Do exercise and weight training raise testosterone levels? | Exercise.com Learn: Your Fitness Business Resource

Do exercise and weight training raise testosterone levels?

Tyler Spraul is the director of UX and the head trainer for Exercise.com. He has his Bachelor of Science degree in pre-medicine and is an NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist. He is a former All-American soccer player and still coaches soccer today. In his free time, he enjoys reading, learning, and living the dad life. He has been featured in Shape, Healthline, HuffPost, Women's...

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UPDATED: Aug 25, 2020

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  • Weight training is an excellent and natural way for you to raise your testosterone levels.
  • In addition to exercise and weight training, eating well is another way to raise your testosterone levels naturally.
  • High levels of testosterone can cause women to suffer from missed or irregular periods, weight gain, acne, thinning hair, and more. Men, on the other hand, benefit greatly from high testosterone levels.

You might wonder if weight training raises testosterone levels and the answer is a resounding yes!

Weight training is an excellent and natural way for you to raise your testosterone levels.

Many people associate testosterone with manliness; however, too much testosterone can actually cause a person to behave erratically and aggressively.

That is one of the many reasons why it is important for your body to produce your testosterone naturally rather than trying to increase your levels with supplements.

Testosterone is an anabolic steroid. While steroids are typically thought about negatively, when your body produces them naturally, they are good for you.

Testosterone is largely associated with men because so many of the characteristics associated with testosterone are based in a man’s physique.

In men, testosterone is responsible for:

  • Facial hair
  • Body hair
  • Aggression
  • Muscle growth
  • Voice timbre

In addition to exercise and weight training, eating well is another way to raise your testosterone levels naturally.

While you don’t have to eat like a vegetarian, you should reduce your red meat consumption and increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables.

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Is Increasing Testosterone From Weight Training Good for You?

The answer for this is both yes and no. Natural testosterone is very good for you and it occurs naturally in both men and women.

Unfortunately, for women, when the body produces too much testosterone, there can be some unwanted side effects. For men, it takes a lot to reach too high of a testosterone level.

Women can suffer from missed or irregular periods, weight gain, acne, thinning hair, and more. Men, on the other hand, benefit greatly from high levels of testosterone. Some of these benefits include:

  • Increased libido
  • Increased muscle size
  • Reduced body fat
  • Increased bone density
  • Increased energy levels

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Should You Take Testosterone Supplements to Increase Testosterone Levels or Stick With Weight Training?

This is a touchy subject for weightlifters everywhere. Many swear by testosterone supplements; however, new studies aren’t bearing out the benefits of taking testosterone supplements.

A study completed in 2010 by Harvard shows that while testosterone supplements did help subjects to increase muscle mass, there were no other benefits to using the supplements.

In fact, the results of this study showed that testosterone supplements actually produced a series of side effects such as retaining fluid, joint pain, and even breast enlargement in men.

While this wasn’t a long-term study, past long-term studies have shown that there is a connection between long-term use of testosterone supplements and colon cancer in men.

It isn’t known why supplements cause these issues while naturally occurring testosterone doesn’t. What’s important is to understand that there are certain risks with taking testosterone supplements.

Interestingly, in men over the age of 55, studies show that there are some benefits to taking testosterone supplements.

While there are the same risks and side effects, men over 55 have shown an increase in muscle mass as well as bone density; however, experts caution that this is the result of a short-term study and long-term results won’t be available for several more years.

You might simply want to consider your age. If you are in your 20s, which is the ideal age for starting a workout program to increase your testosterone, then you will want to work towards raising your testosterone naturally.

If you are over 55 and you are looking for a way to increase your testosterone, then you will have difficulty doing it without help.

Is Weight Training the Best Way to Increase Testosterone Levels?

No, the easiest way to increase testosterone levels is by eating well and through strength training rather than just weight training. Some people think that these two are the same thing, but weight training is usually a combination of cardio as well as lifting weights.

Strength training is all about weightlifting alone and if you want to increase your testosterone levels quickly, then you should consider excluding cardio for a while. If you want a well-rounded exercise program, don’t exclude it indefinitely.

Strength training can include sit-ups, push-ups, weightlifting, or working with weight machines. You can access a list of exercises here to help you reach your goals.

Weight training includes lifting weights combined with a cardio workout such as running, dancing, tennis, etc.

There is a commitment of time required to raise your testosterone levels and you have to commit to a training schedule of at least 4 days a week to make this effective, but the long-term benefits are well worth it.

You will feel energized and healthy and, of course, there are the other benefits for you as well.

Get more out of your weight training plan by going PRO today for access to certified personal trainers, training logs, goal trackers, workout programs, and more.

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