THE ULTIMATE TESTOSTERONE GUIDE.
(Please note this guide doesn’t include steroids/peptides/etc..)
(Please note this guide doesn’t include steroids/peptides/etc..)
Understanding Testosterone
- The production of testosterone is based off a complex and biological cascade called the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal (HPG) Axis. Understanding the actual term and meaning is key to understanding how to increase testosterone levels.
- Starting Signal (GnRH) : Begins in the hypothalamus (the part of your brain that is like the control point, it commands your body basically) When this part of the brain is signaled, it released Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH).
The Messenger Hormone (LH) : GnRH then travels to the pituitary gland, then
releasing Luteinizing Hormone (LH) into the bloodstream.
The Production Factory (Testes): The LH then travels to the leydig cells, the arrival of the LH to the leydig cells, causes the cells to convert cholesterol into testosterone.
Key Facts and Figures
- Normal Range: As an average man, your body should be generating around 300 and 1,000 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL)
- Testosterone Cycle: Testosterone follows a rhythmic pattern, peaking in the early morning and decreasing gradually throughout the day.
- Age Decline: Even though I doubt anyone on this forum is above the age of 30, its important to know that your testosterone levels will naturally begin to decline by an average of 1% per year.
Supplements for Testmaxxing
- Vitamin D: The sunshine medicine, which functions as a steroid pro hormone.
- Evidence : A study in the journal “Hormone and Metabolic Research” were able to find that men who were taking vitamin D had an increase in testosterone around 25%. This was a year long study.
- Zinc : A mineral co-factor for over 300 enzymes in the body and is essential for testosterone synthesis.
- Evidence : Research in nutrition showed that blocking dietary zinc in young and healthy men led to a massive drop in testosterone in just 20 weeks.
- Magnesium : A mineral involved in hundreds of of biochemical reactions, including those to hormone production.
- Evidence : A 2014 study called Biological Trace Element Research found that magnesium supplementation increased both free and total testosterone levels in athletes and sedentary individuals.
What To Avoid
- Stress And Poor Sleep : These factors WILL DEFINITELY lower your testosterone production levels. The study “JAMA” found that sleep deprivation can lower testosterone levels significantly. Following this, high cortisol levels from chronic stressing directly interferes with the HPG axis and suppresses hormone production.
- Excessive Body Fat : All fat cells contain aromatase, now what is aromatase? It is an enzyme that converts testosterone directly into estrogen, so avoid excessive body fat at all costs, be lean, plus girls won’t want you if you’re fat.
- Alcohol : I mean this is an obvious, don’t drink alcohol, it fucks with your testosterone, but I don’t even really need to include this, none of you are going to parties and drinking, lets be honest jfl.
LINKS AND SOURCES (for like proof and shit duh)
On Sleep Deprivation and Testosterone:
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
Title: Effect of 1 Week of Sleep Restriction on Testosterone Levels in Young Healthy Men.
Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4445839/
On Vitamin D Supplementation and Testosterone:
Source: Hormone and Metabolic Research
Title: Effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone levels in men.
Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21154195/.
On Zinc Status and Testosterone:
Source: Journal of Exercise Physiology
Title: The Effect of Zinc Supplementation on Serum Testosterone Levels and T-Helper Cells of Sedentary Men.
Link: https://www.asep.org/asep/asep/JEPonlineOCT2007Nssr.pdf
