The 5 Intermittent Fasting Testosterone Benefits
Editor’s Note:
Kinobody introduces guest author, Christopher Walker, author of Master Your Testosterone, to outline the 5 intermittent fasting testosterone benefits that occur in men while fasting. Christopher Walker has a degree in neuroscience from Duke University and in his college years, Chris was diagnosed with extremely low testosterone levels.
Unwilling to spend a life on hormone replacement drugs, Chris decided to learn how to naturally gain testosterone and how to increase it to high levels. Over the course of just a couple years, he brought his test levels from close to zero to well above the medical reference range.
In Chris’s awesome book,Master Your Testosterone, and probably the best course ever written on naturally increasing testosterone, Chris credits intermittent fasting as one of the most powerful tools in his arsenal for increasing his testosterone levels.
Intermittent fasting has been an effective strategy that I’ve been utilizing for four years now. Although, most people only see it from a limited capacity. So naturally, I had to get Chris to write an article on how fasting testosterone levels are increased. Let’s get to it!
The 5 Ways fasting testosterone levels are increased
Does intermittent fasting increase or boost testosterone?
Well, maybe these intermittent fasting testosterone facts won’t blow your mind. That said, they will, however, make you strongly consider intermittent fasting on a regular basis if you have any interest in naturally optimizing your testosterone levels.
1.) In non-obese men, an intermittent fasting testosterone study showed that fasting increased LH (luteinizing hormone – a testosterone precursor hormone) up to 67% and overall testosterone 180%.
This is with just a single short term fast. The ability to regularly control your LH and T levels with daily fasts can be a powerful tool in your T-boosting toolbox.
2.) Testosterone is positively correlated with insulin sensitivity.
Because of this, it is smart to skip breakfast – here’s why… the body’s circadian cycle has a natural cortisol spike shortly after waking, and this happens to be the time when most individuals eat breakfast.
With fit, or somewhat fit, individuals, the insulin spike with the food intake, along with already-high insulin sensitivity, and the high levels of circulating cortisol at this time of day leads to a rapid drop in blood glucose. This triggers what is known as “false hunger,” usually causing an individual to subsequently consume more calories than necessary.
By skipping breakfast, you are regulating your blood glucose levels, insulin, and cortisol during the period of the day in which they are most sensitive.
3.) Intermittent fasting allows your body a daily opportunity to burn excess body fat.
Your body utilizes this excess body fat for fuel and to rid itself of minor toxins before it needs to allocate energy to focus on things like digestion and glycogen synthesis. The quickest way to increase your T is to lose excess body fat. Fasting and testosterone elevation go hand in hand!
To put it simply, testosterone (both free T and SHBG-bound) levels correlate inversely with common measures of insulin resistance (such as insulin, C-peptide, and HOMA-IR) and body fat levels. The inverse association between testosterone and insulin resistance is mediated by adipose tissue, and independent of SHBG (sex hormone-binding globulin).
In simple terms: the more body fat you have, the less testosterone you will naturally be able to produce.
4.) Intermittent fasting increases levels of a hormone called adiponectin.
This increase in adiponectin during the fast helps improve insulin sensitivity. Adiponectin is so powerful, in fact, that it’s been shown to reverse insulin resistance in mice.
5.) With just a 24 hour fast, you can elevate your growth hormone levels by up to 2000%.
GH and T levels correlate with one another, both acting anabolically (improving glycogen uptake into the muscles, protein synthesis, and increasing training capacity and tolerance).
These are just 5 intermittent fasting testosterone benefits. You don’t need to be super strict about counting the hours of your fast either; you can experience these benefits by doing something as simple as skipping breakfast and consuming your first meal at lunchtime, which also helps with psychological and lifestyle flexibility.
If you fast regularly, have you experienced beneficial increases in your ability to train harder, lose body fat, and increase your T and sex drive?
Editor’s Final Note:
My experience with intermittent fasting and testosterone levels has been entirely positive. Funny enough, when I first started fasting for the first 4-7 hours of each day, I noticed I’d wake up with more powerful erections.
I even mentioned it in one of my first articles on intermittent fasting that I wrote about 3 years ago – 10 Benefits of Intermittent Fasting.
If you want to learn Chris’s full-blown approach to naturally increasing testosterone, go to.
Also, watch this full-blown interview on his program and tips you can utilize to maximize testosterone:
In this interview, you’ll also learn how most fitness model and bodybuilder style diets and training routines actually do more harm than good to testosterone production. It’s no wonder why drug use is so rampant, they have to take drugs to handle the diet’s and training.
Click Here To Check Out Chris’s Testshock Program Now
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this is a great post, what is your view on combining HIIT & IF? also, is it a good idea to continue IF on training /weight days?
Hey Greg, Thank you to you and Chris for introducing me to intermittent fasting. Since I started, I have now lost 60 pounds and I find that intermittent fasting has eliminated cravings. I have especially enjoyed adding Warrior Shredding program workouts to my weekly routines. It’s working great! Thanks for all that you do.
Dude hit me up with a before and after to my email – gregoryogallagher@gmail.com. I would love to share your before and after man.
Hey Greg, I love your 3 days a week routine but I wonder would it be ok to add 3 sets of incline 2-3 days after chest day beacuse my upper pecs are lagging? So, doing incline bench press twice a week?
