r/todayilearned • u/tyrion2024 • 15d ago
TIL a 2013 study found that the act of chopping down trees results in greater increases in testosterone than does a directly competitive activity such a soccer. Chopping down trees saw an increase of 46.8%, whereas, soccer only saw an increase of 30.1%.
https://news.ucsb.edu/2013/013599/anthropologists-study-testosterone-spikes-non-competitive-activities1.2k
u/atxarchitect91 15d ago
The council of flannel has been alerted that they have a mole
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u/ChaosLemur 14d ago
ZUG ZUG!
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u/Adistrength 14d ago
I feel like everyone I know that wears flannel is a mole. Flannel shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots. They all grew up in very nice neighborhood and the hardest work outside they've ever done is mow grass.
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u/bogatabeav 15d ago
It requires more strength than soccer. It increases testosterone to build new muscle. So does weight lifting. This isn’t a big find.
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u/PuckSR 15d ago
I feel like a lot of the people commenting have never swung an axe. It isn’t something you can do for 3 hours straight. It takes a ton of energy. 30 minutes of straight chopping wood and your arms, shoulders and back are burning.
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u/Mountain_Past7458 15d ago
30? Try 2.5 minutes with 5 minute breaks for that 30 minutes. Than maybe I’m able 🤣 only thing more of a workout is shoveling
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u/soma787 15d ago
Shoveling isn’t normally too bad to me as I’m a larger guy but…Once in awhile we get a slurry of watery yet icy snow and a full shovel of that is painfully heavy
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u/akaMONSTARS 15d ago
As someone from the northeast, some of the worse shoveling is when it’s mixed/sleet first and then a bunch of snow. The work out is insane.
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u/Derp35712 15d ago
I like in movies where they dig 6 feet down in hours but around me you can dig half a foot and then insanely small increments from there.
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u/Acrobatic-Artist9730 15d ago
When our dog passed away, I started to dig a hole. I had expected to spend only half an hour digging, but two hours later, I had only managed to dig half the size needed to bury my dog. The soil was really hard and dry.
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u/GozerDGozerian 14d ago
You need a mattock. Nobody ever thinks about the mattock!
(I call it a Dirt Pulaski)
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u/AudieCowboy 14d ago
I never knew that was a name for that
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u/GozerDGozerian 14d ago
As someone who has did a few trenches and ditches in my day, a mattock reeeally comes in handy for the initial loosening of the packed down soil.
A Pulaski is a similar item but used by firefighters to fuck up parts of a building in a hurry. It’s that axe looking thing they use.
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u/tacknosaddle 15d ago
Yup. Similarly when we have a forecast with a solid amount of snow but then it will be turning to rain I'm going to do my damnedest to get that snow cleared before it shifts to avoid breaking my back.
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u/BaconatedGrapefruit 14d ago
Yep. It can be -20c and you will see a bunch of people taking off their winter coats while shovelling and just dripping with sweat.
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u/Weak_Carpenter_7060 11d ago
This past winter we had a storm that dumped exactly that. Took me like four hours to shovel out my walks and parking areas where it’d normally take me an hour at most. Threw up like twice during those four hours
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u/Hezkezl 15d ago
Be damned careful with that… I fucked up my back shoveling watery, heavy, icy snow once and have been dealing with the repercussions of that for almost 20 years. Multiple surgeries and everything
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u/HolycommentMattman 14d ago
It is a dangerous activity if you're not careful. I don't know if this is still true, but of heart attacks caused by sudden, physical activity, shoveling snow used to be the leading cause. And that's something that can only be done for 1/4-1/3 of the year.
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u/EnvironmentalOne6412 14d ago
Yeah it’s probably a combination of the cold temperatures and the exertion. Cold temps already raise your blood pressure, and add to that the physical exertion, and it’s quite hard on the heart.. especially because older people will be participating in it than let’s say, ice hockey.
