Testosterone is a very vital hormone for men, and it affects almost every area of their life. It is the hormone that has a huge impact on your sexual function, libido levels, and moods. When you have higher T levels than normal, there are more chances to enjoy an active sex life and better self-confidence.
However, after reaching 30 or 40 years of age level starts decreasing by around 15% per decade naturally unless you take some measures to stop this process from happening! If you want to increase testosterone naturally, exercise is the best way to go. Exercising stimulates the secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH), which acts upon Leydig cells, causing them to synthesize and release testosterone into the bloodstream.
It can help increase testosterone levels in men by up to 30%. It’s important for any man interested in boosting their testosterone levels to include exercise as part of their lifestyle. This will mostly help if you are overweight or have fewer muscles since studies have proved a direct relation between a higher muscle mass and right weight with high testosterone levels.
Testosterone that is not bound to any protein (known as free testosterone) accounts for the majority of the total testosterone concentration in our bodies. There are two types of testosterone: 98% bound testosterone and free testosterone, which makes up about 2% of the body’s overall testosterone content.
The best exercises to boost testosterone are those that challenge your body but don’t push it too hard. A good rule of thumb is that if you’re sweating or breathing heavily during your workout, then you’ve probably pushed beyond your limits. If you don’t feel challenged after your workout, then the weights are probably too light. The following are some of the best exercises to increase testosterone.
Weightlifting
Weightlifting, and in particular resistance training, is one of the best ways to increase testosterone levels naturally. It focuses on isolating muscle groups and exercising them to the point of fatigue. It is one of the top exercises that have proved to help in building muscles, strength, and thus in increasing testosterone levels. Exercises falling under this category include:
- Deadlift. Deadlift is one of the best exercises to increase testosterone. It targets your legs, back, and shoulders primarily but also hits other muscles like biceps.
- Chest press. Chest press is done on a machine known as ‘pec deck’ This exercise is used for those who want to build upper body strength. It is a muscle-building exercise and targets deltoids, pectorals, triceps, and biceps.
- Dumbbell lunges. Dumbbell lunges are another exercise that helps in building strength and increasing testosterone levels. This activity involves placing yourself in a lunged position, holding weights.
High-intensity interval training
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a great way to increase testosterone levels. It also helps improve your aerobic and anaerobic fitness, which are both vital for maintaining overall health. Studies have shown that HIIT can boost testosterone by up to 20%.
HIIT involves quick, intense exercise followed by short rest periods or complete rest. You should do this activity at least three times per week with one day off between sessions. Try these exercises:
- Sprinting. Sprinting is believed to fall under HIIT since it involves short bursts of speed in which you quickly tire out. Sprinting is one of the best exercises to increase testosterone levels in men because, when done properly, it can be a very effective way to burn fat.
- Weighted sled drags. This exercise requires two heavy sleds or weights. You drag them behind you for about 100-yards and then stop to complete rest before repeating them several times over. This HIIT workout will help improve your endurance and boost T levels naturally without placing excessive stress on your body, as some other high-intensity exercises might do.
- Jump rope intervals. It’s no secret that boxers are some of the most ripped athletes in the world. It takes an incredible amount of endurance and strength to be able to go toe-to-toe with someone for 12 rounds while also having enough energy left over at the end of each round to throw big punches! Jumping rope helps improve your overall conditioning as well as burning fat, which means more muscle definition when all is said and done. The best part about jumping rope is there isn’t much room for improvement since it only requires two feet.
- Press-ups. Press-ups are one of the best exercises to increase testosterone levels in men. It activates muscles throughout your body, including your core and glutes. But if you want an even more challenging variation of this exercise, try doing them on rings with either straight or bent arms. Press-ups are also great for boosting T. Since they work out all muscle groups within your back, shoulders, biceps and forearms – it’s hard not to feel like superman after a few sets of press-ups.
- Squat jumps. Another type of HIIT workout that you can try is squat jumps. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and then jump into the air as high as possible before landing back in a squat position. Immediately upon impact, stand up and repeat the process over again for about 30 seconds or so, depending on how much time you have! Squat jumps are great because they help you lose weight and increase your overall strength simultaneously.
Alicia Saville did her degree in psychology at the University of Edinburgh. She is interested in mental health and well-being.