Research has shown that exercise conditions our bodies to release certain hormones, which create a positive feedback loop that improves our health by reducing the risk of illness and extending our lifespan. So the question remains: why exactly does exercise affect our hormones in this way?
According to research out of the University of California, Berkeley, exercise may have profound effects on our hormones—and not in a good way. Turns out, exercise can trigger hormone production in the body, which in turn can lead to weight gain. The difference between what is considered low and high levels of exercise can be as little as five minutes and only one or two times per week, according to the study, which was published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
Exercise is a great way to improve both physical and mental health. Our bodies respond to our daily routines with regular movements such as running, cycling, cross-country skiing, and weight training. The more physical activity we do, the healthier we age and live longer. The benefits of exercise are beyond weight loss and the risk of disease, however, they are also important in shaping our hormones.. Read more about what are the effect of physical exercise in the brain and let us know what you think.
Hormones are one of the most important signaling systems in the body and have a strong influence on how the body feels and functions. They play an important role in regulating growth, development and reproduction, and enhance the body’s ability to resist psychological and physical stress. Which got me thinking… What effect does exercise have on our hormones? In this article, we will discuss the effects of exercise on our hormones and how different forms of exercise affect the hormonal response in different ways.What are the three categories of hormones?
There are three categories of hormones: Amino hormones, peptide hormones and steroid hormones.
Amino Hormones
Amino hormones are formed from amino acids. They are soluble in water and are transported by blood plasma. Because amino hormones are water soluble, they are easily eliminated from the circulation and thus have little time to do their work.
Peptide hormones
Peptide hormones are built by peptide bonds between different amino acids. Peptide hormones, like amine hormones, are water soluble and are transported through the blood plasma. They are also easily removed from circulation, so they should be able to perform their function quickly. Amino and peptide hormones can exert their function on target cells by binding to specific membrane receptors on the target tissue. After the initial binding of the hormone, a molecule called the second messenger is produced and triggers a cellular response.
Steroid hormones
Steroid hormones, on the other hand, are not water soluble and must bind to plasma proteins to be transported to target tissues. The protein-binding capacity of steroid hormones leads to a delay in the time they take to elicit a biological response. Steroid hormones, unlike amine and peptide hormones, do not bind to the membrane of the target tissue. Instead, they pass through the membrane and bind to specific steroid receptors in the cell, from where they are directed to the nucleus for protein synthesis. 
What are the main hormones released during exercise?
The main hormones released during exercise are growth hormone, testosterone, insulin-like growth factors, cortisol, acetylcholamines and insulin. Growth hormone is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, reproduction and regeneration of cells. Growth hormone plays a role in maintaining calcium levels, increasing muscle mass, stimulating lipolysis, boosting the immune system and increasing protein synthesis. The resting growth hormone concentration is higher in women than in men. Resistance training has been shown to increase growth hormone levels in men and women about 30 minutes after exercise. Factors that affect the growth hormone response are the choice of exercise, the amount of muscle mass gained, the muscle actions used, the intensity and volume of the workout, the rest periods between sets, and the total number of sets performed.
What does research on growth hormone and exercise show?
In a study comparing low volume training and high weight training with endurance training, the low volume training protocol resulted in the lowest amount of growth hormone. In the same study, growth hormone levels increased when an additional set of high repetitions of 50% of the maximum number of single repetitions was added at the end of the strength protocol. This study shows that strength training can be optimized by adding a high volume set at the end of the workout. To get the best growth hormone response from strength training, use high reps with little rest. However, resistance training at rest appears to have no effect on growth hormone levels.