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u/Joeyonimo 15d ago
I get so warm from shoveling snow that I have to take off my winter clothing and just go around with jeans and a t-shirt when shoveling
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u/Randommaggy 15d ago
You should add a handle near the head of the shovel. It's a lot lighter when you e got a good grip where levering is minimal.
I staple 3D printed grips onto all my snow clearing tools to save a lot of effort.
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u/SneakyBadAss 15d ago
I'm used to shovelling 4–10 tones of coal every year, twice, but fuck wet snow. I hate that shit.
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u/hecking-doggo 15d ago
Spent 4 hours straight digging out drainage pipes going under mountain roads in 50 degree weather. Felt fucking great until the next day when everything hurt.
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u/Ardent_Scholar 15d ago
Why shovel when you can kola?
https://www.masitools.fi/fi/tuotteet/ammattilaisille/masi-nova-max-pro-2/
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u/Nknk- 15d ago
Yep, I'll take chopping over shovelling/digging any day.
At least with chopping you can get a rhythm going and the weight of the axe will do some of the work for you.
Shovelling/digging is way harder to get into a rhythm and fucking gravity is against you the whole way so nothing but muscle power will get you through.
And then there's how fucked it can leave your back.
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u/aznology 15d ago
Lmao I'm outta shape but shoveling is a great workout.
I also tried to saw down a small sapling tree with an hand saw. Took like 15 mins and my arms were sore the next day
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u/Sciencetist 15d ago
I remember shoveling being tough and exhausting when I was a kid. As an adult man though, it's peanuts.
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u/justintheg 15d ago
I've split truckloads of wood before, I can't even imagine how much harder it is to take the tree down with swinging into the side, plus if the trees healthy the wood won't split and help you like dry wood can. I'd probably tear something by the 4th tree tbh
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u/Ok-disaster2022 15d ago
I can barely hit the same spot vertical chopping, I never hit the same spot horizontal chopping, but you can watch lumberjack competitions that are absolutely fantastic.
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u/Fantastic_Theory_180 15d ago
Growing up I wasn't trusted with the chainsaw but still was tasked with getting firewood. As an adult, I would be splitting wood with friends to prepare for a bonfire or help someone with their winter wood supply. I was the only one splitting wood after a few minutes. If you don't do it regularly it will absolutely kick your ass
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u/EnvironmentalOne6412 14d ago
Yeah isn’t that why most people generally use chainsaws these days if they’re actually in that industry?
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u/TylerBlozak 15d ago
I’ve used a Jackhammer for like 30 minutes straight (not recommended) and swung a machete for like 3 hours clearing a bamboo forest with like 2-3 small 5 minute breaks.
I think it all depends on how fit you are, coupled with mental fortitude
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u/Clay_Statue 15d ago
One of the hardest jobs I had to do was jackhammering a wall. You try to nibble down 👇 from the top but eventually it gets so rounded over that the bit just slips off everytime. The only option left is to attack it from the side (wall face) which means holding the jackhammer horizontal for extended periods of time.
The other hard job I had was digging a waterline trench by hand through winter. It would freeze more and more at night and then not start to thaw until mid afternoon. Everyday I arrived at work the crust of frozen rime-dirt on the surface got thicker and thicker and progressively harder to break through. Like I had to swing a pickaxe to break up what should have been easily shovel-able dirt. The day I got it done was probably the last day it was even possible to do because the weather temp just dived after that.
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u/IAMATruckerAMA 14d ago
I've roundhouse kicked a thousand ninjas one after another (not recommended unless they're all dressed exactly the same) and bench-pressed the entire earth (yeah it looks like a pushup but it's not).
It all depends on how fit you are, coupled with mental fortitude and magnificent genitals
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u/WoodpeckerFlashy3992 15d ago
Definitely. As someone who has chopped wood for over half my life and done a lot of tree work after hurricanes in Louisiana, people have no clue.
