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t was about time I make this article. After hundreds of specific posts about what
affects your natural testosterone production and hormonal health, I had yet to
compile it all into one easily accessible article that covered all the basics. The
goal of this article is to get you closer to knowing most of what you need to know in
order to optimize your natural testosterone production. It links out to hundreds of
other more specific posts about various topics discussed, while it also references
hundreds of different studies. A big resource sort of.
Im sure you have seen the endless list of the benefits of optimal testosterone
The guide is broken into 4 big sections; lifestyle, nutrition, training, and supplementation.
The four sections hide inside multiple topics from sleep, to macronutrient splits, to
testicular health, all the way into neuromuscular training, hypoxia, sleep, sex, walking
So, lets get to it:
eventually have to start cutting your caloric intake too much, and both of those things
will start zapping the life out of your androgens.
NOTE: The weight-loss industry is chock-full of some major league bullshit. This guide should help
you in getting to know everything there is to know about losing fat in a sane muscle-preserving way.
3. Stress Less
More easily said than done huh? Well it
doesnt change the fact that stress more
or less kills testosterone levels.
This happens because chronic stress results
in chronically elevated cortisol levels and
cortisol being the bodys principal stress
hormone is a catabolic hormone that
among many other things; suppresses
testosterone levels.
No dont get me wrong here, we all need some cortisol. It gets us up in the morning and
allows us as a species to walk with 2 feet, and without cortisol any kind of minor trauma
would instantly bring you into full shock and kill you
Thats not good, since cortisol not only breaks down your muscle mass and causes
oxidative damage in the body, but its also made from the same raw material
(pregnenolone) as testosterone is, and high levels of cortisol can literally destroy your
free testosterone molecules locally inside testicles and in the bloodstream. Ive touched
this subject before in here and here.
Bisphenol A (BPA) which is a monomer used heavily in plastics and epoxy resins.
Since BPA has a hardening effect on plastics, its used generously in many
industries,making BPA one of the most produced chemicals in the world. It also has
hormone-like properties in the body and has been linked multiple times to lowtestosterone and erectile dysfunction (study, study, study).
Parabens (methyl-, butyl-, ethyl-, propyl-, heptyl-, etc) which are preservatives
used in nearly all kinds of cosmetics, such as; sun lotions, moisturizers, personallubricants, shampoos, shaving gels, toothpaste, and even as food additives. Theyre
classified as xenoestrogens, and can have a weak affinity to estrogen receptors in
the body.
Phthalates which are commonly used to make plastics more flexible, but they are
also used as stabilizers and emulsifying agents in many personal care items.
Increased urinary phthlate traces have been strongly correlated with decreased
testosterone in men, women, and children.
Benzophenones (BP-1, BP-2, BP-3) which are permeability enhancing UVstabilizers are used in a wide range of personal care items, but most commonly in
sunscreens. Concerns have been raised of their effect in reducing the activity of
enzymes needed in testosterone production. This has been studied for BP-1, BP-2,
and BP-3.
Triclosan and Triclocarban, both of which are antibacterial agents found in many
antibacterial soaps, lotions, hand sanitizers, etc. Not only are they highly
ineffective at reducing bacteria, they also have direct mechanism in lowering
testicular testosterone production.
How to reduce the exposure then? Well, its pretty much impossible to avoid all
exposure in the modern World, but you can slash your exposure significantly by using a
tap water filter, drinking from steel or glass cups and bottles, using natural personal-care
items, and eating less canned foods. Grocery store receipts are also coated with BPA, so
better not fiddle around with them too much.
Corticosteroids
Opiate-based painkillers
Some beta-blockers and tranquilizers
A type-2 diabetes drug called Sylfonylurea
A blood pressure drug called Spironolactone
Acid reducers such as; Tagamet, Cidemetidine, etc
Hair-loss drugs such as Finasteride and Dutasteride
Statins and other drugs that interfere with cholesterol synthesis
Some anti-fungal drugs, such as the commonly used ketoconazole
Many SSRIs (anti-depressants) are notorious for causing low sex-drive and also lowT
7. TestShock Program
Writing about natural testosterone
optimization has been my job now for
the past few years. Reading, learning,
and researching info on hormones has
been something Ive done for ever since
I was 15
As you can imagine, I have seen, read,
bought, or sometimes straight up ignored
hundreds of T-boosting e-books, physical
books, supplements, courses & programs, and even coaching. I get pitched some
testosterone related products on a daily basis, since this site is currently the most visited
natural testosterone resource, everyone wants their piece of the pie and their product to
The problem is that I dont want to promote bullshit in here, and that
is exactly what 95% of the natural testosterone optimization
programs and supplements are.
