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Physical activity is important if you want to raise your testosterone levels. Running is a great form of exercise, guaranteed to get your heart rate up and the oxygen pumping around your system.
Testosterone is mostly prevalent in males, and it's responsible for male characteristics such as a deep voice, body hair, and sperm production, and sexual function.
Your testosterone levels will decline at approximately 1% each year from the age of 30. This is a natural occurrence and nothing to be concerned about…unless you want to take back control of course.
The phrase “letting yourself go” means just that. You give in to premature aging and let nature take its course. The alternative is that you fight back and get back into the driving seat.
Running can certainly go a long way to helping you regain your testosterone and your vitality. But which is better for boosting your T levels—long distance running or sprinting?
Here, we’ll be exploring the best method of running to really get the testosterone flowing.
Which is better for testosterone: Sprinting or long-distance running?
Research has shown that high-intensity exercise, such as sprinting is one of the best ways to increase testosterone levels.
High-intensity exercises are best for T levels as they produce a bigger “shock” element in your body, almost jolting your body into producing the hormone. This is why exercises such as weight training are great for testosterone production as they are of short duration—and higher intensity.
The runner’s version of this exercise is sprinting. This means doing several repetitions of a short duration to get your T levels up.
You can further resistance by wearing a weighted vest, or weighted wristbands (though you should only do this if you’ve been running for a while).
There are several reasons why this is the case. Let’s explore.
High-intensity exercise gets your heart racing
Sprinting ets your heart pumping faster, enhancing oxygen and nutrient delivery around your body. This means a better all-round health which will support testosterone production and get it flowing again.
It helps to create muscle mass
The more muscle mass you have the higher your T levels are likely to be. High-intensity exercise is one of the best ways to create bulk muscle. Keep at it.
It reduces excess fat
If you’re carrying excess body fat, you’re likely to have lower testosterone levels. Running, in particular sprinting, is a great way to burn calories, especially if used in conjunction with a calorie-controlled diet.
It helps you get a better quality sleep
A poor quality sleep means lower T levels, and putting in some big intense exercise shifts will seriously improve your sleep.
It improves your mental health
An improved mood gives you a better chance of getting the testosterone flowing. Running is a great way to reset your mind, improve your cognitive health and hit the “runner’s high”.
It releases testosterone-producing hormones
Sprinting releases hormones that help to break down your energy stores and repair your muscles quickly. This increases testosterone production.
Long distance running produces a different response in your body as the intensity is not as strong.
Research has shown that while long distance runs of under 80 km a week can have a positive effect on hormonal levels, anything greater than that doesn’t have such a good effect when it comes to increasing your testosterone levels.
Prolonged long-distance running can reduce testosterone levels slightly due to an increase in cortisol, a stress hormone that can low t levels.
The short, intense-intensity bursts of activity from sprinting trigger a more favourable hormonal response than longer runs.
While sprinting has been shown to have a better effect on testosterone production, there should be no issues if you want to mix it up. So, a few sprinting sessions each week and one longer distance run will certainly do the trick when it comes to your hormonal health and wellbeing.
Why does testosterone production decrease?
Testosterone levels decrease for a number of reasons. As already mentioned, age is a factor, but there are also other issues that can cause it to drop. These include…
- Too much exposure to environmental toxins
- Certain medications, particularly opioids and hormonal treatments
- Chronic medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes, and liver or kidney disease
These are all issues that you have little or no control over. But, there are some that you can control, such as…
- Poor diet
- Lack of exercise
- High stress levels
- Excess body weight
- Poor sleep quality
- Excess drinking and smoking
All of these factors will slow down or block the production of testosterone in your body. Making small changes to your lifestyle can get the testosterone flowing again—so it’s all very much in your hands.
Read: What Are Normal Testosterone Levels?
What happens when testosterone levels start to drop?
When male hypogonadism (low testosterone production) occurs, you’re likely to see some significant changes to your health—especially issues that you’ve not experienced before.
Depending on your lifestyle, some can be more severe than others. Some of the most common symptoms…
- Reduced sex drive
- Lack of energy
- Lack of muscle mass
- Erectile dysfunction
- Cognitive issues
- Weaker bones
- Lower fertility
- Decreased muscle mass and strength
- Excess fat, especially around your waist
- Changes in mood
- Depression
- Hot flushes
- Insomnia
- Hair Loss
- Sleep disturbances, such as insomnia
If you let yourself go, you can expect to encounter a number of these, if not all. So what are you going to do about it?
Read: Can You Cure Low Testosterone?
How else can you get your testosterone levels higher?
As we’ve discussed, high-intensity running is a great place to start, along with any other forms of high-intensity resistance exercise.
But there are plenty of other ways to get back in the zone. Here are some great ways to naturally increase your testosterone levels.
Maintain a healthy diet
A healthy, nutritious diet packed with protein, healthy fats, carbohydrates and testosterone-boosting foods will help to restore the balance. Fatty fish, onions, and garlic are great choices. Oh. and try to avoid processed or sugary foods.
Get enough sleep
If you don’t get enough sleep, you can expect your testosterone to drop as a result, so getting a minimum of seven hours is essential. Levels can drop by as much as 15% with only five hours sleep.
Manage stress levels
Chronic stress increases the production of cortisol, which will reduce testosterone levels in your body. Try stress-reduction techniques like meditation or deep breathing exercises.
Take a supplement
A supplement is a major asset towards testosterone production. Make sure your dietary supplement contains vitamin D, zinc, ashwagandha, and fenugreek as these are well-known T-boosters.
Get plenty of sunlight
Vitamin D should also be absorbed naturally through sunlight, so it’s important to get some limited exposure to the sun when you can, but avoid over-exposure.
Maintain a healthy weight
Your testosterone levels are likely to fall if you are carrying excess fat, so weight management should be a priority. Your healthy diet and exercise will play a big part in keeping your weight in check.
Try to limit alcohol
Having the odd drink or two isn’t going to damage your T levels, but drinking excessively will do.
Alcohol also contains a lot of sugar, so it won’t help with your weight management either. If you feel you’re drinking too much, try to cut down gradually to a sensible level.
Read: How To Boost Testosterone: 20 Quickfire Tips
What is the best way to raise t levels through running?
To maximise your testosterone production through running, it’s essential that you tick all of the boxes.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle
Moving towards a healthier lifestyle through exercise is a great choice if you want to take back control of your testosterone.
The more boxes you tick, the better your chances will be. This means ditching the unhealthy habits, exercising to build muscle mass, and keeping strict control of what you eat.
Sprint your way to success
If you want to get the T levels up, high-intensity exercise is best and sprinting is the way to go. Plan your weekly workouts in advance, giving yourself a few rest days in between.
Get your testosterone flowing with a quality supplement
A natural supplement will seriously help your chances of raising your T levels. And TestoPrime is the perfect T-boosting supplement.
It's packed full of essential, scientifically proven nutrients to support a healthy lifestyle and to get your testosterone flowing again. Go get some.
