Exercise and Testosterone Levels

[Jinzang]

It seems the standard advice on the Internet for increasing your testosterone levels is to do back squats and avoid cardio. A review of the studies showed this advice is questionable for older men. The review concludes:

"Data from the present investigation suggests that resistance training does not significantly influence basal testosterone in older men. Magnitude of effect was influenced by hormone fraction, even within the same investigation. Aerobic training and interval training did result in small, significant increases in basal testosterone. The magnitude of effect is small but the existing data are encouraging and may be an avenue for further research."

 

[Gman86]

Very interesting. Good to know us guys on TRT don't have to worry about things like this anymore . Some guys look at TRT as a burden, I look at it as a blessing. It's a blessing to not have to worry about certain things effecting testosterone levels anymore, like lack of sleep, eating the wrong foods, high stress or which form of exercise I'm doing. Feel bad sometimes for regular guys that are still victims to all these things lol. Us on TRT still have to worry about the effects of things on our E2, but hey, that's much better than having to worry about both.

 

[Airborne Warrior]

I've squatted and deadlifted heavy for years and still had low T levels. Obviously they may have even been lower without doing them, but I wouldn't say a person with low T levels can sort it out with exercise alone unless maybe they were obese and really unfit, which I'm not.

 

[Gman86]

Ya I've been lifting weights and eating somewhat healthy since I was 14. And still had low free T at 27. I don't think overtraining was a cause either. I would take weeks off here and there. Plus I'm only at the gym for about an hour, and don't do any strength training. So no very low reps, or one rep maxes or anything.

 

[S1W]

I'll second what Airborne Warrior said. A while back I had the option to start TRT, but decided to hold off for a year and do everything I could to raise my levels naturally. I ate all the right things, cut out eating all the wrong things, lifted regularly on a good program. Tested my T levels a year later and none of that made any difference at all. And I was in my late 30s at the time.

 

[Vince]

If you do heavy squats, your testosterone levels go up higher for the next 20 minutes. Then,I understand they go back to normal. So I'm told after doing squats, it's a good time to work out a muscle group that you really want to grow. Of course that's for someone not on trt.

 

[Airborne Warrior]

I can just about walk to the car after doing squats lol.

 

[DragonBits]

If you do heavy squats, your testosterone levels go up higher for the next 20 minutes. Then,I understand they go back to normal. So I'm told after doing squats, it's a good time to work out a muscle group that you really want to grow. Of course that's for someone not on trt.

So does that mean a temporary high in T will cause muscle hypertrophy if you exercise during that high?

I always wondered, when you inject T of any form, you get a high T level for some period of time, is this the best time to work out hard?

I don't see this addressed. Some men supraphysiological levels of testosterone for a few hours or a day or 2 right after an injection. Is working out during that time more productive?

It would seem me it should work that way.

 

[Vince]

So does that mean a temporary high in T will cause muscle hypertrophy if you exercise during that high?

I always wondered, when you inject T of any form, you get a high T level for some period of time, is this the best time to work out hard?

I don't see this addressed. Some men supraphysiological levels of testosterone for a few hours or a day or 2 right after an injection. Is working out during that time more productive?

It would seem me it should work that way.

I really don't think it makes much of a difference, when on testosterone your levels should stay pretty stable.

Still to this day after my squat workout. I do a hard set of Pull-Ups and max out my reps.

 

[Airborne Warrior]

As far as I'm aware extra testosterone and AAS in general allows for more protein synthesis that promotes cell growth. I'd say it's more of the 24/7 ongoing protein synthesis that is the main factor in hypertrophy.

 

[DragonBits]

I really don't think it makes much of a difference, when on testosterone your levels should stay pretty stable.

Still to this day after my squat workout. I do a hard set of Pull-Ups and max out my reps.

I am surprised you don't think there is a peak and trough level when injecting testosterone.

I am sure it makes a difference to your blood work when you test, at least that is the proforma advice on the forum to always test at your trough. It T levels were really constant, once you reach "steady state" it shouldn't matter when you test your T level.

Maybe if you have pellets implanted then T levels would be pretty constant. The more frequently you inject, no doubt the smaller the peaks and troughs will be.

