TESTOSTERONE AND OVERTRAINING

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TESTOSTERONE AND OVERTRAINING








 Research has consistently shown that excessive training—especially when athletes don’t allow for enough recovery—can mess with hormonal balance, particularly in men. Overtraining, which involves pushing past normal training intensity and volume without letting your body sufficient time to rest, is known to cause a decline in testosterone levels. These drops are often paired with spikes in cortisol, the primary stress hormone, which push the body into a more muscle-breaking (catabolic) state instead of the muscle-building (anabolic) effects that testosterone usually supports.

One of the earliest studies to examine this found that male athletes who overtrained saw their testosterone levels fall, and these levels didn’t bounce back for months after they got their training under control. The study also found a tight link between lower testosterone and higher cortisol, suggesting that these hormonal changes are not just a sign of overtraining but also a contributing factor to the decline in performance and health (Fertility and Sterility, 1993).

More recent systematic reviews agree that overtraining can lower testosterone, but there’s a lot of variation in how much and how long this lasts from person to person. Some athletes see brief dips, while others can deal with long-term hormonal suppression, which makes figuring out and treating overtraining syndrome tricky (BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2017).

The EROS-BASAL study, a large multi-year project, confirmed that athletes with overtraining syndrome almost always have lower testosterone, even when the brain’s usual hormonal signals (gonadotrophic stimulation) are standard. This suggests that the problem isn’t that the brain stops sending the signal, but instead that testosterone is either converted into other hormones (such as estradiol) or cleared out more quickly (Journal of Athletic Training, 2019).

While the testosterone-to-cortisol ratio is often used as a marker for overtraining, recent research shows it’s not always reliable as a standalone test. A broader range of hormonal markers, including testosterone, estradiol, and growth hormone, provides a clearer picture when diagnosing overtraining syndrome (Journal of Athletic Training, 2019; Journal of Sports Medicine, 2020).

In short, overtraining is closely linked to reduced testosterone levels and often results in higher cortisol levels. This imbalance can slow recovery, impair performance, and lead to more severe long-term health issues. Persistent low testosterone—especially when cortisol is up—should be a warning sign that an athlete’s training load is too high and that recovery needs to come first.

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