Hey guys,
Just wanted some quick advice. Im sittin at about 3-4 years of lifting experience but i came upon a discovery that would explain what is holding me back.
I got my test levels checked the other day. they only reported on 1 part of test and i am not sure if it was free flowing or not. anyway, average range is like 250-800.
At 21 years of age, i came in at 425, which is definitly on the lower end of that spectrum and essentially fuckin sucks for later on in life when test levels will drop.
So im wondering if it would be beneficial to add in some natural test boosters that are normally reserved for older people. Im talking like Alpha Male or anything like that. I know when people ask about Alpha Male, the older guys tend to give the younger crowd shit.
Anyway, this kind of worries me, plus it would explain while after like 3-4 years im still relatively weak.
Bench-270
Box Squat-435
Dead-455
I eat like a horse and weigh 240 at 6’2 with prob about 15%…
Before you spend money on boosters, are you doing anything that suppresses your natural levels? Excessive drinking, not enough sleep,etc. those kind of things.
Do a search on hidden estrogen and test suppressors and see if their are any changes that you can make there first then consider other options.
I’m not trying to make a case against Alpha Male of the like. I’ve been using it for 5yrs with great results in and out of the gym.
Phileaux
Well, while i dont think i do excessive drinking, i have noticed i have been drinking more often (read more nights per week) which is something i plan on stopping (hurts wallet). Sleep has been pretty decent, about 7-8hrs typical… but i normally like a lot more.
One thing i did forget to mention is that I know my brother has increased estrogen levels and is now on Androgel for decreased test. So it is something in my family. He had a severe case of gyno that had to be surgically altered. I have a slight case as well which makes me understand my lower test levels…
[quote]coolnatedawg wrote:
Well, while i dont think i do excessive drinking, i have noticed i have been drinking more often (read more nights per week) which is something i plan on stopping (hurts wallet). Sleep has been pretty decent, about 7-8hrs typical… but i normally like a lot more.
One thing i did forget to mention is that I know my brother has increased estrogen levels and is now on Androgel for decreased test. So it is something in my family. He had a severe case of gyno that had to be surgically altered. I have a slight case as well which makes me understand my lower test levels…[/quote]
Well if it's hereditary that's another thing. Do you know your T/E ratio? You might be able to get Rx estrogen blockers.
Do some research on this site about them, their are a lot of environmental ways to suppress/increase your hormone levels.
Talk to your Dr about getting retested and in that time do everything you can to decrease your E naturally. You also NEED TO check out the opinion of Androgel amongst the frequent posters. If you brother’s happy with his results great, but if not he has other options.
Phileaux
[quote]coolnatedawg wrote:
Hey guys,
Just wanted some quick advice. Im sittin at about 3-4 years of lifting experience but i came upon a discovery that would explain what is holding me back.
I got my test levels checked the other day. they only reported on 1 part of test and i am not sure if it was free flowing or not. anyway, average range is like 250-800.
At 21 years of age, i came in at 425, which is definitly on the lower end of that spectrum and essentially fuckin sucks for later on in life when test levels will drop.
So im wondering if it would be beneficial to add in some natural test boosters that are normally reserved for older people. Im talking like Alpha Male or anything like that. I know when people ask about Alpha Male, the older guys tend to give the younger crowd shit.
Anyway, this kind of worries me, plus it would explain while after like 3-4 years im still relatively weak.
Bench-270
Box Squat-435
Dead-455
I eat like a horse and weigh 240 at 6’2 with prob about 15%…
Thanks,
Nate
[/quote]
i have seen a few threads like this before and as petty as this might seem, it is a big deal. about what time of day did u have the test done? test is highest in the morning and significantly decreases as the day goes on.
i remember on a different board, a 18 year old kid had bloodwork done on his test and it was just over 300(his test was done in the afternoon), it was recommended by multipal people that he retest first thing in the morning for a more accurate measurement.
he had that done and it turned out that his test was at the higher end of the scale, i dont know the exact number. i would really look into another bloodtest if your last was not done first thing in the morning, or at least see if your doc agrees that another test might be in line.
