Exercise performed at what percent intensity causes the most prominent increase to cortisol?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To tackle the question, I’ll compare how cortisol responds to increasing exercise intensity and assess each option against that pattern.
Option a: 50%. At moderate intensity around 50%, cortisol release tends to be lower because the stress on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is not at a peak. The body relies more on immediate energy pathways and less on hormonal augmentation at this level, so the cortisol rise is typically smaller.
Option b: 60%. Moving up to 60% intensity increases physiological stress somewhat, and cortisol may rise more than at 50%. However, the magnitude of the increase is usually still not at its maximum because the metabolic and sympathetic demands have not reached the higher thresholds where cortisol response accelerates more sharply.
Option c: 70%. At this higher intensity, the body experiences a greater-than-usual stress response, and cortisol begins to rise more noticeably as glycogen stores are taxed and metabolic fuels shift. Yet, the peak cortisol response commonly occurs at still higher intensities, where the hormonal signals are strongest due to greater perceived effort and greater cortisol demand.
Option d: 80%. As intensity approaches very high levels, the body's acute stress response is amplified, leading to a more prominent cortisol increase. This level often corresponds to near-maximal effort where sympathetic activation and metabolic stress are at their greatest, prompting the largest cortisol release among the options presented.
In summary, each step up in intensity generally correlates with a larger cortisol response, with the highest magnitude typically seen at the top end of the given range. The reasoning above explains why the lower intensities (50%, 60%, 70%) produce smaller cortisol increases than the highest option (80%), which aligns with the pattern of cortisol dynamics in response to escalating exercise stress.

HESM 286 (001) FALL 2025 Quiz 4 (Lectures 10-13)

Exercise performed at what percent intensity causes the most prominent increase to cortisol?

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