Testosterone

Today we talk about the birds and the bees

Testosterone is an androgen, or male sex hormone that regulates bone and muscle mass, libido, fat distribution, strength, red blood cell, and sperm production in males. 

Although an androgen, testosterone is extremely important in both Males AND Females. In Females, testosterone is known to have important effects on ovarian function, bone strength, muscle development, and sexual behavior including libido. 

However, testosterone ALONE is not the biggest factor in its effects on our bodies. Rather, it is the RATIO of testosterone to estrogen in males and females to ensure proper functions in our bodies. This ratio is different between men and women, where men have a much higher ratio of testosterone to estrogen, and women are reversed with a higher ratio of estrogen to testosterone. 

The actual production of testosterone in males is in the testes and the adrenal gland. In women the production occurs in the ovaries and the adrenal gland. In both men and women the hypothalamus directs the pituitary gland on how much testosterone to produce, and the pituitary gland then sends a message to the gonads; in men the testes and women the ovaries. As previously mentioned, both men and women produce small amounts of testosterone in the adrenal glands.

This is a very brief introduction into the role and production of testosterone in males and females.

I always like to define what we are speaking about so we get a better understanding of the topic so we can determine methods to improve upon them. I take this same approach for solving complex problems, because hormones require a delicate balance and lifestyle, environment, and genetics all play a part. 

The purpose of this is to explain methods by which we can optimize our hormones. Dr. Andrew Huberman has an excellent podcast about this which I will reference, called “The Science of How to Optimize Testosterone & Estrogen | Huberman Lab Podcast #15.” Additionally, this is a very complex topic and will be a multi-part series. This series will be dedicated to the lifestyle effects and optimization tactics to improve testosterone in males and females, which can lead to numerous positive effects in both genders.

PHYSICAL TRAINING

The first aspect of lifestyle we’ll touch on is physical training. This applies to both strength training and cardio, and the order by which we conduct these during a training session.

Weight training with heavy loads, but not to failure, is shown to produce the best response in optimizing testosterone in compound lifts. It is important to note NOT to failure, as going to failure can produce cortisol and lead to decreased testosterone levels (excess levels of stress). This result appears to be in the 70-95% effort range, or weights from the 1-8 rep range.

When doing endurance on the same day as weight training, endurance activities were shown to reduce testosterone levels during the weight training session, compared to doing the endurance session after the weight training. If doing on different/separate days, the impact is negligible. In training however, it is recommended to conduct endurance sessions after the strength portion.

Additionally, in the actual endurance session, it’s shown that high intensity endurance such as sprints or high intensity interval training, is also shown to increase testosterone. On top of that, longer endurance sessions in excess of 75 minutes are shown to reduce testosterone. In practice, unless training for a particular event (marathon, ultramarathon), it’s recommended to keep all training days to less than 75-90 minutes. After that period, especially in weight training, the benefits of the training are largely irrelevant. As a result, training is best implemented to be efficient in time to prevent going past the 75 minute limit before testosterone levels begin to decrease. This applies to both strength training and endurance activities.

When it comes to optimizing testosterone a lot of regular behaviors we conduct day to day have a massive effect. This especially includes our quality of sleep and treating apneas you may have. 

We previously did a series on sleep optimization which we’ll reference here. 

The literature has shown that even after just 5 days of sleeping 5 hours per night, the blood sampled testosterone was reduced by 10-15% in all participants of the study. However, this is not an uncommon amount of sleep in men in many ranges, from as young as teenagers to adults in their 60s. This creates a negative feedback loop, leading to decreased quality of sleep because of the reduced testosterone.

We’ve discussed the significance of hitting 7-9 hours of sleep, with 8-9 preferred for men, especially those that are training consistently. 

This problem is only exacerbated by those with sleep apneas, whether they be influenced by behaviors/health or an obstructive sleep apnea many have due to genetics. Taking steps to optimize one’s sleep are one of the easiest ways to improve performance as well as overall well-being.

DIET

We’re continuing on the trend of optimizing testosterone via behaviors. In addition to sleep and physical training, your nutrition plays an extremely significant role in your overall hormone production, as well as quality of life and ability to gain muscle / lose fat.

The first aspect of your nutrition’s effect on testosterone production is dietary fat. The fat you intake plays a vital role in the actual production of your sex hormones, and literature has shown changing from a relatively high fat diet at 40% of your macros to 20% led to an average 10-15% drop in testosterone. This is why an easy rule of thumb for fat intake is a minimum of 0.3g fat per pound of bodyweight, but recommended in the 30% range or more. However, there are different kinds of dietary fat that must be accounted for with drastic differences in their effects. 

The primary fat to consume are monounsaturated fats found in olive oil, avocados, and nuts, as well as fat from meat including steak, fish, and chicken. It is strongly recommended to avoid polyunsaturated fats found in vegetable oils, which have been shown to damage your cell’s ability to produce testosterone.

CALORIES: Simply getting enough calories will also be crucial in your overall testosterone production. But what if I’m in a deficit? A slight caloric deficit that is increased over time will have little effect on your overall test production. However, jumping into an immediate 1000 Cal deficit and crash your performance, sleep quality, and testosterone production.

MOUTH vs NOSE BREATHING

We are continuing on the trend of behaviors and their effect on your testosterone production. Nasal breathing over an extended period of time has numerous benefits, not just on your testosterone, but on the cosmetic features of your face and jaw. 

Now obviously when training heavy you will have to breath through your mouth. But during the day to day during wakefulness or during sleep, nasal breathing can modify the levels of neurotransmitters in a way that can positively impact your hormones. 

The way nasal breathing improves your testosterone is by making you a better sleeper, leading to more deep sleep and thus a higher level of testosterone produced. In addition, we should work to maintain nasal breathing throughout the day. These are simple behavioral changes that can have positive effects on our hormone production that many don’t take into account. Bottom line, don’t be a mouth breather.