Testosterone is largely considered the hormone of youth, keeping your muscles and bones healthy, maintaining healthy fertility and sex drive, and maintaining overall energy. Healthy testosterone levels also help the human body resist the accumulation of excess fat. Exercise is one way to increase your testosterone naturally and safely. However, not all exercise routines are as effective as others. So the question is, can working out on an elliptical trainer effectively increase your body’s testosterone production?
Testosterone is an androgen secreted primarily by the testicles of men and the ovaries of women. It is best known for its effects on increasing lean muscle mass, reducing body fat and slowing the aging process. It is also important for sexual desire.
A normal level of testosterone in the bloodstream is between 350 and 1,000 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dl). After age 40, you start losing this hormone at an average rate of about 1% per year. Also, when your body weight approaches 30% above a normal healthy level, your estrogen levels will increase, which can lower your testosterone. So weight control is another important factor when trying to maintain healthy levels of this hormone.
Exercise is one way to increase testosterone as well as decrease body fat, making it less likely that excess weight will cause testosterone to decrease. Exercise stimulates the pituitary gland and testicles, which directly affects testosterone production. However, it is important to choose the right type of exercise if you want to increase your testosterone levels. It may surprise you that excessive training can actually decrease this hormone because it doesn’t allow enough time for recovery and repair and tissue damage occurs. Studies show that testosterone will increase with exercise for the first 45-60 minutes, after which cortisol levels rise, causing this important hormone to decrease.
Experts say the best exercise to boost testosterone should involve large muscle groups at the same time. The largest muscles of the body are in the legs, buttocks and back. This is why training on an elliptical trainer is such an effective way to increase your testosterone levels. Elliptical trainers are an excellent fitness machine for targeting the leg and butt muscle groups. If you have an elliptical trainer with moving handlebars, you will also work your back muscles. Remember that your workout should last 45-60 minutes, but no more to avoid depleting your testosterone from excessive exercise.
So get on your new or refurbished ellipticals that help you age healthily by maintaining healthy testosterone levels.