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Comparison of serum testosterone and androstenedione responses to weight lifting in men and women

European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology volume 50, pages 413–419 (1983)Cite this article

Summary

To determine if a sex difference exists in the androgen response to heavy-resistance exercise, serum testosterone (T) and androstenedione (A) concentrations were measured in 20 men and 20 women before and during a 2-h period following 30 min of weight lifting. Hormone concentrations from venous blood samples were determined by radioimmunoassay. Prior to weight lifting, T for men (3.51±0.24 ng·ml−1) was approximately 10 times that for women (0.36±0.04 ng·ml−1), whereas A for women (1.26±0.07 ng·ml−1) was 43% higher than for men (0.88±0.07 ng·ml−1). Immediately following weight lifting, T was increased significantly (p<0.01) in men (0.76 ng·ml−1, 21.6%), but nonsignificantly in women (0.06 ng·ml−1, 16.7%). Resting T levels were restored within 30 min. Serum A levels decreased significantly (p<0.01) below pre-exercise levels at 2 h post-exercise for both men and women. It was concluded that men have a greater absolute T response to weight lifting than women, whereas the absolute A response to weight lifting is similar in men and women.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Depts. of Physical Education and Physiology-Pharmacology, University of Georgia, 30602, Athens, Georgia, USA

    Lawrence W. Weiss, Kirk J. Cureton & Frederick N. Thompson

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  1. Lawrence W. Weiss
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  2. Kirk J. Cureton
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  3. Frederick N. Thompson
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Supported by grants from Nissen/Universal Corporation and the University of Georgia Faculty Research Fund

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Weiss, L.W., Cureton, K.J. & Thompson, F.N. Comparison of serum testosterone and androstenedione responses to weight lifting in men and women. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 50, 413–419 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00423247

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00423247

Key words

  • Androgens
  • Androstenedione
  • Sex difference
  • Testosterone
  • Weight lifting