The majority of men know testosterone is essential for their sexual activity and athletic success, but they are unaware of its other benefits. Improved cardiovascular health, bigger muscles, increased alertness, and sleeping well are only a couple of these secondary benefits. Increasing testosterone levels in a natural way is a wise decision, as it will also better your overall health. So how can you boost your testosterone without going for hormone injections? If you don’t want needles, there are plenty of natural ways to boost your testosterone. Here are 36 examples of them:
1. Do Resistance Training
If you want to increase your testosterone output, strength exercise is the right way to go. Although you won’t have to work as hard as a bodybuilder, you may need to do daily free-weight exercises (1) that are somewhat strenuous if you want to elicit a hormonal answer. The muscle tissue will suffer tiny tears because you are pushing your muscles. When this occurs, the body reacts by producing more testosterone, among other things, so that it can fix the damage and make room for more growth. The best thing about weight training is that it has a slew of other advantages (2)(3) in addition to raising testosterone levels. Improved cardiovascular fitness, lower risk of getting injured (especially if you’re over 50), healthier sex, clearer thoughts, better regulation of blood glucose, increased self-esteem, and lower body weight are only a few of these advantages.
2. Exercise with Compound Lifts
Resistance training is the most natural and successful way to boost testosterone levels. But only a small amount of weightlifting is necessary. You’ll need to perform “compound lifts” to get the most testosterone-boosting effects from weightlifting. A compound lift is most beneficial since the user is working on multiple (compound) muscles at the same time. Think of the muscles and joints that get a workout from a deadlift versus a bicep curl. Other examples include Squats, bent-over rows, inclined bench presses, and barbell shrugs are examples of compound lifts. Free weights are more beneficial compared to an exercise machine if you want to get the most out of your compound lifts. Weight machines relieve some of the strain on the muscles by reducing the amount of effort required to maintain the weight. As a result, you don’t get as much from the lift.
3. Shed Some Weight
Obesity is not safe, despite the marketing campaigns saying the contrary. It raises the likelihood of developing diabetes, increases the risk of heart failure and death of COVID-19, the risk of high blood pressure, and reduces life expectancy (4). However, related to this article, we’re interested in how obesity affects testosterone production (5). If you’re an overweight man looking to boost his testosterone levels, losing weight is another great way to go. If you believe strength exercise would help you drop weight, you may want to consider it. Aerobic exercise is the safest option, according to research (6).
4. Increase Protein Intake
There is no proof that eating protein can raise testosterone levels in the bloodstream on its own. But there’s no denying that giving muscles the protein they need to regenerate and restore is essential if you want to get the most of your resistance training. As a result, the impact of protein is indirect: consume more protein to develop more muscular bodies, fuel your exercises, and produce more testosterone. To be clear, some health practitioners claim that eating more protein can increase testosterone production. There is no convincing proof that this is the case, though (7). What’s indisputable is that if you do strength training and increase your protein intake, you’ll help your muscles grow stronger which would release more testosterone as they rebuild.
5. Experiment with Intermittent Fasting
These days, intermittent fasting happens to be on everyone’s plate, primarily for reasons that are apparent only to the person fasting. Still, it might be a good option if you’re searching for fresh and exciting ways to increase testosterone production. Intermittent fasting usually entails regularly feeding for five days a week and lowering the food intake for the next two days. According to common belief, this method of fasting raises testosterone by causing the body to burn fat for energy in the mechanism called ketosis (8). The truth is, there’s lots of proof that a low-carb keto diet increases testosterone (9), but any increase would be intermittent if you’re in and out of ketosis. A more intelligent strategy would be to go all-in on the keto diet but remember this comes with its own collection of problems.
6. Increase the Amount of HDL Cholesterol in Your Body
LDL and HDL are the two most common forms of cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is regarded as “healthy,” while LDL cholesterol is regarded as “bad.” There is strong empirical evidence that there’s a correlation between elevated HDL cholesterol and testosterone levels (10). Consequently, you’ll see a variety of websites trumpeting the benefits of increasing HDL cholesterol levels. Although data suggests that higher HDL cholesterol equals higher blood testosterone, some warning still has to be given. That’s because a new study conducted on over 6,000 participants found that eating a lot of high HDL cholesterol foods can increases a person’s risk of cardiac attack significantly (11). If you’re serious about improving your HDL to boost your testosterone levels, see a doctor or a nutritionist first to make a plan.
