Testosterone is super important for muscle growth, fat loss and a number of other physiological processes such as your mood. The normal range for men is between about 250-1000 ng/dL, while free testosterone is usually 2-3% of this.
Keeping your test naturally high, in a world which cultivates naturally low levels is a powerful way to drive fierce ambition towards your goals.
Lose Weight
If you’re fat then you're testosterone is going to be much lower than it could be. Research has shown that obese people tend to have one-third of the testosterone of their leaner counterparts. This is due to many reasons such as dietary choices, but mainly due to the fact that more fat = more oestrogen and more oestrogen = less testosterone. Keeping your body fat percentage between 8-12% is going to be great for keeping your natural testosterone levels high. 15% is fine too. Anything over 20% or under 8% is going to cause problems.
Strength Training
Strength training is the best type of exercise for boosting testosterone. Research has shown this over and over again - especially large full body compound movements like deadlifts, squats, overhead press and pulls ups. When we compare these type of movements (especially with heavy weight) to isolation movements like bicep curls the difference is profound. Strength training will increase growth hormone (GH) as well as testosterone.
Get Enough Vitamin D
Vitamin D isn’t even a vitamin, it’s more of a hormone which regulates over a 1000 physiological functions - especially in the realm of sexual matters. Having low vitamin D levels is bad for your testosterone. Vitamin D is strongly associated with more testosterone and a stronger libido. Try to get at least 15-minutes of sunlight every day. In winter, a quality vitamin D3 supplement helps.
Dietary cholesterol
Cholesterol which is found only in animal products is really important for testosterone production. It’s actually a baby form of testosterone, a precursor. Our bodies produce our own cholesterol, but research has shown that dietary sources of cholesterol (such as from eggs) will increase testosterone levels. Unless you have the APOE4 gene, dietary cholesterol or even saturated fat for that matter isn’t something you need to freak out about in moderation. Eggs are a great source. However, make monounsaturated fats your main priority (think olive oil and avocados).
Consume enough zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral really important for sexual function among men. Men with zinc deficiency have lower testosterone levels, a lower sex drive and a number of other problems. Zinc is lost with sweat, so it’s particularly important to get enough of if you train hard at the gym. If you’re lacking it in your diet you can consider supplementing with it. Try not to go over 40mg.
Reduce Stress
Stress causes an increase in cortisol. An increase in cortisol isn’t always bad, it serves an important purpose, but too much is bad. Cortisol is synthesised from cholesterol just like testosterone. When you’re too stressed, more cholesterol goes towards synthesising cortisol instead of testosterone. That’s why keeping your stress down is key to increase testosterone levels.
Try intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is basically not eating for a certain period of the day. Research shows fasting can increase testosterone short term as well as growth hormone (GH) and androgen sensitivity. Fasting may help you get more out of less testosterone, basically, this means you get more bang for your buck!
To summarise:
- Lose body fat and keep it between 8-15%
- Strength train and do compound exercises instead of more cardio
- Get enough sun or supplement with vitamin D3
- Eat enough dietary cholesterol/fat (be careful if you have the apoe4 gene).
- Get enough zinc, especially if you exercise
- Reduces stress to reduces cortisol
- Try intermittent fasting
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2686332
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003707.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9029197
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2796409
http://www.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/jappl.1997.82.1.49
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1998648
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16210377
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12679426
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6298507
http://www.endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/0013/ea0013p161.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21154195
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9226731
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16648789
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8613886
The primary scientific reason that being fat lowers your test is that body fat contains aromatase, an enzyme that converts test to estrogen. As you lose body fat, you lower your levels of aromatase and lower the conversion rate. You can have high estrogen and high test (ask bodybuilders who forgot to add an aromatase inhibitor to their stack and got gynocomastia), so it's not quite as simple as most estrogen = lest testosterone. It's all about the aromatase.
Being fat probably also just generally lowers your metabolic efficiency too and this probably would mess with your hormone profile even if you took an aromatase inhibitor.
Moral of the story: don't be fat.
Edit: everyone has aromatase. Fat or not. Fat people have more. Some estrogen is necessary in men for proper health. You can't get a boner without estrogen. If you crash your estrogen levels with too-high doses of aromatase inhibitors, you'll have unpleasant side effects. Fat will just govern the rate of conversion of test into estrogen. More fat means a higher rate.
Fuck.
But seriously, being fat has no upsides. Fat people are just too lazy to fulfill the basic requirements to be a healthy person: Diet and Exercise. I would know because I've been fat my entire life.
Whoa whoa whoa.
I'm pretty sure they float easier.
And you can cut them open and live inside them if you get stuck in a blizzard on Hoth
OP we need an edit.
LPT is always in the comments
Sidebar material right there.
found Alliser Thornes reddit account
Fat people are also harder to kidnap.
tl:dr eat moar cake
Similarly, I've been lifting for 7 years and am now 200lbs lean. I no longer float, I sink.
Acceptance is the first step to change. I bet, without even changing WHAT you eat, you could lose weight simply by logging your ingestion. Everything you eat and drink.
You'll have the evidence at your finger tips and you'll be forced to accept that you ate that entire box of mac and cheese and/or drank 144oz of PBR in one sitting.
Get out of my head! How do you know what I ate tonight!? And last week, and three nights a week for the last ten years... But why am I fat? I was a Marine, what happened? Oh, right, that.
