If you’re a man in your 30s, you’ve probably noticed that it’s not as easy to put on muscle as it was when you were younger. You probably don’t feel as strong as you once did, either. The problem is falling testosterone levels.
It’s natural for a man’s testosterone levels to drop off with age, and it’s usually not a medical concern. Even though you may not have a diagnosable level of low testosterone, your testosterone can dip enough in your 30s or older to put a damper on your workouts. Fortunately, testosterone boosters are a safe, legal way to revisit the easy muscle gains of your youth, especially when they’re combined with a healthy diet and exercise.
What Testosterone Boosters Do
Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone, responsible for libido, secondary sex characteristics, sperm production, and bone density as well as muscle mass. While testosterone does decline somewhat with age, factors like obesity, activity level, stress, sleep deprivation, and a bad diet can also negatively impact testosterone production. Natural testosterone levels peak at around age 20, and then it’s downhill from there. The good news is that you have some measure of control over how much testosterone your body produces.
Testosterone boosters contain ingredients that can help your body make more testosterone. Herbal ingredients like saw palmetto, fenugreek, and ashwagandha are common. Zinc, magnesium, or combination of the two known as zinc monomethionine aspartate (ZMA) is also common. Though these are fairly common dietary minerals, it’s also common for athletes to have lower levels of them, and lower levels of these minerals can cause hormone imbalances, sleep problems, and reduced performance. It’s not uncommon to be deficient in zinc and magnesium, especially if you work out a lot. Many testosterone boosters don’t themselves act to increase testosterone, but instead give your body the conditions it needs to create as much testosterone as it can.
Getting the Most from Testosterone Boosters
Testosterone boosters aren’t a magic solution to your workout blues. They’re not going to work nearly as well for you if you’re not also giving your body the healthy nutrition and adequate rest it needs. But if you’re getting enough sleep, eating healthy meals, and getting enough exercise, testosterone boosters can give you the energy levels and sex drive of a somewhat younger man.
Of course, most men take testosterone boosters because they want to see bigger gains in the gym. Testosterone and testosterone boosters can help you gain strength and build more muscle. Don’t overdo it, though — burning yourself out with too much exercise can lower your testosterone levels, too, because of the stress it puts on your body. A regular, targeted strength training regime is best for maintaining healthy testosterone levels.
Exercising to Boost Your Testosterone Levels
Researchers have found that strength training exercises are best for boosting testosterone levels. Start with compound lifts that work large muscle groups, and then work your way to isolation lifts that target specific muscles for optimum anabolic response. Shorter workouts of less than 60 minutes are most effective at lifting testosterone levels but don’t get lazy. Keep rest periods between 30 to 90 seconds, and make sure you’re still lifting at a respectable volume.
You shouldn’t overstress your body if you want to optimize testosterone production, but a little bit of stress can help boost testosterone — briefly pushing muscles to the point of failure once in a while can trigger an acute hormonal response that spikes testosterone levels. You can use drop sets, forced reps, and negatives to add that stress to your body, but don’t do it on every set — leave it for the last set in your routine. As long as you give yourself time to recover, stressing your body in this manner can help boost your testosterone levels over time.
Testosterone boosters are a safe and legal way to get back at least a little of the easy muscle gains of youth. They can help you get stronger and can help you sleep better, boost your sex drive, and feel more energized, too. What’s not to like? Grab some today and take your workouts, and your life, to the next level.
Tags: testosterone