Whether peak or trough matters to your work outs, that is another question for which I have no idea.

 

[Vince]

I am surprised you don't think there is a peak and trough level when injecting testosterone.

I am sure it makes a difference to your blood work when you test, at least that is the proforma advice on the forum to always test at your trough. It T levels were really constant, once you reach "steady state" it shouldn't matter when you test your T level.

Maybe if you have pellets implanted then T levels would be pretty constant. The more frequently you inject, no doubt the smaller the peaks and troughs will be.

Whether peak or trough matters to your work outs, that is another question for which I have no idea.

Sorry I meant to say, I don't believe the peaks is enough to make a difference in building muscle. You actually build muscle at rest not when you're working out. Workout you tear the muscle apart and at rest you grow your muscle.

So I wonder would it better to have higher levels of testosterone when resting then when working out?

 

[DragonBits]

Sorry I meant to say, I don't believe the peaks is enough to make a difference in building muscle. You actually build muscle at rest not when you're working out. Workout you tear the muscle apart and at rest you grow your muscle.

So I wonder would it better to have higher levels of testosterone when resting then when working out?

Good question

I read that when injecting testos you can work out harder. Maybe that's all psychological.

No doubt people who inject frequently get smaller peaks and troughs and it doesn't have as big an effect.

I can see at some point, just do your gym work and forget about attempting exact timing.

A subject I am curious about, but I doubt anyone has tried to fine tune a study to get those sort of answers. Honestly, I don't exactly know how testos causes muscle hypertrophy. It's reasonable to assume that there is a scale effect where more is better for muscle hypertrophy, though not necessarily for general health.

What I mean is a total T of 1100 (for muscle hypertrophy) has to seem better than a total T of 600 even if 1100 isn't supraphysiological testosterone.

BUT for me I am too old and my PSA levels are too high (currently 3.9) for me to want to experiment.

If I were younger and or my PSA was below 2.5, I would see how it works at different levels.

 

[madman]

The role of hormones in muscle hypertrophy


ABSTRACT
Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and other hormones such as growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) have been shown to increase muscle mass in patients suffering from various diseases related to muscle atrophy. Despite known side-effects associated with supraphysiologic doses of such drugs, their anabolic effects have led to their widespread use and abuse by bodybuilders and athletes such as strength athletes seeking to improve performance and muscle mass. On the other hand, resistance training (RT) has also been shown to induce significant endogenous hormonal (testosterone (T), GH, IGF-1) elevations. Therefore, some bodybuilders employ RT protocols designed to elevate hormonal levels in order to maximize anabolic responses. In this article, we reviewed current RT protocol outcomes with and without performance enhancing drug usage. Acute RT-induced hormonal elevations seem not to be directly correlated with muscle growth. On the other hand, supplementation with AAS and other hormones might lead to supraphysiological muscle hypertrophy, especially when different compounds are combined.




Conclusion

In conclusion, acute RT-induced hormonal elevations may have at best minor effects on muscle hypertrophy. Acute hormonal responses might give us an indication on the intensity and the following mechanical and metabolic stress of a given RT protocol but should not be used as causative evidence for a hypertrophic response to exercise.

On the other hand, high doses of AAS and PH have profound effects on body composition by sustaining supraphysiological levels of anabolic hormones increasing protein synthesis, satellite cell, and Wnt pathway activation while preventing protein breakdown. The combination of AAS with GH, IGF-1, and insulin might lead to supraphysiological levels of muscle fiber growth (hypertrophy) and increase hyperplasia. However, high doses of AAS and PH might cause severe side effects. The fact that many of these compounds are only available with prescription or are not even produced by pharmaceutical companies nourishes illegal black markets where products of questionable quality are sold to unaware athletes seeking supraphysiological muscle gains. Furthermore, studies of direct effects of AAS and PH combined with RT on muscle mass and performance are lacking. This lack of knowledge might be one reason for the ongoing abuse of illicit drugs among bodybuilders and strength athletes. This field needs more research in order to prevent AAS and PH abuse among individuals endangering themselves by using drugs with effects they are not aware of.

