Chi Nailbar

There is no hormone that stands for muscle strength and fitness more than testosterone. The sex hormone has two different effects on the body: on the one hand testosterone stands for muscle building, on the other hand as a hormone for the sexuality of men and women. The rule is: the higher the testosterone level, the better the muscles are built up. But just exercising alone does not increase testosterone levels. You can find out what nutrition has to do with it here.

Testosterone For Building Muscle

The exact effects of testosterone in the body are very chemical and complex. But one of the most important effects for athletes: testosterone controls a factor in the body that is responsible for regulating cell growth in the liver and muscles. The factor is called IGF-1. When IGF-1 levels are high, muscle growth is also high.

Men produce 2.5-11 mg testosterone daily. After puberty, the production of the hormone falls again. Women only produce approximately 0.25 mg per day. For many strength athletes, the falling testosterone level is a reason to stimulate production again or to artificially increase it. You would find some testosterone boosters on the Internet that claim to accelerate muscle building. Before making a purchase, read reviews like testogen reviews. Reviews will help you understand if the product works or not from testimonials of other people.

Boost Testosterone Naturally

1. Increase your unsaturated fats intake.

The hormone is made from cholesterol and unsaturated fatty acids to ensure a good balance of cholesterol in the body. Above all, vegetable fats from avocado, coconut oil, olive oil and nuts stimulate the production of testosterone with healthy fats .

2. Get sufficient vitamins & minerals.

Eating lots of vitamins and minerals is always beneficial for you. But vitamins B & D and zinc are also particularly important for increasing testosterone. The vitamin B is important for the production of enzymes that support the production of testosterone. You can find some B vitamins in fish, dairy products, and green vegetables.

Vitamin D, the sun vitamin, is one of the steroids and participates in cell division, i.e. also in the cell activity of your muscles. Meat, fish, avocados, mushrooms, dairy products and eggs contain vitamin D, but only in small amounts. However, humans can produce vitamin D themselves with the help of sunlight.

The mineral zinc is the most important mineral for the formation of testosterone. If there is a zinc deficiency, the IGF-1 level is very low and this is reflected in the testosterone value. You can find zinc mainly in dairy products, eggs, and beef. Vegetables also increase your zinc value.

3. Eat Regular Meals

Your feeling of hunger has an impact on the stress hormone cortisol . When you are hungry, it puts your body into a kind of stress and cortisol is released. That in turn lowers your testosterone. It is best to start with a balanced breakfast and eat several meals throughout the day. If you need a few new recipes, have a look at my recipes .

4. Avoid stress

Testosterone is responsible for converting calories into energy and building muscle. However, the cortisol ensures that the calories are stored as body fat. So it is the complete counterpart to the muscle hormone ! I know avoiding stress is easy to say, but cardio exercise can lower your stress levels and reduce your cortisol secretion.

5. Get enough sleep

Even with too little sleep or sleep deprivation , the body releases cortisol! When you sleep soundly, on the other hand, testosterone is formed. Eight hours of uninterrupted sleep is best !

6. High training intensities

You’ve probably heard of HIIT by now. If not, check out my article on High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) again. The intense training also ensures the production of testosterone. Short, intense training phases increase the production of the muscle hormone. Long and monotonous training sessions do exactly the opposite, as the body begins to get under stress. Your body produces cortisol!

7. Hard Weight Training

Regular, intensive strength training with high weights and few repetitions also leads to an increased release of testosterone. It is best to stick to exercises such as bench press, squats and the like, which challenge many and especially large muscle groups at the same time .

Important! Don’t be disappointed if you don’t notice a change right away – it may take three to six months for your testosterone levels to rise significantly!

To the women among you: You also need testosterone to build muscle ! Don’t worry: since your body only produces little testosterone, you won’t turn into testosterone-laden muscle mountains.