7 Exercises That Naturally Increase Testosterone in Men

7 Exercises That Naturally Increase Testosterone in Men | Nick Rana

For dudes, testosterone is the holy grail of hormones—it’s what literally makes us men. Often referred to as the “male sex hormone,” testosterone drives gains in muscle mass, bone density, body hair, and changes the timbre of your voice when you go through puberty. Testosterone also regulates important functions like sex drive, muscle and bone mass, muscle strength, fat distribution, and red blood cell production.

Unfortunately, though, most men’s testosterone levels start to drop once they reach their late 30s or early 40s. After 40, testosterone levels drop about 2% a year.

Guys who are interested in bigger and stronger muscles (along with increased libido) are constantly on the hunt to find easy ways to boost testosterone. But besides taking potentially dangerous drugs or getting a prescription to inject testosterone to build up flagging levels, the only foolproof techniques to increase and maintain healthy levels are lifting weights and eating the right foods.

“To maintain high testosterone levels, it is best to eat foods high in magnesium, zinc, and vitamin K, like dark leafy greens for magnesium, shellfish to get a healthy dose of zinc, and plenty of egg yolks for vitamin K,”. “Heavy resistance training exercise protocols have been shown to increase T levels in men.”

The best exercises to build testosterone, are multi-joint exercises that utilize the body’s largest muscle groups:

squat
deadlift
bench press
row
pullup/chinup
overhead press
pushup

“These exercises work because they recruit a significant amount of muscle mass, and the amount of muscle mass recruited during an exercise has been shown to be an important factor in the release of testosterone,”. To maximize testosterone levels, prioritize the big lifts; ideally, you should do a total-body workout three days per week.

Testosterone-building workout: How it works

While this workout lacks the flashiness of a body part split, the exercises selected here hit all the major movement patterns (hip hinge, squat, vertical and horizontal push, and vertical and horizontal pull), and maximizes your time spent in the gym.

Directions

Perform the workout featured below three times per week on nonconsecutive days. “An added bonus of this training system is that it allows your weekends to be rest days.” Exercises labeled with a letter (“4A” and “4B,” for example) are performed as supersets: Do the second exercise set right after the first one, resting only after the second set.

Each workout, change up the routine by doing a variation of the deadlift or squat. For the deadlift, you can do a suitcase deadlift, sumo deadlift, deficit deadlift, or Romanian deadlift. For the squat, you can do front squats, back squats (high or low bar), or safety bar squats. In both cases, make sure you adjust the weight accordingly.

For the deadlift and back squat, use a weight at 80% of your one-rep maximum. For the bench press, shoulder press, and bentover row, use a weight at 70% of your one-rep maximum.

1. Deadlift

Sets: 5
Reps: 5
Rest: 5 min.

Stand with your feet hip width. Bend your hips back to reach down and grasp the bar, hands just outside your knees.
Keeping your lower back in its natural arch, drive your heels into the floor and pull the bar up along your shins until you’re standing with hips fully extended and the bar is in front of your thighs.

2. Back Squat

Sets: 5
Reps: 5
Rest: 5 min.

Set a barbell on a power rack at about shoulder height. Stand in front of the bar and grasp it with hands at shoulder width and raise your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor. Take the bar out of the rack and let it rest on your upper back—as long as your elbows stay up, you’ll be able to balance the bar. Step back and set your feet at shoulder width with toes turned out slightly. Squat as low as you can without losing the arch in your lower back.

3A. Bench Press

Sets: 4
Reps: 8
Rest: 2 min.

Grasp the bar just outside shoulder width and arch your back so there’s space between your lower back and the bench.
Pull the bar out of the rack and lower it to your sternum, tucking your elbows about 45 degrees to your sides. When the bar touches your body, drive your feet hard into the floor and press the bar back up.

3B. Bentover Row

Sets: 4
Reps: 8
Rest: 2 min.

Grasp the bar overhand at shoulder width and let it hang in front of your thighs. Bend at the hips and lower your torso until it’s nearly parallel to the floor.
Bend your knees a bit to take tension off your hamstrings. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull the bar to your belly.

4A: Shoulder Press

Sets: 4
Reps: 8
Rest: 2 min.

Adjust the seat of a shoulder press machine so that the handles are at shoulder level. If you have shoulder problems, and if your machine allows it, grasp the handles so your palms face each other. Otherwise, grasp them with palms facing forward as normal.
Make sure your elbows track in a normal pressing path as you press the handles overhead.

4B: Chinup

Sets: 4
Reps: 8
Rest: 2 min.

Grab a pullup bar underhand at shoulder width.
Hang from the bar and then pull yourself up until your chin is over it.

5. Pushup

Sets: 4
Reps: 10
Rest: 2 min.

Place your hands on the floor at shoulder width, keeping your abs braced and your body in a straight line, squeeze your shoulder blades together.
Lower your body until your chest is an inch above the floor.

Topics: 15-Minute Workouts full-body workout High-intensity workouts rowing Total-body workouts workout routines Workouts

7 Exercises That Naturally Increase Testosterone in Men | Nick Rana