Yes, working leg muscles, particularly through compound exercises like squats and deadlifts, can stimulate testosterone release due to the large muscle groups involved. A comparative analysis reveals that postmenopausal women (ages 50+) exhibit the smallest testosterone increase from leg workouts, often less than 5%, due to estrogen deficiency and muscle atrophy. Women, regardless of age, show a more modest increase (approximately 10–15%) after similar workouts, reflecting lower baseline testosterone levels and differing hormonal mechanisms. The relationship between leg muscle training and testosterone release varies significantly with age and gender, influenced by hormonal baselines and physiological responses. Resistance training, particularly compound movements, is known to stimulate testosterone production, and squats and deadlifts are two of the most effective exercises for this purpose. As the body's largest muscle, the gluteus maximus generates significant mechanical tension during exercises like hip thrusts or deadlifts, triggering a robust hormonal response.
This is because they place a significant demand on the body, triggering the release of hormones to facilitate muscle repair and growth. High-intensity, compound exercises (those that work multiple muscle groups simultaneously) tend to elicit the greatest testosterone surge. Before we jump into the leg training specifics, let’s get a handle on the basics of testosterone and how exercise, in general, impacts it.
Spikes in testosterone after leg training are pretty small and don’t last very long. Of all the training you do, your lower body workouts are probably the most intense. Of course, as your body adapts to your workout and gets stronger, you progressively increase the intensity of your training so that you keep getting stronger and more muscular. However, that doesn’t mean you have to let your testosterone levels fall without a fight. Your testosterone levels peak in your mid to late twenties and then slowly decline after that.
Yes, strenuous leg workouts that involve large muscle groups, like squats and deadlifts, can contribute to an increase in testosterone levels. A 2007 study showed that doing strength training three days per week for a period of four weeks led to an increase in testosterone levels after workouts, but also over a long period. Leg training, particularly compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and leg presses, engages a large muscle mass compared to upper body exercises. This article will go on to look at whether leg workouts increase testosterone levels, and talk about the best exercise you can take. Note that training any large or multiple muscle groups would yield similar effects on testosterone levels as leg training. While leg workouts can increase testosterone levels, the effect is usually temporary and depends on the intensity of the exercise. This response is tied to the large muscle mass of the legs, which stimulates greater hormone secretion during resistance training.
Only the free amount of testosterone can bind to an androgenic receptor, which means it has biological activity. As a result, testosterone which is not bound to SHBG is called free testosterone. The part of the total hormone concentration that is not bound to its respective specific carrier protein is the free part. This additional information could suggest, contrarily, that testosterone may encourage greed or selfishness.

Gender: Female

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