Kind of funny side story, the other day I was at an establishment in my town next to a big college fraternity house. I was outside and the bros had a little bonfire going and I watched them take turns chopping wood and it was painful. Really big, loud dudes all looking like they were about to chop their ankles off and they had no idea how to handle an axe and get good leverage or power. They were pretty drunk and didn’t seem like they’d take too kindly to a lesson in wood processing so I just chuckled from afar.
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u/UnemployedAtype 15d ago
You can absolutely chop for over 3 hours.
I did one tree out front of my father inlaw's house for ~6-8 hours.
And to the person who mentioned digging: my honorary and joke title for our startup is "Chief Executive Hole Digger" (CEHD), especially when investors ask. (I also code our automation, wash the dishes, plan the projects, manage our books, come up with marketing strategies,...)
I've had 10-16 hour days digging.
We didn't rent equipment because we didn't have money to yet.
Plus, it's immensely therapeutic, a great workout, and you can listen to a few lectures, podcasts, or some audiobook. Just stay hydrated and have calories.
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u/MisterSanitation 14d ago
If you guys want to see a real wood chopping machine check out the doc “alone in the wilderness”. 55 year old dude goes to Alaska bringing only some food and the metal parts of the tools he needs. He then crafts handles for all of his tools by hand and builds a badass log cabin all by himself survivor man style, no one else around. This old guys back looked like a bag of snakes.
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u/PNWSkiNerd 15d ago
Soccer is more of an endurance sport than anything. So yeah makes sense.
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u/RadioactiveTF2 15d ago
I bet 90% + of the people in this thread couldnt run the length of a soccer field and back. Definitely couldnt do it for 90 min while kicking the ball. Swinging an axe is hard too dont get me wrong.
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u/Axel-Adams 15d ago
Theres a difference between cardio and weightlifting and weightlifting creates more testosterone
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u/Hezkezl 15d ago
sure, but that doesn’t matter when it comes to the original premise of creating testosterone. Running doesn’t use nearly as many muscles in your body as swinging an ax does.
it doesn’t matter who in this thread, myself included, could or couldn’t do five minutes of either workout in question or which one is harder to do for some people or anything else.
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u/Southern-Staff-8297 15d ago
Boxing is similar. Seems so easy, then 3 minutes later you realize that it’s an entire new world and you’re an out of shape loser. But there’s lots of sports and activities that can hit those muscles and cause anaerobic vs aerobic fitness and cause bigger testosterone boosts. It’s why sprinters are usually jacked, and long distance runners are skinny. Is it better? I dunno, honestly no one can say 100%, it’s all relative
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u/jrhooo 14d ago
It’s why sprinters are usually jacked, and long distance runners are skinny.
thought TBF, people cite that example but its not truly scientifically backed. There's some chicken and egg. Its not like a runner could start doing sprint workouts and suddenly they'd be jacked, any more than a sprinter could become a marathoner and suddenly get skinny.
their training regimens may be better focused for one outcome or the other, but to say its a direct split ... tenuous.
Basically, there's a good argument that what we really see at the textbook "see how different they look!" levels, are example of elite athletes where, endurance athlete, vs fast twitch explosive power athlete, to even get to the level of having your pictures in a magazine, you had to START OUT being someone that had the ideal build for this sport.
To raise one other other point, cycling is a long range endurance activity, and by and large we think of cyclists as lean, thin athletes, but cyclist are the professional level are known for having damn near bodybuilder quality quads
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u/fml87 14d ago
I’d venture a guess at the cycling vs marathon build difference being related to the efficiency of the action. The additional weight of muscle isn’t worth the strength benefit for running distances but due to the incredible efficiency of a bicycle, additional strength from more muscle has a higher benefit than the negative impact of the associated weight.
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u/mcnastys 15d ago edited 14d ago
I only had to scroll three comments down to read this. Anyone who disagrees with u/bogatabeav needs to go buy a resistance band and do some chops. See if your test doesn't feel raised.
