♪ Bob and Brad ♪
♪ The two most famous physical therapists ♪
♪ On the internet ♪
- Hi folks.
I'm Brad Henick, physical therapist.
- Hi, I'm Chris, the pharmacist.
- And I'm exactly one half of Bob and Brad therapy channel.
And we have Chris here today.
He's done a ton of research
on the most recent information we have
on testosterone levels and how to boost it naturally.
- Yeah.
- And I don't know, I'm assuming people
want to boost their testosterone-
Is it mostly be so they can get more muscle mass
or are there other benefits?
- Testosterone is a really unique steroid it's-
- Oh wait.
- Oh, you gotta go do your giveaway.
- The giveaway.
We don't have one here, but if you look below,
below the video, you'll see there is a giveaway there,
but we're gonna get back to this.
I apologize.
- No, no. That's all right.
So the giveaway is key, right?
So nonetheless testosterone, it's kind of,
it's a unique steroid hormone
that's based off of cholesterol, which is kind of funny.
So people think, well, gosh, my cholesterol's high,
so is my testosterone high?
It's not the case, it doesn't work that way.
- Testosterone is just in men or women too?
- Women and men both have it.
So men it's gonna be made in your testicles
and also your adrenal glands.
Women it's gonna be made in the ovaries
and also the adrenal glands,
but at a much, much lower level.
- Okay.
- So guys have a certain level
and women have a certain level.
- Okay.
- But they're both testosterone and men also have
a certain amount of estrogen that we produce as well.
So, but with respect to what's high, what's low?
What's good, what's bad?
And I think that's kind of the question
we're all trying to really figure out.
Testosterone is responsible for a lot of different things.
As early as seven weeks in the womb,
if you're male, you start producing testosterone.
Which is kind of an interesting study I thought,
but what's more intriguing is it helps with our development.
So as we go from being a little boy, to an adolescence,
to a man, so we're gonna see different levels
of testosterone being fostered.
And it's what determines our growth, hair growth,
voice deepening, sexual organ functioning.
So I mean, it kind of covers that as we age
it's gonna be your bone health,
it's gonna be your muscle development,
it's going to be your mood.
So it does a lot of different things.
It's your libido.
So it's your desire for procreating
and just having fun in the bedroom.
So, I mean, it's a lot of different things,
so governs a lot of things for us.
So there's a condition called low T that your doctor
would be very specific dialing in things for you.
And it would require a blood test because if you have
to have medical testosterone supplementation
it requires very serious monitoring,
because if you're just taking steroids off the street
or just trying to find the greatest and latest
testosterone booster and you have low T
but you're doing it indiscriminately.
higher risks for certain cancer, blood clots,
heart disease, cholesterol.
So it has to be tightly monitored.
So when we wanna look at things naturally,
we wanna do it safe and keep it in just a normal,
safe guideline.
So what can we do?
It's actually, it's gonna be kind of
just our pillars of health in a lot of ways.
It's gonna be eating well,
it's gonna be getting our proper rest,
and it's gonna be exercising.
And those three things in different,
and we'll kind of dig into each of those,
kind of help to naturally raise our testosterone levels.
Albeit for short periods of time,
'cause it doesn't stay up here.
Interestingly, when we wake up in the morning
our testosterone levels are higher.
Usually for most people, between seven and 10 in the morning
is what most studies suggest.
It must have to do something with rest.
- So and you measure testosterone levels-
- Via blood.
- Via blood, okay.
- Yeah, you'd have to take a blood test.
So, and if you were worried about it,
you should definitely discuss it with your doctor.
'cause what does it mean?
Well, maybe you have a depress mood.
Maybe you're feeling weak.
Maybe you're gaining weight, fat around the midsection.
So it's interesting, but that kind of comes down to cortisol
and that's another-
So when we talk about diet,
cortisol is something that is
kind of like the testosterone blocker.
It kind of runs interference.
So testosterone helps us to produce lean mass.
It helps, you know, and stronger bones.
And so when we eat a bad diet through processed food,
so anything that comes in the box,
we've talked about this on many occasions,
you really don't want that.
You want whole foods.
So you're gonna want fruits and veggies.
You want actually, believe it not,
you need to have some fat.
- Sure.
