So, full transparency — the labs were done by my PCP when I originally requested for TRT. So these are my labs from what my doc ordered. The TRT clinic doc said these are good enough for now and we’ll take a closer look at more specific labs when I get a recheck in a few weeks. He did ask about estrogen labs but said I should be fine and we can tweak when we recheck. He also said the AI was optional for now, but if I start experiencing any tenderness, we can go down that path again at the recheck appt.
Again, i don’t know much but thought a legit clinic would at least point me in the right direction and not give me bad advice. But that’s why I also wanted to check here. Am I not being smart by starting wo further education or bloodwork? Am I risking my overall health here?
I’ll give you a couple pieces of advice.
-Clinics are a business. Their main goal is to make money. Keep that in mind when they advise you to take products.
-Start lower than 200mg/wk. This seems to be a generic number they give everyone. 125-150mg/wk is a good starting point. You can always adjust by how you feel
-Don’t let the numbers dictate your dosage. More is not always better. More can lead to issues.
-Only take an AI if you need it. Don’t let them give you test compounded with an AI.
You didn’t get proper bloodwork to start TRT. Once you start, you can’t identify your issues any longer. The labs @s.gentz mentioned are a minimum requirement to diagnose primary or secondary hypogonadism. I recommend you pull those labs before starting. As to your dose yes it’s very high and not somewhere most people start.
You haven’t really given us anything quantifiable to answer that.
Low for steroids, high for TRT.
Expect subtle changes. Its not an instant benefit - it all takes time to see things change.
Bad? No. But it’s always smart to have an AI on hand.
The best TRT dose, IMO, is the highest dose you can tolerate without needing AI.
This is a great starting point and effectively covers pretty much everyone on TRT, but I’m less conservative.
If you can handle 200mg weekly, do that - so long as it lines up with your goals.
Appreciate everyone’s input thus far. I’ll definitely inquire about the additional and proper labs on Monday and will post results upon receiving. I’ll also ask about getting and having an AI on hand should I need it.
Good advice on starting w a loser dose (100-150). Have to ask though, again newb here, only subtle changes? Again, top priorities are energy, libido and recovery — but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited for an additional ‘bump’ in muscle/strength gain w some fat loss for an even better body comp.
Thanks again, fellas. I’ll plan to log everything here too. From labs, overall feeling and strength gains, or lack thereof, including weight and rep numbers — again, being in engineering, I’m very data driven and track everything.
Quit dogging yourself just because of your height/weight. You’ve got a top 1% physique. Just pay attention to the other 99% of the slob males your age. I’m 46, and I was exactly where you were 5 years ago when I jumped on TRT. I have a very similar body type to you but I’m 5’-11” at 175 with essentially the same level of body fat. I’ve managed to put on 15 pounds of lean mass in 5 years. (I was 160 and lean when I jumped on TRT, no libido, no zeal for life, low energy even though my diet and training were pretty disciplined,
200 a week may be a bit too high to start. Maybe see how you feel at 100-150. I’d definitely recommend breaking that up in to 3x a week. Or better yet, scrotal cream daily.
Absolutely nothing wrong with a protocol of T only. You do not need an aromatase inhibitor and if you don’t want to have any more kids then you don’t need HCG.
THE BASICS, which you seem to already have a grasp on: strength training, some cardio, quality sleep, balanced diet with 80% whole real foods lots of protein fruits and vegetables. Don’t go to crazy on the junk and alcohol on the weekends, it you can still indulge and hit your goals
One more thing. T isn’t a “party drug”. You won’t feel an immediate change, it’s subtle (but pretty powerful) over time. Increased mass and bone density will be slowly realized over the next several years. Changes in libido and zeal for life will come quicker
I feel like you’ve gotten some great advice here. Your post sounds similar to my first post last year. # New Levels at 49 YO, TRT? It may be worth a read. Best of luck feel free to ask questions.
Just wanted to say thank you for the valuable input. All is appreciated.
I am going to start w a loser dose as you guys recommended — 100-150/wk in 2 separate doses. Recommendations on ‘area’? Is exact same location a big ‘no-no’?
Going to keep diet, training and cardio exact same while logging everything from weight, strength/sets/reps, sleep and daily mood (energy, sex drive, stress, cognitive behavior). This way I can track progress and differential deltas accurately and experiment as necessary.
If you’re going to stick with strictly TRT, then you can do subcutaneous injections anywhere.
If you’re going to take more than TRT at any point, id recommend IM shots as these wont welt on you like subq shots can.
Shoulders (front, sides, rear)
Glutes
Ventroglutes
Some will say Quads, but this is 100% dependent on you. My quads hurt like a mofo when pinned so i dont do these.
lats
traps
pecs
Any and all of these are fine. Shoulders have the highest absorption rate but cannot handle the same volume as larger muscles. 1mL is max for most users here.
Personally i like shoulders, glutes, ventroglutes. Everything else is rather unpleasant for me, but i do what i must.
Lots of great advice here. I agree that your dose seems high. 65mg 2x/week is my sweet spot. As for an AI, I take an otc counter ai just to play it safe. Letrone or Inhibit-E are the 2 I like.
Absolutely, this thread has been amazing and very informative. Can’t thank you guys enough.
@Friscokid
I read your entire link / thread — great stuff in that 1 as well. You look amazing. Funny seeing you say you saw minimal changes from pics pre-TRT vs your after pics — pretty significant changes there; but I know we’re always our own biggest critics. How’s your training going now?
@everyone else
Thanks again. I’ve been a member here since 2008 and have always found this board to be the best on the net — articles, forums, experts and sound advice and most of the time, better than any PCP physicians.
Happy to keep this thread going for anyone else wanting to offer their own experiences, advices, status updates including following my journey. Can’t wait to get started.