Eating like a marine, while not excersising like a marine. I fell in that trap when I left the army.
Exactly this.
All most people need to do (me included) is keep track and be accountable for a bad diet. Nothing fancy. Your guilt does most of the work for you.
In my personal case I've used keto to drop 30lbs, but I still need to work harder on increasing my willpower and discipline in order to stick with it and not relapse.
Used to be obese, 325, now 190, yea I was lazy.
Gladiators used to stay a little fat to protect vital organs in battle!
Less wrinkles
It's easier to gain strength/muscle when you're fat. As a former skeleton, it took me a long time to lift heavier than my fat friends who never worked out.
False, it's easier (and necessary when you aren't a beginner anymore) if you are in a caloric surplus. Fat people start off stronger because their muscles generally naturally get stronger from carrying round more weight on their frame before weight training.
Which leads to easier gains without having to work as much as I did. I feel like I'm missing something here. Isn't what you're saying basically what I commented?
Check 'em next time, when they have to hit the stairs for 3-4-5 floors.
Also if your dick can get hard but your orgasm is weak you may not have enough estrogen.
Didn't know that! Good info.
Some of the strongest guys I've met have had pretty high body fat though. Guarantee these guys were out lifting people with 8-15% body fat.
Totally possible. You need caloric surplus to build muscle and strength. Eventually that will lead to excess body fat that you need to diet off. But some people don't care and just leave it because they like being big and strong more than looking ripped. More power to them if they can maintain high test and strength with high body fat. If he's a strong mother fucker with high natural or unnatural test he can still get strong even with higher than optimal estrogen. But if he diets that fat off he'll probably end up with a more favorable hormonal profile.
I don't think this post is directed at those types of people though.
You also need a surplus to put in effort in the gym. After a few weeks strict cutting workouts inevitably become lackluster compared to if you were eating.
That's because powerliftifers =/= bodybuilders
I agree, but there is definitely a difference between the kind of fat you're talking about and "overweight" (more massive than the average male of the same height). Take an NFL RB for example: James White for the Patriots is 5'10" at 205 lbs in his mid-20s. A BMI calculation on 5'10" 205 lbs says he's at the upper end of "overweight." But take a look at his pictures. He's no fatty.
If another guy at 5'10" went on a see-food diet (I see food, I eat it) and never exercised, and got to 205, THAT is the kind of fat you don't want to be. But 5'10" @ 205 lbs of muscle is actually quite ideal. I think women tend to find that more attractive than the 6' guy who is a lean 170 lbs.
I agree. BMI is some idiotic concept developed by the medical profession to tell fat people how exactly how fat they are in a vain hope to get then to stop driving up our insurance premiums. Aromatase isn't contained in mass, it's contained in body fat. So the amount you have is governed by body fat percentage, a far more useful number than BMI. I try to never talk in terms of overweight. Just fat.
I think you have a good grasp on women's preferences there. 5'10 205 at 10% is fucking jacked. Honestly he might intimidate women in a bad way. Either fantastic genetics and a ton of dedication or steroids. In you're example genetics and dedication. And he's probably above 10 percent. (if he is 10 percent, he's ffmi 26.6. plug it in to a fat free mass index calculator. That's a good estimation of if someone is naturally not. 26 or 27 is suspicious but sometimes attainable). That height and 10 percent at 190 would probably make for quite a good physique. If he was a true 10 percent. Don't trust body fat scales or calipers, they estimate way low. But they estimate consistently low so they're good to track if you're gaining or losing body fat. Just not for a precise measurement.
BMI isn't idiotic. Nor is is gospel of fat. It's a quick back of the envelope calculation to tell you if you're outside the normal healthy range. Maybe you have legit reasons for being out of range and that's fine too(professional athelete would count)me But a public health epidemic of fat you need a quick and dirty way to triage and get resources to the piggies you can help. (Or decide who is beyond saving)
Fair enough. I guess it's useful at a collective level, but I find it is not very useful from the perspective of an individual perusing personal fitness.
Somebody has been reading Return of Kings lately.
Haha, actually never heard of it. Book or blog?
Blog
check it.
http://www.returnofkings.com/159522/5-things-a-man-should-do-before-going-on-testosterone-replacement-therapy-trt
Nice! Good post. I agree 100%
You sound smart.
If I like experimenting and am plateauing, are there legal chemicals I can imbue myself with that would offer performance enhancing results?
Thanks! Yeah, they're called sarms. Selective androgen receptor modulators. Do your research though. Lots of them can shutdown your natural test production just like steroids. So you'll need what's called post cycle therapy to bring it back up. And they're all unregulated so you need to make sure you pick a reliable company. There's a YouTube channel called "more plates more dates" who talks about them a lot. He's a good scientific dude with an obvious red pill mindset. If you haven't already, look into your diet and routine before you look into chemicals. Diet is huge. You might be able to break through just by eating more food. Or getting more and better sleep.
What if I were to be bulking? I have a pretty good amount of muscle but at about 22% body fat. Do I just accept it and wait till I cut down the fat? Does aromatases function differ with muscle mass?
Depends on your goal. At the end of the day it's your body.
I hear bulking is most efficient between like... 10 and 18 percent fat. But everybody's body is different. If you're happy with how you look and you're making gains in the gym, don't mess with a good thing. If you feel that maybe it's time for a cut, I'm sure it'll work out. Maybe wait until you plateau.
