How Fast Does Testosterone Build Muscles?
A lot of fitness enthusiasts find themselves asking, "How fast does testosterone build muscles?" It’s a simple question to think about mostly because supplement companies are known to advertise their products as instant muscle builders. The truth behind testosterone and bulking is far more complicated than taking a pill or drinking a shake every day.
To truly be able to use testosterone levels to your advantage to help you build muscle in a safe and healthy manner, you need to know the ins and outs of how hormones can affect your workout progress.
Anabolic Steroids and Muscle Growth
Most people assume that testosterone is the only solution to gaining the most muscle in as little time as possible due to the surge of popularity surrounding anabolic steroids. It’s true, as studies have found that steroids can cause your body to grow muscles without having to put in as much effort, as they drastically increase your testosterone levels. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that just because your testosterone levels are higher, you’re going to get leaner.
The Physiological Testosterone Range
Each person has a certain amount of testosterone that their body produces, known as the baseline. By taking some testosterone boosters, you can increase your hormone levels so that they are slightly higher than your baseline. However, this isn’t going to help increase your muscle mass.
Simply going from a normal amount of testosterone to a high-normal amount won’t help you to bulk up, says Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. According to their study, the individuals with testosterone levels ranging between 300 and 1000 ng/dl (normal range) didn’t experience a lot of muscle growth. In fact, they found that individuals with lower amounts of testosterone didn’t have huge differences between those with above-normal amounts.
With that said, it’s certainly not recommended that you rely on steroids to help build muscle mass. But instead, it’s better to focus on a healthy eating and exercise plan to help you bulk up. Similar to how fitness enthusiasts are strict about weight loss, you have to be just as much, if not more, strict when you want to build lean muscle mass.
Using Testosterone Boosters to Build Muscle
Plenty of people use a variety of supplements to assist with building muscles, including testosterone boosters. Typically available in the form of capsules, boosters are said to help increase your testosterone levels with adequate dosages. It’s unlikely, though, that they’ll bring your hormone levels to a point where you’ll build muscles overnight.
Instead of using testosterone boosters as a sure-fire way to gain muscle, you can use them to improve other areas of your life. For example, moderately higher testosterone levels may help with elevated mood. The less stressed you are, the more likely you’ll be to work out regularly, which, in turn, will result in spending more time at the gym and building more muscle.
Testosterone boosters may also assist with improving your libido, which is essential for your personal life. The less burdened you are by an unsatisfying sex life, the more you’ll be able to focus on building the physique you have always dreamed of.
Natural Ways to Boost Testosterone
Along with taking your testosterone supplements, there are a variety of ways you can improve your hormone levels so that your body is more likely to build muscles. The most recommended natural ways to boost testosterone include:
1. Evaluating Stress
It’s commonly known that the more stressed you are, the lower your testosterone level will be. A study from the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that there is a negative relationship between testosterone and the stress hormones cortisol and prolactin. By blowing off steam in an active way to reduce stress, you’ll find it’s easier to build muscles.
2. Maintaining a Healthy Diet
The most popular recommendation for any type of healthy lifestyle is to make sure you eat a balanced diet. When bulking, you’re going to want to find a good balance of complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and proteins; protein being the most important. The more protein you consume, the healthier your muscles will be.
3. Eating More Meat
Now that you are aware of how important it is to develop a healthy diet, it’s equally important to ensure you’re eating enough meat. A developed program found that men who ate an omnivorous diet experienced a higher amount of fat loss and muscle gain compared to the other group, who followed a lactoovovegetarian diet.
4. Getting Better Sleep
Sleep deprivation can wreak havoc in many areas of your life, including your testosterone levels. Making sure you get at least seven hours of sleep every night will keep your hormones at a healthy level.
5. Having More Sex
Did you know that having sex also helps to boost your testosterone levels? Sexual activity is a fantastic way to affect testosterone levels compared to many other sources. A study based on the male and female salivary testosterone concentrations in heterosexual couples found those who engaged in sex had higher testosterone and lower testosterone when not having sex.
How Fast Testosterone Build Muscles
There isn’t a specific science to determine how quickly testosterone will help your body to build muscle, as everyone is different. People with moderate to low metabolisms will find it’s easier to build muscles than individuals with fast metabolisms. It’s important to remember that there are plenty of components that work together to build muscle, not just your hormones.
Overall, the European Journal of Endocrinology has the most accurate answer. Based on their findings, the positive effects of testosterone on muscle will be demonstrable in 12 to 20 weeks after administration. The maximum effects of the testosterone will be acquired after six to 12 months.
With that said, you will need to be receiving testosterone that puts your hormones far above your normal levels. Otherwise, you’ll enter what is known as a “plateau” where you won’t see substantial muscle gain in a short period of time.
Final Thoughts
Even though it would be nice to think testosterone is the magic answer to having better muscles, it’s not the case for everyone. Answering "How fast does testosterone build muscle?" requires a deep analysis of diet, natural hormone levels, and stress. By administering the correct amount of testosterone to bring you well above your baseline, you can experience noticeable differences in 12 to 20 weeks.
