“What is Testosterone?”

Ask the next person you meet.

You may hear something like this:

• “The more testosterone , the more muscle building.”
• “You need testosterone. Women need estrogen. ”
• “Testosterone makes you slim and defined.”

Surprise: only one statement is correct. The rest is humbug.

In this article, you’ll learn four scientific facts about testosterone that few people know about:

1. Clarified once and for all: what is testosterone?
2. A higher testosterone level usually does not accelerate muscle building.
3. Fat loss and how testosterone affects it.
4. Testosterone is not just a matter for men, but also for women.

If you invest 3-5 minutes reading time in this article, you know more about the sex hormone than 99% of your fellow human beings.

Thing # 1: What is Testosterone?

Testosterone is a hormone,  a biochemical messenger in your body.

Men produce it in the testicles, women in the ovaries. Both sexes also make up a small proportion of the adrenal gland.

Some people think testosterone is schizophrenic – it has two different properties:

1. It turns a man into a man  (androgenic properties): Testosterone signals to the male body: “Form the primary and secondary sexual characteristics”. So penis and testicles, but also hair growth and a deep voice.
2. It ensures strong muscles and bones  (anabolic properties): Testosterone is one of the three most important muscle building hormones and also plays an important role in the formation of strong bones.

Your brain usually controls how much testosterone is produced and released.

Most of the testosterone circulates in the bloodstream. In order for it to be quick in place, a mobile pedestal is of course required. This task is performed by a special protein.

The “auto” for testosterone is called sex hormone binding globulin  (SHGB). Testosterone that is bound to SHGB is also called bound testosterone.

However, bound testosterone does not play an active role in your body. Only unbound, as free testosterone, can it penetrate cells and exert its effect there.

Key Facts – What is Testosterone?

Testosterone is a hormone that is produced in the male testicles or the female ovaries. It has androgenic (“man-making”) properties and, as one of the most important anabolic messengers, is an essential muscle building factor.

Thing No. 2: How does your testosterone level affect muscle building?

Testosterone is one of the main hormonal players in muscle building.

Studies in young, healthy men show that anabolic steroids, which increase testosterone levels drastically, grow muscles even without training. 1

Does that mean that higher testosterone levels automatically lead to more muscles?

Warning, now it’s getting interesting …

We know that if you increase your testosterone dramatically, you will build more muscle.

If you take a certain steroid cocktail AND train, you can build more muscles than intended by mother nature.

You can marvel at the result of these drugs in hardcore bodybuilding magazines, among other things. So far, nothing new.

But FIRST, it’s not about hardcore bodybuilding, SECOND, you risk your health (body destroying instead of bodybuilding) and THIRD …

Stay tuned don’t take steroids.

Instead of unnaturally high testosterone levels, we are interested in how fluctuations in natural testosterone affect muscle building.

And very few people know exactly that:

As long as your testosterone level is in the normal range, a fluctuation does not affect muscle building.

It may be that you feel better and have more desire for sex if you raise your testosterone level from the middle to the upper normal range. But it doesn’t affect how well you build muscle.

I know that is contrary to popular belief. But science speaks a different language.

Two interesting studies:

1. Study: Natural Testosterone Levels and Muscle Building: A 20-week study conducted on young men investigated whether young men with high normal testosterone build muscle faster than men with a lower normal testosterone level. Result: Although the participants with high testosterone levels built up a little more muscle, the difference was negligible. Study: hormone release after training and muscle building: In a US study by McMaster University, the subjects followed a classic muscle-building program for 12 weeks: they exercised 5 times a week and followed the principles of muscle building nutrition. The researchers wanted to know the following: Do those who release more anabolic hormones after training build muscle faster than subjects who release fewer hormones? Result: You could see no connection between growth hormone release and muscle growth as long as the values ​​remained within the normal range. 

A reader recently asked whether testosterone boosters accelerate muscle growth. There are supplements that can help  – but testosterone boosters are not one of them.

The ingredients of most “Testo Boosters” are ineffective according to scientific standards. The few that work can only raise your testosterone to a level that is still natural for your body.

