By Paul Becker owner of Truly Huge Supplements
After more than 40 years in bodybuilding, I have learned one thing about testosterone boosters: there are a lot of them that sound good on the label, but very few that I would actually put my name behind.
I have tried a lot of testosterone-boosting supplements over the years. Some were disappointing. Some seemed to do absolutely nothing. And a handful became staples because I could actually feel a difference in areas that matter to me as a natural bodybuilder: strength, muscle, body composition, sex drive, energy and general well-being.
That experience has also shaped the way I formulate supplements.
I am a natural competitive bodybuilder, author and personal trainer, and I have been involved in the supplement industry for approximately 30 years. I am also the owner of Truly Huge Supplements. Over those decades, I have watched hundreds of supplement ingredients and formulas come and go. My philosophy is simple: I would rather use a smaller number of time-tested ingredients that I believe in than fill a bottle with trendy ingredients simply because they are popular.
That is why I formulated Andro-Shock, our testosterone-support formula.
But there is an important distinction I want to make right from the beginning. A supplement is not the same thing as testosterone replacement therapy, and no over-the-counter supplement should be presented as a guaranteed treatment for clinically low testosterone. Research on so-called testosterone boosters is mixed, and a 2023 systematic review of 52 studies covering 27 proposed testosterone boosters concluded that most did not reliably increase total testosterone.
So when I talk about supplements that “work,” I am talking about ingredients that I have found useful in the real world and that have at least some scientific rationale behind them—not magic pills that turn a normal testosterone level into that of a professional bodybuilder.
What Makes a Good Testosterone Booster?
In my opinion, the biggest mistake people make is looking for one miracle ingredient.
Testosterone production is influenced by a wide range of factors, including nutrition, body composition, training, sleep, stress, age and overall health. A good testosterone-support formula should therefore take a broader approach.
I look for ingredients that have been around long enough to have a track record, ingredients that make physiological sense, and ingredients that I have personally found useful.
The ingredients that have impressed me most over the years include:
- Tribulus terrestris
- Longjack, also known as Tongkat Ali
- Horny Goat Weed
- Chrysin
- Zinc
- Magnesium
I don’t consider every one of these ingredients equally proven for increasing testosterone. That’s an important distinction. Human research on some of them is much stronger than on others.
Tribulus Terrestris
Tribulus terrestris has been used in sports nutrition for decades, and it has probably been included in more testosterone formulas than almost any other herb.
My personal experience with Tribulus is one reason I continue to use it. I have found it useful for supporting strength, training performance, libido and the way I feel overall.
Longjack or Tongkat Ali
Longjack, also known as Tongkat Ali or Eurycoma longifolia, is one of the ingredients I have become particularly interested in over the years.
Unlike some of the ingredients that seem to be based almost entirely on supplement-industry hype, Longjack has human research worth paying attention to.
A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials found a significant improvement in total testosterone among men receiving Eurycoma longifolia, including men with hypogonadism. The researchers nevertheless noted that more research is needed before drawing firm clinical conclusions.
There is also earlier human research in men with late-onset hypogonadism that reported improvements in testosterone and symptoms after supplementation with a standardized Tongkat Ali extract.
This is one reason Longjack has earned a place in my own formula.
For men interested in libido, energy, training and maintaining healthy testosterone levels as they get older, it is an ingredient I consider worth looking at.
Horny Goat Weed
Horny Goat Weed is another old-school ingredient that has remained popular for a reason.
Its active compounds, particularly icariin, have been studied for their potential effects on sexual function and other physiological pathways. However, the human evidence specifically demonstrating that Horny Goat Weed substantially raises testosterone is not nearly as strong as the supplement marketing sometimes suggests.
My interest in it comes largely from my own experience and from its history as a male-performance ingredient.
I don’t view a testosterone-support supplement as being useful only when a laboratory number goes up. Libido, sexual function, energy, training motivation and general well-being are also important to many men.
That is one reason I like including Horny Goat Weed in a comprehensive formula rather than relying on it as a standalone “testosterone miracle.”
Chrysin
Chrysin is a particularly interesting ingredient because it has a logical connection to testosterone metabolism.
