Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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03.03.2015 |
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Building muscles without testosterone
If you've got no testosterone in your body you can't build up muscles, say the textbooks. Not so, say sports scientists at the University of Maryland in the United States. They discovered that men with prostate cancer who are taking drugs that block the effects of testosterone can still build up muscle mass and strength by doing strength training.
Study
The researchers performed experiments with 17 men all of whom had prostate cancer, were receiving anti-androgen therapy and, with an average fat percentage of 31.4%, were overweight. Their average age was 67.
For a period of 12 weeks the researchers got the men to train three times a week using resistance machines to exercise their main muscle groups. They did unilateral knee extensions, chest press, seated rows, seated hamstring curls, abdominal crunches and leg presses.
After warming up, the men did 4-5 reps using a weight with which they could just manage 5 reps. After that the weight was reduced and without resting they did another 1-2 reps to failure. After that the weight was reduced again and they did another 1-2 reps to failure, and so on and so on. For each exercise the men did a total of 15 reps.
Results
![]() Their maximal strength increased for knee extensions, chest press and leg press.
At the end of 12 weeks of doing strength training, the men were finding everyday activities easier. They could get up and sit down again on a chair more times in a short time span [Chair Stands], they could climb stairs faster and took less time to cover a distance of 400 metres.
Strength training improved their quality of life. The men's score for the Brief Fatigue Inventory went down – showing that they had more energy. In addition, the men considered that they were functioning better socially, emotionally and physically.
Conclusion
"A better understanding [...] the mechanisms responsible for the increases in muscle hypertrophy, strength, and physical function in the absence of testosterone could help prevent the mobility limitations, weakness, fatigue, and poor quality of life common in men with prostate cancer receiving androgen deprivation therapy."
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