7. Get Enough Sleep
There is a slew of explanations why you should get enough sleep (12), especially if you’re doing a lot of heavy lifting. After all, most muscle recovery happens when you sleep, and larger muscles can increase the volume of testosterone produced when you exercise. There is, nevertheless, a strong connection between testosterone levels and sleep. According to research, men’s testosterone levels decrease sharply throughout the day because they don’t get enough sleep (13). It doesn’t matter if you do weighted exercises or not. The exact reason for it is unknown, but the data is clear: get the necessary 7-9 hours of sleep every night to help keep your levels from dropping. A good night’s sleep can also help you exercise more effectively and avoid injuries.
8. Don’t Run Away from Fats
Sifting through all of the evidence may be tedious, but you’ll find that scientists usually accept that the amount of monounsaturated fat men consume is related to the way in which serum (blood) testosterone levels increase or decrease. Because we’ve heard for many years that fat is forbidden, this might sound counterintuitive. However, it’s correct (14) and raises the issue of what foods comprise certain healthy monounsaturated fats. Nuts, including almonds and peanuts, and peanut butter, avocados, and olive oil, are the ones. There’s also proof that saturated fats may help increase testosterone levels (15). Dark chocolate, strong cheeses, egg yolks, meat, coconut oil, and red meat are good sources of balanced saturated fats.
9. Before Going to Bed, Drink Some Milk
We’ve already mentioned that a significant amount of testosterone is generated when you’re asleep. If you want to speed up this process, consider drinking a glass of milk right before bed. When you drink whole milk a few minutes before going to sleep, you’ll boost your melatonin intake, which can make you fall asleep quicker. Waking up with ‘morning wood’ is a sure sign that your T-levels are in a normal range since morning erections are the first sign that you have increased testosterone levels.
10. Spend More Time in the Sun
There is a well-known connection between increased vitamin D from supplements and increased T-levels (16). Still, since we’re searching for the most effective natural ways to increase testosterone, we’re trying to avoid taking supplements. Fortunately, there is an easy and quick way to boost vitamin D intake in this case: go outside and spend a few minutes in the sun. Sunlight is the most common source of vitamin D (17). No, this doesn’t mean small vitamin D molecules exist in sunlight. The sun’s ultraviolet B light is consumed by the skin, where it interacts with a substance named 7-Dehydrocholesterol. After that, 7D, let’s call it that way, turns into pre-vitamin D3, only to become real vitamin D3 in the end. So, if you want to use Vitamin D to increase your testosterone levels, get some sunlight.
11. Eat More Broccoli
It looks like your mother was right telling you to eat all your broccoli. You should consume this veggie whenever possible if you want to increase testosterone production. When you do (or Brussel sprouts and cauliflower), your body produces a substance named Diindolylmethane (DIM), which is essential for testosterone output regulation. According to data, DIM can also serve as an estrogen receptor, which would be useful for retaining serum or blood testosterone. Furthermore, evidence suggests that DIM helps prevent or delay the development of prostate cancer by interacting with the proliferation of cancer cells (18).
12. Locate Natural Zinc and Magnesium Sources
Minerals like Magnesium and Zinc are needed for testosterone production. Deficiencies in either will cause testosterone output to be disrupted. People who consume too much alcohol, have diarrhea often, or don’t drink enough water might be deficient in these nutrients. This can trigger their T-levels to decrease. Fortunately, certain foods are high in both Magnesium and Zinc, so getting plenty of these minerals shouldn’t be too difficult. Oysters, crabs, and scallops, as well as yogurt, bran cereals, and legumes, are all healthy options. Pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, and sesame seeds, as well as cashews and, to a small degree, soybeans, are rich in Zinc and Magnesium as well.
13. Have Sex
You may have heard that when you think about sex, it causes your testosterone levels to increase. Sadly, this is more common folklore than empirical reality. However, having sex daily will help you increase testosterone production for sure. It seems that men who engage in daily physical activity experience a rise in testosterone, and since sex is a type of aerobic activity, it can raise levels even higher (19). Although regular sex does good for mood and T-levels, the results will only be temporary. Your testosterone levels would more likely return to normal about an hour or so after sex. So, sex is not a cure-all for when your testosterone is low, but it may be a helpful tool in your arsenal.
