If you’re looking to become the ultimate you – a lean, muscular, more energetic, and confident you that achieves maximum success in every aspect of your life, you might want to put the T/C ratio back on your radar.
New research into how the testosterone /cortisol ratio can bring you enhanced success in everything from achieving a lean and chiseled body to ascending to new heights of career success is changing everything.
These new studies are launching a flood of study — everyone from corporate owners to football coaches want to manipulate this ratio to gain an edge over their competition.
August 2015, Changed Everything
It all started about one year ago in August of 2015, when researchers at Harvard published the results of a study on how our testosterone/cortisol ratio influences the level of success we attain in life.
The researchers studied 78 male executives ages 33 -65, examining how many of them were in leadership positions, how successful the company was they owned or worked at, and how many subordinates they had under them.
They found that more men in leadership positions with many men/women working under them had higher testosterone and lower cortisol levels than other men.
The men with the lowest testosterone and highest cortisol, however, were the least successful and more likely to be subordinates rather than leaders.
These researchers were basically trying to test a hypothesis that testosterone helps people to be more assertive and basically strive to achieve dominance and success in their careers.
They think this success might be fueled by the kind of alpha mentality testosterone tends to give males – that whole “leader of the pack” thing.
What they really found out is that optimizing the T/C ratio and the way we approach stressors of all kinds is key to our performance in every aspect of our lives.
What we can do is use all this new research and the knowledge we gain from it to enhance our intuitive thinking about our workout strategies, to enhance the way we approach every aspect of our self-improvement regimes, and to enhance our lives overall, helping us to achieve maximum success all over the map.
Stress, Cortisol, and Testosterone – They All Work Together
Stress raises cortisol. Whether it’s traffic or two hours lifting (which raises it too much, btw). So stress means any kind of stress—mental, emotional, psychological, and physical.
And if stress raises cortisol, defeats our alpha mentality, and makes us more of a beta—then how can we fight this? We need to understand how to strategically approach both how we control stress and how we work out, to raise testosterone and lower cortisol.
Through lots of reading and study of the T/C ratio, I’ve come up with some strategies for doing just that.
So today, I will share with you what I’ve learned which is how to manipulate that T/C ratio on both sides of the forward slash, to raise testosterone and lower cortisol for fast, tangible gains . . . more lean muscle gains, more weight loss gains, more fat burning gains, gains – everything but weight gain.
So let’s go.
Testosterone and Cortisol: What We Have Learned So Far
The 2015 study into the T/C ratio and how this influences one’s “achieved station” in life confirmed the results of an earlier 2010 study into how much the T/C ratio, or as they call it, our “hormonal imprint,” influences our psychological and physical “alpha” behaviour – specifically in terms of triggering competitive responses to cues in our environments.
This study, which you can read here, found that high testosterone levels, in both humans and animals, reflect their “status and dominance” amongst others, and that “cues” in our lives or environment can cause a surge in our testosterone that enhances our dominant behaviors.
These dominant behaviors – think of it as a rooster’s strut around the hen house, then cause a further increase in testosterone.
The whole idea that a pose or holding postures of strength can enhance strength, boost testosterone, and lead to muscle gains is turning out to have some merit after all.
New Findings Prove that the great Mo Ali is even more resilient than we ever could imagine.
Our Pavlovian responses to competition and battle, that rise in testosterone before a competition or event, is very real.
As these researchers note below, “testosterone rises in anticipation of a competition and as a result of a win, but drops following a defeat” and these hormonal changes “predict” our desire to “compete again” or not to.
This has been supported by other scientific studies, such as this one, of tennis players whose testosterone rose not only in the moment right before the match—but if they won a match as well.
If we win, see, we get heightened testosterone to take into the next match to fuel our desire to win again, while losers take lowered testosterone into the next battle.
And just think of how hard they have to fight back, then, against all of the effect of that loss upon them mentally and physically. Throws a whole new light upon winning and losing streaks . . .