 

[lemonflavor]

There is still conflicting evidence on whether or not muscles are damaged (torn apart?) from weight training and then repaired. I've never liked the thought of it, but that's neither here nor there. Also, aren't the blood levels after an injection the highest after 24-48 hours? That would negate working out right after injecting. The rise would be so gradual that it wouldn't really matter. Plus, as Vince alluded to, our muscles are 'built' when not working out. Protein synthesis happens in the muscles for 24-48 hours after a workout. I think that's the main thing. So that's happening over a period of days at least. Although there's the 'inject every two weeks' protocol...

 

[Will Brink]

It seems the standard advice on the Internet for increasing your testosterone levels is to do back squats and avoid cardio. A review of the studies showed this advice is questionable for older men. The review concludes:

"Data from the present investigation suggests that resistance training does not significantly influence basal testosterone in older men. Magnitude of effect was influenced by hormone fraction, even within the same investigation. Aerobic training and interval training did result in small, significant increases in basal testosterone. The magnitude of effect is small but the existing data are encouraging and may be an avenue for further research."

While regular excerise is associated with healthier T levels, but acute post workout spikes don't appear to do jack. Impact on hormones like IGF-1, and others, are as important, as well as effects on cortisol. There's plenty of things a man can do to tank T levels (see article Nelson wrote), but not much to raise it other than avoiding what we well known to suppress it. You'll often see a positive increase in T levels in men who lose a large amount of BF via exercise and diet, but that's probably a function of the BF reduction (via reduced E2 production and HPTA feedback suppression of T) vs the actual exercise and diet. End of the day, it's moot: you have to exercise and eat well to be healthy active productive man for various reasons, regardless of it's impact on T, so moot

 

[madman]

Are Acute Post–Resistance Exercise Increases in Testosterone, Growth Hormone, and IGF-1 Necessary to Stimulate Skeletal Muscle Anabolism and Hypertrophy?




Contrasting Perspectives


PREVAILING PERSPECTIVE
Acute post–resistance exercise (RE) increases in anabolic hormones may not be ‘‘necessary’’ to stimulate skeletal muscle anabolism and hypertrophy; however, as we will support in the following discussion, post-RE increases in these hormones are ‘‘optimal’’ for maximizing skeletal muscle anabolism and hypertrophy. For purposes of this presentation, increases in testosterone (T) and growth hormone (GH) will also imply increases in insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) (22,24). Furthermore, we will limit the discussion of these adaptations to men, while recognizing that training variables such as training history, mode, intensity, volume, and rest interval (RI) length in between sets will have compelling influence on the hormonal responses to RE.





CONCLUDING STATEMENT
The anabolic hormonal milieu is necessary to maximize functional adaptations to RT. Although post-RE elevations in anabolic hormones may not be necessary to acutely stimulate muscle protein synthesis or promote hypertrophy of small muscle masses, these elevations in anabolic hormones are ideal to optimize functional performance gains in whole body skeletal muscle mass and strength in men and women across the lifespan.


E. Todd Schroeder Matthew Villanueva University of Southern California Division of Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy Los Angeles, CA


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



CHALLENGING PERSPECTIVE
A pervasive view in the area of endocrine responses to resistance exercise is that acute postexercise hormonal responses of testosterone, growth hormone (GH), and insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) are critical for subsequent skeletal muscle anabolism. If this is the case, then exercise regimes can be manipulated to enhance hormonal responses and thus enhance skeletal muscle adaptations such as strength and muscle mass gain. Despite this alluring prospect, we contend that post exercise increases in testosterone,GH,and IGF-1 are not necessary to stimulate skeletal muscle anabolism and hypertrophy and that measurement of the responses of these hormones yields little in the way of insight into longer-term resistance training-related adaptation.





CONCLUDING STATEMENT
It is time to write the requiem for studies that measure only postexercise hormonal responses and infer a potential effect on hypertrophy. We find that the evidence for such an assertion lacking and causal interpretation unwarranted given the lack of evidence that exercise induced hormones are important in regulating hypertrophy after resistance exercise. Moreover, pharmacologic ablation and exogenous androgen administration are not appropriate models from which to draw conclusions about the effect of exercised-induced changes in hormonal concentrations on hypertrophy.

Daniel W. D. West Stuart M. Phillips McMaster University Department of Kinesiology Exercise Metabolism Research Group Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA