Yes it’s done by some. And I THINK I could do it if my kids were older. This might sound very judgmental and inappropriate but I don’t know how one can even spare any time for kids towards the end of a prep while working.
Fair enough, prep is even worse for natural guys… I’ve seen literature, aside from screwing with thyroid, adrenals bodybuilder becomes hypogonadal as fat mass is pivotal for hormonal regulation… there’s one piece of literature
Bodybuilder enters prep… test falls from 900ng/dl to 1-200ng/dl… when my TT measured 140 I was pissed off ALL the time! Reversed back to normality after competition ended
Aren’t you on TRT? If so, do you think it could’ve stemmed from competing in you’re 30s, not bouncing back afterwards?
Though it irritates me when severely obese/fat, lazy guys say “I can’t exercise, I’m hypogonadal”… you’ve got these bodybuilders busting their ass for weeks prior to a comp, lifting weights for potentially hours per day + cardio + caloric restriction + hypogonadism and you can’t get on the treadmill for fifteen minutes per day withou testosterone supplementation… bullshit…
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I became hypogonadal at 22.
Mind if I ask why? Or is that private territory/something you’d rather not discuss
I was 15/16, didn’t get on TRT til I was almost 18 (understandable… I was and am still very young)
Did you start trt at age 22? Or did you wait until there was no other perceivable avenue. My L.H./FSH on bloods were still in range after six months on… perhaps indicating at primary pathology
I’ve got the bloods somewhere
TT elevated to like 550-600ng/dl
FSH was like 5-6
LH was lower, like 2 if I recall correctly
Of no known cause idiopathic. I didn’t do roids, had no injury to my pituitary or testicles, etc.
Mine is secondary: low LH and low FSH.
My level on 100 mg T per week is usually 600 to 900, depending on day I have it taken. It’s checked two or three times a year.
This is on TRT?
Lucky, 100mg and I’ll hit about 450ng/dl cavg
Yes, the bloods (the TT the FSH/LH I mentioned were taken after being on for 6 months). For those who are primary (if I am primary that is) LH/FSH dont always fall to undetectable levels even when on… throw in something incredibly supressive like a progestogen/19-nortestosterone derived medication and perhaps
That’s an OK number for some.
Ehhhh… I didn’t feel too great on that, prior to the next shot (actually this was 110mg weekly) and it’d be around 300
Can’t the doc determine this?
Yes, most certainly can… testicular ultrasound, sperm count check etc… docs weren’t comfortable checking my sperm count “due to my age”… given my past already unfortunate medical history they didn’t want me to bear the burden of potentially finding out I was infertile… I thought that was BS… both my parents had fertility issues (one of which is known to be hereditary)… don’t feel comfortable sharing the exact specifics of both conditions as that’s not my place to say, I was conceived IVF after much effort, born extremely premature, almost didn’t make it (odds were against me)
But LH/FSH being elevated/in range whilst on is a pretty good sign of being primary.
It’s interesting because… I went through puberty… I had precocious puberty to boot too! DHEA was above range on my tests (responsible largely for the development of say axillary hair growth) which I had by age ten
My medical testing was comprehensive but there was no real known cause of why my testis shut up shop… I hypothesise it might’ve been related to trauma. I recall one biking accident wherein my testis were crushed against the seat of the bike under my entire body weight, stayed there for a good 5-10 seconds while I was screaming… have taken quite a few hard kicks to the nads, have had things thrown/tossed at them with force… perhaps one time it was just too much
Should mention my TT at age 13 was 1050 ng/dl… entirely unfair
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I can empathize with life difficulties.
For the subject of the thread, I think many people stay natural because of health consequences and just the utter hassles that come along with it all. I wish I didn’t have to take any medications! And as little as I see him and him being a great guy, going to the doctor is an annoying experience for me. He’s now located an hour from my home and seeing him or any doc after work uses up near a full evening. Now I donate blood a few times a year to avoid a high Hct value, another pain in the ass!
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Shows how individualistic it is, I can use 2-250mg for prolonged periods of time, my HCT/RBC doesn’t budge… doesn’t mean all is fine internally
Granted I don’t cycle, if I used “bodybuilding” dosages (I.e 500mg+) perhaps I would have to donate blood
Health consequences is individualistic, the consequences stemming from mildly pharmacologic dosages are unknown, and acutely (up to 20 wks) 600mg test is remarkably well tolerated, long term is a different story with wildly conflicting literature… we don’t have enough data but given the amount of current IFBB pro bodybuilders dropping (unlike most of the golden era guys who used considerably lower dosages) we can make a fairly obvious conclusion… and we have a decent body of evidence showcasing AAS use (literature) increases the risk of developing premature onset CVD by about 3-fold compared to the avg male… there are numerous mechanisms potentially inducing AAS mediated myocardial injury/enlargement (systemic vascular resistance, endothelial dysfunction, sympathetic nervous system upregulation, direct AR binding etc)
Granted I’d never use 500mg, 600mg weekly etc… I don’t think it’s required unless you’re already very large, are competing in untested federations etc, furthermore I believe most use far too much… but this isn’t the pharma forum, not appropriate to talk about here
I agree about the doctors visits, having to take meds etc… I no longer ever take pain medication (was put on round the clock after TRT induction, other meds I’ve either dropped or cut down… dropped SSRI, dropped adhd medication… I dislike the notion of amphetamine use, even on script… besides the fact I’m rather sensitive to stimulants I just wasn’t comfortable with daily amphetamine usage… at all)
Take very little medication nowadays!
Thank you, the feeling is mutual, can’t imagine how frustrating hypogonadism at 22 would’ve been
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Yeah I know Cliff,… realize though that if you’re trying to make your living about bodybuilding/fitness, you HAVE to put in the time at or around the gym. Most people like Brad or myself (and I’ve coached countless competitors as well as athletes and everyday folks), have a full time job that has nothing to do with bodybuilding, and as such, our time not working has to be divided up between family, friends, gym etc. So as much as I truly love the sport and training, I’m never going to put training or even competing above spending time with my son at the bookstore, or the park, or even just staying home after work and coloring together.
So,… dedication? No, well, yes but no in that he’s not doing anything superhuman. Do my daily commute (2 hours each way), put in 8-9 hours at a job that’s not especially fun or low stress, and then get home and tell your family that you need to go to the gym because this next contest is “really important” -lol…
Guys like Brad and I (and I’m sure countless others!) can see it from a different perspective,… and believe me, I was beyond dedicated when I was training for shows (and I actually won quite a few), BUT I didn’t have a wife, kids, mortgage,… things are are actually important to people at our places in life.
S
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Thank you!
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That’s a great picture! Just some bros flexin’!
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Thank you!
Towards the end all training is done while severely exhausted.
It’s all mental at the end. Anyone who tells you they felt great the last few weeks of a prep didn’t push themselves hard enough to win a tough show.
During my first preps, I was chatting with Jim Cordova, and I knew how hard he worked going into a contest. When I helped Brad, I told him I’d hold him to the same standards I held myself to. No one wins a real bodybuilding show by accident or without some suffering IMO.
S
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I remember something about stu in regards to having large arms off season.
Dude the dad bod is real. And it doesn’t care who you are lol
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