I discovered another benefit of weight resistance training, especially full squats with the dumb bells.I am not talking about the guys I work out with either, as I work out alone.I am talking about (2) 20 pound dumb bells for doing squats.If you are a male, and an older male with type 2 Diabetes, then you probably have lower testosterone levels than you did in your 20's.Not a major discovery, as it is part of aging.The good news is that if you want to correct and change that, and are a little gun shy of taking a prescription form of "Testosterone" to correct the situation and its side effects, the good news is that eating right and weight resistance training can help a LOT.
I am going to post an article and website outlining the benefits of continuing to exercise both aerobically and weight resistance training the REST of your life.First let's talk about the downside of testosterone therapy.It seems that NOTHING IS REALLY FREE, especially when you are talking prescriptions.The same applies to prescription creams or gels to increase testosterone levels.
Men with a history or family history of prostate cancer, enlarged prostate and breast cancer, are NOT good candidates for testosterone therapy.Here are some of the MAJOR side effects:The time for testosterone has arrived. More to the point, men are starting to see testosterone as their fountain of youth, the hormone that can increase muscle size, reduce body fat, increase bone density, promote libido and bring all the psychological benefits that accompany these things.
In fact, declining testosterone levels are a*sociated with a diminution of these functions. And that decline begins in some individuals as early as age 40.Are lower testosterone levels inevitable? Not nearly to the degree that we think.
Of course, the fact that testosterone boosting medications (including HGH or human growth hormones) are now available for example, Solvay Pharmaceutical's IsItLowT.com marketing push suggests that this fountain of youth is a prescription away, as if it were a matter of popping a pill (or wearing a testosterone patch, or applying testosterone gel) and getting as immediate a benefit as, uh, one might get from a dose of Viagra or Cialis.
This is where the caution flag should be erected (ahem). So often in the past, meddling with nature results in unintended and adverse consequences. Just ask women about estrogen therapy.MORE: Study subjects experienced no drop in LDL (the bad ch*lesterol), no increase in HDL (good ch*lesterol), or changes in triglycerides, aerobic capacity, bone density or blood sugar and insulin levels.Just as important, there was "a high rate of side effects, including fluid retention, joint pain, breast enlargement and carpal tunnel syndrome. The studies were too short to detect any change in the risk of cancer, but other research suggests an increased risk of cancer in general and prostate cancer in particular."
For anyone younger than, say, 55 years old, does it make sense to risk adverse health effects with artificial testosterone increases?
Thankfully, if you wish to address declining testosterone levels, there are more natural ways available, and they don’t cost much in time or dollars. Better yet, those ways are a*sociated with better health overall.
Testosterone levels in men (and women too, but I’m going with the a*sumption that the reader of this article is a man) can be raised with specific exercises and foods. Various studies cited at the close of this article back up these a*sertions with science.
Exercise: It’s about ma*s and intensity
Lou Schuler’s book, «The Testosterone Advantage Plan» (Simon and Schuster, 2003), makes a strong case for strength training over cardiovascular endurance training, such as marathon running, if a guy wants to promote healthy levels of testosterone. Aside from the obvious physical differences between bodybuilders and Olympic marathoners, individuals in these sports have different health and hormonal profiles. Short story: the weight lifters have higher levels of testosterone, and largely enjoy the benefits that come from it.
As a strength trainer and veteran triathlete, I think it’s not necessary to choose one over the other. I may not be a world cla*s triathlete carrying around muscle weight in fact slows me down В
In fact, declining testosterone levels are a*sociated with a diminution of these functions. And that decline begins in some individuals as early as age 40.Are lower testosterone levels inevitable? Not nearly to the degree that we think.
Of course, the fact that testosterone boosting medications (including HGH or human growth hormones) are now available for example, Solvay Pharmaceutical's IsItLowT.com marketing push suggests that this fountain of youth is a prescription away, as if it were a matter of popping a pill (or wearing a testosterone patch, or applying testosterone gel) and getting as immediate a benefit as, uh, one might get from a dose of Viagra or Cialis.
This is where the caution flag should be erected (ahem). So often in the past, meddling with nature results in unintended and adverse consequences. Just ask women about estrogen therapy.MORE: Study subjects experienced no drop in LDL (the bad ch*lesterol), no increase in HDL (good ch*lesterol), or changes in triglycerides, aerobic capacity, bone density or blood sugar and insulin levels.Just as important, there was "a high rate of side effects, including fluid retention, joint pain, breast enlargement and carpal tunnel syndrome. The studies were too short to detect any change in the risk of cancer, but other research suggests an increased risk of cancer in general and prostate cancer in particular."
For anyone younger than, say, 55 years old, does it make sense to risk adverse health effects with artificial testosterone increases?
Thankfully, if you wish to address declining testosterone levels, there are more natural ways available, and they don’t cost much in time or dollars. Better yet, those ways are a*sociated with better health overall.
Testosterone levels in men (and women too, but I’m going with the a*sumption that the reader of this article is a man) can be raised with specific exercises and foods. Various studies cited at the close of this article back up these a*sertions with science.
Exercise: It’s about ma*s and intensity
Lou Schuler’s book, «The Testosterone Advantage Plan» (Simon and Schuster, 2003), makes a strong case for strength training over cardiovascular endurance training, such as marathon running, if a guy wants to promote healthy levels of testosterone. Aside from the obvious physical differences between bodybuilders and Olympic marathoners, individuals in these sports have different health and hormonal profiles. Short story: the weight lifters have higher levels of testosterone, and largely enjoy the benefits that come from it.
As a strength trainer and veteran triathlete, I think it’s not necessary to choose one over the other. I may not be a world cla*s triathlete carrying around muscle weight in fact slows me down В
