The No B.S. Guide to Naturally Increasing Your Testosterone

According to many “Experts” and hormone optimization “Gurus” all you need to do in order to max out your testosterone levels is to:

  • Find the 5 high testosterone foods you must be eating
  • Limit carb intake
  • Take cold showers
  • Drink coffee with butter in it
  • Supplement with Forskolin and Ashwagandha

Then sit back, relax, and watch as you effortlessly gain 50 lbs. of muscle, heal like Wolverine, and attract all of the hottest women from miles around.

Sadly… Reality is a little bit different.

All of these tips proposed by experts are well-intentioned but largely unfounded.

Sure, studies have shown that there are a number of obscure ways that you can boost your testosterone by 1–2% but that doesn’t mean that you should.

If you want to increase your T levels in the most scientifically sound way possible then you only need to do five things.

These five things aren’t sexy or particularly fun. But they are effective, inexpensive, and require little more than a barbell and access to healthy foods.

Here’s what the research says about naturally increasing your testosterone as quickly as possible.

Before We Start: Should You Even Try to Increase Your Testosterone in the First Place?

Before I talk about how you can increase your testosterone (and I will), we must first discuss if you should even bother focusing on your T levels in the first place.

You’ve undoubtedly heard all of the purported benefits of optimal testosterone and the negative side effects of suboptimal levels.

You’ve all heard that more T will help you:

  • Lose fat and gain muscle…without even setting foot in a gym
  • Feel confident, strong, and assertive
  • Skyrocket your energy levels and mood
  • Look and feel 20 years younger
  • Have earth-shattering sex
  • Sleep like a baby

Sounds too good to be true, right? 

Like so many of the other fitness myths, when you look at the research, it turns out that it is.

Having optimal testosterone levels IS important for overall health and well being.

Testosterone is one of the primary hormones responsible for

  • Muscle and bone strength
  • Production of red blood cells
  • Sex drive
  • Production of sperm
  • Energy levels and mood

So it should only go to reason that it’s an important hormone to pay attention to.

But the devil is in the details.

Studies have shown that, unless you already have low testosterone, improving your testosterone levels from “Average” to “Optimal” will NOT result in any significant physical improvements (unless you use performance-enhancing drugs or TRT)

However, when you consider that men have lower T levels than ever before and the numbers are dwindling at an alarming rate, more men than ever before NEED to optimize their testosterone.

All of that to say…

If you suspect that you have LOW T levels, then you should absolutely invest a significant amount of time and energy bringing them into the optimal range. However, if you have near optimal or even average T levels, improving your numbers by a few ng/dl will NOT have a significant impact on your life or body. So with that out of the way, let’s take a look at what the science says about boosting your T levels and reaping all of the amazing benefits of optimized testosterone.

How to Test Your Testosterone with an at Home Kit?

The easiest way you can get test your testosterone at home is by going LetsGetChecked.com and ordering the testosterone test to see your current levels. I’ve used this brand several times and found it to be the simplest way to test your testosterone levels at home and get quick results.

Use promo code: KNOWLEDGE30 to get 30% off your testosterone test.

Once you know your current T levels you can follow the strategies inside this guide to optimize your testosterone then simply redo the test in 4-8 weeks to measure your progress. You would be surprised at how well these natural tips for increasing testosterone can help men.

5 Research-Based Tips to Rapidly Increase Your Testosterone Naturally

1. Eat Like a Viking King to Unleash Your T Levels 

5 high testosterone foods you must be eating

One of the most important things that you can do in order to boost your T levels naturally is to get your macros right.

This starts with dispelling a very pervasive myth. According to all of the best research available a high fat/low-carb diet is NOT the best way to optimize your testosterone levels. Yes, studies have shown that getting sufficient dietary fat (typically 20–25% of your caloric intake) IS important…

But there’s no need to overdo it.

In fact, many studies suggest that consuming too much dietary fat and too few carbohydrates can actually result in increased cortisol and decreased testosterone!

In addition to carbs and fat, it’s also important that you are consuming enough protein on a regular basis. Most studies suggest that 0.8 – 1 gram of protein per body weight is ideal for testosterone synthesis.

Based on the best research that I could find the “Ideal” macronutrient split is as follows:

  • Protein: 30%
  • Carbs: 45%
  • Fat: 25%

*Note: This only applies if you are applying principle #2 and doing resistance training on a regular basis*

You can plug and play with the numbers a little bit until you find the ideal split for yourself.

But you can rest assured that if you want to feel, look, and perform your best, your Macro intake should fall somewhere within these parameters give or take a few percentage points. You need carbs to experience optimal testosterone levels. You also need fats and proteins. So be sure that you are eating a balanced diet that is providing you with the macronutrients required for hormonal health.

Now, if you’ve been scouring the internet for any appreciable amount of time, you’ve probably come across headlines like: “The 5 High Testosterone Foods You MUST Be Eating” or The 7 Deadly Foods that Kills Testosterone.” Let me be blunt. All of these clickbait titles are grade A+ bullshit. Sure, there are some “high testosterone foods” that contain macro and micronutrients that will help you improve your T levels. And yes, there are foods (namely processed crap and sugar) that will stunt your T.

