Full-ish Body Friday
I tested the hamstring with lying leg curls (just one plate on a selectorized machine) and it immediately made the pain worse. So, can’t do those yet. I might’ve taken steps backward in recovery, but still grateful this isn’t a torn ham.
Hip Thrusts
Hip Abductions
Leg Extensions
Decided not to risk lower body with anything else.
Arnold Press
Lateral Raise
Incline Bench
I could’ve hit arms but my body was done. No back work until my scapula pain stops flaring up.
Testosterone Thoughts
Turns out my nurse practitioner is only bumping my test to 1.25 mg a day from 1 mg, which is basically nothing, despite how low my testosterone was when it was last tested.
My testosterone November 2025: 12 ng/dL
According to this article:
a total plasma level of under 25 ng/dl in women under 50 years old is considered deficient .
Well, mine was less than half that. So, with the help of my husband, I’m strategically and cautiously boosting it. The goal isn’t just to raise it enough it so that I’m not hurting all the time, it’s to bring me up to mid-normal or high-normal; places I’ve never been before.
I started getting my testosterone measured in my early 30s. I’m now in my early 40s, and my testosterone has never not tested low. It’s always been on the low end of normal.
So here’s a list of tentative adjustments:
1. Luteal-Phase Boost
Dosage and schedule: Chris will inject me with 7 mg (or as close to that as he can get) about 7 days before shark week.
Here’s why: The week before my period is what hits hardest, even now with the use of a lot of progesterone, I just don’t recover from workouts. So hitting the gym twice a week is as much as I can do without pain and ongoing fatigue. The goal is to be able to lift 3-4 days a week without feeling like I’ve been hit by a truck.
2. Anavar
Dosage and schedule: 7 weeks on, 7 weeks off using 2.5 mg a day. I was planning on using it every other day but my body has been so injured and fatigued, for no apparent reason, that I just want to get out of this hole. So, I’m thinking 5 days on, 2 days off for 7 weeks.
Here’s why: Anavar has the fewest androgenizing side effects. But from what I’ve been told, women shouldn’t stay on it for more than about 7 weeks at a time. And, when cycling off, they need to spend at least 1-2 weeks off for every 1 week spent on it. I’m just repeating what I was told, but open to hearing other thoughts.
3. Prescribed T
Dosage and schedule: I’ll use the 1.25 testosterone cipionate daily, as prescribed.
Here’s why: This is what I was prescribed. To be fair, my NP isn’t aware of how bad I’ve been feeling. Why? Well, because when I make appointments or plans of any sort, I’m typically feeling great. Mood and energy-wise, I’m on top of the world. So when she sees me, I’m like this:
A bubbly bitch who might flippantly mention a couple tweaks and injuries, and somehow completely forget that just a couple weeks prior, she felt like DYING and couldn’t sleep or move without pain.
4. Regular testing
I’ll have my blood drawn and testosterone measured every two months, or maybe at the end of each anavar cycle and at the end of each phase off of it. I’m open to suggestions.
Here’s why: The goal is to see where my testosterone levels are when I’m feeling great and recovering from workouts. If that happens to be smack in the middle of the normal range, there won’t be any reason to try and get T levels higher.
But if every workout still makes me feel like taking up tae chi and quitting the gym (the way it has been lately), then that’ll tell me something too.
Other Notes
Chris gave me the injection a few days ago and it took a while to start kicking in, but I’m feeling better energy-wise. I have theories on the effects of testosterone that people don’t tend to talk about for women.
You get more than just an elevation in mood or physical energy, you somehow acquire a willingness to stand up for yourself. I have a lot to say about this – and about the last two years – but I’ll wait until my testosterone rises a bit more.