Sprinting and Testosterone: Can Sprinting Increase T Levels?

Sprinting and Testosterone

Do you want to know a natural yet simple workout that can boost your testosterone levels like nothing else can?

Well, that one workout is “Sprinting”.

As you know testosterone is a naturally present hormone in the human body.

It is the principal anabolic and sex hormone and is responsible for sexual desirability and functioning, denseness of bones, muscles strength and motivation

Low testosterone levels are quite dangerous and can lead to a difficulty in retaining muscle mass, which gives you less power and can also lower your metabolism.

Sprinting and Testosterone Levels

Sprinting can increase testosterone levels in the body and just the right amount of training and workout ensures that the testosterone levels remain at their peak most of the time.

This will help you to pack on muscle without even trying and this is why sprinting and testosterone are linked.

Sprinting increases testosterone levels but you shouldn’t over train because excess cortisol can actually retard your testosterone levels.

So, here is a bit detail on what science says about sprinting and testosterone, and the dos and donts of this workout regime. So let’s get started.

QUICK TIP: If you are serious about improving testosterone with sprinting, then I highly recommend you check out Anabolic Running which can help you achieve this.

Sprinting Improves Testosterone Levels

A study published in the British journal of sports medicine sheds some light on how sprinting increases testosterone. The main purpose of that study was to determine the effects of different types of exercise regimes on testosterone levels.

For that, the participants were divided into three groups and each group was allocated a training modality;

• 30 minutes tempo run
• 30 minutes of intense interval sprinting
• 30 minutes of circuit weight training in which the participants had to lift weights for 30 seconds and had a 30 second recovery period.

Results of the above study showed that only the group doing interval sprints experienced a significant increase in the testosterone levels, which indicates that a high intensity is needed to increase testosterone levels.

The tempo run and the circuit weight training also increased testosterone levels but it wasn’t to a notable extent.

The study also showed that interval sprints were the most challenging of the three modes of exercises The Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE) was 16 out of 20 for the interval training as compared to the tempo run which was 15 and circuit training which was 13.

More difficult the exercise, sweeter the fruit, right?

This also study showed that cortisol levels were highest after the intervals but the testosterone levels were also high; this neutralized the effect of cortisol and made the ratio suitable for muscle building and development.

The tempo run also increased the cortisol levels but the ratio between the testosterone and cortisol levels was less favorable. The same was the case with circuit training.

These studies clearly show the science behind sprinting and testosterone and why it is such a powerful form of exercise to do.

Before we carry on I just want to make it clear that sprinting can be also done on an exercise bike, a rower or a cross trainer etc. The main thing is that you are pushing hard enough to reach an intensity that will boost testosterone.

Sprinting with Intensity

Intensity also affects the testosterone levels. Sprinting is an intense activity when compared to other forms of training.

A study was conducted at the University of Toledo in Ohio where researchers looked at intense training and testosterone levels.

The study showed that low-intensity sprinting doesn’t affect the testosterone levels. The testosterone levels only seem to improve when sprinting intensity is increased.

Furthermore, you can consider integrating creatine supplementation in your diet as it will help you increase you sprinting capacity and thus intensity by up to 15%.

Consequently, the higher the intensity the stronger the impact it will have on your testosterone levels.

Also, creatine itself helps one increase testosterone production. By combining the best of both worlds you will have an even stronger impact on your T levels. Here is an in-depth article that helps understand how does creatine work.

Caution with Sprinting

By now it should be very clear to you what sprinting does to your body. But, for how long do you have to sprint? How much sprinting is good for you?

That’s where you need to observe some caution as long periods of sprinting can actually decrease levels of body testosterone.

As I have said before on this site, the difference between poison and medicine is in the dose. This means that something that can be amazing like sprinting can be a poison if you use it to excess.

Work hard when you train but listen to your body and be aware of the signs of overtraining after your sessions are over such as feeling tired, irritable and grumpy.

You should feel like you have worked hard but not so hard that you now have no energy for the rest of the day.

Over Training

Exercises like sprinting are good and increase your testosterone levels as long as you do them right. Overtraining can cause trouble for your body because your body can
only endure a certain degree of stress and only up to a certain amount of time.

Once that limit is reached, the benefits give way for side effects and complications. So you need to avoid overtraining if you want to get that boost of testosterone. Following are some tips to get maximum benefits from your training

1) Follow the 90% rule:

You should push yourself when sprinting but always leave some space for yourself. You can think of it like this. Push yourself to the 90% of your maximum effort but never push yourself to the maximum limit.

You should feel tired after a hard workout but you should also feel like you could do a little more. What we are looking for is a nice burn in the legs that indicate we have now surpassed the lactate threshold and will now receive a nice boost of testosterone and growth hormone. This will benefit you a great deal.

2) Set Limits:

When you are getting started sprinting you want to sprint to around 90% of your maximum effort for 15 to 20 seconds then recover for 1 to 2 minutes.

Repeat this for 3 intervals at the start and work up slowly to 6-8 intervals max. If you do more than 8 intervals you will be working your body too hard and raising cortisol instead of testosterone.

3) Easy Runs:

Every training program includes easy runs. Easy runs are designed to make you cover long distances and keep you active between the training workouts. But many people don’t pay attention to easy runs and start running harder for longer.

This only increases the chances of injury and does more harm than good. So always alternate harder runs with easier ones. These easy runs can be done the day after you do your sprints and should be low intensity and seen as relaxing.

This will also improve blood flow to the muscles to help them recover from your sprint sessions.

4) Respect Rest Days:

You shouldn’t think that rest is only for the weak. The resting part is as important as the running part. Your body needs time to rebuild its tissues that are broken after workouts.The fitness level of a person declines if he doesn’t give any time to rest. 

To do this makes sure you are giving your body at least 48 hours recovery between sessions and if you are over 40 and new to sprinting you might need more than 48 hours. Again listen to your body to know when you are recovered with the energy to do more.

5) Sleep:

Lack of sleep can also lower testosterone levels. The human body repairs and rebuilds itself during sleep. The sleep requirements are different from person to person. Teenagers need about 9 hours of sleep every day whereas adults need about 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep.

Conclusion

To conclude, sprinting is an efficient way for improving testosterone levels. Research also supports the fact that sprinting increases testosterone levels.

That’s why sprinting and testosterone go together and it should be something you want to incorporate into your testosterone boosting regime.

Combine sprinting with a good diet and a proven testosterone booster like Tongkat Ali and you will be very surprised at the results.

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