Physical Activity and Testosterone: Start Walking ASAP
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018
Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD
Is it possible that there are walking testosterone benefits? That simply walking can have the capacity to boost your testosterone levels? I’m here to tell you yes. Of the many health benefits of walking, increased testosterone is one of them.
Don’t get me wrong, when thinking about physical activities that boost testosterone levels, many believe that you have to hit the gym hard or sprint as fast as you can to elicit a hormonal response…
…And while both are great for boosting T levels (as we talk about in the THOR Testosterone Training Program), some everyday regular activities, such as low-pace walking, hiking, biking, or even having a physical job can all be used to raise testosterone levels.
For someone who’s living a relatively sedentary life, making a habit out of some form of daily physical activity can yield great hormonal returns.
Heck, there’s even walking testosterone studies to prove this:
Walking Testosterone Benefits: Get Active, Get More Testosterone
Not that long ago I purchased a pedometer (affiliate link), and ever since that day, my goal has been to walk more than 10,000 steps per day.
When I sprint and lift weights for 3-4 days a week, I consider those “exercise”, but when I’m walking to reach my 10,000 daily steps goal, I’d rather see it as a way of “staying physically active”.
And staying active is damn important for your hormonal health. After all, we were never meant to sit inside all day eating junk and watching TV.
Being sedentary is slowly crushing our population’s hormonal health, and it’s not only because of the fact that we’re getting fatter and fatter (which in itself contributes to fucked up T levels), but also because we are simply NOT ACTIVE enough. We do not move enough.
There was a study published recently in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition, where 41 obese and overweight men were put on a 12-week lifestyle modification program to see which was better at increasing serum testosterone levels; increased physical activity or reduced caloric intake. The participants were divided into two groups based on their caloric intake and a number of daily steps (measured by a pedometer). After the 12-weeks had passed, the researchers found out that it was the high physical activity – not so much the magnitude of the calorie deficit – which was the driving factor in the subjects rising T levels.
Clearly, there are walking testosterone benefits. Don’t think that walking is the only low-pace recreational physical activity that can increase T levels though. A study of Tsimane tribesmen showed that 1-hour of woodcutting also led to a nice 46.8% increase in testosterone. So maybe go for a walk first, and then release your inner-lumberjack.
Few other studies have found that physically active men show significantly higher testosterone levels and better sperm qualities than their sedentary peers and that when sedentary subjects start some form of physical activity and/or low-pace exercise routine, their T levels tend to go up as well (study, study, study).
Conclusion on Walking and Testosterone
Walking increases testosterone. Period. Not to mention, simply being more physically active overall is important for healthy testosterone production and hormonal health, EVEN if you wouldn’t lose any weight as a result of the activities you do. (sure some fat-loss wouldn’t hurt T-levels either).
The 12-week lifestyle modification study on overweight men neatly showed how walking and testosterone increase go hand in hand. Increased physical activity was the driving factor in higher serum testosterone levels, independent of the changes in weight.
Few other studies show that physically active men have higher testosterone levels than their sedentary peers, and those sedentary guys can quite easily regain their hormonal mojo by just being more physically active, in a way or another…
…And remember, it doesn’t have to be super-high intensity running or heavy weight-lifting that gets your T-levels soaring (even though both of those things do just that), regular walking and many recreational activities such as chopping trees or mowing the lawn work as well. Maybe start from getting a pedometer (affiliate link) and walking 10,000 steps a day. That’s easy and scientifically proven to boost your testosterone levels.
Ali Kuoppala
