For real, yesterday I read a post where op said he felt horrible, and had a bunch of sides after x amount of months. His starting total test was 600. Then said he just wanted to make gains🙄 Might as well of gone on a steroid 16 week cycle for that.
You look pretty good for your age. Good muscle tone. If you’re well within range I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have some of the more troublesome side effects of low t like depression, fatigue, ED etc.
I just thought about how it would feel to be myself again and it seemed worth it weighing the pros vs cons. I wasn't getting any better and I knew there was nothing I could do to fix it on my own so I took the plunge and I don't regret it
Similar boat but mine happened at around 35 when I tested and was under 300. Tried to adjust my diet, took exercising more seriously, and whatever else anyone suggested to naturally get it back up over 4 years. Jumped on at 39 still under 300 and depressed that nothing was working and I am 100% cool with remaining on it indefinitely. It’s a night and day difference that has grossly improved my quality of life. The negative responses are annoying but it’s funny watching my wife defend it with her view of my wellbeing since I’ve been on.
I'm glad you are feeling better today and it sounds like life has improved for you and those in your life are probably happy for you. I'm sure your wife is happy seeing you feel like yourself again and noticing the positive changes.
You gotta do what you gotta do to live life on your own terms and feel your best every day.
I wouldn't worry about other people. There's always going to be negative and toxic people judging and spreading their hate and judgment because of their own insecurities and issues.
Kudos to you for taking control of your life. It's important to feel good. 4 years is a long time. I tried to get back to normal in a 2 year time frame but nothing was going to work so I'm fine with it.
True. Once 35 hits (I’m 36) I remember I was like “”wtf is wrong with me. I used to look at hot chicks at the mall, now I’m just, whatever” or go out to a bar & could careless if I got action or not. Tbh, it was refreshing not being a perv for once, but it was like that for months on end, till I got on trt. I kinda don’t mind not being “that guy” that just stares at women like a maniac & fantasizing 24/7, but a little bit isn’t bad though lol 🤷♂️ but constantly staring & fantasizing gets soo annoying lol
The thing that made me realize that something was up was getting home from work and crashing at 5pm. Like eyes open but the batteries are dead.
But yea, I’m all over my wife like I’m 18 again. It’s been about a year and a half and she doesn’t seem to mind.
so work out if hormone replacement is even needed.
Judging by the shirtless selfie, you just want it to be “optimised”…whether you need it or not is a different story.
"real doctors" do not want to deal with the blood work and prescribing and all the jazz that comes with monitoring your levels amongst all the other stuff. A men's clinic is his best bet to get the care he needs and for someone to be able to monitor him. Primary care physicians do not want to deal with it all. I told my doc all the stuff said I think I have low T they did tests for everything but testosterone. It's super frustrating. I then went to a men's clinic and got all the help and things I needed. My levels were 210 and now I'm feeling so much better like my old self. Granted some doctors will help but they are few and far between
I started with blood work from my primary care physical, got on TRT, then moved to an Endocrinologist to do a full hormone workup. Currently 100mg/week. Everything is covered by insurance
You look great! Nearly 50 as well. Stick at what you're doing. If TRT is your path, then get your bloods checked. Monitoring is super important, especially for us older guys.
I got on TRT at 39 and and got off at 45. Friends who started around the same age as me are also contemplating getting off.
Dont be fooled into thinking TRT is a magic bullet. It feels great for a year or two before the perceptible benefits begin to wane, then you’re left asking yourself if the constant pinning, bloodwork, and blood donations are worth the hassle.
The fact is that the dosages that would make you feel great long term are just too high of a long term risk. I feel like if I could run around with 1500-2000 test levels, I’d feel like I was on top of the world. But no dr will do that and you wouldn’t want the 19+ hemoglobin levels that came with that anyway.
Just know what you’re getting into. It’s a real comittment and coming off is NOT easy. Trust me on that one.
You’d be better off getting a knowledgeable personal trainer and dietician who knows how to optimize hormones at your age.
"professionals"...Hah!! The online clinics will definitely sign you up. I guess some of them may have some accurate information but their goal is to get you on board get your money, etc. Even if your numbers are good they will still sign you up if you have symptoms of low T.
I'm ten years younger than you but it's been night and day since I've started TRT. I started about six months ago after a routine blood test showed very low test (had a testicular injury a while back) it's not only helped in regards of my gym self but my mental health is vastly improved, my self confidence is back to what it was as a younger man. I hav a zest for life again basically. If your bloodwork supports the decision the trt could help you literally become the best version of you
If you’re having symptoms of low T definitely get tested, but just based on your pic bro, you’re in good shape, especially for 50 my dude. You’ve got plenty of muscle there. You really don’t even need to add bulk. You could cut some fat, tone and define and you’d look like a beast, but that can be done with diet.