Biggest one for me: Get enough sleep. THe amount of sleep you would normally have when you dont have an alarm and go to bed early.
This is probably the biggest one that all of the others revolve around. If you are stressed or worried, you probably can't sleep. And that will stump your gains. That's why ZMA exists. (Zinc, magnesium, by)
Curious: what's the A in ZMA? Zinc and magnesium and ___?
Zinc Magnesium Asparate. Has B vitamins in it too I believe
B6, I think the full name is aspertate or something hence the A.
Vitamin B6
Sleep>food>exercise.
That's from a testosterone level standpoint.
From a workout standpoint, it's exercise>food~>sleep.
I agree, but for those reading sleep should not be overlooked. You need an adequate amount of sleep or you miss out on gains.
Resistance training breaks down muscles. Your gains occur by the body adapting to workout-induced stress and rebuilding the muscles and connective tissue to make you stronger/bigger. This process occurs during the latter stages of NREM sleep. Additionally, sleep is the body's natural time to regulate hormones, including testosterone and growth hormone: both necessary to maximize gains in strength and hypertrophy.
I would have thought that getting in enough protein would also be necessary in order to build additional muscle on top of just keeping your regular muscle.
No additional protein would mean that the one of the requirements for the building of additional muscle isn't met as well, right?
I mean I don't think that the priority of one component being more important than the other for building muscle PAST beginner gains is correct. You need all of them done well.
Of course. Eat big to be big, if your body doesn't have the proper nutrition it needs it can't pack on muscle. In fact, I believe that I've seen that protein synthesis is enhanced when you have a serving of protein before bed, but I'm not somewhere that I can pick up a cite right away.
I was just talking about how sleep shouldn't be overlooked, not about nutrition/lifting.
Zinc will increase testosterone only if there's a deficit within the body. Otherwise - no effect. Intermittent fasting has no anabolic effect, there is no testosterone spike (since insulin decrease is detrimental to testosterone), there is only spike in HGH (growth hormone) which is a defense mechanism against the breakdown of amino acids (adaptation of the human body to food scarcity, effects of which are simulated through intermittent fasting).
I like the quality pub med referencing 10/10
You forgot sleep. Not getting enough sleep kills T.
Also that study that found the magic number for no-fap time frame is one week for the highest free T level. Your T levels peak at about one week (~1-2days) from your last sexual encounter (be it your hand, or a plate). Anytime after that week however and your T levels will gradually start declining to a lower level if you don't have any more sex. They will stay lower until your next encounter, and then rise again to the peak a week after.
Levels shoot up at around 7-8 days after last ejaculation. They then slowly return to base. They do not decrease below base. There's a difference. I believe they even stay at a higher level though. I can tell you the longer I abstain, my voice stays much deeper, I grow much thicker and more abundant hair, and just feel a million times better in general. NoFap saved my life and I'm barely exaggerating.
Had similar results myself. Deeper voice, more confidence than I've had in years. Happier. Music and art have a much more profound impact on me. It truly can change one's life you if take it seriously and don't edge. I think the T hits a new normal as experienced through prolonged energy and endurance.
Jesus Christ how bad were you?
Usually it's the start of being able to form anti destructive habits. No fap was my first self improvement 'challenge' that drastically put me on a better path in life.
for many people it's their "keystone habit". Another big one is meditation for others
Your free test levels increase after a week, but the reason they decline after is because your body starts to make use of the extra T.
Any scientific evidence for this?
Bro science. Don't pay attention to anything posted on this sub without full studies backing it up.
I can see if there's research on this but on first take: logic....where else did it go? Piss / excrete / sweat it out?
do you think low T is a result of peeing/ sweating it out? lol
No I was being kind of sarcastic (non obvious now that I read it again) and I suppose all who downvoted me misunderstood. I was making the point that one can logically come to the conclusion the body utilizes the excess (reabsorption to some extent)
Very interesting, do you have a link?
Edit: Just noticed this might come off as sarcastic, it is not though. Genuinely interested.
I heard that your T levels don't decrease per se, but that your T receptors become more sensitive to accomodate the higher levels of T, therefore your body uses more so that's why less is registered in blood readings. Can anyone confirm this?
There's nothing I love more than rigorously pounding a plate
I try to consciously live a T boosting lifestyle but lack a huge factor: having sex. Add sex.
Also HIIT
Ejaculating lowers the amount of your androgen receptors which will make testosterone have less of an impact.
HIIT has been found in instanly boost Test up to 2 days after perfomring it. It's incredible, and probably the second best thing you can do to increase test. The first would be strength training for legs. Once I found this out, I started doing leg days twice a day. Now I got the lower half of a muhfucking stallion, and my dick is tip top magoo!
Jesus christ thats the worst typo Ive ever seen in my life
I always do my problem areas after leg day. If I remember correctly it's the day after legs that the test boost is the highest. Gotta get rid of this poverty bench I have going.
What is HIIT??
High Intensity Interval Training
That doesn't boost your test. Everything in this article is only going to raise your testosterone by negligible levels. Inject testosterone if you want more test. It's the only way that works worth a damn
Agreed... also, studies show a correlation between strength/muscle mass and high test. Obviously the high test could cause the increased strength, not the other way around.
