How Testosterone Levels Affect Muscle Growth
It is no wonder that an average male has higher muscle mass than an average female of the same height and weight. In fact, research has proved that even with no difference in diet and exercise regimen, an average male tends to produce and grow more muscles than a female.What drives these key metabolic components? What is the practical application of this knowledge?The answer is pretty simple; the primary hormonal driver that stimulates the production and deposition of muscles in males is testosterone. Any disease, disorder or condition that affects the secretion or metabolism of testosterone can alter the muscle mass deposition and motor strength.;
How Do I Maintain Healthy Testosterone Levels Naturally
In men, age is your enemy. Total testosterone declines and SHBG increases with each decade, beginning after you reach adult maturity at around 30 years of age. There’s not much you can do about the number on your driver’s license, but you can optimize plenty of other areas of your life for testosterone production.
Limit drinking. Excessive intake of alcohol has a negative effect on total testosterone, but just consuming alcohol actually increases your testosterone-to-cortisol ratio, most likely because of the false sense of confidence that alcohol provides, along with its ability to drown out stress.
Control stress. Chronic stress, including overtraining, decreases total testosterone and reduces your anabolic-to-catabolic ratio of testosterone-to-cortisol. Acute stress, such as a strenuous, high volume workout has the opposite effect.
Don’t over diet. To keep testosterone levels at their peak, you’ll want to avoid prolonged, extreme low-calorie dieting, “starvation diets,” or extreme fasting. What may seem contradictory is that blood testosterone levels acutely decrease in response to eating. What’s likely occurring is that certain types of fats and protein increase androgen receptors within muscle, thereby removing more testosterone from circulation as the hormone is taken up by muscles to stimulate protein synthesis and glucose metabolism.
Diseases And Conditions That Affect Testosterone
Men can experience a drop in testosterone due to conditions or diseases affecting the:
- Testes direct injury, castration, infection, radiation treatment, chemotherapy, tumors
- Pituitary and hypothalamus glands tumors, medications , HIV/AIDS, certain infections and autoimmune conditions
Genetic diseases, such as and hemochromatosis can also affect testosterone.
Women may have a testosterone deficiency due to diseases of the pituitary, hypothalamus or adrenal glands, in addition to removal of the ovaries. Estrogen therapy increases sex hormone binding globulin and, like aging men, this reduces the amount of free, active testosterone in the body.
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Effect Of Testosterone: Your Energy Levels Can Soar
“It’s very common for men to come in with low T and one of their primary symptoms is fatigue,” says Dr. Morgentaler. “And when we treat them, a lot of men will say that their energy has improved.” Many men also report an improvement in the “brain fog” that can come along with low testosterone, adds Dr. Tamler.
While researchers aren’t exactly sure how exactly testosterone plays a role in energy yet, Dr. Morgentaler says one of the thoughts is that it has an effect on your mitochondria, which produce energy within cells. This case isnt closed on this yet, but the theory is that “testosterone turns them on so they’re more productive in terms of creating the energy that the cells need.”
Dr. Tamler also notes that it may be tied back to androgen receptors as well. “If they don’t get sufficient input, that can cause fatigue,” he says. So bringing testosterone levels back up can help reverse this.
Finding The Sweet Spot For Testosterone Dosage
Dosing testosterone is not a one-size-fits-all matter. You need to take multiple factors into account. For example, some people might get about 50-60mg of testosterone per week, but this might be too little to experience significant gains in the gym.
Other people get up to 300 mg of testosterone per week or even higher doses while their blood work remains in good parameters. Its important to remember that around 200mg of testosterone per week might be the safest upper limit;for most people.
But what happens if you get too much testosterone? In some cases, your hematocrit might increase and this can lead to various health complications. The HDL cholesterol might drop and you might experience other side effects such as water retention, acne, etc. Thats why its recommended to be careful when finding your sweet spot for testosterone dosage to increase muscle gains.
