So yesterday, I posted an article about 6 of my best tips for boosting your tesosterone levels.

Well, I just realized that I missed one...

And it's a BIG one.

It involves taking in simple post-workout carbs (i.e. sugar).

Stop taking sugar/simple carbs in your post-workout shakes, even if you're taking creatine at that time.

If you do this, the sugar is KILLING your testosterone levels, right when you need it the most and right when you've just spiked them with hard, heavy training.

A recent study demonstrated this effect...(excerpt taken from the abstract).

"Glucose ingestion induces a significant reduction in total and free T levels in men, which is similar across the spectrum of glucose tolerance."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22804876

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Personally, I stopped with post-workout simple carbs a few years ago and didn't notice any detriment to recovery in terms of how I felt with training the next day.

In addition, eliminating post-workout carbs helps sustain the GH release you achieved with your training as well (insulin doesn't get along with testosterone OR Growth Hormone).

Take your protein and creatine...just skip the sugar.

And if you missed the other 6 tips, I've got them for you again here...

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We both know that testosterone is a CRITICAL component for building muscle...

Without high enough T levels, you're going to be struggling to put on even an ounce of muscle.

Yet it seems like just about everything in our society is conspiring to work AGAINST us when it comes to having healthy testosterone levels. I actually know guys in their 20's who have the T levels of a 50 year old male. It's scary.

So what I wanted to do here is hook you up with what I feel are 6 of the most important (and easiest) things you can do to keep your T levels high...and reap all the benefits from that.

 

1. Stop Eating Soy (with one exception)

Seriously. Do it now.

The ONLY soy you should be eating are fermented soy foods, like tofu or tempeh. All the processed junk that contains soy that you get at the store is TERRIBLE stuff...this includes those "nutrition bars" that use soy protein isolate to pretend they contain a lot of protein.

Not only does soy contain anti-nutrients that prevent absorption of the nutrients you DO want, the isoflavones found in soy can have estrogenic effects in your body.

If you drink soy milk, pour it down the sink (this goes for women, too). It's garbage. I recommend you use coconut milk instead...(even almond milk isn't great...it's mostly water and carrageenan)

If your salad dressing is made almost entirely from soybean oil, get rid of it and use something else (balsamic vinegar and olive oil is a great way to go).

 

2. Load Yourself In a Squat Position

It seems there is something about the bottom of a squat (under load) that stimulates the production of testosterone...this is not based specifically on science but by "gym experience."

If you can't do regular barbell squats, use dumbbell squats, split squats or even elevated trap bar deadlifts (I don't usually recommend deficit deadlifts with a straight bar as the mechanics tend to get a bit questionable, especially for taller people or people with short arms and long legs).

I find this to be effective beyond just the stimulation you get from doing a heavy exercise...it's the deep squat POSITION under load that seems to be the trigger.

 

3. Don't Eat So Low-Fat...Eat The Yolks

STOP eating plain egg whites and only plain egg whites.

Eat the WHOLE egg...and don't worry about the saturated fat and cholesterol. That's the GOOD part. The yolk is where most of the nutrients are.

Cholesterol is a CRITICAL hormonal precursor to testosterone. If you're not getting enough of it through your diet, your T levels will tank.

And in terms of cholesterol being "bad" for you, I won't go into the science behind it but your body actually NEEDS a certain amount of cholesterol...and if you don't eat it, your body will MAKE it. The problem is, the stuff your body makes is more problematic than the stuff you eat.

And if you don't eat eggs, grass-fed beef is another great option, as are "fatty" fish like salmon. Coconut oil and olive oil...also excellent sources of fat.

Overall, though, one of the fastest ways to kill your testosterone levels is to reduce your fat intake to below 10% of your calories for extended periods of time...short periods of time are ok, but anything over a week or so and you'll feel the difference.

 

4. Stop Using Commercial Shampoo

I know the main criteria that most guys use when it comes to choosing a shampoo is that it says "Shampoo" on the bottle.

You need to go a little deeper and look at the ingredients. If you see "parabens" on the list, you're basically absorbing an estrogenic compound directly into your scalp every time you use it. The hot shower opens up your pores and your head soaks it right up.

Personally, I use a "tea tree oil" shampoo from Trader Joe's. It's inexpensive and doesn't have any of that garbage in it.

The same goes for soap...most commercial soap is chock full of chemicals with estrogenic effects. Also, they (and shampoos) tend to contain variations of sodium lauryl sulfate (which is a powerful industrial degreaser).

I like to go with "natural" soaps like goats milk soap that have "non-industrial" ingredients.

 

5. Get Some Sleep

This is the easiest one and not the easiest one at the same time. Just getting better quality sleep is going to have a big impact on testosterone levels.

There are entire books written on how to get better sleep, so I won't get into them all here.

One of the tricks I like to use (which also nutritionally supports T levels) is to take magnesium and zinc right before bed (300 mg and 50 mg respectively). Magnesium is a "relaxing" mineral that helps your body calm down while zinc is a critical mineral for a tremendous number of body processes, including testosterone production.

 

6. Take a GOOD Testosterone Support Supplement

They're very popular, and I'm sure you've seen a variety of different formulations being sold. Some are good...many are garbage.

The best type of supplement to use is one that does NOT replace your body's own testosterone production but rather supports it.

Here's what to look for in a safe, legal testosterone booster.

1. It must support your natural production of testosterone rather than replace it.

2. It must block estrogen (the female sex hormone)

3. And it should come from natural herbal ingredients not synthetic compounds.

The brand I personally use and recommend is called TDrive. 

I'm good friends with one of the creators of this product and he let me know that right now, they're running a 20% OFF sale (first time in 2-years they've actually run a sale on this stuff).

Just fyi, this 20% off sale expires TONIGHT so be sure and check this out ASAP.

If you'd like to learn more about TDrive, the main page is here.

It goes to a video first, but if you prefer to read the info, just close the page and click "stay on page" when the box pops up. You'll get all the same info, plus the list of ingredients is posted on the page, about 2/3 of the way down.

 

IMPORTANT

If you decide to go ahead and pick up some TDrive, use THESE order links to automatically get the discount.

GOOD DEAL:

Buy 1 Bottle of TDrive + 20% OFF Discount ($55.20)

BETTER DEAL:

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It's a good product...I use it myself and find it very effective for testosterone support.

The nice thing is, it doesn't mess with your hormone production like those old "pro hormone" products used to do (tried those, too...did not like).

TDrive helps your body more effectively and more efficiently produce testosterone, without unwanted side effects.