Laboratory research has found that chrysin can inhibit aromatase, the enzyme involved in converting androgens into estrogens.
And it is one reason chrysin became popular in testosterone formulas.
I include it because of its biological rationale and its long history in testosterone-support formulas.
Zinc and Testosterone
Zinc is different from many of the herbs marketed as testosterone boosters because it is an essential mineral.
The goal isn’t necessarily to consume enormous amounts of zinc. The goal is to make sure you are getting enough.
Zinc plays important roles throughout the body, and inadequate zinc status can interfere with normal physiological function. That doesn’t mean taking more and more zinc will continually push testosterone higher. Nutrients don’t work that way.
In other words, if you are deficient, correcting that deficiency makes sense. If you already have adequate zinc, more isn’t necessarily better.
This is one area where people should pay attention to total daily intake. The adult upper intake level for zinc is 40 mg per day from all sources, including food and supplements.
That is something I would keep in mind when combining a testosterone booster with a multivitamin, mineral supplement or other zinc-containing product.
Magnesium and Testosterone Support
Magnesium is another mineral I consider important for men who train hard.
Magnesium is involved in hundreds of physiological processes, and athletes can have substantial nutritional demands. But, again, I don’t believe in the “more is better” philosophy.
The recommended intake for adult men is substantially higher than the amount that should be taken from supplements alone. The established upper limit for supplemental magnesium is 350 mg per day for adults; that limit applies to magnesium from supplements and medications, not magnesium naturally present in food.
Magnesium oxide is also one of the forms more commonly associated with gastrointestinal side effects at higher supplemental intakes.
For me, magnesium belongs in a testosterone-support strategy because maintaining adequate nutritional status is part of supporting normal physiology—not because taking huge amounts of magnesium will magically transform testosterone levels.
My Andro-Shock Formula
After years of experimenting with different products and ingredients, I wanted to create a formula that reflected what I actually believed in.
That became Andro-Shock.
The current formula contains:
- Tribulus terrestris — 750 mg
- Magnesium oxide — 200 mg
- Chrysin — 75 mg
- Horny Goat Weed — 50 mg
- Longjack — 50 mg
- Saw Palmetto Berries — 50 mg
- Hawthorn Berries — 50 mg
- Cissus quadrangularis — 50 mg
- Zinc oxide — 30 mg
The philosophy behind the formula is not to chase every new ingredient that appears in bodybuilding magazines or online advertisements.
It is to combine ingredients that have been used in male-performance and sports nutrition formulas for years and that I personally believe have a place in a comprehensive approach to supporting normal male physiology.
Andro-Shock has been used over the last 25 years by bodybuilders, powerlifters, athletes, recreational gym-goers and men interested in maintaining performance and sexual health as they age.
I’ve heard from men in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s who have used the product and reported that they were happy with their results.
Try Andro-Shock and see for yourself.
What I Look for in a Testosterone Booster
After 40 years in bodybuilding and 30 years in the supplement business, I have become pretty skeptical of flashy testosterone claims.
If I were evaluating a testosterone booster today, I would ask:
Does It Use Ingredients With a Track Record?
I would rather see a formula built around ingredients with years of history than a collection of obscure ingredients that appeared in the marketplace last year.
Are the Ingredients Clearly Listed?
I don’t like proprietary blends that hide the amount of every ingredient.
If a company wants me to believe an ingredient is important, I want to know how much of it is actually in the product.
Does the Formula Have a Reasonable Purpose?
A good formula should make sense as a whole.
Testosterone isn’t an isolated system. Sleep, diet, training, body fat, stress and nutrient status all matter. A supplement should complement those things rather than pretend it can replace them.
Does the Company Actually Believe in Its Own Product?
This is particularly important to me.
I don’t put products into the Truly Huge Supplements lineup simply because I think I can sell them. I want to be comfortable using them myself.
Ingredients I Wouldn’t Put at the Top of My List
One thing you learn after being around supplements for decades is that marketing trends come and go.
An ingredient becomes popular. Everyone starts talking about it. Suddenly it is in every testosterone booster on the market.
Then the next ingredient comes along.
Boron is one example where I think the hype has gotten ahead of the evidence. I don’t consider it one of my preferred testosterone-boosting ingredients.