- So basically the breakdown it's interesting, you want,
and here's another thing that's unique,
but for testosterone you need carbohydrates.
So you want about 50% of your calories
to come from good carbohydrates
- Wait, example.
- So like it would be, food wise would be things like yams,
potatoes, brown rice, you know those types of things.
They are starchy, sugary foods.
- Sure.
- But those starchy, sugary foods also have
other phytonutrients in there, but things that are important
for our body to help it process testosterone
to get that to naturally raise.
Coupled with about 20% of your calories
coming from protein and then the remaining
30% of your calories should be coming from fat.
And I mean healthy fat, I don't mean ice cream.
I mean, it's gotta be avocados, nuts,
it's gonna be animal fats, sardines, like a fatty fish.
- So meat, if you got the fat that is associated with meat.
- Yeah, so I mean you can do like a lean ground beef.
That's gonna have, you know, healthy animal fat in there.
But if you're vegan
then it's gonna be your nuts, your legumes.
- Okay.
- Soy is somewhat controversial because they say that
that stimulates estrogen and may block some of the effects
of testosterone.
So much as I could garner, I would probably say even though
it's a good protein source for a lot of people,
it may actually kind of be counterintuitive
but it's so inconclusive that I would tell you
if it's been working for you,
you can certainly stick with it.
But if you feel like, you know, just shake it up,
try a little bit different protein source.
- All right.
So, diet you're gonna be eating good proteins, good meat,
good fats.
- Correct. And timing is everything too.
So let's say we did a workout
and we'll talk about exercise more,
but I mean the timing of getting those nutrients in you,
so right shortly after workouts.
So if you and I are going to do an interval ride
or if we swam and then lifted weights
or did resistance work with the bands, you know,
right after, within about 15 to 30 minutes
of having our workout, we want to be ingesting something
with the right kind of proteins.
- Right.
- So, and it doesn't matter,
it doesn't matter what you get from.
Let's say it was eggs.
Let's say it was a chicken breast.
Let's say it was a powder that bought
from the local health food store.
- Sure.
- Those are all excellent sources.
So it's all clean protein.
And you know, from a body weight standpoint,
you're probably gonna wanna do
and what I've found across the-
So 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight.
So let's say you're 200 pound guy.
It's gonna be about 160 grams of protein.
- So is that like three steaks?
- Yeah. So, I mean, that would be throughout the day.
I don't mean you try and ingest 160 grams of protein.
That's gonna be a lot.
So yeah, you're gonna divide that,
but you wanna get maybe 30 grams in you
right after you work out and then make sure you-
So whether it's a protein shake, it's kind of a quick, easy-
- I mean, 'cause a lot of people may not-
I mean there are some people that get into their diet
so well they know-
- Yeah, they do the macros and the micros and it's-
- Right. So if you're not that,
I mean do you just make sure you eat plenty
of meats and stuff?
- Yeah, whatever protein source you choose.
So let's say our vegan friends, you know,
we certainly want, but yeah, you're gonna want that racial.
Or if you're metrically based it's gonna be 1.8 grams
of protein per kilogram.
But so whatever protein source you choose
and it's gonna help to foster development.
But you can't just have a diet high in protein.
If you're just eating a high protein diet
it actually can hurt you.
And so far as it actually decreases the amount
of testosterone your body makes.
So you need to have the healthy blend of carbs.
- Okay.
- Of healthy carbs.
- Right. - As well.
So you don't want to be just white sugarin' it all day long.
- Right.
- It's a carbohydrate, but it's not good for you.
And then you also want to have a healthy blend
of healthy fats.
- Right.
- So things that have your omegas.
And so those things that are gonna
be very, very important for-
Those fats also do other things.
They help with not only the manufacturer of cholesterol.
Which cholesterol is actually a building block
for testosterone. - Sure.
- So that's why the fats are important.
So that balance, although very complex,
is very important for us.
So if, you know, if you just lean to all protein
all the time, you're probably going to end up finding,
if you did blood work,
you will find lower testosterone levels.
So I thought that was kind of interesting,
'cause I thought it would be, oh yeah
high protein diet and off the go.
- Yeah.
- And they're like, no, not so fast, my friend.
So it's something we have to be careful with.
- So we're gonna eat the high protein
with the fats and the good carbs.
- Yep.
- Right after you get done working out is best.
