Is there a way to naturally increase testosterone levels?

well go back and reread my posts in this thread more carefully if you'd like to continue to learn.
 
can we just stop? please? i know this is the internetz and u're trying to prove that ur e-penis is larger than mine but i honestly just wanted to make sure that the op or any1 else reading this doesnt fall into the 'i need to take steroids in order to have success'-trap which u kinda opened up (and maybe i didnt understand u but maybe others didnt too)

please dont respond to this
 
you don't need roids to be strong. and gp is right. when i started to work out in college and started to really feel like i was capable physically that's when i started to feel right mentally.

I'm strong as fuck and I love it. humans are animals and there is still a lot of the primal animal in us. when i feel strong and healthy physically then i feel healthy mentally.
 
CWalken said:
can we just stop? please? i know this is the internetz and u're trying to prove that ur e-penis is larger than mine but i honestly just wanted to make sure that the op or any1 else reading this doesnt fall into the 'i need to take steroids in order to have success'-trap which u kinda opened up (and maybe i didnt understand u but maybe others didnt too)

please dont respond to this
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you want the last word? 8)

Anyways, go back and reread my posts and then come to the (correct) conclusion that I was not endorsing steroids in order for a person to become strong. Of course you can become strong without them (it just takes longer). You need: plenty of squats and deadlifts and lots of protein and fats (and some correctly timed carbohydrates). Incidentally doing that (consuming a caloric surplus) and getting plenty sleep/water will naturally increase your testosterone levels.

You were a "bodybuilder" for a couple years and now you know everything, huh? 8)

And, if you don't want steroids to be on the periphery of a discussion, the get out of an internet forum about steroids 8)
 
Now first off, let me say that I think both of you, aanallein and GP are totally right. Being healthy is a vital requirement for happiness.

And a step above that comes when you can manipulate your environment well, you're in shape, looking and feeling good.

~~

However, I see Walken's point, too. A person doesn't need to do steroids, and I know you guys didn't say that, but they don't need to get to aanallein's level of natural rippedness either.

The point of diminishing returns comes right when you are constantly active and more or less in shape. I know for a fact that you, or any of my bodybuilder friends, are not any happier than me or any of my friends that are more into swimming or just casual situps and pullups.
 
^ and here's where you are right but still wrong.

being happy - TRULY happy and at peace with yourself - has absolutely nothing to do with anybody but yourself. no, I'm not any happier than anybody else. I am happier than I have ever been before though and comparing myself to myself is the only truly meaningful comparison anybody should ever make anyway.

i feel that the vast majority of people, largely because of values instilled by society, place emphasis on what qualities they have and which they lack in comparison to others. it is 100% meaningless how you stack up to another human being. there will always be somebody faster, smarter, stronger, or better looking than you. the only person it is worthwhile to compare yourself to is yourself.

when i wake up knowing I'm stronger than i used to be or faster or have endurance, i wake up feeling energized and happy and SUCCESSFUL. those little tiny successes that you accumulate in bodybuilding or lifting weights - whether its managing to deadlift 2 more pounds than the week before or do 1 more pullup or gain 1 more pound of muscle - those are REAL quantifiable successes and people can talk as much shit on me as they want but when I look at where I've been, where I am, and where I am going, it is uphill and it gives me pride and a sense of deep accomplishment which puts a bounce in my step and a smile on my face and i radiate happiness.

say what you will about it but it gives me joy - REAL joy in my life. unlike anything else i have ever accomplished. drugs and alcohol never gave me joy so i don't use them now. they robbed my soul of joy and i feel that most who feel they get some sort of joy from substance are merely buying into a delusion. bettering yourself - whether through weight training, swimming, or any other sport is not delusion. it is 100% real. you know because there is no price to pay at the end of the day. sure i feel sore and some days i feel defeated by failure in the gym but its a failure that still feels a success. unlike the pain the comedown brings when using substances.

for this reason i don't use steroids. because it would potentially taint something that brings me great joy. I have dabbled with the thought but have never done it and don't think i will.

anyway.. i will continue to lift. and feel great doing it.
 
Nature vs Nurture Lodge...NATURE always wins.. 5 generations of large-family breeding. Haha just felt like throwin that in there.
 
aanallein said:
^ and here's where you are right but still wrong.

being happy - TRULY happy and at peace with yourself - has absolutely nothing to do with anybody but yourself.
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And here is where we miscommunicated! Because a big part of 'yourself' concerns your physical health. And being in shape is a component of physical health. Thats what I was trying to say-- a person doesn't need to be super fit, but basic healthiness is a huge factor in our sense of wellbeing. I think theres even studies saying that exercise is the best treatment for depression, etc.

