Good hormonal balance means good exercise routines. The Circadian anabolic/catabolic ratio test kit includes an analysis of Free (unbound) Cortisol and Testosterone across the day. Testosterone plays a vital role in creating muscle mass, improving bone density and increasing cardiovascular health. Cortisol, on the other hand, is known to have a catabolic effect on tissue with an associated decrease in anabolic (muscle growth) hormones and suppressed immune function.  The optimal hormonal environment for maximal muscle growth (or minimal muscle loss) is when testosterone is high and cortisol is low. Both these two hormones follow a diurnal, or circadian, cycle whereby they sharply increase in the morning to their maximum peak, and then decrease throughout the day, reaching their minimum again at night. If you choose to use the test to assess your diurnal secretion, remember that cortisol increases in function of stress; and testosterone may also increase in some males during or after a competition, so try to choose typical days (one that is common in your current life situation) for your testing.

Personalized and individualized performance improvement strategies to enhance and exploit the genetic advantages or overcome genetic barriers can be implemented to optimize the physical fitness, sports performance and health of an athlete. The DNA test kit from Persometrics provides requires a saliva sample to be returned to our lab. From this, we provide you a report to tell you about your muscle fiber type, your VO2-max, your risk of injury, and finally your energy and metabolic efficiency. The genes analyzed are ACE; ACTN3; BDKRB2; COL1A1; and PPARA.