SALIVARY HORMONAL RESPONSES TO DIFFERENT WATER-BASED EXERCISE PROTOCOLS IN YOUNG AND ELDERLY MEN EDUARDO L. CADORE,FRANCISCO L.R. LHULLIER,CRISTINE L. ALBERTON,ANA PAULA V. ALMEIDA, KATIUCE B. SAPATA,ANDRE ´ L. KORZENOWSKI, AND LUIZ FERNANDO M. KRUEL Exercise Research Laboratory, Physical Education School, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil ABSTRACT Cadore, EL, Lhullier, FLR, Alberton, CL, Almeida, APV, Sapata, KB, Korzenowski, AL, and Kruel, LFM. Salivary hormonal responses to different water-based exercise proto- cols in young and elderly men. J Strength Cond Res 23(9): 2695–2701, 2009—Although adaptations to water-based resis- tance exercise and conventional water-based exercise have been investigated, little is known regarding acute anabolic and catabolic hormonal responses to these 2 types of exercise. The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute responses of salivary testosterone and cortisol to 2 water-based exercise protocols in which the different intensities were determined using Borg’s perceived exertion scale. Ten young (24 6 2.7 yr) and 7 elderly men (65 6 5.5 yr) who were familiar with exercise in water were subjects of the study. Salivary samples were collected at rest and 5 minutes after the 2 water-based exercise protocols. One session involved intermittent water resistance training at a Borg-scale intensity of 19 (W19), whereas the other involved continuous water aerobic training at an intensity of 13 (W13). The samples were used to determine salivary levels of free testosterone and cortisol. There was a significant increase on salivary testosterone in both groups after the W19 protocol (p , 0.05), but no such alteration was observed after W13. The testosterone response to the W19 protocol was significantly higher in young than in elderly men (p , 0.05). Although no modification on salivary cortisol was observed after either protocol, in young men, the cortisol response to W19 was higher than in elderly men (p , 0.05). Water-based exer- cise with emphasis on strength development was found to stimulate a more acute increase on salivary testosterone than water-based aerobic exercise, probably as a result of the higher intensity used in that training protocol. Given the known relationship between acute hormonal responses and chronic neuromuscular adaptations, the testosterone response after W19 should be considered when prescribing water-based exercise, especially to older populations. KEY WORDS water exercise, testosterone, cortisol, resistance training INTRODUCTION I n the literature, the performance of dynamic exercises in which water resistance is used as overload is re- ported to be an effective means of increasing muscular strength (7,10,31,35,39,41), muscular activation (35), aerobic power ( _ Vo 2 max) (6,12,30,39,40), and functional capa- city (5). Some studies have investigated water-based exercise training programs designed specifically to improve strength development (i.e., water resistance training) and have found significant increases in muscular strength in response to such training (7,35,39), with improvements greater than those found in studies involving the conventional aerobic-type water-based exercise model (31). The intensity of water-based exercise sessions can be modulated by using devices to increase the frontal area and turbulent flow, as well as varying the velocity of motion (34). Because velocity is squared and proportional to drag force, increased velocity creates greater water resistance, which produces stronger muscular force and consequently higher strength adaptations (35). Although studies have demonstrated adaptations induced by conventional aerobic exercise training in water and by water-based resistance training (i.e., increases in muscular strength and aerobic capacity), little is known regarding the anabolic and catabolic hormonal response to these types of exercise. On other hand, conventional resistance exercise (i.e., strength training) is known to stimulate acute increases in anabolic hormones, such as testosterone and growth hormone, and catabolic hormones, such as cortisol (2,3,9, 22,23). This physiologic behavior is related to several factors, among which are intensity and volume: the higher the physiologic intensity and volume, the higher the hormonal responses (25,38). Age also influences response patterns, with Address correspondence to Eduardo Lusa Cadore, edcadore@yahoo. com.br. 23(9)/2695–2701 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research Ó 2009 National Strength and Conditioning Association VOLUME 23 | NUMBER 9 | DECEMBER 2009 | 2695