Effects of Physical Activity on Testosterone Levels
Katarzyna Mazur
2026-03-19
3 min. read
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Testosterone is one of the most crucial hormones responsible for building muscle mass and influencing a man's mood and sexual function. There are numerous factors impacting its level, including physical exertion.
Is it genuinely the testosterone level that affects its concentration?
Testosterone levels are primarily dependent on body mass, age, physical condition, and time spent in training. Scientists believe that excess adipose tissue has a significant impact on this hormone. If you have difficulties with overweight, physical exertion can help you effectively reduce it, which will positively affect the balance of testosterone. Elderly individuals tend to have a lower testosterone level, even if they are physically active. During the day, the concentration of male sex hormone fluctuates, with the highest values observed in the morning and the lowest in the afternoon.
Testosterone is a type of physical activity
Studies have shown that the more muscle groups you engage during one workout, the higher your testosterone levels will be. You have probably heard many times that exercises that simultaneously use more muscles are much more effective than exercises that focus on one muscle. One of the reasons is that exercises on different muscle groups increase testosterone production. If you choose basic multi-joint exercises, you will not only affect the increase in muscle tissue, but also the increase in anabolic hormone production.
Range of exercises
Both exercises with a high concentration as well as those with high intensity have a positive impact on testosterone levels. To continuously stimulate our bodies for growth, we should set up workout plans that combine programs with more repetitions (short breaks) with programs for strength development (fewer repetitions and longer breaks).
Force and intensity of workout
It's true that a higher intensity of workout results in a higher testosterone level. However, this does not imply going beyond your capabilities. Remember to select the load in accordance with the planned number of repetitions and consider the 1-2 repetition reserve in the work series. A high load requires the engagement of a maximum number of muscles. We should also take into account the training time, as an overly long training cycle can lower the testosterone level. It's best if the training does not exceed 90 minutes (only strength training). We should also discuss rest periods, as short breaks between sets can lead to greater testosterone production. However, when training with high intensity, such a break may be insufficient. Therefore, it is best to take such rest periods after which we do not need to reduce the weight.
Disproportionate escalation of workouts
Disproportionate escalation of workouts is linked with, among other things, engaging in workout sessions too frequently and intensely, where the muscles and the entire body are unable to regenerate. In such a situation, among other things, progress in muscle growth is halted, and the body starts to produce an excess of cortisol, which is intended to restore the normal state, even at the expense of muscle fibers. A high level of cortisol has a negative impact on testosterone and effectively reduces its advantage in the body.
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