Does Working Out Increase Testosterone Levels?

There are few things in life higher than working up an insane sweat during a workout, knowing you are concurrently improving your health and constructing some serious muscle mass.

 Oh, and did we mention it is also increasing your testosterone too?

Discuss multitasking! Once you exercise, you improve your body composition. As well as, exercise helps naturally raise your testosterone levels, which helps you maintain and construct the muscle you are working so hard to get.

We all know you are desirous to learn more, so let’s get right into it. We’re about to elucidate how understanding increases testosterone, along with which exercises and workouts are most helpful for enhancing testosterone production. 

Table of Contents:

• What Is Testosterone?
• What Does Testosterone Do?
• How Does Your Body Produce Testosterone?
• What Cause Low Testosterone Levels?
• Signs of Low Testosterone
• Does Working Out Increase Testosterone?
• How Does Working Out Increase Testosterone?
• Is There A Certain Time of Day You Should Work Out To Increase Your Testosterone?
• What Forms of Exercise Are Best For Boosting Testosterone?
• How Long Does A Testosterone Boost Last Post Workout?
• Is The Testosterone Increase Significant Enough To Make a Difference?
• Other Strategies For Increasing Testosterone
• What Is A Testosterone Booster?
• What Do T Boosters Do?
• What Are The Best Testosterone Boosters?
• FAQs

What Is Testosterone?

Testosterone is a sex hormone produced by the gonads. It’s the first and most vital androgen, meaning it’s chargeable for the expansion of male characteristics.

Testosterone is mostly related to muscle growth, however it plays a necessary role in each stage of life, including fetal development, puberty, and maturity.

What Does Testosterone Do?

Testosterone plays a necessary role within the body’s development, starting once you’re a fetus and continuing through puberty, as T is chargeable for your height, body and pubic hair, the deepening of your voice, increased libido, and a rise in the expansion of reproductive organs.

As you hit maturity, testosterone levels slowly decline but serve a necessary role. Testosterone is crucial for the production of sperm and maintaining your sex drive.

And its importance doesn’t end there.

Testosterone also signals the body to make recent red blood cells, helping to maintain your muscles and bones strong, is chargeable for body composition, and enhancing your overall well-being. Increasing testosterone levels results in constructing muscle, strength, endurance, and recovery, amongst several other advantages. 

Pretty amazing, huh?

How Does Your Body Produce Testosterone?

Testosterone is primarily produced by the gonads, the principal sex reproductive organ. In men, testosterone is produced within the testes, while in women, it’s produced within the ovaries in much smaller amounts.

The opposite method the body produces testosterone is the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which is produced within the adrenal glands and converted to small amounts of testosterone.

The body controls the production of testosterone by suppressing the discharge of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone to take care of normal levels¹.

What Cause Low Testosterone Levels?

The medical name for low testosterone production is male hypogonadism, which is split into two categories.

Primary hypogonadism is when a testicular disorder reduces testosterone production, while the hypothalamus or pituitary gland issues cause secondary hypogonadism.

Essentially the most common causes for primary hypogonadism are congenital diseases or acquired conditions, resembling injury to the testicles, chemotherapy, or anabolic steroid.

Secondary hypogonadism is brought on by congenital disease, head or brain injury, obesity, alcohol abuse, drug use, medications, stress, and lack of sleep. 

Signs of Low Testosterone

Wondering how you possibly can tell if you could have low testosterone? Search for these signs.

• Decreased Sex Drive: Libido is directly related to testosterone levels, so a decline in sex drive could be a telltale sign of low T. 
• Erectile Dysfunction (ED): Multiple aspects may cause ED, but low testosterone is one in every of them.
• Loss Of Muscle Mass: Testosterone is chargeable for muscle growth, development, and muscle density. For those who notice a loss in muscle mass or strength, it is feasible it’s on account of low test levels. 
• Increase In Body Fat: Low testosterone levels may cause a rise in body fat, which starts a vicious cycle because obesity also causes low T. 
• Decrease In Energy/Fatigue: Fatigue is prevalent with low testosterone, especially amongst younger people. Testosterone plays an important role in your energy levels, so it’s logical you’d have less energy with decreased test levels. 
• Decrease In Body Hair: While losing hair in your head is principally genetic, a decrease in body hair is an indication of low testosterone. Essentially the most common areas are the shins, armpits, facial hair, and pubic area. 
• Depression/Brain Fog: Testosterone plays a significant role in mood and overall well-being. It also affects our ability to pay attention, so depression and brain fog are common when levels are declining.

