Getting your levels in check is vital for your overall health, and if you’ve been feeling a little sluggish or unmotivated recently, giving your T-levels a boost might be just what you need. It’s a pretty sure bet that if you’re reading this post, you will know what testosterone is and why it’s such a vital hormone for male development.
However, although you may know this information, most men tend to be relatively ignorant regarding how they can boost their levels to reap the myriad advantages that healthy testosterone levels can bring. While supplements certainly have a role to play, you can usually find that a lifestyle change is just what the doctor ordered. If you want to try a less synthetic way of increasing testosterone, one of the best things you can do is bring out your old running sneakers from retirement and get running.
This post will explore a few of the main reasons that running (particularly a specific type of running) can naturally increase levels of this hormone.
Running Triggers Testosterone Production
To cut a long story short, running raises testosterone levels by placing stress on your body. When you don your running gear and hit the road, you engage in physical exertion that challenges the muscles and cardiovascular system. This might sound exhausting (and it is), but according to testoprime.com, if you want to increase both your physical and mental energy, you need to take action to improve your levels. The exertion of running activates what is known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, which communicates between the brain, pituitary gland, and the testes, signaling your body to produce more of this hormone.
While intense running has been shown to create the most acute results (more on that later), regular running over time may raise baseline levels at more consistent amounts. Researchers believe the constant physiological stress placed on the body by running results in a prolonged adaptive response where the endocrine system upregulates testosterone production.
So, even if you’re averse to the kinds of high-intensity training that we will discuss later, a consistent running schedule will still produce the desired results (albeit over a more extended period of time).
Increased Exercise Promotes Hormonal Changes
While getting your heart rate up is crucial, consistency is what really gets the hormones pumping. When men engage in regular exercise (aerobic and anaerobic) over the long term, it triggers favorable hormonal adaptions. Because of the stress mentioned earlier, the body is constantly producing more of the hormones it requires to allow your body to repair itself and cope with the elevated stress levels. To facilitate these changes, the endocrine system responds by gradually increasing the baseline production of testosterone and another key component of male health, human growth hormone (HGH).
This long-term “exercise training effect” maximizes all the benefits of increased T, such as higher libido, improved body composition, and a greater overall sense of well-being. While occasional intense workouts provide a temporary spike, only by continually challenging your body through varied and progressive exercises will you see a sustained rise in the hormones that keep you feeling and performing like your fittest self.
High-Intensity Workouts Yield Similar Results To Weight-Lifting
While all types of exercise and running will have beneficial outcomes, as alluded to earlier, there are some forms of workout that will produce far greater results than others. High-intensity interval running sessions can provide comparable hormonal benefits that you might achieve with weight-lifting. Just like weight training places significant mechanical stress on the muscles, intense burst training raises physiological stress through increased lactate production and oxygen consumption.
The best part is that when it comes to running, you can eschew costly gym memberships, as all you need is a decent pair of running shoes and a stopwatch! Research has even shown that just six sessions of HIIT spread out over two weeks were found to increase testosterone levels in men.
Additionally, HIIT has been shown to increase levels of growth hormone significantly, another major player in building muscle mass and strength, with growth hormone elevations lasting over 24 hours post-workout. So even if you don’t have an hour to spend in the gym, you can experience many of the same muscle-building, fat-burning, and performance-enhancing benefits of weight training just by doing a few intense sessions per week. In fact, HIIT running is often considered a cheat code for men desperate to boost T levels but simply don’t have the time nor the predilection to participate in lengthy workout sessions. You can easily perform a 30-40 minute workout (including warming up and down) and take advantage of the benefits of higher testosterone.
As you can see, running significantly raises levels of the male hormone testosterone. However, the type of running you do can have an impact on results, and if you want quick results, HIIT training might be beneficial.