Muscle growth without steroids! How to raise your testosterone naturally

Ask Glen!

Q. Glen, I want to grow my muscles and raise my testosterone without Steroids or test boosters?

A. You can get huge muscle growth without steroids! Here are some top tips on how to raise your testosterone the natural way.

Testosterone- The principal male sex hormone that is produced by the Leydig cells of the testes in response to utilizing hormone (LH) secreted by the pituitary gland. It is also produced by the adrenal cortex in both males and females. Its chief function is to stimulate the development of the male reproductive organs, including the prostate, and the secondary sex characters, such as facial & body hair. It encourages growth of bone and muscle, and helps maintain muscle strength.

There are THREE ways to increase your body’s natural production of Testosterone through Diet, Herbs and Exercise.

But first you need to know if your testosterone levels are actually even low at all. Normal testosterone production is about six milligrams per day. The normal level of testosterone in your bloodstream is between 350 and 1,000 nanograms per decilitre (ng/dl). Those quantities silently start to wane around age 40. You lose about 1 percent a year - a harmless decline in the short term, but a cause of obesity, brittle bones, muscle loss and impotence by the time you reach your 60s -- if you live that long. Testosterone levels in the low range (a blood serum score below 350 ng/dl) could increase your chances of dying of a heart attack.

Here is the top 10 list of symptoms that your testosterone levels could be low:Depression, Fatigue, Low sex drive, Irritability, Loss of facial/body hair, Thinning and wrinkling of skin, Weight gain, Weakening of bones, Gradual decrease in the size of the testes and Weakening and decrease of muscle strength & size.

Eventually, imbalances of testosterone can set the stage for the development of even more serious diseases. Low levels can disrupt the body's blood sugar metabolism, leading to obesity and diabetes. Chronic deficiencies may also promote the early onset of osteoporosis and heart disease. Testosterone levels are at their highest normally during a man’s early twenties and naturally decline with age, gradually declining to about 20% of their maximum. While you are almost assured to have diminished testosterone at an advanced age, a number of other factors are now known to accelerate testosterone loss at early ages.

Stress, physical inactivity, excessive training, illness, smoking, alcohol and the use of both prescription and "recreational" drugs, can contribute to less than ideal levels of testosterone. All of these things are pervasive in our society and have contributed to the onset of the low testosterone syndrome.

Top Ways to boost your testosterone levels-Oysters- Oysters should top your list because they're packed with the mineral zinc. Zinc does many important things in the body, but one of them is to help create more mucle and thereby boost testosterone levels.

Eat Meat-Although science doesn't know why, evidence suggests that eating meat boosts testosterone levels. In one study, two groups of men pumped iron for 12 weeks; one group ate a vegetarian diet and the other a meat diet. Strength improved by the same amount in both groups, but only the meat eating group enjoyed marked fat loss and muscle gain. If you decide to eat meat to bulk up, avoid fatty red meat, pork and lamb which are loaded with saturated fat and instead choose fish, poultry or lean cuts of beef.

Eggs- The egg yolks especially contain some important building blocks for testosterone. For example, egg yolks contain cholesterol and testosterone is produced from cholesterol. Now, before you think you're going to clog up your arteries, don't be too concerned. Most people don't realize that actually 85% to 95% of your cholesterol is made by your liver, and not from the foods you eat. Eggs yolks are also jam packed with other crucial nutrients and vitamins.

Garlic- is one of the the best natural ways to raise testosterone levels because it contains a strong compound called allicin that can increase the levels of testosterone hormone. Allicin breaks down easily, so make sure you eat real garlic -- don't take supplements which often don't have any active allicin left.

Eat Nuts-It's not really understood why this happens but some scientists believe that the monounsaturated fats have a direct effect on the testes. Nuts, olive oil, canola oil and peanut butter are all good sources.

Broccoli and Cabbage- seriously, these can be great natural testosterone boosters because they contain Indole-3-carbinol. Now before you get scared from the sound of that, just know that Indole-3-carbinol can lessen estrogen in your body. Estrogen is a female hormone but men also produce it too -- and women also naturally produce testosterone too by the way. Too much estrogen can lead to more fat and reduce muscle -- and since muscle is so important for healthy levels of testosterone, having elevated estrogen is no good.

