Men will start to see a decline in their test levels after the age of 30. The rate at which your testosterone will decline depends on your environment, hormones, diet and lifestyle. We hope you use this vital information to enhance your T levels, naturally.
Lift heavy shit
You’ve heard it before, so it’s no longer new information. Exercise is one of the best ways to increase your testosterone. However, did you know that training with heavier weights is said to be superior? As muscle mass increases, so does your testosterone. Mix up your training with methods like 5 x 5 or 90% max effort. If you’re a newbie, hire someone to help you build a foundation before jumping into the max effort lifts.
Suns out balls out
Seriously, laugh for a moment, then how direct sunlight exposure to the testes can increase testosterone production by an average of 200%! Be mindful of time spent sun tanning your nether regions, don’t go overboard and watch for sunburns. Also, it goes without saying, but make sure you’re in a private place.
Avoid chronic cardio
Long endurance cardio training such as marathons or cycling have been shown to decrease testosterone levels. Generally, this is because long endurance athletes have higher cortisol levels, which if chronically elevated can decrease testosterone. Long cardio sessions will break muscle tissue down for fuel. The moral here, stick to 30 minutes or less of cardio and try high intensity or interval training once in a while. This will keep your testosterone levels in check and cortisol levels low.
Monitor your rest times at the gym
This study separated men into two groups and tested their growth hormone and testosterone after completing resistant exercises at 85% of their 1 rep maximums. They concluded that if you’re more concerned with increasing testosterone you should choose rest times around 120 seconds. However, short rest intervals around 60 seconds increased growth hormone. So depending on your goal your rest time matters!
Try red light therapy
No, we’re not talking about the Red Light District, although you could argue that place also increases testosterone levels! Red light, different from sunlight, consists of light wavelengths in the range of 600-950 nanometers. It stimulates ATP production, increases energy available to the cell and increases the activity of the Leydig cells in your testes, which are the cells responsible for testosterone. But, don't rush out to get the rep heat lamp from home depot, you need to look into reputable approved therapy devices like Joovv to avoid frying your prized jewels.
Up your zinc consumption
Zinc is crucial for healthy test levels. Hypogonadism, when your sex hormones produce low T, can result from several medical conditions. However, the cause may be as simple as a nutritional deficiency in zinc. This study found that men who received 30 milligrams of zinc per day showed increased levels of free testosterone in their bodies. To stock up on Zinc have a look at foods like: pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, dark chocolate, oysters, crab and grass fed beef.
Get a daily dose of dark chocolate
Dark chocolate (cacao) is high in magnesium and zinc, which as you now know, are very important to maximize your testosterone levels. It also helps control blood sugar levels, lower LDL and decrease stress. It’s believed that flavonoids in cacao can increase the bioavailability of nitric oxide. This is important because strong levels of nitric oxide are directly linked to high testosterone levels and stronger erections.
Try cold thermogenesis
This hasn't yet been proven directly but there are many indirect resources that say keeping your friends cool and comfortable around 35 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal for testicle function. Heat exposure on testicles has been shown to reduce testosterone levels. Also, an observational study done on over 6,000 men showed that sperm quality and volume were greater during colder months. Funny enough, there’s also tales from old school Chinese and Russian powerlifters who swore by icing their balls to increase performance!
Intermittent fasting
The easiest way to prime your androgen receptors for optimal testosterone uptake is intermittent fasting. Which simply means choosing an eating window between 8 - 12 hours every day. For example, if you start eating at 12 pm you would stop eating at 8 pm resulting in a 8 hour eating window and 16 hours fasting window. Fasting 12 to 56 hours improved testosterone response up to 180% in men. But remember, you still need to consume enough calories to maintain your muscle mass!
Avoid endocrine disrupting chemicals
Lurking in plastic containers, water bottles and even personal care items are synthetic chemicals that can alter our endocrine (hormone) systems. Specifically xenoestrogens, which as the name implies, are estrogenic environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals. These have been linked to negatively affecting the reproductive system, testosterone production and even erectile dysfunction. Make sure to stay clear of products that include BPA, BPS, phalate, paraben, triclosan Benzophenones (BP-1, BP-2 & BP-3).
Try one, two or all of the above ways to naturally increase your T and keep you nether regions thriving! If you still have time, check our natural skin and body care products, formulated for the best results, without any of those endocrine disrupting chemicals mentioned above.