Testosterone Boosting For the Ones who Workout

Written: 20th December 2024, Bambolim Beach, Goa, India

Working out is important to stimulate Testosterone!

Working out and having mobility through training and weight lifting is crucial to stimulate testosterone growth in a male.
Boosting testosterone is essential for enhancing strength, muscle growth, and overall vitality. For fitness enthusiasts, a few targeted strategies can naturally amplify testosterone levels while optimizing workouts. Here’s how to incorporate these game-changing tips into your routine:

1. Cold Showers Before Working Out/Hitting the Gym

Cold showers 10 minutes before you hit the gym/workout consistently have shown to increase your testosterone (3x), and are an excellent pre-workout ritual. The sudden drop in skin temperature triggers a surge in adrenaline and norepinephrine, which can prime your body for intense exercise. Studies also suggest that cold exposure help optimize and boost testosterone production by reducing cortisol, the hormone that inhibits testosterone levels. Besides, cold showers invigorate your body and mind, ensuring you step into the gym with peak focus and readiness.

2. The 6x10 Protocol

This protocol is a testosterone powerhouse. Here’s how it works:

• Pick one compound exercise (like squats, bench press, or deadlifts) based on the muscle group you’re targeting that day.

• Perform 6 sets of 10 reps using 80% of your 1-rep max (1RM), with 2-3 minutes of rest between sets.

The magic lies in combining intensity (80% of 1RM) with volume (60 total reps). This balance maximizes testosterone release by engaging large muscle groups and creating the necessary metabolic demand to stimulate hormone production.

Two Ways to Implement:

1. Add it to Your Regular Training: Replace one primary exercise with this protocol for the day. Eg: If you doing chest that day, after completing your sets, at the last do one exercise (bench press maybe), do the 6x10 protocol with the bench press and go home! OR

2. Testosterone Day: Dedicate one day per week solely to this protocol and then head home. Simplifying your workout to just this approach prevents overtraining while delivering maximum hormonal benefits.

3. Testosterone is Driven by Intensity and Volume

To understand why the 6x10 protocol works, it’s important to note that testosterone responds to both intensity (heavy lifting) and volume (high reps). By combining these two factors, the 6x10 protocol creates the perfect hormonal storm to boost testosterone naturally. Short, intense, and focused—this method ensures your workouts prioritize quality over quantity.

4. Stress is Good for Boosting Testosterone

Not all stress is harmful—short-term, intense stress, like the adrenaline rush before a heavy squat, deadlift, or a fight, can temporarily spike testosterone levels. This type of stress, often associated with a fight-or-flight response, triggers the body's preparation for physical exertion or confrontation. Stress before a big lift or intense activity can prime your body for better performance and improved hormonal output. Harnessing this stress helps you channel it into energy, maximizing both strength and testosterone production.

Summary (If you don't wanna go into the detail, which you should)

• Cold Showers: Take a cold shower before hitting the gym.

• 6x10 Protocol: Perform 6 sets of 10 reps at 80% of your 1RM with 2-3 minutes rest. Make it the core of your workout or dedicate a day to it.

• Intensity + Volume: Remember, testosterone thrives on combining heavy weights with higher total reps.

• Squats and Deadlifts have shown to increase the production of testosterone in the body.
  
  
  
  Sources:
  Andrew Huberman & Dr.Duncan French
  Adonis Podcast