Aerobic Exercise Training & Testosterone

Testosterone is often associated with weightlifting and large muscles, but individuals who are wishing to increase their testosterone levels should look to aerobic exercise training for improvements. While anaerobic training, such as weightlifting, can increase testosterone levels, aerobic training, such as running, cycling or swimming, and adequate amounts of rest have also shown to improve testosterone levels in men.

Testosterone

Testosterone is essential for the development of normal growth, and the development and maturation of the male skeletal system. It is the reason men are bigger and carry more muscle mass than women. Testosterone is highest during puberty and the teenage years, and begins to decline around the age of 30 in most men. This decline can result in the loss of muscle mass, weight gain, decline in sex drive and energy levels, and irritability, according to Ralph Teller of 1 Vigor.

Aerobic Training

Regular, prolonged aerobic exercise can help to increase testosterone levels in men, slightly better than anaerobic exercise. Performing 50 minutes of aerobic exercise has shown to increase testosterone in men by 22 percent and 28 percent whereas anaerobic training only increased testosterone levels by 14 percent and 16 percent, according to a study published in the "European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology," in 1982.

Overtraining

While regular aerobic training can increase your testosterone levels, too much training can lower it. When athletes increase their training one and a half-- to two-fold, their blood levels of testosterone usually decrease and their blood levels of cortisol increase, according to Jack H. Wilmore and David L. Costill, authors of "Physiology of Sport and Exercise." Overtraining, or training too much without adequate amounts of rest, can increase cortisol levels and decrease testosterone levels, which could result in a breakdown of the muscle tissue.

Improving Testostrone Levels

Regular aerobic training four to five times a week for 50 to 60 minutes along with regular strength training to help build muscle mass will help keep testosterone levels up. Additionally, getting plenty of rest and not over-training is essential for improving and maintaining testosterone levels. Sleep is the time in which your body repairs and heals itself, without an adequate amount of sleep cortisol levels will rise, and testosterone levels will fall.