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Questions about BF, Lifting, and Testosterone levels

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magnoliagent123
June 15, 2018
13 upvotes
askMRP

5'6", 153lbs, ~25%bf SL 5X5 - SQ: 155; BP: 90, ROW: 95; OHP: 90; DL: 165 Read: WISNIFG; working on NMMNG and RM

I have two specific questions related to my health/fitness.

1.) I've been lifting about 6 weeks now and have definitely dropped quite a bit of fat and body changes are becoming noticeable. My lifts have not stalled yet (I took a week off for vacation and had to decrease weight). I track every meal and my macros religiously. Current target diet is 155g protein/80g fat/<25g carbs. I am happy with my progress…but…I'm having a hard time establishing my goals now that I'm losing weight. As someone on the shorter side (5'6") what should my goal bf% and weight be? I want to be ripped, but every chart that I look at for bf% shows that my weight for 15% being 118-130lbs. That seems crazy. Any examples of someone my height who is looking great – what is your weight?

2.) Finally got my testosterone levels checked and came back as 336 and 10.5 (free/direct). I was fully expecting it to be lower honestly. Dr. says this is fine, but I know they tend to say that no matter what. Is this level ok for now? Any of my other levels matter?


Post Information
Title Questions about BF, Lifting, and Testosterone levels
Author magnoliagent123
Upvotes 13
Comments 32
Date 15 June 2018 05:00 PM UTC (2 years ago)
Subreddit askMRP
Link https://theredarchive.com/post/204338
Original Link https://old.reddit.com/r/askMRP/comments/8rcizt/questions_about_bf_lifting_and_testosterone_levels/
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Comments

[–]CaliEd2569 points10 points  (6 children) | Copy

336 is NOT FINE. That’s the average testosterone level of a 85 year old man. I started TRT about 6 weeks ago, levels around 900 right now (20 year old).

You will feel a HUNDRED TIMES BETTER on TRT. Better sex, lifting will drastically improve, attitude better, it has been a legit miracle cure for me. My previous levels were in the high 400s, so you’re worse off than I was.

Will you ever be able to convince your PCP of that? Doubtful. But he’s probably in his 50s and fat as fuck (at least mine was). Not someone I want to take Heath advice from.

There’s a clinic in Florida that does phone consultations and will 100% set you up for TRT. PM me if you want details.

[–]PBL890 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy

What were your levels pre TRT?

[–]WesternhagenWinner0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy

Agree.

I had general practitioners tell me my low-ass T levels were "normal". Finally went to a specialist, got on TRT, and feel so much better.

[–]officerkondo0 points1 point  (2 children) | Copy

OP, listen to this guy. My doctor wouldn’t even test me because I could get boners. I got tested through other means and was in the low 400s. Get yourself on TRT. As for me, I buy from underground labs because I can’t be bothered to deal with doctors’ bullshit.

[–]wallst070 points1 point  (1 child) | Copy

Where do you get labs done, do you check E2?

[–]officerkondo0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy

Yes, I check E2. I buy my tests from PrivateMDLabs.com.

[–]TheIronHeel-1 points0 points  (0 children) | Copy

What's TRT short for. Educate me. I'm 43 and want to be 20 again.

Edit: nevermind I googled it. Being a lazy fuck. Cheers

[–]red-sfpplusHard Core Red2 points3 points  (10 children) | Copy

One of my lifting buds is your height and is 190 at 35yo. He also pushes 3 plates with me and runs a full stack of gear. He also eats a cow everyday and a few chickens.

What is ripped? Skinny guy with abs or strong and you don’t care about abs?

Also, who cares what the scale says? What does the mirror say?

Your test could be high or low depending on age.

[–]magnoliagent123[S] 1 point2 points  (4 children) | Copy

What is ripped? Skinny guy with abs or strong and you don’t care about abs?

Strong with abs is preferred.

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (1 child) | Copy

You need to recomp at your current stats. This can only be done effectively while you make newbie gains. You should be eating a VERY slight surplus and getting 150g protein a day. VERY slight. I’m talking 2400-2500.

Work on strength gains at first until you stall. Switch to PPL after and go for bulk. Bulk muscle helps you cut better than strength.

[–]NoCoast821 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy

This is a voice of reason

[–]red-sfpplusHard Core Red1 point2 points  (1 child) | Copy

The you need to eat at surplus and lift at least three days a week heavy for 6-12 months and report back.

[–]470_2_700_nm0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy

I agree. OP is so new to this his just needs to keep going. Lifting is a great journey, and it transfers well over the rest of your life's lifts.

[–]matrixtospartanatLVRed Beret1 point2 points  (1 child) | Copy

This.

Stop chasing a number on a fucking scale.

“Mirror Mirror on the wall, how close am I to being the most bad ass of all?”

[–]red-sfpplusHard Core Red2 points3 points  (0 children) | Copy

Do you work for Disney?

[–]RedPill-BlackLotusRed Beret0 points1 point  (2 children) | Copy

Do you lean out for the summer?

[–]red-sfpplusHard Core Red2 points3 points  (1 child) | Copy

HA!

No. Perma bulk man. I just want to lift up heavy shit.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy

The extremes always remind me of the Ultimo-Dragon versus The Giant wrestling match some 20 years ago. One was skinny, looked good, and could out maneuver, but if the other got a hold of you he could break you like a twig.

[–]SteelToeShitKickerRed Beret2 points3 points  (2 children) | Copy

Your T levels are shit. Go to a men's clinic, pay out of pocket if you need to. If you don't want any more kids, go straight to the needle, don't let them give you clomid/nolva. At your current levels, when you cut, you will lose all your muscle gains. When you bulk you will gain some muscle, but mostly fat. Rinse and repeat for years, wondering why you can't ever reach your goals.

