For Natural Athletes understanding their Hormonal Cycles is essential for better match muscle growth and recovery and muscle definition. Considering the inverse relation that training results has with training experience ( the older you are on training the harder is to obtain muscle progress ). 4 are the Hormones that you must considering when you are planning a Diet and training for muscle growth or definition, these are:
– CORTISOL 
-GH
-TESTOSTERONE
-TYROIDS

-Cortisol is the catabolic Hormon, but also the antiflammatory one and the Hyperglicemic one. It is constantly secreted, it increase after exercise or when the blood glucose lower and reach its pick in the morning around 7-9 am or earlier depending when you wakeup
– GH instead is the opposite, it is an Hyperglicemic hormon aswell, but it works at night and it has its pick at different moments during the night reaching its lower level during the day. It is very anabolic and repairs tissues very fast. When cortisol is high GH tends to be lower, but they are very important for growth. Let cortisol Work and leave GH alone otherwise you stop producing it
GH and Cortisol are essential during definition time
-Testosterone starts its pick in the Morning around 6 and also in the evening around 5 pm. These are the best time to workout. If you are a morning type the morning is the best for you, but if it is very hard, leave it and workout in the afternoon evening when your strength is at the top level
-Tyroid Hormons too as a similar pattern than Testosterone in fact these Hormones are essentials during muscle growth and you need to take in consideration both if you want to grow. It might seem strange to you but growth wont happen if you have lower level of Tyroid Hormons
Start thinking to these things when you plan your next season