BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of judo workout by determining the testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) responses and their associations with the results of a judo fight. METHODS: A prospective study involved 17 judokas. Three blood samples were taken from each athlete: at rest, immediately after a 90 min training session and 72 hours later immediately after a 5 min fight, to evaluate T, C and lactic acid. RESULTS: Results showed no significant difference for T (P=0.17), C (P=0.51) or testosterone/cortisol (T/C) ratio (t = 0.901 (16), p =0.38) after training. A significant difference was found for the C (p =0.002) and the T/C ratio (p =0.04) after the fight. In contrast with the losers, the winner judokas reported a significant increase in the C (P=0.002) and T (P=0.013) concentrations at rest and after the fight. No significant difference was found for C (P=0.77) or T (P=0.43) at rest and after training. CONCLUSIONS: The "fight" effort induced more biological stress than the "training" effort. In addition, the cortisol response and the T/C ratio revealed an association with a subsequent victorious judo fight. Thus, the hormonal response, particularly the C concentration, to a training could allow the assessment of the readiness of judokas for a future competition. This new strategy can allow to better manage the capacity of judoka at the training for the sake of an improvement of performance during competitions.
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