Unleash Your Testosterone With These 4 Training Methods

When you grasp that cold iron barbell, what’s the goal?

Getting competition shredded? Getting jacked? Boosting testosterone?

 

If you train with the goal of boosting testosterone, you would be accomplishing most of these goals simultaneously…And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The obvious benefits of increased muscle mass, strength, sex drive and athletic performance are great, but that’s not all the optimizing this hormone can do. Adding some points to your T levels can give you the edge in many areas such as:

• better mood
• Improved memory & focus13
• reduce facial fat12
• increase immune system response11
• faster metabolism10
• better circulation9 and blood flow

Below are four strategies you can use to train for higher testosterone. But first here’s some uncommon sense:

Training does have an effect of testosterone levels in the body, but it’s not the end all be all.  You’ve got to make sure the following are in good standing before you have the ability to really boost testosterone levels and keep them there.

• Sleep – quantity & quality
• Stress – low stress = more testosterone
• Nutrition – avoid processed foods, soy, conventional meat, and eat organic when possible
• Sex –  having it boosts testosterone (and hey, who doesn’t want more sex?)

In the grand scheme of things, these factors will create the foundation for an amazing physique.  Once you have those things checked off, you’ll want to check out these four tried and true training strategies for boosting testosterone.

#1 German Volume Training With The RIGHT Exercises

Besides being a proven method for packing on muscle mass, GVT (german volume training) has been shown to produce favorable results for both hypertrophy and testosterone response to post exercise.

This study8 showed GVT provides greater testosterone response post-exercise compared to strength and power type rep/set schemes.

Here’s how the study was performed:

Each group performed squat workouts. One group performed 6 sets of 4 reps at 88% of their 1rm with 4 min rest, another 8 sets of 6 reps at 45% of 1rm with 3 min rest, and the last (GVT) 10 sets of 10 at 75% of their 1rm with 2 mins rest.

The group performing German volume training displayed higher post-exercise testosterone and cortisol levels compared to the other groups performing power or strength style rep/set schemes. The study also noted one other important thing about training for higher testosterone response:

• The rep volume of a given load seems to have more effect on testosterone and cortisol production when compared to rest intervals, load intensity, and technique.

However, GVT isn’t going to work if you fail to pick the correct exercises and fail to execute. Research shows7 that exercise selection is another important key, if you want to maximize post-exercise anabolic hormone responses. So you won’t get much post-exercise hormone response from doing single joint movements such as leg extensions, triceps extensions, or bicep curls. Here’s how to do it better. This won’t be easy and you might regret doing it, and you’ll probably want to quit before it’s over. BUT it’s going to create a testosterone cascade within your body which comes with a host of muscle-building and fat loss benefits. So hang in there.

Full body Testosterone Boosting Workout:

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest	%1rm	Notes
Deadlifts	10	10	2 minutes	65-75%	Don’t sacrifice form for weight. Go down if needed
Hang Cleans	5	5	2 minutes	65%	Perform explosive as possible
Jump Squats	5	6	2 minutes	35%

 

All three of these bang for your buck exercises are just what the doc ordered for stimulating higher T response post exercise.  Not easy by any means, but effective.

Take Away:

Use german volume training with similar variables protocol in the study for maximum benefit (10 sets of 10 at 75% of your 1rm) in conjunction with moves like deadlifts, push presses, squats, and other compound moves.

#2 Forced Reps

When used properly, forced reps can definitely unlock new muscle growth fast.

Using them in waves or cycling them into your training is most effective since they’re very taxing, and require a training partner.

Just like GVT, you cannot do them all the time or else you’re putting yourself at risk of injuries. To be clear, forced reps are different from drop sets, rest pause or going to momentary muscle failure. Let’s take a look at this:

When doing forced reps, you are truly pushing yourself beyond your physical limits to lift a certain weight. This means the assistance of a good training partner here is essential or else forced reps are not possible.

How to do forced reps

Using forced reps on the bench press exercise would involve going to MMF (momentary muscular failure), and then having your spotter assist you in lifting the bar to squeeze out three to five more reps that would have been impossible for you to perform on your own. This study1 confirmed its ability to be an effective driver of a stronger hormonal response compared to maximal reps of the same number of reps.

How to incorporate them into your program

First, exercise selection, it’s important to understand what exercises not to use forced reps on. For instance, any Olympic movements, squats, and deadlifts are pretty much out for this strategy.

But don’t worry there are plenty of gains to be made with exercises like the bench press, T-Bar rows, seated military presses, lying leg curls, floor presses and other spotter friendly exercises.

Other good candidates for force reps include:

• Leg Presses
• Leg Extensions
• Arnold Presses
• Close Grip Bench
• Board Presses
• Hammer Strength Row machines
• Hammer strength press  machines

So how many forced reps is enough? Not 100% sure, but aiming for 3 to 5 seems reasonable.  The study by Ahtiainen et al. had subjects use a weight heavier than their 12 rm.  Once the athlete failed, they performed forced reps until they reached 12 reps. The result was a high post-exercise testosterone response compared to the group that only did their 12 rm and stopped short of failure or at failure. Taking sets past failure works. Here’s how to use it.

