How to boost testosterone levels?

May 10, 2007 12:15 PM

Are there any safe, legal methods of raising testosterone levels in conjunction with a weightlifting regime?

My search-yu yielded a lot of stuff about protein, which I'm already using. Interested in a supplment or foods that contribute to greater testosterone levels - or both. Thanks in advance.

posted by Thistledown to health & fitness (16 comments total)

I have used DHEA in the past, available over the counter. I wasn't sure if it was making much of a difference so I stopped after one bottle.
posted by vito90 at 12:33 PM on May 10, 2007

Anecdotal evidence says that Tribulus Terrestris might raise testosterone, or at least help the body produce more on its own. Like any supplement buzz, unless it is a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study, then nobody really knows but lots of people swear by it.
posted by xetere at 12:33 PM on May 10, 2007

Be careful, because there's a lot of stuff out there that purports to do this, but will either do nothing, or actually raise DHT levels, which can contribute to baldness and other nasty things.

I recommend this product, because the company behind it makes good products, in my experience. There's lots of good info on the site, as well, in the forums.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 12:34 PM on May 10, 2007 [1 favorite]

Supposedly, eating eggs, garlic, and beef gives your testosterone production a bump, and broccoli inhibits estrogen production. I was never able to find any proof of this, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

As far as proven methods of raising testosterone, the following are all accepted boosters -

- Drink skim milk, which is an androgenic.
- Never drink more than three alcoholic beverages in the same day.
- Sleep at least eight hours per night.
- Get at least 30% of your daily calories from fat, mostly monounsaturated.
- Eat at least five meals per day, and make sure to get enough calories (all hormone production is inhibited by hunger).
- Lift your weights at 85% of your max with a 3-count rhythm (each movement should take three seconds). The strain on your muscles causes your body to release more muscle-building testosterone.
posted by Willie0248 at 12:44 PM on May 10, 2007

If you start your work out with some very heavy powerlifting . . say do three squats of as much weight as you can handle . . .your body will pump out more testosterone. Deadlifts, power cleans, power snatches . . those will all do the trick.
posted by nameless.k at 12:55 PM on May 10, 2007

Studies show that testosterone surges in anticipation of competitive activity and after winning in such endeavors. So, take up a competitive sport, kick ass and take names.
posted by Manjusri at 1:25 PM on May 10, 2007

There also may be some truth to the old saw about abstaining from sex before competition. Testosterone levels are elevated after a week without ejaculation and persist after three weeks.
posted by Manjusri at 1:33 PM on May 10, 2007

I know that one thing people sometimes do is avoid foods that promote estrogen: kind of like going about it another way. Whether this does anything, I have no idea. And of course, creatine is supposed to give you more ability to squeeze a few more reps out in order to make gains.
posted by baking soda at 2:40 PM on May 10, 2007

The problem with most of those ideas is that they assume that if you can somehow affect the mechanisms inside your body that produce testosterone that they can increase production and thus increase the steady state level. That isn't correct.

Testosterone levels are regulated by a closed feedback loop. In men, the hypothalamus monitors testosterone levels. It produces a hormone called GnRH (Gonadotropin releasing hormone) which is sensed by the pituitary, which proportionally releases two hormones called FSH (Follicle stimulation hormone) and LH (Leutinizing hormone). In men, FSH is detected in the testes and causes production of sperm, while LH is also detected in the testes and causes production of testosterone. (In women, GnRH, FSH, and LH have an entirely different function and behave completely differently.)

There is a small amount of testosterone produced by the adrenal glands, but it's unimportant. Even if that amount could be increased, it wouldn't have any effect -- not just small effect, no effect.

That's because of the feedback loop. When, in the opinion of the hypothalamus, the level of testosterone is too high, it reduces the amount of GnRH it produces, which means the pituitary produces less LH, which means the testes produce less testosterone. So if the adrenal glands produce more, the testes produce less, and the total level remains the same.

That's why testosterone supplements don't do what most people think they would. Using a testosterone supplement at a rate of 50% of your natural level doesn't result in a 50% boost. It results in a 0% boost. That's because the hypothalamus cranks back on the GnRH so as to maintain the total at the level it needs to be. The only way testosterone supplements can increase the blood level is if they're used at levels greater than 100% of the blood level you want to increase. That means that the hypothalamus has cranked the natural production rate all the way down to zero.

That's also why losing one testicle doesn't affect your testosterone level if the remaining one is healthy. It doesn't produce as much testosterone as two would for a given level of LH, but the feedback loop compensates by increasing GnRH, and thus LH, so that the level remains where the hypothalamus thinks it should be.

Anything that causes a boost in testosterone level only works for a short time, until the feedback loop detects it and compensates. That's a period of an hour or two, maybe less.

The only way to increase your natural level is to do things that make the hypothalamus think there should be more, so that the feedback loop setpoint will be higher. Dietary changes (e.g. skim milk) probably won't do that. As mentioned, the "easiest" of those is to stop masturbating.

How dedicated are you?
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 4:02 PM on May 10, 2007 [1 favorite]

Maca: mice increase testosterone levels after receiving maca according to this study.

Likewise with Suma ("Brazilian ginseng").

Note that those are studies in animals, not humans. Also not familiar with the reputation of the institution in the citation. There are thousands of unverified claims about all sorts of things out there--these two might (*might*) have studies for support.

This study suggests that tribulus might have no effect on testosterone.

(There might be a study or two on tongkat ali--don't have cites at hand, though.)
posted by gimonca at 4:23 PM on May 10, 2007

Heavy squats and deadlifts, for real. Working the big muscle groups stimulates testosterone production (or so I have heard). And yeah, you might want to avoid soy products, which have estrogens that some believe can inhibit testosterone response.
posted by ch1x0r at 5:29 PM on May 10, 2007

The natural testosterone level in a healthy young man is not constant, by the way. It varies seasonally, peaking late summer. That's because it makes men more aggressive sexually, increasing the chance of pregnancies which will yield births in spring, when the resulting baby has the best chance of survival.

It also varies over the course of 24 hours. It peaks in the morning. (I don't know if anyone has come up with an explanation for why.)
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 6:16 PM on May 10, 2007

Sex
posted by TrashyRambo at 8:44 PM on May 10, 2007

not testosterone ... but ... you may want to look into creatine supplements
posted by jannw at 5:10 AM on May 11, 2007

FYI There was an episode of Braniac where the testosterone levels of a scrawny wimpy-looking man and a burly tough-looking guy were measured. The burly guy's was tons higher. Then they had the wimpy guy do sorts of "manly" things. He broke stuff, put on a black leather jacket, got a lap dance, and engaged in a yelling contest. The burly guy did "less-manly" activities such as napping quietly, knitting, changing a diaper, and listening to Celine Dion. After their activities were finished their testosterone levels were measured. The "manly" activities boosted the wimpy guy's levels and the burly guy's levels were dropped.

so i guess, just doing stereotypically manly things can give you a boost
posted by andythebean at 10:03 AM on May 11, 2007

Zinc and magnesium supplements are said to raise testosterone. About 30mg zinc and 500mg magnesium. If it does work, it's probably because of a preexisting deficiency.
posted by stavrogin at 4:52 PM on May 11, 2007