Does Working Out Increase Testosterone?

Yes, understanding does, the truth is, increase testosterone levels. Several studies have confirmed that exercise, particularly resistance or high-intensity training, can increase testosterone levels.

One study determined that exercise increases serum testosterone concentrations, but the extent of increase depends upon various aspects resembling weight, age, what time of day you exercise, and the intensity of your workouts.

The researchers also concluded that the magnitude of the hormonal change is lower in older men or those that are obese².

So, we all know a great workout split can assist increase your T, but how exactly does it work? Let’s discover!

How Does Working Out Increase Testosterone?

Different studies have found multiple ways through which understanding increases testosterone. The amount and intensity of the workout are vital to naturally increasing testosterone.

One study from 2016 found that performing large muscle group exercises first, meaning compound lifts, in resistance training after which progressing to smaller muscle groups produced a greater anabolic response in comparison with the reverse order.

Doing compound movements that involve several muscle groups, resembling the bench press, squat, and deadlift, will produce increases in testosterone. The quantity of stress damages the muscle fibers, forcing the discharge of testosterone and growth hormone to assist repair and grow your muscles³.

Studies have also found that top intensity and greater volume in weight lifting will help increase testosterone levels. And speaking of high intensity, one other way that understanding can increase testosterone is thru high-intensity interval training (HIIT), although this only works for men.

One study concluded that performing high-intensity running on a treadmill for 90-second intervals followed by 90 seconds of rest significantly increased testosterone levels in comparison with endurance training, involving running at a steady-state for 45 minutes⁴. Several other studies have confirmed the effectiveness of HIIT, noting that the high-intensity bursts trigger a “fight-or-flight” response, due to this fact increasing testosterone levels.

Understanding can even help decrease body fat, which is able to cause a rise in testosterone. Exercise can even relieve stress, which is useful because stress may cause testosterone levels to say no. 

Is There A Certain Time of Day You Should Work Out To Increase Your Testosterone?

This query is complex, but we all know that testosterone levels are highest within the morning and lowest within the afternoon.

While there aren’t any studies to substantiate, some consider the morning is one of the best time to work out since testosterone levels are highest very first thing within the morning, due to this fact resulting in improved strength and increased energy the upper you are in a position to boost your levels.

But research shows that strength-training workouts can have a more considerable effect on testosterone within the evenings⁵. Since there isn’t a conclusive answer, a very powerful thing is to make sure that you are consistent along with your workouts.

The time of day that you just’re most definitely to stick to your workout is one of the best time to get it done.

What Forms of Exercise Are Best For Boosting Testosterone?

As we briefly mentioned above, the 2 best varieties of exercise for increasing testosterone levels are resistance training (weight-lifting) and HIIT. Resistance training (strength and weight training) causes a rise in serum testosterone concentrations.

Studies show that multi-joint movements in compound exercises end in essentially the most significant increase in testosterone. Exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses affect several major muscle groups, resulting in elevated serum testosterone levels. Studies also show that using free weights produced a greater increase in testosterone than machine weight exercises.

This is probably going on account of the activation of the core and bigger muscle groups when using free weights. These workouts must be high-intensity with as much volume as possible inside 45 minutes to an hour, maximum.

It’s best to make use of heavier weights reasonably than a high amount of reps with low weight. Keep your rest between sets to a minimum to maximise the intensity of the workout².

Except for resistance training, the opposite best workout to extend testosterone is HIIT. A study was conducted to find out the effect of intensity by performing ergometer cycling at high, moderate, and low intensities.

There have been only significant increases in testosterone within the high-intensity group. They concluded that when repetitions are kept constant, the intensity determines the rise in serum testosterone production. The body produces more testosterone as a response to the intensity of the exercise.

A number of the common exercises used for HIIT training include the Stairmaster, treadmill, and burpees. Take a look at these HIIT treadmill workouts for some inspiration. Interestingly, while HIIT has been shown extremely effective at raising testosterone in men, it has been shown to cut back testosterone in women². 

One vital thing to take heed to is overtraining. Performing high-intensity workouts requires proper rest and nourishment to recuperate fully. Overtraining will find yourself lowering your testosterone levels on account of increasing your stress hormone, cortisol.

Some signs of overtraining include excessive soreness, trouble recovering from workouts, difficulty sleeping, and declines in strength or performance. 

