Did you know that the “thing” hanging between your legs isn’t the only thing that makes you scientifically a man?
Having a high proportion of a hormone known as testosterone is what helps to develop those common masculine traits, such as a deep voice and werewolf-like body hair.
Unfortunately, as we start to progress through the aging process, these levels begin to drop, and we become susceptible to illnesses, low energy levels, and a decrease in overall mood and sex drive.
So, what can we do to pump your T-levels back up, without digesting synthetic hormones or expensive testosterone treatment?
It’s as easy as working out!
By adding some specific movements and training regimes into our routine, you can expect a huge boost in those male hormones, helping you feel 20 years younger AND build muscle mass a lot more efficiently.
Let’s find out how…
Testosterone is vital for males wanting to live a healthy, active lifestyle.
There are a wide variety of benefits that occur due to a sufficient level of this hormone, with the most important being the following:
Your T-levels work side by side with growth hormones, which are the main promoters of muscle growth, resulting in a more sizeable increase in muscle volume amongst those with higher testosterone levels than those that don’t.
Not only this, but testosterone interacts with and supports your DNA, helping to enhance the effectiveness of protein synthesis and hence recovering muscle and tissue after a workout a lot more efficiently.
Strength comes hand-in-hand with consistent exercise for a variety of reasons.
First, as your muscles grow, your mass increase, which, as we have covered previously, is affected drastically by your T-levels.
As well as this, working out frequently enables your muscles to adapt to a heavy load, and thus get stronger.
As we begin to increase the weight we load onto the muscles, our testosterone levels will be boosted even further.
And so the cycle continues.
One thing to note with the link between testosterone and strength is that while your muscle mass may diminish if your hormone levels drop, the function and strength of the muscle will not.
Health and wellbeing are such generic terms for the health benefits of a high percentage of testosterone levels in the body, however, we needed this umbrella term to make sure our list of benefits wasn’t 2 miles long.
Testosterone can help us ensure that our heart and blood are in good condition, maintaining the right amount of red blood cells in the arteries, and helping to keep the heart pumping in the right rhythm.
Low testosterone levels have been linked to higher risks of cardiovascular diseases.
As well as this, it is commonly known that this hormone is extremely important for your libido, especially in older men.
Having a lack of testosterone in your body can result in a lower sex drive and problems with erectile dysfunction.
Testosterone doesn’t just affect your physical self but is also a major factor in keeping our mental health in check.
Low T levels can result in mood swings, low energy levels, and also reduced cognitive power, including a less effective memory.
Other researched traits that have been argued to be a cause of low testosterone levels include less facial hair growth, acne, skin irritation, and a reduced bone density which can lead to breaks and other bone-related injuries.
Last but not least we have fat loss.
Recent research has shown that “men with testosterone deficiency produce significant and sustained weight loss” due to its ability to put us further in a calorie deficit, as more energy is used for protein synthesis and muscle growth.
Furthermore, an increase in t-levels due to exercise has been argued to boost your metabolism, meaning you burn more calories at rest and during activity, so it is harder for you to be in a calorie surplus.
If you do a quick research on testosterone, you will find a ton of studies and research papers on what exactly is the best type of workout you should use to increase your T-levels.
And while they all have different theories, it all leads to one avenue – Resistance training.
By lifting weights, including your body weight, your muscle fibers will break down under the stress.
This leads to recovery, which in turn results in your muscle mass increasing and a boost in your growth hormone levels.
Some would argue that by utilizing high-intensity interval training, or HIIT for short, you can also expect a major development in your T-levels, with some studies showing a shorter break with more intensity on the muscles will improve your anabolic performance.
High-volume aerobic exercises, which tend to put a lot of pressure on the endurance of our muscles have been known to decrease testosterone levels in males, and females.
This is why women with excessive amounts of this hormone in their body get recommended to exercise by their doctors and use activities such as running or swimming for prolonged periods of time to lower them.
While it hasn’t been proven as to why the link between low T-levels and excessive exercise is so prominent, it can only be assumed that the amount of energy your muscles require is obtained through the slow-twitch muscle fibers, leaving a lack of room for muscle growth and protein synthesis to occur.
This means fewer hormones used for growth are released.
Ah, leg day.
It’s one of those things that you either love or hate.
Unfortunately for those that hate it, leg days are the prime type of exercise for releasing more testosterone and boosting those T-levels.
The main reason for this is that compound movements in a leg workout usually stimulate a lot of muscles, including those in your upper body.
The more muscles you work, the more protein synthesis and recovery are required. Thus a boost in testosterone and overall muscle growth will occur.
Squats are the pinnacle of a leg workout because the compound movement can build tree-trunk legs while helping to improve your posture and stability.
This type of movement is known for being a trigger for the release of growth hormones and testosterone, because the intensity and large range of motion tend to put a lot of stress on the body, and require these natural chemicals to respond to it.
So, if we perform this exercise with the right amount of intensity, and a greater amount of time under tension, we can expect a boost in testosterone and an improvement in muscle growth throughout the body, even without a barbell on our back.
The pull-up is the true indicator of progress on a fitness journey.
When I was able to do a good amount of pull-ups for the first time, I knew that I was getting somewhere, and it motivated me to go further.
And the reason pull-ups are a great way of showing the amount of strength you have developed is that they incorporate so many muscles and require so much power from each one, that it becomes an extremely difficult movement.
However, this challenge makes it excellent for full-body gains, and, you guessed it, a drastic boost in your T-levels.
As this is a compound movement that primarily utilizes your back, abs, and arms, you can expect a lot more stress on the muscle fibers, and a bigger need for recovery.
This inhibits the release of growth hormones and testosterone for protein synthesis, to transfer the energy required to build your muscle.
Not only this, but pullups are probably the hardest of the bodyweight exercises.
This is because a lot more resistance is pushing against you.
And, the more weight and resistance you have to move, the more muscles that get involved resulting in a higher T-level release.
I would also always recommend having a pullup in your pull routine, as they are one of the best movements for building a sizeable back and having lats that look like wings.
Not only this, but it is a common exercise for reducing pain and injury in the shoulders and back while helping to improve your posture and flexibility.
There’s a fairly common theme between all 3 of the exercises in this list.
And that is the difficulty.
All of these are just simple bodyweight exercises, which may result in them being frowned upon.
However, the intensity and the requirement for a lot of muscles to work in tandem in the body results in a vast amount of testosterone being released to help the body recover.
The pushup is no different.
Each variation has a different take on the primary muscle it works, whether that be the chest or tricep, while also working the majority of the muscles in your upper body at the same time.
This results in a major boost in testosterone being released into your bloodstream to support your DNA in the muscles with protein synthesis and help to grow them much more effectively.
As well as that, performing a good set of pushups every day will guarantee to help reduce the likelihood of injuries and cardiovascular diseases, while building a chest that you can be proud of.
It also puts a lot more emphasis on your core muscles than you would first think, helping to improve your stability and power.
Wrapping up this article, we can see that we have 3 different but worthwhile exercises that can boost your testosterone levels.
This isn’t only to help with muscle growth, but also with a wide range of health benefits, such as fat loss, increased libido, and reducing the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases.
The best part is, that each and every one of these exercises can be performed at home.
This means you can train anywhere you want, proving that you don’t need a gym membership to work out.
If this interests you, check out my free Ebook “Train Wherever The F*ck You Want” for more tips and tricks on exercising at home.
