Starting Strength Newbie & Test

[Cole Gorton]

Hi,

I am 39M, 5'11 approx 180lbs.

pretty similar stats here fwiw

Any advice on newbies trying test, diet tips for a guy my size? I was thinkgin about 4K maybe? !

the side effects of T are generally positive. any unpleasant side effects are usually temporary while your body adjusts. ive been on T for almost a year now and the #1 improvement i have noticied is my sleep quality and quantity. if you end up being one of the very few that cannot tolerate it, then you just stop and youre back to where you are now, no harm no foul. as far as diet, i would shoot for closer to 3k or 4k per day. at our age, excess calories arent used as well as they may have been in our 20s. i cant imagine trying to eat 6k per day. fuck that

[DRG]

pretty similar stats here fwiw


the side effects of T are generally positive. any unpleasant side effects are usually temporary while your body adjusts. ive been on T for almost a year now and the #1 improvement i have noticied is my sleep quality and quantity. if you end up being one of the very few that cannot tolerate it, then you just stop and youre back to where you are now, no harm no foul. as far as diet, i would shoot for closer to 3k or 4k per day. at our age, excess calories arent used as well as they may have been in our 20s. i cant imagine trying to eat 6k per day. fuck that

Thanks thats very helpful. I will aim around 3k, maybe a little higher on training days when hungry after workout, and adjust from there if required. I feel like my sleep quality is fairly steady at the moment, not amazing but I always get aroudn 6-8hr sleep, its a boat I dont want to rock, but if anything i suspect it will improve. Only currently interrupted by the need to piss every few hours .

[Martin Shenfield]

Ok, I have more info, although I dont know how to dissect it:

Biochemistry
Albumin 93.700 H 35 - 50 g/L HIGH
Hormones
Free-Testosterone
(Calculated) 0.097 L 0.226 - 0.65 nmol/L LOW
SHBG 21.600 18 - 40 nmol/L
Testosterone 6.730 L 12 - 30 nmol/L LOW

Ok. Your test sucks. After your SHBG is good. That rules out other things you could have tried...

So if your FSH and LH are high as well (even just one of them) then you have no option but TRT. If they are very low then you might, and I mean might be able to try something like HCG to try to kick-start your natural system. But then I'd be asking you questions like if you'd previously used anabolics or SARMs.

I have no idea what is going on with your albumin level as I'm not an expert. To me, that's your oddest level and worth investigating.

[DRG]

Thank you,

I now have my second results back and the albumin was 57 and the testostorone 7.9 so it looks like I am going to have to give it a go.

Just wondering, would starting strength program itself be enough to improve my testosterone? (done 4 sessions so far so not enough to tell), or would TRT still be necessary?

Thanks for any advice.

[Martin Shenfield]

Thank you,

I now have my second results back and the albumin was 57 and the testostorone 7.9 so it looks like I am going to have to give it a go.

Just wondering, would starting strength program itself be enough to improve my testosterone? (done 4 sessions so far so not enough to tell), or would TRT still be necessary?

Thanks for any advice.

What is your FSH and LH levels? It literally cannot be answered as to whether anything but TRT will help you without those numbers.

If your SHBG is super high there are other options (it's not), if your FSH and LH are extremely low (like less than 1) then there may be other options. If they are high there is no other option other than TRT.

So look at your levels, talk to your provider about that options you have and do it.

[DRG]

What is your FSH and LH levels? It literally cannot be answered as to whether anything but TRT will help you without those numbers.

If your SHBG is super high there are other options (it's not), if your FSH and LH are extremely low (like less than 1) then there may be other options. If they are high there is no other option other than TRT.

So look at your levels, talk to your provider about that options you have and do it.

FSH is 6.1
LH 2.5

I have had a consultation today and been approved to start on 2 doses of testosterone per week 0.25ml and also 2 doses of HCG per week.

I don’t really understand the HCG but apparently it’s recommended so I guess I am going on there recommendation.

I am going to start next week - been advised to check blood pressure regular, looking forward to get the numbers up on SS with this little test booster

[Satch12879]

FSH is 6.1
LH 2.5

I have had a consultation today and been approved to start on 2 doses of testosterone per week 0.25ml and also 2 doses of HCG per week.

I don’t really understand the HCG but apparently it’s recommended so I guess I am going on there recommendation.

I am going to start next week - been advised to check blood pressure regular, looking forward to get the numbers up on SS with this little test booster

HCG is often prescribed with testosterone to counter some of its secondary effects, like testicular atrophy and reduction in sperm production. It's water soluble, so you have to keep it in the fridge, and injected subcutaneously, as opposed to intramuscularly for the testosterone.

[Johnsonville]

Thank you,

I now have my second results back and the albumin was 57 and the testostorone 7.9 so it looks like I am going to have to give it a go.

Just wondering, would starting strength program itself be enough to improve my testosterone? (done 4 sessions so far so not enough to tell), or would TRT still be necessary?

Thanks for any advice.

Nah training might help your test a little, but your numbers are extremely low. Definitely listen to the trt podcasts and keep us updated on your training. For nutrition listen to Robert Santana's stuff, he also has some articles that are very helpful so you don’t get sloppy fat while eating enough to recover.