Not TestShock though. The moment I had read the first few pages of the book I knew that
this was something different, something that aligns with the actual scientific evidence,
and something that might truly be the complete A-Z guide for natural testosterone
optimization.
Now I dont want to over-hype the program, but if you like to read articles like
the one youre reading now, and youre interested in natural T-enhancement,
then youre going to love all the 262-pages of Christopher Walkers TestShock
program.
Heres Cuddy herself talking about the topic and the study:
The metabolization process of alcohol tends to reduce the amount of coenzyme NAD+,
which is an essential part of the electron donoring process necessary for
steroidogenesis.
Alcohol can also increase the release of beta-opioid-endorphins from the brain and
stimulate the hormone prolactin, both of which can negatively affect testosterone
production.
Oxidative damage increases thorough the body in response to alcohol consumption,
this leading to localized reduction of testosterone in the gonads and also indirect
reduction via increased cortisol levels.
Chronically high intake of alcohol is notorious for its effects in increasing the
aromatase enzyme, which converts testosterone into estrogen, causing a feminized
effect in the male body.
How much do you have to drink to actually suppress test levels though?
The most damaging effects come from few rodent studies (study, study, study, study). One
rat study in particular showed a staggering 50% reduction in testicular size after they were
fed with a diet containing 5% of the calories from alcohol.
Rodents aint the only ones who see suppressed T-levels after alcohol ingestion. Heavy
alcohol consumption has been linked to lowered testosterone levels in humans too
(study, study, study, study). Its also known that chronic alcoholics tend to have
significantly lower levels of testosterone accompanied with significantly higher estrogen
levels than their non-alcoholic peers (study, study, study)
Luckily enough, few studies have shown that low-moderate alcohol consumption isnt
that bad for male hormone production. Here an equivalent of ~2 glasses of red wine was
associated with a mere 7% reduction in testosterone. In this one 0,5g/kg of alcohol
actually slightly increased testosterone levels.
In the case of alcohol, the dose really does make the poison. Enjoying
a few old fashioneds or beers once in a while isnt enough to
chemically castrate you.
The catch-22 here is that if youre fat (which lowers testosterone), you MUST be on a
caloric deficit to lose the weight, and the deficit itself can end up reducing your T-levels.
So should you remain fat and make sure that youre not getting too few calories? Or
should you consider losing the weight by eating a calorie deficit and then bumping your
calories up to maintenance level after youre lean?
in the stress hormone cortisol (needless to say this is not a good thing). The pulastion rate
of GnRH (master hormone that starts the testosterone production process) also seems to
be heavily dependent on glucose availibity.
As a general rule of thumb, Ive always recommended ~40% of daily calories
from carbohydrates. Mainly from low-fiber low-gluten sources, since gluten may
increase prolactin levels (study, study) and theres some although not very conclusive
evidence against high-fiber diets. To make it simple, eat the bulk of your carbs from
potatoes and rice.
A crucial part that is often left out in many articles is the part of
Bottom line: Ideally youd want to keep your dietary fat intake at somewhere close to
~40% of daily calories, while most of them coming from SFAs and MUFAs with limited
amounts of PUFAs and trans fats. In case youre scared about the effects this would have
on your cardiovascular system, theres very little to be afraid of, recent research has
showed that the link between saturated fat & dietary cholesterol with heart problems was
never really strong, and the older studies have been debunked multiple times in more
recent trials.
The liver provides about 70% of our active thyroid hormone, by converting
thyroxine to T3, but it can provide this active hormone only when it has
adequate glucose.
Dr. Ray Peat
Sure, organic foods are more expensive, and surely you dont HAVE
to switch everything organic in order to maintain high-T, and yes not
all pesticides are harmful
But some can be. In this study, the researchers screened 37 commonly used pesticides
for their hormonal actions in-vitro, as many as 30 of them were antiandrogens. Another
study tested multiple pesticides for their effects on the 5-alpha reductase enzyme and saw
that many of them had a mechanism for blocking DHT synthesis.
