Muscle growth and proper testosterone levels go hand in hand with our desired physiques. Proper testosterone levels serve us not only for better recovery, but above all for more energy and zest for life.
Therefore, today we will focus on how to achieve high testosterone levels.
How to increase testosterone levels in men?
Testosterone in men is extremely important not only for developing muscle mass and increasing libido, but also for overall male health. Testosterone deficiency leads to an increased risk of obesity and diabetes, decreased self-esteem and can slowly progress to anxiety and depression. Testosterone levels in men therefore play an extremely important role.
In younger men up to about 35 years of age, there is usually no need to increase testosterone levels, as healthy men have naturally high testosterone levels during this period. With age, however, the amount of testosterone in the body naturally decreases, and it is therefore necessary to follow a few guidelinespositive rules that will help the body, if not to increase testosterone levels, at least to optimize and maintain them.
Basic tips for increasing testosterone levels include:
- regular exercise,
- sufficient intake of vitamins and minerals,
- adequate sleep,
- a healthy diet,
- as little stress as possible.
Of course, these are very general recommendations, but they clearly work. If even this is not enough for you, you can try testosterone stimulants, from which you can not expect any miracles, but they can help you with optimizing testosterone levels. However, these are really more suited to older exercisers.
How to increase testosterone in women?
A lot has already been written about testosterone in men. But did you know that it is also extremely important in the female body? For example, it is involved in the metabolism of sugars and also improves the use of proteins in the body. Its deficiency can cause very unpleasant complications in women, such as:
- constant fatigue,
- difficulty losing weight,
- depression and anxiety,
- reduced libido,
- less strength.
In women, however, excess is also a problem. It can cause hair loss, unpleasant acne, genital problems or increased aggression. Women with no racing ambitions are thus often not in the mood for a bigger increase in the male sex hormone and it would be rather counterproductive.
To bring testosterone levels in women back to normal levels, a sufficient supply ofvitamin intake and a healthy lifestyle, thanks to which the body can control testosterone levels on its own. If you feel that you could use a little more testosterone, you can increase your protein intake or start lifting heavier weights in the gym.
Specific routines for increasing testosterone levels
Above, we have shown general procedures for increasing testosterone levels in men and women, and in the following lines we'll look at them a little more closely.
Lifting heavy weights
Proper technique in combination with basic exercises like squat, deadlift, benchpress, lunges, axillary forearm raises, push-ups, bar push-ups, etc. They play an important role in stimulating and releasing anabolic hormones.
On the other hand, we should avoid isolated exercises and machines, which certainly do not produce many androgens.
TIP: Choosing the best pre-workout supplements!
Magnesium, Zinc
The minerals magnesium and zinc have a great influence on testosterone production. They can be taken from the natural diet or from ZMA supplements - where zinc and magnesium are combined and enriched with vitamin B6. In case you would like to supplement the individual ingredients separately, you can take inspiration from ourour comparison of the best magnesium supplements or our ranking of the best zinc supplements.
Zinc and magnesium: The most important supplements in an athlete's diet
Vitamin D3
Of the vitamins, it is the sunshine vitamin aka D3. It is the sun's rays that have the ability to reproduce vitamin D3 in the subcutaneous tissue. Therefore, do not avoid the sun anymore. The problem is in winter, when we can partially replace the sun with a sunbed. The last option is to take vitamin D3 from supplements, which will have the most significant effect. For example, you can find a suitable product by using our comparison of the best vitamin D supplements.
Saturated fatty acids
Yes, those damned saturated fats have an effect on testosterone production. No more throwing away egg yolks and eating dry egg whites. For breakfast, choose whole eggs cooked in water ideally on a kneading board. Beef steak for lunch and pork neck for dinner.
Sleep
Long and uninterrupted sleep is the key to stable levels of both growth hormone and testosterone. It is therefore advisable to sleep around 7 to 8 hours. You can learn more about this in our article 21 proven sleep tips.
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Stress is another testosterone "killer." When stress levels are higher, cortisol is released, which prevents the release of anabolic hormones.
Vegetables and herbs
Vegetables such as broccoli, kale or cabbage can lower estrogen levels and this results in higher testosterone levels. Anchovy groundsel aka Tribulus Terrestris or Fenugreek are herbs that will promote the release of lutropin, which increases testosterone production. We would recommend using these herbs only at an older age, the primary focus should be on the other points.
What do bodybuilders do to increase testosterone?
Yes, the types mentioned above work for normal testosterone levels in humanswho simply want to live healthy and improve their performance in the gym. But what do bodybuilders who simply need more of it for their performance do to boost testosterone?
Testosterone injections and tablets
In recent years, more and more bodybuilders are admitting or even openly claiming to alreadyThe use of doping substances, which include artificially supplemented testosterone. It is most often supplied in the form of testosterone injections or tablets. However, their relatively significant positive effects far outweigh the risks associated with their intake. For ordinary exercisers without competitive bodybuilding ambitions, their use is definitely not recommended.
Problems associated with testosterone injections and pills
Artificially elevated testosterone can increase overall mood, training appetite and also contribute to muscle volume in men. If left to this alone, we believe artificially delivered testosterone would be part of every exercising man's supplements. Unfortunately, this is not the case and there are significant side effects associated with its delivery that for many people outweigh the good. We'll take a little closer look at them in the following lines.
Complete shutdown of natural testosterone production
When testosterone is artificially supplemented in the form of injections or tablets, its natural production is completely shut down. The body simply starts to think that it doesn't need to produce it anymore because it is regularly supplied with more than enough. This can lead to serious health problems with long-term testosterone use and the need to undergo testosterone therapy virtually for the rest of your life.
Gynecomastia
Although this problem is more of an aesthetic one, it is definitely not a pleasant one. Gynecomastia is a condition where men experience enlargement of the mammary glands as a result of hormonal imbalances that excessive testosterone intake can cause. This cannot be prevented particularly effectively and it is up to your body whether or not it develops gynecomastia. It is then associated with other health risks such as breast cancer and the like.
Cardiovascular disease
Another problem of too elevated testosterone levels is cardiovascular diseases. This is because testosterone increases blood pressure and with it the risk of heart attack or stroke. Thus, people with heart disease should definitely avoid it or take it only under the guidance of an experienced physician, and then only for health reasons.
Price
Last but not least, the price of testosterone injections is also an issue. The price of one injection is around 3 000-, depending on the type. If you were to include them in a "cure" and take, for example, two injections a week for three months (this is definitely not a recommendation or suggestion for a doping cure!), it will get very expensive. In addition, if you develop an addiction or completely knock out your natural testosterone production, you may have to take them for the rest of your life.
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