The amount of muscle you can achieve is regulated by testosterone, also known as the Holy Grail of muscle growth. Quite simply, testosterone is the most important muscle-building hormone in your body and is one of the limiting factors that determines how much muscle you can ultimately build. Here is just a small handful of the many amazing benefits that increased testosterone levels will provide you with: Increased muscle size and strength, decreased body fat levels, increased sex drive and sexual endurance, improved mood and decreased levels of "bad" cholesterol.
It sounds pretty good because it is great, and in this article I'm going to outline 10 simple steps to naturally increase your testosterone levels and achieve all of these incredible benefits. While these steps will not result in "steroid-like" muscle gains, they will definitely contribute to your overall bottomline results.
1) Use compound exercises as the cornerstone of your workouts. I'm talking about the basic, bread-and-butter lifts such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses, rows, chin-ups, dips, lunges and military presses. These exercises will place your muscles under the greatest amount of stress in the gym and will force your body to increase testosterone production.
2) Always train with 100% effort and intensity. If you want to see real muscle gains, you must be willing to push yourself to the limit in the gym. Again, greater muscular stress in the gym translates to higher testosterone output.
3) Exercise your leg muscles just as hard as your exercise your upper body. You may already know that growth in the chest, back, and arms will be stimulated by intense training of the legs. The increased testosterone produced through leg training exercises is one of the reasons for this.
4) Increase your EFA consumption. Sources such as peanuts and avocadoes, will be the source of Essential Fatty Acids. One interesting way of naturally boosting testosterone levels is through the regular use of olive and canola oils in one's diet.
5) Minimize your consumption of soy. There is a direct negative effect on testosterone levels when the estrogen levels in the body increase, which can be caused by soy protein.
6) Limit your consumption of alcohol. Alcohol has been shown to have quite a dramatic effect on testosterone levels, so try to limit your "binge drinking" nights and keep your alcohol consumption in moderation.
7) Take in more cruciferous vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, turnips, cabbage and brussel sprouts have all been shown to dramatically reduce estrogen levels, thereby raising testosterone.
Reduce your everyday stresses. When you have too much stress, your body releases the catabolic hormone "cortisol" and this makes your testosterone levels drop dramatically.
9) You should try to increase your amount of sexual activity. An increase in the production of oxytocin is brought about by sexual activity as well as causing more endorphins, which also increases testosterone levels.
10) Make certain that you get enough sleep each night. Insufficient sleep may result in a reduction of your testosterone levels due to the production of cortisol.
Start implementing these techniques on a consistent basis and you should experience a noticeable increase in your muscle size and strength gains.
Don't waste your time, effort and money on B.S. "Miracle Programs" that don't deliver results! Learn the honest truth revealed by a genuine Body Building expert and at last start noticing the gains you want. Visit us to read more Muscle Building Articles