Monday Muscle - How to increase testosterone levels naturally

Testosterone is what makes men “men”. Although women also produce testosterone generally it is on a much lower level. The interesting thing is that “normal levels” of testosterone can range from 348ng/dl – 1197ng/dl. This means that some men can naturally produce 3x more testosterone and still be considered normal. If you are interested in fitness and increasing muscle, you need to be on the high end of that range… and here’s HOW:


Tip 1.) Lose the excess body fat: As your waist size goes up, your testosterone goes down.

The more fat you have on you body the more aromatase you produce, which will causes your body to convert testosterone into estrogen (the “female” hormone and this is one of the reasons behind the development of “man boobs” or “moobs” in overweight men)


Tip 2.) SLEEP! A lack of quality sleep can dramatically diminish the amount of testosterone your body produces, thereby reducing muscle growth and fat loss! Research has demonstrated that the amount of sleep you get is associated with morning testosterone levels. Researchers at the University of Chicago recorded the sleeping patterns of healthy men and found that participants' testosterone levels increased the longer they slept... generally it is recommend that you get 7-9 hours of sleep per night to optimize the testosterone response.


Tip 3.) Don’t completely avoid cholesterol: Testosterone is derived from cholesterol, so it should come as no surprise that if your diet is lacking in cholesterol, you're also more than likely shortchanging yourself when it comes to the muscle-building hormone.

Try incorporating small portions of lean red meat, whole eggs or seafood like shrimp or lobster.


Tip 4.) Add Multi-Joint movements to your workout routine: Essentially, the more muscle mass you stimulate, the more testosterone you'll secrete. A recent study conducted on trained subjects showed that squats stimulated a greater testosterone response when compared to leg presses. Stick with multi-joint exercises like squats, bench presses, and deadlifts—as they are prime examples of the kinds of compound lifts that'll help significantly jack up your testosterone levels!


Tip 5.) Limit Your Alcohol intake: Happy hour can wreak havoc on your manly hormones. In a recent Dutch study, men who drank moderate amounts of alcohol daily for 3 weeks experienced a 7 percent decrease in their testosterone levels. Limit your drinking to one or two glasses of beer or wine a night to avoid a drop in testosterone.

So there you have it - 5 tips to boost your t-levels inside and outside of the gym.