Aerobic vs Resistance Exercise—An Endocrine Perspective

Abstract

Exercise elicits a wide variety of hormonal responses critical for metabolism and consequent tissue growth and development. It is imperative to understand that when we exercise there are acute endocrine responses and subsequent chronic endocrine conditioning. The acute response depends upon the frequency, intensity, and duration of physical exercise. Chronic endocrine conditioning is attained after a long duration of exercises and the magnitude of this conditioning is dependent on persistence, duration, attainment of neuroendocrine responses, and skeletal muscle response which releases myokines. There is ample amount of evidence now to believe muscle as an endocrine organ. Exercise activates various molecular mechanisms in the muscle which alters various endocrine and metabolic milieu inside the muscle. This review aims to provide evidence-based narration of peculiar anabolic and catabolic hormonal responses to exercise and revisit the mechanistic explanation of this occurrence. This review has analyzed the differential endocrine adaptation in aerobic and anaerobic exercises.