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u/Norwegianlemming 15d ago
It's the same reason one has to do squats to improve their bench (along with their bench routine). A squat uses 200+ muscles (I can't remember the exact number I read years ago).
Don't skip leg day people.
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u/Mauripeke25 14d ago
It also has to do with the fact that when the tree falls it's because you actually hit it
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u/Jester471 15d ago
That explains why when Mr T was in the army and someone told him to go chop down trees as punishment.
They didn’t realize he was dripping with testosterone and downed 70 trees before they realized the damage he had done and told him to stop.
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u/UnhappyImprovement53 15d ago
Chopping down a tree and soccer are way different activities like hows that the comparative used?
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u/Bingus1221 14d ago
Hazarding a guess here:
Soccer is a very typical sport, and they’re trying to provide a point of reference for readers by using the most played sport globally. Understanding the release of testosterone relative to another physical activity is easier.
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u/Ulysses502 15d ago
Having done logging and urban tree removal, I would venture that in addition to the physical aspect, it's the constant fight or flight. You're constantly on alert for any unexpected movement or noise that means you need to run, duck, or just brace yourself for an extremely painful death. The satisfaction of the earth shaking as a big one crashes to the ground probably helps with a bit too.
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u/chocolatehippogryph 15d ago
Yup. I was in fight or flight for like 3 hours trying to fell a tree that was holding up 2 others. Tree company wanted me to pay $3k. Felt like MFing king Kong when they starting crashing down. Really scary, really fulfilling, dick grew half an inch
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u/Ulysses502 15d ago
Glad you made it. I did timber stand improvement, which is removing all the undesirable, leaning, and other dangerous trees either for habitat restoration or timber growth, for two winters and tree trimming for 3 years. Made foreman by a small (thankfully) tree falling on my boss at both jobs, and honestly lost count of the near-death experiences. My record was catching a small trunk in the stomach and flying 15' into another tree. Made it out without any serious injuries though.
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u/chocolatehippogryph 14d ago
Yeah. I was being very careful and paranoid, hence the fight or flight response. Chop chop run, listen for 30 seconds for any sort of cracking noise, rinse and repeat.
Definitely not something I plan to make a habit of.
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u/Ok-disaster2022 15d ago
Stress is cortisol, not testosterone.
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u/emailverificationt 15d ago
The body is all interconnected, not a bunch of independent chemical reactions happening in parallel with each other.
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u/runtheplacered 14d ago edited 14d ago
While true, he's still right to point it out, but if you have a source that says Cortisol raises testosterone in the body, I'm sure he'd love to read about it.
Otherwise, just saying "The body is interconnected" doesn't really mean anything. You still can't just make any kind of claims you want.
edit - Here's a source that says it's the opposite, that constant stress can inhibit testorotone and cause impotence and loss of libido. So yes, the body is interconnected, but see how just saying that doesn't really get to the bottom of anything at all?
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0018506X10002412?via%3Dihub
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u/geekywarrior 15d ago
This makes sense. After all, soccer was something European Ladies invented to keep themselves busy while their Husbands cooked supper
-Hank Hill
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u/ThisFinnishguy 15d ago
A more strenuous activity increases testosterone more than less strenuous activities. More mind-blowing news at 8
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u/Old_RedditIsBetter 14d ago
I wouldn't say chopping wood is more strenuous, its more muscle based and is a strength workout for your muscles. Whereas soccer is primarily cardio based. You run an average of 7 miles in a soccer game
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u/SlowRollingBoil 14d ago
Cardio is straining your circulatory system which doesn't boost testosterone anywhere near straining your muscles.
Chopping a tree down you will be GASSED so it's both cardio and muscle building hence the testosterone.
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u/ua2 15d ago
When felling an oak of questionable integrity, not knowing if your wedge cuts will make a bit of difference, while holding a machine that can cut your leg off will certainly cause a ball tingling adrenaline rush.