I’m natty, but people need to realize that if you want to change your T levels, taking a ton of vitamin D isn’t going to get you juicy. That’s more for if you somehow completely lack vit D
good advice, but the vitamin d, especially at higher levels like 2,500-5000 iu per day, like i take, it should be taken in combination with magnesium and K2 to prevent problems...
see here https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/10/19/vitamin-d-vitamin-k2.aspx
I agree with the k2 but why magnesium?
Magnesium is used up when the body absorbs the stored Vitamin D..
do i have to take them together or can I take them hours apart. like my D3 before bed and my k2 upon waken...I take a variety of other supplements during meals and sometimes forget to take them all.
Man, I’m gonna swear by zinc. Not just because it the T, but because it’s a goddamn miracle for your immune system.
what kind of zinc do you consume?
Can't I just shove a cucumber in my ass and wrap my cock in a pork loin?
I mean, you can. We all relax in different ways.
Do it for science and get back to us, this is a forum for testing socially questionable theories after all.
Brings a whole new meaning to getting vitamin D directly...
I mean it's recommended to buy a squat plug when you get experienced enough at weightlifting.
Finally some real solutions
My favorite method is 500mg of test, 300mg of deca weekly with 25-50mg dbol daily and 12.5mg aromasin every other day
Lol I just run 500mg of test and people are worried about the health effects. Some reason I thought people in here would want to be able to fuck like a bull and have super human strength.
What is aromasin?
An aromatase inhibitor which prevents excess testosterone from being converted to estrogen. A paramount piece to running steroids, it reduces side effects, health risks, and ensures you don’t grow boobies
Serious question, i think that when you're 5'8 and even lifting naturally doesn't really boost your chances much, you think hopping on gear would be the right thing to do? I have 6 years of experience already, but in my mind in 10 years when im 30 im thinking to at least hop on TRT to keep myself going.
I don't want to fuck my liver and other organs by using too much, maybe just test and deca is enough at low dosages?
Go to the steroids sub and read their wiki front and back 5x before you hop on.
KISS, use test first and get a feel of it.
Enjoy your bowel cancer and your tits. I've lost some friends for that.
Your mom seems to like my tits
You will tell her directly, since you'll soon be dead, too.
I heard Ashwagandha and Creatine also help. I've been doing all of this and nofap/coldshowers/meditations and I have noticed my facial hair growing extremely quick along with supreme energy and focus.
Ashwagandha is great. I use it frequently but sometimes it definitely feels like it has lowered my T due to whatever imbalance of estrogen and T is going on at any moment.
Yeah for some weird reason it felt like it was killing my libido, even though that's the exact opposite thing it's supposed to do.
Sometimes when I take it there's a period of a few hours where I feel lower T but then it jumps up later on. Not sure why. I'm guessing it's something to do with estrogen.
I take it regularly enough that I'm not thinking about the effects of it and psyching myself out when I take it.
Any good brand for Ashwagandha?
Don’t want to fall for scams.
I don't know where you live and what brands you have available to you.
Supposedly there is shitty ashwagandha and then pure shit sold by its chemical name (KSM-66). I bought seven hills brand, then bought a brand called aktiv foods. Now on another bag of seven hills.
I buy the powder because it's hugely cheaper than the pills. I can't seem to find pure KSM-66 powder.
I just blast 500mg a week. Never felt better! Put on 40lbs in the last 7 months.
same, can honestly say it was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life.
The benefits are unreal yet it seems like people are against anabolics here. More energy, higher sex drive, more confidence, more strength and endurance just to name a few. Wonder if the same people attack cheeseburgers, fried food, and ice cream the same way...
They see it as 'cheating'. And it is. Life on cheat mode. I love it.
Can I "supplement" test as a 19 year old or nah?
It's not recommended unless you are actually low until at least 24. Legally you would need to cheat a blood test if your levels are normal. To do that just sleep less than 4 hours the night before, drink a big gulp soda, and eat some crispy cream doghnuts right before. Sugar and lack of sleep will crash your test. Other option is to just buy illegally.
I was thinking of buying them. Wouldn't it fuck my natural test levels though? So it'd be a lifelong commitment?
Kind of, but they act like you still don't have to put in the hard work and eat like an animal to gain weight.
Don't you have to stay on it for life, though? I thought that once you start adding tons of test that way, your body starts producing less to compensate and your natural production stays low even when you stop juicing.
Your testosterone starts decreasing from they age of 25-30 anyway. TRT in older men is becoming a more common thing due to the massive quality of life improvements it's been shown to provide.
I am 25 lol. What is the safest way to supplement with T? I dont want my levels to decline. I lift, clean eat, sleep well and try to bang often.
steroids or testosterone subreddits and do you research
Probably so, but I have no intention of ever coming off. I guess it depends on the lifestyle you want to live.
Are there not detrimental effects from long term use?
You need to watch what you eat to keep your cholesterol low, but I don't see that as a bad thing. Also need to take milk thistle to keep liver enzymes down. As long as you aren't abusing something like HGH you don't have to worry about organ growth or anything. Overall on just Testosterone I think I live a healthier life than off.
I've just never seen a method of cheating our physiology that doesn't eventually come back to bite us. If its working for you though, fair enough.
BnC? What's your cruise dosage?
500mg a week. I'm gonna drop to 250mg once I get where I want to be. Dr Tony Huge on youtube says you can maintain a lot of mass on that dose.
