Got Testosterone? Part 1: A Closer Look at the “Male Hormone”

What’s up, everyone?? I’m back with the next post in the Got Testosterone series, which will be focused on naturally building testosterone for the older American Partisan warrior (although this information will certainly be useful to any males looking to shore up testosterone levels – read on, and you’ll understand why). Today’s post will focus specifically on what exactly testosterone is,  why testosterone is vital to the red-blooded man, and the main signs of testosterone deficiency.

But… before we dive into things, I’d like to start by reiterating that the information and ideas presented in the Got Testosterone series are a collection of concepts and approaches that I’ve put together over the years to help my personal training clients, and by this age (mid-40’s), myself. This series will approach natural testosterone building from a mostly non-scientific, non-technical, layperson’s point of view, and the ideas I present will generally be in a conversational style – as has always been the case for my posts. This is also how I’ve approached all my fitness training and lifestyle adjustments from the beginning – I hate getting bogged down with technical terms, fancy science words and concepts, and eye-glazing statistics or numbers. However, I’m confident that the posts in my Got Testosterone series, as always, ought to make intuitive sense at a gut level to average AP readers who are also not super-versed in fitness science, but want to make improvements. Yes, fitness is, in great part, a proper science, but I personally take the everyday man’s view of all things fitness, and that’s what readers will get from me.

Second, I want to remind readers that testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), as administered by a medical professional, is definitely effective and even miraculous in many cases – I’ve witnessed turnarounds on TRT myself, and they’re impressive! Nevertheless, I still wouldn’t do TRT because I believe a bill always comes due for those types of interventions (particularly when it comes to tinkering with hormones), and that’s a deal with the devil I’ve never been or ever will be willing to make. Also, you don’t keep the results once you get off of TRT, and then you typically feel and look like shit afterwards – seen that too! Is that worth it? Not in my mind. So my personal “fitness credo” is to stay 100% natural at all times, so that you are not dependent on anything you can’t obtain or sustain yourself; what you make is yours to keep! This is the outlook I recommend to everyone I work with.

Therefore, once again, what this Got Testosterone series will offer AP readers is some background context, together with non-medical methods to fortify testosterone, using a combination of lifestyle changes, exercise concepts/considerations, and supplement recommendations as well. As with so much else in fitness, “your mileage may vary” as readers apply these concepts to themselves. Alas, the natural approach just doesn’t provide breakthrough results like TRT does, and it also takes longer, requires sacrifice, and demands a certain level of discipline to experience the benefits, which nevertheless are not as dramatic as TRT. Let’s face it – medical interventions, drugs, surgeries… these are all modes of instant gratification/results. But they also come with a price – side effects chief amongst them, as well as the enslavement of dependency. On the other hand, approaching testosterone-boosting naturally is effective, safe, multi-benefit (not just for testosterone-building), and sustainable; this natural approach is what I seek to present to the AP community.

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What is Testosterone, and Why Is It Important?

When most people hear the word “testosterone”, they immediately think of it as the “male” hormone. This is, in great part, due to the increasingly frequent mention of testosterone (and estrogen, the “female” hormone) in popular culture and media. Also, as the TRT phenomenon has become more prevalent, the subject of testosterone is frequently brought to our attention as men – especially older men.

In a literal sense, testosterone is indeed the main sex hormone (known as “androgens”) in males, and is largely responsible for the growth and development of the male reproductive organs (testicles, prostate, penis) during childhood and puberty. From birth and through the the onset of puberty, testosterone levels continue to increase, eventually causing the appearance of body hair (pubic, armpit, face), acne, growth spurts, and body odor. During puberty, testosterone levels surge and reach their highest point in life towards the end of puberty for males. During this time, testosterone causes changes to facial bone structure, more growth spurts, enlargement of the penis and testicles, enlargement of the Adam’s Apple, and a decrease in body fat.

Once the male has reached adulthood, testosterone plays a key reproductive role in sperm development, as well as the development and sustainment of what are known as “secondary sexual characteristics” as described above, like increased muscle size, bone size/density, and body hair. Equally important are testosterone’s mood-boosting powers and connection to a feeling of well-being. Testosterone is linked to aggression and competitiveness as well, which makes sense. It is these very “secondary” sexual characteristics that we older men prize and desire to keep hold of as the aging process evolves; for us old men, there ain’t nothin’ secondary about these critical features of manhood!

Interestingly, women’s bodies also produce the “male” hormone (mostly in the ovaries and adrenal glands), while men’s bodies in turn produce the “female” hormone, estrogen (20% in the testicles, remainder from conversion of testosterone by varied tissues into estrogen). Thus, the term “male” hormone can be misleading. Nature has created a balanced relationship between these two hormones in the male and female bodies; these sex hormones are related to each other chemically, and need one another for optimal health in both males and females. The main difference is that healthy men produce far greater amounts of testosterone than women and vice versa – healthy women produce far more estrogen than testosterone, as you’d imagine. Still, when it comes to the bone, muscle, and mood-boosting features of testosterone, women benefit too!

On the flip side, an excess of testosterone in men is also associated with oily skin, acne, and hair loss – this is its bad side. One look at a typical teenage boy will show evidence of this.

But for the most part, testosterone is good stuff, and is obviously very important for human health in general! However, as with so much else health-wise, testosterone production declines with age even in healthy males, and will include an accompanying loss in libido, muscle mass and strength, and overall vigor. So clearly, the older man going through the (cruelties of the) aging process SHOULD be keenly interested in beefing up his muscle mass, bone density, libido, strength, and well-being (body hair… eh, not so much lol). As such, fortifying testosterone is a key way of reclaiming these excellent benefits of the hormone.

