Teenage boys across France and beyond are turning to testosterone supplements and extreme rituals to boost perceived masculinity, driven by viral social media trends that promise alpha status through artificial hormone boosts and pseudoscientific rituals.
The trend, dubbed “testosterone maxxing,” encourages young men to consume unregulated testosterone supplements, follow extreme diets of raw meat and garlic, perform intense workouts, and even strike their jaw with small hammers to achieve a more square, masculine appearance. These practices are amplified by influencers like Andrew Tate, indicted in January 2024 on charges of rape, human trafficking, and assault, whose rhetoric frames declining testosterone as a loss of motivation, humor, confidence, and sexual desirability.
A March 2026 study published in Social Science & Medicine analyzed hundreds of social media posts and found that masculinist ideologies actively encourage adolescent boys to supplement testosterone to build exaggerated muscle and enhance sexual performance. Researchers noted the content deliberately targets teens experiencing body dissatisfaction during puberty, offering a rigid, reassuring identity framework for those struggling psychologically or facing bullying.
Medical experts warn that non-prescribed testosterone use carries serious health risks, including reduced sperm production, cardiovascular strain, increased risk of acute kidney failure and pulmonary embolism, gynecomastia, and paradoxically, decreased libido and erectile dysfunction — the opposite of the intended effect. These dangers are compounded when products are sourced online without medical oversight.
Parallel to this, a separate viral trend known as “spermaxxing” has emerged on TikTok, where young men film themselves submerging their testicles in ice, consuming raw garlic and maca root, following high-protein diets, and drinking pineapple juice to allegedly improve semen quality. Despite its scientific framing, no credible evidence supports the claim that these practices enhance fertility or masculinity.
Experts observe that spermaxxing primarily attracts adolescents and young adults with no immediate plans for fatherhood. As journalist Flore Cherry notes, the motivation is not fertility but the pursuit of virility, rooted in a distorted interpretation of evolutionary biology that equates semen quality with male strength and attractiveness. This reflects a broader pattern in which real data on declining sperm counts — down over 50% in Western men since 1973, with French men falling from 101 million to 49 million sperm per milliliter — is reinterpreted within masculinist circles as an attack on male identity, demanding individual performance as a response.
The convergence of these trends reveals a deeper psychological shift: young men are seeking control over their bodies and social standing through extreme, self-directed regimens in response to feelings of inadequacy, social pressure, and a lack of stable identity models. Rather than addressing systemic issues or promoting holistic health, these movements offer simplistic, risky solutions wrapped in the language of self-improvement and biological destiny.
What drives teenage boys to experiment with testosterone and spermaxxing trends?
Many adolescent boys turn to these trends during periods of identity formation, especially when experiencing low self-esteem, social isolation, or bullying, seeking a clear, rigid framework for masculinity that promises strength, confidence, and social validation.
Are there any proven health benefits to ice baths for testicles or raw garlic consumption for semen quality?
No scientific evidence supports the claim that testicular ice baths, raw garlic, maca root, or pineapple juice improve sperm quality or male fertility; these practices are rooted in viral trends, not clinical research.
How does the decline in sperm counts relate to the rise of these trends?
While sperm counts have fallen significantly in Western men over the past five decades, masculinist communities reinterpret this decline as a threat to virility, promoting individual optimization tactics rather than addressing broader environmental, lifestyle, or public health factors.
