Meta AnalysisHumann = 421 men across 11 studies2021

Effects of Exercise Training on Resting Testosterone Concentrations in Insufficiently Active Men: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Journal: Journal of strength and conditioning researchPublished: 2021DOI: 10.1519/jsc.0000000000004146

Plain-language summary

This study set out to see whether exercise training raises resting testosterone in men who were not very active but otherwise healthy. It pooled 11 randomized trials covering 421 men aged 19 to 75 who did aerobic, resistance or combined training for a median of 12 weeks, against inactive controls. Four weeks was the minimum a trial needed to be included, and most ran about three times that. Across every type of training, and regardless of age or body weight, the trials did not show a significant change in total or free testosterone. The results suggest that becoming more active does not raise resting testosterone in men who start with normal levels, whatever else it does for them.

Key findings

Exercise training had no significant effect on resting total testosterone levels in insufficiently active men.
The lack of effect held across different types of exercise (aerobic, resistance, or combined).
Age and body mass status did not change the outcome.
Free testosterone levels also showed no change with exercise.

How to analyze the study yourself

Study type: Meta-analyses pool results from multiple studies to get a clearer picture, but they depend on the quality and design of the included studies.
Population: Insufficiently active but otherwise healthy men with normal testosterone levels.
Funding: Not reported
Takeaway: This study found that starting an exercise routine did not raise resting testosterone in men who were not very active but had normal levels to begin with, and that held for aerobic training, resistance training and both together over a typical three months. The trials tested exercise and nothing else, so they cannot tell you what does raise it. Train for everything else training gives you, and do not expect a resting testosterone reading to move on the strength of exercise alone.