I have noticed guys get REALLY hung up on having HIGH Testosterone Levels.
What if I told you that having a “High” number on paper doesn’t mean you’ll build muscle 10x faster?
Even further, having a “normal” total testosterone level could be BAD if you don’t know what to look for.
Sound weird? Well, it’s because you need to understand “What kind” of testosterone you are looking at.
By the next five minutes you’ll have learned:
- The Basics’ of HOW Testosterone works
- “Free” Testosterone compared to “Total” Testosterone
- Testosterone Levels and what they mean
- Why some labs MAY only look at total testosterone.
FIRSTLY, MASSIVE DISCLAIMER, I AM NOT A MEDICAL DOCTOR .
ALSO, THIS IN NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, THIS IS INFORMATION BEING PRESENTED TO YOU AT NO COST.
LASTLY, IN THIS ARTICLE I RECOMMEND THE PLACE I PERSONALLY GO THROUGH FOR MY BLOODWORK, ULTALABTESTS.
IF YOU USE THEM I DO RECEIVE A COMMISSION.
HOWEVER; YOU HAVE NO NEED TO USE THEM. I LOVE THE CONVENIENCE AND FREEDOM THEY PROVIDE AT AN UNBEATABLE PRICE.
YOU MOST LIKELY CAN GO THROUGH YOUR PRIMARY HEALTH CARE PROVIDER FOR THESE SERVICES.
How Our Body Makes and Uses Testosterone (Simplified)
Testosterone is produced in two places, The Adrenal glands and your reproductive organs!
Fun fact, men aren’t the only ones who produce testosterone!
While men make significantly in their testes, more actually women make testosterone in their ovaries!
Alongside of this, there is A LOT that will impact how much testosterone you make.
Things to consider are: Genetics, stress, activity level, nutritional status, tumors etc. they all play a role.
Why bother bringing this up when I already have an ENTIRE post outlining testosterone and it’s basic functions? (click here for in depth, but briefish explanation)
To explain why you would look at JUST PRODUCTION of TOTAL testosterone before free testosterone.
Total Testosterone refers to the amount of testosterone your body produces and has in your blood.
Furthermore, Total test levels do not show a difference of how much of your testosterone is bound to proteins like Albumin or SHBG or is freely flowing in your body.
Bound proteins do not get to affect muscles and other cells like their free counterparts.
Meaning too much BOUND testosterone could lead to problems if you have a normal or low levels.
Values that Affect Testosterone Levels And Different Tests Available
Your Testosterone is constantly changing your body and mood.
Also, the amount you make is changing daily!
You can typically tell how your testosterone production is doing by checking for the following values in your bloodwork:
- Total Testosterone: This is important for generally seeing if you aren’t producing enough testosterone at all.
- Free Testosterone: This is important to see how much testosterone you have that isn’t connected to carrier proteins and can used for cells (like muscles/organs).
- TSH: Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, is necessary to make sure your thyroid gland isn’t under producing hormones or working too hard to make them.
- LH +FSH: Luteinizing Hormone + Follicle Stimulating Hormone are responsible for producing testosterone and also reproductive health in general
- SHBG: Sex Hormone Binding Globulin is a protein that binds to testosterone (and other sex hormones) to help move it in the body.
- Albumin: another protein made by the liver that helps with moving testosterone.
- ALT + AST: ALanine AminoTransferase & ASpartate AminoTransferase are tests done to check for liver health and function. Poor liver health can lead to lower testosterone levels.
- Cortisol: AKA the stress hormone, chronic stress damages every part of the body, including reproductive health!
Now that we know that information, we could work towards optimizing our testosterone.
When it comes to tests
There are a few done for testosterone specifically, usually total testosterone or free will be ordered.
However; your provider may order some of the above labs and other health related tests too.
Total Testosterone
The cheapest and simplest piece of bloodwork to order for knowing your testosterone level is the total
testosterone.
Total Testosterone is used to tell that you are at least capable of producing normal amounts, not whether or not you could use it.
Ranges may vary for the reference level or unit of measurement based on provider.
However; the range for testosterone is TYPICALLY measured in nanograms per decilitre. (ng/dl)
The numbers measured are typically around the mid 200’s through mid 900’s for low and high values, respectively. (250-950 ng/dl)
Free Testosterone
When checking further into low-testosterone symptoms (usually when people are being assessed for Testosterone Replacement Therapy) free testosterone will be measured.
Free Testosterone is used to find the amount of useable, non-bound, testosterone present in the body.
This testing is typically done to detect medical problems or assess need for intervention via testosterone supplementation
Free testosterone is typically measured in picograms per milliliter. (pg/ml)
However; ranges do vary based on providers.
Typically, you see around mid 30‘s – 250 pg/ml being the standard range.
(some providers are more lenient than others on upper levels or strict on lower values)
Where I Go To Check My Testosterone Levels & Lab Work
I love the freedom of taking my health into my own hands.
I don’t mind check-ups, but I should be able to check what I want, when I want, in my own body.
This is why I was THRILLED to find out about UltaLabTests a few years ago.
I was diving DEEP into bodybuilding, health, and everything adjacent during that time.
I also didn’t have a job with insurance at the time, so I REALLY couldn’t afford a ton of expensive, random tests.
Having the flexibility to get inexpensive tests for EXACTLY what i wanted
(Free and total Testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, etc etc.) was a relief.
Knowing now what I do, I could order better tests specific to my goals and monitor it much safer!
If you wanted to have this information handy for yourself, I highly recommend UltaLabTests.
I literally ordered my tests, printed them out and handed them to a lady working at my nearest Quest labs.
The people at the lab drew my blood and got me results in 3 days!
In conclusion
Checking your testosterone levels are important, knowing what to look for is equally as necessary.
TL;DR here’s a table of the references ranges above to do a quick screenshot and favorite on your phone.
| Total Testosterone Range | 250-950 ng/dl |
| Free Testosterone Range | 30-250 pg/ml |
If you look carefully, you will see the picture above has different values!
This is why it is a REFERENCE range, it’s just to use as a guideline.
Every reacts to some levels differently.
Until Next time, Toodles!
