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Published on: October 17, 2018
Hormonal responses to concurrent strength and endurance training with different exercise orders
Eduardo Lusa Cadore1, Mikel Izquierdo, Mariah Gonçalves dos Santos
1Exercise Research Laboratory, Physical Education School, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil. edcadore@yahoo.com.br
The aerobic-strength exercise order optimizes acute testosterone response compared to strength-aerobic. Both sequences similarly affect cortisol levels, with the first exercise modality eliciting a greater hormonal change.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Endocrinology
- Sports Science
Background:
- Concurrent training, combining strength and aerobic exercise, is popular for fitness.
- The order of exercise modalities within concurrent training may influence acute hormonal responses.
- Understanding these responses is crucial for optimizing training protocols.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how the sequence of aerobic and strength exercise affects acute testosterone and cortisol levels.
- To compare the hormonal outcomes of aerobic-first (AS) versus strength-first (SA) concurrent training.
Main Methods:
- Ten recreationally trained men participated in two conditions: AS and SA.
- Each condition involved 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and 4 strength exercises (3 sets, 8 reps at 75% 1RM).
- Blood samples measured testosterone and cortisol before, between, and after exercise sessions.
Main Results:
- Testosterone levels increased significantly after the first exercise bout in both AS and SA orders.
- Only the AS order maintained significantly elevated testosterone levels after the second exercise bout.
- Cortisol increased after the first bout but returned to baseline after the second bout in both orders.
Conclusions:
- The aerobic-strength (AS) sequence appears to optimize the acute testosterone response during concurrent training.
- Both AS and SA sequences result in similar overall hormonal profiles at all time points.
- These findings are applicable to short-duration, moderate-intensity aerobic exercise within concurrent training.
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