Teen FAQ
For over 10 years, teens have been asking us questions on every topic imaginable. While we are no longer taking new questions, we have a wealth of information we would like to share with teenagers.
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Navigate: FAQ Home Page > Puberty > Speeding up puberty
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Although it one sense it makes sense that increasing exercise may increase testosterone, this has never been tested or confirmed in a formal scientific way by the medical establishment. On the contrary it is felt that the hormones are genetically driven by their own clock at widely varying intervals during adolescence. You can tell this just by looking at the huge variety of sizes of people in middle school and high school. (Incidentally the ones at either extreme of this, small or large, tend to suffer during this temporary time frame.) By the early twenties if not sooner however everything tends to even out.
What is definitely not recommended is to overdo it in terms of sports and weights, etc. This can actually harm growing muscles and bones in particular. An example of this is the restriction placed on Little League pitchers to no more than a certain number of pitches per game ( I believe it is 90) because of permanent damage such stress can cause to the elbow and shoulder.
That said, we also know that good exercise in young growing bodies can form them very well and serve as a template for the future. This means that in the future, the good health and looks one gets from exercise, tends to carry on throughout your life. The opposite is true also.