Monitoring exercise stress by changes in metabolic and hormonal responses over a 24-h period

• Published in: European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology Vol. 63; no. 3-4; p. 228
• Main Authors: Fry, R W, Morton, A R, Garcia-Webb, P, Keast, D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 01.10.1991
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anaerobiosis; Creatine Kinase - metabolism; Creatinine - blood; Exercise - physiology; Exercise Test; Hormones - blood; Humans; Male; Physical Education and Training; Physical Endurance - physiology; Running; Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin - metabolism; Stress, Physiological - metabolism; Testosterone - blood; Uric Acid - metabolism
• ISSN: 0301-5548
• DOI: 10.1007/BF00233853

Metabolic and endocrine responses of 14 subjects of varying levels of fitness to an intensive anaerobic interval training session were assessed before exercise and at 2 h, 4 h, 8 h and 24 h postexercise. The endocrine response of the same subjects to a control day, where they were required not to exercise, was also assessed and compared with the values obtained on the interval training day. Uric acid, urea, and creatine phosphokinase concentrations still remained elevated above pre-exercise values 24 h postexercise. Lactate, creatinine, testosterone and cortisol concentrations were significantly elevated above pre-exercise values immediately postexercise but these had reversed by 2 h postexercise. Over the remainder of the recovery period testosterone concentrations remained significantly lower than values measured at similar times on the control day. This was shown to be due directly to a change in testosterone as sex hormone binding globulin concentration remained constant throughout the recovery period. The data indicate that when comparisons of data were made to control (rest) days, imbalances in homeostasis, due to intensive training, are not totally reversed within the next 24-h. The data also demonstrate that the parameters measured undergo the same variations in subjects with a wide range of physical fitness, indicating that these parameters could be used to monitor exercise stress and recovery in athletes of a wide range of abilities.