But you have to remember our goal here. Focus on the big wins to ensure that your testosterone levels are in a healthy range. That’s it. If you follow these five researched tips, you don’t need to worry whether or not your can work Brazil nuts into your diet or eat enough oysters. So long as you’re eating enough of the right macro and micronutrients (more on those later) your T levels will take care of themselves. So don’t waste too much time and mental energy trying to scarf down high testosterone foods. Focus on the big stuff and ignore the rest.

Once your diet has been optimized for optimal T production, it’s time to move on to the second most scientifically valid t-boosting “Hack”.

Lifting some heavy-arse weights.

2. Tap Into Your Primal Warrior and Do These Testosterone Boosting Workouts Each Week 

testosterone boosting workout

The second way that you are going to boost your testosterone levels is through strategic resistance training each week.

The research is in and studies have clearly shown that excessive cardio increases cortisol and sets you up for an early death (no, I’m not kidding).

Resistance training, on the other hand, has been shown to have a plethora of benefits for your mood, weight, and of course, hormonal health. 

Specifically, studies have shown that heavy compound lifts such as the squat, bench press, military press, and deadlift elicit the greatest hormonal response in trainees.

If you simply train 3 times a week using these compound lifts and a handful of isolation exercises, your T levels will skyrocket (that is, if you aren’t already doing this).

In addition to strength training, there is one form of cardio that has been shown to have a positive hormonal response.

HIIT or high intensity interval training has been shown to increase testosterone levels and help assist with muscular recovery after heavy lifting sessions. 

HIIT cardio is a simple and effective type of training that can be completed in as little as 20 minutes.

To perform HIIT cardio, you are first going to select an exercise such as sprinting, rowing, or burpees and then you are going to set a timer for 45 seconds. For those 45 seconds, you are going to train as hard as you can.

Then, you are going to rest for 30 seconds by decreasing the intensity of your exercise. Once the timer is up, the 45-second intense session starts all over again. Repeat this for 15-20 minutes and I promise it will be one of the best workouts of your life.

What’s even better? You’ll get a healthy dump of testosterone without dramatically increasing your cortisol levels.

Win-win-win.

3. Shed the Belly Fat and Get Sculpted Like a Greek God 

five foods that kills testosterone

Research has shown an undeniable link between increasing body fat percentages and decreasing free testosterone levels.

Therefore, one of the first steps to increasing your T levels is to focus on cutting down below 15% bodyfat BEFORE you try and pack on any muscle.

I know it can be tempting to try and “bulk up” first, but trust me on this one. Lose the love handles and it will be a helluva lot easier to increase your t levels.

One of the best “Hacks” for rapidly losing fat while simultaneously increasing testosterone is to practice intermittent fasting.

With intermittent fasting or ‘IF’ all you do is to eat for 8 hours out of the day and fast for 16. It doesn’t matter whether you skip breakfast or dinner as long as you eat all of your calories within an 8 hour window.

This will help prevent you from over eating and will give your body time to clear out whatever crap has accumulated over the past few weeks.

4. Chill the F’ Out and Relax Your Way to Optimal Testosterone 

five foods that kills testosterone

number of different studies have discovered an inverse relationship between chronically high cortisol levels and Testosterone production.

This is a fancy way of saying… Stress kills your T levels!

And sleep deprivation is even worse.

Now that you are taking your training seriously and eating plenty of healthy carbs, proteins, and fats, it’s time to optimize your rest and recovery for optimal T.

Luckily this is pretty simple.

I recommend that you:

  • Get 8 hours of sleep a night (I can’t stress this enough)
  • Meditate for 10–20 minutes a day
  • Spend at least 30–60 minutes engaging in an activity that recharges you
  • Take breaks throughout your work day
  • Unwind and read a good book for the last 90–120 minutes of the day.

If you prioritize your rest and recovery as much as you do your training your testosterone (and the rest of your life) will thank you.

5. Eradicate the Micronutrient Deficiencies that Keep You Weak 

One of the most common pieces of misinformation in the testosterone boosting space is the belief that anyone micro-nutrient can drastically boost your T levels (a lie used by the supplement companies to peddle pills).

Sure…

If you have an existing micro-nutrient deficiency and correct it, you can dramatically improve your T levels with this simple change.

However, according to the best research I could find there are only 3 common micronutrient deficiencies that have been linked to significantly impaired testosterone production.

These micronutrients are:

Luckily, you can correct these deficiencies for about $10 a month.

Here are the supplements I recommend (I’m not affiliated with these brands in any way, they just make a damn good product).

Here’s the zinc I use… And the vitamin D… and the magnesium.

Throw in a high-quality fish oil supplement and you should have all of your bases covered. You can get an easy at home test kit by using LetsGetChecked.com for these vitamin deficiencies to know for sure.

You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars a month on flashy “Natural T Boosters” that don’t work and are filled with crappy fillers and unknown substances.

Keep things simple and stick to what works.

Conclusion

This article might not be fancy. It might not have all of the latest “Hacks” and tricks.

But that’s because it works.

99% of what you read about boosting your testosterone levels is either wildly exaggerated to sell pills or a flat out lie.

Research has clearly shown time and time again that the ONLY path to kickass T levels is through resistance training, a balanced diet, correcting micronutrient deficiencies and taking care of your recovery. Forget the minutiae, focus on big wins, and you’ll be well on your way to optimal testosterone levels.

Next Steps

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