The first edition of Natural Boost, a series where we cover ways to naturally boost your testosterone!
Welcome to Natural Boost, a new series we're starting here at Vital Protocol.
The Natural Boost series will focus on different ways that you can naturally boost your testosterone. Each post in the series will cover a different topic, ranging from fitness and nutrition, to sleep health and stress reduction, and how these things impact your testosterone production.
Today, we'll be diving into how exercise can boost your testosterone levels.
Testosterone is a vital hormone in men that significantly influences physical performance, muscle mass, bone density, and overall well-being. There is a bidirectional relationship between exercise and testosterone: testosterone affects exercise capacity and outcomes, while different types of exercise can impact testosterone levels.
In this way, testosterone and exercise create a virtuous cycle.
Healthy testosterone levels give you the energy and capacity to exercise at an adequate amount and intensity, which in turn helps maintain and raise your testosterone levels.
So we know that testosterone impacts your ability to exercise, but in what ways? Let's cover some of the most important points:
• Testosterone is an anabolic hormone that promotes protein synthesis, essential for muscle repair and growth.
• Higher testosterone levels can lead to increased muscle size and strength, improving performance in strength and power activities.
• Testosterone contributes to bone mineral density, reducing the risk of fractures during high-impact or heavy-resistance exercises.
• By stimulating red blood cell production, testosterone enhances oxygen delivery to muscles, boosting endurance and recovery.
• Optimal testosterone levels help reduce body fat and increase lean muscle mass, positively affecting athletic performance.
• Adequate testosterone levels can improve motivation, confidence, and competitiveness, influencing exercise intensity and consistency.
As you can see, testosterone is crucial to your exercise performance. And exercise is, of course, part of a healthy lifestyle and has many health benefits.
When you look at it this way, you can see that testosterone health is upstream of many of the healthy habits and outcomes we want in our lives. This is why it's so important to pay attention to your levels and do what you can to maintain or improve them.
Luckily, exercise itself improves testosterone, as we're about to see.
Exercise influences testosterone production in a variety of ways.
Some of the ways that exercise impact testosterone are direct: studies have shown that compound lifting, which are exercises that involve the use of multiple muscle groups such as squats and deadlifts, may increase testosterone levels in the short term.
Other ways that exercise impacts testosterone is by how it changes your body composition: exercising consistently can help burn fat, and high amounts of body fat has been shown to decrease testosterone via aromatization into estrogen.
And yet another way that exercise positively impacts testosterone is by helping manage your stress: High levels of stress promote the release of a hormone called cortisol, which has been shown to decrease testosterone when chronically elevated.
• Resistance Training: Weightlifting and strength training can cause temporary spikes in testosterone immediately after the workout.
• High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Short bursts of intense exercise followed by rest can also elevate testosterone levels acutely.
• Consistent Exercise: Regular physical activity can help maintain or slightly increase baseline testosterone levels, especially in previously sedentary individuals.
• Age-Related Decline Mitigation: Exercise may slow the natural decline of testosterone that occurs with aging.
• Reduced Body Fat: Lower body fat percentages are associated with higher testosterone levels, as excess fat can convert testosterone to estrogen.
• Enhanced Metabolic Health: Exercise improves insulin sensitivity and metabolic rate, which can positively affect hormone balance.
• Cortisol Management: Physical activity reduces stress and lowers cortisol levels. Since high cortisol can inhibit testosterone production, managing stress is beneficial.
• Mental Well-being: Exercise promotes the release of endorphins, improving mood and potentially supporting hormonal health.
You might be thinking to yourself, "great, all I need to do is exercise like a maniac and I'll boost my testosterone levels!"
And while we applaud your enthusiasm, a word of caution: make sure to avoid overtraining!
When you push your body with too much exercise, you create unnecessary stress. This stress promotes the release of cortisol, which we already know lowers testosterone.
So if you're just starting out, make sure to take it low and slow. Listen to your body and seek advice from a trainer or experienced gym partner. If you're someone who doesn't already workout regularly or have experience in the weight room, don't go load up the squat rack with as much weight as you think you can handle.
Start small by doing something as simple as a daily walk or ten air squats after lunch. Work your way up to adding weight as you get stronger and more comfortable in the gym.
If you're already working out a ton, be sure to get adequate rest.
As we'll cover in a future Natural Boost edition, rest is critical to maintaining and raising your testosterone levels. Getting good sleep, taking rest days, and fueling your body with proper nutrition are important always, but especially so when exercising your body on a regular basis.
That wraps up the first edition of Natural Boost.
We hope you learned a lot and look forward to helping you on your health journey!
In good health,
The Vital Protocol Team