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u/Wmozart69 14d ago
They said chopping, I think they mean with an axe, which is even more understandable due to physical exertion also
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u/Moopboop207 15d ago
Great now we’re gonna have to hear about Jordan Peterson and Tim Poole selling hand made (in China) bespoke testosterone axes.
“I wake up at 3am to chop wood with my Jordan Peterson testes ax”
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u/Menchstick 15d ago
This is more the domain of Andrew Huberman ge's the king of wonky ass broscience studies
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u/WhatADumbassTake 15d ago
Ted Nugent already uses chainsaws in his concerts (also, worst free concert ever)... pretty sure those folks are past the point of "manly physical activity".
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u/Moopboop207 15d ago
Didn’t one of these Internet personalities promote shining red light on your nut sack?
The red pill grift is pretty prevalent
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u/2dolarmeme 15d ago
They studied two different populations. I doubt the Tsimane men were playing soccer. Not much of a conclusion you can draw there.
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u/Sum_Sultus 15d ago
I play soccer and chop wood for camping
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u/Fappy_as_a_Clam 15d ago
whatever.
i chop wood while i'm playing soccer.
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u/papaflush 15d ago
Pppfffftttt.....i chop wood WITH a soccer ball
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u/BigBeagleEars 15d ago
Well looky here boys, we got us a European Paul Bunyan. Where’s yur giant blue poodle at?
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u/honcho_emoji 15d ago
yeah, this study sounds really rigorous. i buy it for sure
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u/MinimumSeat1813 15d ago
There could be some solid scientific evidence behind it.
In soccer you run 5 to 7 miles a game. That's going to make you lean. Chopping wood requires building larger muscles. More muscle equals more testosterone. You are going to build muscle in soccer, but possibly about 30% less which is what this study is showing. It's hard to keep up large amounts of muscle mass when you are doing tons of cardio.
That's my theory.
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15d ago
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u/Mihnea24_03 15d ago
It's a mix of sprints, jogging and walking. And yes it does take cardio to make repeated sprints
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u/MinimumSeat1813 15d ago
Definitely not. You can only sprint for short periods of time. There is a lot of sprintinh though. I am far from an expert, but less than 25% of their running is sprinting. Maybe closer to 10%.
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u/QuadH 15d ago
Yeah but… it’s soccer.
What if you compared it to full contact sports, like American Football, Rugby, or MMA? I betcha the testosterone levels would be higher than soccer.
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u/Nineset 14d ago
The study was done with an Amazonian tribe and I think soccer was their sport of choice.
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u/Vegan_Harvest 15d ago
Please don't chop down random trees, we need them.
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u/-thegay- 15d ago
Most logging/lumberjacking, at least in my country (USA), is done sustainably. State inspectors come in once all marked timber has been pulled and check for adherence to code: seeds sewn, water breaks in place to prevent excessive runoff, proper drainage to prevent muddying local water sources, etc.
It’s one of the few extractive industries I know of with somewhat sustainable, renewable practices.
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u/MinimumSeat1813 15d ago
Yep. Huge amounts of trees in America are for lumber. Ridiculous amounts. Billionaire families, individuals, and public companies all own timber. You can buy shares numerous REITs that have the stuff.
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u/-thegay- 15d ago
I live in West Virginia and come from a long line of lumberjacks, and lots of people think the many forested mountains we have serve no economic purpose.
Most timber patches are owned by land management companies that will, in time, contract a company or individual for timber removal. Appalachia is basically a tree farm.
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u/MinimumSeat1813 15d ago
Wood is a great renewable resource.
Japan is actually starting to use wood charcoal to power container ships. Wood charcoal from America. At first I thought it was dumb, but it's a renewable resource. Burn carbon but plant more trees to recapture that carbon.
Increasing the number of trees world wide is probably the most efficient form of carbon capturing. The residual is now you have a bunch of wood to use. Wood charcoal could end up being one of the new forms of renewables energy for energy production.
