low test

[vkk]

ok, progress has been shitty. lifts seem to be slowly going up, stalling, regressing. once the lift has gotten past the stall point by a very small margin, strength regresses. For example... ive worked up to a 240x5 squat, and then stalled at it because i couldn't get 3x5 with 240. dropped the weight to 220 that same day and couldn't get a single. Today was supposed to squat 225 for 3x5 but could only get a set of 5. This has been re occurring for quite some time. Id say im probably getting 5 lbs or so a month on a lift. Current program is squat heavy 3x5 on monday and friday. deadlift on wednesday, alternate ohp and benching A/B style. deadlift has crashed from 365x5 to 315x5, although not as fast as a decline as the squat, still a decline that pisses me off. used to be able to pull 405x1 but i doubt i could do that right now. libido is gone. no desire to fap or to pursue chicks. had test levels checked and test was at 365. doing a bit of research, it appears that the medically low definition for low test is 300, so im not that far off. what should i do? im 19 yrs old btw. 6'3'' 197 lbs, if that matter at all.

Edit: dont know what forum to stick this in, but discussion forum seemed to be the best.

[bbjeff86]

Your test levels are fine. Go to your Doctor, tell him your symptoms, and seek medical advice. There could be a number of other issues going on here. Make sure your diet is solid (have somebody experienced that knows what they are doing look it over), make sure your getting 7+ hours of sleep EVERY night, and evaluate other areas of your life.

Unless your test levels are below 300 then there is no need to be concerned, and no endo would write you a script for anything with your levels.

[LG1]

Also for diet and rest. When is the last time you took meaningful time off from the gym?

[vkk]

Your test levels are fine. Go to your Doctor, tell him your symptoms, and seek medical advice. There could be a number of other issues going on here. Make sure your diet is solid (have somebody experienced that knows what they are doing look it over), make sure your getting 7+ hours of sleep EVERY night, and evaluate other areas of your life.

Unless your test levels are below 300 then there is no need to be concerned, and no endo would write you a script for anything with your levels.

weird, i was just expecting them to be a lot higher at this age. diet wise, its the basic diet that Dante has put out with carb cutoffs at 5PM. some days i dont feel hungry at all and make it a fast day... :/ sleeps a little tipsy. ill sleep at 4-5am everyday and wake up at 1-2pm. its not regular, but its still 7+. could that be the cause?

Also for diet and rest. When is the last time you took meaningful time off from the gym?

i did a deload 4 weeks ago. actually not lifting wise? probably sometime in march.

[bbjeff86]

weird, i was just expecting them to be a lot higher at this age.
The thing to remember is there is a healthy RANGE or I think 250-1000... typically younger people are higher, and older people are lower, but as long as you are in that range you shouldn't be running into any major issues, and going on any type of HRT should be nowhere in your mind, you need to see a doctor, and try to find the underlying cause of this and correct it naturally... the lower range test should not be a problem.

diet wise, its the basic diet that Dante has put out with carb cutoffs at 5PM. sleeps a little tipsy. ill sleep at 4-5am everyday and wake up at 1-2pm. its not regular, but its still 7+. could that be the cause?

How much fat is in your diet? What is your cardiovascular health like? How fat or not fat are you? As long as you are getting 7+ hours of sleep every night the time shouldn't matter too much, but the body can struggle a bit with non standard sleep times, try to keep your sleep as consistent as possible, and maybe even try to bump it up a tad.

i did a deload 4 weeks ago. actually not lifting wise? probably sometime in march.

If you haven't had a deload from the weights since march take one.

[vkk]

If you haven't had a deload from the weights since march take one.

Fat content in diet is 120g. I dont have the saturated fat values written down anywhere, but all fats come from almonds, natural peanut butter, whole eggs, whole milk, beef and olive oil.

Bodyfat wise, id say 15-18%. not shredded, but not fat.

ill try and fix the sleep hours first..

[BigLar]

I disagree; your test levels are not fine. At 19, they should be higher than 365. Did they check free test? Did they check your thyroid? Did you get a full physical?

As mentioned, diet and rest can affect some peoples test levels. They don't affect mine much at all. Other things that can cause low test levels are being overweight and the use of narcotics. Are you taking any prescription or recreational drugs (don't answer here- rhetorical question). While I don't think you're a candidate for HRT, I would still research, do a self-assessment of your lifestyle and talk with your doctor.

[bbjeff86]

Biglar... my point was that his test levels are not low as in he needs to be on HRT... obviously they are on the lower end... but they are in the healthy range... too many people in the bodybuilding arena think they need to have test levels approaching 1000 to be healthy... when really it's just an excuse to try to get a doctor to write them a script for drugs... unless you an older individual (50+) or your test levels are below the healthy range I don't know why anybody would risk getting on HRT other than the fact that it's a legal way for them to take AAS.

[shorkdee]

This looks like what happened to me after three months of squating three times a week. From what you wrote, I gather you've been on this program for six months or more and you have accumulated fatigue.
I switched to ramping sets of 3 (leaving a rep in the tank) and my squat improved nicely.
I can't give any advice on deadlift because I suck at it.
I bet the low test thing is just the result of being banged up.

[vkk]

This looks like what happened to me after three months of squating three times a week. From what you wrote, I gather you've been on this program for six months or more.

you hit it the nail right on the head. been doing this linear progression program since december.

and you have accumulated fatigue.
I switched to ramping sets of 3 (leaving a rep in the tank) and my squat improved nicely.

I think ill take a 1 week off and then start a madcow 5x5.

I can't give any advice on deadlift because I suck at it.
I bet the low test thing is just the result of being banged up.

As for the test levels, ill bump this thread again in the future when i get them checked again with an update.

yellow.

[shorkdee]

Madcow intermediate got my squat 3RM from 120 to 150kg at 42yo. It's a good program with detailed instructions. I'm sure you'll do fine with it.

[Ivan Danko]

Biglar... my point was that his test levels are not low as in he needs to be on HRT... obviously they are on the lower end... but they are in the healthy range... too many people in the bodybuilding arena think they need to have test levels approaching 1000 to be healthy... when really it's just an excuse to try to get a doctor to write them a script for drugs... unless you an older individual (50+) or your test levels are below the healthy range I don't know why anybody would risk getting on HRT other than the fact that it's a legal way for them to take AAS.

Clearly, you have never experienced the life altering symptoms of a legitimately low total testosterone level at a tender of age of 27 as I have. And perhaps you also do not understand that the range of so called "healthy" hormonal levels has no rhyme or reason other than its based on 95% of the American population....be they 19 or 89 years old, healthy as a horse, or sick as a dog.

[LG1]

Biglar... my point was that his test levels are not low as in he needs to be on HRT... obviously they are on the lower end... but they are in the healthy range... too many people in the bodybuilding arena think they need to have test levels approaching 1000 to be healthy... when really it's just an excuse to try to get a doctor to write them a script for drugs... unless you an older individual (50+) or your test levels are below the healthy range I don't know why anybody would risk getting on HRT other than the fact that it's a legal way for them to take AAS.

Clearly, you have never experienced the life altering symptoms of a legitimately low total testosterone level at a tender of age of 27 as I have. And perhaps you also do not understand that the range of so called "healthy" hormonal levels has no rhyme or reason other than its based on 95% of the American population....be they 19 or 89 years old, healthy as a horse, or sick as a dog.

I think both of you have merit in what you have to say. I am 36 and also had test at the lower end of the range.

I have been taking MG test booster together with TP libido 4 product for several months now. Looking forward to seeing my latest blood test results.