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As you get older, you probably don’t want to be spending hours in the gym each week to keep your fitness up.
But it’s more important than ever to stay on top of your physical activity levels as you age. Because once you hit your thirties or forties, your testosterone levels begin to decline —which can be detrimental to your muscle mass, healthy body weight, energy levels, and strength. Low T levels can even affect your mood and sex drive.
Fortunately, it doesn’t require a ton of time or effort to turn those lower levels around and get them back up where they belong. It’s all about boxing smart with the type of workout you do.
You don’t need to do any strength training with heavy weights, high-intensity interval training, or hours and hours of cardio if it’s not your thing.
Just a few simple exercises a day are all you need to reverse the decline, pump those T levels right back up—and supercharge your day.
And we’ll show you how.
How does exercise help boost testosterone levels?
Testosterone is such an important sex hormone for your overall health and vitality, so when levels drop too low, it can be problematic.
That’s why it’s crucial to raise and then maintain healthy levels of testosterone production and release as you age.
As your testosterone levels rise, you’ll gain plenty of benefits to your health, fitness, and sexual wellbeing, including…
- Increased strength and muscle mass
- Stronger bones
- Improved mood and cognitive function
- Better libido and sexual performance
- More energy and motivation
- Reduced body fat and increased metabolism
- Sharper focus and concentration
- Enhanced competitiveness and drive
One of the best ways to raise those dwindling testosterone levels is through regular exercise.
But if you don’t have the time or interest to head to the gym for some weight lifting or a full exercise program of at-home resistance training, there are plenty of bodyweight exercises that can do the trick.
Quick workouts to boost your testosterone levels
If you’re pushed for time, or just want some simple exercises to get you started, try adding a few sets of the following movements into your daily routine.
They’re fast, simple, don’t require any equipment (unless you want to use some), and can be done from the comfort of your home.
Squats
Squats are one of the best resistance training exercises for boosting low T. They’re compound movements that work the largest muscles in the body, which aids the release of testosterone.
When done with proper form, squats engage multiple muscle groups, including the quads, hamstrings, calves, core, and glutes.
How to perform a basic squat…
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, toes pointed slightly outward. Engage your core.
- Send your hips back like you’re sitting in a chair. Keep your chest up, back straight, and knees pointed in the same direction as your toes.
- Lower down until your thighs are parallel or almost parallel to the floor. Keep your weight in your heels, not toes.
- Drive through your heels to return to starting position, squeezing your glutes at top.
Some squat variations to try…
- Wide stance squats: Widen your stance to target inner thighs.
- Sumo squats: Turn your toes out further and take a wider stance.
- Jump squats: Leap off the ground a couple of inches on the way up from your squat.
- Front/goblet squats: Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell at chest level to target your quads more.
- Back squats: Place a barbell across the back of your shoulders to add more weight.
- Overhead squats: Hold a weight overhead to challenge your balance.
Aim for three to four sets of six to 12 reps, going to fatigue on your last set. Take 90 seconds of rest between sets and add extra weight as you get stronger.
Lunges
Lunges are a great exercise for building lower body strength and boosting testosterone.
There are a few variations of the lunge that target slightly different muscles, all of which can be done with weights or just your body weight:
Forward lunges…
- Stand with feet hip-width apart, engage your core, and keep your back straight.
- Step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at 90-degree angles.
- Push back up to the starting position and repeat on your other leg.
- Make sure your front knee doesn't go past your toes.
- Drive through your heels and keep your weight in your heels, not your toes.
Reverse lunges…
- Stand with your feet together, core engaged.
- Step back with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at 90 degrees.
- Drive through your front heel to return to the starting position.
- Repeat on your other leg.
- Keep your torso upright throughout the movement.
Side Lunges…
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart
- Take a large step to the side with one leg, bending your knee and hip while keeping the other leg straight.
- Push back to centre and repeat on the other side.
- Keep your toes facing forward and avoid letting your knee cave inward.
- Focus on sitting back into the hip of your bent leg.
Lunges engage your glutes, quads, and hamstrings while improving balance and mobility.
Mixing up these variations will target the muscles from different angles for a greater testosterone response.
Sprints
Sprinting is an incredible exercise for quickly boosting your testosterone. The short bursts of intense anaerobic activity stimulate your body to naturally increase testosterone production.
There are several variations of sprints you can try…
- Straight-line sprints: Run at maximum speed in a straight line for a set distance. Start with shorter distances like 10 to 30 metres and work up to 100+ metres.