Sarsaparilla is another ingredient I would not put near the top of my list.
That doesn’t mean that every person who takes these ingredients will experience nothing. Individual experiences vary. But if I’m spending my money on a testosterone-support formula, I want ingredients that have earned their place through a combination of experience, history and scientific rationale.
The Biggest Mistake Men Make With Testosterone
The biggest mistake is assuming that a testosterone booster can compensate for a bad lifestyle.
It can’t.
If you are sleeping five hours a night, eating poorly, drinking heavily, carrying excessive body fat and training without a plan, I wouldn’t expect any capsule to turn things around.
The basics still matter.
Get Serious About Training
Progressive resistance training is one of the foundations of a bodybuilding and strength program.
Don’t Ignore Nutrition
Adequate calories, protein, dietary fats, vitamins and minerals all matter when you’re trying to build muscle and maintain performance.
Get Enough Sleep
Recovery isn’t optional. Your body needs time to recover from hard training.
Manage Excess Body Fat
Body composition and metabolic health are important parts of the bigger testosterone picture.
Don’t Expect a Supplement to Treat a Medical Problem
If you have symptoms that make you concerned about low testosterone, the smart approach is to talk with a qualified healthcare professional and get appropriate testing rather than trying to self-diagnose with supplements.
A testosterone-support supplement is not testosterone replacement therapy.
So, Which Testosterone Boosters Really Work?
If you are asking me based on more than four decades of bodybuilding experience, my short list would include Tribulus terrestris, Longjack, Horny Goat Weed, zinc and magnesium as ingredients worth considering.
But I would rank the evidence differently for each one.
Longjack has some of the more encouraging human evidence for testosterone-related outcomes.
Tribulus has a much more complicated story. I have personally found it useful, particularly as part of a broader male-performance formula.
Zinc and magnesium are important nutrients, particularly when someone isn’t getting enough, but they shouldn’t be treated as magic testosterone enhancers.
Chrysin can block the aromatase enzyme, so it can keep testosterone from converting to estrogen.
Horny Goat Weed is an ingredient I continue to value based on its long history and my experience with it, especially in the area of male sexual health.
That is a much more honest answer than simply declaring that every ingredient in a testosterone booster “dramatically increases testosterone.”
Why I Still Believe in Testosterone Support Supplements
After 40 years in bodybuilding, I wouldn’t still be using testosterone-support supplements if I didn’t believe they had value.
I’ve personally experienced the difference certain formulas and ingredients can make in my training, strength, physique, libido and overall sense of well-being.
I’ve also seen plenty of products that didn’t live up to the claims.
That’s actually one of the reasons I became more selective about what I put into my own supplements.
I don’t believe men need a bottle containing 20 exotic ingredients and a giant promise on the front of the label.
I believe in using proven fundamentals, carefully selected ingredients and realistic expectations.
That’s the philosophy behind Andro-Shock.
The Bottom Line
The best testosterone booster isn’t necessarily the product with the most ingredients, the biggest claims or the most aggressive advertising.
After decades in bodybuilding and the supplement industry, I believe the better approach is to choose a formula built around ingredients with a long history of use and at least some scientific rationale, while understanding that the evidence isn’t equally strong for every ingredient.
For me, Tribulus terrestris, Longjack, Horny Goat Weed, zinc, magnesium and, with appropriate caveats, chrysin are ingredients worth considering as part of a comprehensive approach to male health and performance.
Andro-Shock brings those ingredients together in the formula I’ve developed and used as part of my own long-term approach to training and supplementation.
Just remember that supplements are exactly that—supplements. They should supplement good training, nutrition, sleep and lifestyle habits, not replace them. And if you suspect you have clinically low testosterone, get properly evaluated rather than relying on a supplement to diagnose or treat the problem.
One final point is especially important: dietary supplements are not FDA-approved for safety or effectiveness before they are marketed in the United States. Companies are responsible for ensuring their products and claims comply with applicable requirements.
After four decades in this industry, I think consumers deserve that kind of honesty.
There are plenty of testosterone boosters on the market.
The real challenge is separating the ones worth considering from the ones that are mostly marketing.
For more information or to buy our testosterone support formula go to Andro-Shock.