The Study
Pharmacological hypogonadism impairs molecular transducers of exercise‐induced muscle growth in humans
This study is like a carefully controlled experiment where half the people got a shot that lowers testosterone and the other half got a fake shot. Everyone did the same exercise. Because people were randomly assigned, we can say the differences in muscle growth were likely caused by the testosterone-lowering shot. But there were only 16 people, so we have to be careful about saying this would happen for everyone.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
This study shows that even with the same workouts, young men who couldn’t make testosterone didn’t gain muscle like those who could.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 574 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes, this shows testosterone is not optional for real muscle growth—it’s required, even if you train hard.
- 2The normal group gained 1.5 kg of muscle and got stronger.
- 3The low-testosterone group gained almost no muscle.
- 4Their bodies didn’t make more muscle proteins or turn on muscle-growth genes like the others.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle
Year
2022
Authors
N. Gharahdaghi, S. Rudrappa, M. Brook, Wesam F. Farrash, I. Idris, Muhammad Hariz Abdul Aziz, F. Kadi, Konstantinos-Georgios Papaioannou, B. Phillips, T. Sian, P. J. Herrod, D. Wilkinson, N. Szewczyk, Kenneth Smith, P. Atherton
Related Content
Claims (6)
Young guys need their natural testosterone to get the full muscle-building benefits from weightlifting — if their testosterone is blocked with drugs, their muscles don’t grow as much, even if they train just as hard.
Young men with low testosterone don't get the same muscle-building boost from weight training because their bodies don't increase the machinery needed to make new proteins — and that seems to be because they're missing testosterone.
If young guys are given a drug that lowers their testosterone, they don’t build much muscle from weight training—while others with normal testosterone gain about 1.5 kg of muscle in 6 weeks. This shows testosterone is key for getting the most out of lifting weights.
When young men have low testosterone on purpose for the study, their muscles don’t respond as well to weight training at the cellular level — testosterone seems to help muscles fully 'feel' and react to the workout.
Young men need normal testosterone levels to get the full muscle-building benefits from weight training — low testosterone blunts the body’s muscle-growth signals.
Everyone can lose fat, get stronger, and build muscle with the right diet and exercise — how much they gain might differ, but the ability is there for all of us.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.