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How Testosterone Therapy Helps
Combined with moderate exercise, testosterone therapy produces significant weight loss in men with lower-than-normal levels. Correcting the amount of testosterone in your body helps you maintain lean mass as you shed body fat. As your levels normalize, your metabolism will increase so that you burn more calories, and your fat distribution will improve.
If you suspect youre suffering from low testosterone, our team at Mens T Clinic® can help. For diagnosis and treatment, call the nearest office or use our convenient online booking form.
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Watch For Proprietary Blends
Proprietary blends have become a bit of a problem in the supplement industry. What the supplement companies do is take a bunch of ingredients and mix them together in what is called a blend.
The problem is
They only tell you how big the blend is and not how much of each ingredient is in there so you have no way of knowing. Many testosterone boosters and other supplements out there are proprietary blends, there will even be some on this list, unfortunately.
There are so many of them out there it is just unavoidable. When possible you should choose the supplement without the proprietary blend though so you know what you are getting.
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More About Testosterone Cypionate
In other words, Testosterone cypionate differs from the naturally produced testosterone in the way that it includes 8 carbon ester group that further makes it tough for the liver to actually break down. Also, those who make use of it must inject the testosterone cypionate in the intramuscular tissues where it is most absorbed by ones body, stored in the fatty tissues and then released slowly over the time.
Testosterone cypionate dosage is highly flexible as far as users aims are concerned. Its doses can be tailor made for different goals i.e. bulking, cutting etc. Variation between cypionate dosage depend on the goal of the users. For instance, bodybuilding dosage ranges are actually required for a person who wishes to add up mean mass and bulk up. For purposes of fat loss and cutting, it is not a requirement to dive in high range of dosage because of the fact that the main concern with engaging in fat loss is basically preservation of the muscle mass during calorie deficit where muscle loss is a threat without using anabolic steroids. In such cases, low doses are necessary. When used alone, the Testosterone cypionate users can expect enjoying some significant gains. Long acting nature of this cypionate allows its users to basically inject less frequently and at the same time maintaining proper blood levels.
So, as testosterone cypionate offers so many benefits, it is a preferred and much popular bodybuilding and sports steroid.
Timeline For Testosterone Injections To Work
Testosterone therapy is not a quick fix that will end or reverse all symptoms of low testosterone overnight, but that does not mean that someone will have to wait months and months before he or she starts to notice positive improvements in their life. How quickly testosterone injections work in the body is going to be subject to how each individuals system responds to the hormone.
The Scientific Affairs team at Men’s Healthcare in Germany recently asked that same question, and their results were quite interesting.
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Exercise Supports Healthy Testosterone Levels Trt Overcomes Low T
If youre struggling to put in the fitness work to meet your goals due to chronic fatigue, you might consider the possibility that youre suffering from low testosterone.
If youre having an unusually difficult time losing excess weight or youre having trouble maintaining your weight despite proper eating and exercise, hormone imbalances like Low T might be the culprit.
We recommend taking the first step towards looking and feeling better by getting a thorough examination that focuses on finding the actual source of your symptoms.
The first consult is free click the button to get started.
Using Testosterone Boosters To Build Muscle
Plenty of people use a variety of supplements to assist with building muscles, including testosterone boosters. Typically available in the form of capsules, boosters are said to help increase your testosterone levels with adequate dosages. Its unlikely, though, that theyll bring your hormone levels to a point where youll build muscles overnight.
Instead of using testosterone boosters as a sure-fire way to gain muscle, you can use them to improve other areas of your life. For example, moderately higher testosterone levels may help with elevated mood. The less stressed you are, the more likely youll be to work out regularly, which, in turn, will result in spending more time at the gym and building more muscle.
Testosterone boosters may also assist with improving your libido, which is essential for your personal life. The less burdened you are by an unsatisfying sex life, the more youll be able to focus on building the physique you have always dreamed of.