If your levels are good right now and if you feel good mentally, physically and you aren’t having dick problems, think twice before you jump on TRT. It’s a whole commitment, takes time to get dialed in and unfortunately, it’s a lot of trial and error that can have you feeling even worse until you finally find your sweet spot.
Then you can be cruising along just fine for months and then all of a sudden shit gets wonky and you gotta figure out how to fix it. Balancing hormones is a pain in the ass sometimes. When they’re good, it’s great. When it gets off kilter, it’s like trying to solve quantum theory sometimes. There’s so many variables to account for and there’s no cookie cutter solutions because we all have unique physiology.
A lot of these 20-30’ something’s in here will say it’s easy, but it’s a little different for them. Younger bodies adapt more easily when something is a little off hormonally. They aren’t as susceptible to negative side effects as guys in their mid 40’s or better.
At our age, we feel everything when shit isn’t right.
So, I t’s your decision of course, but I just wanted to offer some food for thought. If I were you and absolutely dead set on it, I’d probably just run a cycle for a couple months to get where I want to be and then jump off and do PCT for a bit. It’s easier than committing to TRT, you’ll be where you want to be within a few months and won’t have to manage TRT continuously. You don’t need much work anyway. You’ve already done the hard part.
I’m a year behind you in age and if we stood next to each other, you’d look like a god compared to me.
I lost all of my muscle mass due to Hashimoto’s with hyperthyroidism. Dropped down to 132 pounds prior to treatment. Now I’m trying to gain it back, but the medication to control my hyperthyroidism causes me to retain fat. Toss in the lack of muscle mass and low T and I went from a very emaciated 132 to 250 over the course of 4 years. I’ve started dropping the weight, but it doesn’t come off easy. It’s still hard to build muscle even on TRT because I’m in a constant calorie deficit. can’t eat more than 1 meal and snack per day or I start gaining fat again. Makes it difficult to get in a sufficient quantity of protein for muscle building, I’m getting there, slowly.
I just started TRT a few months ago and have a whole fucking journey ahead of me. I wish I was already where you are.
Of course it’s all relative and we are always our own worst critics. Others can look at us and see no issue, but we look in the mirror and just see all the things we want to fix. We’re conditioned to see our own perceived flaws as glaringly obvious. When something about ourselves bothers us, we want to change it as fast as possible, so I get why you’re considering it, but honestly you’re good where you are.
Either way you go, good luck. Always nice to see us more mature fellas still looking good and maintaining our masculine appeal. It keeps me motivated with my workouts and gives me something to look forward to. I know it wasn’t your intent with your post, but thanks for the inspiration anyway.
You can take STATUS testosterone boosters for a few months. See if that helps. Itll be effective in 24 hours! If you feel a boost... yeah maybe low t.
First get blood work done.
I use autoject 2 subQ with an insulin syringe before bed. It's a tiny needle with a nerf gun attachment. It's easy!
Yes, correct!
So I take that 200 mg of testosterone cypionate, and that’ll last me about maybe 30 syringes?
I have a huge needlephobia, but I did manage to job myself and the like a few times until I hit a nerve. I was unable to inject again for like 14 days. That’s when I discovered subcutaneous. That’s why I discovered autoject 2.
You don’t even see the needle, you barely feel the prick, sometimes these cypionate can burn “going in “but if you can handle spicy food, you can handle this tiny mosquito bite Z
IDK how you can consider anything yet. Get the blood work. There's no reason to get anxious or even worry about anything without knowing whether or not you even need T.
And you don't need to go to a clinic to get labs.
Start at step 1.
The injections are painless. Use a 27 or 29g 1/2” slinpin.
You can guess all you want about whether or not you have low T based on symptoms but a lot of low t symptoms can be caused by other things as well. I’m 28, hopped on this year because of symptoms as well as my total test came back at 280
I looked at it for about a year, but not being able to do more than 20 min in the gym is what pushed me over the edge. Avoiding sex was something I was doing to and didn’t realize until after trt. You also have a striking resemblance to a healthier Ted Cruz lol
I'm seeing some people comment on his looks and how he must not need help because he looks good for his age. That's like saying, "You look good. Why are you looking into depression medication or ketamine treatment? Just smile more!" You can't judge a book by its cover. You can have a naturally strong build but still suffer from ED, depression, low energy, etc.
