comparison of the effect of eight weeks of water-based versus land-based cycling on serum levels of testosterone and igf-1 in elderly men

Background: aging is accompanied by multiplie changes in the body, mainly due to hormonal changes. few favorable comprehensive exercise prescriptions are defined for older adults. objectives: the current study aimed to compare the effect of eight weeks of water-based versus land-based cycling on serum levels of testosterone and igf-1 in male elderly. methods: twenty participants were randomly allocated into two groups of water-based cycling (n = 10; mean age = 64.15.4 years; and body mass index (bmi) = 25.2  2.4 kg/m^2) and land-based cycling (n = 10; mean age=63.8  4.3 years; and bmi = 25.0  3.7 kg/m^2). both groups received eight weeks of cycling program at 60% to 70% of maximum heart rate, three sessions per week. in the first week, training sessions were nearly 30 minutes, then increased by 2 minutes per week. at the baseline and the end of the program, the fasting blood of participants was measured to evaluate testosterone and igf-1 concentrations. results: after providing the intervention, the serum testosterone level was significantly increased in the wbc groups (18.75%, p = 0.010), nevertheless, it was significantly decreased in the lbc group (20.69%, p = 0.042). also, serum igf-1 level was significantly increased in the wbc group (9.69%, p = 0.005), though, it didn’t change in the lbc group after providing the intervention (-5.9%, p = 0.555). the independent sample t-test indicated an increased level of testosterone in thewbc(p < 0.05) compared to the lbc group. however, there was no difference in igf-1 level between the two groups. conclusions:water-based cycling program caused alters in testosterone and igf-1. this proposes that wbc protocol may stimulate anabolic effects in older adults.