What did @jacoboestreichercoaching actually say?
The creator's argument, stripped of the profanity, is this: natural methods of raising testosterone, whether that's supplements, diet, or training, won't do much for muscle building because any gains they produce stay within the normal male reference range. And within that range, more testosterone doesn't meaningfully equal more muscle. Only supraphysiological levels, the kind you get from injecting exogenous testosterone, actually move the needle on hypertrophy. He calls out "tongue cat alley" (almost certainly tongkat ali, a popular herbal supplement) and steak-eating as examples of things people overestimate.
He's not claiming natural testosterone optimization is useless for health broadly. He's making a narrower, more specific point: if your goal is getting jacked, staying in the normal range won't get you there, no matter what you eat or supplement.
Does the science back this up?
Largely, yes. The dose-response relationship between testosterone and muscle mass is well-established, and the threshold for significant anabolic effect appears to be well above normal physiological levels.
The most cited work here comes from Bhasin et al. (1996, New England Journal of Medicine), which showed that men given supraphysiological doses of testosterone (600mg/week) gained significantly more muscle than those on placebo, even without training. That study made clear that the anabolic effect was dose-dependent and that normal-range testosterone wasn't the driver.
A follow-up study by Bhasin et al. (2001, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism) mapped this relationship more precisely, showing muscle cross-sectional area and strength increased in a graded fashion as testosterone doses rose above physiological levels. Within the normal male range, the differences in muscle outcomes were modest at best.
On natural boosters specifically: a 2022 review by Smith et al. in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that most over-the-counter testosterone boosters produced minimal to no clinically meaningful increases in serum testosterone in healthy men, let alone supraphysiological levels.
What did they get wrong (or right)?
He got the core claim right. The evidence does support the idea that supraphysiological testosterone is what drives dramatic anabolic effects, not incremental natural variation within normal range.
Where he oversimplifies: he implies that natural optimization does "fucking anything" for nobody. That's too broad. Men who are clinically hypogonadal, with testosterone levels genuinely below the normal reference range, do see meaningful improvements in lean mass, strength, and body composition when levels are restored to normal. That's a different situation from a eugonadal man trying to squeeze out an extra 50 ng/dL through diet.
He also doesn't distinguish between eugonadal men and men with low-normal or borderline-low testosterone. For someone sitting at 250 ng/dL versus 600 ng/dL (both technically "normal" at some labs), lifestyle interventions that raise levels can have real functional relevance, even if they won't make you look like you're on a cycle.
Tongkat ali specifically: a 2022 placebo-controlled trial by Henkel et al. in Andrologia showed modest but statistically significant increases in free testosterone in men with late-onset hypogonadism. Not supraphysiological. Not enough to transform your physique. But not nothing either.
What should you actually know?
If you're a healthy male with testosterone in the normal range and your goal is maximizing muscle growth, the creator is correct that natural boosters won't replicate pharmacological doses. No supplement is going to put your levels at 1,500 ng/dL. That's just not how these compounds work.
However, testosterone optimization does matter outside of bodybuilding. Low-normal testosterone is associated with fatigue, reduced libido, poor mood, and metabolic dysfunction. Restoring levels through lifestyle or, when clinically indicated, through TRT can improve quality of life significantly, even if you don't end up on a magazine cover.
The real takeaway is about expectation-setting. Supplement companies sell the idea that you can get "jacked naturally" by boosting your testosterone with herbs and red meat. The physiology doesn't support that claim. What the physiology does support is that if you're genuinely hypogonadal, getting your levels into a healthy range is worth doing, for reasons that have nothing to do with bodybuilding.
If you're concerned about your testosterone levels, a serum total and free testosterone test through a licensed provider is the starting point. Not a supplement stack.