Eat Nuts-Studies found that men who ate diets rich in monounsaturated fat - the kind found in peanuts - had the highest levels of testosterone. There you have it. The best natural ways to raise testosterone levels if you want to focus on diet.

Avoid Alcohol- affects the endocrine system, causing your testes to stop producing the male hormone.Avoid Soy- isoflavones found in soy, such as genistein may be indiscriminately targeting valuable testosterone while doing the work of eliminating bad estrogen.

Lose One Pound a Week. What you DON'T want to do is starve yourself while exercising like a madman. One of the many reasons this stops working in your 30s, when your natural testosterone levels start dropping, is pretty simple: Cutting your calorie intake by more than 15 percent makes your brain think you're starving, so it shuts down testosterone production to wait out the famine. "There's no need to reproduce if you're starving," explains Thomas Incledon of Human Performance Specialists in Plantation, Florida. Ironically, this dive in circulating testosterone stops you from burning body fat efficiently, so you're actually thwarting your hard efforts to melt that tire off your gut.

Skip Atkins. Research suggests that eating a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet can cramp your testosterone levels. High amounts of dietary protein in your blood can eventually lower the amount of testosterone produced in your testes. Your protein intake should be about 16 percent of your daily calories. So, if you're the average 170-pound man who eats 2,900 calories a day, you should eat about 140 grams of protein daily, which is about the amount in two chicken breasts and a 6-ounce can of tuna.

Don’t Smoke- Smoking can also hasten the deterioration of Leydig cells, and cause testosterone levels to drastically decline even faster. The cadmium in smoke interferes with zinc metabolism and can accumulate in the testicles. Without enough zinc, testosterone levels are low. Marijuana also decreases testosterone and libido.Avoid Caffine-Research has shown that excessive consumption of caffeine causes a significant loss of several vitamins and minerals, including vitamins B and C, calcium, iron, and zinc.

Herbs- No herb out there can directly boost your testosterone, but some can indirectly help your body make more of this vital hormone. Arguably, the best one is called tribulus terrestris. Clinical studies have shown tribulus to boost strength and stamina. Athletes and bodybuilders use it, and it's available without prescription in supplement form. How does it help to increase testosterone? In simple terms, our bodies have something called luteninizing hormone, which we will refer to as LH. LH has a role in commanding the body to make more testosterone. LH gradually slows down and diminishes as we age. Tribulus terrestris can naturally boost levels of LH -- the increased LH then leads to healthier testosterone production once again. Workout-To beef up your testosterone levels, the bulk of your workout should involve "compound" weight-lifting exercises that train several large muscle groups, and not just one or two smaller muscles. For example, studies have shown that doing squats, bench presses or back rows increases testosterone more than doing biceps curls or triceps pushdowns, even though the effort may seem the same. Throwing around 5-pound dumbbells won't help you affect a rise in testosterone. Start off by using a heavy weight that you can lift only five times. That weight is about 85 percent of your one-repetition maximum. A Finnish study found that this workload produced the greatest boosts in testosterone.

Sleep-Sleeping less than seven to eight hours a night can screw up your circadian rhythm. That's why its no wonder your testosterone levels are higher in the morning after a good night's sleep. So if your work or social schedule keeps you stooped in perpetual jet lag, don't be surprised if you stop craving sex.

Another study suggests that male patients who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea produce lower levels of testosterone, resulting in decreased libido and sexual activity. Researchers found that nearly half of the subjects who suffered from severe sleep apnea also secreted abnormally low levels of testosterone throughout the night. Previous research had failed to establish a scientific link between decreased libido in men and OSA, because the studies only measured testosterone levels upon awakening.

Glen's Bottom Line:

In conclusion, if you follow the above tips you'll boost your testosterone levels naturally, increase muscle size, get stronger, feel better physically & mentally while slowing down the aging process.

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program.

Please consult your physician !

My mission is to provide you with "Trusted Advice for a Healthier Life."

Yours in good health

Any questions?
Ask Glen!