Personally I think 250 is a bit high for cruise. I'm doing 100mg now basically just a TRT dosage to. Have you had your blood work done while cruising at 250? Curious to know what they look like.
Great post. No bullshit, well documented.
I would say get bloods done, check your T levels, sort out all this shit, check bloods again, go for HRT if you need to.
Edit: OP, 250ng/L is pretty low, as far as I know the 'acceptable' range was reduced to this from over 300ng/L recently. You should still probably aim for around 800ng/L (?) going off Joe Rogan and the Art of Manliness blog post. Worth a look if you're serious about upping it.
Surprised that you didn't throw in Keto: hormone production requires efficient fat metabolization. Being fat adapted before taking on intermittent fasting will make a world of difference.
Regardless, awesome write up. If you hadn't made this post I was going to write up something similar this weekend. Glad somebody did it!
I heard that keto can lower testosterone as you need carbs to create test, especially if your work out.
You need dietary fat to produce test. You need carbs though for protein reuptake however. Aka need carbs for gains.
A soft clarification for the guys looking for ketogains. You need glucose for anabolic prioritization. The body can create its own glycogen with fatty acids and protein, the real trick is to balance to types of fats you're eating. Grain-fed and processed meats have a ratio of almost 50:1 omega-6 to omega-3.
TL;DR Eat more eggs, green veges, fish, and nuts than red meat at a caloric ratio of roughly 3:1.
Definitely not a gains pirate. Good info.
You only need carbs for the insulin spike for protein uptake of you start deceloping levels of insulin resistance (most people probably have it to some degree) which is caused by long-term consumption carbohydrates (yes even in athletes like marathon runners). Its a vicious cycle. Better to just have less carbs so cells can take up protein better and carbs when you do rarely have them ;)
If you work out and doing keto, you're better with strategically consuming some carbs. Either pre/post workout (TKD) or by doing a refeed day (CKD). Physically active and insulin sensitive people can get away with maintaining ketosis while consuming a bit more carbs than sedentary people.
Not so. Marathon runners also develop insulin resistance. Look up Tim Noakes.
Being fat reduces testosterone as well, keto only needs to be done for about 6 months to a year for you to reap the benefits. Coupled with intermittent fasting and you can go up to 100-150grams per day- plenty of carbs.
You saying if you keto+IF for around a year your body will be so fat adapted you can afford to eat 100-150 grams of carbs and stay fat adapted?
If so, do you have a link? Genuinely curious.
Anecdotal. I've been eating a shit ton of carbs for two months under OMAD. Unbelievably, I still have a six pack.
I've heard OMAD/IF with long breaks can lead to fat loss WITHOUT lowering cals/macro content.
Have you not gained any weight?
I'm fluctuating between 185 and 197. Lowest I've been is 174. Still see veins, still have visible abs without flexing.
It's hard to say. It's most likely water weight. Every 2 weeks I do a 48 hour fast, so that may skew results.
Going low carb but not ketogenic lowers T Bad to be in the halfway zone of low carbs but not ketosis
Fasting does the same thing that keto does in terms of fat metabolism. Just FYI. I personally can't eat keto because I don't eat meat. I do fast and have been for years. I think it's much better than keto for a variety of reasons.
Water fasting is much healthier.
That's what I do. Usually my fast lasts 24 hours. I've been doing it regularly for years now. If you added up all my fast days, they would add up to more than a year.
Rumor has it that 1 day of dry fasting equates to 3 days of water fasting after the second day. I'll be trying out a dry fast in the coming months and post my progress.
I suppose that you would want to drink tons of water and no caffeine the day before. Maybe put in a bit of Himalayan sea salt to hold onto it. It just seems like a long time without water if you don't setup properly.
[edit] Also skip dinner the night before to reduce the water needs of your intestines.
Where did you hear that? And what do you mean by equates?
I hear a dry fast can cure a lot and even kill parasites that you had no idea you had in your system.
Yeah, I've heard the horror stories as well. I'll confirm for science.
Some individuals struggle with skipping breakfast right off the bat. You're talking about going from 1st gear to 5th gear. I'm simply pointing out that there are steps you can take to help transition to intermittent fasting without feeling withdrawals.
I'm well aware that your body enters a state of ketosis whilst fasting, I'm the nutritionist of my gym and have practiced OMAD for the last year. This sub is about explaining why things work. There's more to intermittent fasting than just telling someone "skip breakfast."
How do you find heavy lifting on SS or an intermediate program like Texas Method or HLM while doing keto? I'm researching keto as the option to go to after this cut.
Hard to say. My first year of lifting took place after I started keto and fasting. I did start clocking in single sets of squats at 315lbs and deadlifts at 400 without eating the until 2 hours after the lifts. I'd say that's pretty good for a guy who didn't use supplements.
I only started lifting to supplement my MMA training. It was just a coincidence for me that trp holds lifting as a central tenet. Took a month off for family reasons. I'm looking into going on the Texas method coming back.
Hunger pangs are all in the mind. Most of our ancestors skipped two or more meals on a regular basis. Modern man is too soft. Fasting is one of the easiest ways to harden and strengthen one's will and resilience. Keto will not do this. No pain, no gain.