5 months on TRT I have better gains than years with low T.

[–]CaliEd2561 point2 points  (1 child) | Copy

Agreed. I was on Clomid for three months. Yes, my test levels were high, but holy fuck I was a mess. Estrogen was within normal limits but would cry daily and sleep 12 hours a day. Nasty shit, for me at least.

[–]SteelToeShitKickerRed Beret2 points3 points  (0 children) | Copy

Yeah, I don't miss tearing up at the end of my kid's cartoons.

[–]creating_my_life1 point2 points  (1 child) | Copy

Current target diet is 155g protein/80g fat/<25g carbs.

Don't be afraid of carbs. Be afraid of empty carbs. 155g P is on the high side. I target 0.6 to 0.8 g P of a target bodyweight (12%). Healthy carbs fuel a good workout. Eating healthy veggies is more important than "going keto".

Any examples of someone my height who is looking great – what is your weight?

I'm 5-9, look fine at 160, but could cut to 150. Extrapolate as necessary.

[–]magnoliagent123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy

I'll be working complex carbs back in, just wanted to lose as much of the gut as possible in a short time and it's mostly been successful.

[–]NoCoast821 point2 points  (2 children) | Copy

What ever you do, do not go on a fucking bulk! No one giving you that advice is your height, weight, bodyfat, fitness level, or testosterone level.

You need to focus on getting stronger, making good food choices, and getting your hormones figured out.

If you have health insurance you can get your T levels fixed with a slight manipulation, or if you have a few grand a year you can get the help of a mens clinic. Whatever you do focus on eating right, lifting heavy, and getting T in a good place.

I'm 4.5 weeks into TRT, up 4-6lbs bodyweight and all lifts slowly moving up. Also am 5'6 so ask questions please

[–]meaningintragedy0 points1 point  (1 child) | Copy

Slight manipulation ?

[–]NoCoast821 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy

A big ass Gatorade 30-60min prior to blood draw will drop your numbers 20% or greater. Proven in several published studies (and I tried it myself even though my numbers were already below 300)

[–]mrp_awakening1 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy

Looks like you're doing keto (<25g carbs). My suggestion would be to drop the protein some and increase the fat some (especially saturated fat). If you're goal weight is 130, then 130g protein should be sufficient. You'll feel better and it'll help your testosterone. Check out the ketogains subreddit. You may stall between lifting and weight loss. It should be easier to add lean muscle when you're already lean (T levels will be higher), so if gains or weight loss or both stall, I'd push the cut harder (lower calories) first before bulking.

On point #2, see above for eating more fat (especially saturated). Cholesterol would be good too. Take Mg and Zinc supplements. While losing weight, Estrogen can spike and T can fall (estrogen is stored inside fat cells). Once you've lost weight though, E falls and T will go up (fat converts T to E). You're only 6mo in lifting as well. When your lifts start getting seriously heavier, you'll get more test boost from the gym. People are saying 336 is not fine, but I'd recommend getting to your target weight and holding there for a bit and retesting your levels. Fat loss and muscle gains may be all you need and that would be a better solution to committing to a lifetime of TRT.

[–]nastynickdrRed Beret0 points1 point  (1 child) | Copy

Your test is on the lowish side. You should also check estrogen and thyroid hormones.

Work on raising it. You could try naturally first. Stop eating processed crap, eat just real food. Do everything that is said here for at least 3-6 months and re-test:

https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-increase-testosterone-naturally/

Or you can go the TRT route, but you need to research a lot about it and get a GOOD doctor, or he can screw you up for life.

https://www.amazon.com/Testosterone-Guide-Second-Nelson-Vergel-ebook/dp/B003JBI22A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1529092032&sr=1-1&keywords=testosterone+a+mans+guide

https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Versus-Testosterone-Therapy-Myer-ebook/dp/B017PX5KSQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1529092184&sr=1-1&keywords=natural+versus+testosterone

I want to be ripped, but every chart that I look at for bf% shows that my weight for 15% being 118-130lbs.

This is for someone who doesnt lift, forget about that and BMI charts.

Look at this motherfucker. He weights 242 pounds at 5'10", acording to BMI index he is obese or whatever.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Green_(powerlifter)

http://catalysttrainingsystems.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/dan-green-deadlift.jpg

[–]meaningintragedy1 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy

Lol @ showing Dan Green as an example.

[–]fuckmrpRed Beret0 points1 point  (1 child) | Copy

I'm 6ft, 195 and I stay around 10%, visible abs year round. Took me fucking years to get here. I plan my goals in 6 months increments. "I've been lifting about 6 weeks now" fucking hilarious...

[–]470_2_700_nm1 point2 points  (0 children) | Copy

Yup - and at a shit ton of body fat % too. He'll get there, or not.

[–]RedPill-BlackLotusRed Beret0 points1 point  (0 children) | Copy

High level crossfit competitors are about your hight and ripped as shit. Have a look at Rich fronong for a good example of a jacked manlet.

Let's not lose sight of the actual goal here and that's to look good. As red says, fuck the scale, go by what the mirror says. And you are kind of lucky because it's a lot easier to look jacked at your hight. Pro bodybuilders are usually around 5'9.

Your natty testosterone levels are as flakey as bipolar woman. You would need a few samples in the low end and some solid low t symptoms yo get a legit prescription.

If you want to do juice just read the wiki on the steroids sub, it has everything you need.

Keep at It man.



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