Improving Natural Testosterone Levels

Better sex. More muscle growth. More energy.

Do I have your attention yet?

Sex is often a topic that people are afraid to talk about in public or even on social media. But it plays a huge role in our lives. Especially when your sex drive is low or completely non existent.

I’m extremely passionate about this topic because in the not so distant past I was suffering from extremely low testosterone levels. I’ve been very open about this on social media, telling my story in order to help others dealing with the same issue.

Before we get started though, what’s testosterone?

Testosterone is one of the most well known hormones in the body. Most people understand to some degree that it plays a role in your sex drive. But its function goes well beyond just sex.

Testosterone plays a key role in sex drive, but it also greatly affects bone mass, fat distribution, muscle size & strength along with red blood cell production and much more.  

Lack of adequate testosterone can therefore cause the following:

• Reduced sex drive
• Erectile dysfunction
• Low sperm count
• Loss of muscle & strength
• Increased body fat
• Foggy brain
• & much more

As you can see, testosterone & our hormones in general are extremely important.

As I mentioned, I’m very passionate about this topic because it has affected my life so deeply. Between 2015 and 2017 I felt like shit pretty much all day every day. Constantly living in a brain fog. Zero energy. Constantly lethargic. Zero sex drive to speak of. I honestly had very little interest in sex. Which isn’t normal for a male in his early twenties.

At some point in 2017 I finally decided to go into the doctor to get some blood work done. I had been feeling like shit for a few years and looking back I’m not sure why I waited so long to go to the doctor (learn from my mistakes).

When the blood work results came back my total & free testosterone levels were alarmingly low. I’m talking seventy year old man low. Along with my blood sugar being out of whack and a plethora of other markers that were all related.

My total testosterone levels were around 232. For reference a normal range for a 23 year old male is between 550-1000. So I was way off. Even from the low end of that spectrum.

I reached out to a friend of mine by the name of Dr. Eric Serrano. He’s a world renowned doctor located in Pickerington, Ohio. He works with everyone from normal every day people to olympic athletes and professional athletes. He’s extremely high level to say the least.

Most general doctors are not a lot of help when it comes to stuff like this unfortunately. They’re unfamiliar with the lifting world & nutrition in general. So they tell you to stop working out & see a specialist. When I called Serrano he immediately knew why my numbers were so out of whack.

I’ll dive more into the details below, but we revamped my diet, training & recovery as a whole. I went back in five weeks later to get updated blood work done. My total test levels went from 232 to over 1000 in five weeks.

I began noticing a massive difference in the way I was feeling on a daily basis. My energy inside & outside the gym had increased quite a bit. I was waking up with a new pep in my step. I felt like a beast in the gym. My strength was increasing at an accelerated rate & I was putting on a lot more muscle mass than I had been previously. I also noticed a difference in my mood. It seemed to be improving as well.

I’m sure a lot of you have taken Test Booster supplements in the past. This was recommended to me quite a bit when I found out how low my levels were. In my honest opinion they don’t make that big of a difference and they’re just a band aid covering up the larger issues that are causing your low testosterone. Save your money & follow these steps below to naturally improve your levels. Aka healing the wounds instead of just putting a bandaid on them.

** Disclaimer **
This is NOT medical advice. If you have questions or concerns about your health, please consult your physician