- Yeah, and like I said, you're not gonna put,
so let's say you're a 200 pound guy like myself,
you're not gonna take all 160 grams at once.
- Sure.
- It's you know, healthy meals throughout the day.
- Sure, right.
- But you do want to ingest protein right after a workout.
'cause it will help with recovery,
which gets you ready for the next event, your next workout,
your next race, your next whatever.
- Right.
- So, but it does help to facilitate that.
And actually you just get a spike.
It's not a sustained thing either.
But things that over time,
which help you to continually develop,
put on more muscle mass, take care of the bones.
So very important.
- Is there any supplements that can be...
- Yeah. Yeah.
So supplements, you know, you can use vitamin D.
So that one is actually an interesting study that showed
that if you took 3000 IUs a day,
and you would look on your bottle
and you want vitamin D three,
'cause it's the most bioactive form of D,
they showed that over eight weeks
that it actually raised people's testosterone
to the tune of about 25%.
So it was kinda interesting study.
But again, with respect to, you know,
I don't know where low tough testosterone levels are.
And I think it's kind of, we'll backtrack a little bit,
our testosterone levels peak at about 18 to 19,
plateau in our twenties,
and from 30 on for the rest of our lives
it's gonna decrease at about 1% a year after the age of 30.
But that's not a doom and gloom thing either.
I mean, and everybody has a different range of testosterone
and on the low end of normal, it's gonna be,
if you're gonna be real egg headed,
it's gonna be 300 nanoliters per deciliter,
which is a teeny tiny, decimally small,
to about 1,250 nanoliters per deciliter.
So a again, that would be something
your doctor would determine if you had a blood test,
but the average person, I mean if you're feeling depressed,
you don't have any libido,
you don't have any desire to do anything,
you're weak, gaining weight.
These would be signs to see your doctor.
Because then it might have to be medically managed.
And so, but for the vast majority of us,
if we're exercising well and eating well,
or maybe taking a vitamin D supplement,
or getting out in the sun,
but right now for us, you know, it's January,
we're above the 37th parallel.
We are not getting good or appropriate sunlight.
I mean, when I was driving in this morning
for an appointment, it was minus 27.
- Right.
- So not gonna be the day to be sunbathing.
Plus the rays aren't gonna really do its job.
- Sure.
- So vitamin supplements certainly help.
They've showed, particularly more in fertility cases,
zinc is a supplement, zinc sulfate,
two 20 milligrams twice a day, improves sperm motility,
but also will help to give you
a little bit more testosterone.
So small percentages.
So not, not very significant.
The other supplement that seemed
to be relatively interesting, it's not so much
for how much testosterone it fostered,
but what it did against cortisol,
which is kind of the block of it, it's Ashwagandha.
So it's an Indian herb that's been used
for thousands of years.
It's kind of an anti-inflammatory of sorts.
It helps to minimize anxiety.
And I think that's the target right there.
Anxiety tends to raise cortisol.
Cortisol is what makes us develop that belly fat.
- Sure.
- But so on times of stress,
it makes you burn lots of sugar.
So that natural flight or fight reaction.
So if you're like stressed at work, and let's say,
Bob's just getting on you at work all day long.
And just telling you, Brad, we need more research.
We need more product.
We need, we need more videos.
And you're just like, oh, I can't deal with it.
Well, your body will go into a sort of a mode
where it starts to produce more cortisol
and you'll feel sluggish, you won't feel quite right.
And even though it's giving you quick energy
to maybe deal with the problem right in front of you,
it's creating long term deficits in your body,
you're developing more fat, you're getting weaker.
So this particular herb, Ashwagandha, works really well
by reducing the amount of cortisol you produce.
You're also relaxin' better, sleepin' better,
getting better rest at night and actually
is a natural anti-inflammatory,
which is a total different side effect.
- So where do you get this?
- Any health food store.
You can find it on Amazon.
The doses range from a variety of different doses.
It's most commonly, it seems like 500 milligrams,
twice a day, seems to be the average dose,
but you have to kind of watch it with that.
So if thyroid condition, pregnancy, absolute no-nos.
So you know, again, check with your pharmacist or doctor,
or definitely do some research before you-
- It's not in food or a diet thing?
