Kalle Karelson

The effect of a single-circuit weight-training session on the blood biochemistry of untrained university students

SummaryThe metabolic and hormonal responses to an intensive single-circuit weight-training session were studied in 15 untrained male students. The training programme consisted of ten exercises, employing all the large groups of muscles. Students performed three circuits using a work-to-rest ratio of 30 s:30 s at 70% of one-repetition maximum. The whole programme lasted 30 min. Blood samples were obtained from the anticubital vein 30 min before exercise, immediately after exercise finished and after 1-h, 6-h, and 24-h periods of recovery.The training session produced significant increases in the plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone, cortisol, aldosterone, testosterone, progesterone and somatotropin concentrations. The plasma level of insulin and C-peptide remained unchanged. The strength exercises caused elevated ratios of cortisol:testosterone and cortisol:insulin, indicating a prevalence of stimulation of catabolic processes as well as of mobilization of energy reserves but during the recovery period the reverse of this was observed. Immediately after exercise the mean lactate concentration was 7.19 mmol · 1−1, SD 0.56, the glucose concentration increased significantly during exercise and decreased rapidly during recovery. The high density lipoprotein-cholesterol increased in 1-h period of recovery compared with the initial level. The concentration of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol and triglyceride, did not change. Packed cell volume did not change during exercise or recovery.

Association of depressiveness with blunted growth hormone response to maximal physical exercise in young healthy men

Blunted response of growth hormone secretion to several pharmacological challenges is present in depression, but much less is known about the relationship of depression and secretion of growth hormone elicited by physiological stimuli. Furthermore, it is not known whether blunted growth hormone response occurs in depressiveness as measured with psychometric scales. A total of 82 healthy male volunteers (age 18-26 years) exercised on a bicycle ergometer with incremental load to achieve their maximal performance. Before exercise, subjects filled in approbated versions of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Spielbergers State-Trait Anxiety Scale, Cohens Perceived Stress Scale, and Schwartzers Self-Efficacy Scale. Blood samples were collected before and after exercise, and growth hormone, cortisol, and testosterone were measured by chemiluminescence immunoassay. Median perceived stress score of the subjects was identical to our population-based database median value, but the subjects had higher self-efficacy and lower depressiveness as shown by median values. In the majority of subjects, physical exercise induced remarkable increases in blood levels of the hormones. Cortisol and testosterone levels were not associated with the scores of psychometric scales. However, growth hormone response was virtually absent in high scorers (above median population score, n = 24) in BDI total score and the negative attitude subcomponent. Hence, this study demonstrates that growth hormone response to physiological stimuli is reduced in psychometrically measured depressiveness.

Exercise-induced hormone responses in girls at different stages of sexual maturation.

Abstract The dependence of exercise-induced hormone responses on sexual maturation was tested in a 3-year longitudinal experiment on 34 girls (aged 11–12 years at the beginning). Sexual maturation was evaluated by Tanners five-stage scale. Children cycled for 20-min at 60% maximal oxygen uptake once a year. Cortisol, insulin, growth hormone, β-oestradiol, progesterone and testosterone concentrations in venous blood were determined by radioimmunoassay procedures. Basal concentrations of growth hormone increased and of cortisol decreased when breast stage III was reached. Reaching breast stage IV was associated with an increase in basal concentrations of β-oestradiol, progesterone and testosterone. The exercise induced significant increases in concentrations of cortisol, growth hormone and β-oestradiol and a decrease in insulin concentration. At breast stage III the increase in cortisol concentration was to a lower level [467 (SEM 42) vs 567 (SEM 46)nmol · l−1] and growth hormone concentration to a higher level [29.4 (SEM 0.5) vs 12.8 (SEM 0.4)ng · ml−1], while the fall in insulin concentration was less pronounced [postexercise level 10.6 (SEM 0.9) vs 7.8 (SEM 0.8)mU · l−1] than in stage II. The magnitude of the cortisol response was reduced in the last stage of breast development (+42.1% vs +55.5% at stage II, +66.2% at stage III, and +50.0% at stage IV). The magnitude of β-oestradiol response was the lowest in breast stage IV (+15.8%) and the highest at stage V (+41.1%). The progesterone response became significant at stage IV and testosterone response at stage V. In conclusion, we found that reaching breast stage III was associated with altered responses of cortisol, insulin and growth hormone concentrations while the responses of the sex hormone concentrations became pronounced in the last stages of sexual maturation.

Comparison of the hormonal responses to exhaustive incremental exercise in adolescent and young adult males

OBJECTIVE Evaluate hormonal responses to incremental-stage exercise (EX) test to exhaustion in adolescents. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Adolescents were tested at 16 years of age in Tanner Stage 4 (TS4) and at 17 years of age in Tanner Stage 5 (TS5) (n = 6). Adults were tested at 21 ± 1 y. (X ± SD) (n = 4) and served as controls. Blood samples were taken at rest, at the end of each EX stage. RESULTS Main effects for EX in cortisol (p < 0.01, increasing with each EX stage) and for subject group for testosterone (T) occurred (p < 0.01; TS4 < TS5, adults). Interaction effect of group by EX stage occurred for GH (p < 0.05). GH increased in response to EX in all groups, however, the magnitude of increase was significantly less for TS5 and adults than TS4. CONCLUSIONS Differences in T and GH responses for TS4 than those for TS5 and adults reflect the differing maturation levels of the endocrine system between Tanner Stages. TS5 adolescents are more similar to young adults in hormonal responses to EX than are TS4 adolescents.

