There has long been a common belief that male sex hormones are associated with muscular strength and endurance. A variety of evidence can be cited in general support of this belief. Increased strength and endurance is one of the most common subjective reports from male castrates and eunuchoids treated with testosterone. Treatment with androgens increased the voluntary activity of castrated male rats (1) and was reported to increase working capacity in adult patients with subnormal or absent testicular hormone production (2). There are numerous reports of the effects of testosterone on nitrogen and creatine metabolism in both eunuchoid and normal men; these suggest a fundamental influence on muscle metabolism and work which has been assumed to be associated with the androgenic activity of the compound. In view of these facts, it is reasonable to inquire whether responses to fatiguing exercise may be altered in normal man by androgen administration.
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Samuels et al. (1942) studied this question.