Testosterone boosters are an interesting part of the supplement market where nutrition supplements and performance products interact.
They’re an aspect of nutritional support that is quite specific to work out and training performance. After all, the idea is to improve workouts, recovery, and progress.
Today, we’re asking the question “do testosterone boosters work without working out?” and providing all the info you need to know!
What Is a T-Booster For?
The point of a testosterone booster is to provide nutritional support for the processes in the body that regulate hormone levels. Testosterone is the key hormone – hence the name – but they will also affect others by proxy.
Testosterone is a key hormone for both men and women to support optimal workout performance and recovery, but it also has a role in overall hormonal health. In men, this is also clear in its effects on sexual and mood-related well-being, while in women it is important to sustain mental health. One can go on numan to avail products that help in such health related matters.
Clearly, there are benefits to healthy testosterone levels that have nothing to do with working out, but most of the performance-related effects are about training.
–Adjusting hormonal balance (especially in deficiency)
One of the most important ways that a testosterone booster works is in combating deficiency.
Testosterone levels can fall due to lifestyle, diet, or medical factors – in fact a man’s testosterone levels fall by 1% a year after the age of 30 – and they can play into some very serious problems. Androgen deficiency (as it’s called) is a common problem in both men and women – both at a clinical level and in a way that simply reduces quality of life.
The problems in men are more serious since testosterone is a cornerstone of male health. Problems like fat gain, reduced confidence, increased mental health problems, and others are common with testosterone deficiency.
Adjusting the hormone balance to combat deficiency is one of the most important functions of a testosterone booster and compounds like DAA (D-Aspartic Acid) and Forskolin are effective remedies to these problems from a nutrition standpoint. Our favorite product, Performance Lab SPORT T-Booster, includes 300mg of the premier form of DAA, D-Aspartic Acid Calcium Chelate.
–Supporting general health and wellbeing
A good testosterone booster won’t just affect your actual testosterone levels. They act on the processes and organs that are related to better testosterone and hormonal health.
Compounds in a good testosterone booster, like the luteolin also in Performance Lab’s SPORT T-Booster, should support overall health and wellbeing. This example is an effective antioxidant that is specifically beneficial to the brain and testicles.
Antioxidants like this support the function of hormone-producing areas, but also ensure better protection against the development of cancers and other long-term illness. This is crucial for men, with the importance of testicular cancer prevention.
They also provide general support for cellular health, where they reduce the risk of cell-death and slow the natural aging processes. This is a benefit to everyone of any age and any sex – reductions in the degradation of cellular health is a wonderful side effect to experience.
Improving health and wellbeing are key, and testosterone boosters can achieve this with some of their secondary ingredients, providing well-rounded support.
How Do T-Boosters Work?
The actual mechanisms for providing testosterone-booster benefits are varied. There are a lot of possible ingredients that affect the hormones, and no product can use them all.
There are a few general strategies that we see all the time, however, that can give you some idea on what you’re working with and what to look for:
Herbal supplements: compounds like ashwagandha and Forskolin provide some scientifically-verified benefits as both antioxidants and hormone-regulators. There are other examples, but these are the most popular and effective. The former is included in Performance Lab SPORT T-Booster.
Micronutrients: supplying key vitamins and minerals is always a good choice. Deficiency in nutrients can lead to deficiency in testosterone, as well as knock-on effects to performance and body composition, or even health.
Supporting pre-testosterone processes: Luteolin – as mentioned earlier – supports the processes and organs that produce testosterone. These kinds of support compounds are a great way of ensuring better health while also re-balancing testosterone levels and ensuring you’re not overlooking any steps in the process. Other examples include DAA and mental support compounds.
These nutritional support strategies are how testosterone boosters work and their effectiveness depend on how well they perform these functions. The highest quality of testosterone booster comes from a relentless focus on high-quality, scientifically-proven ingredient choices.
The Big Question: Does It Work Without Working Out?
Testosterone boosters will provide some of the same benefits whether you work out or not. In the same way that other nutrients are good for you whether you’re working out or not.
The difference is mostly in the quality and power of the effects. This is especially true when you consider that working out is one of the most potent testosterone-boosting lifestyle habits around. It could even be that your testosterone levels suck because you’re not working out.
As nutritional support, testosterone boosters are going to be most effective when combined with the training conditions that make them most useful. However, they’re beneficial by themselves and if you’re insisting on not working out, they’re still going to be useful for you.
