Does Cardio Help Increase Testosterone?
Are you looking for ways to increase testosterone? Click here to find out if cardio might be just what you need to boost your testosterone levels.
Keyword(s): increase testosterone
Do you want to increase testosterone levels? Do you need to?
Television and print ads lead you to believe that an increase in testosterone will make you the man you’ve always wanted to be.
But what exactly is testosterone?
Testosterone is a word that many people throw around without knowing the true meaning. Understanding what testosterone is is important — it’s something that affects us all.
Let’s explore the basic science behind testosterone — what it is, who carries it and why it’s important. We’ll discuss how low testosterone can negatively impact your well-being and offer ways you can increase testosterone.
The Basics
So you’ve heard the word, but do you know exactly what testosterone is? The most basic explanation — testosterone is a hormone.
Now take yourself back to biology class and you may recall that hormones help the body regulate its’ systems. Everyone has hormones and nearly every part of the body needs them.
Your bodies’ growth, mood, sex drive, and digestive system — all of these need hormones to function properly. In both men and women.
Testosterone is particularly needed to help regulate energy levels, the production of red blood cells, to manage your sex drive, and build muscle strength.
Remember, both men and women have testosterone in their bodies, what differs is the levels at which they have it.
And of course, the levels that are needed. Men need a far higher level of testosterone than women.
It’s perfectly natural to have levels that are higher or lower than what a body might need. When levels are lower, a person’s physiology, mood, and appearance can change so it’s important to know your levels and know when you might need to increase testosterone.
A Change in Diet
Some look to their diet as a way to regulate testosterone levels. While a high-protein diet is generally suggested for people working to get their bodies in shape, it won’t raise testosterone levels.
Instead, you could look at a high-carb diet. That is if you are actively working out. If you’re only walking every now and then, this might not be the diet for you.
In either case, diet alone will not change your testosterone level significantly. Don’t despair though, a healthy diet is important for maintaining proper testosterone levels, but it’s best when used as a component of a broader program.
Increase Testosterone Levels Using Pills
There are numerous methods that people suggest for boosting your testosterone levels. As with anything involving your well-being, you should make sure to get all of the facts first.
Some will point to anabolic steroids as a method to increase testosterone and, while it can do that, it does have two big strikes against it. First, it is banned by the DEA as a Schedule III drug. Secondly, there are multiple documented side effects that could cause serious damage to your body.
Supplements such as amino acids have been studied and are believed to increase testosterone in men and women. As with other supplement types though, the effect may be different for each person who takes it.
Increase Testosterone Levels Using Power
So if pills aren’t the answer, what is? More and more people are turning to workouts, in particular, cardio workouts, as a way to build up testosterone levels.
As with any workout, you’re not going to change things in just one day. It’s going to take time, you’ll need to develop a routine and follow it.
You’ll also need to be aware of other factors that could be affecting your testosterone levels. Age, weight, general physical condition – all of these can be a factor in lower than desired testosterone levels.
The good news is that the right exercises can often have broad reaching, positive effects so, in addition to helping increase testosterone levels, an exercise plan could help you shed those few extra pounds that have been bothering you.
Is Cardio the Answer?
While a wide variety of exercises can be beneficial in testosterone production, there is growing support that places a particular emphasis on cardio workouts. This could include things like ellipticals, work on the treadmill, time on the stationary bike or some similar exercise of your choice.
The American Physiological Society recently completed an encouraging study regarding the link between cardio and increased testosterone. Across a 12-week workout with only moderate cardio work, members of the study group who would be classified as overweight, saw an increase in testosterone of 17%.
What’s interesting is that those who were at a more moderate weight saw no increase. That said, they also did not see a decrease.
This is an important finding because often in high-intensity workouts, testosterone levels can actually decrease. This is generally attributed to an increase in the cortisol that the body produces.
Cortisol is a hormone that the body uses to regulate our response to stress. And really, workouts can be a high-stress situation for some.
As cortisol levels go up, testosterone levels go down. What this shows researchers if that more moderate workouts can help your body to level its’ output of these two hormones.
A Theory Tested
This was put to a test by the University of Melbourne. Researchers there studied runners and the decrease or increase in testosterone levels after a run.
What they discovered was, after a run that was an average of two hours, testosterone levels would rise. Runs that went much longer than that caused a decrease in testosterone.
What does this all mean? It means that a mix of exercises, like cardio and resistance training, can help you boost your testosterone levels while also sharpening the rest of your body.
Low Testosterone Levels
Exercise alone, while it may be able to increase your testosterone levels, may not be able to get them to the numbers that you need. In some cases, medical help is needed to build testosterone. The good news is that it can be adjusted and is generally very easy.
It’s best to work with a medical professional from the beginning to ensure that you have the right information and achievable goals. When you’re ready to talk, we’re here to listen.