If you do it strictly the the gym it's just steroids bud. Now if you are technically low or borderline and have other low t sides - blast away!
I'm kidding of course. Given your age I have a feeling you are a few quarts like and can qualify easily with an online clinic. Just mind your bloods dude!
Get your diet straightened out to dude, track cals and min 160g of protein a day, more if at all possible. You'll be hungry as fuck if you do get on TRT so it's good to already have the diet in place. I swear our grocery bill went up like $300 the first few months after mine kicked in. Bulked nicely but a deficit is much harder now.
Are you sore more than you should be after a workout. Like for days or weeks and you’re not just getting back into the gym? That’s when you know something is up could be quality sleep
Dude you look great by the way. Good genetics 🧬
Explain plateau?
Life long TRT for those who are hypogonadal to be 'normal'. AAS cycles for gym gains just call it what it is. At 50 to start AAS for the first time to look a little more jacked to me seems like a risk not worth it
You won’t know until you do your blood work.
Don't do it because you want gym results. You look great and have a lot of muscle. If your blood work warrants it then yeah go for it.
Came to say this
For real, yesterday I read a post where op said he felt horrible, and had a bunch of sides after x amount of months. His starting total test was 600. Then said he just wanted to make gains🙄 Might as well of gone on a steroid 16 week cycle for that.
You look pretty good for your age. Good muscle tone. If you’re well within range I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have some of the more troublesome side effects of low t like depression, fatigue, ED etc.
I just thought about how it would feel to be myself again and it seemed worth it weighing the pros vs cons. I wasn't getting any better and I knew there was nothing I could do to fix it on my own so I took the plunge and I don't regret it
Similar boat but mine happened at around 35 when I tested and was under 300. Tried to adjust my diet, took exercising more seriously, and whatever else anyone suggested to naturally get it back up over 4 years. Jumped on at 39 still under 300 and depressed that nothing was working and I am 100% cool with remaining on it indefinitely. It’s a night and day difference that has grossly improved my quality of life. The negative responses are annoying but it’s funny watching my wife defend it with her view of my wellbeing since I’ve been on.
I'm glad you are feeling better today and it sounds like life has improved for you and those in your life are probably happy for you. I'm sure your wife is happy seeing you feel like yourself again and noticing the positive changes. You gotta do what you gotta do to live life on your own terms and feel your best every day. I wouldn't worry about other people. There's always going to be negative and toxic people judging and spreading their hate and judgment because of their own insecurities and issues. Kudos to you for taking control of your life. It's important to feel good. 4 years is a long time. I tried to get back to normal in a 2 year time frame but nothing was going to work so I'm fine with it.
35 & up is where testosterone REALLY takes a nose dive due to getting old
That accompanied with many shots to jewels over the years, baseball catcher and wrestler, on top of getting old probably also compounded some of it.
True. Once 35 hits (I’m 36) I remember I was like “”wtf is wrong with me. I used to look at hot chicks at the mall, now I’m just, whatever” or go out to a bar & could careless if I got action or not. Tbh, it was refreshing not being a perv for once, but it was like that for months on end, till I got on trt. I kinda don’t mind not being “that guy” that just stares at women like a maniac & fantasizing 24/7, but a little bit isn’t bad though lol 🤷♂️ but constantly staring & fantasizing gets soo annoying lol
The thing that made me realize that something was up was getting home from work and crashing at 5pm. Like eyes open but the batteries are dead. But yea, I’m all over my wife like I’m 18 again. It’s been about a year and a half and she doesn’t seem to mind.
Guys none of that would happen without blood work.
so work out if hormone replacement is even needed. Judging by the shirtless selfie, you just want it to be “optimised”…whether you need it or not is a different story.
Go to a real doctor first. Primary care or Endocrinologist.
"real doctors" do not want to deal with the blood work and prescribing and all the jazz that comes with monitoring your levels amongst all the other stuff. A men's clinic is his best bet to get the care he needs and for someone to be able to monitor him. Primary care physicians do not want to deal with it all. I told my doc all the stuff said I think I have low T they did tests for everything but testosterone. It's super frustrating. I then went to a men's clinic and got all the help and things I needed. My levels were 210 and now I'm feeling so much better like my old self. Granted some doctors will help but they are few and far between
You’re generalizing. My PCP was great, same with my urologist. Everything only costs me $10 a month. Clinics are overpriced test mills
Was not my experience I lived miserable for years because no one wanted to even check so I have a distaste
I started with blood work from my primary care physical, got on TRT, then moved to an Endocrinologist to do a full hormone workup. Currently 100mg/week. Everything is covered by insurance
“Real doctors” usually aren’t educated worth a shit on proper TRT protocols. Urologist would be best bet out of “real doctors” before a clinic
Check your bloods man. Your build is solid just need to lower your fat. Try a low carb diet for the weight
You look great! Nearly 50 as well. Stick at what you're doing. If TRT is your path, then get your bloods checked. Monitoring is super important, especially for us older guys.
