • Occupation
  • Health

While it’s impossible to avoid stress altogether, it’s worth trying to learn how to manage it better so that it’s less destructive.

While it’s beyond the scope of this article to teach you how to deal with stress, effective strategies include:

  1. Better time management
  2. Effective delegation
  3. Avoiding perfectionism
  4. Changing job
  5. Avoiding known stress triggers
  6. Cutting down on sugar, alcohol, and caffeine
  7. Therapy
  8. Talking to a trusted friend
  9. Meditation
  10. Spending time in nature

Try to Naturally Elevate Your Testosterone Levels

Testosterone is an anabolic hormone. While men and women both produce testosterone, men tend to make about ten times as much. However, T-levels can fall into decline, leading to less anabolism. Stress, a poor diet, being overweight, and environmental toxins can all cause low T-levels.

The good news is that there are several foods that can naturally boost testosterone production, enhancing anabolism in the process. Adding these foods to your diet is easy, and you’re sure to appreciate their benefits.

Read more about 7 ways to boost your T-levels here.

Anabolic Vs. Catabolic – Wrapping Up

Anabolic and catabolic metabolism are opposite sides of the same bodybuilding coin. You can’t have one without the other. However, if catabolism outpaces anabolism, you’ll find yourself losing rather than gaining muscle.

Use the information in this article to maximize anabolism while limiting catabolism to the minimum needed to trigger muscle growth. Your workouts will be much more productive if you achieve the optimal balance between these two different but codependent metabolic states.

References:

1. PubMed: Effects of Androgenic-Anabolic Steroids in Athletes https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15248788/

2. PubMed: Nutrient Timing: A Garage Door of Opportunity? https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32629950/

3. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: The Effect of a Brief Sprint Interval Exercise On Growth Factors And Inflammatory Mediators Https://Journals.Lww.com/

4. PubMed: Sleep And Muscle Recovery: Endocrinological And Molecular Basis For A New And Promising Hypothesis  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21550729/

For the latest news and updates please follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook Twitter Reddit Flipboard LinkedIn
Categories: Anabolic Hormones Muscle Muscle Science Muscle Talk Muscle-Building
Previous Post

Bodybuilding Legend Dave Draper has Passed Away at 79

Next Post

Powerlifter John Haack Deadlifts Massive 405 Kilograms/892.8lbs in the Gym

Patrick Dale, PT, ex-Marine

Patrick Dale, PT, ex-Marine

Patrick Dale is an ex-British Royal Marine, gym owner, and fitness qualifications tutor and assessor. In addition, Patrick is a freelance writer who has authored three fitness and exercise books, dozens of e-books, thousands of articles, and several fitness videos. He’s not just an armchair fitness expert; Patrick practices what he preaches! He has competed at a high level in numerous sports, including rugby, triathlon, rock climbing, trampolining, powerlifting, and, most recently, stand up paddleboarding. When not lecturing, training, researching, or writing, Patrick is busy enjoying the sunny climate of Cyprus, where he has lived for the last 20-years.

Recommended For You

Robert Oberst About Steroids

Strongman Robert Oberst Opens Up About STEROIDS

Steroid consumption in high-level strength sports has often been a very "taboo" subject. Even though the number of prominent individuals...

Muscle Atrophy

Muscle Atrophy – Causes and How to Avoid

Building muscle is a process called hypertrophy. When you train, you cause microscopic damage to your muscles and deplete your...

The Anabolic Window Myths And Facts

The Anabolic Window – Training Truth or Fitness Myth

Bodybuilders are often depicted as muscle-bound dimwits with big biceps but tiny brains. While this is a popular misconception, it’s...

Chris Duffin

Powerlifter Chris Duffin Opens Up About His Decade Long Use Of Steroids

Steroids are arguably the most misunderstood and controversial aspect in all of strength sports. Recently powerlifter Chris Duffin decided to...

Thermic Foods

A Complete Guide to Understanding Thermic Foods: Eat to Rev Up Your Metabolism!

We’ve all heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” Simply put, it means that the quality of the food...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest

Pardzhiani Anna Deadlift

Powerlifter Anna Pardzhiani Crushes a 210-kg (463-lb) Deadlift For a Six Rep PR

Devon Larratt Vs Levan Saginashvili

Levan Saginashvili Sweeps Devon Larratt With a 6-0 Victory In An Arm Wrestling Match

Air Bike vs. Rower

Air Bike vs. Rower: Which Is Best and Why?

Recent Reviews

Best Vitamin C Supplements 1

10 Best Vitamin C Supplements of 2022

Best Pump Supplements

Top 10 Best Pump Supplements of 2022

Best Barefoot Shoes

Top 11 Best Barefoot Shoes for Working Out

Fitness Volt

At FitnessVolt.com Our mission is to help our readers to achieve their fitness goals, regardless of where you’re at on your journey, we are on a mission to educate You with the latest from strength and fitness space. Read more.

Email: sm(at)fitnessvolt.com

Disclosure: FitnessVolt.com has an affiliate relationship with different brands and is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. However, our reviews are based on well research backed analysis.

Follow Us

Trending Topics

  • Mr. Olympia
  • Bodybuilding
  • Strongman
  • Powerlifting
  • CrossFit
  • At Home Workouts
  • Bodyweight Exercises
  • Best Pre-workouts
  • Best Fat Burners
  • Bodybuilding Diet
  • Bicep Workouts
  • Triceps Workouts
  • Chest Exercises
  • Back Workouts
  • Leg Workouts
  • Front Squat Guide
  • Calf Workouts & Exercises
  • Forgotten Exercises
  • Jefferson Deadlift

Calculators

  • Calorie Burning Calculators
  • IF Calculator
  • TDEE Calculator
  • Calorie Calculator
  • Keto Calculator
  • RMR Calculator
  • Macronutrient Calculator
  • Creatine Calculator
  • Wilks Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • FFMI Calculator
  • IBW Calculator
  • LBM Calculator
  • Fat Intake Calculator
  • Calories Burned Swimming
  • Calories Per Meal Calculator

  • Food Nutrition Analysis
  • Carb Cycling Calculator
  • Weight Gain Calculator
  • Weight Loss Calculator
  • Calories Burned Calculator
  • Strength Standards
  • One Rep Max Calculator
  • Body Fat Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • Weight Loss Percentage
  • Treadmill Calorie Calculator
  • Body Surface Area Calculator
  • Running Pace Calculator
  • Bench Press Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Water Intake Calculator
  • Body Type Quiz
  • Steps to Miles Calculator
  • Calorie Deficit Calculator
  • Home
  • About
  • Jobs
  • Accessibility
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Syndication
  • Sitemap
  • DMCA
  • Copyrights
  • Terms
  • Privacy

© Copyright 2010 - 2022 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • CrossFit
  • Workouts
  • Mr. Olympia
  • Exercise Guides
    • Arms
    • Back
    • Chest
    • Core
    • Legs and Glutes
    • Shoulders
  • Training
  • Nutrition
  • Reviews
  • More
    • 2022 WSM
    • Diet
    • News
    • Arnold Classic
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • Food Facts
    • Deals
    • Fitness Calculator

© Copyright 2010 - 2022 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.