Intensity of Nordic Walking in young females with different peak O2 consumption

The purpose of this cross‐sectional study was to determine the physiological reaction to the different intensity Nordic Walking exercise in young females with different aerobic capacity values. Twenty‐eight 19–24‐year‐old female university students participated in the study. Their peak O2 consumption (VO2 peak kg−1) and individual ventilatory threshold (IVT) were measured using a continuous incremental protocol until volitional exhaustion on treadmill. The subjects were analysed as a whole group (n = 28) and were also divided into three groups based on the measured VO2 peak kg−1 (Difference between groups is 1 SD) as follows: 1. >46 ml min−1 kg−1 (n = 8), 2. 41–46 ml min−1 kg−1 (n = 12) and 3. <41 ml min−1 kg−1 (n = 8). The second test consisted of four times 1 km Nordic Walking with increasing speed on the 200 m indoor track, performed as a continuous study (Step 1 – slow walking, Step 2 – usual speed walking, Step 3 – faster speed walking and Step 4 – maximal speed walking). During the walking test expired gas was sampled breath‐by‐breath and heart rate (HR) was recorded continuously. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were asked using the Borg RPE scale separately for every 1 km of the walking test. No significant differences emerged between groups in HR of IVT (172·4 ± 10·3–176·4 ± 4·9 beats min−1) or maximal HR (190·1 ± 7·3–191·6 ± 7·8 beats min−1) during the treadmill test. During maximal speed walking the speed (7·4 ± 0·4–7·5 ± 0·6 km h−1) and O2 consumption (30·4 ± 3·9–34·0 ± 4·5 ml min−1 kg−1) were relatively similar between groups (P > 0·05). However, during maximal speed walking, the O2 consumption in the second and third groups was similar with the IVT (94·9 ± 17·5% and 99·4 ± 15·5%, respectively) but in the first group it was only 75·5 ± 8·0% from IVT. Mean HR during the maximal speed walking was in the first group 151·6 ± 12·5 beats min−1, in the second (169·7 ± 10·3 beats min−1) and the third (173·1 ± 15·8 beats min−1) groups it was comparable with the calculated IVT level. The Borg RPE was very low in every group (11·9 ± 2·0–14·4 ± 2·3) and the relationship with VO2and HR was not significant during maximal speed Nordic Walking. In summary, the present study indicated that walking is an acceptable exercise for young females independent of their initial VO2 peak level. However, females with low initial VO2 peak can be recommended to exercise with the subjective ‘faster speed walking’. In contrast, females with high initial VO2 peak should exercise with maximal speed.

Characterization of the cortisol response to incremental exercise in physically active young men.

This study examined the cortisol response to incremental exercise; specifically to see if there was an increase in blood cortisol levels at low intensity exercise (i.e., < 60% VO2 intensity threshold) and determine whether a linear relationship existed between the blood cortisol responses and exercise of increasing workloads (i.e., intensity). Healthy, physically active young men (n = 11) completed exercise tests involving progressive workload stages (3 min) to determine peak oxygen uptake responses (VO2). Blood specimens were collected at rest and at the end of each stage and analyzed for cortisol. Results showed cortisol was significantly increased from resting levels at the end of the first exercise stage (80 W; 41.9 +/- 5.4% peak VO2) and remained significantly elevated from rest until the exercise ended. Interestingly, however, the cortisol concentrations observed at 80 W through 200 W did not significantly differ from one another. Thereafter, during the final two stages of exercise the cortisol concentrations increased further (p < 0.01). The subjects exceeded their individual lactate thresholds over these last two stages of exercise. Regression modeling to characterize the cortisol response resulted in significant regression coefficients (r = 0.415 [linear] and r = 0.655 [3rd order polynominal], respectively; p < 0.05). Comparative testing (Hotelling test) between the two regression coefficents revealed the polynominal model (sigmoidal curve) was the significantly stronger of the two (p = 0.05). In conclusion, the present findings refute the concept that low intensity exercise will not provoke a significant change in blood cortisol levels and suggest the response to incremental exercise involving increasing exercise workloads (i.e., intensities) are not entirely linear in nature. Specifically, a sigmoid curve more highly accurately characterizes the cortisol response to such exercise.

Cortisol and Testosterone in Exercise at the Onset of Puberty in Boys

Previous studies have failed to demonstrate that aerobic exercises increase the adrenocortical activity in prepubescent boys. The purpose of the present study was to check this fact using a longitudinal approach. Two cohorts of boys participated in a one-year follow-up. The first cohort consisted of 14 boys at sexual maturation stage 1 (age 10 to 11 years) and the second cohort of 5 boys at stage 2 (age 12 years) at the onset of the observation. Boys performed 20-min aerobic exercise on a cycle ergometer at the beginning and end of the year of observation. Before and 5 min after the exercise, blood cortisol and testosterone were determined by radioimmunoassays. Before the onset of puberty (stage 1) cortisol increase during exercise was found in only 25% of boys. Exercise induced significant increase of cortisol level after achieving sexual maturation stage 2. Testosterone response was insignificant at the first three stages of sexual maturation.

Variability in blood glucose change during a 2‐hour exercise

To compare individual peculiarities in hormone responses and glucose pattern during prolonged exercise, 34 untrained persons and 27 endurance athletes performed a 2‐hour exercise test on a bicycle with an ergometer at the level of 60% maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). Serial blood samples were taken through a venous catheter before exercise, at 10, 26, 30, 60, and 120 minutes of exercise and 1,6, and 24 hours after the cessation of exercise. Serum glucose, corticotropin, cortisol, somatotropin, and insulin concentrations were determined. In 79% of cases a slight initial decrease of 0.7 ± 0.23 mM in untrained and of 0.6 ± 0.31 mM in trained subjects was observed in the blood glucose concentration. In half of these subjects an increase over the initial concentration followed after 30 to 60 minutes of exercise. Despite the stable euglycemic level of the mean concentration during the succeeding stages of exercise, individual analysis indicated the existence of five variant glucose patterns: (1) an initial decre...