Research

Hormonal

Acute resistance exercise-induced elevations in endogenous anabolic hormones (testosterone, GH, IGF-1) do not enhance training-induced muscle hypertrophy or strength gains.

You do not need to perform high-volume, short-rest resistance training specifically to 'spike' your testosterone or growth hormone to build muscle. Standard resistance training protocols that focus on mechanical tension and progressive overload are sufficient for hypertrophy and strength gains, regardless of the acute hormonal response. Do not sacrifice recovery or technique in pursuit of a 'pump' or hormonal spike.

StrongRefutesVERY_HIGH confidence
We conclude that exposure of loaded muscle to acute exercise-induced elevations in endogenous anabolic hormones enhances neither muscle hypertrophy nor strength with resistance training in young men.
Daniel W. D. West et al. · Journal of Applied Physiology · 2009

Why this rating

Randomized, within-subject, controlled trial with 15 weeks duration and multiple outcome measures (MRI, biopsy, strength).

Source

Elevations in ostensibly anabolic hormones with resistance exercise enhance neither training-induced muscle hypertrophy nor strength of the elbow flexors

Daniel W. D. West et al. · Journal of Applied Physiology · 2009

DOI 10.1152/japplphysiol.01147.2009

rct · n=12Cited 289×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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