And to me, this makes Ali’s “rope-a-dope” technique even more amazing since his strategy was to get beaten and beaten round after round and then unleash the on his opponent . . . What a legend.
The “Battle Cry” and Testosterone
These environmental cues that kick in testosterone are what I want to return to for a moment.
Let’s picture a boxing match.
That “ding” of the bell acts as a “cue” sending a surge of testosterone through their bodies.
Then, their desire to win, their “fighting stance,” and their dominant behaviour and winning attitude help also cause a rise in testosterone.
And what I get from this is something we have always known, we can just say it now with more confidence:
if we go into battle acting and thinking like a winner, acting and thinking “we are powerful,” we can ultimately harness a new surge of strength and energy that we can capitalize upon to win that competition.
Food for thought.
Is this important to bodybuilders and athletes? Well, you bet it is, its important for anyone who wishes to progress in life.
So How Does This New Research On The T/C Ratio Help Us Become Multi Million Dollar Men—Better, Stronger, Faster?
Now I want to talk about how we can manipulate testosterone and cortisol to our advantage, to that sculpted look we want, that competitive edge we want, and how to basically capitalize on “wins” in everything we do.
Optimizing the T/C ratio can help you to
First, let’s Talk Cortisol, the Importance of Lowering it and How to Lower It
Cortisol is produced by the adrenal cortex and is directly connected to how stress affects our immune system (or doesn’t if in check).
Increased cortisol can be caused by a variety of stressors physical, mental, and psychological such as clinical depression, low blood sugar, episodes of hypoglycemia, illness, fever, trauma, surgery, fear, pain, physical exertion (extreme or excessive exercise and weight lifting), or extreme changes in environmental temperature.
In other words — excesses and extremes.
If your passionate about health and fitness and read as much as I have about training, nutrition, supplementation and all things concerned, there is a common theme in everything you read: excess is not good in anything or for anything, at least long term anyhow.
Cortisol has benefits of helping restore overall homeostasis and counteracts stress of all kinds. It also acts as an antagonist to insulin by promoting the breakdowns of fats and proteins and the mobilization of amino acids, leading to glycogen formation in the liver.
But with chronic stress, prolonged stress, cortisol secretion causes
Long term exposure to elevated cortisol can damage brain cells, especially the cells of the hippocampus, and may lead to learning disabilities and slowed mental faculties.
At the same time, “short-term exposure of cortisol helps to create memory, and enhances the storage of flash bulb memories” See Panossian et. al.
And flashbulb memories are important just so you know. They are all our important life memories, when something unusually surprising, interesting, smart, or fun was said, happened, learned about . . .
So we don’t want to completely rid ourselves of cortisol, right?
Extremes, for life or fitness, are not ideal. We want balance and intelligent efforts of controlled stress.
Sometimes it’s hard not to let that be all that you can be mentality kick in in an excessive, not healthy way, and working out too long or hard, as I’ll show you, can wreck cortisol and testosterone levels.
Think strategic, not excessive.
Effective Ways to Lower and Balance Cortisol:
Adaptogenic Herbs
There are two adaptogenic herbs that have proven effects of lowering cortisol in scientific studies. Aswaghanda and Rhodiola.
Ashwaganda
Ashwagandha is proving to be a powerful herb for all kinds of disorders from obesity to adrenal fatigue. And adrenal fatigue is something every athlete and bodybuilders and runners, especially, need to know about.
Adrenal fatigue = adrenal exhaustion. It is a complete “throwing out of whack” of all the hormones that work so to keep you energetic, hard, burning fat, motivated, lean, strong, and in fighting shape.
The last thing any athlete wants is adrenal fatigue because you it feels like you just swam from sharks for 30 miles on an empty stomach with the flu. It wipes you out like a bout of severe mononucleosis.
Ashwagandha protects us from adrenal fatigue and helps those with hormonal issues with cortisol, testosterone to regulate these levels and recover from adrenal fatigue so it is great for our testosterone and cortisol levels, both regulating them and protecting them.
