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Testosterone is probably the most well known hormone and everybody who’s after big muscle gains wants to know how to increase its levels.

The primary job of testosterone is muscle growth and it also helps to burn fat and establish your sexual characteristics. Testosterone causes muscle growth by stimulating protein synthesis directly.

Men produce testosterone in their testes and women produce it in their adrenal glands, but in much smaller quantities then men do. That’s why it’s easier for men to grow large amounts of muscle.

In most cases (no exercise or diet), testosterone production starts to decrease by the age of 40 for most men. Decreasing of testosterone production can cause muscle mass loss, bone mass loss, increased body fat, weakness and depression.

But fortunately, to some degree, you can control your testosterone levels by the ratios of food in the diet and exercise. In order to support T-levels your diet must be balanced and consist of ample amounts of vitamins and minerals (especially from the B vitamins, vitamin C, zinc and manganese).

When trying to gain muscle a high fat intake is necessary to stimulate maximum testosterone production. Diets low in fats or products containing fat, like a vegetarian diet(exception are diets reach with rice, potatoes, oats, etc.), produce much lower levels of testosterone comparing to meat or fish-rich diet. The fat provides cholesterol needed for testosterone synthesis. There is about 100mg of cholesterol in 3 oz of red meat.

Heavy resistance training (80-95% effort) and short rest intervals also stimulate higher then normal levels of testosterone!

So here is information on how to increase your T-levels along with some interesting tips:

• Runners and power lifters have lower testosterone levels then bodybuilders do.
• Higher volume activities (more then 8 hours per week) decrease levels of testosterone.
• The higher your stress level the lower your testosterone levels.
• Alcohol decreases your testosterone levels. Even one party night can cause you T levels to plummet.
• High intensity training causes a periodic increase in testosterone levels but then drop. T levels stay for a day or two and then start rising again. This is a good reason for hard gainer to train every second day.
• Sex, masturbation and erotic stimulation cause an increase in testosterone levels.
• Painkillers such as aspirin, marijuana, codeine decrease your T levels.
• Diets high in cholesterol, protein, fat and saturated fat increase your T levels.
• Increasing polyunsaturated fats and decreasing saturated fats will decrease testosterone levels.
• Higher protein usually equals more saturated fat and cholesterol.
• T levels will decrease with restricted diets but are restored within 48 hours after refeeding.

To sum everything up, testosterone levels are the highest around summer, winning streaks, higher fat intake periods and when you are sexually active. And T levels are low during winter, losing streaks, stress and depression, low carb diets, drug and alcohol intake and sexual inactivity.

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Ihab Salloum