Building Up Testosterone Levels to Pump Up Muscles without Shots or Supplements

The single most important thing any male athlete can do to build muscle and to maintain healthy testosterone levels is to stay at a trim body fat. Even in men, fat cells are factories for aromatase, the enzyme that converts naturally occurring androstenedione and even testosterone itself into estrogen. If you don't overfeed your fat cells, you don't give them the fuel to upset your hormonal balance.

On the other hand, it's also important to avoid starving your muscle mass. Exercise expert Dr. John Berardi tells us that the average weight lifter actually has lower testosterone levels than the average non-lifter. Big muscles certainly do not require big doses of testosterone. In fact, dedicated body builders often work out so hard that their bodies burn more calories than are consumed. When a workout causes a calorie deficit, stress hormones are produced, and these hormones are the enemy of testosterone.

Further, in their quest for six-pack abs, many exercisers try to eat a diet that is too low in fat and cholesterol. The body makes all of its hormones from cholesterol. At least a little cholesterol and a little fat, maybe just 10 to 20 per cent of calories, is essential each and every day.

So before you schedule a trip to Tijuana to see an illegal testosterone vendor and risk spending several years in jail, try two simple, sensible, and completely legal things. First of all, make sure you eat enough good, wholesome food each and every day. Time your post-workout meals so that your muscles get sugar and protein to rebuild themselves in the 90 to 120 minutes after you exercise.

Secondly, don't be afraid to eat olive oil, peanut butter, avocados, cold-water fish, egg yolks, and red meat. Don't eat too many calories, but be sure to get some of your calories in the form of fat to keep your testosterone levels healthy and your muscles growing. You will boost your libido, enhance your well being, and add muscle mass.