In a large-scale American study, it was noted that 91% of the US test subjects had notable
amounts of the insecticide; chlorpyrifos in their bodies. In another human study, TCPY
(3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol) which is a metabolite of chlorpyrifos, was noted of having a
dose-dependent testosterone lowering effect in multiple linear regression models. Several
animal studies have also shown that chlorpyrifos has a significant testosterone lowering
effect (study, study, study).
In isolated testicular leydig cells, one of the most widely used herbicides in the World;
Glyphosate, had a direct testosterone lowering effect at normally occurring environmental
dosages.
Two interesting studies from Denmark have showed that farmers who spray their crops
with conventional pesticides experience lower sperm production and lowered sex
hormones when compared to farmes who produce organic foods whom have higher sperm
quality and higher sex hormone levels (study, study).
Many other pesticides such as organophosphates, Vinclozolin, PCBs, and Atrazine have
been also linked to suppressed testosterone production.
NOTE: Im not a fan of fear-mongering (think FoodBabe, Mercola, David Wolfe, NaturalNews), which
is why I refrain from making any wacky tin-foil hat accusations about pesticide use. Indeed GMOs
have saved thousands of lives in Africa, and in many cases theres a legit reason to use crop-sprays,
preservatives, and so forth. Its always your personal decision whether you eat organic or
conventional produce, or maybe you mix them up. The most important thing is that you read the
evidence about them yourself instead of blindly following one expert with one specific stance,
because in this subject, youll hear a bunch of bullshit from all-camps.
As a big-fan of milk, I was not happy to find this Japanese study where drinking cows milk
resulted in increased serum estrogen and progesterone levels, which suppressed GnRH
secretion from the brain and thus lowered testosterone secretion in men and prepubertal
boys during a 21-day study period.
Since the conjugated hormones are mostly in the fat portion of the
milk, it seems that skimmed and low-fat milk would be a hormonally
better option
And indeed there are two studies which support this theory;
A study where physically active men drank full-fat milk and their overall sperm
quality significantly decreased
A study where consumption of low-fat and skimmed milk increased sperm volume
and mobility
Tea is one of the foods with highest known fluoride content and fluoride in excess can
significantly lower T-levels.
When isolated leydig cells are exposed to green tea catechins (EGCG and EC),
stimulated testosterone production drops significantly.
Injecting rodents with green tea antioxidants ended up crushing testosterone levels by
a whopping 70%!
The catechins and tannins in various teas have a mechanism of blocking DHT
synthesis via reducing 5-a enzyme (study, study).
Adding increasingly bigger dosages of green tea to male rodents feed (human
equivalents of 5 to 20 cups) caused dose-dependent reductions in testosterone between
25-78%.
I recommend choosing coffee instead, since not only does coffee taste better, its
also pro-testosterone;
4mg/kg of caffeine taken 1-hour prior to exercise can increase T-levels by 12% in elite
athletes.
When infused into a chewing gum 240mgs of caffeine was able to increase the
exercise-induced testosterone boost by 14%
In this study, pre-workout caffeine dosed at 200, 400, 600, and 800mgs led to dosedependent increases in testosterone
Caffeine is known to be a non-selective PDE-inhibitor, reducing the breakdown rate
of cAMP (a compound needed in T-synthesis)
structurally similar to the principal female hormone, estrogen, and are believed to have
similar effects in the body. Since high estrogen level in men are almost always a direct
route to lowered testosterone levels, eating soy which contains estrogenic compounds
is often blamed for lowering testosterone.
Studies on the topic are highly inconclusive though, and while many of them do show that
soy lowers testosterone levels (study, study, study, study, study, study, study), others
show no apparent change (study, study, study, study).
I personally do limit my soy consumption, not necessarily because of the research on its
effects for testosterone, but because soy is also chock-full of goitrogens, which are
compounds present in foods, medication, or chemicals, that disrupt the production of
thyroid hormones by interfering with iodine uptake in the thyroid gland.
Since thyroid activity is crucial for your energy levels and overall
health, Im not going to stuff my face with soy when I know theres
plenty of research suggesting that it can negatively impact thyroid
activity
Also soy tastes awful and Im not a vegan/vegetarian, so what real reason
would there be to even consume it?
All of the above pointers will be addressed more in detail in the below subheadings.