Importantly, in a bigger picture sense, testosterone is a growth-stimulating and activation hormone associated with vim and vigor, getting up to do things… it makes you vital! That all said, it helps to view testosterone not so much as a “sex” or “male” hormone, but rather, a hormone for health, growth, healing, and all-around well-being. Anything we men can do to increase its effects is generally welcome and beneficial, especially as we get older.

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Andropause – Menopause for Men: Signs and Effects

Did you know that men go through a menopause of their own? It’s called andropause, which is when male levels of androgens – the full set of male sex hormones, of which testosterone is the most important – drop substantially. Andropause is a pretty scary time for men; all of a sudden, our “maleness” just goes away!

Older Partisans, if you suddenly discover yourself:

  • Getting weaker
  • Aging faster
  • Exhibiting signs of feminization, such as the dreaded “man-boobs”
  • Sporting a Santa Clause-style, unsexy-as-fuck belly that wasn’t there before
  • Losing your male edge (aggression; self-confidence; competitiveness)
  • Having a decrease in sexual performance/libido

…then the chances are pretty good that you’re going through andropause.

In fact, the appearance of the “Santa belly” is a key indicator of andropause’s drop in testosterone’s production and effects. The belly’s appearance isn’t just some shitty coincidence, so take note!

Most importantly… it’s vital to understand that testosterone production IS indeed naturally dropping with age – itself a problem, BUT (and this is KEY, my Brothers), there are other powerful and critical factors involved in andropause that can amplify the ill effects of reduced testosterone production, blunt the benefits of existing testosterone production… or both! That’s right – it’s NOT just a reduction in blood testosterone levels from aging that shows up as andropause, but also a reduction in testosterone’s beneficial effects, even where it’s present. It is this “double whammy” of reduced testosterone quantities and reduced effects of any testosterone produced that causes older men such grief, and so it’s crucial for the smart Partisan to understand this concept in order to best get at the problems of andropause.

Therefore, along with the issue of declining testosterone production due to aging, there is the issue of the reduction of testosterone’s effectiveness in the body – a condition called “testosterone resistance”, which is similar to the concept of “insulin resistance”, as mentioned in a previous post. Hormones, by definition, direct the organs to DO certain things, but with testosterone resistance (and lost sensitivity to it), the body is not properly “listening” to the signals of the existing testosterone hormone’s commands. Why not? Lots of reasons!

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Ok, hang tight, Partisans! In the next post of the Got Testosterone series, we’ll cover an extensive list of the causes behind reduced testosterone and sensitivity. I’ll give y’all a clue, though… ESTROGEN!

Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!!

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Got Testosterone? Series

Got Testosterone? How Older Warriors Can Stay in the Fight and THRIVE! (Introduction)

Got Testosterone? Part 1: A Closer Look at the “Male Hormone”

Got Testosterone? Part 2: The Primary Causes of Testosterone Inhibition and Reduced T-Hormone Potency

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About the Author: conan

Conan has been working out for over 25 years, with extensive experience in lifting weights; he has also been a personal fitness trainer for 22 years now. He has experience both doing and training people in various modes of fitness and exercise throughout those decades. He enjoys hunting, martial arts, shooting, and studying history and world cultures. He seeks to share his extensive knowledge of physical fitness, as well as his recent experiences in taking tactical training courses and transmitting acquired tactical skills to the people in his AO. Contact Conan at: [email protected].​

8 Comments

  1. Whip Line May 16, 2022 at 13:45

    Looking forward to the part 2.

  2. plankmember May 16, 2022 at 15:54

    Being a student of extreme physiology and being hypothyroid ( until recently I took raw unadulterated thyroid gland, which is hard to find as they usually remove the thyroxin) I can re affirm that adding any hormones will come with a price tag later. The head of experimental endrocronlogy dept at the U of Illinios, a professor meritus stated that they still dont understand the endocrine system. But being a lifelong organic guru at 60 I just left the single digit body fat class and the best Advice I can give is Eliminate ALL Soy, which is a real endcrine disrupter and try to eliminate all Plastic interactions with your food supply/food preparations…looking forward to the next installment !

    • conan May 16, 2022 at 18:02

      Welcome back, Plankmember! I’ll be addressing the soy angle as well – it’s one of several “elephants in the room” when it comes to excess estrogen and testosterone-busting.

  3. MissileFarmer May 16, 2022 at 16:09

    Thanks Conan… one other item of note related to this. Testosterone therapy is expensive. The out of the box cost is just under $400/month. With a GoodRX coupon you can get it for right at $100/month. I am looking forward to using your recommendations to get off of TRT and keeping things natural.

    • conan May 16, 2022 at 18:00

      Good point on the COST of TRT. Even if you put all the potential health and sustainability issues aside, it still isn’t cheap either vs. the natural methods I will be sharing. Thanks for reading and commenting!

  4. vagabond May 16, 2022 at 16:17

    There is LOTS a guy can do to keep up the T levels and improve them dramatically, absolutely there is. Forthcoming articles will no doubt be rich in solid information.

    • conan May 16, 2022 at 17:58

      Yes sir. Lots a man can do, as well as STOP doing… to improve T levels. Thanks for the endorsement, as always!

  5. Honk Honkler May 16, 2022 at 22:44

    Testosterone is a construct of the white male patriarchy.
    Soy boob belts and purple haired qweens are the future of the Chiquitastan.
    I told my brother that peanut butter boosts low T and his cabinet is overflowing.
    All sarc aside the last of the free T burns up as you age starting around middle age so don’t be punching the clown to any of that internet porn!

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