Ezine #193

Testosterone Reload

Q: You've said high-rep leg work can increase tesosterone. Will the first high-rep set on each exercise in the STX workouts boost T even more? 

A: It appears that that reason high-rep leg work boosts testosterone is due to heavy breathing, big-muscle stimulation, growth-fiber activation and muscle burn…

That was the reason that many bodybuilders of yesteryear often relied on high-rep “breathing” squats. A friend and colleague, Randall Strossen, Ph.D., said he gained 30 pounds of muscle in six weeks on such a program in his younger days. It’s why he calls them “Super Squats.”

Exciting stuff. Why does it work so well?

According to Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., who has conducted multiple studies on muscle hypertrophy: “Sets that last longer than 20 to 30 seconds substantially increase metabolic stress." Hence the high reps…

Schoenfeld says that hydrogen ions that fill your muscles during long tension times lower the muscles' pH due to lactic acid. "That seems to make them bigger by stimulating the production of proteins and HORMONES that act as growth factors for muscle tissue."

Like testosterone and growth hormone…

So if you use Anabolic Reload STX on any muscle group—with a 20-rep set upfront—you will get over a full minute of tension time. Plus, on larger ones like quads, glutes and back, the hypoxia, or breathlessness, stimulates your metabolism--which amplifies T production as well. 

Another pre-steroid-era bodybuilder named Joe C. Hise could not get past weighing 200 pounds. He adopted an abbreviated routine with basic exercises and the 20-rep squat and tipped the scale at 229 after only ONE MONTH. (For more on "breathing" 20-rep “super” squats and a routine similar to Hise's, see Chapter 3: Anabolic Acceleration 20-Rep Squat in the Stretch-Overload ebook).

Keep in mind that many other things including environment, sleep, diet and even kitchen utensils (really!) also affect jacking of your T—especially as you age. Low T is epidemic in men over 40 these days, which is why many opt for HRT: Hormone Replacement Therapy. 

You shouldn’t have to take that haphazard health step if you train correctly, eat the right things, and avoid estrogen triggers as you age…

One of the most interesting read-me pages on Testosterone and other muscle-building hormones we’ve seen is The Truth About Testosterone.

It even talks about a fruit, a specific part, that can boost your T naturally. (We thought it was avocados due to the fat content, but we were wrong.)

Cranking up your testosterone will not only get you jacked in the gym, but in the bedroom too—not to mention help rip up your midsection as it ignites fat burning. If that interests you, there’s more from our colleague and registered dietician, HERE.