I personally think that keto is one of the worst diets because it results in the high consumption of animal products. Many studies have shown that a diet high on animal protein can lead to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. As a nutritionist, you should be well aware of that. I'm surprised that this diet is not completely pasé by now.
the amounts of test you may raise with vitamin d and zinc is insignificant. fasting is the same. especially zinc, most of the world is not deficient in zinc, especially western countries. bro science all around. the only difference you'll ever see is through lifting, especially stressing large muscle groups like legs, stress relief and a ton of sleep.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_4068643225&feature=iv&src_vid=oHC1230OpOg&v=BLikP6BDH5w
While I don't necessarily disagree with this whole test boosting thing (more referring to the ads of test boosters and other bullshit. I don't think if you're dealing with legit low T (which you'll only ever know if you actially get bloodwork done). You're not going to see any noticeable difference even if you manage to boost your test levels by 10%. Test levels fluctuate naturally throughout the day. If you're at say 700 ng/dl which is perfectly fine. You're not going to feel like superman at 770. You'll likely never notice the difference.
I agree going from overweight to lean will provide a confidence boost and overall better health which will make you feel considerably better. And by all means if you do in fact have low T by getting tested I'm all for looking for ways to boost it naturally.
However I think all the advertising is making a lot of guys hear the symptoms and say "I have some of those symptoms. I have low T!". Get your shit checked and don't freak out if you're not at 1000. Everyone's natural levels are different and they fluctuate with a ton of factors. Lack of sleep, stress, alcohol, time of day, etc etc etc can all lower it to a degree. If you've ever been drinking and horny your test levels are lower than your normal by "x" points but you're not suffereing a lack of sex drive then even if you're 10% lower than you normally are.
insignificat increase in testosterone, that doesn't mean u shouldn't lose weight.
increase? yes, significant? nope https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2796409
and in your own linked study about zinc it also says that exercise reduces thyroid and sex hormones, if you want significant increase, you better squat on needles.
really important hormone, but the increase is significant only if u are deficient in vitamin D, if u live in northern europe, that vitamin is a must.
vegans have higher testosterone levels, your body makes enough cholesterol, more doesn't mean better.
works really well if u are deficient on it, if u exercise you should supplement for it, cuz alot of it is lost through sweat.
low T makes people stressful, more like increase test. anyway i didn't find any real studies how stress affects T levels but i mean, stress is always there, and it's said that men with high T go through it with ease, so it makes sense to increase T because stress is always there.
works i guess, it is said that everytime you eat there's a decrease in T levels, cant find the study rn, but it makes sense to IF to hold your basal T levels longer i guess, don't know how significant it is.
This is the best way to increase T that is actually significant anything else is pretty much meh.
I prefer steroids. 1000% scientifically proven to increase testosterone.
And take super male vitality ! Lol jk
Boron is often overlooked; its a mineral increases testosterone quite significantly. ""After 7 days of supplementation, the increase in free testosterone (28.3%) reached significance yet the SHBG decrease was not.""
Reference Naghii MR, et al. Comparative effects of daily and weekly boron supplementation on plasma steroid hormones and proinflammatory cytokines. J Trace Elem Med Biol. (2011)
Thanks dude, very helpful info. It almost seems as if society encourages men to disregard testosterone entirely: "Cholesterol is bad, graze like a cow, get stressed out by current events, it's not your fault you just don't have the proper medication... " ETC.
Obviously I'm preaching to the choir...
I've shared this here once but i think its worth it to share again. guys with low Testosterone, check the internet and see a doctor (endochrinologist) about the use of Clomiphene Cytrate to stimulate your body to produce testosterone. If you take testosterone directly your body will stop producing it. With Clomiphene your body is induced to produce it. It worked for me, my T levels went from 200- to 700. If you want to know more, PM me. All OP's suggestions above are also good advice, I use intermitent fasting and vitamin D.
This is interesting af. I will pm you.
Edit: it's prohibited by the WADA so I can't take it.
Bullshit... you just need to lift. Deadlift and squats, and hit a heavy punch bag. Strength+fighting ability = testosterone.
Bullshit. I squat twice bw and deadlift 2.5 bw and my last blood test showed low t. Shut the fuck up.
Surprised sleep isn't on here
When I saw the title I thought this was going to be some spammy bullshit but to the OP’s credit, it is spot on and useful. Even with references. Kudos!
My problem with losing weight is that I can’t focus it on one area. For whatever reason I just can’t shake the weight no matter how much I lift and diet. The fat just always seems to go straight to my dick.
So what you are saying is that with all that fat your dick is always soft, got it.
Or he meant to the pad in front of it.
What's wrong with taking more than 40mg zinc? What does it inhibit
Are zinc and vitamin D effectively absorbed through a multivitamin like mens one a day? I heard that although they have good amounts the usable form is reduced and isn't enough
The zinc and vitamin d in vitamins are produced synthetically, meaning your body does not absorb all of it very well. No synthetic can beat the real stuff.
Nope. Get separate supplements of higher doses and better bio availability. And take them at different times of the day.
Giggled that vitaminD increases test. Also why should we NOT go over 40 mg of zinc?
Zinc poisoning can permanently fuck your sense of smell and taste. I take 25 only + a multi vitamin
Why? I read studies and it does.
This is a great list. I’m also really glad to see that I’ve started doing all of those things over the last year or so.
One thing to add to this which I think is important, is “getting enough sleep”. It’s not to be looked over, in addition to everything already mentioned
question, why shouldnt you go over 40 mg zinc?
Too much zinc effects the copper and other elements in your body.
