Testosterone levels are something that all men should understand. Testosterone is after all what makes men…MEN. If you don’t understand how testosterone works and how it effects your health, you are at the mercy of the modern environment, and all the ways it can bring you down.
Im not going to make this into a long, 5,000 word expose on every little nuance, but keep this practical. The are the testosterone facts that every man must know
Testosterone Fact #1-Testosterone is the Master Hormone for Men
It affects EVERYTHING
- cognition
- mood
- cardiovascular system
- immune system
- neurological health
- bone health
- muscle strength
- recovery
- skin health
It powers everything in the body. When a man’s testosterone levels are low, the entirety of his health is compromised. Testosterone does more than just boost libido, its effects are system wide. This is why if you have low testosterone levels as a man, you are operating at a deficiency
Testosterone Fact #2-Know What Normal testosterone levels are
Im going to keep this basic. Your test levels are usually measured by “total” levels, which basically tests how much testosterone floating around your blood. This is the easiest and most common measurement.
Total levels are big range, and “normal” levels are listed anywhere from 300-1100
Normal levels are 350-1100, to reiterate.
Whats that mean though? That means that modern medical science could tell a man with levels at 350 that he is just as healthy as a man with levels at 900. But the 350 man could be sad, moody, anxious, and struggle to get it up, while the 900 man feels like Captain America.
But 90% of doctors will tell Mr. 300 that he’s fine, and probably just prescribe him SSRIs, viagra, and send him to see a therapist (probably a woman)
This is bullshit.
Here’s what you NEED to know: Testosterone levels have been declining men for 40 years. An average 20 year old today has the levels of an 50-60 year old back in 1950
Whats that mean?
it means that a massive massive percentage of men today are borderline hypogonadal (low test), and they have no idea. This is one of the reasons that male depression and anxiety has risen. Testosterone almost completely eliminates moodiness, low energy, and depression. You’ll never hear about this in the media, as testosterone is demonized, and it will instead be bullshit about “toxic masculinity”, dont fall for it.
50 years ago, it was common for young men to have test levels over 1000+ at age 20, now thats practically unheard of.
What does this mean for you
If you are 20-30 years old, your test levels should be in the 700 range. 500 is acceptable, but concerning, as your test levels will DROP every year after 30. So you could be on your way to needing TOT in your 30s
To find out your testosterone levels, ask your doctor to get tested, you want total testosterone checked. FYI, there’s massive stigma around test, so if your doctor says No, find a new doctor. If they ask why, simply tell them you want to know, so you can have a baseline for your health as you ageIf your doctor says anything negative about testosterone levels and implies that being low normal is fine, or that lower test is good for you, your doctor is SOY. Get a new one
Testosterone Fact #3-Testosterone is highly lifestyle dependent
Let’s say you get tested, your levels are 520, you are 24. Oh god, do you need TOT?
Probably not, at least not right now. Your testosterone levels are highly affected by
-Diet (your diet provides the material substrate for your body to produce testosterone in the first place)
-Sleep (a lack of sleep can almost halve your testosterone levels)
-Stress (cortisol eats up the hormonal fuel that would normally be converted into testosterone)
-Bodycomposition (being overly fat negatively affects both production and conversion)
If you know for a fact that all of the above need to be improved, then you need to start fixing these things
Testosterone Fact #4 – Eat A Pro-testosterone diet
Don’t overthink this. Testosterone intake requires healthy fats, adequate protein, and carbohydrates. YES, CARBOHYDRATES. Going low carb or zero carb is generally NOT good for testosterone levels
Health fats/proteins
- beef
- eggs
- fatty fish
- shellfish
- fatty chicken
- pork
- game meats
- grass fed butter
- coconut oil
- avocados
- almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts
Healthy carbs:
- rice
- oatmeal
- eat wheat if you tolerate gluten well
- green veggies
- tubers
Keep sugar to a minimum
Don’t worry about calories or servings. Simply eat all the above as 90% of your eating; its a whole food diet, your appetite will regulate itself.
Testosterone Fact #5 – Lifting Weights can increase your natural production
This the most obvious and I’d say easiest habit to start. Man is meant to be heroic and muscular. If you’re not, unfuck yourself immediately and fix this, your ancestors didn’t fight bleed and die for 100,000 generations so you could survive in the 21st century looking like a pale rat fetus with the muscle tone a of quadriplegic. Get your shit together, for fucks sake.
Lifting weights can elevate your natural testosterone levels fairly significantly, without changing anything else.
Lifting weights means compound movements, building muscle, getting stronger. The usual cliched stuff
if you are utterly clueless about this, get my Achilles Program. I think I talk about fitness enough to not need to explain the how-tos of building muscle right now.
Testosterone Fact #6-Sleep is imperative for Natural Production
Hopefully its not earth shattering information that sleep is important. If sleep is compromised, you are reasonably looking at a 20% drop in test levels, at least, and higher cortisol levels, and higher bodyfat. You need to ensure you get 7-8 hours a night. There is no arguing against this. Sleep is the cornerstone of healthI’ve become a major proponent of CBD oil for its effects on promoting deep and long duration sleep. The CBD I use daily is back in stock finally. I’d highly suggest it if sleep is an issue for you
Use code AJAC for 15% off
Testosterone Fact #7-Being Overly Fat lowers Testosterone
I’m a proponent of having people eat a “pro-health” diet first, and then you count calories if necessary. If you’re not overly fat, simply changing the food can make a major difference. if you are overly fat, you will need to cut the excess fat off (Ie, like following my Accelerated Fat Loss Program)
Testosterone Fact #8-Cut the Beer Drinking
Beer is pure phytoestrogens, your test levels drop with every pint. Man got away with this in ages past, but modern man cannot. If you are going to drink stick to hard alcohol or wine. The number of guys that get fat drinking in college and never lose the weight is far too many
Testosterone Fact #9- Supplements CAN help, but they’re not panaceas, and if your levels are low, they are LOW
I’ve used Aggressive Strength for years it works to elevate my natural levels. Certain nutrients like Zinc and magnesium can help as well. But FYI, they are not going to fix you if you are hypogonadal.
Testosterone Fact #10- Optimal Levels for Testosterone are 700+
And thats over the course of your whole life. Based on the whole body of research and evidence, being in the high to very high normal range (700-1200) thats where men feel their best and perform their best. Like I said, being below 700 is fine, but I’ve seen men show symptoms of low T even in the 500s.
To be aware of, getting diagnosed with low test is a multi-factor situation. It is no “my levels are 550, give me testosterone”. It’s multi-factor, and there are other markers to look up, Im simply providing you with the absolute basics.
How to Get Blood Work Done and Know Your Testosterone Levels
The first way would be to ask your primary care doctor, but if thats inconvenient, or they say no, what can you do?
ORDER THE TESTS YOURSELF
For anyone in the United States, you DO NOT need to see your primary care doctor to get blood tests. It seems to be a common misconcpetion that the ONLY way to get bloodwork done is to see your doctor. Not true.
There are various independent labs that will do bloodwork for you, and you simply pay cash.
The largest lab network in the USA is Discount Labs. There are nationwide provider of every kind blood test.
Currently to get testosterone tested, both free and total, its only $32 dollars. Their website is very explanatory, check them out and they’ll help you out. (fyi, yes, this is an affiliate link)
Far too many men NEVER see a doctor, and then in their 30s when they finally get tests done, they have no data continuum for any of the numbers. You’re the mercy of the doctor hoping he can make sense of it to you.
Don’t put yourself into that situation.
Take control.
