Testosterone

Food and Testosterone

To boost your testosterone levels, your first step is to consume an adequate number of calories. Following a low-calorie diet can result in less GnRH being released from the brain, as well as decreased activity of testosterone-catalyzing enzymes in the testes, and the consequence of both incidents is decreased testosterone production. The catch is that you also don't want to overeat and gain bodyfat, which contains more of the enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogens. The Testosterone Diet gives you enough calories to support muscle growth and testosterone levels without adding bodyfat. Our sample diet uses a 180-pound bodybuilder; to figure out your own calorie needs, multiply your bodyweight by 18-20 calories. For example, a 180-pounder will need to ingest about 3,250-3,600 calories per day. For the 200-pounder, it jumps up to 3,600-4,000 calories.

 
 

The next step is to consume adequate carbohydrates. Shoot for at least 2 grams per pound of bodyweight per day, keeping your carbs-to-protein ratio at 2:1--research shows that this is ideal for elevating T levels. And although we'd rarely tell you to choose more refined carbs (except around workout time), we suggest you do so here because higher-fiber diets tend to lower testosterone. Don't gorge on Twinkies, of course, but you can choose white rice over brown and cream of wheat over oatmeal, because the former have lower fiber content. Of course, you still need some fiber for health reasons, so we've included whole-wheat bread, fruits and vegetables in the nutrition plan.

Priority No. 3 is protein. Surprised it's not No. 1? While we constantly preach the importance of eating protein--and make no mistake, it's vital in The Testosterone Diet--what's even more crucial is getting just enough of it and not too much. That's because research shows that consuming more protein than carbs may lower testosterone levels. So you'll want to get in your bodybuilding standard of 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day--no more, no less. Also, make sure most of your protein comes from animal sources; vegetarian diets are associated with lower testosterone levels in males.

 
 

The last, but certainly not the least, macronutrient to be concerned about is fat. You'll want to get about 30% of your total calories from fat, but don't overload on polyunsaturated fats like those found in salmon, other fatty fish and vegetable oils. Instead, concentrate on choosing monounsaturated fats found in nuts, olives, olive oil and avocados, and saturated fats from red meat and egg yolks. Unorthodox as this advice may be, research suggests that polyunsaturated fats lower testosterone levels, while monounsaturated and even saturated fats raise T levels.

 
 

Pasted from <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0801/is_7_67/ai_n16598134/>

 
 

Training Tips

Bodyweight assistance work
This is another thing I've done quite a bit of. I always start my workouts with a big exercise (squat, clean, deadlift, press, bench) and very often follow it up with simple bodyweight exercises such as dips, chins/pull-ups, pushups, glute-ham raises, back raises, various ab exercises, and one leg squatting.

This allows me to get some extra work in but not load my spine or my body too much. So if you're feeling excessively sore or your joints are hurting, this might be a good option.

Pasted from <http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article_issue/issue_633#blood-chalk-vol-6>

I have no problem with someone saying that they only want to get bigger. That's fine. The mistake is doing what competitive bodybuilders do before a show to get bigger, rather than what these guys did for years and years to get to the size that they are. Big movements, big weights, low reps.

Pasted from <http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article_issue/issue_626#sucker-punch-dan-john>

The How To 
The problem with the lat pull-down is that you have to concentrate very hard to get the lat to work from the start.To do it, set up on the lat pull-down with a third of the weight you normally use. (If you're a 170-pound puller, you should start with roughly 60 pounds.) Grab the bar and let yourself dead hang while seated. Focus on squeezing your upper lat (it's in the armpit when your arms are overhead) before you do anything else.

Once you've squeezed the upper lat, pull your shoulders all the way down (without bending your elbow) and begin to pull the bar down using your lats. Go slow and do it smoothly. Make sure your forearm angle stays in line with the cable as the bar passes your chin, and pull the bar down to your collarbone.
The first few sets will be the worst, but by the fifth or sixth set you should really start to feel yourself pulling through the lat. I like doing eight reps since it's enough to get several cracks at the motion, but not so much that you're fatigued before you get to the next set.

A Few Specific Tips
• Be sure to use a weight light enough that your lat can work, but heavy enough that you feelit working. If you use a weight that's too light, your body will have a very hard time recruiting more muscle mass than it needs. If you go too heavy, you'll just engage all the wrong muscles.
• Remember that when your arms are overhead the upper lat will be in your armpit. (The lat basically wraps around to the front side of the body.) You want to focus on pulling from your armpit at the beginning of the movement to activate the upper lats.

Pasted from <http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article_issue/issue_626#pull-up-strength> 


Strength Training
More and more it's becoming clear that strength training is good for a lot of things: bone density, practical application, insulin sensitivity, ego. It's also apparent that you don't have to do 37 different exercises per body part. Most of the available info stresses intensity, form, and simplicity usually with rep ranges in the 3 - 5 range (for basic strength).  Many argue you can get stronger doing sets of 20 as well, but you have to factor in experience, tolerance, age, nutrition, etc. to define an effective program (one size does not fit all).  

If basic  lifts like squat and deadlift are not a fundamental part of your workout program where you want to build size and strength, you have lost the plot.