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What Is Testosterone And How Does It Exert Its Actions
Testosterone is the most important male hormone that is synthesized by male gonads under the influence of higher brain centers. Study reported in the peer reviewed journal Experimental Gerontology explained the mechanism of action of testosterone in the growth of muscle mass; the key functions of testosterone are:
- Direct effect on muscles and liver to promote the synthesis of new proteins as a result of DNA activation.
- Activation and release of associated hormones and growth factors to maintain anabolic reactions
- Activation of brain and higher mental centers for improved motor activity and muscular strength
- Testosterone increases the basal rate of metabolism; thereby generating high levels of energy that is utilized in muscle building and remodeling
In male hypogonadism , the pace of muscle synthesis decreases and fat deposition increases. Research suggests that decline in the serum testosterone secretion from 600 ng/dl to approximately 300 ng/dl can increase the rate of fat deposition by 36% .The muscle building effects of testosterone can be enhanced several folds by maintaining high quality diet and optimal physical activity to further enhance the release of growth factors.;
How To Boost Testosterone Levels Naturally
So what if youre one of the unlucky ones who has low testosterone levels? With all of the above said, if your levels are naturally low, you would stand to benefit to increase your levels so you can, once again, start building muscle and losing fat. But if you are against hormone replacement therapies then you are in luck and possibly in better shape than your therapy-taking peers.
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How Long Does Testosterone Stay In Your System
According to studies, enanthate is the fastest acting T form out of the 3 esters. It leads to supraphysiological doses immediately after an injection.
The levels of testosterone remain elevated for 4-5 days which is the half-life of the medication. Then serum T levels slowly decline in the next 5-6 days. Since the medication is applied every 1-2 weeks, T levels may drop right before the next injection.
This can cause negative experiences due to hormonal fluctuations fatigue, mood swings, and low libido. Some amounts of enanthate can remain in your system for up to 3 weeks.
Testosterone undecanoate also increases serum T levels since the first day of therapy but stays in your system for much longer.
The levels of T remain stable for up to 45 days after injection and then slowly decline. Therefore, undecanoate can also provide quick management for your symptoms, with a lower risk for hormonal fluctuations. It should be injected every 10-12 weeks.
In terms of half-life, cypionate works as a middle ground between the other two esters. The levels remain at their peak for about 8-10 days and then decline slowly for another 10 days. Traces of cypionate can remain in your system for up to 6 weeks.
Fatigue: Low Testosterone Handicaps Your Exercise Efforts
One of the most common symptoms of hormone imbalance, including clinical hypogonadism , hypothyroidism, and low estrogen, is chronic fatigue.
It is often found that men suffering from low testosterone or other hormone imbalances simply dont have the energy levels they used to.
This loss of vigor can make working out or staying active more difficult.
Going to the gym or hitting the streets for a run can seem impossible, or at least very unpleasant, when youre already exhausted.
How Does Testosterone Affect Sexual Health And Fertility
Beyond its roles in male sexual development and fertility, testosterone supplementation has been nearly conclusively shown to improve sexual function in men. Researchers have summarized the benefits of testosterone on male sexual function as being five-fold:
- Physiological: Testosterone stimulates nitric oxide and blood flow.
- Structural: Testosterone helps ensure that a man’s penis is working and performing properly.
- Neural: Testosterone improves the tissues involved in, and flow of impulses needed, for sexual activity.
- Antagonistic: Testosterone blocks the enzyme that would otherwise cause a man to lose an erection.
- Supportive: Testosterone helps counteract the adverse effects on sexual function that are common with obesity, diabetes, and aging.
Though high-dose testosterone supplementation can cause infertility, high-dose testosterone therapy is only about 70-90 percent effective as a form of male birth control, which is to say it’s less consistently effective than the use of oral contraceptives in women. Though fertility usually returns to normal within months or years after discontinued use of prescription testosterone in men, prolonged use of it can cause permanent infertility.
Collectively, the research in women with low sex drive or in menopause supports the safe and effective use of testosterone therapy to increase sexual desire, activity, pleasure, and orgasms, with an increase in acne being the only notable side effect.
