Squatting and the testosterone effects...

[soseg]

ok ive always known squatting is the king exercise but only recently did I read stuff like: "squats are proven to add about 15-20% to your UPPER body mass, by virtue of the free flowing testosterone that squats release."

now heres my stupid question...this 'release' of free flowing testosterone... does this mean someone who squats has more being produced or just flowing around their body, or being 'used up'?

if so... what other effects does it have on the body? more facial hair for us babyface guys coz more testosterone activity? more horny in the mornings? lol, stupid question i know but im wondering if it does actually mean there could be other benefits or "side effects" to it considering it does help you get larger in the upper body due to this 'release'.

I'm thinking of squatting 2x a week now instead of once due to the recent amount of interesting squatting articles I've been reading.

[nemo]

I can't really elaborate on the test part of it,... but I can say doing squats pumps up my whole body. When I don't squat, my whole body seems to suffer!

[james1]

If i'm not mistaking, squatting increases test to such a small degree, it would not have an effect on hair growth etc.. I would believe the body would actually produce to compensate for the stress on the huge muscles within the legs, and others used.

[ThomasRivera]

I don't know the exact mechanics of it, but I would have to assume that increases in test and gh due to squatting is related to the amount of muscles that are utilized during the movement and the stress on the spine.

I don't think it should make such an impact that body hair formation is affected.

[suncloud]

ok ive always known squatting is the king exercise but only recently did I read stuff like: "squats are proven to add about 15-20% to your UPPER body mass, by virtue of the free flowing testosterone that squats release."

its more just floating within the body. i see that quote, and its from the article that i wrote, so here's my response.

it raises test levels for a few hours post workout. this will bind to any receptor that it can, most being in your legs, because of the increased blood flow to it, but also the rest of your body in smaller amounts, again provided there's an open receptor. its not going to spike test for a day - thats not what i'm saying. but it does increase your free flowing test, and makes all your muscles bigger.

i'd ask you to think about all the super skinny guys in the gym, and watch them train. you'll probably notice that they don't do squats or deads, and its probably their hanging point in their workout. diet is the other one obviously. here's some links which hopefully will clear the issue up.



from : The Ultimate Hard Body Exercise - DeepFitness.com
As you may have already discovered, the squat is at the top of the heap (along with deadlifts) as one of the most effective overall exercises for stimulating body composition changes (muscle gain and fat loss). This is because exercises like squats and deadlifts use more muscle groups under a heavy load than almost any other weight bearing exercises known to man. Hence, these exercises stimulate the greatest hormonal responses (growth hormone, testosterone, etc.) of all exercises. In fact, university research studies have even proven that inclusion of squats into a training program increases upper body development, in addition to lower body development, even though upper body specific joint movements are not performed during the squat.


from : 13 Ways to Naturally Boost Your Testosterone Levels
To beef up your testosterone levels, the bulk of your workout should involve "compound" weight-lifting exercises that train several large muscle groups, and not just one or two smaller muscles. For example, studies have shown that doing squats, bench presses or back rows increases testosterone more than doing biceps curls or triceps pushdowns, even though the effort may seem the same. This is why doing squats could help you build bigger biceps.


from : Muscle Building Blog
Research indicates that the larger more involved excercises, like squats and deadlifts, will have the largest increase in Testosterone and Growth hormone. Although all resistance training has this effect, a curl for example, would have only a very small increase in Testosterone and Growth hormone.


from : The power of proper suqatting - Myths about squats, by Sean Nalewanyj
Squats have packed more muscle onto skinny frames than any other lift out there. Because of the degree of difficulty, squats also force your body to release higher amounts of important anabolic hormones, such as testosterone and growth hormone, thus resulting in total body muscle growth.


hope this clears up any confusion. also, i do like to squat twice a week - it works for me.

EDIT : a few hours of raised testosterone levels is not going to cause baldness or hair growth. that would be like a week or more of elevated test. it should raise your sex drive, but not by much. if you're at 6x in two weeks, it may raise it to 7-8x every two weeks. its not a drastic raise, but it should elevate slightly.

[metroba]

[Steveoph]

I remember reading something about the T release being minimal, but Suncloud has quite a good arsenal of articles and I only recall hearing one reference.

Needless to stay, squats are important in any exercise routine IMO. They activate many large muscles that will lead to overall muscle growth, boost your metabolism, and quite possibly raise your T levels.

[NerdFlexd]

Just listen to suncloud. He never fails to make a good post.
All i know is squats are the sh*t. and i need to get my lazy ass back in the gym and do them

[soseg]

thanks, suncloud! yeah it was ur forum post i quoted that off sorry that I didnt reference back to you my bad

that guy seems like an open book for this stuff, put up more for me to learn!

[satyricon]

ive got a good one for ya. when i was "incarcerated" in my youth, i was told by the boys at the squat rack that testosterone was stored in the knees and when you squat heavy it is released into the bloodstream.hows that for exercise science.

[Xodus]

ive got a good one for ya. when i was "incarcerated" in my youth, i was told by the boys at the squat rack that testosterone was stored in the knees and when you squat heavy it is released into the bloodstream.hows that for exercise science.

Perhaps that is the reason why those geniuses were in the joint in the first place?

[metroba]

[alwaysgaining]

Yeah just like the other post, your body responds to stress by releasing homones, the greater the stress the greater releas of hormones(to a degree)
ie. squats stress a large portion of your body, bones tendons muscle, so your body responds by relasing hormones to repair them, thats why squats rase test

[Gstyle24]

so is it ok to squat every week?

[suncloud]

so is it ok to squat every week?

yep.

[BoyFromAus]

i remember reading about a routine called the 20 rep breathing squats..

it's where you do 20 reps with your 10 rep max, but on the last 10 reps (i.e after you've reached 10 already), u stand there, take deep breaths and then do each rep painfully... u can take as many breaths as u want to.

anyway, that routine is mentioned by heaaaps of bodybuilders and apparently packs on ridiculous mass all over , due to T release.

I tried it a few times but i couldn't get passed 12 reps... i just felt too nauseous...

[xtraflossy]

i remember reading about a routine called the 20 rep breathing squats..

it's where you do 20 reps with your 10 rep max, but on the last 10 reps (i.e after you've reached 10 already), u stand there, take deep breaths and then do each rep painfully... u can take as many breaths as u want to.

anyway, that routine is mentioned by heaaaps of bodybuilders and apparently packs on ridiculous mass all over , due to T release.

I tried it a few times but i couldn't get passed 12 reps... i just felt too nauseous...

Lets try it again, but drop the weight a little.
I remember the first time I tried it; maaaaannnn,... I walked in the door soo wrecked and walking like I was drunk..
After my shower, I had the craziest wood.. The kind where ya just drop em in the middle of the room with this look on you face
...of course, I had to sit my ass down right away,.. but it's an example of how to 20 rep sets are a bennifit in more ways then one

[BoyFromAus]

Lets try it again, but drop the weight a little.
I remember the first time I tried it; maaaaannnn,... I walked in the door soo wrecked and walking like I was drunk..
After my shower, I had the craziest wood.. The kind where ya just drop em in the middle of the room with this look on you face
...of course, I had to sit my ass down right away,.. but it's an example of how to 20 rep sets are a bennifit in more ways then one

damn!.. so u actually got to 20?

how was it in terms of gains?...

[brownstown89]

i doubt it makes ur upper body grow 10-20% im calling B.S. but i squat anyway

[brk_nemesis]

All the "big lifts" add significant increases to growth hormone lvls: aka clean/press, deads, squats, powercleans. (Any of the big muscle movements). Forgive for not pulling up the studies, lol im tired and going to bed.