About me: 28 year old male, have been racing for about 6 years, vegan for around the same time.
My GP and I have been monitoring my testosterone, vit d, b12, cortisol, erythropoietin, along with hematocrit and other blood indicators every month for the past few months. As my training volume has increased we've noticed a steady decline in testosterone and an increase in cortisol. Just recently my T slipped just below the healthy range for men my age (110 ng/DL). Iron, hemoglobin, hematocrit, RBC, and all other tested indicators have all stayed relatively constant.
I've read a lot of literature on decreased testosterone in an endurance athletes, usually as a function of elevated cortisol from the stress of training. My peak race is 3 weeks away (Ironman Santa Rosa). I'm hoping the taper and extra rest will help normalize my levels. I've also introduced some herbal supplements mainly turmeric, trans-resveratrol, and fenugreek to help restore the levels.
Any other athletes experience this? Beyond extra rest what worked well for you? This is my third Ironman, though this season I've increased my volume and intensity substantially. Fortunately, I don't seem to have any other symptoms of chronic overtraining. My motivation and energy levels feel stable and I'm still able to put out relatively high wattage. I would say however that my sex-drive has definitely declined
Wanted to share my experience and see if anyone out there has had a similar experience, and see what worked for them to restore normal endocrine function
My GP and I have been monitoring my testosterone, vit d, b12, cortisol, erythropoietin, along with hematocrit and other blood indicators every month for the past few months. As my training volume has increased we've noticed a steady decline in testosterone and an increase in cortisol. Just recently my T slipped just below the healthy range for men my age (110 ng/DL). Iron, hemoglobin, hematocrit, RBC, and all other tested indicators have all stayed relatively constant.
I've read a lot of literature on decreased testosterone in an endurance athletes, usually as a function of elevated cortisol from the stress of training. My peak race is 3 weeks away (Ironman Santa Rosa). I'm hoping the taper and extra rest will help normalize my levels. I've also introduced some herbal supplements mainly turmeric, trans-resveratrol, and fenugreek to help restore the levels.
Any other athletes experience this? Beyond extra rest what worked well for you? This is my third Ironman, though this season I've increased my volume and intensity substantially. Fortunately, I don't seem to have any other symptoms of chronic overtraining. My motivation and energy levels feel stable and I'm still able to put out relatively high wattage. I would say however that my sex-drive has definitely declined
Wanted to share my experience and see if anyone out there has had a similar experience, and see what worked for them to restore normal endocrine function