- Hill sprints: Add resistance and increase the difficulty by sprinting up a moderate to steep hill. Focus on driving your knees and arms to power yourself up the incline. Walk back down and repeat.
- Stair sprints: Take advantage of stairs to perform short bursts of intense effort. Run stairs two at a time for 10 to 30 seconds.
- Shuttle sprints: Alternate between two points a certain distance apart, sprinting back and forth. Mark two cones five to 10 metres apart and sprint between them.
No matter what sort of sprints you do, aim for 10 to 30 seconds at a time, taking at least one minute of rest between sprints.
Do four to eight total sprint intervals, two to three days per week, along with other bodyweight strength training to reap the testosterone rewards.
Planking
The plank is a simple but highly effective full-body exercise that engages multiple muscle groups at once.
When holding a proper plank position, you'll feel your core, back, shoulders, arms, and legs all working in unison.
Aim to hold a plank position for at least 30 to 60 seconds per set, building up your endurance over time to hold the plank for longer durations.
Avoid arching your back or sagging your hips, as this puts strain on your lower back. Keep your core braced, back flat, and body in a straight line from head to heels. Breathe steadily throughout.
Proper form is crucial when holding the plank. By keeping your body straight and tight, you'll get the most benefit for your core, back, and entire body.
Yoga
Yoga poses can help increase T levels by strengthening your muscles and improving blood flow.
Here are three testosterone-boosting yoga poses that are perfect for beginners.
Bridge pose…
The bridge pose strengthens the spine, opens up the chest, and stretches the front of your hips and thighs. Here’s how to do it:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and arms at your sides.
- Plant your feet hip-width apart on the floor.
- Inhale, then lift your hips up towards the ceiling to form a straight line from knees to shoulders.
- Clasp your hands underneath your back to help support your posture.
- Hold for 30 seconds to one minute.
Plough pose…
The plough pose increases blood flow and stretches your shoulders and spine. To do it:
- Lie on your back and raise your legs straight up to a 90-degree angle.
- Keeping your legs straight, slowly lower them back behind your head towards the floor.
- Ideally, get your toes to touch the floor behind your head.
- Hold for 30 seconds, focusing on breathing deeply.
Shoulder stand…
The shoulder stand reverses the direction of blood flow and stretches your neck and shoulders. To do it:
- Lie on your back and bring your legs up to a 90-degree angle.
- Continue to raise your legs and hips over your head as you support your back with your hands.
- Your shoulders and upper arms should support your body weight.
- Hold for 30 seconds, taking deep breaths.
- Slowly roll back down vertebrae by vertebrae.
Performing yoga poses like these will open up the front of your body, improve circulation, and activate key muscle groups to raise low T levels.
How else can you boost low testosterone levels?
Along with exercise, there are lots of other factors in daily life that have a beneficial impact on hormone levels, such as:
- Sleep: Getting enough high-quality sleep is crucial for maintaining healthy testosterone levels. Aim for seven to nine hours per night. Going to bed and waking up at consistent times will regulate your circadian rhythm for better sleep.
- Reduce stress: Decreasing your stress levels through mindfulness, meditation, or yoga helps to lower cortisol, a hormone that inhibits testosterone production. Take some time each day to unwind and detach from stressors.
- Diet: Eat more healthy fats from foods like avocados, nuts, olive oil, and fatty fish. These healthy fats provide the building blocks for your hormones and help to lower inflammation. Avoid unhealthy saturated fats and trans fats found in fried or processed foods. Try to up your lean protein intake too.
- Supplementation: As well as getting nutrients through your diet, there are supplements that contain ingredients for increasing testosterone. Zinc, fenugreek, D-aspartic acid (DAA), Panax ginseng, and ashwagandha can all enhance your T levels and improve your general health.
How to increase testosterone levels naturally
No matter what your fitness level, the exercises above can all help to raise lower testosterone levels without having to resort to heavy strength training or spend hours doing endurance training.
Along with regular exercise, you should also match your workouts with a healthy diet, plenty of sleep, and stress-free living.
But one of the quickest and easiest things you can do to raise low T levels is to take a daily supplement.
This is exactly what TestoPrime does. With a whole host of ingredients to raise T levels, such as DAA, zinc, ashwagandha, fenugreek, and Panax ginseng, it’s a simple way to complement your workout routine to enhance your muscle growth, decrease body fat, and increase your mood, libido, and energy levels. Go get some.