basically, i went in to the docs for something else, and she decided to try some blood work, so i asked if i could get my testosterone levels checked b/c insurance would cover and i thought it would be cool. so i got that done, and it was 2pm. which i guess is not the greatest…
my brother is on Androgel by doctors orders so its not like he is doing it by himself. i have read about it a little because i saw it at home (2 different schools) and wanted to know about it. however, im leaving that up to the doc, and as my brother doesnt lift or anything, he doesnt care.
i was considering using some of the supplements from Biotest like REZ-V and Alpha Male to battle low test/possibly high estro.
the doc must not have seen it as a concern for me b/c she did not call to let me know, i called them to find out results. i guess i will call her up and address the issue directly.
so as of right now its not recommended to get a test booster, but trying doing naturally by other means until another blood test?
I had a similar problem with my test level about a year and a half back. I am 24, my test level was 279 when I had it tested the first time, and this was in the morning. My doctor said this was not a problem that it was this low. How stupid.
Anyway, I backed off at the gym a bit, stopped taking so many sets to failure. I also added a pretty good amount of good fat to my diet. I had it tested 6 months later and it was at 515. After another 2 months, 700. So there is hope to get it up naturally.
Make sure you arent overtraning and that there is plenty of good fat in your diet.
I know it sounds stupid and might have been just in my case, but I found that good fats along with some saturated increased mine from 417 to roughly 688 in a mere 3 months. Most all of this fat came from Peanut Butter. I mean, I eat peanut butter with every other meal basically. High in cals but basically nothing but good mono and poly unsaturated fats.
Might be worth a try for a while.
And all I have to say is my girlfriend, honest to god, has noticed the “biggest” difference.
i will try to incorporate more fats. obviously food beats out supplements, so i guess i coudl use my money to purchase more things like salmon and the like to compensate. any more opinions on the matter?
I am 23 and recently had mine check out at 488. I pretty much freaked but then realized I got 6 hours sleep previous to the test, got the test taken late morning early afternoon (test peaks around 8am), was not getting much fat in my diet, was training in 90 minute plus blocks, was not sleeping on a natural schedule (going to bed around 3 to 4am every night), had last intense training session less than 24 hours before the test and may have been vitamin and mineral defficient at the time.
The funny thing is I am making lightening fast strength and mass gains for a natural trainee currently and have all the traits of someone with high test. I am scheduled to get another test done in about two weeks and expect things to be much different. I have heard from numerous people now that they have been initially tested under bad circumstances and had low readings only to go back more educated and in better circumstances and have their levels doubled.
All in all, I wouldn’t go to the testosterone supplements just yet but try to adjust your habits (examples of what I listed above) to a more hormone friendly environment and then get retested and go from there. That is what I am doing anyway.
sleep and food have been somewhat of an issue as my new job makes it hard for me to get a meal in. (sometimes i go for about 10hrs without food) this is extremely hard to me cuz i have always been the guy eating ever 2-3hrs and taking in at least 3500+ a day.
correct answer aside, my drinking habits have been more out of whack than normal, but i can say that i had drank the night before, so im sure that accounted for some of it. i will try and set up another appointment and get retested in a normal situation.
also, the diet has been sort of gross… i am in the middle of a move and finally have some money again, so i am moving towards the Anabolic Diet where there will be plenty of fats (good fats) to be had.
im callin doc when im done with work tomorrow to discuss it. now it concerns me a lot. im thinking that it might not have been good conditions tho… i will let you all know…
[quote]coolnatedawg wrote:
im thinking that it might not have been good conditions tho… [/quote]
Ya think? lol.
You drink several nights a week, you drank the NIGHT BEFORE the test, and you admit because of your job and move that your diet isn’t as satisfactory as you’d like.
It looks like you pretty much explained the problem in your last 3 posts.
while your post does simplify, i am inclined to agree. i realize my drinking, while maybe 1-2 nights a week, does have it affect, as well as my piss poor diet, i do not forget the fact that it might be a hereditary occurance as well.
i know that there are certain things i can change to make my testosterone levels as “average” for me as i should, but i am still trying to figure out why it is AS LOW as it is. a few drinks (3-4 at my weight) should not affect my test so dramatically and my sleep was mediocre (read could be better).
i think trying to solve my “problem” by analyzing my posts might have been a little optimistic, however, i do appreciate that it could be as simple as that, which i hope it is…