NATURE'S STEROIDS - SEX UP YOUR TRAINING RESPONSE

No, testosterone doesn’t give you superpowers any more than being on your period writes off your race prospects. Michelle Arthurs-Brennan finds out how to make the most of your body’s sex hormones – and busts a few myths along the way

- Michelle Arthurs-Brennan

Sex hormones control so much more than our moods and desires. They play a critically important role in our athletic performance as well as in our general health. Understanding the fluctuations and possible deficiencies in the key sex hormones can help us be fitter, healthier – and yes, faster on our bikes too.

Each body has its own norms: our levels of hormones and sensitivity to them are individual. Hormone levels change at various stages of our lives, and can be disrupted by our own behaviour. Any disruption – whatever the cause – can have far-reaching implications for our cycling performance. I should know. My hormone levels were thrown into disarray first by hormonal contraceptives, and later by my failure to properly fuel my training. I’m wiser about my body’s needs these days, but I’m also pregnant – so my hormones are haywire for a whole different reason.

WHAT ARE SEX HORMONES?

Without getting too tangled up in the biochemistry, sex hormones are steroids: androgens, oestrogens, and progestogens. The angrogen testosterone is the primary sex hormone in men, and it has a powerful effect on athletic performance, aiding muscle growth and recovery, as well as stimulating the production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to muscles. “In men, testosterone peaks during puberty,” says sports endocrinologist Dr Nicky Keay. “Young men develop bigger muscles, thicker bones, higher haemoglobin levels – that’s all testosterone. And the difference in performance between men and women, which is about 10% in cycling, is mostly the result of testosterone.”