Testosterone Supplements?

[gzregorz]

Anyone here take testosterone supplements?

Years ago I never would have considered the idea but then I heard the argument that basically you take testosterone supplements to put back in your body what your body no longer naturally produces as you get older. Makes sense to me. Also after hearing this is what Lance Armstrong used to take I think it goes without saying that it does definitely does something to improve performance

I'm not competitive, it's not my thing it's never been my thing, at least in martial arts anyway. But I wouldn't mind feeling ten years younger.

I take vitamins and fish oil for my health, glucosamine for my joints, aspirin when I get a headache, perhaps something to improve performance isn't such a big leap.

[Bhassler]

This should get you sorted out.

http://www.playwell.co.uk/images/pty.jpg

[gzregorz]

LOL!

[kenneth fish]

The only time you might consider testosterone injections (which is still the only effective delivery) is if you are hypogonadal - in other words, if you are low in testosterone. Oral testosterone is preferentially converted to estrogen, and patches and creams have very low availability .

[zenshiite]

Magnesium supplementation is supposed to help increase testosterone production. Especially topical magnesium.

[kshurika]

Apparently, you haven't been keeping up with Lance Armstrong. There's no denying that he's a major prick (just ask one of his former best friends who's been sued by him). He's a cheater, a liar, a whiner, a treacherous turncoat and he only has one testicle. Why? Because he's a cheater,a liar, a.................. And so on and so forth.

As a former decathlete who blood-packed (now called doping) and took roids in every delivery system then available - all of it overseen by high-end medical personnel skilled in the art of deception, I can tell you that performance-enhancing drugs are not worth it. They turn you into a monster as they shorten your life. Just ask soon-to-be-broke Lance Armstrong.

[fuga]

Can you improve performance as you age and get weaker and have less wind? How do you improve with those constraints? For me, this is a more interesting path than holding on to what will vanish.

-pete

[gzregorz]

bringing up Lance Armstrong was a poor choice of words.

George Carlin was right!

[bruce]

i have been around people who have used testosterone injections. they all worked out a lot and got impressive muscles very fast due to the extreme endurance the drugs gave them. all of them had serious problems dealing with stress and got frustrated and angry at the smallest random things. some of these people i had known for years off the drug and i say lots of negative emotional changes in them. my advice is do not use these drugs unless you consult a few qualified doctors and they all independently agree it would benefit your wellbeing.

[TeaSerpent]

they all worked out a lot and got impressive muscles very fast due to the extreme endurance the drugs gave them. all of them had serious problems dealing with stress and got frustrated and angry at the smallest random things.

Sounds like being a teenager again, guess that means it does work.

[gzregorz]

I appreciate everyone's feedback.

I won't be getting shots. I'm more interested in the supplements you can get. Amazon has a lot of them. They're not testosterone but chemicals which make your body produce more testorerone. I've seen them at gnc and walmart for about a fraction of the price too. In fact here's the one I saw at Walmart, which I'm posting so people can see the reviews. http://www.amazon.com/Six-Star-Professi ... stosterone

MMA and cross fit guys I know swear by this stuff as well as protein shakes and all that, I was just curious if anyone here has tried it.

Yes to me it's a little strange too. But I don't think the clock will ever be turned back, I think as time goes on more athletes, martial artists and other people with active lifestyles will be looking into these types of things.

Can you improve performance as you age and get weaker and have less wind? How do you improve with those constraints? For me, this is a more interesting path than holding on to what will vanish.

-pete

Thanks for you feedback Pete.

Martial arts is just one part it, which was my point about not being competitive. I have a very physical job (driving and lifting), I train until exhaustion and I like having that drive to do things that is stronger when you're younger. Yet the reality is we all start to slow down.

In fact riding motorcyles for young people generally isn't a problem. The problem is with older riders who no longer have the quick reaction time they did when they were young and as a result get into more accidents than younger riders. Although I don't ride a motorcyle I do a lot of driving for work and if something like taking a pill will help keep my reaction time up then I'm game.

[jonathan.bluestein]

MMA and cross fit guys I know swear by this stuff as well as protein shakes and all that, I was just curious if anyone here has tried it.

Protein shakes are BS. The companies that make them use bodybuilders to endorse these products, often showing them drinking these at official events. However, if you research bodybuilding a little you'd find out that historically, the vast majority of pro bodybuilders actually preferred eating regular, high-quality food by the mass. In his competition days, post practice, Ronnie Coleman wouldn't drink a protein shake - he'd go directly to a local Steak House. Red Meat, besides being an awesome source for protein, is an excellent source for 'bad cholesterol' - which happens to be the stuff our body uses to synthesize Testosterone. So one proven way to get big and strong (considering you also train well) is eating lots of red meat. Unhealthy, but gets the job done. I know that some powerlifters even avoid white meat because the effect that red meat has for such athletes is considered vastly superior. Of course, one could also do well with either chicken or fish if one has cholesterol issues. Personally, I care more for health, and prefer fish.

[allen2saint]

I don't know, man. I see the reviews but I, at 45, losing the hair and definitely feeling my edge wane just a little, am still really spooked about using something to mess around with my body's ability to make a hormone. Hormones are the source and motivator of a lot of our lives. Every girl I know who takes the pill tells me tales about how it messes with them. I don't know, but Chinese medicine tells us( I believe) that there is no magic. If you create more yang, the yin pays the price. I'd find some good chi gung.

[kenneth fish]

Protein shakes are, as Bluestein says, BS, and have a host of unintended side effects. As for the "testosterone enhancing supplements" - BS as well. Perhaps you should consult your doctor and see if there is a reason for your malaise. I would advise getting the following tests (assuming nothing else is going on): Total Testosterone and Free and Weakly Bound , VItamin D-25 and D 1-25 dihydroxy, Thyroid panel including TSH, T3, T4, Free T3, and T3 uptake.

[kshurika]

Very good advice from Dr. F. As for red meat being bad for you, well, the latest surge in that propaganda is a negative publicity campaign, funded by certain "conscious capitalist" companies (which are every bit as greedy as Warren Buffet). I suggest reading Gary Taubes' "Good Calories, Bad Calories", or his newer, more reader-friendly version of it, "Why We Get Fat". You might also hunt around PubMed for the genuine, unbiased studies that have been done on cholesterol and diet since the forties (but have been suppressed). One thing we can all agree on, roids, HGH and Androstinedione (which used to be available over-the-counter) are very bad for you. Just ask Lyle Alzado. Oh, wait, you can't.