PREEXERCISE SERUM CORTISOL CONCENTRATION AND RESPONSES TO LABORATORY EXERCISE

Relationships between the postexercise values of blood lactate concent ration, pH, oxygen uptake, heart rate, power output on the one hand, a nd the pre- and postexercise blood cortisol concentrations on the othe r, were studied in 74 male and 40 female athletes (wrestlers and-senio r and junior rowers), performing graded exercise of increasing intensi ty. The senior rowers, junior rowers and wrestlers had different exerc ise protocols. The senior rowers of both sexes had significantly highe r rest concentrations of serum cortisol than the junior athletes. A si gnificant correlation between postexercise lactate concentrations and preexercise cortisol concentrations was found in all the male groups ( ''common'' r = 0.515, P < 0.001), but not in the female ones (r = 0.16 2). It was concluded that the pre-exercise cortisol concentrations mig ht condition anaerobic-glycolytic metabolism in physical exercise.