Testosterone and exercise
Testosterone is a steroid hormone belonging to the androgen group and is secreted by the female ovaries, the male testes and the adrenal glands. It is the main male sex hormone and promotes the male reproductive organs, as well as increasing muscle mass, bone mass and body hair. Although both men and women produce testosterone, men have significantly more of this hormone than women. Testosterone levels have been shown to rise in men in response to resistance training, but not in women, which may explain the difference in response between men and women to resistance training. Constant resistance training has a greater effect on testosterone. A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology reported higher testosterone concentrations in subjects who had previously done resistance training compared to subjects who had done endurance training after resistance training. The testosterone response to training depends on many factors, including the amount of muscle mass, training intensity, training volume, nutrition and training experience. A study has shown that doing leg exercises before arm stretching exercises can have many benefits. In the study, one group performed arm stretching exercises alone for nine consecutive weeks, while the other group performed arm stretching exercises after lower body exercises. Testosterone has been shown to increase when lower body exercises are done first, followed by arm stretching exercises. 
Insulin-like growth factors and exercise
Insulin-like growth factors are proteins that are very similar to insulin. Insulin-like growth factors are used by cells to communicate with the environment. They facilitate much of the action of growth hormones, increase protein synthesis and improve muscle hypertrophy. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research examined the serum growth hormone response of 6 untrained and 6 weight-trained women. Growth hormone increases protein synthesis and is responsible for the stimulation of insulin-like growth factor 1. The study predicts that women who regularly train with weights have a higher growth hormone response than women who do not train with weights. The twelve subjects were healthy, normally menstruating and ovulating women. The trained group consisted of women who had done regular weight training for at least a year, and the untrained group consisted of women who had not lifted weights at all in the six months prior to the study. The results of the study showed that both the women who trained with weights and those who did not train with weights showed a dramatic increase in growth hormone levels after strength training. However, women who trained with weights were able to maintain high levels of growth hormone for longer periods of time. Since the protocol was the same for both groups, one possible explanation for the longer increase in growth hormone levels is that the women who trained with weights had more lean muscle mass and thus the training allowed for greater deployment of their motor units. This resulted in greater pressure on the sarcolemma of the muscle, leading to a greater release of anabolic hormones.
Nutrition and hormonal response
Nutrition also has a major impact on hormonal responses. Consumption of carbohydrates leads to an increase in insulin levels. Some amino acids increase insulin secretion, which is why carbohydrates and proteins are often taken together. This maximizes insulin secretion in hopes of improving glycogen resynthesis and protein metabolism post-workout. According to a study on glycogen synthesis in the muscles after a workout, it is beneficial to consume protein and carbohydrates after an intense workout, not just carbohydrates. This could be due to increased insulin secretion after a combined intake of protein and carbohydrates. However, if carbohydrate intake is very high, higher protein intake does not lead to faster glycogen resynthesis. High insulin levels during carbohydrate and protein consumption can promote protein consumption because insulin stimulates protein synthesis when sufficient amino acids are available.
Resistance training and its effects on hormones
Resistance training has been shown to trigger an acute hormonal response 15 to 30 minutes after exercise. However, this response has been shown to have little effect on the levels of dormant hormones in the body, as it appears to be more conducive to growth and tissue remodeling. The hormones that increase after strength training are testosterone and growth hormones. The type of resistance training that has the most effect on hormone increases is high volume, moderate intensity training combined with short rest periods. Insulin-like growth factor 1 has also been shown to increase after resistance training. Insulin-like growth factor-1 would result from its response to stimulated growth hormone.
Cortisol and resistance training
Cortisol is a steroid hormone, also called glucocorticoid, produced by the adrenal glands. Cortisol is released in response to stress and low blood levels of glucocorticoids. The sole purpose of cortisol is to raise blood sugar levels, suppress the immune system, and promote fat, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism. During exercise, glucocorticoids are released from the adrenal cortex. Cortisol has been shown to be released in greater amounts during resistance programs that combine strength and endurance training. In a study of the effects of concurrent strength and endurance training on skeletal muscle properties and hormone levels in men, women who combined strength and endurance training had higher urinary cortisol levels than those who did strength training alone. 
Another study showed similar results. Researchers found that subjects whose training consisted of high-intensity whole-body resistance training 4 days a week combined with 4 days a week of endurance training had elevated exercise-induced cortisol levels for 12 weeks (Kraemer et al. 1995). This was the result of a combination of resistance and endurance training.
