My Testosterone Was 142
Here's how I fixed it
Struggling with low testosterone?
If this is you, you’re probably also struggling with
Low energy
Low labido (sex drive)
Mental fog
The list goes on & on. Overall you just don’t feel optimal. Something is missing.
Unfortunately, this is pretty common amongst men these days. Even young men. Due to a number of factors, some of which I’ll address in this post.
I’m passionate about this topic because I was once really struggling with my testosterone.
I don’t have the lab anymore unfortunately, but a few months prior to the first test shown here, my total test was 142. I basically had zero T in my body. Which made sense, because for about a year up to that point I felt like SHIT. This was the result of over-training & under-eating. All of this occurred about 10 years ago in my early 20’s.
As you can see in the screen shots, I then went from 410 to 1486 over 8 weeks.
Here’s how I fixed my hormones & you can too
[Supplements]
This is the easiest lever to pull here. Supplements won’t fix the problem entirely, but they will help
Most people who have low T are deficient in a few areas
Vit D being the most common. Supplementing with a Vit D3/K2 5,000iu usually does the trick for me (especially during winter if u cant get regular sun)
Magnesium. Common deficiency among everyone. Not just low T. I recommend a magnesium glycinate or a blend containing multiple types of mag
B vitamins. Supplementing with a B-complex was huge for me
Zinc can also be low
Best approach here is to get blood work done if possible. So you aren’t guessing. You’ll likely find the aforementioned deficiencies to be true for you too
Most don’t realize this, but you don’t need to go through your doctor to get blood work done. You can order panels yourself through something like Labcorp or Quest Labs.
[Nutrition]
In my case, I was under-eating. Over-training. Carrying too low a body fat for too long
Sometimes it’s the opposite. High body fat can also be the culprit.
Audit your situation.
If you’re overweight. Cut out any junk food. Only eating quality whole food. Prioritize protein, fats & micro nutrients.
If you’re like me, you need to increase total calories. Eating more fat in particular. Eggs, fatty meats, butter etc. Fat plays a key role in hormone production
[Training]
In my case, I was over-training. Training hard 7 days a week. Trying to get as lean as I could. Maintaining this for long periods of time. In addition to getting up @ 2:45am every day at the time. A recipe for hormone problems.
The answer for me was to bring down training volume substantially. I initially dropped down to 2 days per week. 45-60 min workouts.
As I recovered, I was able to increase intensity & frequency.
Similar to nutrition, it can also be the opposite. If you aren’t doing any resistance training at all, you’re doing your hormones a disservice.
Resistance training increases testosterone primarily through a stress-response mechanism that triggers acute hormonal release to support muscle repair and metabolic adaptation. While a single session causes a temporary spike (lasting 15–60 minutes), long-term benefits come from improved body composition and increased androgen receptor sensitivity.
It’s all about finding the frequency that works best for your body.
[Stress]
This is arguably the most challenging lever to pull in terms of hormonal health.
We’ve normalized stress in the US. It’s part of life. Drink another cup of coffee.. Grind harder.
As a result, most of us are stuck in “fight or flight”. This term refers to our sympathetic nervous system.
Our autonomic nervous system has two main modes.
Parasympathetic, which is our “rest & digest” setting. This is when we’re fully relaxed. Our bodies repair when we’re in this mode.
Sympathetic, which is when we’re in a heightened state. Ready to defend ourselves or go kill our prey.
Our bodies were designed to spend minimal amounts of time in sympathetic state. In hunter gatherer days, this would save our lives or help us hunt our food. But modern life has hijacked our nervous system. We’ve become chronically dysregulated.
Stress is one of the biggest killers. Not just to testosterone.. But our health in general.
Unfortunately you can’t just take a pill & fix your chronic stress problem. This one is layered & requires a long term commitment to stress management practices. It requires a lifestyle shift.
A few of my favorite stress management tools
Parasympathetic breathing
This often consists of deep breaths followed by very slow exhales. Here’s a fantastic guided session you can try. I recommend doing this at least 1x per day. 2-3x for best results.
Get in nature
It’s in our nature, to be in nature. Leave the phone behind & get outside. Get your barefoot on some grass. Find a natural body of water to get into. Spend a few hours outside without your phone & see how you feel
Minimize caffeine intake
You may not like this one.. But decreasing your stimulant intake will undoubtedly help reduce stress. Even if you don’t cut it out entirely.. Reducing intake intentionally will help long term
[Sleep]
You probably saw this one coming.
Sleep is when your body produces the most testosterone. Growth hormone spikes during deep sleep. Your nervous system recovers. Your hormones reset.
And yet.. most men are averaging 5-6 hours and wondering why they feel like shit.
This one is simple. Get 7-9 hours. Prioritize sleep the same way you prioritize training. Dark room. Cool temp. Phone out of the bedroom. Same bedtime every night when possible.
You can’t out-supplement bad sleep. You can’t out-train it either.
Here’s the thing though..
You can read all of this & still spin your wheels.
Because knowing what to do and actually doing it in the right order, at the right intensity, for YOUR body.. those are two different things.
That’s where I come in.
I work with men one-on-one on this exact stuff. Training, nutrition, sleep, stress, supplementation. All of it dialed in together. No guessing. No wasted months figuring it out on your own.
I’ve been in the trenches with this. My T went from 142 to 1486. I’ve since helped dozens of men do the same.
If you’re done guessing and ready to actually move the needle..
Text me “Test” to (740) 762-4818 (yes, this is actually my #)
We’ll have a real conversation & take a look at where you’re at and what needs to shift. If I can help you, we can move forward. If I can’t, i’ll be real with you & give you the best direction I can.
Do that now while it’s on your mind.
P.s. here’s a recent client success story
This guy went from the low 400’s to 959. He also went from nearly 300lbs down to 175. In the best shape of his life. Recently ran his first 1/2 marathon.