Its all in mazlow's hirearchy. :)
 
Well since you guys are still discussing things here I thought I would give an update. I found out I am anemic, which explains a lot about how I feel. Lack of physical strength, always weak and tired etc. It's amazing I have been doing my job in this condition for so long. I guess I am stubborn and I told myself to just suck it up and keep trooping.

Now that I know, I can move forward and change my diet to improve my health and well being. I'm back to work, doing seven days a week, 12 hour days. I am banged up pretty good so I'm in physical pain but I'm eating over 5000 calories a day and I'm feeling more energy and stronger. I'm taking multi vitamins and an iron supplement daily now, as well as fish oil.

I've put on 5 lbs in the past month, although it might be water I'm taking creatine now also. I've cut back on the alcohol and I'm trying to quit smoking cigarettes. Although I must say, smoking a little pot helps keep my appetite up and keeps me eating.

I'm feeling much better. The only question I have is what protein powder do you guys use? I'm taking cyto gainer, its got a lot of calories and protein with extras but its drinkability sucks. I can't even stomach it without loading it up with peanut butter first.

I'm sure theres probably better tasting and better overall products out there. What do you guys suggest? I need a high calorie, high protein shake for maintenance.
 
Great job Jerms. You don't need megadoses of protein, so if you're loading up on protein as caloric augmentation, I'd switch over to just about anything else that tastes good. I've found Designer Protein to taste the best, though it's a little expensive. Biochem whey protein mixes well into anything, with little taste. Odds are though that you're getting all the protein you need from somewhere in those 5k calories.

Sleep and rest are key here, too, given your pace. Don't neglect them.
 
when I was at my heaviest 11stone/ 5ft5
I was eating 6-8 meals a day and consuming 5000+ calories a day

I felt very strong and aggressive, however I still felt shy around women so it didnt boost my libido or confidence and I found that I had an increase in anxiety.
ALSO I must add I used to wake up alot in the middle of the night due to being so hungry, i'd have to neck a protein shake and eat some carbs then go back to bed, had some bad sleep which I think affected my anxiety.
I found that I was biting my lip all the time i.e not relaxed.

When I was 8st11 (very ripped)and running 5miles a day and weight training 3x a week I was sleeping like a baby literally as soon as I put my head down I'd fall into a deep sleep and strangely enough I was tired in the day but maybe because I wasnt eating enough.
I felt very dosile/ but VERY relaxed all my anxiety was gone, however I was depressed because Im short and clothes were baggy on me it made me feel really small and inferior to everyone EVEN GIRLS hence why I didnt get anything.

So tbh I really dont know what to do, I mean if I could increase my height im sure i'd be happy but sadly I cant do that.
The only thing I havent tried yet is a proper program of running in the morning and weight training with lots of eating.
Maybe then I'll get the mix of feeling strong (from weights) yet relaxed (from cardio> good night sleep)

If anyone could help me out i'd appreciate it.

Im considering steroids as Im 22 and still never had a girlfriend and my self esteem is fukd.
 
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You want to take supplements like zinc, magnesium, and omega-3fatty acids.. and eat animal protein..also good are nuts, seeds, eggs, and using olive oil to cook with..eat lots of fiber.. Make sure to balance your calories and protein...too many calories will cause you to gain more fat than muscle, which will lower your testosterone and increase estrogen levels.

You don't sound like a hard-gainer to me if you're 170lbs and don't eat all day. I myself am one (120lbs and 5'9")..and have studied pretty much every technique to gain weight/muscle mass..but if you want to avoid losing weight, and instead gaining...it's pretty simple (at least the not losing weight part) -- avoid stimulants like caffeine speed etc, also sugar, avoid alcohol (decreases muscle mass), DO NOT skip meals - have a set time when you eat every meal and what kind of food you eat - if you have a fast metabolism, you will want to eat more food less often (eating 6 small meals a day is just going to speed up your metabolism vs say eating 3 solid meals a day with a snack or two in-between), *very important-- eat some high-protein meal (whey protein is the best, IME..but you said you don't want that..so eat some meat along with broccoli, rice, things like that) RIGHT AFTER your workout..your body needs this to build muscle..*avoid drinking liquids with meals as this will deplete food enzymes and disturb digestion -- wait about 30min after eating to drink anything, *also, avoid cardio for the most part..have two days during the week out of your 5-day workout program (if that's what you plan) when you do some moderate cardio (i'd say no more than an hour a day, probably more like 30 minutes is ideal) where you do sit-ups, jog-walk, etc..depending on the muscle groups you've decided to focus on etc. Also, if isn't obvious..you want to work on one or two muscle groups in a session..no more than that, or you're just wasting your breath because your muscles need a day to rest so they aren't over-exerted and can reach maximum growth potential..3 sets of 10 reps is generally the best..runners and such who work more on endurance than strength do less weight but more reps, so think the opposite.