For cortisol, Ashwagandha has proven effects to help substantially reduce cortisol levels. Plus, Ashwagandha has proven to help elevate mood and enhance one’s overall quality of life.
What’s not to like here?
Rhodiola
Rhodiola is kind of the wonder herb of the new millennium. It has proven to lower cortisol in two studies and has proven to have benefits for mood and energy levels as well.
In this study, for example, Rhodiola proved to have “an anti-fatigue effect that increases mental performance, particularly the ability to concentrate, and decreases cortisol response to awakening stress in burnout patients with fatigue syndrome.”
It has also proven in other studies to keep cortisol at normal levels, even during extreme exercise, such as endurance running. These qualities make Rhodiola perfect for not only reducing cortisol, but controlling it, which means we can lift and workout without causing excess cortisol spikes.
Vitamin and minerals:
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is proving a great supplement for athletes and lifters to lower both cortisol and reduce inflammation as well.
In this recent study, even marathon runners, who often completely exhaust their adrenals after a long race, were able to lower cortisol with Vitamin C supplementation, specifically 1500 mcg a day.
In other studies, athletes were given Vitamin C before an ultramarathon, and Vitamin C helped to prevent normal elevations in cortisol that occur naturally with all forms of exercise.
So vitamin C supplementation before a workout is a must and it prevents the elevated cortisol caused by lifting/exercise.
Magnesium
Magnesium is very important for regulating all hormones and that are controlled by the HPA axis, like adrenaline and cortisol. If we have deficiencies in this important vitamin, also known as B5, we can increase stress and cortisol release in the body, which we definitely do not want.
A good magnesium supplement is highly recommended and has proven to give immediate beneficial effects for those suffering from adrenal fatigue as well.
New Findings in Lowering Cortisol that are more powerful than you can imagine!
Now— Before you flip past — stop.
Because we’re going to talk about some mental techniques for lowering cortisol, let me give you one spoiler alert that will change everything.
These little 5-10 minute exercises will lower your cortisol by 60%.
So keep reading fore the magic.
Controlling cortisol is always a challenge for athletes and, especially weight lifters, possibly from the suddenness of some barbell and dead lifts.
Sometimes, it seems, too, when we are at peak workout performance with a very high activity level is when we sleep the least.
And we need sleep to regulate and lower cortisol. But sleep eludes many of us, often. That’s because of elevated cortisol caused by exercise.
But scientists have discovered some new methods for controlling and lowering cortisol through strategies that work to control this hormone, which will remove those cortisol rises during exercise and keep our levels regular so we can sleep better and, thus, further repair cortisol when we sleep.
Sounds good, right?
Two studies are underscoring the importance of reducing stress, and hence, reducing cortisol by combining mental training, especially mental imagery techniques, self-affirmations, and somatic relaxation techniques (breathing while relaxing certain muscle systems in the body) that lower cortisol more effectively than any physical behaviour could.
I know what you’re thinking. Whenever people hear the words “imagery” or “self-talk” they turn off.
But resist this impulse for a moment, please.
In this other study, published in July 15, 2016, researchers looked at 53 male kickboxers. One group, the PG group, participated in physical training (squats, medicine ball throws, bench presses) only while the other group, the PMG group, participated in both mental and physical training.
The study looked at these athletes at the 6 and 12-week mark. In the athletes with both physical and mental training, they managed to boost testosterone and reduce cortisol to 60% (T) and (0%) C. Furthermore, in the PMG group reduced cortisol by (16.3%) while cortisol increased for the physical group only (22%)
These studies further our research into how to boost T/C naturally by combining exercise with stress reducing mental activities.
Out of all the activities scientists researched for relaxation to lower cortisol, they found that “somatic relaxation strategy had the greatest effect on cortisol reduction.”
Here is another study which evidences how mental conditioning exercises were used to improve performance in weight lifters, specifically.
Other Great Natural Techniques for Lowering Cortisol
Testosterone is an androgen anabolic sex hormone, produced in the testes. It promotes cell growth and division and, for this reason, contributes to the strength and growth of several types of tissues, especially muscle and bone.