Low Testosterone And Muscle Mass
Testosterone helps build muscle, and low testosterone can cause loss of muscle mass. Here are tips to maintain muscle and avoid weakness from low testosterone.
Its a simple equation: Testosterone builds muscle mass and low testosterone turns muscle to fat. Testosterone is the male hormone that makes it possible to develop the muscle mass of the male physique. In the absence of testosterone, the hormone estrogen takes over. Estrogen puts fat where you least want it: on your chest and around your belly.
Why Low Testosterone Causes Muscle Loss
Loss of muscle is called muscle wasting, and its a late sign of low testosterone. But even before you notice muscle wasting, you may feel weaker and less energetic, says Ronald Tamler, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Diabetes Center in New York and an associate professor of medicine, endocrinology, diabetes, and bone disease at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. Muscle cells have receptors for testosterone called androgen receptors. When testosterone binds to the receptors, muscle fibers are maintained. Without testosterone, maintenance stops and muscle is degraded.
What’s more, according to a 2012 review of low testosterone in obese men published in the journal Current Diabetes Reviews, low testosterone increases fat deposits, specifically in the belly.
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Effect Of Testosterone: Your Testicles May Shrink
This is one of the most common side effects of testosterone replacement theory.
Normally, when your pituitary gland senses that there’s not enough testosterone in the bloodstream, it sends down a hormone called luteinizing hormone to signal your testicles to start producing more testosterone, and a hormone called follicle stimulating hormone to signal sperm production.
How Does Testosterone Affect The Brain
The most common effects of testosterone on the brain are that it increases social dominance behaviors, and risky decision making. The more testosterone present during fetal development, then again during puberty and adolescence, the more likely that person will be intelligent but lacking in certain social skills, such as empathy or restraint. They may also act more aggressively.
Both human and animal research has shown that aggression increases when supplemental testosterone is used during adolescence . When used by adults, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Put another way, those guys who get more aggressive and blame it on “roid rage” are probably just a-holes and have always been a-holes. Taking testosterone just gives them, and everyone around them, a convenient excuse for their behavior.
In general, men, but not women, with higher levels of naturally occurring testosterone appear to have better memory recall. This has led some researchers to study whether there might be a link between low testosterone and greater risk for dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. When aging men with or without low testosterone and having impaired or no impaired brain function have been prescribed medical testosterone, the improvements on brain function seem to support that a link between testosterone and age-related cognitive diseases may indeed exist.
Testosterone Boosters Vs Creatine Which Builds More Muscle
While testosterone boosters are good muscle builders they are not as good as creatine. Creatine is the best supplement to build muscle and strength that you can buy . Check out our Best Creatine Supplements For Muscle Building article for the top creatine choices. You could also consider using a testosterone booster and creatine together for maximum muscle building.
Effect Of Testosterone: Your Sex Drive Jumps
When youre low on testosterone, you might notice your sex drive begin to dip. Androgen receptors are located in the parts of your brain that influence sexual desire, so if you dont have enough T to activate them, you may notice a drop in wanting to get it on, says Abraham Morgentaler, M.D., the director of Men’s Health Boston and author of Why Men Fake It:The Truth About Men and Sex;and Testosterone for Life.
When you replace your lost testosterone, that can activate those androgen receptors in the part of your brain that controls desire. In fact, regaining a healthy sex drive is one of the biggest benefits of testosterone replacement therapy, says Dr. Morgentaler.
In addition to upping libido, T-therapy can possibly make your erections more satisfying, too. You need to have testosterone to work on the receptors in the penis to help it trap blood to keep it , says Dr. Tamler. Receptors help steer that process, and if you dont have enough T then the process is impaired.
This isnt the only piece of the puzzle, thougherections also rely on healthy nerves and blood flow. So that means that testosterone therapy by itself isnt a cure for erectile dysfunction itself.