How to Block Myostatin

Myostatin is a muscular protein released by myocytes (muscle cell). Myostatin inhibits muscle cell growth. Blocking myostatin in your body increases body muscle mass. You can block myostatin in your body in many ways. You can block myostatin by medical intervention such as gene therapy and myostatin inhibitor drugs. But you can reduce myostatin production in your body through exercise and workout. Both vigorous exercise like weight lifting or push ups and moderate aerobic exercise like bike riding or brisk walk help to reduce myostatin in your body. 

 

1. Using Medical Intervention to Block Myostatin:

• Talk to your doctor: When myocytes produce excess myostatin in your body, you will suffer from muscle loss. If you want to block excess myostatin production then consult with the doctor about the treatment option. There are many treatment options available like gene therapy, inhibitory drugs etc. but some of them are in clinical trials. By knowing your condition, the doctor will recommend to you which therapy is suitable for you.

• Receive gene therapy: Gene therapy is a method in which a healthy gene is transplanted into another gene of a cell to change genetic code. This method is used to treat or cure any type of disease. This defective gene is replaced by a healthy gene. This gene therapy is done by injection. Your doctor will tell you more about the injection and how you receive follistatin-enhancing gene therapy. This process is in clinical or experimental trials and it might be effective and good for you. Consult with your doctor about whether you’re ready to receive myostatin-blocking gene therapy or not.

• Use a myostatin inhibitor: Another medical intervention to block excess myostatin production is using myostatin inhibitory drugs. Only your doctor will prescribe you myostatin inhibitory drugs. This method is totally in experimental trials and not easily available. It’s totally on the doctor to enter you in an experimental myostatin blocker drug trial. In this therapy, different patients get different myostatin inhibitory drugs. For example, some patients get placebo drugs and some get authentic drugs. Myostatin inhibitory drug type is dependent on the nature of experimental trials. 

 

2. Exercising to Reduce Myostatin: 

 

• Do high-intensity resistance training (HIRT): HIRT is a kind of resistance training which contains intense and vigorous exercises like weight lifting etc. HIRT is like gym exercises where you do many different exercises without any break. HIRT performs several exercises together in a “super set”. Super set means performing many different exercises as fast as possible in a limited set of time. In HIRT, you can perform 10 bicep curls, 10 push-ups, and 10 sit-ups in a set for eight minutes with 1 minute break between each set. After completing 10 sit ups, restart the cycle from 10 biceps curls with 1 minute break.

• Do push ups: For doing push ups, you have to correct your position. Place your hands on the ground with straight and stiff arms and elbows. Straight your legs and knees behind you and balance your feet on your toes that are perpendicular to the ground. Straight your back and chest in a stiff position. Lower your upper body so that your elbow bends at 90° angle and your chest slightly touches the ground. Then push back your upper body upward and straight to its initial position. Complete the cycle of 10 push ups and take 1 minute break to relax your body and muscles.

• Use the bench press: Lie flat on your back on the bench and hold the bar with both your hands. Distance between your hands should be wider than your shoulder’s width. Lower the bar towards your chest so that it touches your chest. Push back upward the bar to its initial position. Do this for 10 times and take 1 minute break before starting the next exercise.

 

• Do an overhead press: Place the barbell in a cage or squat rack. Hold the bar with palms facing forward in front of your head. Displace and lift the barbell off the cage or rack and lower it down towards the shoulder. Push the barbell above your head with both arms at equal height. Distance between your hands is slightly wider than your shoulder’s width. Each hand is placed at the same distance from the bar end. In other words, the distance between your left hand from the left end of the bar and your right hand from the right end of the bar should be the same and equal. It will help to make grip on barbells and prevent pain. Bring the bar downward slowly and gently after extending the bar above your head as far as possible. 

• Do a deadlift: Stand on your feet having width equal to the width of hips. Hold the bar in front of you with your palm facing backward towards you. Straight your back, elevate your chest forward, push up your legs and your hips forward. Slowly lower down the bar downwards to the ground and achieve your initial position. Make sure your arms keep straight and your hands gripping the bar is strong enough throughout the deadlift. Avoid bending your back during deadlift because it will cause back injury and pain.

• Perform a cross-body curl: Stand on your legs with straight back, elevated chest and face looking forward. Hold dumbbells in both of your hands with your palm facing forward. Keep your elbow tight and stiff. Lift up the dumbbell towards the opposite shoulder. In other words, if you hold the dumbbell with your right hand, lift it up towards the left shoulder so that it touches your shoulder. When it touches your shoulder, hold for a minute and then gradually lower down the dumbbell to its initial position. 

• Try some aerobic exercises: In addition to HIRT, you can also lower your myostatin level with aerobic exercises. There are many aerobic exercises that help to decrease myostatin production. Riding a cycle, going for a walk and running, swimming or using an elliptical machine are aerobic exercises. HIRT is performed with high intensity while aerobic exercises are performed with low or moderate intensity. Moderate exercise makes you feel like briskly walking and about 50% of maximum physical output. Cardiovascular exercises are also included in aerobic or moderate exercises.