Research

Hormonal

An acute bout of either endurance or resistance exercise significantly increases circulating levels of anabolic hormones (testosterone, estradiol, growth hormone) in females aged 19-69, regardless of chronological age.

If you are a woman between 19 and 69, doing a standard workout (either cardio or weights) will trigger a temporary spike in key anabolic hormones like testosterone and growth hormone. This happens regardless of your age, provided you are reasonably active. You don't need to be an elite athlete to get this hormonal response; typical recreational exercise intensities are sufficient.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Results indicate that an acute bout of exercise can increase concentrations of anabolic hormones in females across a wide age range.
Jennifer L. Copeland et al. · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2002

Why this rating

Randomized, balanced design with control group, but small sample size per age quintile (n=6).

Source

Hormonal Responses to Endurance and Resistance Exercise in Females Aged 19-69 Years

Jennifer L. Copeland et al. · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2002

DOI 10.1093/gerona/57.4.b158

crossover · n=30Cited 172×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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