1. Increase your total caloric intake. EAT MORE  
   • Part of my issue was that I was constantly dieting down trying to get shredded. Prior to my first blood work I had done 3 hard cuts in a 2 year span. Constantly depleted & in a massive caloric deficit.
     • Serrano had me really focus on increasing quality fats & carbs
       • A few options for quality carbs: (not limited to, but some ideas)
         • sweet potatoes, different types of rice, quinoa, whole grain oats, fruits, veggies etc
       • A few options for quality fats:
         • Butter (I use kerrygold .. high quality grass fed), coconut oil, olive oil, raw nuts, balanced intake of fatty meats like salmon, grass fed steak, bison etc
     • Don’t neglect your proteins though of course. Focus on balance. Eating lots of variety in animal protein, veggies, fats & starchy carbs along with some simple sugars as well
2. Train LESS (or more?)
   • If you’re doing step #1 at a high level then this will allow you to train more as a result. My issue was that I was not doing step #1 & on top of this I was training like a mad man. Training 6 to 7+ times per week while constantly cutting down. Doing a ton of cardio as well. Recipe for disaster.
     • I now train 4-5x per week. I’ve found that works best for me personally. It allows me to get a ton of recovery & I get the most out of myself when I’m in the gym.
       • It really depends on the person though. Some people can train 5-6x per week and be just fine. IF you’re having issues though this is an option. A less is more approach.
       • This really comes down to your lifestyle, genetics, nutrition & how much stress you’re under mentally & physically. For example, if you’re working a very physical job you should probably dial back the weight training.
   • Now if you aren’t training at all currently, then you need to train MORE. Lifting weights is proven to help improve natural testosterone levels. Especially your main compound movements like squats & deadlifts.
3. Sleep MORE
   • Contrary to popular belief, sleep is actually extremely important. Sleep deprivation has somehow become “cool” in todays society.
     • A majority of our testosterone is released while we sleep. Lack of sleep is linked to elevated levels of cortisol. Which make it harder to sleep. It becomes a vicious cycle.
     • I get it, some people literally don’t have time to sleep. They have kids, full time job etc etc. Sometimes they can’t get 8 hours a night. IF you can afford it, it’s going to massively benefit you.
       • I’ve come to find that I’m a lot more efficient in the time I’m awake if I get my full 8-9 hours of sleep per night. I feel a lot better & my mood is a lot better.
     • Check out this podcast to learn more about the importance of sleep & how to optimize your sleep
       • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwaWilO_Pig
4. LESS Caffeine
   • I’m always blown away with the amount of caffeine a lot of people take in. It’s not abnormal for a lot of people (especially in the fitness industry) to take in anywhere from 400-1000mg of caffeine daily.
     • Ironically this often stems from a culmination of the first three on this list. It becomes a vicious cycle. Lack of sleep & over training/under eating causes you to feel exhausted all the time. Which then leads to more caffeine intake. Which makes it more difficult to get quality sleep.
       • Chronically high levels of caffeine can cause all sorts of issues including high cortisol levels & decreased quality of sleep. Both play an integral role in hormone balance.
       • If you deal with anxiety & depression, caffeine can certainly exacerbate the issue. I deal with both & going from taking in 400+mg daily a few years ago to now taking in 100mg a few times every few weeks has helped me a TON.
5. Vitamin D Supplementation
   • Something else that I do daily is supplement with a Vitamin D 5000iu. Especially during the winter when my skin rarely sees the sunlight. I take this with my first meal of the day. Studies have linked low vitamin D levels to low testosterone. Pretty much everyone is vitamin D deficient so it’s a decent idea to supplement.

 

As I mentioned, I initially began working with Doctor Serrano back in 2017. I saw great results and then went back to my stupid old ways for another half year. Doing two more preps after our initial time together. I began noticing similar symptoms as before & then in 2018 I smartened up and have been feeling like a million bucks ever since.
I’m growing more than ever. I have way more energy than I did in the past. My sex drive has sky rocketed. Anxiety has noticeably decreased. Improved mood. Less brain fog. Sleeping more soundly than ever. I used to wake up anywhere from ten to 30+ times per night. Now I’m waking up once or twice to pee.

I honestly cant even begin to put into words how miserable I was a few years ago. This article doesn’t do it justice at all. I’m sure many of you reading this article can relate.

I hope this helps a few of you out. I get so many people that reach out to me on a daily basis struggling with the symptoms of low testosterone and everything else I talked about here. You DON’T have to feel this way !!

Unfortunately when you go to a general practitioner with these issues they’re gonna send you to a hormone specialist who will likely recommend you begin testosterone replacement therapy. Which may be necessary for some of you!! Hormone replacement can be a great & sometimes necessary option. I just recommend fixing your lifestyle before you rush into anything.

If you’re interested in learning more about nutrition, getting shredded (the right way), gaining muscle and living a healthier lifestyle while progressing towards your lifting goals I recently released my first book Jay’s Complete Nutrition Guide. This book is much more than just a guide to getting shredded the right way. It’s basically everything I’ve learned about nutrition, packing on muscle, being healthy & feeling good and much more packed into one book.

 

The book will include:

• Multiple diet plans for getting shredded along w/ a guide to adjusting this for yourself
• Hypertrophy training plan written by Zach Homol and myself
• Lots of intro nutrition science .. my goal is to not make it too complicated, but really help explain things like:
  • what really is food?
  • what is a carb/fat/protein? Why are each of these important
  • What are micronutrients? Why are they important?
  • Nutrient dense food vs energy dense food. How to still eat junk food and progress towards your goals
• Going very in depth on mistakes I’ve made in the past and how to avoid these
• What I’ve done to gain 20lbs of lean muscle over the past year
• Lessons I’ve learned coaching hundreds of clients
• & much more !!

 

The book can be purchased HERE

As always, if you hve any questions at all feel free to email me or shoot me a message on Instagram. (@Jay_Azeltine).

 

Until next time,

Much love.

Jay