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest	Notes
Slight Incline Dumbbell Press	3	12	2 min	Use your 8rm perform 4 forced reps
Hammer Strength Incline Press	3	12	2 min	Use your 8rm perform 4 forced reps
Arnold Press	3	10	2 min	Use your 6 rm perform 4 forced reps
Seated Barbell Military Press	3	8	2 min	Use your 4 rm perform 4 forced reps
Triceps Skull Crushes	3	15	2 min	Use your 10 rm perform 5 forced reps

**must have a spotter

#3 Sprint More

Sprinting is a proven testosterone boosting form of cardio that should be in your program if you are serious about getting leaner, bigger, and promoting muscle growth and amazing lower body development.

To be clear, sprinting and running are two very different things.  The amount of power required for a sprint is what makes it so effective, but it’s more taxing and cannot be done for so long.

Sprinting can usually only be maintained for about 12 to 15 seconds because it requires 100% balls out effort from the start. Running is the submaximal form which can be carried out for much longer. Like the other two strategies, sprinting is not easy, but it’s effective. It can also be downright painful, BUT you can’t find hormonal and body composition benefits so neatly wrapped into one exercise anywhere else. Compared to both circuit training and tempo running, it’s been shown to produce a significantly higher testosterone response. A study6 published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine compared 30 minutes sprint intervals with 30 minutes of tempo running, and 30 minutes circuit training. Though salivary testosterone was increased in subjects doing the tempo run and circuit training, it was insignificant. This brings about a highly subjective argument – how long do you need to sprint for? Honestly maintaining an all out 100% sprint beyond 10 seconds is not easy and usually not realistic. Therefore, aiming to sprint much longer than that would diminish intensity and therefore effectiveness. I suggest keeping it to 10 seconds and allowing yourself adequate rest (120 seconds). Just remember, if you aren’t panting and are still able to hold a conversation, you’re not going hard enough.

Here’s a simple sprint interval workout:

Exercise	Work	Rest	Notes
50 Yard Hill Sprints	10 seconds all out	120 seconds	Repeat for 8 to 10 rounds
Or
50 Yard Beach sprints	10 seconds	120 seconds	Go barefoot to work on ankle strength and those calves.

 

Aim for 2 to 3 times a week max and give yourself 24 to 48 hours between sessions.

#4 Extend the Rest Periods

I know this flies in the face of what may have heard….However, it’s been tested and proven to enhance T levels, period.

A study (6) confirmed this in an experiment where subjects performed four sets of squats and bench press to failure using 85% of their 1 rep maximum. There were three groups, and each group was assigned a rest period 60, 90 or 120 seconds.

The trained male subjects with the highest testosterone response were in the group that was given 120 seconds rest compared to 60 seconds rest. One thing to note is that the growth hormone response was better in the group with 60 seconds rest. This confirmed that besides exercise selection and volume, rest intervals are an important factor many overlook in their training. So how do we put this information together to get the most out of our training?

Try this full body session:

Exercise	Reps	Sets	Rest	Notes
Push Press	6, 6, F, F	4	120 seconds	Momentary Muscle Failure last two sets aim for at least 6.
Front Squat	6, 6, F, F	4	120 seconds	Momentary Muscle Failure last two sets aim for at least 6.
Sumo Deadlift	5, 5, F	3	120 seconds	Momentary Muscle Failure last set aim for at least 5.
Floor Press	5, 5, F	3	120 seconds	Momentary Muscle Failure last set aim for at least 5.
Sprints	5	50 yards	120 to 180 seconds	Max effort

 

When extending rest periods, it’s important to stay focused and not lose track of time.  Bring a stopwatch or use your phone.  In between sets, take notes and visualize the next set if you tend to get bored. The extended rest allows for better recovery. Therefore, make sure you’re pushing the intensity during the sets, and earning every second of that rest.

Bonus Strategy – Just Train Your Ass Off.  Think effort, effort, and more effort.

At the end of the day, hard work and effort are the keys to pushing to new levels of strength, size, and leanness.

The studies shown all had one thing in common: the work performed to elicit the highest testosterone response was hard and intense.  They were pushing the volume, intensity, and going to complete failure to create the highest testosterone response.

Keep in mind that at the end of the day, post-exercise testosterone elevation is a stress response to training and various other factors. Sleep, nutrition, and stress levels all play a critical factor in your body’s hormonal balance. And as a result of stress due to exercise, cortisol rises as well.  Though it’s important for muscle growth, too much can be harmful- causing weight gain (fat gain), a weakened immune system, and a slower metabolism5 . This is why sleep, low stress, and great nutrition habits are necessary in order to reap the benefits of any of these protocols. Taking care of these strategies will unlock your best physique.

REFERENCES

Forced Reps

REFERENCES

Forced Reps

1.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12905088

Sprints – Done right

2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23310924

Extend Rest Periods 120 seconds

3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20555276

4. http://main.poliquingroup.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/1028/Does_Testosterone_Matter_For_Strength_Muscle__.aspx

5. http://dujs.dartmouth.edu/2011/02/the-physiology-of-stress-cortisol-and-the-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis/#.V7CPhpMrKSM

6. http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/45/15/A6.2.abstract

7. http://saudeemovimento.net.br/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/452_HORMONAL_RESPONSES_AND_ADAPTATIONS.PDF

8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18296983

9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20194727

10. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2265.2005.02339.x/full

11. http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v3/n2/full/ncomms1696.html

12. https://www.anabolicmen.com/little-known-benefits-of-high-testosterone/

13. http://www.neurology.org/content/57/1/80.short

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