14. Lower Stress Levels
Estrogen and cortisol are two deadly rivals of the testosterone in your semen. Although the estrogen/testosterone interaction is often regarded as very bad, it is the negative influence of cortisol on your testosterone levels that cannot be overstated. When cortisol levels are up, T-levels are low. This is important since, as it points out, tension and stress increase cortisol levels (20). If you want to give yourself the highest chance of benefiting from the boost your fitness and nutritional changes bring, do whatever you can to reduce stress. If you don’t, high cortisol levels caused by stress can counteract all your testosterone gains.
15. Don’t Avoid Carbohydrates
There is a study investigating the connection between carbohydrates and men’s testosterone levels (21). It’s a sort of clear-cut statement that’s difficult to disregard and that you shouldn’t ignore if you want to boost your testosterone levels. Also, keep in mind that if you’re lifting weights, carbs would be needed to fuel your workouts. However, we can’t talk about carb-loading without considering the risks. Each testosterone enhancement will be fleeting if you don’t exercise while increasing your carb consumption. You’ll eventually gain so much weight, and your testosterone levels will decrease, not to mention you’d be at risk of heart failure, asthma, and other illnesses.
16. Be Aware of the Medicines You’re Taking
When men are attempting to find out why they aren’t capable of increasing their testosterone output, the use of medicines is often forgotten. Various pharmaceutical drugs have been noted to interact with testosterone synthesis. If you’re taking such medicines and aren’t seeing the T-levels increase you’ve been waiting for, it’s possible that your prescription is to blame. Cimetidine (often used for ulcers or GERD), Spironolactone (for high blood pressure), Ketoconazole (for fungal infections or athlete’s foot), and certain antidepressants are all reported to interact with the testosterone output. Opioids and some chemotherapy medications also cause testosterone synthesis to be disrupted. If you’re on some of these medications, talk to your doctor about what you can do. Don’t stop using them without a consult first.
17. Learn About Fenugreek
Unless you’re an herbalist, chances are you don’t know much about Fenugreek. This little-known herb turns out to be a powerful testosterone booster, as clinical studies have shown on several occasions (22). The brown, long Fenugreek seeds, when dry and grounded, are used as an ingredient in some dishes around the world. If you’ve ever eaten Indian rice, you’ve also seen Fenugreek. You can also consume it raw or use it in stews and wraps.
18. Eat More Avocado
Many people are hesitant to try avocados, but once they do, they can’t get enough of them. If you’re looking to increase your testosterone levels and enjoy avocados, you’re in luck. Avocados are rich in Zinc, which is essential for testosterone production. So, don’t be afraid to get the guacamole the next time you’re at a Mexican restaurant. If you’re going grocery shopping, make sure to pick up avocados for your salads or toast.
19. Reduce the Amount of Sugar You Consume
A person’s blood glucose level rises as they consume sugary foods. As a result, insulin production increases to offset the impact. Insulin has a negative influence on testosterone synthesis and serum levels because testosterone usually decreases as insulin levels increase to reach elevated blood sugar levels (23). For those who have type 2 diabetes, the result is much more pronounced. Sugary beverages and snacks should be avoided if you want to guarantee that any of the testosterone you’re generating from your weightlifting isn’t being negated by insulin.
20. Eat Macadamia Nuts
As a general concept, consuming nuts to boost testosterone production is a good idea, as nuts are often high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have many advantages. However, some nuts work better than others. As far as rising T-levels naturally, the macadamia nut is one of the strongest. That’s because it’s high in healthy saturated fatty acids, which help with the testosterone output. Brazil nuts are beneficial to T-levels too. While they don’t have as much saturated fat compared to macadamia nuts, they still contain a higher level than average. If there is a disadvantage to Brazil nuts, many people find them to have a “moldy” flavor.
21. Incorporate Ginger into Your Diet
There haven’t been any large-scale studies on humans on how ginger influences testosterone production, so this one may be controversial. On the other hand, animal studies have shown that ginger can increase testosterone levels (24). Ginger appears to improve HDL cholesterol levels, antioxidant function, blood sugar stability, and help with testosterone receptor recycling. Moreover, it goes great with everything, from pork tenderloins and chicken dishes to sandwiches, pasta, and soups, seafood, pizza, curry, as well as a variety of stir-fries. You can even consume it raw.
22. Increase Muscle Mass
In this scenario, the purpose of resistance training is to increase testosterone levels. Many men, though, are curious as to whether larger muscles can result in higher blood testosterone levels. No, it is not the case. Your testicles contain testosterone, not your muscles (25). However, when you increase the amount and strength of your weightlifting, more testosterone is generated to aid in muscle recovery and rebuild. The more strength you gain, the more you can lift, and the testicular testosterone generated is higher. If your muscle mass remains precisely the same, though, the testosterone increase you get will be negligible.
