It is an amazing feeling to look in the mirror and see that all your hard work has paid off.
Your body is ripped and you are feeling pumped but what has been the secret to your success? Yes you have regularly hit the gym and eaten well, however the fact you have boosted your testosterone levels has been a key reason for you achieving the results you were after.
This is because raising your testosterone levels has many benefits…
- Muscle gains
- Enhanced strength
- Increased energy & endurance
- Improved libido
- Lower body fat
- Quicker recovery
Without the right levels of testosterone trying to get the physique you have dreamed of can be so much harder.
You can plan your training sessions with military precision and carefully work out your diet but just not see the muscle gains you are after.
This can leave you feeling frustrated as you are left thinking what is going wrong? Where is the rock-hard six-pack and the big guns?
Testosterone – the missing link
Quite simply, the answer could be that your testosterone levels have started to dip.
Sadly it is a fact that as you get older, your testosterone levels drop (at a rate of around one to two percent per year from the age of 30).
Low testosterone can cause numerous issues such as decreased sex drive, depression, irritability, erectile dysfunction and, crucially for your hopes of that dream body, less muscle mass and increased breast size.
Suddenly the reason for your continued struggle to make big muscle gains despite working out makes sense… Testosterone is the missing link.
Testosterone is the crucial in the muscle-building process. Elevated levels of testosterone have been shown to increase protein synthesis [1], while also limiting the effects of cortisol [1], a hormone that is released when the body is under physical stress to stimulate the breakdown down of muscle mass.
Studies have also shown that testosterone can decrease body fat [2] by inhibiting the uptake of triglycerides, while it can aid endurance by increasing the number of red blood cells [3].
With studies supporting the benefits of increased testosterone, it is easy to see why you need elevated levels to get the best results.
How to boost testosterone levels
And fortunately there are solutions for you to naturally boost your testosterone levels so you can start making the gains you are after.
Change your diet – foods like tuna, oysters, beef, seeds, eggs and cabbage are rich sources of the vitamins and minerals that can boost testosterone.
Get more sun – Vitamin D, which is produced from exposure to the sun, has been shown increase the body’s production of testosterone [4].
Plenty of sleep – Low testosterone levels have been linked to a lack of sleep [4].
Exercise regularly – Keeping active and working out can naturally boost testosterone levels [5].
Testosterone boosters – a great way to safely increase your testosterone levels is through these supplements, which contain a combination of natural ingredients.
Side effects of increased testosterone
With increased testosterone, there comes a fear that you could face potential side effects. This is understandable if you look at testosterone replacement therapy and steroids. However the good news is that the right combinations of natural ingredients in testosterone boosters mean that the side effects are few and far between.
Testosterone boosters
Given the numerous benefits, it is no surprise that testosterone boosters have become increasingly popular with people attempting to get stacked.
They are quick and easy for you to use and they can deliver impressive results when you use them as part of a balanced diet and a regular exercise plan.
You will find a wide range of ‘test boosters’ on the market, with a variety of different ingredients. Some, such as d-aspartic acid, vitamin D and caffeine, have good research behind them, while there is debate over the effectiveness of the likes of tribulus terrestris [6] and there have been questions raised over the safety of bulbine natalensis due to the results from research involving rats [7]. Click here for our in-depth guide on the best testosterone-boosting ingredients that work.
However we have have reviewed the evidence and gone through the reviews to give our verdict on our top three testosterone boosters page.
References
- Griggs RC. Effect of testosterone on muscle mass and muscle protein synthesis. J Appl Physiol (1985). 1989 Jan; 66(1): 498-503.
- Zajac A. Effects of growth hormone and testosterone therapy on aerobic and anaerobic fitness, body composition and lipoprotein profile in middle-aged men. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2014; 21(1): 156-60.
- Guo W. Testosterone administration inhibits hepcidin transcription and is associated with increased iron incorporation into red blood cells. Aging Cell. 2013 Apr; 12(2): 280-91.
- Nimptsch K. Association between plasma 25-OH vitamin D and testosterone levels in men. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2012 Jul; 77(1): 106-12.
- Devi S. Effect of short-term physical exercise on serum total testosterone levels in young adults. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2014 Apr-Jun; 58(2): 178-81.
- Rogerson S. The effect of five weeks of Tribulus terrestris supplementation on muscle strength and body composition during preseason training in elite rugby league players. J Strength Cond Res. 2007 May; 21(2): 348-53.
- Afolayan A.J. Effect of Bulbine natalensis Baker stem extract on the functional indices and histology of the liver and kidney of male Wistar rats. J Med Food. 2009 Aug; 12(4): 814-20.