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(Not my OP just sharing)
Can Lactic Acid Stimulate Testosterone?
The absent response of LH to an acute bout of resistance exercise despite an increase in testosterone has led researchers to speculate other mediators are influencing testosterone production. Possible mechanisms for increasing testosterone levels during high intensity exercise are due to increased circulating lactic acid levels that are being produced from high intensity training. Lactic acid has been shown to stimulate testosterone release in vitro (i.e. which means in the test tube)11. Researchers exposed the testosterone producing portion of the cell (i.e. Leydig cells) to lactic acid and found that administration of lactic acid dose-dependently increased the basal testosterone production.
Testosterone Stimulation thru Adrenaline?
Catecholamines or adrenaline is a possible stimulator of testosterone in men as well. It has been reported that men competing in competition and win have increased testosterone production which is also takes place with large increases in adrenaline which may be stimulating testosterone secretion 13, 14. Robert Sapolsky a world renowned endocrinologist who studies male apes reports that when male apes fight other apes for females, the winning ape has large increases in testosterone while the losing ape has lowered testosterone. He reports that in ape's testosterone could be increased by other mechanism than the LH pathways which may be true in humans as well15. He suggested that sympathetic stress enhances the secretion of adrenaline, which has a stimulatory effect on testosterone within minutes, whereas cortisol released from the adrenals also inhibits testosterone production from the testes just as quickly. Thus he suspects the adrenaline rush of winning increases testosterone while losing increases cortisol which decreases testosterone. Researchers put the adrenaline and testosterone theory to the test in young males. The heavy weight lifting consisted of four sets of six squats at 90-95% of a six-repetition maximum (RM), while the moderate weight lifting consisted of four sets of 9 or 10 repetitions at 60-65% of a 1-RM. The weight and number of repetitions were manipulated such that the total weight lifted for the two sessions were equal. Schwab hypothesized because the exercise bout was brief, possibly epinephrine and norepinephrine, which have been shown to increase during exercise to the magnitude of the intensity of the exercise, could have significantly increased testosterone levels in response to the exercise bout16.
Training to Failure Every Set Is Not Conducive to Testosterone
For years, personal trainers and fitness experts told lifters that every set must be performed to absolute failure. This type of advice should be revised as recent research reports that training to failure every set leads to reductions in anabolic hormones such as IGF-I and testosterone and caused larger increases in cortisol compared to lifters who don't train to failure. The subjects in the study trained twice a week using a periodized weight training program for 16 weeks. One group trained to complete muscular failure for each set while the other group trained did not complete sets to muscular failure. The researchers defined muscular failure when the subjects could not perform a full extension or the weight was paused for more than 1 second during a repetition. At the end of the 16 week study, training to failure over the 16 week study resulted in reductions in circulating IGF-I concentrations. In addition, the group that did not train to failure had reduced resting cortisol concentrations and an elevation in resting serum total testosterone concentration after 11 weeks of training. Additionally, the group that did not train to failure had similar increases in 1-repetition maximum strength gains in the bench press, parallel squat, and muscle power output of the arms and legs extensor muscles36. If you are trying to maximize size, than not training to failure may lead to enhanced testosterone and lower catabolic activity such as reduced cortisol. The reduction in anabolic hormones (IGF-I and testosterone) from training to failure goes against decades of advice to train to failure for maximal muscle growth.
Overtraining Decreases Testosterone
Acute increase in testosterone occurs with resistance exercise but prolonged workouts with insufficient rest and recovery can lead to overtraining and reduced testosterone. When subjects performed a high volume resistance training protocol which consisted of 50 total sets of upper and lower body exercise with repetitions of 5 and 10 RM loads with 90-second rest periods between sets resulted in no change in testosterone during exercise and immediately after exercise; shockingly there was a concomitant lower LH secretion and suppressed total and free testosterone for up to 13 hours after exercise10. Another study monitored elite Olympic lifters testosterone concentrations to twice daily training for 1 week. Elite Olympic weightlifters trained twice a day using similar volume (> 90% of a 1-RM) but different exercises. The morning session (9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.) consisted of Olympic snatches, clean & jerks, and front squats, while the afternoon session (3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.) consisted of power snatches, power cleans, and back squats. Testosterone started to decrease after the first training day and continued to systematically decrease over the course of the training period. When the training stress was reduced to one training session a day, serum testosterone concentrations started to increase, and after 1 full day of rest, values returned to the pre-training level18.
Long Distance Running- Chemical Castration
Research has shown that men who have performed chronic endurance exercise training for many years have lower circulating basal concentrations of free and total testosterone34. It has been reported that basal testosterone concentrations of long-distance runners were only 55-70% lower than those found in age-matched controls35. The observed suppressed testosterone response may be due to a reduced number of LH receptors on the Leydig cells of the testis or a compromised testosterone conversion process in the testis. Investigators have speculated that the high cortisol produced during long endurance runs can suppress testicular function) or other physical events (i.e., increased testicular temperature due to thermic effects of exercise).
