Testosterone is a sex hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, the testes in men, and the ovaries in women. While both male and female bodies make it, males produce much higher amounts. When your testosterone is lower than normal (also known as low T), you can experience several negative health impacts. Symptoms of low testosterone include decreased sex drive, reduced muscle mass, changes in body composition, and impaired bone density.
Because testosterone plays such a big role in your musculoskeletal system, it’s natural to wonder: Does working out increase testosterone? Regular exercise can, in fact, be one part of returning to healthy testosterone levels. But, it’s just one piece of the puzzle.
Causes of low testosterone
If your testes are producing too little testosterone, it’s considered hypogonadism. Levels lower than 300 ng/dL for men are below optimal. There are several causes of lower testosterone levels:
- Age: By age 30, testosterone levels begin to decline every year. Low T is more prevalent in older men.
- Stress: The adrenal glands are located above the kidneys and secrete cortisol, which is known as the stress hormone in the body. During periods of stress, it can be harder to mount a normal testosterone response via the adrenal glands. “This makes it challenging to produce sex hormones,” explains to Cory Rice, DO, medical director of Biote’s Research and Training clinic.
- Sedentary lifestyle: Too little physical activity is associated with decreased testosterone.
- Obesity: Testosterone levels tend to be lower in obese individuals. Reduced sex hormone binding globulin and increased conversion of testerone to estogen in fatty tissue are two of the proposed mechanisms for this association.
- Alcohol consumption: Alcohol has been shown to reduce testosterone levels by inhibiting testosterone production by the testes.
- Injury or infection in the testes or ovaries: An injury or infection can cause damage to the testes or ovaries, which causes testosterone production to be affected.
- Certain medications: Some medications can affect testosterone production. For example, opioids are associated with lower testosterone levels.
- Cancer treatments: Receiving chemotherapy can cause testosterone levels to decrease.
- Problems with the pituitary gland: The pituitary gland controls testosterone production by the testes, and if it’s not functioning appropriately, it can result in low testosterone levels.
- Genetic conditions including Klinefelter syndrome: Certain gene variants can affect testosterone production. People with Klinefelter syndrome can have small testes, and therefore, less testosterone being produced.
Does exercise increase testosterone?
“Exercise, or using the muscles, is one of the ways to cause a production in testosterone,” explains Michael Swartzon, MD, an orthopedic sports medicine physician at Baptist Health Orthopedic Care. “Testosterone is one of the hormones necessary not only for strength, but also for growth of the muscle.” On top of that, a sedentary lifestyle and obesity can impair testosterone production. Exercise can remedy both of those issues. In general, the more exercise you do, the more testosterone hormone you produce, says Dr. Rice.
But does having bigger muscles mean you have bountiful levels of testosterone? It’s not quite so simple. It was previously thought that the more testosterone you had, the easier it was to build muscle—even if you follow the same diet and weight lifting plan. However, research has not always found a link between bigger muscles and the exercise-induced rise in testosterone. Additionally, men’s testosterone levels were not found to correlate with gains in muscle mass from resistance training—the degree of muscle gain has more to do with the number of androgen receptors for testosterone in muscle.
Does working out immediately release testosterone?
When you initially begin your workout, you may think you’ll have a surge in testosterone, but that’s not really the case. Testosterone production is more gradual. A 2020 study indicated that while you can have an initial rise in your testosterone levels, those levels drop back again after your workout ends in as little as 20 minutes.
However, exercise does help to get rid of inflammation that has built up in the body, one 2016 study indicated. Researchers looked at the effects of exercise on reducing inflammation levels in the body and found just one workout can have an anti-inflammatory effect. Inflammation has been known to decrease testosterone levels in the body.
Dr. Rice explains that working out is nothing other than a cardiovascular pump that circulates blood and removes these inflammatory particles your body needs to get out. This makes it easier for the body to build up testosterone naturally. It’s similar to how a pool filters water in order to clean it.
Can working out too much lower testosterone?
Too much exercise can actually harm testosterone production. “If someone is stressing their body out,” Dr. Rice says, “and they’re becoming adrenally exhausted, it’s going to be difficult to produce testosterone adequately.”
