6 Tips To Increase Testosterone Naturally
For most guys that work out, having high levels of testosterone is a no-brainer.
Indeed, having higher levels of testosterone has been shown to have a positive effect on protein synthesis, helping you build more muscle and get stronger.
This is something that many guys already know, hence the proliferation of all sorts of testosterone boosting pills and creams.
And this isn’t even getting into injectable testosterone, which is an entirely different animal altogether…
However, all of that being said, most guys reading this blog don’t want – and shouldn’t need – to seek out artificial (and potentially dangerous) methods of increasing their testosterone.
Generally speaking, simply by making some fairly minor lifestyle changes, you get your testosterone levels to where they should be to help maximize your muscle development.
This article will focus on 6 simple tips – or ‘hacks’, as people are calling them these days = that you can do to increase your testosterone naturally, without resorting to any dodgy supplements.
Tip #1: Eat More Saturated Fat
Yes, I know that we’ve long been told to avoid saturated fat – that it can increase your blood cholesterol levels and lead to all sorts of diseases.
However, recent research has indicated that this isn’t the case, and that if you’re otherwise healthy saturated fat is unlikely to have a negative impact on your cholesterol levels.
What’s more, consuming a greater amount of saturated fat can make a major difference to your testosterone levels.
This means adding foods like steak, cheese and eggs into your diet, in order to make sure that you’re getting enough saturated fat.
In fact, this is probably the biggest thing that most guys can do to naturally increase their testosterone levels – so if you’re currently on a low fat diet (less than 20% of your total calories), you should strongly consider making some changes.
Tip #2: Lift Weights
This is another very important component of maintaining high testosterone levels.
Studies have shown that weightlifting can have a marketed increase on your t-levels, so this is just another good reason to get yourself to the gym if you aren’t going already.
More specifically, you should be focusing on heavy weight lifting, and prioritizing compound exercises, since this is more effective for boosting testosterone than working with lighter weights or machines.
Tip #3: Do HIIT Cardio
In addition to weight lifting, doing high intensity interval training has been shown to help increase your natural testosterone levels.
For those unfamiliar with HIIT, this is a form of cardio training where you’ll alternate between periods of moderate intensity and periods of high intensity.
You can do this in a variety of different ways, but I would personally recommend either the elliptical machine or the exercise bike.
Just remember with both the HIIT cardio and weight training not to overdo it.
If you workout too much you can risk overtraining, which can actually have a negative impact on your testosterone levels.
Tip #4: Get More Sleep
I know, this is easier said than done for many of us, but getting a sufficient amount of sleep each night is important for maintaining high levels of testosterone.
For most guys, this will be somewhere between 7-8 hours sleep each night – although this is largely individual, and some people are able to get by on less.
Tip #5: Reduce Your Stress
Stress is truly a testosterone killer!
You see, when you’re stressed, your body releases more of a hormone called cortisol.
In small doses, this isn’t a big deal; in fact, it is what helps us effectively deal with stressful situations (think fight or flight response).
However, if you’re chronically stressed, this can start to be an issue – since several studies have shown that there is an inverse relationship between cortisol and testosterone levels.
In terms of how to de-stress your life, that is beyond the scope of this article – but I would say that practicing meditation regularly may be a good start.
Tip #6: Supplement With Zinc & Vitamin D
For the most part, supplements you buy in the store aren’t going to have a major impact on your testosterone levels.
However, there are a few that can be worth taking, including vitamin D and Zinc.
Vitamin D is important for many reasons outside of testosterone levels, but studies have shown that men who take vitamin D supplements have higher levels of testosterone than those that don’t.
Depending on where you live, simply getting enough sun can give you all the vitamin D that you need, since our bodies have the ability to produce vitamin D naturally when exposed to UV rays.
In addition to vitamin D, certain studies have indicated that Zinc can have a positive effect on testosterone.
This isn’t conclusive, however, as other studies have shown that it provides little benefit.
Increase Your Testosterone And Build More Muscle!
Hopefully now you have a better idea of some of the things that you can be doing to maximize your testosterone levels.
For most guys, simply focusing on the first 2 points – getting enough saturated fat and heavy weight lifting – should be enough to make sure that your testosterone isn’t a limiting factor.
However, I am obviously not a doctor, so if you’re concerned that you have chronically low levels of testosterone, and don’t think it’s the result of lifestyle factors, then you should seek a professional medical opinion.