Journal of Exercise & Organ Cross Talk
Journal of Eexercise & Organ Cross Talk

Acute hormonal and myokine responses to traditional vs. circuit resistance training in high-BMI and low-BMI males

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Seyed Saeid Kazemi Rezaei 1
Moein Fasihiyan 1, 2
Behrad Boron 1
Maryam Nourshahi 1

1 Faculty of Sport Science and Health, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran 19839 69411, Iran.

2 Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, McGill University, Montréal, QC H2W 1S4, Canada.

https://doi.org/10.22122/jeoct.2025.522762.1151
Abstract
This study examined the acute hormonal and myokine responses to traditional and circuit resistance training in young males with distinct BMI-based groups. Twenty sedentary men aged 20–30 years were classified as high-BMI (BMI >29.9) or low-BMI (BMI <18.5). Each participant completed both traditional resistance training (TRT) and circuit resistance training (CRT) protocols in a crossover design, with a one-week washout period. Sessions included multi-joint upper and lower body exercises at comparable intensities. Blood samples were taken immediately before and after each session. Serum levels of testosterone, cortisol, myostatin, and follistatin were assessed using ELISA kits. A repeated-measures ANOVA was used to compare within- and between-group changes across time and training modality. Baseline cortisol levels were significantly higher in low-BMI individuals (P=0.037), while testosterone levels showed no initial difference between groups (P>0.05). Post-TRT, testosterone levels increased significantly in high-BMI individuals compared to low-BMI individuals (P=0.017), with both training types elevating testosterone and cortisol across all participants (P<0.05). CRT led to a significant reduction in myostatin and increase in follistatin in high-BMI individuals (P<0.05), while only follistatin increased significantly in low-BMI individuals after TRT (P<0.05). These results suggest that CRT promotes superior anabolic signaling in high-BMI individuals, while TRT is more effective at enhancing testosterone response. Myokine and hormonal responses appear to be body-type-dependent and training-modality-specific. Practitioners designing hypertrophy-focused programs should tailor training protocols to the athlete’s BMI-based group to optimize muscle adaptation and endocrine outcomes. And also, trainers should individualize hypertrophy programs based on body composition to optimize both hormonal responses and muscle adaptation.

What is already known on this subject?

Resistance training induces hormonal and myokine responses that play critical roles in muscle adaptation, Traditional and circuit resistance training modalities produce different physiological effects, and Somatotype influences baseline hormonal profiles and exercise responsiveness.  

 

What this study adds?

This research explores of myokine dynamics in relation to BMI-based group-specific responses, providing new insights into body-type-dependent adaptations to resistance training. Also, high-adipose individuals may benefit from high-density circuit sessions spaced 48 hours apart to maximize follistatin elevation and minimize myostatin rebound. For low-BMI participants, ensure adequate post-exercise carbohydrate intake and emphasize relaxation techniques post-training to counteract excessive cortisol elevation.

Keywords

Resistance training
Testosterone
Cortisol
Myostatin
Follistatin
Circuit training
Somatotype

Subjects

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all participants for their commitment and effort throughout the study. Appreciation is also extended to the staff at Shahid Beheshti University for their support in data collection and laboratory analyses.

Funding

No sources of funding were sought or awarded for this study.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Compliance with ethical standards

Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval This study's procedures were carried out under the Declaration of Helsinki regarding human research. Ethical approval was granted by the Shahid Beheshti University Ethics Committee (IR.SBU.REC.1403.018).

Informed consent Participants signed an informed consent form prior to participation in the study

Author contributions

Conceptualization: S.K., M.F., M.N.; Methodology: M.F., M.N.; Software: S.K., B.B.; Validation: M.F., S.K. Formal analysis: S.K., M.F., M.N.; Investigation: S.K., B.B.; Resources: S.K., M.F., M.N.; Data curation: S.K., B.B.; Writing - original draft: M.F., S.K.; Writing–review & editing: S.K., M.F., M.N.; Visualization: M.F.; Supervision: M.F.; Project administration: M.F.; Funding acquisition: M.F.

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Journal of Exercise & Organ Cross Talk
Volume 5, Issue 1
Winter 2025
Pages 1-6

  • Receive Date 11 January 2025
  • Revise Date 26 March 2025
  • Accept Date 28 March 2025

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