The Study
Links Between Testosterone, Oestrogen, and the Growth Hormone/Insulin-Like Growth Factor Axis and Resistance Exercise Muscle Adaptations
This study is like a teacher summarizing what scientists have found about hormones and muscle growth. It doesn’t do a new experiment, so it can’t prove anything new — it just explains what we already think might be true based on other studies.
Analysis score
Maximum 5 for a narrative review.
Where the score came from
Your body uses special chemicals called hormones to help your muscles grow stronger after exercise. Testosterone, estrogen, and growth hormone tell your muscles to repair and grow, especially when you lift weights.
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 51 / 100
Quality score
Based on clinical experience or non-systematic literature reviews. The lowest level of evidence as they are most susceptible to bias and personal perspective.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes, these hormone changes matter because they affect how fast and how much your muscles can grow and recover after workouts.
- 2Testosterone helps men's muscles grow by turning on muscle-building switches inside cells.
- 3Women's muscles benefit more from estrogen during certain times of their cycle.
- 4Growth hormone goes up when you do lots of reps with short breaks.
- 5Older people don’t get as big a hormone boost from exercise.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Physiology
Year
2021
Authors
N. Gharahdaghi, B. Phillips, N. Szewczyk, Ken Smith, D. Wilkinson, P. Atherton
Related Content
Claims (3)
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.
When men lift weights, their testosterone helps their muscles grow by turning on certain signals in the muscle cells. This hormone response can last up to two days after a workout, making muscles more responsive to testosterone during that time.
When women work out during the part of their cycle when estrogen is high, they might build more muscle because estrogen helps protect muscles and speed up recovery.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.