| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 894484 | Psychology of Sport and Exercise | 2013 | 4 Pages |
•Salivary free testosterone was strongly correlated with voluntary workloads in male athletes.•A link between free testosterone and motivation in a physical domain was confirmed.•Salivary free cortisol and voluntary workloads were only weakly related.•Training gains in strength also correlated to pre-workout hormones.
ObjectivesTo examine correlative associations between salivary free testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) concentrations and training motivation in elite male athletes.DesignSingle group, longitudinal design with repeated measures.MethodsParticipants (n = 15) completed a 5-week progressive resistance training programme. Across 2 weekly workouts, pre and post measures of salivary free T and C concentrations were taken along with voluntary chosen workload, as a proxy for training motivation. Strength and body mass were assessed pre and post training.ResultsIndividual changes in pre-workout free T concentrations correlated strongly to voluntary workloads (pooled r = 0.81, p < 0.001). Pre-workout free C concentrations was weakly correlated to voluntary workload (pooled r = 0.35). Pre-workout hormones (r = 0.57–0.89) and the strength gains were also related.ConclusionsThe salivary free T concentrations of male athletes presented before training were strongly associated with subsequent voluntary workloads, indicating a potential link to training motivation.
