Cortisol and testosterone dynamics following exhaustive endurance exercise

Cortisol (C) and testosterone (T) are impacted significantly by prolonged endurance exercise with inverse responses. Increases in C are witnessed concurrently with decrements in T, possibly impacting recovery. This study was conducted to assess the dynamics of C and free T (fT) concentration and recovery time following an exhaustive endurance exercise session (EES). 12 endurance-trained males (X +/- SD: VO2max 66.3 +/- 4.8 ml/kg/min, age 22.8 +/- 3.1 years, body fat 11.0 +/- 1.4 %, training 7.1 +/- 3.2 years) completed a treadmill EES at ventilatory threshold (74.7 +/- 4.6 % of VO2max; 96.9 +/- 10.8 min). Basal blood C and fT were collected at baseline: -48, -24 h, and immediately before (0 h) the EES as well as immediately (+0 h), +24 h, +48 h, and +72 h after the EES. Blood glucose (G) was measured to confirm no undue influence on C. Statistically data were analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA (LSD post hoc). C (nmol/L) increased significantly from -48 h (321 +/- 59) to +0 h (701 +/- 178) (p < 0.001), and displayed a baseline overshoot with +24 h (209 +/- 67) being significantly lower than -48 and +0 h (p < 0.03). fT (pmol/L) decreased significantly from -48 h (161 +/- 40) to +0 h (106 +/- 38) (p < 0.01) and remained lower at +24 h (110 +/- 33) and +48 h (129 +/- 30) (p < 0.001). G remained stable throughout. A moderately negative correlation (r = -0.636, p < 0.026) was found between C and fT at +0 h. EES recovery may require 48 h for C and 72 h for fT to return to baseline values. Furthermore, C and fT were only correlated immediately post-exercise. Future research should perform more frequent measurements throughout time course.