Testosterone is a key hormone in the body that’s responsible for driving muscle growth and preserving existing muscle mass, as well as improving bone density and supporting reproductive health. Resistance exercises, such as squats, deadlifts, push-ups, and pull-ups, can naturally boost testosterone levels to varying degrees depending on a range of factors. The more muscle groups a resistance exercise requires, the more testosterone it’s likely to produce, as it stimulates the growth of more muscle fibers throughout the body.
How Testosterone Works
Both men and women produce testosterone, although men produce significantly more. Men produce testosterone in their testicles, women produce it in their ovaries, and both produce the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in the adrenal glands, which is then converted to either testosterone or estrogen. Most testosterone is attached to proteins throughout the body, with only a small amount, called free testosterone, remaining in the bloodstream, available for tasks like building bone and muscle.
Both men and women have a natural range of testosterone that goes up and down throughout their lifetimes. For example, both sexes tend to have higher testosterone levels in the morning than in the evening.
Increasing Testosterone With Resistance Exercise
Performing resistance exercises is one way to increase the body’s production of testosterone naturally. These exercises signal to the body that it needs to produce more testosterone to support its needs for both muscle growth and repair. Compound exercises, those that recruit several muscle groups simultaneously, and lifting heavier weights tend to be more effective in boosting testosterone than activities like aerobic exercise because they’re more demanding of muscle tissue.
The classic push-up is a compound exercise, relying on the chest, triceps, shoulders, and core muscles to support your body through the movement. Therefore, it can be more helpful than other simple exercises at encouraging the body to create more testosterone. No set number of push-ups or time spent performing the exercise delivers the same testosterone boost in every body, however. Results vary based on a person’s age, sex, body weight, physical fitness, and overall health.
Meanwhile, compound exercises that use larger muscle groups in the body, such as leg exercises like squats and deadlifts, are more effective in spiking testosterone levels than push-ups.
While resistance exercise can boost testosterone levels, overtraining can have the opposite effect, decreasing testosterone and increasing the stress hormone cortisol as a result. No matter your goals, balancing muscle-building exercise with adequate recovery is key to maintaining healthy testosterone levels.