Testosterone booster workout
The best exercises to boost testosterone are resistance training or weight training. “Working out large muscle groups like your legs and your glutes results in an increase or jump in your testosterone level in your body to allow for recovery,” Dr. Swartzon says. Testosterone triggers muscle tissue to grow and aids in the muscle recovery process. Thus, it may be more effective to lift heavier weights for exercises like deadlifts and bench press, rather than doing many reps at a lighter weight. The mechanisms your body uses to repair these muscles come from the body’s testosterone levels.
Leg workouts, including squats, are great to do. In fact, strength training that uses large muscle groups boosts testosterone more than smaller muscles. This means squats can increase testosterone levels more than doing push-ups on their own since the muscles in the legs are larger than the ones in your arms, though push-ups can still be a great part of a full-body workout.
High intensity interval training (HIIT) can boost testosterone levels, according to a 2014 study. This is a style of working out that involves doing intense sprints of cardio with short rest periods. HIIT works well because it’s a major form of exercise that can help expand your lung capacity, says Dr. Rice. HIIT is one of the main forms of exercise that can expand lung capacity, so you can take in more oxygen and build lean muscle mass which produces more testosterone, he explains. It’s a good mechanism to build testosterone naturally.
Endurance training such as long-distance running or cycling has many benefits to your body and mind. However, endurance exercise won’t boost testosterone levels because longer exercises increase cortisol levels and limit the amount of testosterone being produced, says Dr. Swartzon.
If you run or cycle, it might be a good idea to mix up your workouts with different types of exercise such as HIIT and weight-lifting to reap the benefits of a testosterone boost.
Pre-workout powders with testosterone
Pre-workout powders often contain multiple ingredients, including caffeine. They may help augment performance in some ways and facilitate recovery. Pre-workout powders don’t have a direct impact on your testosterone levels. The ingredient list should be carefully reviewed and discussed with your healthcare provider to determine if it is safe to take.
Some workout aides contain testosterone supplements. However, Dr. Rice warns that claims that they can increase testosterone levels are mostly unproven. In fact, given the lack of data to support the effects of testosterone supplements, many of the success stories you might hear are just that: stories. Taking supplements isn’t a sustainable way of producing testosterone. “It doesn’t work in every man, and it’s just a short-term gain,” Dr. Rice adds.
It’s important to note that testosterone supplements are not the same thing as testosterone replacement therapy, which is given under the supervision of a medical provider.
Other ways to increase testosterone levels quickly
According to Dr. Swartzon, instead of thinking about ways to increase your testosterone levels, it might be helpful to look at how to limit your decline in testosterone production.
Besides working out, there are a few ways you can boost testosterone and maintain your circulating testosterone levels, according to Drs. Rice and Swartzon. These include:
- Get enough sleep, at least seven to 10 hours a night. “There’s so much undiagnosed sleep apnea out there and it all ties in to the inability to build and make testosterone,” Dr. Rice explains. The amount of sleep you get, as well as how well you sleep can impact your testosterone levels. Testosterone levels are at their highest while you sleep, but you need at least three hours of deep slumber to get this benefit. Since those who have sleep apnea typically have broken sleep, testosterone levels can be decreased.
- Eat nutrient-dense, whole foods. Eliminate as many sugars and foods that quickly convert to sugars in the body as much as possible. According to research, eating too many breads, pastries, dairy products, and desserts can increase body fat and negatively affect testosterone levels.
- Keep your body fat percentage in normal range.
- Reduce stress in your life, as this decreases your levels of cortisol. High levels of cortisol, known as the stress hormone, can decrease testosterone levels.
- Keep alcohol consumption to moderate levels to limit the negative impact it has on testosterone.
- Consider vitamin supplements, such as vitamin D and zinc. “Many people are low in vitamin D, which adversely affects testosterone levels,” Dr. Swartzon adds. Low levels of zinc have also been linked to low testosterone. It may be a good idea to have your levels checked to make sure they’re in normal range.
- Have sex. According to Dr. Swartzon, being intimate with a partner can boost levels of testosterone.
If you have a medical condition or otherwise need to quickly increase testosterone levels, talk with your healthcare provider about taking medication or a testosterone replacement therapy.
“If someone has very low testosterone levels, they need to strongly consider getting onto replacement therapy if they are a candidate for this treatment,” explains Dr. Rice. “Testosterone replacement helps reduce the risk of certain medical issues, and it greatly improves quality of life.”
