Suffering from low testosterone? 0% minutes a day with these power poses has been scientifically proven to increase your testosterone by 20%!
If I hadn’t have seen the scientific data myself, I wouldn’t have believed it. For those of us that have low testosterone, you can use this method for just two minutes a day to increase testosterone by 20% and lower cortisol levels by 25%. Even females can benefit from naturally increasing their testosterone using this method. The increase is compared to your existing baseline testosterone levels. So don’t worry, if you’re a female you won’t grow a beard or get a deep voice. Both men and women will reap the benefits of naturally increased testosterone levels which include:
- increased feelings of confidence
- increase in lean muscle mass
- decreased anxiety
- improved ability to deal with stress
The science behind power poses and combating low testosterone
Harvard University researcher, Amy Cuddy, specializes in the study of body language and how it impacts your hormones. Cuddy and her team has created classifications for different body positions based on her research. They are “high power” and “low power” body positions, or “poses”. The high power poses are typically relaxed and open while the low power poses are guarded and closed off. For us Body Spartans, basically it means sitting or standing like a dude is a high power position and sitting or standing like a lady is a low power position. See the image below, courtesy of Amy Cuddy, Harvard University:
Top Row: High Power Poses
Bottom Row: Low Power Poses
The researches tested 42 students using a saliva test before they stood in these poses for two minutes. They re-tested these students with a saliva test immediately after they stood in these poses for two minutes. The results were shocking:
- Increased testosterone by 20%
- Decreased cortisol levels by 25%
The graph below shows the actual results from Amy Cuddy’s study:
How do these power poses help with workouts?
Taking the data from Cuddy’s study and applying it to your workouts to naturally increase your testosterone there are a few direct applications. Most of us don’t take two minutes of rest in between our sets unless we’re strength training. If you are, then you need to read my book and understand why the rest in between sets should match your style of training:
However, if you are strength training, set your timer on your phone or watch for two minutes in between sets and use one of these poses:
- Hands on your hips while standing: You can watch the TV’s in the gym, stare at the ceiling, or whatever floats your boat.
- Stand up and lean on the dumbbell rack (similar to the pose in the top right, above)
If you aren’t strength training, I’d recommend having a seat in the lounge area of your health club after you check in and assume one of the power poses. You can plug in your iPod, drink a pre-workout shake, or just stare out the window. Whatever excuse you have to come up with to do this for two minutes will work.
If you aren’t comfortable with doing these in the health club or gym, then do them in your car before you go in. Simply try the “hands behind head” pose while you are parked in your car.
Remember, a 20% increase in testosterone levels over your baseline is HUGE! The same goes for the 25% decrease in cortisol. You should be ready to tackle any workout that comes your way with more energy, more confidence, and more aggressiveness.
Go get your #Beastmode on!
