Good thing most of us don't pedal

neptronix

neptronix

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Seems like most research papers agree on this:

Relationships between testosterone, cortisol and performance in professional cyclists - PubMed

"Basal serum total testosterone and free testosterone concentrations were lower in elite amateur cyclists than in age-matched weightlifters or untrained individuals."

Maximal strength and power, muscle mass, endurance and serum hormones in weightlifters and road cyclists - PubMed

"Post training, resting testosterone levels decreased from 28.8 +/- 74 nmol/l to 24.6 +/- 90 nmol/l (p < 0.05). Resting cortisol levels increased from 272 +/- 110 nmol/l pre training to 379 +/- 242 nmol/l post training (p < 0.05). These results indicate an increased catabolic state. The acute hormonal response and the resting levels of LH were not changed post training. The resting levels of testosterone and cortisol and the acute response to exercise showed no correlation with performance pre and post training. In spite of an increased catabolic state post training there was an increase in performance."

I do pedal quite a lot and find that lifting weights counter balances the effect!
 
Too late for me to worry about the T, but if I look in the mirror and feel good it's good enough for me.
 
Hmmm... Not too worried about testosterone. These days it's PSA (prostate-specific antigen). It spikes when I ride heavily. Prostate takes a beating on 75 psi tires. I have to time my PSA tests away from my riding season(s).
 
neptronix said:
Seems like most research papers agree on this:

Relationships between testosterone, cortisol and performance in professional cyclists - PubMed
Click to expand...
I did a lot of mountain biking back before we had kids and had that issue. Doctor advised stop riding my bike and to wear boxer shorts. All levels returned to normal in a pretty short time.

Diggs said:
Hmmm... Not too worried about testosterone. These days it's PSA (prostate-specific antigen). It spikes when I ride heavily. Prostate takes a beating on 75 psi tires. I have to time my PSA tests away from my riding season(s).
Click to expand...
I’ve had prostrate related pain for a few years now. For me there’s a balance between riding too much vs too little, since biking is my primary exercise, and exercise helps prostate issues, but too much aggregates things.
 
I could have done with less T in my youth, though that's no longer an issue for me for some time now. The exercise I get on the bike (pedal or e-) sure does me more good overall than more jackass juice would.

I have been supplementing with DHEA for a couple years now, so I assume if my body wants more T, it can concoct whatever it needs.
 
As of the last 2 decades, I only use seats that have very good cutouts and great padding, and the recumbent is very nice on the undercarriage & doesn't need any adjusting.

So i have no cycling related prostate problems for a long time now.

I still notice that bicycling is a mood altering drug and while it does relieve stress and clear the mind, it can dip testosterone a bit, showing itself as low sex drive, resilience, or absence of the occasional morning wood.

Lifting heavy things has the inverse effect, and on occasion can produce too much testosterone for me. But i eat a diet and take certain vitamins that naturally boost mine a bit ( in my 40's now and can use all the natural help i can get )
 
Back in the day, the only seats with cutouts were the women’s saddles made by Terry (sp.). Now theyve expanded to make them for men as well.
I’ve been using the cutout seats for about the last 10 or 15 years since they came out for men, and they feel a lot better. I’ve been going a little wider though each time I get a saddle now lol.
 
neptronix said:
I do pedal quite a lot and find that lifting weights counter balances the effect!
Click to expand...

Yes weightlifting as well as HIIT can boost testosterone levels. Or you could do sprints on the bike.....get a good stiff bike though. Stay away from those lugged steel bikes from the 80' because the lugs used for their construction is a constraint for the maximum tubing diameter and thus stiffness.
 
ebike4healthandfitness said:
Yes weightlifting as well as HIIT can boost testosterone levels. Or you could do sprints on the bike.....get a good stiff bike though. Stay away from those lugged steel bikes from the 80' because the lugs used for their construction is a constraint for the maximum tubing diameter and thus stiffness.
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Sprinting? IDK, i like the runner's high i get from a 10-40 mile ride or so, pedaling like a madman. How is sprinting different? is there any research that shows the physiological effects are different?
 
99t4 said:
So nobody could do cycling HIIT in the '80s?
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Sure people could do HIIT back in the '80s on a bike.

There were stationary bikes. There were mountain bikes (e.g. the first Ritchey mountain bikes in 1979 used oversize tubing joined together in a lug-less fashion). There were non lugged track bikes. There were various types of BMX bikes all of which were non-lugged (in large diameter and small diameter tire sizes). There were even trainers where a person could bolt the rear tire up (of whatever bike you had) to a roller and pedal against resistance.

A 1980's road bike was built and designed foremost for endurance exercise. That means not HIIT. And while it is true that something like 1/3 of the stages of a Tour de France would end in a sprint this would have only involved the top cyclists and when it did happen the sprints were at a much slower speed than is done today.

So yeah, I would never recommend a 1980's road bike for someone to do HIIT training. Too much spring in the BB area.
 
The pressure on the prostrate argument was enough to make me get a better seat, then I heard the butt zits (or cysts) that roadies get never go away. Only lived bicycle life a couple years…
 
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