Zinc is like iron and copper. It’s not a vitamin that you just piss the excess.
Just take steroids if your test is naturally low.
Hormones are synthesised in small amounts so cortisole cant reduce T levels with cholesterole consumption. There should be a diffrent mechanism.
I have been doing intermittent fasting for years now, but I think it has made me a bit too scrawny, and I worry about muscle deterioration from lack of protein/calories in the morning. Recently, I have started having a protein shake (or shudder protein bar when I have less time) in the morning during the fasted period. I don't know. Anyone have any advice on whether this is a good idea or bad?
It's worth noting you won't be seeing these results. There is only one way to boost your T enough to make a difference...
Started working out and Dieting in November. was 237 in November and am now at 217. Its fucking amazing how good Test makes you feel. Confidence has improved 1000%, I feel fucking amazing everyday. Boss asks me how I'm doing and I say fucking amazing, cause I feel fucking amazing. Be fucking amazing.
I've done this before, but stopped working out after a motorcycle wreck. Then gained 30lbs from working 3 jobs. I didn't need to work the 3 jobs but I like to bank that money. Now I'm back to my one full time career job and working out every night after work. Feeling fucking amazing.
Gonna be 200 by summer, then might hit 185 by the end of the year.
D3 is not the same as D and a lot of people keep confusing these 2, even doctors recommending D3 for Vit D deficiencies. D3 helps calcium to be better absorbed but does nothing for your D levels.
The absolute best supplements for Vit D are cod liver oil capsules. They are pretty expensive but are the easiest natural supplements that you can take that have a high concentration of pure vitamin D.
To add to your list. Vit D deficiency leads to depression, severe anxiety, frequent panic attacks. These things can fuck you up long term and after going through all that personally I realised how important Vit D is. Don't ignore it, and dont follow doctors recommending D3.
Can't stress enough about the Vitamin D. A lot of people are deficient and they don't even know it.
A few months ago, I got some blood work done and I found out my Vitamin D level was 6 . Yes, 6. The normal range is 30-100. I've started supplementing now..
Agreed!
I get Vitamin D daily after I got the test — was 21.
Strength training will not increase testosterone levels for a prolonged period of time - which is what's useful. Strength training may cause small alterations to hormone levels but it's really miniscule.
I measured my testosterone via blood test at my local doctor - fasted, first thing in the morning - I had a level of 680. I then didn't ejaculate once over the space of two months, and measured my testosterone under the same conditions twice during the two months and my levels had increased to 820. No change in workout routine nor diet. I was definately more energetic and horny during those two months so l attribute it to not ejaculating.
People want short cuts and instant fixes, not a list of long term and time consuming activities. Your post is fucking retarded. /s
BOOST TEST BY 550% in only 5 minutes, just click on my crappy product.
Is that better? lol. I'm pretty sure everyone here is NOT keen for short-term fixes.
Fuck your link.. 200mg of T-cypionate/week.
Just eat a lot of anabolic chicken.
But this will increase DHT levels, thus, hair loss.
The whole premise behind finasteride is to lower DHT, not raise it.
Women would rather a high T baldy, than a fullheaded soyboy.
Who cares about what women want. Stop being a pussy worshipper.
Doesn't semen have a good amount of testosterone in it?
Saliva too
I do all of these 7 things and it changed my life. My days are full I'm always busy and have lots of energy. I went to bed at 2am last night after a workout in home gym and got up for work at 7.30am refreshed. I can't explain it but there's nothing like feeling healthy. Cut out trash like sweets and sugar too.
Have you done blood tests?
No. I'm not necessarily saying its test but I was inactive doing no exercise and slightly overweight. Now I'm lean, fit, and always have energy. The activities themselves in the suggestions made me happier/fitter.
After all this you still might not be where you want to or need to be. Low testosterone is a serious problem that most doctors simply won't address. If you can, locate a low testosterone clinic. Injectable testosterone cypionate is absolutely the best treatment. Yes, you will have to inject and technically you are taking steroids. You will also feel 18 and and be able to perform as so. For some men it will change their life completely. Almost all women will hate this and be against it.
For future reference, it'd be much better if you put the relevant references with the correct subheading (seeing as you can't index them and reference them that way).
Great post, I also just want to stress how important it is to watch what goes into your body. Sugar tanks testosterone, soy and legumes are highly estrogenic, and processed crap in general will also lower T.
Sugar: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/22804876/
Phytoestrogens(legumes and soy): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21353476/
How would I go about getting tested for low testosterone in Canada
These are all very good and things I just kind of do naturally.
Guys if you don't like to lift weights, try chopping wood. Lumberjacks are known for being among the strongest guys for a reason. Chopping wood also is known to build testosterone more than any other exercise.
Also the old wives tale about oysters is because of zinc. It wasn't an old wives tale at all.
Dude. Because the D gives you test. Do I have to spell this one out?
Of u over 40 try hormone replament therapy
Disclaimer: this comment is for guys who truly have low T and an otherwise healthy lifestyle.
Lifestyle is important and is something you should be taking care of regardless.
However, most of this shit is fluff. I'm sorry, but unless you are severely obese, have a huge vitamin d/zinc deficiency, sleep like absolute shit, etc, you are not going to naturally raise your levels from like 200ng/dL to 600+.