23. Take Care of Your Gut
At this stage, several of our testosterone-boosting recommendations have revolved around dietary changes. The consistency of the gain you get from implementing the recommendations can be influenced by the condition of your stomach. Your body cannot successfully digest what you are eating if your digestive system is a mess, and any testosterone-increasing effects will be minimal. Probiotics (26) are the easiest and most efficient way to increase the digestive tract’s performance. They are helpful bacteria that live in your stomach and aid in the digestion of food. You would starve to death if you didn’t have these microscopic freeloaders. Your body wouldn’t be able to extract nutrition from the food you eat. Probiotics can be found in kimchi, yogurt, sauerkraut, and pickles.
24. Try HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)
If you don’t know anything about high-intensity interval training (HIIT), rest assured that it’s not about punching people. In case you’re unfamiliar with the acronym, HIIT, it stands for High-Intensity Interval Training. It entails combining cycles of high-intensity exercise with periods of low-intensity. For instance, one form of HIIT exercise might include sprinting, then jogging, each for a minute, then returning to sprinting (without stopping), and again.
As the body is subjected to alternating strength exercise, it burns out the sugar in your blood, and you enter the anaerobic state (27). These days, HIIT training happens to be very common. If you like to exercise in a community setting, you shouldn’t have trouble coming across HIIT training classes where you live.
25. Take Up a Boxing or Martial Arts Class
So far, we’ve looked at over a dozen safe approaches to boost testosterone levels. The majority of them included types of strength training and making dietary changes. This one, on the other hand, does not concern any of those. In this scenario, it is suggested that you participate in an aggressive activity such as boxing or martial arts. What is the reason for this? Studies show that cultivating an offensive attitude (such as the one required in these sports) boosts testosterone output (28). Granted, exchanging punches to increase the hormone output isn’t for everybody. However, if you need it, the alternative is accessible and even works. Don’t worry; you won’t have to transform into Mike Tyson to take advantage of this gain. What you have to do is participate in a sport that needs an actual physical activity that increases aggressiveness.
26. Stop Making Age Excuses
If you have the opportunity to speak candidly with older men (in their 40s or older) you may frequently hear them reject the possibility of naturally increasing their testosterone levels to reap the benefits. One of their more frequent explanations for ignoring this talk is that they are no longer young, so they can’t increase their exercise, sex lives, nor develop a more masculine physique. But many will disagree. Scientists and health experts are convinced that weightlifting (29), which is an effective way to raise blood testosterone levels, can have many valuable benefits to older people. In particular, physicians advise older men to engage in strength exercise 3 or 4 days a week (30) to increase their muscle mass, which would, of course, raise testosterone levels. As a result, don’t hide behind an excuse.
27. Don’t Eat Soy
Increased protein consumption has also been listed as a way to raise testosterone levels. However, not all proteins will suffice. It might be difficult for vegans to accept, but animal protein is needed. It’s not going to happen if you think eating soy protein shakes will increase your T-levels. Soy protein has little effect on testosterone production (31). Furthermore, soy products may lower sperm count (32). And if that wasn’t bad enough, Soy has been shown to raise estrogen levels, no matter if you’re a woman or a man. If you’re working to increase your testosterone levels, as we explained, you don’t want estrogen messing with your testosterone output. Finally, our bodies do not process Soy and other proteins, so the protein that reaches the system per volume is lower compared to the one that comes from other food sources.
28. Don’t Eat Junk Food
The easiest way to make your body develop the extra testosterone you want is to nourish it with a nutritious diet. Eating meals like burgers and fries may clog your ateries, deprive you of vital nutrients, and load you up with more calories than you can handle. Instead of eating a burger after hitting the gym, find a place with a decent salad bar or a healthy lean steak. Fruits, vegetables and lean meats like boneless chicken breast can be kept in your refrigerator. Replace sugary beverages with fresh water. If you’re a fan of instant coffee, get yourself a coffee machine, a grinder, and whole milk to reduce the amount of sugar used for sweetening your coffee.
29. Eat More Strawberries
Strawberries, in addition to being delicious, are high in Zinc. As previously mentioned, Zinc intake is a significant element in deciding testosterone levels in healthy men (33). One of the clearest A=B ratios of metabolism is that increased zinc intake equals increased testosterone. So, if you’re searching for a delicious natural supply of Zinc, start consuming strawberries, which are also rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, and essential minerals like potassium. Potassium will help you maintain better overall health. Furthermore, they are a healthy source of nutrition, fat-, sodium-, and calorie-free. The next time you’re at the store, choose strawberries if you’re serious about improving your fitness and increasing your testosterone levels.