Catecholamines and exercise
Catecholamines include dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine. They are derivatives of the amino acid tyrosine. Catecholamines are water soluble and circulate in the blood. Factors that influence the catecholamine response include the strength of the muscle contraction, the volume of the stimulated muscle, the volume of the resistance exercise, and the rest intervals. Resistance training has been shown to increase plasma concentrations of epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine. Numerous studies report a higher adrenaline response in endurance-trained individuals than in untrained individuals after equivalent exercise.
Main outputs
1. High volume, high intensity workouts, with short rest periods over a long period of time, usually have the most beneficial effects on hormones. 2. The effect of exercise on testosterone is most pronounced in men and has virtually no effect in women during exercise. 3. The most beneficial effects on testosterone are related to complex rather than isolated movements. 4. Training has the greatest effect on growth hormone during sessions that include at least one set with a large number of repetitions. 5. Workouts that consist of exercises with a high number of repetitions and short rest periods have the greatest effect on growth hormone. 6. The cortisol response to exercise is similar to that of growth hormone, but can be reduced by carbohydrate supplementation. 7. Finally, insulin is most affected by carbs when it comes to nutrient intake, so it makes sense to add carbs to protein after a workout. Resources
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10751104
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12853908
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11782267
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7775344
- http://jap.physiology.org/content/85/4/1544.full
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15831061
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10871568
- http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/article%20folder/growth-hormone.html
- http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2000/05000/Growth_Hormone_Response_to_an_Acute_Bout_of.17.aspx
- http://jap.physiology.org/content/96/2/531.short
- http://www.purdue.edu/swo/nutrition/KnowItAll/HealthyWeightGain/InfluenceOfNutritionOnWtGain.pdf
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18416594https://www.myphenomfitness.com/4-types-of-collagen-supplements-research-is-telling-us-amazing-benefits/s
Hormones affect our ability to function at work, and exercise affects our ability to function at work. To demonstrate this, a team of French and American researchers asked 18 women to exercise for 3 hours a day for 6 months, while a control group exercised for 3 hours a week. The exercise group had increased fat burning and decreased fat storage, while the control group did not. In addition, the exercise group’s cortisol levels (a stress hormone) decreased by 22% and their testosterone increased by 40%, while the control group’s cortisol levels did not change.. Read more about exercise releases endorphins and dopamine and let us know what you think.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hormones are affected by exercise?
New research published in the journal Physiology and Behavior found that people who exercise more and are generally healthier have higher levels of the stress hormones known as cortisol and epinephrine in their blood. The study, which is published in the journal Physiology & Behavior, followed 41 women and men, ranging in age from 22-39 and gave them a stress test to measure their stress tolerance. If you’re new to the world of fitness, it’s important to know that exercise isn’t just for keeping in shape. It’s a crucial part of every woman’s health, but exercise also affects other systems in our bodies, including hormones.
What happens to hormone levels during exercise?
It’s no secret that getting active is one of the most healthy things you can do. A little exercise can boost your mood and brain function, while reducing your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other health problems. Over the last decade, researchers have demonstrated the physiological benefits of exercise—but now researchers are finding more benefits of exercise beyond the physical. Our bodies are constantly under attack from the external environment we encounter every day. Whether it’s radiation, chemicals, or our own bodily processes, our bodies have to adapt to the challenges posed by the world around us. That’s why we need to get active! Exercise is a proven method of preparing our bodies for the rigors of daily life, and it produces many benefits in our health and well being.
Can exercise mess with your hormones?
In the past when talking about exercise and health, it’s been pretty common to think of it as good for us. We’ve been told that exercise keeps us healthy, keeps our bodies functioning well, and helps us lose weight. But is this true? Do we really benefit from exercise? Exercise can have a profound effect on body composition and hormones, and new research suggests that this may be even more pronounced in women. A recent study published in the journal “Sports Medicine” found that women who engaged in more than the recommended amount of exercise saw significant changes in their hormones compared to those who only consumed the recommended levels of exercise.
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