During high-frequency or high-volume training blocks, testosterone levels often decline, while cortisol rises. As a result, the T/C ratio drops. This isn’t a failure – it’s the system responding to sustained stress and energy demand.
A short-term dip in the T/C ratio is a normal feature of hard training. It can even be desirable if followed by proper recovery. But when that ratio remains suppressed for an extended period, it signals that the body is struggling to restore balance. Research suggests that a decrease of over 30%, especially when sustained for multiple weeks, is associated with functional overreaching and an increased risk of overtraining syndrome.
Monitoring the T/C ratio across a season offers insight that subjective markers alone often miss. In team sports, it can inform whether players are responding well to intensified training phases or if recovery protocols need to be adjusted. In endurance athletes, it can help differentiate fatigue that will lead to adaptation from fatigue that is drifting toward stagnation or injury risk.
One of the core advantages of hormonal tracking is that it connects performance strategy to the internal physiological response – not just the external workload. Instead of guessing based on soreness, mood, or metrics like heart rate variability, the T/C ratio reveals how the endocrine system is managing the demands placed on it. It's not a diagnostic tool. It's a feedback signal, that can help ensure adaptation is being achieved, not just pursued.
A short-term dip in the T/C ratio is a normal feature of hard training. It can even be desirable if followed by proper recovery. But when that ratio remains suppressed for an extended period, it signals that the body is struggling to restore balance. Research suggests that a decrease of over 30%, especially when sustained for multiple weeks, is associated with functional overreaching and an increased risk of overtraining syndrome.
Monitoring the T/C ratio across a season offers insight that subjective markers alone often miss. In team sports, it can inform whether players are responding well to intensified training phases or if recovery protocols need to be adjusted. In endurance athletes, it can help differentiate fatigue that will lead to adaptation from fatigue that is drifting toward stagnation or injury risk.
One of the core advantages of hormonal tracking is that it connects performance strategy to the internal physiological response – not just the external workload. Instead of guessing based on soreness, mood, or metrics like heart rate variability, the T/C ratio reveals how the endocrine system is managing the demands placed on it. It's not a diagnostic tool. It's a feedback signal, that can help ensure adaptation is being achieved, not just pursued.