You have a little downtime, throw something on TV, and you get an ad with Frank “The Big Hurt’ Thomas and Doug Flutie offering you to “Put a hurt on Father Time.” How does one do so? Out of all the testosterone boosting strategies for athletes, they offer Nugenix targeting men over 40 years old.

It’s appetizing because testosterone is an important hormone for the desirables: muscle growth, recovery, and mood/energy levels. But before wiping out your phone, read this article; it may save you some subscription fees.

How Athletes Can Boost Testosterone Naturally

Although the popular brand Doug Flutie (Nugenix, not Wheaties) supports is made from natural ingredients, there are other cost-effective solutions that athletes use (at all ages) to help boost Testosterone levels (T-levels). This article, in the Journal of Sports Health, looked at exactly that. It was a review article analyzing how athletes help keep T-levels healthy without breaking rules or using any banned substances. Here is what they found:

Natural Testosterone Boosting Strategies For Athletes: 

The goal of supporting healthy T-levels is understanding how the body physiologically works by feedback loops; when one loop is high, it inhibits another. In this case, Cortisol, known as the chronic stress hormone, inhibits the production of Testosterone. Therefore, one of the best ways athletes can boost their testosterone is by limiting chronically high levels of cortisol. Here are some practical ways to do so: 

• Good Nutrition for proper Energy Balance:
  • Rationale: Too much of a caloric deficit creates a stress response, elevating cortisol levels, which inhibits the production of testosterone.
• Sleep: 
  • Rationale: Testosterone production is closely tied to circadian rhythms, with the highest levels synthesized during deep, uninterrupted REM sleep. Research indicates that restricting sleep to five hours per night for just one week can lead to a 10% to 15% reduction in daytime testosterone levels. This occurs because sleep deprivation disrupts the hormonal feedback loops and increases cortisol, which further inhibits the body’s natural production cycles.
• Strength Training:
  • Rationale: This short-term stress is much different from long-term chronic stress. Resistance training creates an acute hormonal surge, signaling the pituitary gland to release luteinizing hormone, which directly stimulates testosterone production. Unlike chronic stress, this short-term “spike” also increases androgen receptor density, making your muscles more sensitive to the testosterone you already have while simultaneously reducing the body fat that typically converts testosterone into estrogen.
• Avoiding Overtraining:
  • Rationale: More isn’t always better. Overtraining triggers a survival response that keeps cortisol levels chronically high. This is a problem because elevated cortisol acts as a biological block, stopping the signals your brain sends to produce testosterone and stalling your recovery and progress
• Avoiding Chronic Use of Over-The-Counter Pain meds:
  • Rationale: Overusing common pain relievers like ibuprofen can stress your hormonal balance. High chronic doses can directly impair the testes’ ability to produce testosterone, forcing the brain to overproduce stimulator hormones (luteinizing hormone) just to keep your levels stable. This creates a state of compensated hypogonadism, where your body is constantly overworking to maintain its natural hormonal feedback loop.

Strategies That Need More Research: 

• Exposure to chemical pollutants and a lot of electronic radiation was mentioned as possible negative factors, though this needs more research
• Cold water immersion (like ice baths) might lower testosterone temporarily, while saunas don’t seem to harm it.
• Sexual Activity: The review didn’t find strong proof that sexual activity boosts testosterone.

The review helped, partially, to answer how we should view T-Level Boosters that we see on TV ads. Here is a summary of the findings: 

While specific compounds like Tongkat Ali, Ashwagandha, and Zinc show small promise needing much more research, the overall market is a ‘buyer beware’ situation. A positive result has been shown to be inconsistent. And research suggests up to 50% of these supplements are contaminated with prohibited substances. 

Furthermore, using unverified boosters can lead to severe health complications like liver injury or blood clots, making third-party testing an absolute necessity to ensure you are getting a safe, effective dose rather than a hidden hazard. Overall, it’s a risk is greater than the benefit situation, so we would recommend saving your hard-earned dollar.

Summary

Optimizing your testosterone isn’t about one magic pill; it’s about managing the interconnected feedback loops of your biology by taking care of the foundation of human performance: energy balance, sleep, and stress resiliency.

FAQ: Testosterone Boosting Strategies for Athletes

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Author:

Dr. Dillon Caswell, PT, DPT, SCS

Doctor of Physical Therapy | Board Certified Sports Specialist

Hope Evangelist | Top-Selling Author & Speaker | Human Performance Expert