NOTE: Theres also a book coming out in the few following weeks by Chris Walker titled as the THORprogram and designed specifically for hormonal response training, ie. getting the biggest hormonal bang for
your training buck. You can get the THOR here.
study)
Some examples of this type of training are;
regular sprinting
hill & wind sprints
circuit training
playing hockey
HIIT cycling
Heres a great example of hill sprints that would be pretty great for hormonal
response (courtesy of FitByGreen.com):
Bottom line: Basically any type of exercise where you can do quick 15-30 second all-out
bouts of exercise in 2-8 intervals will work wonders for anabolic hormones and
neuroendocrine adaptations. Instead of boring hours of steady-state cardio, consider
crushing it with few all-out sprints for maximal hormonal gains.
(LPA = low physical activity, HPA = high physical activity, LCR = low calorie restriction, HCR = high
calorie restriction).
Of course walking isnt the only physical activity that boosts T-levels, when sedentary
subjects are compared against active subjects, the more physically active guys do have
higher sperm counts and testosterone levels. Also its seen in studies that when sedentary
men start some sort of physical activity and/or low-pace exercise routine, their T levels
tend to go up as well (study, study, study)
Take something as woodcutting as an example, in Tsimane tribesmen, 1-hour
of chopping trees led to 46.8% increase in testosterone.
The cardio question first. Sure, there are many opinions, but the actual evidence is
suggesting that yes, cardio before weights is more anabolic.
In fact a study by Rosa et al. showed that the guys who hit cardio before weights had 7x
higher post-workout testosterone levels than the guys who did cardio after weight training
(due to stimulus interference the researchers claim).
NOTE: Although the immediate post-exercise hormone alterations are not going to massively
impact your physique or resting T-levels, its still good to have that 7x higher testosterone response
once in a while huh?
When it comes to morning or evening training, it doesnt really matter. Even though
your T-levels are naturally highest in the morning, over long-term training increases
testosterone levels in similar fashion regardless of the time of the day (study, study).
It also goes without saying that your body will look quite weak and
frail if you train mainly for endurance.
A much better option for those of us who dont need to train for endurance, would be
something like low-pace walking or hiking. Obviously resistance training and highintensity intervals are the optimal way to train for T, but if youre looking for a bit more
lighter way to balance hormones, slowly walking with a small incline is actually much
more beneficial for T and especially normal cortisol secretion than chronic endurance
training.
4 reps of deadlifts -> Reduce weight by 10%, rest ~4 minutes and do 5-6 reps of the
same movement.
5 reps of weighted wide-grip pull-ups -> Reduce the weight by 10%, rest ~4 minutes
and do 7 reps of the same movement.
8 reps of weighted chin-ups -> Reduce weight by 10%, rest ~4 minutes and continue
with 10 reps of the same movement.
6 reps of lat pulldowns with narrow handle -> Reduce weight by 10%, rest ~4
Aaand thats it for the back, a total of 8 sets which might seem like a ridiculously low
amount of work but when done correctly (1st set is really ALL OUT set) youre actually
going to be pretty done. Go ahead and give it a shot if you dont believe my word
have to squat, squat, deadlift, squat and then do some deadlifts. And sure enough deadlifts
and squats are very good movements for size and increased muscle activation, but they
fall short on intensity (explosiveness) not allowing you to maximize the activation of fast
glycotic muscle fibers, and they also bring you more easily to the training treshold.
Some movements which actually can be used for NM training to maximize all
the above factors are;
rarely practices). One more key element to the equation is often overlooked.
And thats the idea of work load and its relationship to muscle volume
activation (MVA) relative to intensity.
Chris Walker
Going to the gym with no energy and when youre still recovering from
the previous workouts does very little to your progress and only
negatively affects the hormonal response.
Remember, constant progress is the key to gains and hormonal adaptations. In order to
push for that increased testosterone response and to move your resting baseline higher
and higher (creating the new normal) you have to get out of your comfort zone and
constantly progress to heavier weights and higher intensities
A good example of this is a study where non-athletes experienced significantly higher
testosterone levels after an intense lifting workout in comparison to elite athletes. For the
sedentary subjects this was a huge step out of the comfort zone and forced the body to
adapt to new training stimuli, resulting in hormonal adaptations, whereas for the elite
athletes this was just another workout and the hormonal adaptations werent as strong.
