Gen Z and Millennial men have the lowest overall testosterone in history. It’s so low, that the average 30-year-old today has the testosterone levels of a 60-year-old man thirty years ago. Sitting at a desk all day – the reality for most of us – isn’t helping, and the fact that most of our sleep is interrupted due to endless scrolling, rising anxiety, and poor food choices, just adds to the endless carousel of physical misery. Even worse, the internet is rife with fitness influencers posting celebratory fitness videos of their first steroid cycle claiming that “There are no side effects, and now I got jacked within two months!”, only to be covered in body acne, mood swings, and eventually sapping their body’s natural testosterone sources, thereby becoming enslaved to a weekly injection for the rest of their life. Bottom line: do not take steroids (unless you are required to for medical reasons).
So what does a healthy level of testosterone look like for an adolescent/adult man? 500 – 700 ng/dl (nanogram per deciliter) is within a good healthy range; 400 – 300 is fine; when you get below 200 you start falling into the ‘low T-level’ group. Many young men today find themselves within the 150 range…not ideal.
But fear not, because even if this is you, there are many ways to naturally change this practically overnight. As Dr. Andrew Huberman, author, professor, neuroscientist, fitness freak, and internet guru, succinctly put it: “Testosterone makes effort feel good.”
Here are some simple tips on how to naturally (and with supplementation) boost your testosterone and make 2025 your most physically lucrative year yet.
Sleep
If you’ve read any of my articles, you’ll know that sleep is the biggest mountain that I have yet to conquer in my life, but when I do get a good night’s sleep, the noticeable results are immediate. Sleep expert Dr. Matt Walker calls sleep, “the biggest natural performance-enhancing drug on the planet,” noting that Usain Bolt had just woken up from a nap before breaking a world record. Poor sleep produces excess cortisol, and can in turn lead to reduced libido, reduced energy levels, increased fat mass, hair loss, difficulty concentrating, reduced muscle mass, depression…need any more? And the endless scrolling on your phone before bed isn’t doing you any favours, as the blue light disrupts the natural melatonin produced by your body, in turn forcing you to be alert despite your exhaustion.
Getting good sleep is the most important thing not just for testosterone, but for your overall wellbeing, and if you can conquer that mountain then congratulations, the rest will be much easier.
However, if you’re struggling to enter the fortress of dreams at night, here are some basic sleep rules:
- No caffeine after 1 p.m.
- Take a walk after dinner
- Don’t eat too late and try to keep a 4 hour window between dinner and bedtime
- No screens an hour before bed (although let’s face it, this is the hardest one)
Eat Whole Eggs
In one 12-week study, they took two groups of trained men and separated them by post-workout meals: one group was given six egg whites, the other three whole eggs. After three months, the whole egg group’s testosterone skyrocketed by 239 ng/dl. That is a massive boost. Eggs contain cholesterol which is what produces testosterone, and while having too high cholesterol is not good, having no cholesterol is worse. Whole eggs are high in protein, contain practically every vitamin, except C, and are high in antioxidants. And if you’ve ever watched old videos of Arnie pumping iron in the ’70s, you’ll know that the standard bodybuilding diet of that era consisted of a lot of eggs. And whole milk. And steak. But the eggs are most important.
Some Type of Exercise
Chris Hemsworth has a fitness app, and I once paid for a subscription just so you don’t have to. Unless you’re getting paid 60 million dollars to have your shirt off, for the average man with a regular job and life, this app is borderline pointless. Waking up at 5 a.m. to do kettlebell swings before journaling about your goals for the future will not have you sculpted like Thor, and I’d be surprised if Chris’s own workout regiment consists of even 1/100th of what his app promotes (sorry, Chris, please don’t beat me up). People catastrophise the idea of working out and forget to realise that even something as simple as walking 4,000 steps a day can do wonders for your testosterone levels.
In one study, 279 U.S. males with a median age of 46 (ages ranging from 33 – 56) did nothing but walk different lengths for a span of seven days, and the ones who walked less than 4,000 steps a day had a much higher chance of being hypogonadal (hormone secretion in the testes, a.k.a. lower tesosterone). Conversely, the more steps the subjects got in, the higher their chances of increased testosterone. Do you realise how insane yet easy that is? You don’t even need to hit the gym, just take the stairs a couple of times a day and voila, your testosterone will immediately ascend.
Any additional exercise – weight lifting, sports, something that gets your heart rate up – is obviously essential, but for a basic improvement, you really don’t need much to make a difference. And if the weather is scorching and you don’t have a treadmill in your house/apartment building, take a cab to the mall and walk around for half an hour – your body will thank you.
Tongkat Ali
Sometimes referred to as longjack, this natural herb has been used in ancient Asian cultures for centuries, and is (thus far) the only natural supplement clinically proven to boost your testosterone. This herb decreases sex hormone binding globulin, which in turn frees up your body’s natural free testosterone, releasing it into your body. The average dosage tends to range from 200 – 400 mg a day, and can be found in capsule form at most pharmacies or health & fitness stores. Predictably, this supplement is often used to boost performance in the gym due to its noticeable effects on muscle mass, but as with any supplementation of any kind, it’s worth speaking to a professional healthcare provider first.
Bottom Line
A big myth is that male testosterone is violently decreasing due to microplastics, air pollution, radiation, etc., but according to Dr. and longevity expert, Peter Attia, this isn’t entirely the case. The catalyst for plummeting testosterone is due to increased sedentary lifestyles and poor food choices – shocker.
Although genetics play a massive role in your body’s natural ability to produce testosterone, still, if your energy levels are zapped, you’re sleeping poorly, and feel unmotivated, chances are you may have low T(estosterone) levels, and it’s absolutely worth going in and having your blood work checked. And if you feel Herculean all the time, there’s always the chance you’re in the top 3% of the world’s population like former UFC heavyweight champion, Bas Rutten.
