How Hormones Help Muscles Grow After Lifting Weights
Links Between Testosterone, Oestrogen, and the Growth Hormone/Insulin-Like Growth Factor Axis and Resistance Exercise Muscle Adaptations
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
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.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 51 / 5
Evidence 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.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
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.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 51 / 5
Evidence 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.
Publication
Authors
Gharahdaghi N, Phillips BE, Szewczyk NJ, Smith K, Wilkinson DJ, Atherton PJ
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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.