Does Lifting Weights Increase Testosterone?

Briefly, yes. A hard lifting session raises testosterone for roughly 15 to 30 minutes afterwards, especially with big lifts and high volume. But regular training doesn't meaningfully raise your resting testosterone: a 2021 meta-analysis of 11 trials found no change. And those short spikes don't predict how much muscle you build.

So lifting is great for your muscles and health, but it isn't a testosterone booster in the way some claim. Below is what happens to testosterone during and after training, why the spikes matter less than you'd think, which habits actually affect your levels, and where lifting fits in.

What Happens to Testosterone When You Lift?

It rises during and shortly after a hard session, then returns to normal. The rise is biggest when you train large muscle groups with plenty of volume, fairly heavy weights and short rest. It's a normal part of the body's response to hard exercise, and it fades within the hour.

A 2005 review in Sports Medicine on hormonal responses to resistance training found that testosterone and growth hormone are elevated for 15 to 30 minutes after a session when the stimulus is big enough. Protocols high in volume, moderate to high in intensity, with short rest and a large muscle mass produced the greatest rises.

A 2010 review in Sports Medicine on testosterone and resistance exercise reached the same conclusion for men: testosterone is generally elevated directly after heavy resistance exercise. It noted that the size of the response depends on the training program, age and sex.

Does Lifting Raise Your Resting Testosterone Levels?

Not meaningfully. Studies tracking men over weeks or months of training generally find little or no change in resting testosterone, even while their strength and muscle increase a lot. The short spike after each session doesn't add up to a higher baseline.

A 2021 meta-analysis in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research pooled 11 randomized trials of 421 insufficiently active, healthy men aged 19 to 75, who did aerobic, resistance or combined training for a median of 12 weeks. Exercise had a negligible effect on resting total testosterone, regardless of the type of training, age or body weight.

The 2005 review had already noted this pattern: many studies show no significant change in resting hormone levels during training, despite gains in strength and size. That's not a reason to skip lifting. It just means testosterone isn't the reason lifting works.

Do Testosterone Spikes After Lifting Build More Muscle?

No, according to the best evidence. In a large training study, the size of each man's hormone spike after a workout didn't predict how much muscle or strength he gained. The muscle-building signal from lifting comes mostly from the work done inside the muscle itself.

That 2012 study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology measured acute hormone responses in 56 young men halfway through a 12-week lifting program. There were no significant correlations between the rises in free testosterone, growth hormone or IGF-1 and gains in lean mass or leg press strength.

A 2018 review in The Physician and Sportsmedicine on hormones and muscle growth agreed that acute lifting-induced hormone elevations "seem not to be directly correlated with muscle growth." So there's no need to design workouts around hormone spikes. Train for volume, effort and progression instead.

What Actually Affects Your Testosterone Levels?

Body fat is one of the clearest factors you can change. In men carrying excess weight, losing it raises testosterone, and the more weight lost, the bigger the rise. Lifting helps here indirectly by supporting fat loss and muscle retention. Sleep may matter too, though the research is mixed.

A 2013 meta-analysis in the European Journal of Endocrinology of 24 studies found that weight loss through a low-calorie diet or surgery significantly increased testosterone in men with obesity. The amount of weight lost was the best predictor of the rise.

Age matters too. The 2021 meta-analysis notes that testosterone tends to decline as men get older, and the 2010 review found age significantly affects circulating levels. That decline is normal, and it's one more reason building and keeping muscle through regular lifting becomes more valuable with age, even if lifting doesn't reverse it.

Sleep is less clear-cut. A 2019 study in Sleep Health ran two randomized trials in young men and found sleep restriction didn't lower testosterone, although the authors noted earlier studies had found the opposite. Good sleep is worth protecting for recovery anyway. For fat loss while lifting, see how to lose fat and gain muscle.

Which Exercises Raise Testosterone the Most?

Big multi-joint lifts with plenty of volume, like squats, deadlifts and presses, produce the biggest short-term rise. But because that rise doesn't predict muscle growth or raise your resting level, choosing exercises for their hormone response isn't worth it. Choose them for strength and size instead.

The 2005 review found that training a large muscle mass with high volume, moderate or heavier weights and short rest produced the largest acute hormone responses. Those same features happen to describe good muscle-building training, which may be where the idea of "testosterone-boosting workouts" came from.

In practice, a program built around compound lifts with enough weekly sets will give you whatever short-term hormone response there is, alongside the real benefits of training. Our guide on how many reps and sets to build muscle covers how much to do.

Do Supplements Boost Testosterone?

Most so-called testosterone boosters don't have good evidence behind them. Creatine is often linked to testosterone, but the research doesn't show it meaningfully raises it. If you suspect low testosterone, the right step is a blood test and a conversation with a doctor, not a supplement.

Creatine's real benefits come from helping you train harder and build strength and muscle. Our guide on whether creatine increases testosterone goes through the studies, including a review of popular testosterone booster products.

Symptoms people blame on low testosterone, like tiredness or slow progress in the gym, have many possible causes, from poor sleep to under-eating, which is why testing matters more than guessing. Lifting is still one of the best things you can do for your health at any testosterone level.