Testosterone Booster

What are Testo-Boosters?

Testo-boosters are dietary supplements that promote or optimize natural testosterone production. They are not drugs and, as a rule, do not contain any prescription substances. Most importantly, they do not contain hormones - this is a significant difference from anabolic steroids. And there is another glaring difference: in hormonal terms, testo boosters do the opposite of what steroids do. Whereas anabolic steroids reduce the body's own testosterone production (they practically "replace" the body's natural testosterone supply), testo boosters increase production. The result is the same: more muscle-building messengers subsequently circulate in the body.

Effect of Testo-Boosters

One thing in advance: The effect of testosterone boosters cannot be compared with the effect of anabolic steroids. Anyone hoping for similar muscle building progress from a testo booster as from anabolic steroid tablets or muscle builder supplements will be disappointed. This is due to the way testo boosters work: They set biochemical mechanisms in motion that cause the body to produce more testosterone. But even if this works optimally, endogenous testosterone production is raised to a maximum of the genetically predetermined limit. A male athlete whose body can produce a maximum of 8 mg of testosterone a day will therefore not reach 10 mg a day with any booster in the world. If you compare this to steroid doping, where even a "mild" testosterone regimen is administered at least 300 mg per week, it quickly becomes clear that steroids are a completely different ball game compared to testo boosters. Nevertheless, testo boosters can have a clearly noticeable muscle-building effect on natural athletes - because hardly any advanced athletes have their testosterone production running at full speed.

Testo Booster Ingredients

What are testo boosters made of? They are basically made of plant extracts that have shown positive effects on testosterone production in studies. Testo boosters are therefore foodstuffs. However, the composition and also the amount of the ingredients contained in each case differs considerably from booster to booster: in some products, the focus is on individual substances such as tribulus terrestris extract, while in others the manufacturers rely on a combination of different substances. Furthermore, testosterone boosters contain minerals (especially zinc) and various vitamins.

The following substances in particular are considered natural testosterone boosters and preferred ingredients for testo booster products:

Fenugreek

Fenugreek is a spice that has long been used in Arabic and Indian cuisine. It has been proven to inhibit 5-alpha-reductase (= the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone) and thus ensures that more effective testosterone circulates in the body.

Vitamin D3

The "sun vitamin" D3 is essential for testosterone formation. The body can produce it itself with the help of sunlight, but in our latitudes, sunlight in the dark half of the year is often insufficient for optimal vitamin D production. A 12-month study of Central Europeans found that supplementation with 3,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day can increase testosterone levels by about 25%.

Maca

The maca plant contains sterols that are similar to the hormone testosterone. Since the plant also has a balancing effect on hormone balance, Maca root powder can cause an increase in testosterone levels when stress levels are high (and cortisol release is correspondingly high). It is no coincidence that the Maca plant is considered a natural sexual enhancer in its native Peru.

Tribulus Terrestris

Tribulus Terrestris is a subtropical plant whose roots contain so-called saponins. These stimulate the body's own testosterone production. In Bulgarian athletes, a study showed very significant increases in testosterone levels due to Tribulus administration. While the testosterone-increasing effect is thus proven, the muscle-building effect of Tribulus Terrestris is controversial. Nevertheless, countless natural athletes swear by Tribulus Terrestris preparations.

Zinc

Zinc is the most important trace element with regard to testosterone production. Pretty much every testosterone booster contains zinc - because zinc promotes IGF-1 production, among other things, and thus also positively influences testosterone production. However, zinc overdose does not increase testosterone production beyond the natural limit and can even be risky. No one needs more than 25 mg of zinc per day.

Recommended intake and dosage

Testosterone boosters are invariably sold as capsules or tablets. They can be taken with virtually any type of liquid - except alcohol (see below: What also helps to raise testosterone levels). Unfortunately, there is often confusion regarding the dosage of testo boosters, because the ingredient concentrations vary greatly from product to product. Take Tribulus Terrestris, for example: some testo boosters contain only 300 mg of Tribulus extract per capsule, while others contain up to 1,000 mg. This is because the saponin content is crucial in Tribulus products and there are different versions of the ingredient. Genuine Tribulus extract has a high saponin content of up to 90%, whereas simple Tribulus root powder contains only a few saponins. Basically, you can and should therefore trust the dosage recommendations of the manufacturers - and not take the triple dose just because another product with seemingly the same ingredient is triple high dosed. The situation is different with the manufacturer's recommendations on when to take the product: Most manufacturers recommend taking their product before a workout. However, this recommendation is actually nonsense. It is supposed to suggest that the respective booster works extremely quickly, which is certainly not the case. No testo booster works within 30 minutes, not even within hours. If you want to boost your body's own testosterone production with natural testosterone boosters, you have to take the respective preparations continuously every day for several weeks. The time of intake in the course of the day does not play a role.

Side effects

Apart from the fact that some testosterone boosters have a high vitamin and mineral content, which can cause problems in case of overdose (too much zinc, for example, can inhibit the absorption of copper), testosterone boosters are practically free of side effects. The fact that some manufacturers nevertheless warn of side effects such as increased aggressiveness or oily skin is pure marketing - because this is intended to give the impression that the product raises testosterone levels extremely strongly. However, as explained at the beginning, even the best testo booster cannot push testosterone production beyond the body's own limit.

Buy Testo-Booster

Where can you buy testo boosters? They are available in well-stocked online supplement stores. Since they generally do not contain hormones or hormone derivatives, the purchase is not subject to any restrictions. Here at Stayfocused you will find a wide range of testosterone boosters from various manufacturers. Is there anything to consider when buying? Yes: Athletes who participate in doping-tested competitions should look very carefully at the labels or the lists of ingredients. In fact, some products contain estrogen blockers in addition to the plant extracts that boost testosterone production. An example of such a blocker is the chemical compound 7-keto-DHEA - it is freely available, but it is on the WADA list of banned substances.

