When trying to maximize the amount of muscular strength and hypertrophy gains you experience, you are going to want to do what you can to maximize the testosterone release that’s seen by the body as well as try to reduce cortisol release if possible, since this is a catabolic (breaks down muscle) hormone in the body.
Different muscle building workout protocols though will have different impacts on these hormones, so it’s important to consider this with your overall workout design.
This is what the following study aimed to assess.
Study Design
The study was designed to test three different workout protocols, a power protocol (8 sets of 6 reps at 45% maximum using 3 minutes of rest), a hypertrophy protocol (10 sets of 10 reps at 75% maximum using 2 minutes of rest), and then a maximal strength protocol (6 sets of 4 reps at 88% maximum using 4 minute rest periods).
The Results
After the tests were performed and testosterone and cortisol were evaluated, it was found that both testosterone and cortisol increased following the hypertrophy protocol and there was little or no change with the power or maximal strength protocol.
Furthermore, the fact that the testosterone and cortisol responses were similar after both the power and strength protocols illustrates that the differences in load intensity and rest periods are going to be secondary to the total volume (since there was a higher volume performed in the hypertrophy program – sets X reps).
Take Home Message
So, the take home message from this study is that if you want to maximally stimulate testosterone levels with your strength training workouts, you’re best off opting for a program that has a slightly higher volume than something that’s utilizing sheer heavier weights and fewer reps/sets.
Always keep in mind though that volume is a double edged sword as too much and you will struggle with recovery rates, which can also have a big impact on testosterone release (overtraining will decrease test release in the body).
Reference:
Cook, C. et al. (2008) The salivary testosterone and cortisol responses to three loading schemes. Journal of Strength Conditioning Research. Jan;22(1):250-5
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