You can also try tribulus. I personally found it pretty horrible the few weeks i was on it. I would sleep about 12-13 hours a night, always be angry, and had no sex drive whatsoever.

I also think people are overstressing the importance of water intake. You don't need to drink a gallon of water a day..unless you want to have diarrhea and LOSE weight. Carry a large bottle of water around with you and take sips throughout the day and during your breaks between sets to keep yourself hydrated.

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^ no such thing as hardgainer only undereater

I work more than one or two muscles per session. You realize if that was a good rule of thumb you're sayin' then you could never do compound lifts such as squat or deadlift. These lifts work nearly every damn muscle in your body!

Squat and deadlift will also incidentally raise your serum level of testosterone and turn you into a freakin' animal.
 
bighooter said:
Im considering steroids as Im 22 and still never had a girlfriend and my self esteem is fukd.
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You don't need steroids. In fact they're an especially bad idea for you. There are three things you need to do.

1) Avoid overtraining. Sleeping poorly, higher anxiety, etc. (I'd bet you were getting sick more frequently too), are all symptoms. ENJOY the training you do. Push yourself, but I don't need to tell you about the importance of recovery periods. Use active recovery (very light workouts) if you wish. The training is a part of your life; it's not your whole life.

2) Recognize that your challenge is to build social confidence, not to build muscle. It sounds like you're in great shape. Do you think adding a few inches to your arms and taking off a little fat is going to be the difference between self-confidence and insecurity? It won't. So steroids aren't the answer here; in fact they'll simply distract you from the real challenge.

3) Investigate something called cognitive therapy, and perhaps find someone who practices it. You can google it and find some very good sites. Essentially you have a stream of rather negative automatic thoughts about yourself, which are easily triggered; they in turn make you feel inadequate, insecure, etc. Those thoughts are undoubtedly, for the most part, quite stupid. You can learn to challenge them, shut them up, and build more positive, accurate, and useful thoughts in their place.

So let's just take an example from your post. You talked about being short (5'5), and that wearing baggy clothes makes you feel inadequate because of the way they hang on you. All right. 5'5 is about 5 inches below average height for a male in the US. BUT you are also well above height requirements for any branch of military service in the United States, any federal law enforcement agency, any professional fire department. There are running backs in the NFL at around 5'5. In short, the professionals running the most rigorous, hard-hitting, challenging teams in the toughest environments feel fine about hiring someone of your height. So next time you catch yourself telling yourself that you're inadequate because you're 5'5, respond with something similar to this. It's simply bullshit.

And ditto to the guy who's telling himself similar bullshit because he's skinny. I'd write out another paragraph but this post is long enough already.
 
thats the thing when I was 11stone I was literally eating shedloads and although I felt strong I had a fair bit of fat around my mid section.
I was squatting 120kg which was nearly double my weight.
<<< however I was the strongest ive ever been in my whole life.... so I just dont get it, if excess fat increases estrogen which in turn decreases testosterone how come I felt strong yet was pretty fat and gaining 1-2 lb per week?

Also if you ever see off season bodybuilders they look very fat too me, google 'Lee Priest off season' he's fat in off season yet strong as a bull.... I just dont get it

Damn Bodybuilding is complicated
 
So, on this thread, I've seen discussion of the "self", broken down into physical, intellectual, and spiritual components.

Am I the only one who finds squatting to be both intellectual and spiritual, as well as physical?
 
Gormur said:
oh right...well i eat all day until i become tired...am i an undereater because i don't gain weight? 8)
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sorry but I don't buy it. make a list of exactly what you eat in a day over the course of a month with your weight each day. also post your lifting routine and anything else you are doing physically each day.

i'm willing to bet that for 99.9999% of people - if you have a solid lifting routine and eat over 4,000 cals a day you will gain muscle mass fairly rapidly.
 
aanallein said:
sorry but I don't buy it. make a list of exactly what you eat in a day over the course of a month with your weight each day. also post your lifting routine and anything else you are doing physically each day.

i'm willing to bet that for 99.9999% of people - if you have a solid lifting routine and eat over 4,000 cals a day you will gain muscle mass fairly rapidly.
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agreed.

Even if you have raised estrogen levels from eating too much, you are going to gain muscle. Fair enough it wont be lean muscle but you will get big for definate.

LOL at the person who said squats was spiritaul and intellectual!=D
 
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