As someone that’s been in the gym for the better part of 20 years, there’s an entire -like underworld of people taking testosterone.
It seems like to get to where you want to be that you have to take it.
This just isn’t for men either.
Plenty of women are taking test to reach their physical fitness goals.
But the question remains – Should You Do It?
As I ask that question, I want to direct this article back to my initial intention.
It was simply to shed light on testosterone and what it means to be on the “juice”.
In no way are we advising to take this or to break the law.
However, to ignore it like it isn’t even there is naive.
I say that because my initial reaction to testosterone was very negative.
That is until I hit 35 years of age.
I began seeing the effects of rapidly declining test levels experiencing everything from:
- Low energy
- Lethargy and Fatigue
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Loss of the ability to lose the spare tire
I’d always been lean and fit.
However, now I had a new set of obstacles and I never knew the root cause of it all.
That is until I decided to get my labs done by a doctor.
No, I didn’t inject anything from someone at the gym.
I went to a doctor to see where I was so I could get a baseline reading.
Here’s what I found…
My testosterone levels had bottomed out because of something called SHBG.
That’s short for Sex Hormone Binding Globulin.
SHBG binds the sex hormones and prevents them from getting to the body for use.
Even with fairly low testosterone levels, the high SHBG levels made it so that I had next to nothing.
Pair this with low Growth Hormone, low cortisol, and low estrogen – I was a walking zombie.
What is HRT?
That’s when the doctor recommended I began HRT or Hormone Replacement Therapy.
I began taking weekly injections and supplementing with vitamins and other prescription grade supplements like HCG drops for natural testosterone production.
And within 3 weeks, I was feeling more like myself again.
That all started 4 years ago.
Since then, we’ve had to watch my blood levels every 91 days, making adjustments based on the labs.
My point in telling all of this is the fact that this takes work.
It’s not as simple as taking a shot and feeling better.
It doesn’t work that way.
There are a number of elements to evaluate before deciding any HRT protocol and should be gone over and under the supervision of a medical professional – preferably someone with direct knowledge of how hormone therapy works and that has a track record of getting results.
We’ve had to change my medications and protocol on a number of occasions basing it on how my current levels are looking.
What is my dosage?
It really doesn’t matter what my dosage is or what anyone’s dosage is.
Everyone is different.
Some will be prescribed higher amounts based on their labs.
Some will be prescribed medications to reduce estrogen levels.
In my instance, it seemed everything was low so we had to work to get everything up then moderate those levels with an ongoing basis.
I’ll wrap this up by saying don’t be a meathead and think you can just get something from the gym underworld because I know of several guys that have been ripped off with fake test.
That’s not even taking into consideration the impact of not knowing your baseline levels you have to work with.
If you’re the type to worry about going to the doctor to get a checkup, then consider something like Testofuel and see how you react after 30 days.
It’s a recipe for disaster that can do more damage than you ever imagine.