Oral Contraceptive Use Impairs Muscle Gains in Young Women

We examined the effects of OCs on muscle responses to a standardized resistance exercise training (RET) program. Two groups of young healthy women (18–29 years old, non-OC: n = 38, OC: n = 34) underwent 10 weeks of whole-body RET (3 days·wk−1, 3 sets, 6–10 repetitions, at 75% of maximum strength, 13 exercises). Body composition was determined using hydrostatic weighing, and blood samples were taken before and after training to measure dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), DHEA sulfate (DHEAS), IGF-1, and cortisol levels. There were significant differences in lean mass gains between the groups (non-OC: 3.5 ± 0.4% vs. OC: 2.1 ± 0.5% and non-OC: 1.6 ± 0.2 kg vs. OC: 1.0 ± 0.2 kg, p
Source: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research - Category: Sports Medicine Tags: Original Research Source Type: research