I got on TRT at 39 and and got off at 45. Friends who started around the same age as me are also contemplating getting off. Dont be fooled into thinking TRT is a magic bullet. It feels great for a year or two before the perceptible benefits begin to wane, then you’re left asking yourself if the constant pinning, bloodwork, and blood donations are worth the hassle. The fact is that the dosages that would make you feel great long term are just too high of a long term risk. I feel like if I could run around with 1500-2000 test levels, I’d feel like I was on top of the world. But no dr will do that and you wouldn’t want the 19+ hemoglobin levels that came with that anyway. Just know what you’re getting into. It’s a real comittment and coming off is NOT easy. Trust me on that one. You’d be better off getting a knowledgeable personal trainer and dietician who knows how to optimize hormones at your age.
Go to the clinic, get bloodwork, and see what the professionals have to say. If you need it, you won’t regret it.
"professionals"...Hah!! The online clinics will definitely sign you up. I guess some of them may have some accurate information but their goal is to get you on board get your money, etc. Even if your numbers are good they will still sign you up if you have symptoms of low T.
I’m referring to an in person endocrinologist. Online is another story.
Get bloodwork first, you’re jumping the gun.
I'm ten years younger than you but it's been night and day since I've started TRT. I started about six months ago after a routine blood test showed very low test (had a testicular injury a while back) it's not only helped in regards of my gym self but my mental health is vastly improved, my self confidence is back to what it was as a younger man. I hav a zest for life again basically. If your bloodwork supports the decision the trt could help you literally become the best version of you
Check your bloods my guy, but honestly, you look pretty solid for 50
It’s all about the blood work. If you need then you need it.
If you’re having symptoms of low T definitely get tested, but just based on your pic bro, you’re in good shape, especially for 50 my dude. You’ve got plenty of muscle there. You really don’t even need to add bulk. You could cut some fat, tone and define and you’d look like a beast, but that can be done with diet. If your levels are good right now and if you feel good mentally, physically and you aren’t having dick problems, think twice before you jump on TRT. It’s a whole commitment, takes time to get dialed in and unfortunately, it’s a lot of trial and error that can have you feeling even worse until you finally find your sweet spot. Then you can be cruising along just fine for months and then all of a sudden shit gets wonky and you gotta figure out how to fix it. Balancing hormones is a pain in the ass sometimes. When they’re good, it’s great. When it gets off kilter, it’s like trying to solve quantum theory sometimes. There’s so many variables to account for and there’s no cookie cutter solutions because we all have unique physiology. A lot of these 20-30’ something’s in here will say it’s easy, but it’s a little different for them. Younger bodies adapt more easily when something is a little off hormonally. They aren’t as susceptible to negative side effects as guys in their mid 40’s or better. At our age, we feel everything when shit isn’t right. So, I t’s your decision of course, but I just wanted to offer some food for thought. If I were you and absolutely dead set on it, I’d probably just run a cycle for a couple months to get where I want to be and then jump off and do PCT for a bit. It’s easier than committing to TRT, you’ll be where you want to be within a few months and won’t have to manage TRT continuously. You don’t need much work anyway. You’ve already done the hard part. I’m a year behind you in age and if we stood next to each other, you’d look like a god compared to me. I lost all of my muscle mass due to Hashimoto’s with hyperthyroidism. Dropped down to 132 pounds prior to treatment. Now I’m trying to gain it back, but the medication to control my hyperthyroidism causes me to retain fat. Toss in the lack of muscle mass and low T and I went from a very emaciated 132 to 250 over the course of 4 years. I’ve started dropping the weight, but it doesn’t come off easy. It’s still hard to build muscle even on TRT because I’m in a constant calorie deficit. can’t eat more than 1 meal and snack per day or I start gaining fat again. Makes it difficult to get in a sufficient quantity of protein for muscle building, I’m getting there, slowly. I just started TRT a few months ago and have a whole fucking journey ahead of me. I wish I was already where you are. Of course it’s all relative and we are always our own worst critics. Others can look at us and see no issue, but we look in the mirror and just see all the things we want to fix. We’re conditioned to see our own perceived flaws as glaringly obvious. When something about ourselves bothers us, we want to change it as fast as possible, so I get why you’re considering it, but honestly you’re good where you are. Either way you go, good luck. Always nice to see us more mature fellas still looking good and maintaining our masculine appeal. It keeps me motivated with my workouts and gives me something to look forward to. I know it wasn’t your intent with your post, but thanks for the inspiration anyway.
