Prolonged Strength Training : It's Naturally Anabolic

[spatts]

Kind of confirms what we already knew, but I still found the numbers quite interesting. The human body is so willing to adapt to our demands. It amazes me sometimes:


K. Hakkinen, A. Pakarinen, M. Alen, H. Kauhanen and P. V. Komi
Department of Biology of Physical Activity, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland.

Neuromuscular and hormonal adaptations to prolonged strength training were investigated in nine elite weight lifters. The average increases occurred over the 2-yr follow-up period in the maximal neural activation (integrated electromyogram, IEMG; 4.2%, P = NS), maximal isometric leg-extension force (4.9%, P = NS), averaged concentric power index (4.1%, P = NS), total weight-lifting result (2.8%, P less than 0.05), and total mean fiber area (5.9%, P = NS) of the vastus lateralis muscle, respectively. The training period resulted in increases in the concentrations of serum testosterone from 19.8 +/- 5.3 to 25.1 +/- 5.2 nmol/l (P less than 0.05), luteinizing hormone (LH) from 8.6 +/- 0.8 to 9.1 +/- 0.8 U/l (P less than 0.05), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) from 4.2 +/- 2.0 to 5.3 +/- 2.3 U/l (P less than 0.01), and testosterone-to-serum sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) ratio (P less than 0.05). The annual mean value of the second follow-up year for the serum testosterone-to-SHBG ratio correlated significantly (r = 0.84, P less than 0.01) with the individual changes during the 2nd yr in the averaged concentric power. The present results suggest that prolonged intensive strength training in elite athletes may influence the pituitary and possibly hypothalamic levels, leading to increased serum levels of testosterone. This may create more optimal conditions to utilize more intensive training leading to increased strength development.

 

[bigstve12]

The human body is an amazing thing!! What journal or source did this article come from??

 

[spatts]

Journal of Applied Physiology (my favorite).

 

[bigstve12]

Ah yes, always a good choice

 

[spatts]

Shoot...you show people how to naturally raise their test levels and they ignore it. Yet they'd be all over some syntheitc stuff.

Stinkers.

I think a 30% increase from strength training alone is interesting. So there.

 

[Furg]

solid info. always good to find new journals to find. thanks spatts!

 

[IronLion]

Thanks for highlighting the results for me...otherwise I would just pretend to read it....

 

[IronLion]

seriously though, I will add what I initially felt about this article: they used "elite weightlifters" as test subjects, of course their hormonal response to training will be positive, how did they become elite? Unless they random sample there can be no broad conclusions with specific implications, only a chicken or egg argument.

My guess is that the findings do hold true on a more representative sample, but until that study is performed these results are worthless as far as implications go. JMO

 

[spatts]

Then I shall find you a study with the results of average lifters.


BTW...you're an Elite lifter. JMO.

 

[spatts]

J Appl Physiol 87: 982-992,
Vol. 87, Issue 3, 982-992

Effects of heavy-resistance training on hormonal response patterns in younger vs. older men:


To examine the adaptations of the endocrine system to heavy-resistance training in younger vs. older men, two groups of men (30 and 62 yr old) participated in a 10-wk periodized strength-power training program. Blood was obtained before, immediately after, and 5, 15, and 30 min after exercise at rest before and after training and at rest at 3, 0, 6, and 10 wk for analysis of total testosterone, free testosterone, cortisol, growth hormone, lactate, and ACTH analysis. Resting values for insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF-binding protein-3 were determined before and after training. A heavy-resistance exercise test was used to evaluate the exercise-induced responses (4 sets of 10-repetition maximum squats with 90 s of rest between sets). Squat strength and thigh muscle cross-sectional area increased for both groups.

The younger group demonstrated higher total and free testosterone and IGF-I than the older men, training-induced increases in free testosterone at rest and with exercise, and increases in resting IGF-binding protein-3. With training the older group demonstrated a significant increase in total testosterone in response to exercise stress along with significant decreases in resting cortisol. These data indicate that older men do respond with an enhanced hormonal profile in the early phase of a resistance training program, but the response is different from that of younger men.