My experience with weightlifting and hair loss

Here's what I noticed this weekend after getting in a couple extra weightlifting workouts during the past week. Instead of doing three workouts per week and doing only 2-3 sets per bodypart and NOT getting sore, I did five workouts and I ran for 30 min on Sat.

Starting Sunday, I noticed much more scalp itch in the usual MPB places and a lot more shedding and I think it has to do with the fact that my muscles got very sore - nothing else in my routine changed. I climb a rope in my backyard which got my lats very sore and my quads also got sore from running. These are two activities I haven't done since last Sept. which is why I got so sore.

Something else I noticed when I had the flu several months ago; I didn't lift for 2 weeks and in that time I noticed very little scalp itch and shedding.

I can only speak for myself but there is definitely a connection with intense weightlifting and my hairloss.

I'd like to know what the different physiological processes are between a muscle subjected to 2 or 3 sets to failure without soreness and 4-6 sets WITH soreness?

With the extra repair that's needed for a sore muscle, does it just mean there is more test. being produced? Does a sore muscle release byproducts that could adversly affect hair?

I get a little sore but barely sore at all. I feel a key item is anti-oxidants that provide protection from ROS and a host of other things that are harmful to your body during heavy exercise unless you eat properly. I work out 6 days a week, thanks Mr Horton, and 3 of those days are weights. I have noticed no ill affects from this routine. My after workout shake involves protein, minerals and anti-oxidants. I think those three are key in achieving results, reducing soreness, and protecting your body from the side affects of heavy exercise. Just my experience though.

sublime9 wrote:I get a little sore but barely sore at all. I feel a key item is anti-oxidants that provide protection from ROS and a host of other things that are harmful to your body during heavy exercise unless you eat properly. I work out 6 days a week, thanks Mr Horton, and 3 of those days are weights. I have noticed no ill affects from this routine. My after workout shake involves protein, minerals and anti-oxidants. I think those three are key in achieving results, reducing soreness, and protecting your body from the side affects of heavy exercise. Just my experience though.

What anti-oxidants do you take post work-out?

Goji Berries (handful) - Great anti-oxidant and also the only food known to stimulate HGH
Acia (half a frozen brick) - Another great anti-oxidant
Noni - (1 tsp) - Another great anti-oxidant
Cacao (2 TBLS) - By far the highest anti-oxidant food known to man
Honey (1 TBLS) - Honorable mention
Bee Propilis (1 TBLS) - Honorable mention

I may have to add some antioxidants to my diet. I just purchased some red maca and PM, hoping they will also help to balance what seems to be some hormonal imbalance created by weight lifting.

sublime9 wrote:Goji Berries (handful) - Great anti-oxidant and also the only food known to stimulate HGH
Acia (half a frozen brick) - Another great anti-oxidant
Noni - (1 tsp) - Another great anti-oxidant
Cacao (2 TBLS) - By far the highest anti-oxidant food known to man
Honey (1 TBLS) - Honorable mention
Bee Propilis (1 TBLS) - Honorable mention

If Goji berries are eaten daily, would this help promote height growth?

Not from my understanding. Basically goji berries with a healthy diet will help your body reach its blue print potential. So basically if your blue print is for 5'10 then that is all the taller you will ever be.

Can any others weigh in on this? Does heavy lifting cause hair loss? My initial thoughts would be no for the reason that current research on lifting heavy not only burns calories for days after, but it is one of the best forms for general health.

Thanks.

It is possible that heavy lifting could be having effects that both benefit and undermine your hair loss goals. On the one hand, heavy lifting has all sorts of anabolic effects that increase testosterone and optimize body composition. These sensitize you to insulin, increase basal metabolism and make the entire set of machinery work more efficiently. Optimizing your body comp and minimizing fat lowers aromatase enzyme, and mitigates the inflammatory products of adipose tissue, making you more sensitive to leptin as well. Exercise lowers stress levels, increases oxygen utilization, and also strengthens bones.

But the important thing we can't forget is that protein synthesis involved in muscle building is inflammatory. Mtor is inflammatory. The act of resistance training itself creates microtraumas in the muscle fiber that are inflammatory. You are breaking down with the goal of an adaptive response to build back up, but this process is inflammatory. And if your goal is building muscle, it is in your best interest to not flood yourself with antioxidants during and immediately after your workout. Look at the research on vitamin C post workout, it actually acts as a pro-oxidant in this situation. We must make the distinction between the type of inflammation we want (intermittent), and the type we don't (chronic). Trying to eliminate the inflammation caused by resistance training is going to undermine your results.

Hormonally, heavy compound movements like squats have been shown to increase testosterone, if only temporarily, as testosterone tends to fall back to baseline within hours of the workout, and there are a couple theories as to why this happens. But the fact is, in the right metabolic scenario, that testosterone could participate in increased conversion to DHT, and given the right conditions, DHT can augment inflammation negatively for hair. Its all possible, but its going to be unique to the individual. Obvoiusly, you've seen plenty of people who have lifted rigorously for years who haven't experienced hair loss. Its going to be dependent on your personal conditions and susceptibilities. That isn't enough of a reason for me to forego the vast benefits of weight training. Weight training won't be the straw that breaks the camel's back if you're already headed that way.

Why does Arnold still have his hair? Why does Stallone? Why does Lou Ferrigno still have hair? They're not all wearing hairpieces. The guys who wear pieces like Travlota get caught.

Heavy lifting doesn't make your hair fall out unless you take some sketchy stuff that causes your hair to fall out OR you are genetically predisposed to it.

So I guess the alternative is to be doughy with little muscle tone and a low basal metabolic rate. Wait till you get into your 30's and realize that your body naturally slows down and if you don't lift, you'll be stuck trying to keep a 1200 calorie diet per day for the rest of your life, if you're lucky. Building lean muscle mass keeps you younger, healthier and allows you to enjoy more food.

Every friend I have who never goes to the gym and does no resistance training is a puddle of goo right now. Most of them are on cholesterol meds and high blood pressure meds and few are type 2 diabetics. When you get into your 30's, your body changes, your metabolism will slow and you stop pumping as much T and growth hormone as you used to. If you don't lift or do any kind of exercis, you can hit a massive wall as a man.

These threads pop up so often I think a lot of you just want an excuse not to have to be active. You don't have to be a ridiculous bodybuilder, but training even with your own bodyweight like a lot of MMA fighters and Cross Fitters will enable you to stay young and active a lot longer. Pushups, air squats, planks, etc. will all give you more muscle mass than doing nothing and at the end of the day, you're going to want to muscle mass as you age. Otherwise, you're going to have a very difficult time adjusting to getting older. It's harder to start this stuff later in life than it is to get a good base of fitness now and keep maintaining it.

When I stopped working out because of my job and marriage is when my hair started falling out. Since I got on IH's regimen, cleaned up my diet and got back into the gym, my hair loss and inflammation has ceased.

My 2 cents.

Thanks.

I guess there are two arguments and once again it all depends?

I love working out, being fit/strong and striving for the Arnold Terminator 2 physique. I am in my upper 30's and using the MAX OT (similar to Mike Mentzer style) weight lifting method. It works for adding muscle fast. I never have taken a steroid and never will. I have stopped Creatine now too as I feel that was starting to have negative effects on me.

Once I get to my goal (estimating another 6 months of intense heavy lifting), I will ease up and just maintain what muscle I have obtained with a little more walking.

That is my plan and I hope it is ok...