30. Drink Coffee
Lifters have been drinking a cup of hot coffee before going to the gym for years to give them the endurance boost needed for their workouts. On the other hand, a cup of coffee can do more than just increase your energy levels. It can also aid in boosting testosterone levels before and after you exercise (34). Caffeine was long believed to be harmful to humans because it is an artificial stimulant. We now realize that the very opposite is real. Coffee has several health advantages, including lowering the incidence of heart attack and stroke, the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and helping you live longer (35). There is no evidence that it may increase testosterone levels when consumed before weightlifting, though, it helps give you the energy to lift more.
31. Eat Oysters
Men have praised the oyster as a sexual enhancer since the beginning of time. There now seems to be some empirical data to support their claims (36). According to a report from the International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics, male rats fed oysters had significantly higher testosterone levels. The exact cause is unknown, although it seems to be linked to a rise in blood nitrous oxide and luteinizing hormone levels. Regardless of whether you understand these findings or not, they seem to back up a long-held theory about oysters. However, increased testosterone isn’t the only excuse to consume this kind of seafood. Oysters are also rich in vitamins, nutrients, and protein, as well as antioxidants that are good for your core.
32. Learn About Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha has been used in the Ayurvedic system of medicine mostly to cure infertility. Until not too long ago, Western medicine dismissed the notion that this tiny evergreen shrub might yield something more. On the other hand, Western scholars were blown away by Ashwagandha when they started using it. Indian Ginseng, how it’s also known, does just what conventional healers have said for centuries: it increases testosterone (37) and sperm count. Ashwagandha powder may be sprinkled onto your coffee or cakes, but it’s more often used in capsule supplementation form.
33. Rely on Coconuts
For decades, bodybuilders have claimed that saturated fat increases blood testosterone levels. For a long time, research has shown that as men cut down on saturated fat, their testosterone levels drop (38). However, this was not convincing evidence that rising dietary saturated fat levels can raise testosterone levels. The claim is now backed up with empirical evidence (39). How is this related to coconuts, you might ask? Coconuts, as it points out, have a substantial saturated fat content. In particular, saturated fat makes up more than 90% of all the fat present in coconuts. As a result, evidence shows that if you want a natural and delicious way to help increase your testosterone levels, you can try coconuts. That is the genuine coconut, not the over-processed ones served with coffee.
34. Give Dark Chocolate a Chance
Flavanols are considered to be abundant in dark chocolate (40). Many of the reasons why health experts recommend eating dark chocolate now and then is because of this. Flavanols, in particular, are beneficial to the heart (41) and can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Another advantage of having a strong heart is being able to exercise more efficiently, which will improve your heart muscle’s even more. Finally, such intense exercises can result in more hormone production than if you just did lite lifting. As a result, try eating dark chocolate so that you can boost your flavanol levels, improve your heart wellbeing, and fuel more effective exercises that help your body produce more testosterone.
35. Make Use of Olive Oil
For many decades, doctors, writers, and dieticians have talked about how miraculous olive oil is. This isn’t casual chit-chat; it has an apparent effect on the subject at hand. You know, good olive oil will improve the flavor of your meal as well as help increase your testosterone levels. How? You see, you don’t have to work too hard to identify the scientific correlation between olive oil intake and increased HDL or healthy cholesterol levels (42). As we mentioned, there’s a lot of data connecting high HDL cholesterol levels too high testosterone levels (43). Therefore, consuming olive oil with your diet to boost HDL cholesterol levels, which will increase T-levels as a result.
36. Make Sure That You’re Training Correctly
As we wrap up, we’d like to return to weightlifting and point another thing out. We spoke about how weightlifting will increase your T-levels and how compound lifts are the most powerful form of lifts to perform. While all these statements are correct, there is another aspect that you also need to consider. To increase your testosterone you should increase your lifting volume, which means the reps and the amount of weight you raise. According to studies, focusing on greater volume instead of total weight causes the body to produce more growth hormones and testosterone (44). So, forget about trying to hit a personal best on the bench press, focus more on repeatedly lifting 75-90% of your body weight.
More Like This: Best Testosterone Boosters in 2021: Top 11 Testo Supplements
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