For those of us still braving our New Year’s resolution to get into shape, new research may be of interest. Scientists at McMaster University have disproved conventional bodybuilding wisdom. Traditionally, it was thought that the bigger the post-workout increase in testosterone and growth hormones, the more muscle growth. Turns out, the temporary spike is not a guarantee of increased muscle growth.
Study participants were exposed to intense leg exercises and had their hormone levels measured. It was found that male participants had a 45-fold greater increase in testosterone levels after exercising than did female participants. The surprise? Both men and women had the same rate of post-exercise muscle growth. This means that there is more to growing bigger muscles than just testosterone.
A second study demonstrated that neither post-workout levels of testosterone nor growth hormones were significantly correlated to a participant’s muscle growth or gain in strength. Of course, researchers only looked at naturally occurring levels of hormones, not the high doses used in drug doping.
Overall, there was no evidence that basing your entire exercise regimen on manipulating your hormone levels will provide any extra benefits to muscle size. It’s probably a better use of your energy to focusing on staying on your treadmill.