If you don’t have a testosterone deficiency and want to build muscle, you can save the money on this type of dietary supplement.

If your testosterone level is in the natural range, a “testosterone booster” will not help you build muscle.

The only exception would be people with a proven testosterone deficiency. In this case, a high-quality supplement could help normalize testosterone levels.

Then there are few reasons to naturally increase testosterone levels?

Not quite. At least not if you want to lose body fat …

Key facts – testosterone levels and muscle building

As long as your testosterone level is in the normal range, a fluctuation does not affect muscle building. “Testosterone boosters” are therefore not an effective means of accelerating muscle growth.

Thing No. 3: How does your testosterone level affect fat loss?

In contrast to muscle building, fluctuations in testosterone in the normal range very well influence fat loss:

The more testosterone, the less body fat.

The scientists in the first study mentioned above observed an inverse relationship between testosterone levels and body fat percentage of the test subjects:

• The higher the testosterone level of the study participants, the lower their body fat percentage.
• The lower the testosterone level of the study participants, the higher the body fat percentage.

The researchers picked out subjects with a medium hormone level and then gave them medication that lowered the testosterone level into the low normal range.

With a dramatic effect: the body fat mass increased by an average of 36%.

Even if the exact relationships are not yet known, the studies indicate that testosterone directly influences fat storage and that a low testosterone level promotes obesity.

If you naturally increase your testosterone level, it will help you to become and stay slim.

Key Facts – Testosterone Levels and Fat Loss

A low testosterone level probably favors fat storage even if the value is still in the lower normal range. The higher your testosterone level, the easier it is to break down fat.

Thing # 4: Why Ms. Testosterone Needs

Men make testosterone. Women make estrogen. Right?

Nope. It would be nice if you could fit the complex system “body” into such a simple black and white pattern.

In fact, it’s a common misconception that testosterone is for muscular men and – God forbid – not for women. At least not for those who want to preserve their femininity.

The truth is: testosterone is vital for the female body.

Testosterone also plays a major role for women and is responsible for some extremely important metabolic processes in women:

• No sex drive without testosterone: As with men, testosterone also influences sex drive in women. The pill may have negative effects on the sex drive of women: A study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine comes to the conclusion that the pill increases the level of the sex hormone-binding protein (SHGB, see “Thing No. 1”). This would bind more testosterone and lower the level of free testosterone.  Less free testosterone means less sexual desire – whether male or female.
• No estrogen without testosterone:  Few people know that estrogen is made from testosterone. And estrogen is important not only for the female metabolism but also for the male.
• No muscle building without testosterone: Even women can only get stronger if they have enough free testosterone in their blood.
• No solid bones without testosterone: Contraceptive pills can have another undesirable side effect and lower bone density in women. 

It is true that women produce significantly less testosterone than men – the amount is about 1/10. But the female body is much more sensitive to the sex hormone.

Women need less testosterone than men to live healthy and fit.

Testosterone is just as vital for women as it is for men. It fulfills the same roles in the female metabolism as in the male.

Key Facts – Testosterone in Women

Testosterone is also vital for the female body: Without enough testosterone, women, and men do not feel like having sex. Estrogen is made from testosterone. Women need testosterone to build strong muscles and bones.

Women need less testosterone than men to live healthy and fit. Nevertheless, it fulfills the same vital roles in female metabolism as in the male.

Conclusion

What is testosterone? The messenger not only makes men male, but women also need and produce the sex hormone.

As long as your testosterone level is in the normal range, a fluctuation does not affect muscle building. “Testosterone boosters” are therefore not an effective means of speeding up muscle growth.

It is different from a fat loss:  A low testosterone level probably favors fat storage even if the value is still in the lower normal range. The higher your testosterone level, the lower your body fat percentage.

Women need less testosterone than men to live healthy and fit. Nevertheless, it fulfills the same vital roles in female metabolism as in the male.

This was part 2 of the series of articles about testosterone. In part 5  you read my personal testosterone story and find out why I no longer run marathons. In the upcoming articles, you will learn how to clearly recognize a testosterone deficiency and what you can do to increase your testosterone level naturally.