John Maltese (not his real name) was one of the premier bodybuilders of the mid-to-late 1960s. Although he did use drugs, such as anabolic steroids, to win many of his titles, later in his career he disavowed the use of most drugs with one notable exception. Maltese had a preworkout ritual that he claimed allowed him to train more intensely and concentrate more effectively throughout his training session.
What was his secret? The enigmatic root of his preworkout ritual became evident one day in the back room of a popular Southern California bodybuilding gym. This particular gym had a sauna that was never used, located in the back of the men’s locker room. It was the perfect place to engage in surreptitious behavior. What Maltese couldn’t conceal, however, was the pungent marijuana fumes.
Maltese smoked marijuana in that room. And he didn’t just puff on one “joint,” or marijuana cigarette, either. No, Maltese regularly engaged in a marijuana trip, losing his thoughts in the wispy smoke that rose slowly toward the ceiling in his secret alcove. He would emerge after an hour or so and head directly to the gym floor, working out with no apparent ill effects.
Most studies that have examined human marijuana use haven’t shown any significant effect on testosterone levels in normal men. A 1983 study, however, did find depressed testosterone levels after subjects smoked just one joint, with the effect lasting 24 hours. A 1984 study found that pot not only inhibited testosterone but also lowered prolactin, thyroid and growth hormone. It did that by altering the expression of brain
substances that govern hormone release.
Nevertheless, a 1989 study gave 17 male volunteers both high and low doses of THC and then tested their hormonal responses. The results showed no hormonal or immune parameters affected by either a high or low dose of THC. Notably, both testosterone and cortisol were examined, indicating that pot doesn’t produce catabolic effects in muscle through increased cortisol release.
Based on the majority of studies that have looked at the effects of pot on testosterone levels, it appears that the drug has little or no effect on this hormone in humans. One study that examined Jamaican pot smokers, however, did find a significant decrease in active thyroid hormone in the blood, although the men showed no apparent thyroid dysfunction. Significantly, the men also showed normal testosterone levels despite smoking an average of seven to eight joints a day.
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