Another study saw that after sedentary subjects started a resistance training routine, their
baseline testosterone levels shot up by over 40% in just 4-weeks. Why? Likely because
they had to get out of the comfort-zone and create a new normal to which their
hormones had to adapt into.
Thats the idea behind constantly pushing yourself and getting to higher weights and
better intensities as you get stronger and stronger, youre slowly pushing the hormonal
baseline up by forcing your body into using bigger workloads and heavier weights
If you overtrain, your lifts will start degrading and your CNS will be
too taxed to actually make that constant progress, and thats just
one of the many reasons to avoid the pitfalls of training too much.
All I can say is that the THOR-program is not your average more
squats and deadlifts bro! kind of book.
Large portions of the population had total usual intakes below the
estimated average requirement for vitamins A (35%), C (31%), D
(74%), and E (67%) as well as calcium (39%) and magnesium (46%).
Only 0%, 8%, and 33% of the population had total usual intakes of
potassium, choline, and vitamin K
When you start looking at how vitamin and mineral deficiencies affect your
testosterone production, youll realize why its important to keep your body
topped up on essential micronutrients;
positively correlated with high serum T levels, and in this large review
study the researchers conclude: there is evidence that magnesium
exerts a positive influence on anabolic hormonal status, including
testosterone, in men.
Calcium has its role in controlling neurotransmitter release and the
signaling between cells and hormones. Not much is known about its
effects on testosterone, but in 1976 a group of researchers found out
that calcium stimulates testosterone synthesis in isolated leydig cells.
33 years later another study saw that calcium supplementation didnt
alter T levels at rest, but did significantly increase (18%) T levels postexercise.
Selenium, mostly due to its gluthatione stimulating effects, has been
linked to increased testosterone production and improved sperm
parameters in few studies (study, study)
Zinc has a significant positive effect on testosterone production and a
deficiency will hammer the endocrine system. In fact, zinc might be one
of the most important micronutrients for healthy testosterone
production. It has increased testosterone levels in athletes and
exercising normal men (study, study), in men with zinc deficiency, in
infertile men, in animals Its also noted in one rodent study that zinc
deficiency can upregulate the estrogen receptors by 57%, probably due
to the fact that zinc has its role in controlling the aromatase enzyme.
Boron, although not very common mineral to supplement with, has
few interesting studies backing up its testosterone boosting effects. In
this human study 6 mgs of boron for 60 days increased free
testosterone levels by 29%. In another human study, 10 mgs of boron
for 7 days increased free testosterone by 28%.
Manganese appears to have a direct GnRH stimulating effect in the
brain, and logic says that it should therefore also increase testosterone
levels. However, mega-dosing with manganese should not be an option,
since it accumulates in the body and can become neurotoxic at high
levels. When taken at too high doses, manganese can actually reduce T
levels.
38. Phosphatidylserine
Not much has been talked about
phosphatidylserine (PS) as a
testosterone booster, even though
theres some evidence that at least in
exercising individuals, PS can reliably
increase testosterone levels and
suppress the exercise induced cortisol
secretion.
Phosphatidylserine is actually a naturally
occurring phospholipid complex present in all of the bodily cells. Its mainly a signaling
molecule between cells and hormones, but may also have other functions, such as
reducing the oxidative damage at the interior of cells.
Due to over 50% of the bodily PS being in neural tissue of the brain, many claims of
phosphatidylserines nootropic or brain boosting benefits have been made. Surprisingly
enough, theres a good amount of evidence which suggests that PS supplementation can
improve cognitive functions (study, study, study). In fact PS has an FDA granted qualified
health claim for prevention of cognitive decline in humans.
When it comes to testosterone, PS can improve athletic performance by reducing the
exercise induced rise of oxidative stress (study, study, study). Furthermore,
phosphatidylserine supplementation has a dose-dependent cortisol reducing and
testosterone promoting effect in exercising subjects (study, study). In the latter study PS
was able to improve the testosterone to cortisol ratio by 180% more in favor of increased
T, aka. anabolism.
39. Bromelain
Bromelain is a pineapple extracted
blend of proteolytic enzymes. More
specifically, its a supplement
containing bunch of enzymes that can
break down the peptide chains between
amino-acids (proteins), improving
digestion and absorption.
