The winners of wrestling matches have greater increases in testosterone levels than losing wrestlers, reports the January issue of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, official research journal of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.Learn more.
The study is not the first to suggest that winning competitors have greater increases in testosterone. Previous studies have reported such differences not only in wrestlers and other athletes, but also in chess players-"even in games of chance such as those that involve a coin toss," the researchers note.
The new findings confirm the difference in testosterone responses between winners and losers, and may also help in understanding the mechanisms responsible for this difference. Testosterone has been linked to aggressive behavior in animals-especially males competing for territory, food, and breeding mates. "Numerous studies exist supporting the challenge hypothesis throughout the animal kingdom," Dr. Fry and colleagues write. They believe that the link between testosterone and winning wrestling matches "may present an excellent example of survival of the athlete within the construct of competitive sport performance."
The results may even have implications for athletic training, with an eye toward improving future sports performance. "What has not been fully appreciated is the critical role of establishing social dominance in sport," according to Dr. Fry and colleagues. "Based on data from the animal kingdom, winning wrestlers appear to establish a mechanism conducive to future success and long-term survival as a wrestler," they write.
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