How Long Does Your Testosterone Boost Last Post Workout?

Unfortunately, the boost in testosterone that happens post exercise typically only lasts about an hour or so.

Younger and inexperienced weight-lifters will experience a greater boost because their hormones have not yet adjusted to the changes. 

Is The Testosterone Increase Significant Enough To Make a Difference?

The rise in testosterone you experience post-workout is important enough to feel it, however it won’t produce anything drastic or long-term. There’s a necessity for more research regarding this, however it’s unlikely to make a major difference in those affected by low testosterone.

Younger individuals are more prone to notice the changes as they’ve higher baseline levels. While you could notice a slight boost in energy or overall mood following a workout, the true difference is the long-term effect.

Consistently exercising and performing high-intensity workouts will result in increased lean muscle mass and fat loss, which result in higher testosterone levels.

Other Strategies For Increasing Testosterone

While a consistent exercise regimen is vital for increasing testosterone, there are also strategies for other lifestyle modification induced increases. Some ways you possibly can increase testosterone are by maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding drugs and alcohol, maintaining a healthy sleep schedule, and eating a healthy food plan.

A balanced food plan is important for maintaining healthy hormone levels, and certain foods may even raise your testosterone levels. These foods include eggs, tuna, beef, oysters, beans, garlic, and leafy green vegetables.

As well as, should you feel you wish additional support, testosterone boosters or testosterone alternative therapy (TRT) could also be helpful.

Testosterone boosters have been proven effective at increasing testosterone levels, while a health care provider can prescribe TRT for essentially the most severe testosterone deficiencies.

What Are Testosterone Boosters?

Testosterone boosters are just about exactly what they sound like. They’re supplements that typically help your body produce more T, thus increasing your testosterone levels.

You’ll be able to learn more about T boosters in our article: What Are Testosterone Boosters?

What Do Testosterone Boosters Do?

Testosterone boosters may vary in ingredients and dosage, but all of them have one thing in common. And that’s to spice up the quantity of free testosterone inside your body.

There are just a few other ways T boosters can do that. Some help the body increase its production of T, while others help decelerate the speed that testosterone is broken down.

After which other products, like DHEA, increase testosterone through the usage of synthetic hormones or other ingredients.

When a testosterone booster targets DHEA, a natural hormone within the adrenal gland that makes androgens and estrogens, it may help your body increase testosterone levels not directly.

What Are The Best Testosterone Boosters?

When selecting a testosterone booster, it’s best to make use of a product that uses all-natural ingredients, is third-party tested, and is freed from synthetic hormones.

Top-of-the-line products in the marketplace today is TestoPrime, which uses all-natural ingredients, including D-aspartic acid, vitamin D, and zinc.

One other great product is TestoFuel, which advertises as a muscle builder and libido booster. Each products are backed by research and use all-natural ingredients, making each secure and effective options.

For those who would love a more in-depth review of those products and others, you’ll want to try our article on the 7 Best Testosterone Boosters. Alternatively, should you are older or experiencing multiple negative effects on account of low testosterone, you could want to think about testosterone alternative therapy (TRT).

If this looks like a subject which may be difficult or awkward to check with your local doctor, you possibly can even address this online. Take a look at our article on the 7 Best Online TRT Clinics to learn more.

FAQS

Let’s answer some steadily asked questions regarding exercise and testosterone.

What exercise increases testosterone most?

The squat is probably the greatest exercises to spice up testosterone, but really any compound move that works large muscle groups will increase T levels. Deadlifts, bench presses, rows, pullups, push-ups, and standing presses are all effective options.

Does understanding immediately increase testosterone?

Yes, exercise increase testosterone levels immediately post-workout. This boost only lasts about an hour or so, with the long-term effects of improving your body composition being more significant in your T levels. 

How can I raise my testosterone levels fast?

It typically takes regular exercise and healthy living habits over an prolonged period to lift levels. Nevertheless, if you need to raise them fast, a testosterone booster is one of the simplest ways. 

Does Working Out Increase Testosterone? Final Takeaways

Several studies have shown that understanding can increase testosterone levels, however the extent of the rise depends upon multiple aspects. The variability in testosterone levels is brought on by differences in age, current body composition, the kind of exercise performed, and what time of day you exercise.

The 2 simplest exercise methods to extend testosterone levels in men are heavy-weight resistance training and HIIT. There are other ways to extend testosterone, resembling naturally through a healthy food plan, so explore all options to find out which method (or methods) is best for you.