You can get some by eating pineapples, since
the stem part is loaded with protelytic
A study from the University of Tasmania by Shing et al. had fifteen young elite
cyclists as their test subjects. The subjects were racing in a competitive cycle
race for 6 consecutive days, and the researchers divided the participants into
two groups. First one consisted of 7 cyclists who received 1,000 mgs of daily
bromelain. The second group consisted of 8 cyclists who received a visually
similar placebo pill. During the six days of the cycle race, the researchers took
blood samples from the cyclists at days 1, 3, and 6, and they examined these
samples for various exercise markers, including testosterone. What they
found out was very interesting. As to be expected, the high amount of
endurance exercise significantly reduced blood testosterone levels however
only in the placebo group. The group receiving 1,000 mgs of bromelain, noted
relatively stable levels of testosterone throughout the 6 days of cycle racing!
Yup, thats not a typo. 6 consecutive days of elite level cycling with no
significant reductions in T levels. The researchers conclude: Consecutive
days of competitive cycling were associated with increased markers of muscle
damage and a reduction in circulating testosterone across the race period.
Bromelain supplementation reduced subjective feelings of fatigue and was
associated with a trend to maintain testosterone concentration. Mind you,
this study is peer-reviewed, randomized, double-blind, and placebocontrolled. Not bad results from a gram of meat tenderizer per day I might
say
that would show increases in testosterone, however, the study with 57 young
and healthy male subjects as described in the paragraph above (using KSM66 extract), showed a significant ~15% increase in testosterone levels (average
rise from 630 ng/dL to 726 ng/dL, which is a lot from a single herb if you ask
me).
41. Forskolin
Forskolin is a general term for
standardized extract of an Indian plant
Coleus Forskohlii. Youve probably
heard about it, since its a very popular
fat burner and often hyped up in the
ridiculous Dr. Oz show.
Aside from the facts that Oz is a clown who
only smears forskolins name and that its not
really anything super awesome as a fat burner, forskolin can actually increase
testosterone levels and can also upregulate androgen receptors.
Forskolin is well-known for increasing cAMP (cyclic adenosine monophoshpate) levels in
human tissue, and cAMP works as a secondary messenger in the body, transporting
biological signals between cells and hormones. cAMP stimulation is believed to be the
main reason why forskolin is able to increase T-levels.
The herbal extract so reliably boosts cAMP and testosterone levels in cell-culture studies
that scientists often use it as a positive control to stimulate testosterone production in
42. Creatine
Creatine is right after protein
supplements the most popular
supplement used by bodybuilders and
various athletes.
Its a naturally occurring amino-acid, which
has a monster amount of scientific studies
proving its positive effects in strength output
and lean mass gain.
Creatine works by increasing cellular ATP (adenosine triphosphate) levels. ATP is what
cells use as energy, so basically youre increasing the supply of energy for your cells when
you ingest creatine. Logically this helps you perform better.
But did you know that creatine can also increase testosterone levels?
Not only the exercise-induced T-levels but also your resting baseline.
As a side note for a study that tested creatines effect on cognitive abilities, the
researchers found out that it also increased salivary testosterone levels. In athletes
creatine has been noted to reliably increase T-levels, for instance; This 4-year study
noted that in athletes who reported using creatine, a trend towards increased testosterone
levels was noted
In swimmers testosterone levels and swim times can be improved with creatine
supplementation. In overtrained men who practice resistance training, creatine maintains
power output, free testosterone, and total testosterone levels. One study even found out
that creatine supplementation in resistance trained males led to 17% higher baseline
testosterone levels than what was seen in the placebo group which received sugar pills.
Creatine is also known for increasing DHT levels by up to 56% in young rugby players.
Bottom line: Creatine is a legit supplement for every athlete and gym-rat, since it
increases strength output, reduces fatigue, and offers a slight boost to anabolic hormones.
Its also really cheap.
43. Probiotics
This isnt the only rat study with promising results, another one found similar results, the
more the rodents were exposed to probiotics, the higher their testosterone was. One study
also saw that a probiotic strain by the name of Clostridium scindens is able to directly
convert cortisol into androgens inside the gut.
so if that Dr. Tambi guy would publish his studies online. Also if youre going to get a
Tongkat Ali supplement, consider purchasing the original Malaysian 200:1 water extract.