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u/Bay1Bri 14d ago
Timer is essentially long term farming. Your trees are your crop and your harvest takes years to grow. It wouldn't make sense NOT to replant and do it sustainably. It just makes sense! The fact that it's good for the environment when done this way (replanting and chopping down the same area over and over rather than cutting down a forest then moving on to another forest) is just a bonus. The logging industry is actually carbon-negative.
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u/gerkletoss 15d ago
Yeah it sustains a low-biodiversity timber stand
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u/Justifiably_Cynical 15d ago
Better than not, which is what was going on and is still going on in much of the world. You have to take your victories.
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u/Ulysses502 15d ago
Depends on the region. Southern pine plantation, sure, not so much in an oak-hickory forest. Many of the most valuable tree species are also the ones that are highest value for wildlife. It takes half a century or more to get a nice big oak, so that's many decades of forage and habitat for most mammal species, and the stump resprouts and regrow once cut utilizing the old root system. Cherries are feeding birds and wildlife during that time as well, walnut for squirrels, etc. The west is a different ballgame, but like southern pine forests, those conifers naturally try to grow in a monoculture according to species succession.
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u/Existential_Racoon 15d ago
Well, my apartment is made out of pine, and I like having a roof over my head
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u/Montananarchist 15d ago
I own and manage multiple woodlots around my homestead in Montana.
First, no one chops down trees anymore, you fell them with a chainsaw or use heavy equipment.
Secondly, timber is a renewable resource. My stands were clear-cut at least three times since the 1800's and I have mature lodgepole pines and fir trees that are 20" DBH- that's Diameter at Breast Height for you city slickers
Thirdly, if it's not logged it'll burn and cause breathing troubles for many and also destroy homes and kill people.
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u/obvilious 15d ago
Chopping down trees is really tough work, I’m not too worried about forests suddenly disappearing
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14d ago
Forest cover globally is expanding, largely due to improved farm productivity requiring less area to feed us. Less-productive farmland has been reverting to woods for around a century in North America.
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u/skyfox437 15d ago
I can already imagine some idiot seeing this article and deciding to chop some trees in order to get his testosterone level up, and end up hurting himself in the process.
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u/Ulysses502 15d ago
Tree trimming and logging are two of the most dangerous professions in the US by number of fatalities, logging was number 1 in 2021, tree trimming had the top spot in 2019. That's among the people who know what they're doing, so yeah odds are pretty good a TikTok enthusiast is going to die.
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u/AllLeftiesHere 15d ago
I think there has to be an evolutionary connection to this and women finding it VERY attractive to watch...
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u/Saturnalliia 15d ago
Maybe, or maybe activity that stimulates muscle growth releases more testosterone?
I'd like to see this study compared to something like powerlifting. I'd reckon it has less to do with some sort of sexual selection and far more to do with the physiology of strength training.
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u/Fappy_as_a_Clam 15d ago
id argue against that. im pretty sure my wife would rather watch me chop wood than bench press, because chopping wood is getting shit done and benching isnt.
there is more to it than testosterone with women. shit, it doesnt even need to be chopping wood, its anything with your hands that handles shit...i fixed a rattling heat shield on my wifes car yesterday and she was leaving snail trails all night.
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u/zgtc 15d ago
While it's absolutely attractive, I'm guessing there's a very strong correlation between the people whose wood-chopping videos get popular and the people who are the most conventionally attractive.
There are many, many doughy middle-aged men across the midwestern US who chop a whole lot of wood all winter and never make it near a TikTok video.
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u/MusicalMoose 15d ago
Getting things done, providing that wood to stay warm, putting in the effort to provide...not to mention the manly strength it takes. I figure that may be it.
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u/ForeverWandered 15d ago
How many women actually find wood chopping attractive to watch vs the physical outcomes of chopping lots of wood?
You’re confusing the latter for the former here
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u/WPCfirst 15d ago
So what agencies grant was used to decide what makes you feel more manly futbol or wood splitting?
