Optimising Testosterone Naturally as a Midlife Dad | My 5-Pillar System | Part 3 of 5

Pillar 3: Training - Maximum Impact and Minimum Time

Aug 18, 2025

Welcome to issue #006 of the MIDLIFE PRIME. Each week, I send one empowering essay to help you optimise body, mind and purpose, and own your prime.

Gone are the days where (I thought) I needed to train like I was preparing for a powerlifting competition - six or seven sessions per week, complex periodisation, tracking every set and rep like my life depended on it.

Here's what I've learned with my now wiser head: maximum impact comes from minimum time when you focus on what actually works.

You can optimise your hormones faster by doing less of the right things, not more of the wrong things.

Here's part three...

What I'm Optimising

"Minimum effective dose training" - the smallest amount of effective exercise that triggers the biggest hormonal response in the shortest time possible.

And that fits around real life, without destroying my recovery, with the reality that I need energy left for everything else.

My sessions are mostly 45-60 minutes, incorporating core movements. But I also operate a shorter session (20-30 minutes) when time is more limited.

What I'm Learning

The maximum impact insight:

Research shows that testosterone responds to intensity and muscle mass recruited, not time spent exercising.

A 30 minute session using compound movements at 75-85% effort triggers a bigger hormonal response than a 60 minute session of moderate-intensity isolation exercises.

The minimum time reality:

Time is my most valuable resource. 30 minutes of structured training is good for testosterone optimisation. My maximum time for a session is 45-60 minutes.

Longer sessions actually start to elevate cortisol, which suppresses testosterone. So, short, intense sessions trigger the hormonal response without the negative recovery debt.

The key training variables for maximum impact, minimum time:

Compound movements - Exercises that recruit 85% of your muscle mass (squats, deadlifts, presses, pulls etc) beats isolation exercises.
Free weights and bodyweight over machines - Also help recruit more muscles into the mix.
Heavy loading - Without being silly and risking injury, 75-85% effort in 6-8 reps is more effective than 50% effort for 15 reps.
Time efficiency - 30 minutes structured training is effective.
Recovery optimisation - Allowing recovery days between sessions / muscle groups.
Session density - 60-90 seconds rest between sets, or sometime less if I want to increase the intensity, no time wasted.
Controlled tempo - 3 seconds down, 1 second pause, 1 second up maximises muscle tension per rep.

It's about creating the biggest systemic demand on your body in the shortest possible time.

Ways I'm Implementing

Here’s my current weekly routine when at home, incorporating various compound, free-weight and bodyweight exercises.

I have gym equipment in my garage, which reduces the barriers to working out (getting to the gym, monthly cost, too much effort etc).

My routine changes when I’m on holiday or if I am away from home to mainly bodyweight routines.

I often like to increase the intensity (and reduce the time) of the work by compounding certain sets - linking one set of each exercise together with reduced rest period in between.

Monday - core and lower body (45 minutes)

5 minutes dynamic stretching and CNS (Central Nervous System) primer with kettle bell / light weights.
20 minutes core work - hanging leg raises 3x20, v-ups 3x15, lying leg raises 3x15, bicycle crunches 3x30, half burpees 3x20, mountain climbers 3x30.
20 minutes lower body work - barbell squats 3x6-8, dumbbell Romanian deadlifts 3x8-10, dumbbell alternating calf raises 3x10.
Shorter session (20-30 minutes) - 5 minutes dynamic stretching and CNS primer, core - reduce sets to one or two of each exercise, lower body - barbell squats 2x6-8, dumbbell Romanian deadlifts 2x8-10.

Tuesday - upper body (45-60 minutes)

5 minutes dynamic stretching and CNS (Central Nervous System) primer with kettle bell / light weights.
40-55 minutes upper body work (6-8 reps per set): barbell incline press 3 sets, dumbbell deadlifts 3 sets, overhead alternating dumbbell press 2 sets, dumbbell shrugs 2 sets, close-grip pull-ups 2 sets, chest dips 2 sets, barbell upright row 2 sets, flat dumbbell fly 2 sets, cable rows 2 sets, alternate dumbbell curls 2 sets, overhead dumbbell tricep extensions 2 sets.
Shorter session (20-30 minutes) - 5 minutes dynamic stretching and CNS primer, barbell incline press 2 sets, dumbbell deadlifts 2 sets, overhead alternating dumbbell press 2 sets, close-grip pull-ups 2 sets, chest dips 2 sets.

Wednesday - rest day

Thursday - core and lower body - same as Monday

Friday - upper body (45-60 minutes)

5 minutes dynamic stretching and CNS (Central Nervous System) primer with kettle bell / light weights.
40-55 minutes upper body work (6-8 reps per set): bench press 4 sets, wide-grip pull-ups 2 sets, bent over barbell rows 2 sets, overhead barbell press 2 sets, barbell shrugs 2 sets, incline dumbbell fly 2 sets, one-arm dumbbell rows 2 sets, dumbbell lateral raises 2 sets, dumbbell bent over lateral raises 2 sets, barbell bicep curls 2 sets, tricep dips 2 sets.

Shorter session (20-30 minutes) - 5 minutes dynamic stretching and CNS primer, bench press 4 sets, wide-grip pull-ups 2 sets, bent over barbell rows 2 sets, overhead barbell press 2 sets.

Saturday - rest day

Sunday - rest day

Total weekly time commitment: 180-210 minutes (shorter sessions 80-120 minutes) spread over 4 sessions (I prefer to get it done early in the morning - 6 to 6.30am).

Obviously this is what works for me, and you can formulate your own routine. The key is to incorporate core compound, free weight and bodyweight resistance training for maximum hormone response.

My Favourite Big Three

Deadlifts - Activates posterior chain, core, grip strength simultaneously.
Squats - Largest muscle mass recruitment, maximum growth hormone release.
Presses and pulls - Upper body compound power, functional strength.

Research shows that these "big three" compound movements activate a large percentage of your total skeletal muscle in a single workout.

My 80/20 Insight

Compound movements, minimum minutes per week, maximum effort.

I focus on compound movements - Squats, deadlifts, and presses and pulls activate a big percentage of my muscle mass in single exercises.
I train with controlled intensity - 75-85% effort triggers optimal testosterone response faster than moderate intensity.
I embrace minimum effective dose - Ideally for me - 4 sessions of 30-45 minutes.

Your body produces testosterone in direct proportion to the demand you place on it, not the time you spend training. It's consistency and compounding that creates the buffer for real life.

Until Next Time

Remember: Maximum testosterone response comes from maximum effort in minimum time. Train hard, train brief, recover completely.

Next week: Pillar 4: Recover - Downtime to Hormone Time - The recovery protocols that multiply my training results and optimise overnight testosterone production.

What's your biggest training challenge? Hit reply or leave a comment👇

Pillar 1: Foundation - Measure, Mindset, Move Forward

https://midlifeprime.substack.com/p/optimising-testosterone-naturally-part-1

Pillar 2: Fuel - The 80/20 Nutrition Protocol

https://midlifeprime.substack.com/p/optimising-testosterone-naturally-part-2

References:

Shaner, A. A., Vingren, J. L., Hatfield, D. L., Budnar, R. G., Duplanty, A. A., & Hill, D. W. (2014). The acute hormonal response to free weight and machine weight resistance exercise. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 28(4), 1032-1040. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000000317

Disclaimer: The contents of this email is provided from my own personal learnings and experiences and is for informational and educational purposes only and do not represent medical guidance or professional healthcare services. This information should not be relied upon for medical diagnosis or treatment decisions. Anyone requiring specific medical advice should contact a licensed medical practitioner.