I think my voice has changed from lifting heavy weights.

Wigs

I've started to lift heavy weights to put on muscle mass for the past 6 months or so and have gained about 6kgs so far. I know that this can increase testosterone (42 year old male), and it seems that my voice has changed slightly. I'm basic with my supplements, just protein and creatine.

Would the slight increase of testosterone that my body creates from the exercise and extra muscle actually make a noticeable difference? I can still reach my upper range of G5/A5 in my scales, sometimes it feels a bit harder, but my lower register is noticeably more resonant and I can hold low notes in a more neutral position without over lowering the larynx.

Interested if anyone has had this experience, if it's actually something that can affect the voice or if I'm just imagining things.

@highmtn @Klaus_T

Klaus_T

honestly, i have no idea. it will have boosted your testosterone for sure, is all i can say. regarding the resonance, your chest might be bigger and more expanded maybe?! good on you for working out like that!

RandyB

It’s a great question, Chris. And I don’t know if there’s an easy answer. While strength training does raise testosterone, there will most likely be a great deal a variability amongst individuals in how much it’s raised, how long it stays raised, and it’s impact on the voice. Exogenous testosterone does thicken the vocal cords and lower the timbre of transitioning female to male trans individuals; however, in males taking exogenous testosterone I’m not certain that this is as marked. And would naturally boosting endogenous testosterone via strength training have anywhere near the same effect? I’m not sure. If I had to guess, I would venture your increased resonance through the lower register and ability to access lower notes without having to drop the larynx as low would most likely be multi-factorial. Perhaps strength training has contributed to some vocal fold thickening, but it’s also helped train the musculature needed for diaphragmatic support which can increase resonance. I’m assuming your voice is also much more trained now than when you embarked on this strength training regimen. Vocal training could probably impact resonance and ability to access lower notes with more freedom as well due to the mechanisms involved (support, glottal compression, vowel shapes, etc) being more practiced. If I recall, one of the issues I raised when we were submitting “assignments” was that you occasionally sounded nasal. How much has continued vocal training improved your ability to shift your resonance lower?

Wigs

@RandyB @Klaus_T

It's one of those things that could have nothing to do with weights, but just something that happened simultaneously. Maybe I broke through a plateau and I just happen to be doing more intense muscle training and they are unrelated. My speaking voice seems a touch lower or girthier and it's an extra 2 or 3 notes down that my larynx can remain neutral.

Either way I'll take it! 😁

michaelmusic

I wonder about this if I took testosterone enhancements in my 30s since my test levels are lower than I want them to be. I have been working out since the age of 14yrs old and haven't noticed any changes in the last 1.5yrs I've been singing with KTVA.

However, I think of the voice box as any other muscle that it gets worked out and can sing in a range lower and higher easier than it used to. If the muscle is bigger it can sing lower. I hope that if it's bigger that doesn't compromise range in the upper notes.