Abstract
To assess the subsequent testosterone/cortisol ratio (TCr) from flywheel-based resistive exercise, using a within-subjects design volunteers (7 men, 10 women) performed three seated leg press workouts on an ergometer (YoYo Technologies, Stockholm Sweden). Comprised of ten-repetition sets, the workouts entailed: a three-set protocol composed of concentric and eccentric actions(CE3), as well as concentric-only paradigms of three (CO3) and six (CO6) sets. Venous blood, collected before bouts and at one and 30 minutes post-exercise, was used to quantify the TCr. Data were examined with ANOVA and multivariate regression. ANOVA yielded a gender x time TCr interaction, as male values declined significantly yet women's data were unchanged. With the TCr at one and 30 minutes post-exercise as separate criterion measures, and data pooled across genders and workouts, multivariate regression revealed significance per dependent variable. Univariate correlations showed the best predictors of the post-exercise TCr in descending order were: body mass, average power and delta lactate. Gender and quadriceps muscle volume may have acted as confounding variables to allow body mass to the best current study predictor. Continued research should examine additional predictor variables, as current results only accounted for roughly 30% of the total criterion measure variance.