Research

Hormonal

Heavy-load resistance training preserves lean body mass in prostate cancer patients undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), effectively counteracting the muscle loss typically caused by the therapy, while simultaneously increasing muscle strength to a degree comparable to healthy elderly men.

If you are undergoing hormone therapy for prostate cancer, do not skip resistance training. Heavy lifting (using weights that feel hard for 6-12 reps, 2-3 times a week) will help you keep the muscle you have and make you stronger. You might not see your muscles get bigger like a healthy person would, but you will stop them from shrinking, which is a major win for your health and survival.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
It seems that RT counteracts loss of lean body mass during ADT in PCa patients, as opposed to increasing lean body mass in HEM. The effects of RT on lean body mass and 1 RM were similar in PCa patients on ADT and HEM.
Tormod S. Nilsen et al. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2022

Why this rating

Based on a meta-analysis of 7 RCTs in PCa patients and 9 in HEM, though risk of bias regarding blinding is high.

Source

Does Androgen Deprivation for Prostate Cancer Affect Normal Adaptation to Resistance Exercise?

Tormod S. Nilsen et al. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2022

DOI 10.3390/ijerph19073820

Meta-analysis · 16 studiesCited 10×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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