46. Carnitine
L-Carnitine is a naturally occurring
amino-acid (protein) found in meat. Its
usually used in supplemental form to
either improve cognitive abilities or as
a fat-burner.
Carnitine works by shuttling fat into the
mitochondria for it to use as energy, this
theoretically should improve your bodys
ability to burn fat (although research on this
isnt too legit) and give your some extra
energy.
The reason why carnitine is perfect for everyone interested in natural testosterone
optimization, is that when carnitine shuttles the fat to the mitochondria, it also
upregulates androgen receptor activity at the same time. This in turn leading to better
androgen utilization by the body.
This effect has been shown in a study where 3-weeks of L-carnitine L-tartrate
supplementation at 2g/day was able to significantly increase the amount of active
androgen receptors in exercising human subjects. The researchers actually took muscle
biopsies to be sure. In a previous study by the same researchers it was noted that even
without exercise, carnitine is able to upregulate AR activity.
Since carnitine increases AR activity and also luteinizing hormone pulsation rate, its not
a big surprise to see that it can very reliably increase sperm quality in human subjects
(study, study, study, study).
Bottom line: If you want to maximize your tissue uptake of testosterone, consider adding
carnitine to your supplement cabin. According to the studies youll get even more out of it if
you exercise and take it immediately after training.
48. Shilajit
Shilajit is a tar like resin collected from
the deep rocks of Himalayan mountains.
No one seems to be entirely sure how it was
formed, but I guess the most accurate theory
NOTE: over 90% of the shilajit in the market is not authentic, and highly uneffective. True shilajit is
always in its pure resin form and black.
In this in-vitro study, icariin was found to be a natural PDE-5 and PDE-4
inhibitor (ED drugs like Viagra and Cialis work through PDE-5 inhibition).
Even though icariin is not nearly as effective as the blue pill is, this could still
explain some of the claimed aphrodisiac effects of horny goat weed. In the
same study, it was noted that icariin activates the cAMP enzyme (due to PDE4 inhibition), which is positively associated with increased testosterone
production.
This rat study found out that at the dose of 80mg/kg icariin is able to triple
testosterone levels, without changing the levels of gonadotropins (LH and
FSH). The researchers claim that icariin acts as a testosterone mimetic in the
body, and doesnt stimulate the hypothalamus-pituiary-testicles axis like
many other herbal T boosters do.
In few animal studies, icariin has suppressed the levels of the stress hormone;
cortisol (study, study). As you might already know, elevated cortisol levels will
suppress testosterone synthesis, due to the facts that elevated production of
cortisol robs the cholesterol needed for testosterone synthesis, and high
cortisol directly suppresses testosterone production inside the gonads.
Icariin is also very potent nitric oxide (NO) booster (study, study). Increased
NO production will relax blood vessels and increase blood flow, and this might
be one of the reasons why HGW is primarily considered to be an aphrodisiac
(libido booster).
the herb:
First of, there are several animal studies where Mucuna Pruriens has been
able to increase testosterone levels and sperm parameters (study, study,
study). Then came a human study where M. Pruriens was able to significantly
increase sperm concentration on infertile and healthy men. (this could
explain the proclaimed testicle size boosting effects).
Another human study followed, where 75 healthy and 75 infertile men, were
given 5 grams of ground up Mucuna Pruriens for 90 consecutive days. The
results showed that testosterone levels increased significantly (38% in infertile
men and 27% in healthy men). Luteinizing hormone (LH) also increased (41%
in infertile males and by 23% in healthy males). And prolactin decreased (32% in infertile group and -19% in healthy group). Similar results were seen
in this study, where Mucuna increased testosterone levels by 38% in infertile
men (this study had no healthy men as subjects though).
Testshock Program (the ultimate natural T-enhancement guide. Best in the market.
Unbeatable).
THOR-program (the complete guide for how to train to elicit the maximal
testosterone response).
Testosterone Fat-loss program (how to lose weight in a sane evidence-based way that
maintains T-levels).
Eat Stop Eat (everything you need to know about intermittent-fasting and fasting in
general).
Testosterone Podcast (a podcast hosted by me, Chris Walker, and Ian Lenny).
Testosterone Meal Plans (tailored nutrition plans by the TestShock team).
Examine.com (unbiased supplement research resource).
Think and Grow Rich (book that every man needs to read).