What also helps to raise testosterone levels

In order to benefit maximally from the effects of a testosterone booster, you should target your lifestyle to promote endogenous testosterone production. The

means in plain language that you should refrain from or eliminate everything that is bad for testosterone production.

Limit alcohol consumption

Alcohol is a real "testosterone killer". It stimulates aromatase, i.e. the conversion of testosterone into estrogen (= female sex hormone). This is one of the reasons why men who drink beer excessively often suffer from female-like enlarged breasts (gynecomastia). According to studies, a single binge can cause testosterone levels to drop by 20%.

Reduce excess weight

Too much body fat is also bad for testosterone production - for the same reason that alcohol is bad for it. Because: body fat produces estrogen. A high body fat percentage, just like regular alcohol consumption, therefore contributes to a shift in the testosterone-estrogen ratio in the body in favor of estrogen. If you want to keep your testosterone levels as high as possible, you should make sure that you don't carry around any "waistline gold".

Avoid malnutrition

Too little body fat, however, can also be bad for testosterone production, because to get body fat to a very low level, you have to be on a strict diet - and that has a negative effect on hormone balance. The body needs cholesterol to produce testosterone. If it has little fat available, then it lacks this cholesterol. So there is some truth to the bodybuilding wisdom that you shouldn't look too closely at calories during muscle-building phases.

Avoid sleep deprivation

Testosterone production takes place to a considerable extent during night sleep - more precisely: during the so-called "REM sleep", i.e. in the dream phases. This is why testosterone levels are usually higher in the early morning than throughout the rest of the day. The shorter the night's sleep, the fewer REM phases there are - and the less testosterone is produced. Studies have shown that shortened night sleep over several nights can reduce testosterone levels by more than half. For athletes, this means: make sure you get enough sleep! How much sleep is sufficient? So much that no alarm clock is needed in the morning to wake up.

Summary: Testo-Boosters work - but they are not a magic bullet

Testo boosters have had a firm place in the fitness scene for years. The fact that they are sometimes discussed controversially and are even decried as ineffective in some Internet forums is due to the fact that many uninformed athletes buy testo boosters for the wrong reasons. Very young athletes with a healthy hormone system and low-stress everyday life do not need these products at all, because they have a good testosterone production anyway. The effect on them is correspondingly meager. Athletes, on the other hand, who are no longer in their twenties and for whom job and family cause a high level of everyday stress, have very good experiences with testo boosters. In general, testo-boosters show the clearest effects in the age groups +30, +40 and even more so +50. Athletes in these age groups appreciate not only the muscle-building effect of Testo-Boosters, but also the positive effects on libido and regeneration capacity. For young athletes under 20, of course, these are not problem areas at all.

Incidentally, it is important to realize that a slight increase in natural testosterone levels does not automatically lead to gigantic muscle gains. A middle-aged man, for example, whose daily testosterone production has dropped to 3 mg per day due to little sleep or an overly strict diet, can perhaps double his testosterone secretion with a good testo booster - but he will still only be at 6 mg per day. With this, he may be able to make good training progress; however, he will not mutate into Mr. Universe overnight.

FAQs

Do testo-boosters count as doping?

For whom are testo-boosters useful?

Are testo-boosters also suitable for women?

Do testo-boosters count as doping?

No - at least not if they only contain natural testosterone boosters, i.e. plant extracts, vitamins and minerals. Since even the test winners in testo booster comparison tests do not cause supranatural testosterone release, their use in athletic competitions is permitted. An exception, as mentioned above, are those testo boosters whose ingredient list includes estrogen blockers or even prohormones. They can lead to a positive result in doping tests with all the resulting consequences.

For whom are testo boosters useful?

Generally, testo boosters are not only something for athletes who want to build muscle mass. Every man, even if he is not a bodybuilder or does not even play sports, benefits from an unimpaired testosterone production. It is now known that numerous signs of degeneration in men, which in the past were simply blamed on "old age", are primarily due to a lowered testosterone level. According to the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), there is also the phenomenon of "menopause" in men, in which reduced testosterone production has a negative effect on the state of mind.

Testo boosters are particularly useful for three groups of men:

1. Men over 25 who have a lot of stress (by the way, a high training volume also means stress for the body) or whose testosterone production is not optimal for other reasons.
2. Men over 35 who still want to build muscle. In most men, testosterone production declines significantly from the middle of the third decade of life; the use of a booster then makes sense in any case.
3. Athletes who have previously used anabolic steroids.

Specifically for the group mentioned in third place, testo boosters are most helpful. Pretty much all anabolic steroids including prohormones and SARMs are suppressive - that is, they cause a significant throttling of the body's testosterone production after only a few weeks of regular use. In the case of some steroids, the suppression is so strong that the

gonadal control circuit comes to a complete standstill. After discontinuation of the steroids, the affected athletes no longer have their own production. Understandably, they want to change this state as quickly as possible. Although endogenous testosterone production eventually recovers on its own (at least in most cases), supplements such as testo boosters and PCT (post-cycle therapy) products can speed up the recovery process considerably.

Are testo boosters also suitable for women?

It is well known that the female body also produces testosterone. (The daily amount is about one tenth of what the male body produces). Just like men, women also benefit from an optimally running hormone production, but the production mechanisms are different. There are practically no studies on the effectiveness of the substances contained in testo boosters on the female body. Women should therefore not use testo boosters as a precaution.