Can Lactic Acid Stimulate Testosterone?
The absent response of LH to an acute bout of resistance exercise despite an increase in testosterone has led researchers to speculate other mediators are influencing testosterone production. Possible mechanisms for increasing testosterone levels during high intensity exercise are due to increased circulating lactic acid levels that are being produced from high intensity training. Lactic acid has been shown to stimulate testosterone release in vitro (i.e. which means in the test tube)11. Researchers exposed the testosterone producing portion of the cell (i.e. Leydig cells) to lactic acid and found that administration of lactic acid dose-dependently increased the basal testosterone production.
Testosterone Stimulation thru Adrenaline?
Catecholamines or adrenaline is a possible stimulator of testosterone in men as well. It has been reported that men competing in competition and win have increased testosterone production which is also takes place with large increases in adrenaline which may be stimulating testosterone secretion 13, 14. Robert Sapolsky a world renowned endocrinologist who studies male apes reports that when male apes fight other apes for females, the winning ape has large increases in testosterone while the losing ape has lowered testosterone. He reports that in ape's testosterone could be increased by other mechanism than the LH pathways which may be true in humans as well15. He suggested that sympathetic stress enhances the secretion of adrenaline, which has a stimulatory effect on testosterone within minutes, whereas cortisol released from the adrenals also inhibits testosterone production from the testes just as quickly. Thus he suspects the adrenaline rush of winning increases testosterone while losing increases cortisol which decreases testosterone. Researchers put the adrenaline and testosterone theory to the test in young males. The heavy weight lifting consisted of four sets of six squats at 90-95% of a six-repetition maximum (RM), while the moderate weight lifting consisted of four sets of 9 or 10 repetitions at 60-65% of a 1-RM. The weight and number of repetitions were manipulated such that the total weight lifted for the two sessions were equal. Schwab hypothesized because the exercise bout was brief, possibly epinephrine and norepinephrine, which have been shown to increase during exercise to the magnitude of the intensity of the exercise, could have significantly increased testosterone levels in response to the exercise bout16.
Training to Failure Every Set Is Not Conducive to Testosterone
For years, personal trainers and fitness experts told lifters that every set must be performed to absolute failure. This type of advice should be revised as recent research reports that training to failure every set leads to reductions in anabolic hormones such as IGF-I and testosterone and caused larger increases in cortisol compared to lifters who don't train to failure. The subjects in the study trained twice a week using a periodized weight training program for 16 weeks. One group trained to complete muscular failure for each set while the other group trained did not complete sets to muscular failure. The researchers defined muscular failure when the subjects could not perform a full extension or the weight was paused for more than 1 second during a repetition. At the end of the 16 week study, training to failure over the 16 week study resulted in reductions in circulating IGF-I concentrations. In addition, the group that did not train to failure had reduced resting cortisol concentrations and an elevation in resting serum total testosterone concentration after 11 weeks of training. Additionally, the group that did not train to failure had similar increases in 1-repetition maximum strength gains in the bench press, parallel squat, and muscle power output of the arms and legs extensor muscles36. If you are trying to maximize size, than not training to failure may lead to enhanced testosterone and lower catabolic activity such as reduced cortisol. The reduction in anabolic hormones (IGF-I and testosterone) from training to failure goes against decades of advice to train to failure for maximal muscle growth.
Overtraining Decreases Testosterone
Acute increase in testosterone occurs with resistance exercise but prolonged workouts with insufficient rest and recovery can lead to overtraining and reduced testosterone. When subjects performed a high volume resistance training protocol which consisted of 50 total sets of upper and lower body exercise with repetitions of 5 and 10 RM loads with 90-second rest periods between sets resulted in no change in testosterone during exercise and immediately after exercise; shockingly there was a concomitant lower LH secretion and suppressed total and free testosterone for up to 13 hours after exercise10. Another study monitored elite Olympic lifters testosterone concentrations to twice daily training for 1 week. Elite Olympic weightlifters trained twice a day using similar volume (> 90% of a 1-RM) but different exercises. The morning session (9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.) consisted of Olympic snatches, clean & jerks, and front squats, while the afternoon session (3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.) consisted of power snatches, power cleans, and back squats. Testosterone started to decrease after the first training day and continued to systematically decrease over the course of the training period. When the training stress was reduced to one training session a day, serum testosterone concentrations started to increase, and after 1 full day of rest, values returned to the pre-training level18.
Long Distance Running- Chemical Castration
Research has shown that men who have performed chronic endurance exercise training for many years have lower circulating basal concentrations of free and total testosterone34. It has been reported that basal testosterone concentrations of long-distance runners were only 55-70% lower than those found in age-matched controls35. The observed suppressed testosterone response may be due to a reduced number of LH receptors on the Leydig cells of the testis or a compromised testosterone conversion process in the testis. Investigators have speculated that the high cortisol produced during long endurance runs can suppress testicular function) or other physical events (i.e., increased testicular temperature due to thermic effects of exercise).
