5 Testosterone boosting exercises

There’s a reason why guys take drugs like testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH), they help you build muscle and recover faster. Guys get huge, too big if you ask me. I don’t know of any girl who finds a guy who’s 5’9 and weighs 280 pounds attractive, whether that’s 280 lbs of fat or muscle. And I’m sure you’ve heard of the side effects, the shrunken testicles and man-boobs, but whatever floats your boat I guess.

However, just because you’re not taking drugs doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from testosterone or HGH to build more muscle. These hormones are naturally produced by our bodies and things like proper diet and exercise can give our body a boost of both.

A couple things to keep in mind before I get into the “5 testosterone boosting exercises.”

1. Focus on your lower body.

Lower body exercises provide a healthy flow of these powerful hormones in a way that upper body lifts won’t.

2. Focus on power.

Make sure you’re focusing on power when you’re trying to add size. Mix up your reps and sets to cover both high and low rep counts, but be sure to add power sets in there with lower reps and higher weight – reps of 6 or lower.

Here are four exercises that’ll give a boost to your testosterone and HGH levels:

1. Deadlift

This exercise needs to be in your workout routine if you’re trying to gain lean mass. Not only do deadlifts help build size but also functional strength. If you’re an athlete looking to boost your vertical and power, add some deadlifts into your routine.

Form tips:

- Keep the bar close to your body.

- The bar should be travelling in a straight line vertically.

- Focus on lifting with your legs, get low and don’t let your knees, chest, or face lean forward beyond your toes.

2. Squat

Squats, much like deadlifts, will help you increase your overall size by naturally boosting your testosterone and HGH levels. Practice squats as getting the proper form down takes time.

Form tips:

- No part of your body should lean forward past your toes.

- I prefer a low bar position on my back, but place the bar wherever it’s most comfortable, as long as it’s not on the two vertebrae that stick out on your lower neck/upper back.

- Make sure your lift with a full range of motion from day one. Get at or below 90 degrees.

3. Olympic Lifts

These ultimate explosive exercises. Not just cleans and snatch but their many variations as well, they are true power movements. Make sure to start with a light weight and focus on form, as your form begins to improve, begin adding weight.

Form tips:

- For both lifts, the lift begins with your legs. Get low and explode.

- Deadlifts, front squats, upright row and push press are exercises that’ll help you improve your form for Olympic lifts.

- Explode, then get right back under the bar. Both exercises are about quickness as much as they are about power.

4. Sprints

When I was boxing I cut out my long runs for a while and focused only on sprinting for cardio. Sprints are true HIIT which allows you to expand your lungs, burn fat but hold onto your muscle. I ended up gaining quite a bit of lean muscle mass as a result.

5. Plyometrics

It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to add inches to your verticle or not, adding plyometrics to your routine will increase your overall power and add some functionality to your muscle gains. Focus on lower reps and longer rest. They’re also a great measuring stick to see if your power is improving as you begin to jump higher.

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I think it’s great to add size, but functional, athletic muscle is a lot better than just pure bulk. What do you think?