Yeah as long as your chest isn’t still sore.
You recommend training 3x/ week. Can I train every other day which is 3-4x/ week?
Yeah that works very well too!
I know u advise such a minimalist training approach. My question is that how come all the simplyshredded models look so good and they have super high volume training? If my goal is to look like them shouldn’t I train somewhat like them? I just feel bad not putting in more dedication I guess. Don’t most athletes even at the top elite level do high frequency/volume training!
Yeah you have the wrong mindset. Those guys succeed in spite of their training, not because of it. Plus, the amount of drugs that ‘simply shredded’ models use is crazy. But if you want to try their training approach go for it. See what works for you.
Aren’t you in a long period of catabolic state when fasting?
The idea is intermittent fasting. So eating all of your calories in the afternoon/evening. Ex: 2-3 meals between 1pm and 9pm. So you go from a fasting state to a feeding state.
Hey Greg
I have a question regarding about the Greek god program.
1) would this be a good ab routine to follow after the workouts
Workout A
– Cable/machine crunch 3*8-12 90 sec rest
– renegade rows 3*4-6 90 sec
Workout B
– dip bar leg raises 3*8-12 90 sec rest
– side to side bent knee ups 20-40 reps 60 sec rest
2) I’ve been following the strength and density routines for a while now around 12 weeks but I will do it for another 4 since I missed i few weeks of working out due to finals and was wondering if this would be a good way to continue afterwards in order to build strength and size ideally 12 – 15 lbs in 6 months
Chest and back specializations 8 weeks
Shoulders and legs 8 weeks
Biceps and triceps 8 weeks
Thanks for all the awesome content
Yeah that looks solid! I’m not a huge fan of forward crunches, they’re bad for posture and low back health. But if you’re find with them then go for it. I would prefer you do hanging leg raises instead.
Thanks for the reply Greg.
I also don’t like crunches actually but I really like cable crunches feel and the way my abs look with them ( I feel like i get full development within the entire abdomen region ) plus the added weight I feel is great for development ( same reason I use roman chair/dip leg raises ). I have a couple more questions if you don’t mind.
1) I like hanging leg raises but I can’t seem to stay still while doing them. Got any tips for that ? I’m 6ft1 with fairly long legs which might be a factor but I don’t think so.
2) opinion on barbell seated press and machine for secondary exercises. For example, hammer strength chest press instead of flat bench of t bar row as a secondary movement for back ?
Thanks again
1) practice. with practice you will master it.
2) I don’t like barbell seated press. If you want seated go with dumbbells. Machine presses are good as a secondary.
Greg,
I have been doing incline barbell presses for several months now and have slowed progress. I have been cutting for two weeks now so it may be do partly to this. However, should I switch to flat press or stick with inclines? I don’t have dumbells.
Thanks,
Ed
You can do both presses – flat and incline! You can keep doing incline.
Hey greg another awesome article/podcast…thank you
I’m going to be wise and do a 2 week maintenance diet and up my carbs for the hormonal benefits and to make fat loss easier…reset my fat loss hormones if you will…
My question is about protein…now that I’m eating enough calories I was going to go with .82g/lb of body weight…what’s the deal with protein from all these potatoes? They are incomplete proteins and obviously inferior to animal proteins…should I completely ignore it as protein and just count animal proteins? If I do this I will actually have to lower either carbs or fat to hit everything right…or do you recommend just counting it towards my protein intake?
Well it depends. If you haven’t been counting protein from potatoes then continue doing the same. If you’ve always been tracking then continue tracking. The whole idea is that if you’re using simplified rules then continue doing so because you found the intake that allows you to lose fat (while going slightly over).
Both options can work ! Do what you prefer.
Hey Chris and Greg,
An increase in testosterone would mean an increase in dihydrotestosterone. The latter one being more potent causes men who’s hairs are susceptible to male pattern baldness to fall out. Also, a lot of pro-bodybuilders are ussually bald. Can we note this as a negative side effect of increased testosterone?
Many thanks,
Cheers,
David
No this is a complete myth! Chris actually covers this myth in the book and how it’s been completely mis interpreted. I’ll try to see if I can get him to respond here, I know he’s busy so we’ll see.
Also, naturally optimizing your testosterone levels vs. Taking 10x the testosterone of a healthy individual in drug form is completely different.
Plus one of the likely side effects of one of the popular drugs in bodybuilding is hair loss. I believe its tren that is known to do that but i may be remembering wrong…
Yeah those are common side effects with many anabolic steroids.
Hi Greg,
Great post by Chris. I know Chris also talks about the amazing benefits of calisthenics (particularly muscle-up) on T levels too.
As someone who has easily mastered the muscle-up & HSPU, how would you suggest going about attaining these movements? How did you do it?
I have had massive gains from your GGMB program but want to achieve the Muscle-up & HSPU. How do you think I could possibly progress to getting these under my belt whilst maintaining and/or gaining continually on your GGMBP?
Thanks again Greg – cheers to 2015!
Jonny.
Well first, I’d strive to do 5 chin ups or pull ups with half your bodyweight for 5 reps. Once you’ve done that, you’ll have more than enough power, you just need to master the technique. Chris wrote an awesome tutorial on training for the muscle up, you can check it here – https://kinobody.com/workouts-and-exercises/muscle-up-tutorial/