This is even more true if you’re using a testosterone booster that contains short-term anti-deficiency compounds (like DAA, which can be very effective in testosterone deficiency) or micro nutrients, such as the zinc, magnesium, boron, vitamin D and vitamins K1 and K2 included in Performance Lab SPORT T-Booster.
Busting deficiencies is one of the fastest ways to improve your health and well-being, so if you’re using a testosterone booster with compounds like vitamin D, you may gain additional benefits, depending on dosage.
It’s fair to say that most other T-boosters on the market are unlikely to include vitamin D at optimal levels. The latest formula of Performance Lab SPORT T-Booster (we’ve been informed that this is coming soon), however, includes 25mcg of vitamin D – even more than the recommended daily amount – as well as generous quantities of other testosterone-friendly nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, boron, and vitamins K1 and K2.
If you want to be sure you’re obtaining optimal amounts of the majority of nutrients you need, however, you could always opt for a multivitamin like Performance Lab Whole-Food Multi, which contains more than the RDA of 17 vitamins and minerals.
Why Wouldn’t You Work Out?
The real question here is – since working out and regular exercise are so good for your hormones – why wouldn’t you work out?
There are synergistic effects of a good testosterone booster and a good workout routine. They both normalize testosterone levels and support male and female hormonal function. They also address similar problems – like improving muscle mass and reducing resting fat mass.
They obviously work together to improve other athletic adaptations too – from strength and power to endurance and injury-resilience. These aren’t just for vanity – they reduce the risk of sarcopenia and osteoporosis as you age, keeping you active and fighting frailty for decades to come.
Working out in combination with a testosterone booster is a great way to capture the benefits of both. We recommend as little as three resistance training sessions a week with a little HIIT and an active lifestyle – as little as 3-4 hours of effort per week to capture the best possible benefits.
What Should You Look for in a T-Booster?
What makes a good testosterone booster, and what separates the high-quality products from the rest? If you’re going to be looking for the best testosterone booster on the market, then you’ll need to consider a few key factors.
–Specific ingredients
The ingredient choices are key – it’s easy to get absolute bunk on the supplement market because low-quality products are full of filler or hype ingredients with no benefits.
Ingredient selection is key. Be sure to look for research on the ingredients in your testosterone booster and double check it’s going to work. You can look for some of the compounds we listed in the “how do testosterone boosters work” section above, which are reliably effective.
Getting good ingredients is key to getting a good product overall. Compounds that double up as health-promoting (such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants) are also a good indicator that your testosterone booster is going to be pro-health.
–Ingredient quality
When it comes to quality, you want the best. This means getting products that use the best possible sources and are the best possible format for being absorbed and used in the body.
Nature-identical compounds are one of our favorite industry innovations and they’re one of the reasons why Performance Lab’s SPORT T-Booster is our favorite testosterone booster.
This is a type of nutrient delivery that produces t-boosting compounds in the most nature-identical way possible to simulate the effects that whole-food based nutrients have. This means better absorption and use in the body, and more bang for your buck when every mg is more effective!
–Brand reputation
Buying sketchy supplements from shady companies is a bad way to control your health and well-being.
The reputation of a brand is about knowing that you’re not being scammed, you’re getting what the label says, and you’re not at risk of getting illicit ingredients without knowing it. These are common problems with low-quality supplements.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, high-quality products eek out FDA certification (like the good manufacturing practices certification) and are upfront about what is in the bottle. Avoiding proprietary blends, promoting scientific backing for ingredients, and inviting inquiries are all good signs.
Remember: if a supplement company won’t tell you what is in their product or how it works, it’s likely because it’s ineffective or not something you should be taking in the first place!
Closing Remarks
A testosterone booster supplement can be used without working out, but we don’t understand why you’d take this approach when working out is one of the best testosterone boosters!
The effects of working out and a high-quality testosterone support supplement, like Performance Lab’s SPORT T-Booster, are complimentary. The best results come from combining the best possible lifestyle factors, and both exercise and supplementation can drastically improve your results.
Health and fitness are about making good choices – and choosing the right testosterone support product, as well as choosing to maintain a healthy exercise regime, is the best possible combination for your body.
With all of that said, you are still likely to enjoy benefits from using Performance Lab SPORT T-Booster or any high-quality testosterone booster, even if you shy away from exercise or working out.