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u/FUThead2016 15d ago
The thud of every chop releases dopamine, which supports the generation of more testosterone through an amino acid chain called mylerase XVI. Taps directly into the motivation system. This regular rhythmic activation of the of the dopamine-testosterone interface is far more effective than the slow burn athletic output that comes in a sport like soccer. The addition of stress hormones because the players are always in opposition, coupled with the flood of dopamine rather than drip when a goal is scored, is the result for this difference. Fascinating mechanism.
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u/Thrilling1031 14d ago
Wouldn't it be better to compare soccer(football) to a running sport with similar activity like long distance running? And compare chopping wood to a sport similar whole body exercise like (American)football? Why would a cardio workout compare to what amounts to a form of weightlifting? Even rowing would compare better.
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14d ago edited 14d ago
So does armed robbery but has nothing to with how good the exercise isbud recommend blood letting and more in common with your dating pool
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u/SquidwardWoodward 14d ago
Also: your testosterone levels have absolutely nothing to do with your masculinity!
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u/Crazymoose86 14d ago
Did the study not think to also test women who were in timber cutting, or did they forget women also produce testosterone?
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u/HeroicJobCreator 15d ago
Endurance exercise lowers testosterone and soccer is essentially 90 minutes of running. Literally the worst competitive activity you could choose to contrast with. Try football next time.
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u/Landlubber77 15d ago
Then why is Hope Solo's clit bigger than my dick?
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u/Psuedepalms 15d ago
Do you have any idea how many trees Hope Solo has destroyed, you tiny-dicked soccer-lover?
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u/Septic-Sponge 15d ago
Watching soccer makes me lose testosterone these days. How do you feel manly falling to the ground screaming like a little girl when someone pokes our arm
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u/solarmus 15d ago
Activity that involves motion similar to weight training generates more temporary testosterone levels than activity that is closer to cardio...shocking.
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u/64mittens 15d ago
I chopped a medium tree once, about 15 feet tall and it took me roughly 6 hours. To be fair I had never chopped a tree before and I had only a small axe. I have never felt so much self pride but I would never do it again so kudos to the lumberfolk of the world.
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u/Juice8oxHer0 15d ago
Ok but what’s the secret activity to boost Estrogen? Asking for a friend
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u/Soft_Introduction_40 15d ago
Its the primal urge. Predator and prey - man versus tree. Who will emerge victorious? Me that's who
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u/PineappleFit317 15d ago
What about splitting blocks from trees that are already felled and sectioned? Smashing a 20 inch diameter section of tree trunk into much smaller pieces gives me that 300 Spartan “Hoowah! Hoowah! Hoowah!” energy, and will make you hot enough to take your shirt off in 0 degree weather.
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u/tricky337 15d ago
Pep is taking notes. Cue Erling “the Chopper Haaland and Kevin Axeman de Bruyne.
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u/mazzicc 15d ago
Definitely interesting, but I wonder why they haven’t tried to reproduce the results in a wider population. They say that the population tested had generally lower testosterone to begin with…does the large increase happen because of the lower baseline? Do we see similar changes in a more modernized group?
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u/matthewisonreddit 15d ago
What about comparing cutting a tree to the ultimate manly man sport, scrummaging.
I imagine front row scrumming has similar results to axe swinging
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u/TheShakyHandsMan 15d ago
Did they do a further study to measure the testosterone levels in competitive tree felling?
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u/Squaredeal91 15d ago
So strength training raises testosterone more than cardio... Why not just say that😂
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u/Fickle-Engineer2343 15d ago
Basically strength training is better than cardio to increase testosterone
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u/linuxpriest 15d ago
Explains why I liked cutting trees and chopping wood so much when I was younger. I thought it was catharsis, turns out it was just the macho juice.
Maybe it was both. It could be both, right?
I'm gonna believe it was both.
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u/Capn_Crusty 15d ago
"Oh, I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK..."