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Regular physical activity is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle and actively reduces the risk of a multitude of conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and depression. But does exercising also increase testosterone?
A healthy lifestyle constitutes many things: a versatile diet, physical activity, and limiting alcohol and tobacco products. But in the grand scheme of things, sometimes we tend to forget just HOW important regular physical activity really is.
Exercising can boost your testosterone levels but it also aids in reducing stress levels, increasing your sleep quality, and promoting your sexual health. It’s a multifaceted factor that can provide you with better health outcomes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), physical activity can further strengthen your bones and muscles, improve your brain health, and increase your quality of life, enabling you to take care of yourself.
But exercising can also impact your serum testosterone levels, which in itself can influence your mood, irritability, muscle mass, and sexual performance. Maintaining healthy testosterone levels is thus profoundly important if you want to sustain your life quality.
So what can YOU do?
Does Exercising Increase Testosterone: Myth or Truth?
Your body experiences various hormonal changes during physical activity, allowing you to reap an array of benefits while working out. Many hormones rise while you exercise, such as prolactin, cortisol, and growth hormone. But workouts can also boost testosterone levels.
While exercise increases your testosterone, many factors play into the why and how of the process. Foremost, the type and intensity of exercise are imperative, including the length of resting periods, as well as certain factors surrounding the athletes. This is because outcomes may differ based on age, overall lifestyle (sedentary, athletic, etc.), and body composition.
Research conducted on overweight and obese men found that those who exercised had significantly increased levels of testosterone, and those men who were more active attained much higher levels of testosterone than those who were less active.
Consistent but slow workouts can support your overall health, but they may not be enough to promote testosterone synthesis. Even short periods of exercise can boost testosterone but generally, a certain amount of intensity is required to increase testosterone production.
Workouts to Boost Your Testosterone Levels
You love to run, go for a swim, or hit the gym. Maybe you enjoy a jog in the woods, lifting weights with your buddies, or you might be more into specific sports, such as free climbing, which focuses on strengthening your forearms and lats. While not all workouts are equally effective, some workouts can boost your testosterone and help preserve your sexual health.
At the same time, it’s important to note that while certain workouts work better for increasing testosterone in your blood, regular physical activity remains a highly recommended aspect of healthy living.
Some of the best exercises for testosterone health comprise high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and resistance training, also known as strength training.
HIIT includes multiple rounds of high-intensity movements that usually last several minutes. It aims to get you to push yourself and increase your heart rate — to at least 80% of your maximum heart rate. HIIT doesn’t have to be done for extended periods to become an effective workout to boost your testosterone.
(1) Intense Treadmill Training (HIIT)
There are multiple ways to exercise on a treadmill. In fact, turning your treadmill session into a workout that can increase your testosterone will very much depend on HOW you run.
A study that assessed the difference between interval training and steady running found that intervals of 90 seconds on the treadmill followed by 90 seconds of rest increased free testosterone more than running for 45 minutes without breaks.
(2) Intense Cycling (HIIT)
Intense cycling, also a form of high-intensity interval training, is another workout that can boost your testosterone levels. Although the workout doesn’t have to be long, it should push athletes to help increase their heart rate.
A study even found that taking DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) supplements in addition to repetitive 2-minute cycling intervals can further increase testosterone levels.
(3) Resistance Training & Weight Lifting
Weight lifting strengthens and shapes your muscles, and increases endurance and joint strength. Research confirms that resistance training is beneficial for your testosterone as well, noting that men who did strength training 3 times per week for 4 weeks were found to have increased levels of testosterone.
(4) Barbell Squats
Squats are compound exercises that affect several muscle groups at once. Using a barbell in a high-intensity squat can amplify the benefits you reap by stimulating your endocrine response. A study demonstrated that about 6 sets of high-intensity barbell squats can significantly support muscle growth, testosterone, and the secretion of growth hormone.
(5) Compound Rows
Rows work an array of muscles in your body, providing you with a well-rounded workout. Compound movements, including rows, are more effective in producing testosterone when compared to isolation movements — and the resistance component helps stimulate testosterone synthesis.
It’s Time to Exercise More & Increase your Testosterone
Some of us may enjoy going to the gym more than others but it’s okay if strength training and weight lifting aren’t your thing. There are many different workouts that you can tailor to your preferences so you don’t just endure physical activity but begin incorporating it as a habit. If you’re testosterone deficient, identify a workout plan that can help you boost your testosterone as well.
Workouts that increase testosterone are also recommended for mature men whose testosterone levels may begin to plummet due to age. This natural decline in testosterone levels is gradual and starts at around 40 years of age. By exercising you can help counteract some of the symptoms you may otherwise experience as a result of testosterone deficiency.
Remember that high-intensity exercises are more effective and that not all types of exercises are equal when you’re aiming to boost your testosterone levels. But with all the workouts available, find a few that are fun and support your body in maintaining healthy testosterone levels.
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