In sport, testosterone has been positioned as a substrate for motivation with both directional and time dependencies. However, evidence is scarce when considering the complexities of competitive sport and no work has explicitly modeled these dependencies. To address these gaps, we investigated the bidirectional and time-dependent interrelationships between testosterone and training motivation in an elite rugby environment. Thirty-six male athletes were monitored across training weeks before and after eight international rugby matches. Pre-breakfast measures of salivary testosterone and training motivation (1–10 rating) were taken on training, competition, and recovery days (up to 40 tests). Using a continuous-time (CT) model, within-person estimates of autoregressive effects (persistence) and cross-lagged effects (relationships) were derived. A stronger, more persistent temporal association was identified for testosterone than for motivation. Cross-lagged effects verified that training motivation was positively related to testosterone at latter time points (p < 0.001). Discrete-time analyses revealed a non-linear association; increasing in strength from a zero-time lag to peak after 2.83 days (standardized effect = 0.25), before dissipation over longer lagged intervals. The testosterone relationship with ensuing training motivation was also positive, but non-significant. Match effects also appeared (p < 0.001) with a predicted decline in training motivation, but a rise in testosterone, at match onset. In summary, a positive association emerged between within-person fluctuations in self-appraised motivation to train and testosterone concentration in an elite rugby environment. The lagged, non-linear nature of this relationship and match predictions on both outcomes support, and extend, theoretical models linking testosterone and competitive behaviors.

在体育运动中，睾丸激素已被定位为动机的基础，具有方向性和时间依赖性。但是，考虑到竞技体育的复杂性时，缺乏证据，并且还没有任何工作明确地对这些依赖性进行建模。为了解决这些差距，我们研究了在精英橄榄球环境中睾丸激素与训练动机之间的双向和时间相关的相互关系。在八场国际橄榄球比赛之前和之后的训练周中，对36名男运动员进行了监测。训练，比赛和恢复日（最多40项测试）采取了唾液睾丸的早餐前措施和训练动机（1-10级）。使用连续时间（CT）模型，得出了自回归效应（持续性）和交叉滞后效应（关系）的人内估计。睾丸激素比动机更强，更持久。交叉滞后效应验证了训练动机在随后的时间点与睾丸激素呈正相关（p  <0.001）。离散时间分析显示出非线性关联。在2.83天后（标准效果= 0.25），然后在较长的滞后时间间隔内消散之前，强度从零时滞增加到峰值。睾丸激素与随之而来的训练动机的关系也是积极的，但并不重要。比赛开始时，比赛效应也出现了（p  <0.001），预计训练动机会下降，但睾丸激素会上升。总之，在精英橄榄球环境中，自我评估的训练动机与睾丸激素浓度的人际波动之间存在正相关。这种关系的滞后，非线性性质以及对结果的匹配预测都支持并扩展了将睾丸激素和竞争行为联系起来的理论模型。