Do Squats & Deadlifts Get You Jacked Quickly?

Squats & Deadlifts – Do they Boost Testosterone and Build Muscle Fast?

Any form of intense physical exercise will raise testosterone to some degree, the squat or deadlift isn’t the only exercise that will aid in boosting your testosterone.  The big issue, however, lies with the amount & length as this is something a lot of people are misled by.

Big compound lifts will always be the go-to in any gym programme. They recruit more muscles, burn more calories and can help secrete more growth hormones. But there is one overlooked fact that should shed some more light on the topic – that testosterone does not remain increased after exercise forever.

You do some heavy squats, some deadlifts and little bench press thrown in there.  You are sweating, you have your pump on, you feel manly and you feel like you’ve just owned the place. You feel you’ve just ramped up your testosterone through the roof because you read Bodybuilding.Com articles telling you that Squats will triple your testosterone.  You then have this hope of dropping fat fast and getting huge and ripped.

I believed this too.  I’m not saying Squats & Deadlifts don’t help.  They are amazing exercises, they do help raise testosterone during exercise and after and they definitely should be in all gym programmes. 

But studies have shown that the amount released during exercise isn’t hugely significant, nor is the amount released after exercise. 

So, the take-home point really is that don’t expect testosterone levels to take a huge jump.  They may do so during exercise, and maybe a little afterwards, but they won’t remain elevated to the point where you will look ripped and jacked.

Muscle building is a slow, tedious process.  You must focus on progressive overload, tension, calories, food quality and sleep.  You can get jacked without doing a single squat.  

Age, Fitness levels, body fat and lifestyle are ALL contributing factors to testosterone.  So if you are borderline obese and perform extremely heavy squats and bench presses, you won’t transform in 2 weeks.  Focus on diet, lifestyle, a good training programme and recovery.  Focus on bringing body fat down and focus on putting on some lean muscle by following a solid training programme.  Then watch your Testosterone raise a little or balance out. 

If you are someone over 30 years old reading this, then do remember that Testosterone levels do decline as you age. 

So maybe consider getting into the gym and lifting some iron – safely though?