ABSTRACT
The endocrine system plays a substantial role in mediating the acute responses to resistance exercise (RE) as well as influencing subsequent baseline resistance training (RT) adaptations. This chapter explores genetic contributions of key anabolic hormones, glucocorticoids, and their receptors to acute RE responses and adaptations to RT. Epigenetics and transcriptional modifications increase the complexity of genetic control over neuroendocrine function. The importance of androgens in mediating training-induced hypertrophy was shown in multiple studies. Glucocorticoids inhibit the anabolic actions of androgens, insulin, like growth factor (IGF)-1, and amino acids. Androgen biosynthesis is affected by other hormones including insulin and IGF-1. Several genes encode for these biosynthetic enzymes, resulting in varied concentrations of androgens and other steroids in multiple tissues. Multiple pathways are involved with regulating the release of growth hormone (GH). GH has the potential for post-translational processing within the periventricular space. Hosts of molecular GH isoforms, splice variants, and fragments have been assayed in plasma.
