Does Weight Lifting Increase Testosterone Levels in Men?

Testosterone is the anabolic steroid responsible for promoting the repair and growth of muscle proteins. Men may be able to increase testosterone lifting weights, performing testosterone boosting exercises without weights or doing home exercises to increase testosterone.

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Exercises such as weight lifting and resistance training can help men increase their testosterone levels.

Age Impacts Testosterone Level

According to the Mayo Clinic, men typically experience a gradual decline in their levels of testosterone throughout adulthood. This typically means testosterone decreases 1 percent per year after the ages of 30 to 35.

These testosterone levels will continue to drop unless there is something that is done to elevate production of the hormone, such as incorporating weight lifting into an exercise routine or performing workouts specifically focused on boosting testosterone levels.

The Benefits of Testosterone

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Working on ways to increase testosterone levels can also be beneficial for those men looking for a boost in the bedroom. Additionally, there are powerful results of effects of exercise on sex drive that may occur as a result of a workout or exercise that is focused on increasing testosterone levels in men.

Beyond the bedroom, an increase in testosterone levels for men has many benefits, including better overall health and the potential for an increase in fertility, according to the Cleveland Clinic, enhanced circulation and blood and improvements in heart health. Additionally, an increase in testosterone levels can lead to stronger bones, better cognitive reasoning, less fat and more muscle.

Read more: Guys, Here are 6 Natural Ways to Increase Your Testosterone

Increase Testosterone by Lifting Weights

Testosterone is produced by the body in response to resistance training, explains the American Council on Exercise. Because testosterone promotes the growth of new muscle tissue, it may also help to repair damaged muscle proteins.

The level of testosterone can be elevated immediately following exercise such as heavy resistance training for the larger muscle groups. However, this resistance training must be in an extended period in order to increase the levels of cell receptors that work with testosterone to promote the growth of muscle proteins.

To perform exercises that increase testosterone, you should concentrate on multi-joint compound movements for large muscle groups combined with short rest periods. The workout should focus only on strength training without cardio, and the overall duration of the workout should be on the short side of less than an hour.

Equally as important as a muscle-building workout is the recovery period that follows. Proper rest and recovery is needed to allow testosterone to repair and rebuild the muscles used during the workout. Additionally, the body uses the REM cycles of sleep to produce testosterone.

Read more: 13 Benefits of Weight Lifting That No One Ever Told You

Time Your Testosterone Workouts

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To produce more testosterone, opt for a strategic schedule for all of your workouts. Try alternating resistance training with weights along with body weight training activities (think yoga or calisthenics) on three nonconsecutive days of the week.

Make sure you take a complete rest day at least once a week, as well as including both warmup and cool down periods that include stretching with each workout.