4 ms·

I've dabbled in raising my free testosterone levels naturally over the past year. I'm 41 yrs/6'3/265 lbs (205 lean mass, trying to lose my beer belly), have a

I've dabbled in raising my free testosterone levels naturally over the past year. I'm 41 yrs/6'3/265 lbs (205 lean mass, trying to lose my beer belly), have a babyface and almost no facial hair, narrow shoulders etc in part due to my Scandinavian descent. Here's what worked so far for me: * Eat 4 whole eggs per day (roughly 1 egg per 50 pounds of body weight) and 1/2 cup (dry) cooked oatmeal with a handful of frozen fruit to keep arteries healthy. Cholesterol is like a precursor for testosterone, also the sulfur in egg yolks help preserve and rebuild connective tissue. * Take a 30-50 mg zinc tablet a couple of times per week (not every day or you'll start feeling queasy). Zinc and other metals are catalysts which speed the chemical reactions in your body, raising metabolism and strengthening your immune system. It's also been linked to higher T levels. * 1500/1200 glucosamine chondroitin and MSM for joint health. I take Animal Flex which works about twice as well as the next best joint supplement I've found. This also allows you to lift heavier and raise T. * Lift heavy at the gym 4-5 times per week. For example, 12" box squats with 225 pounds for 15 reps, 315 pounds for 10 reps, stuff like that. The more brutal the exercise, the more your body overcompensates and raises T levels. I benched 225x9 and 300x1 on a 4 day legs/push/pull/shoulders split in my late 20s. Now on a 5 day Mike O'Hearn split for last 3-6 months. Proven lifts: 225x10 and 275x2 bench, 365x3 box squat, 365x3 deadlift but those were all relatively easy because I've been focusing on joint strength and extrapolating 1 RM lately. Planning to test 315x1 bench, 405x1 box squat, 405x1 deadlift at the end of this 3 week on/1 week deload cycle, then will add in heavy 7 sets of 3 and start working towards 405/495/495 over the next year or so. YouTube's been invaluable for reverse-grip exercises and other variations that prevent plateaus, so I'm gaining strength faster now than I was in my 20s (I was also broke then and wasn't focusing on nutrition enough). * Glutamine 3 times a day to heal leaky gut caused by eating legumes and nightshades for a lifetime, which resulted in acne, joint pain and inflammatory weight gain. Planning to drop to once a day now that my acne is gone. * Breathe right strips for sleeping. My narrow palette/babyface tightened my airway and left nowhere for my jaw to grow during 20 years of elevated growth hormone from the gym. This affects a lot of people, especially anyone with let's just say geeky facial features. Figure out any deficits you might have. In my case, sleep apnea and leaky gut had caused (what I think was) hypothyroidism and absolutely killed my mood and motivation over the last few years. The last 3 months or so have been life-changing. I feel much better but find that I sleep 9 hours a day from all the workouts. I've been congratulated by strangers at the gym who saw my body fat transition over the last year, which really helped my self esteem. There is no secret to getting in shape other than educating yourself and being consistent (not missing workouts or meals). I've never tried over the counter testosterone boosters but might think about them after 45. I won't bother until I hit permanent plateaus. Disclaimer: I've never had my testosterone levels tested, so this is all anecdotal. YMMV.