Increasing testosterone in the body produces numerous physiological effects, including the increased building of lean muscle mass, the synthesis of proteins and amino acids, enhanced bone growth, and increased libido as well.
Exercise and age influence our testosterone levels and our levels of T decrease over time and during times of stress, just as cortisol increases in times of stress.
This is another reason we want to create “balance” in our testosterone levels as much as with our cortisol levels.
Raising Testosterone, the Right Way
So, let’s look at what naturally raising our testosterone can do for our minds, psychologies, our fitness, our health, and how it can help us finally find that body we’ve been working so hard for.
Workout Strategies to Raise Testosterone that Work
You can optimise your testosterone/cortisol ratio for that matter, by remedying nutritional deficiencies and through strategic workouts, exercising with your circadian rhythms, eating right, and choosing the right minerals, nutrients, vitamins, and adaptogenic herbs that can help keep your testosterone revving and control your cortisol at the same time.
Do not lift over one hour
To get muscles stronger and release testosterone, the ideal lifting session should be 45 minutes long and no more than 60 minutes in length, period.
You want to get to the gym, work out hard, concentrate, don’t talk to anyone, and stop at that sixty-minute mark at the maximum.
Why? Because you don’t want to push muscle hypertrophy (muscle gains) into muscle atrophy (muscle wasting), as you will over the 60-minute mark.
See when you begin your lifting session, your body will naturally release testosterone to power you through your workout.
This increase in testosterone peaks around the 30-minute mark and begins a sharp decline after 60 minutes, when it starts to release cortisol for muscle recovery, to repair tears in muscle storage, and will also increase fat storage, which you do not want of course.
Essential Fatty Acids and Testosterone
The lowest fat diets yield the lowest levels of testosterone, so you want a diet rich in healthy fats and essential Omega-3 fatty acids.
In studies, diets high in fat, where fat provided 40% of that day’s caloric intake, resulted in a 30% higher T level than those who had fat at 25% or less of calories. (study).
Although only essential fatty acids found in fish are big among some body builders, we are also seeing a big return to steak and eggs, to boost muscle production.
For a diet rich in Omega 3s instead of trans fats, however, you want to stick with oily fish such as salmon, sardines, and herring. Or, of course, supplement with good Omega-3 fish oil capsules.
Raising Testosterone Through Much Needed Vitamins
ZINC
In studies zinc has proven to both increase and modulate testosterone production in men. In one now famous study, men were deprived of zinc for 6 months, and their testosterone dropped to nearly .25% of what it was, and then given zinc supplements. In all the participants, testosterone production nearly doubled that of what it was at baseline after deprivation. Such studies seem to indicate a definite correlation between zinc and testosterone at some level, and supplementation with this important trace element certainly cannot hurt. It is important to know that when taking Zinc, take some B6 and Magnesium with it for absorption and the conversion of cholesterol to testosterone.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is important for testosterone and it’s an important supplement period, because it is found in so few food sources. Egg yolks, fatty fish, and different milks such as soy and cow’s milk have Vitamin D (However i like to steer away from soy and dairy due to the high chance of an intolerance), as well as sunlight, and that’s about it.
When it comes to Vitamin D being good for boosting testosterone, the research is overwhelmingly positive.
Several studies have demonstrated that vitamin D supplements can boost testosterone significantly, in fact nearly 25%. See study, study, study.
Vitamin B
Vitamin B6 is found in foods such as fish, poultry, liver, potatoes, and non-cirus fruits. Deficiency in this important B vitamin is directly related to fatigue and anemia, so it is crucial for stamina and energy.
Vitamin B6 has proven to stimulate testosterone both directly and indirectly. In fact, it promotes the production of androgens, which result in a rise in testosterone levels, and works on the C2 pathway in the brain to protect testosterone from other hormones which are detrimental to T, like estrogen.
Finally, I hope you can take on board the above strategies and get to work on optimising results in every aspect of your life. The T/C ratio will deliver in more ways you can imagine leaving you healthier, leaner and stronger than ever!