As you all know I have advocated in past articles for men to optimize testosterone levels. One of those ways is to lift weights.
Just a reminder, if you didn’t take my advice to get off the couch and start lifting some weights it’s never too late to start. However, I’m skeptical that you will if you have not yet; please prove me wrong.
Weight lifting and testosterone go hand-in-hand. To optimize testosterone levels in today’s lazy feminized society weight lifting is nearly essential unless you do extremely demanding physical work.
At the same time, to get the most out of lifting you need to optimize your testosterone level. One of the ways to do so is with your diet.
If you read fitness magazines you get beaten over the head with protein, protein, protein! Yes protein is essential for muscle growth and recovery.
But anabolicmen.com reports that carbohydrates and fats should make up more of your diet than protein to reach optimal testosterone levels. In fact they claim that too much protein can actually interfere with testosterone production.
Many fitness magazines push protein drinks and bars pictured with professional bodybuilders. They will also post these guys’ workouts and diets which are low in fats and at competition time, low in carbs. This is because their goals are massive amounts of lean muscle which is not all that functional for those of us who don’t compete.
They don’t have to worry about the hormonal effects of their mega-protein diet because they are on loads of drugs. This is why I don’t really advocate people with regular jobs taking a bodybuilding mentality over a weightlifting mentality.
Unless you are competing in bodybuilding or modeling you will most likely over train and eat poorly. For what? A better peak on your biceps? And remember, most shakes and bars are contaminated with soy lectin, metals and artificial fillers.
Your biggest meal of the day should always be after your workout or most physical activity of the day, not before. Sometimes cooking after a long day at work and then the gym can be a real pain in the ass.
I came up with this pretty quick makeshift casserole which optimizes both hormones and muscle building/recovery:
1-One cup of white rice (essential carb and you want the post-workout insulin boost that white carbs provide) cooked with sea salt, a tablespoon of butter (animal fat=cholesterol), a clove of garlic (eat the clove at some point) and a hot pepper (if you like spice).
2-Sautee 1/2-3/4 lb of 85% ground beef (protein and more essential animal fat) with white button mushrooms which are a natural estrogen blocker (no cooking spray, olive oil if needed). If they don’t have 85% meat at the market get 80% over 90% (cholesterol=testosterone).
3-Break down a ripe avocado (terrific source of healthy fat) into a large ceramic or metal bowl. No plastic! Plastic is estrogenic.
4-Mix rice with meat/mushrooms into the bowl with avocado.
5-Finally, squirt half a lemon into the casserole and stir (no plastic spoons). The combination of vitamin C with garlic (and hot pepper if you can handle it) are terrific for nitric oxide levels (blood flow).
Eat till you’re full. Personally I eat the whole thing. If the avocados are not looking good at the market I will improvise by nixing the lemon and adding 3 handfuls of parmesan cheese (real, not that commercial s**t).
For a vegetable eat a couple celery sticks with some beat juice. On top of serving muscle and hormones, this meal is dirt cheap. Talk soon.
-Marksman