- No, no you it's an herbal supplement
used in basically Indian medicine, but it's something
that you will find like on your Amazon, local pharmacy,
health food stores will have a pill form or powder form.
- Okay. - Or even drops.
They have sublingual drops that absorb a little bit better.
But it had a range of 500 milligrams to 1,250 milligrams.
So there's not really a cut and dry dose.
- Sure.
- But again, it seems to work more
on helping protect against cortisol development
or that stress hormone,
which we've found in cases of fertility,
it seems to help to improve fertility,
and in a backwards mechanism, free up more testosterone
to help you with strength.
- Sure. Right.
- So those will be from the supplements.
So, you know, you want your, again, your good proteins,
you want, you know, the carbohydrate like we said,
and some of these supplements might be beneficial.
- Sure, sure.
So, but more importantly, it's probably exercise.
So, and that's the big thing.
And so specifically weightlifting.
So actually resistance training, seems to-
Although all exercise is good, you can still
stimulate testosterone production from a long run.
So I mean, marathoners are not being left out here.
Swimmers are not being left out here.
But weightlifting seems to be best.
Followed up by HIT training
or that high intensity interval training method.
- Right. Right.
- So, and there's lots of different ways
that you can do those workouts
and you can find zillions of workouts like that
are catered for people online.
But resistance training, so if you haven't done anything,
then this is your arena,
proper form, making sure that your body is capable
of being able to do these types of things.
Start small and build up.
You know, 'cause you will also find some sources
that tell you that going heavy is better,
but you need to build up that.
That's not something you're gonna go out
and do a 300 pound deadlift doing three sets of those
and you've blown out your back
and now you're set back again.
- You doing your one rep max right off the bat.
- Exactly. We're, we're not doing that.
But resistance training is key, but anything is good.
- Sure. - And so that helps our bodies
because basically we exercise, we tear our muscles
and so one of the body's mechanisms,
and testosterone helps it to heal.
And then develop growth and then of course more strength.
And so when we have healthy testosterone levels,
those things are all working in the right direction.
We have more lean mass, more energy, better bones,
more libido, clearer thinking, I mean better health.
So that exercise component is critically important.
- Sure.
- But the other thing with exercise
and we talked about diet, is sleep,
getting proper sleep, good quality sleep.
So when I sleep,
it's the recovery processes that are going on.
So and what do they say, good quality sleep,
they say seven to 10 hours is what's classified as that.
But does it mean, oh my I only sleep four hours a day,
is it bad?
Well, it's not the best for you.
And studies show that-
It's interesting.
There's a paradoxical point in this study
that I was reading, five hours of sleep
was actually more detrimental than four hours of sleep.
I don't understand what that hour did.
It was kind of peculiar.
They didn't really explain it away readily.
So I think more research needs to be done
because I looked specifically for a reason why.
And they could not come up with one,
but they said that at four hours you would have
a little bit more testosterone than five hours.
And I just, so somehow in the study,
the graph must have gone like this.
So it was just kind of peculiar.
- Wow.
- But anyways, either way, if you get good quality,
restful sleep is ultimately gonna be the key.
It's a restorative process.
You'll find that if they did blood work in the morning
your testosterone will be a little bit higher.
So it gives you the energy, the vigor,
and everything else we're looking for.
- Okay.
- So those are really the components
that are gonna naturally help us to do it.
And then, you know, again,
if you're still not feeling right,
a blood test is gonna determine if it is or not.
And you know the doctor actually now,
they're getting more specific
between bound and free testosterone.
So, you know, 98% of our testosterone
floating out in our body is bound to albumin and other-
- Things, that's for the experts.
- For the experts.
But, and then there's the free testosterone.
That's the one that actually does the intrinsic actions
in our body.
- Sure.
- So that's the thing that I think that most physicians
and endocrinologists are looking at more specifically now.
And to help to create a healthier target,
to create a better you.
But you know, for us, again, eating well, sleeping well,
exercising, are the ways to naturally do that.
- Yep. Good, healthy living.
And I don't know what else to say, Chris
you've covered details here.
- So hopefully it'll give us a little bit better,
a little healthier selves and hope you can get out,
maybe lift some weights and-
- There ya go.
- Get ready for that thing
so you can feel a little bit more manly.
- All right. Very good.
- Thanks, guys. - Good luck.
- Have a great day.