I've been quite involved with the male hormone community, and most of the guys don't have any underlying causes that can be identified and corrected naturally. Pretty much the only ones are prolactinomas and severe thyroid issues. The vast majority of cases of bloodwork and lifestyle habits I've seen look pretty normal; leaving clomid, hcg mono, or trt + hcg as the only viable options.
Any evidence martial arts increases T? I do everything on the list and MA feels the same as lifting. More mental than physical though.
Grappling and rolling BJJ could partly replace lifting. But you need to work hard.
I'd try to combine lifting/MMA.
I just kegel everyday in a cold shower. Works for me.
Sidenote: Zinc increases the volume of your cum
Certain foods in your diet plays a role too, least it did for me. I try to get in red meat a couple times a week and almonds every day, it makes a huge difference. Eggs are a good suggestion though, 6 eggs a day if you can handle it works extremely well.
Wrong. xD If that was the case you hapless neckbeards would be drowning in pussy.
He’s not talking about VLDL cholesterol that’s produced from sugar. He’s talking about HDL and LDL cholesterols that are produced when you you eat protein and fat.
Step 1: inject testosterone Step 2: workout and eat right Step 3: be fucking massive but always trying to get bigger
Only agree with 2 and 3. Fuck skinny get huge.
Here is a study that says vegan men produce more testosterone.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2374537/pdf/83-6691152a.pdf
Probably more to do with hormones in low quality meat in regular diets. And that vegans actually think about what they eat but need to. If you compared fit vegans to fit omnivores who ate high quality meat, I'd bet the vegans would have lower test.
Most vegans I see don't think about what they eat so Idk what you're going on about. The vegan sub has fake meats and cheeses and Ben & Jerry Ice Cream posted like everyday because most of them try to replicate the fat consumption of their previous diet and many of them eat shit.
Eating vegan requires next to no thought, it's pretty much pop a B12 tablet once a week. That's it.
Maybe it's just that the can't eat at most fast food places and such so they avoid the worst of it. That weird vegan shit they post is expensive. Most of them don't eat it all the time. Either way, I believe vegans on average are probably healthier in various metrics than non vegans on average. But I believe health conscious vegans are probably less healthy in the same metrics than health conscious omnivores on average. Does that sound reasonable?
Vegan junk food is ubiquitous. French Fries. Oreos. Potato chips. Tortilla chips and taco shells. Various sugar cereals. Etc. Taco Bell can be very vegan friendly. Tons of modern day vegans kill their bodies bite by bite.
The longest lived populations have pretty much all been starch-based. Look at blue zones. 1940s Okinawans weren't vegan but damn close to it and got 85% of their calories from the sweet potato and ate basically less than a bite of meat a day, on average (some festivals days they'd have their meat, and most other days none).
They also had the most centenarians in the world percentage-wise.
https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2013nl/feb/travis.htm
Now they adopted the western diet, they are fast becoming the fattest and sickest Japanese. I have not yet found a health case for meat eating on a population scale.
Healthy does not necessarily mean long lived. If they do that, their musculature and hormonal profiles will suffer. They might live longer, but life is about living better, not living longer.
By any metric I can see, they were healthier.
Okinawan's were renowned for being active into their 80s and 90s, and were mentally sharp into their last years, with a dementia/alzheimers a fraction of ours. I'm not sure how this isn't healthier? Are we saying hormone profiles trump actual results?
OTOH, we've see a skyrocketing diabetes rate in Japan after they took up more meat (7x 1950s levels), milk consumption 9x, eggs 3x, and fish 1.25x.... while rice consumption has declined by 1/2, as has potatoes/sweet potatos.
http://archive.is/1j1OQ
And I'm sure most chronic disease rates are following that trend there. Yet Japanese meat consumption is still quite moderate compared to ours, for instance, they define obese at 25 BMI instead of 30 like we do.
Maybe, maybe not.
They also had increased globulin, which made their free testosterone (the measure that counts) equal to the other men.
The meat eating men in the study were not necessarily eating the right things to raise their testosterone either. Plenty of other studies show dietary cholesterol intake increases testosterone without the analogous rise in globulin shown here in vegan men.
Sad.
This still disproves the meat-eaters' claim that they have more T. Vegans also have lower levels of IGF1 which is cancer causing.
Can we see, what exactly did they eat?
Without it this study is pretty worthless.
Yeah, if there's anything American's don't lack in eating, it's meat. Or per person. And those graphs doesn't even include fish.
Your fact is only true in a short term sense as it will give you a local peak. But in the long-term, you want your testicles to produce your testosterone and your balls, like all your organs, operate best when it has good blood flow. Btw, that's also why so many men this generation have ED, the heart's vessels are the size of a regular straw, the dick's the size of a coffee stirrer.
This means avoiding cholesterol as it contributes greatly to atherosclerosis. And it also means avoiding fatty meals, whether animal or plant based, as those induce postprandial lipemia aka sludgeblood between 6-10 hours afterwards (and if you eat 3x a day, do the math). Or if you want to see it in a test tube.
And here is the backup about blood flow and testicles reducing testosterone:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3832817/
And it's no surprise really, we knew since the Korean war study that most western YOUNG men already exhibit some level of atherosclerosis. These days, I think most kids age 10 already have fatty streaks in their blood vessels. Atherosclerosis is the most common cause listed here:
https://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/MALEHTML/MALE082.html
And more about cholesterol:
https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/cholesterol/