Former MLB Player Gabe Kapler Says Men Who Want to Get Stronger Should Tan Their Testicles

Gabe Kapler isn't kidding, guys.

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Complex Original

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Hey, guys, how far are you willing to go to get stronger? Drinking disgusting smoothies? Sure! Popping supplements that have Lord knows what in them? Bring 'em on! Giving in and taking a yoga class? It's worth a shot! But what about tanning your testicles? Ummm…

It sounds nuts (pun fully intended), and believe us, it is. But former MLB player Gabe Kapler—who currently serves as the Dodgers Director of Player Development and is a fitness freak—put together a blog post called "Au Naturel" yesterday that suggests that men should "get some sun on your boys" if they want to get stronger naturally. He doesn't provide a whole lot of scientific evidence to back up his claim—which, you know, seems kind of important—but he does discuss the effect that Vitamin D deficiency can have on the body. He also cites a 1939 study that seems to indicate that tanning your testicles could (maybe?) increase your bodies' testosterone production:

A 1939 study exposed men to UV radiation over the course of 5 days. The study noted that it was sufficient to turn the skin red. When the UV radiation was aimed at the chest, testosterone levels increased by 120%. When the genitals were exposed, testosterone increased by more than 200%.

Kapler does admit the study is old and probably wasn't conducted under the most scientific of circumstances and blah, blah, blah. But he also seems hellbent on getting guys to consider tanning their testicles anyway:

Part of the reason we’re looking at a somewhat antiquated study is because the scientific community could turn their nose up at the idea of exposing our testicles to large amounts of UV radiation. That’s understandable. But what if we eased into it? Maybe we don’t need a 200% increase, but a few minutes spent in the sun the way we evolved to be might make enough of a difference to get that extra inch on your live drives.

So, guys, just how far are you willing to go? We're drawing the line here, but let us know how it goes if you take Kapler's advice!

Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.

[via Hardball Talk]

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