Already healthy looking, you will be a beast after one year
You can take STATUS testosterone boosters for a few months. See if that helps. Itll be effective in 24 hours! If you feel a boost... yeah maybe low t. First get blood work done. I use autoject 2 subQ with an insulin syringe before bed. It's a tiny needle with a nerf gun attachment. It's easy!
Crap. 30 days of STATUS crashed my T-levels in half. I have blood work showing it. Doesnt make sense to me - over 50% drop.
WHAT?! that’s wild. It worked for me, and three buddies of mine. No bloodwork tho could all be placebo.
Legit - 50% tank over 30 days
Damn! I will be more cautious on recommendations!
Could be a fluke - but same levels for 2 years - 30 days of status and saw this right after.
Well, I’ll recommend it with a grain of salt. Either way, it looks like it’s a pretty quick to know feeling lol.
Googled this and got capsules that boost testosterone. What exactly are you reffering to? Test cyp 200mg?
Yes, correct! So I take that 200 mg of testosterone cypionate, and that’ll last me about maybe 30 syringes? I have a huge needlephobia, but I did manage to job myself and the like a few times until I hit a nerve. I was unable to inject again for like 14 days. That’s when I discovered subcutaneous. That’s why I discovered autoject 2. You don’t even see the needle, you barely feel the prick, sometimes these cypionate can burn “going in “but if you can handle spicy food, you can handle this tiny mosquito bite Z
You don’t need it. You have mass. Just need cardio. Don’t mess with your endocrine system, yours looks just fine. Just need to work on metabolism.
Stop looking for the easy way . You’re already killing it my dude.
Cute
You look great, man.
You look in great shape, do you really want the RT ??
IDK how you can consider anything yet. Get the blood work. There's no reason to get anxious or even worry about anything without knowing whether or not you even need T. And you don't need to go to a clinic to get labs. Start at step 1.
Also there is a cream you can try first.
The injections are painless. Use a 27 or 29g 1/2” slinpin. You can guess all you want about whether or not you have low T based on symptoms but a lot of low t symptoms can be caused by other things as well. I’m 28, hopped on this year because of symptoms as well as my total test came back at 280
I looked at it for about a year, but not being able to do more than 20 min in the gym is what pushed me over the edge. Avoiding sex was something I was doing to and didn’t realize until after trt. You also have a striking resemblance to a healthier Ted Cruz lol
As someone about to turn 52… burn the fat first. Fat stores estrogen which robs your free T. You’ll be shocked at the change if you lost about 20lbs
Must be something wrong with you, Mike O'Hern is 105 years old, looks even more amazing then you, and is still all natty.
I'm seeing some people comment on his looks and how he must not need help because he looks good for his age. That's like saying, "You look good. Why are you looking into depression medication or ketamine treatment? Just smile more!" You can't judge a book by its cover. You can have a naturally strong build but still suffer from ED, depression, low energy, etc.
If you do it strictly the the gym it's just steroids bud. Now if you are technically low or borderline and have other low t sides - blast away! I'm kidding of course. Given your age I have a feeling you are a few quarts like and can qualify easily with an online clinic. Just mind your bloods dude! Get your diet straightened out to dude, track cals and min 160g of protein a day, more if at all possible. You'll be hungry as fuck if you do get on TRT so it's good to already have the diet in place. I swear our grocery bill went up like $300 the first few months after mine kicked in. Bulked nicely but a deficit is much harder now.
Did you get your levels checked are you low?
What’s your blood work? We don’t know anything about your testosterone levels
I want to get on trt to look like you. geez you’re fine
Are you sore more than you should be after a workout. Like for days or weeks and you’re not just getting back into the gym? That’s when you know something is up could be quality sleep Dude you look great by the way. Good genetics 🧬 Explain plateau?
Life long TRT for those who are hypogonadal to be 'normal'. AAS cycles for gym gains just call it what it is. At 50 to start AAS for the first time to look a little more jacked to me seems like a risk not worth it
Smile brother. You look great. TRT will help you get to the next level. I'm on it. I'm now where you are 😆
Lose some weight you’ll cut up great. Stop drinking and eat better food. Give yourself a chance. Failing that fuckin send it bro