culot 8y ago
Nightshade? Like no tomatoes or potatoes or bell peppers? Or like fungus, as in 'is that wise, avatar?'
- zackmorris 8y ago
  Ya my workout staple was always bean burritos with bell peppers, tomatoes etc. Also peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cottage cheese/casein. I started developing a sensitivity to peanuts after some particularly hard years after the housing bubble where I lived on PB&J for basically a year straight. Severe constipation followed by weight gain, joint pain and acne. Once that happens, there is a transference that can happen over similar classes of proteins which can lead to other sensitivities to grains, dairy etc, starting primarily with gluten and lectins. The transference can even involve the body's own proteins and lead to autoimmune diseases like arthritis. Here's a pretty good article on it: https://www.amymyersmd.com/2017/06/the-problem-with-grains-and-legumes/ https://www.amymyersmd.com/2017/06/the-problem-with-grains-a... My feeling is that what's really going on is that the body can tolerate toxins from any source for a certain number of days, but after that, begins to succumb to them which triggers inflammation. It's a bit like trying to drink alcohol on the third day. Except we don't notice it immediately with food, so we keep eating what we're used to instead of investigating what our cravings mean. That's why eating a variety and rotating meals so you're only getting the same food a couple of times a week is so important. Keep in mind that I also had quit working out cold turkey for about 5 years and lost about 30-40 pounds (including some muscle) and was drinking too much. I was also getting older and wasn't ready to grow up and be smart about my nutrition. Luckily it only took about 6 months at the gym and eating right to get back to where I was. It actually took longer to work around the various weaknesses and injuries I had acquired, for example having to start over with 135 at deadlift and go up 10 pounds a week to reknit my lower back, than it did to get the size back on my arms and chest. For the most part nobody seems to talk about all the above, mainly because health and fitness are a young person's game (below 35 generally) and also because holistic effects are not a big part of western medicine yet. My feeling again is that declining testosterone isn't a cause, it's a symptom of all these other systems getting out of whack. Edit: I forgot to mention above that I'm about to start taking cissus for golfer's elbow. It's apparently highly effective so I'm only going to take it for a week or two and see if it heals it. It apparently thickens the lining of the stomach as well which can help with ulcers, which to me indicates another possible connection between gut health and joint pain. I don't know that I will take it long term like glucosamine/chondroitin however. Hope this helps someone.

culot 8y ago

Nightshade? Like no tomatoes or potatoes or bell peppers? Or like fungus, as in 'is that wise, avatar?'

zackmorris 8y ago
Ya my workout staple was always bean burritos with bell peppers, tomatoes etc. Also peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cottage cheese/casein. I started developing a sensitivity to peanuts after some particularly hard years after the housing bubble where I lived on PB&J for basically a year straight. Severe constipation followed by weight gain, joint pain and acne. Once that happens, there is a transference that can happen over similar classes of proteins which can lead to other sensitivities to grains, dairy etc, starting primarily with gluten and lectins. The transference can even involve the body's own proteins and lead to autoimmune diseases like arthritis. Here's a pretty good article on it: https://www.amymyersmd.com/2017/06/the-problem-with-grains-and-legumes/ https://www.amymyersmd.com/2017/06/the-problem-with-grains-a... My feeling is that what's really going on is that the body can tolerate toxins from any source for a certain number of days, but after that, begins to succumb to them which triggers inflammation. It's a bit like trying to drink alcohol on the third day. Except we don't notice it immediately with food, so we keep eating what we're used to instead of investigating what our cravings mean. That's why eating a variety and rotating meals so you're only getting the same food a couple of times a week is so important. Keep in mind that I also had quit working out cold turkey for about 5 years and lost about 30-40 pounds (including some muscle) and was drinking too much. I was also getting older and wasn't ready to grow up and be smart about my nutrition. Luckily it only took about 6 months at the gym and eating right to get back to where I was. It actually took longer to work around the various weaknesses and injuries I had acquired, for example having to start over with 135 at deadlift and go up 10 pounds a week to reknit my lower back, than it did to get the size back on my arms and chest. For the most part nobody seems to talk about all the above, mainly because health and fitness are a young person's game (below 35 generally) and also because holistic effects are not a big part of western medicine yet. My feeling again is that declining testosterone isn't a cause, it's a symptom of all these other systems getting out of whack. Edit: I forgot to mention above that I'm about to start taking cissus for golfer's elbow. It's apparently highly effective so I'm only going to take it for a week or two and see if it heals it. It apparently thickens the lining of the stomach as well which can help with ulcers, which to me indicates another possible connection between gut health and joint pain. I don't know that I will take it long term like glucosamine/chondroitin however. Hope this helps someone.