Robert's Favourite Testosterone-Boosting Quick Cardio Workout

Read time: 4 minutes 

Coming up: resting + recovering, scary male fitness facts, slurping on a beer, some testosterone-boosting hacks, easy ways to improve your sleep, 2 game-changing supplements, and a quick workout you’ll love!

You’re busy.

Your schedule is hectic.

You don’t have much time for exercise.

… and you’re probably trying to squeeze your workouts into your lunch hour, an early morning, or between taking care of your kids.

I get it—and I’m in the same situation! But after years of trial and error (mainly error!), I’ve worked out how to make the best use of my limited time.

So: here’s a quick but challenging 30-minute workout I do as a dad in my 40s. It’s varied, it’s fun, it’s pretty easy on your joints, and I can squeeze it into even my busiest days.

(oh, and it has some surprising benefits!).

On we go!

The workout:

It’s broken down into 4 (or 5) easy stages, with exercises I reckon you’ve done before: 

💪 Part 1: Light walking or jogging on a treadmill, to warm up. Total time = 5 minutes 

💪 Part 1.5: if you have time here, you could do a couple warm-up sets of cable rows or dumbbell rows—this will come in useful for the next part of the workout. But it isn’t necessary! Total time = up to you!

💪 Part 2: Rowing machine, 4 rounds, at 80% effort. For each round, do 60 seconds of rowing, followed by 30 seconds of resting. Total time = 6 minutes 

💪 Part 3: SkiErg machine, 4 rounds, at 80% effort. For each round, do 45 seconds of rowing, followed by 15 seconds of resting. Total time = 4 minutes 

💪 Part 4: Sprinting, 4 rounds, at 80% effort. For each round, do 30 seconds of running, followed by 30 seconds of resting. For this section, you can use a treadmill, or head outside to get some fresh air and Vitamin D. Total time = 4 minutes 

And that’s it! 

Not necessarily easy… but very simple, and very short.

The benefits of this SPECIFIC session (for men in their 40s)

1. It’s short—so your body will recover relatively easily. But, importantly, if you choose workouts your body can’t recover from, you might be accidentally reducing your testosterone, AND increasing your cortisol. Increased cortisol can lead to increased stress… which can also in turn lead to even further reduced testosterone. At our age, we REALLY need to prioritise recovery.

2. It won’t stress your body too much, like a long sprint session, or a long heavy lifting session. So: your chances of injury are reduced (super important as we age!)

3. This type of exercise (known as ‘High Intensity Interval Training,’ in which you mix short bursts of high-intensity exercise with periods of short rest) has been shown to boost testosterone. 

4. Because it’s a quick workout, you have more free time for your partner, your kids, and the people you care about (oh—and you won’t be too wiped out for work!)

Top tips for this workout routine

• To improve your recovery, do 3-5 minutes of gentle stretching immediately after finishing the routine. It’s not necessary—but it can help to speed up your recovery time, and reduce any post-exercise soreness.

• Don’t exercise too late at night, as this can disrupt sleep. If you are struggling to wind down and relax, a supplement like Equilibrium (packed with Ashwagandha, L-Theanine, and magnesium) can reduce your stress and improve your sleep quality. 

• Don’t go over 80% effort. Going too hard can increase your chances of injury, and reduce your chances of good recovery. You can still make GREAT progress while working at 80% effort—and beyond that, you begin getting diminishing returns anyway! 

Other tips for boosting testosterone

Did you know? From the age of 30-35, male testosterone levels drop around 1-2% per year. And it happens to everyone - including you!

… so, at our age, it’s SUPER important to build healthy habits and healthy workouts that boost testosterone—instead of causing it to drop*.

(*because, here’s the thing: some types of exercise—like very long-distance endurance work—can actually LOWER testosterone in the long-term).

Aside from hitting the right workouts, there are 6 other things I do to help boost my testosterone:

• I take care of my sleep. I get 6-8 hours a night, I try to wake and sleep at the same time every day, I’m more careful with caffeine, I mindfully wind down in the hour before bed, and I make my bedroom as dark as possible.

• I’ve reduced my alcohol intake. You don’t need to stop drinking entirely, but I’ve reduced the overall amount I drink—and I’m now more selective about the occasions when I do (and don’t) have some booze.

• I spend more time in the sun: some research shows a link between sun exposure and higher levels of testosterone.

• I’ve reduced my body fat. In general, higher levels of body fat are associated with lower levels of testosterone.

• I try to reduce my cortisol levels. There are many ways to do this—meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, lifestyle changes, and taking supplements.

• Finally, I take Performance. Featuring Vitamin D, Maca Root, Zinc, Selenium, Fenugreek, L-Arginine, and Carnitine, it can help improve testosterone… which can in turn help to increase sex drive, muscle mass, strength, energy, mood, and male fitness.

Overall, I’ve increased my mood and energy, I bounce back from gym sessions like I did in my 20s, and I’m the father and husband I’ve always wanted to be.

See you next time!

And we’re done! Much of the time, exercise isn’t about doing EVERYTHING—instead, it’s about doing what you actually can with the limited time you have.

(and, especially at our age, it’s about giving your body enough time to recover).

See you next time for more testosterone-boosting male fitness tips.

Cheers, from one busy bloke to another,

Rob 💪