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The importance of the training-induced decrease in basal cortisol concentration in the improvement in muscular

M Grandys1, J Majerczak, J Kulpa

  • 1Department of Muscle Physiology, Chair of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Rehabilitation, University School of Physical Education, Krakow, Poland. jerzy.zoladz@awf.krakow.pl.

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Endurance training improved exercise capacity and muscle strength while decreasing cortisol. However, a greater cortisol reduction correlated with poorer gains in skeletal muscle performance for untrained individuals.

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Area of Science:

  • Exercise physiology
  • Endocrinology
  • Sports science

Background:

  • The relationship between exercise-induced hormonal changes, particularly cortisol, and muscle performance adaptations remains unclear.
  • The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to training is a key area of investigation for understanding physiological adaptations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of 20-week endurance training on cortisol levels and muscle strength in young men.
  • To examine the correlation between changes in cortisol concentration and improvements in skeletal muscle performance.

Main Methods:

  • Twenty-four healthy young men were divided into an endurance training (ET) group and a control (CON) group.
  • The ET group underwent supervised cycling exercise for 20 weeks, with measurements of exercise capacity, maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), time to fatigue at 50% MVC (TTF 50% MVC), and serum cortisol and testosterone levels.
  • The CON group did not participate in training.

Main Results:

  • Endurance training significantly improved exercise capacity (VO2peak), muscle strength (MVC), and muscular endurance (TTF 50% MVC).
  • Basal serum cortisol concentrations decreased, while testosterone-to-cortisol ratios increased in the ET group.
  • A significant positive correlation was observed between the decrease in cortisol concentration and the improvement in muscular endurance (deltaTTF 50% MVC).

Conclusions:

  • Endurance training induces favorable hormonal adaptations, including decreased cortisol and increased testosterone-to-cortisol ratios.
  • Contrary to expectations, a larger decrease in cortisol concentration after training was associated with less improvement in skeletal muscle performance in previously untrained subjects.