Anyone doing the hormone replacement thing? I just turned 40 and seem to be lacking a little lead in the pencil, so to speak. Is this a training thing or being 40 or both. I doubt that the little blue pill would be a cure as I think my circulation is fine. Perhaps it’s the level of training and age, but would replacement be a help. Oh to be young again.
“Anyone doing the hormone replacement thing?”
the slowtwitch stand: if you’re significantly lower in testosteone or HGH than those in your age category, you’ve probably known about this since you were a teenager and you’ve been injecting yourself for decades.
if your loss of testosterone is simply due to aging, taking supplemental testosterone is just plain cheating if you’re racing. feel free to juice and not race, or not juice and race. choose one.
there are people out there–endurance sports coaches–preaching that it’s somehow ethically okay to do this. it’s not. no problem that you asked, i’m glad you did. it’s a legitimate ethical question. i’m glad to be given the opportunity to answer it.
it’s like lance and epo. if you’re recovering from chemo, no ethical question there. if you’re healthy and your hematocrit is 42 and you want it to be 49, that’s not a legitimate use of epo. likewise, if your testosterone is way out of the range low, then i think (doctors please correct me) you’ve probably been shooting blanks long before spending hours on a pointy-nose saddle, etc., and extra-low testosterone is evident in ways other than athletic performance. i don’t think there’s any ethical problem taking testosterone if that’s you. if that’s NOT you, supplemental testosterone is juicing. it’s both unethical and (for racing purposes) illegal.
You spoke too soon Francois, I actually would have liked to see some replies to it.
Oh, i wouldn’t worry about it, I’ve been pumping the stuff since I was twelve and nobody’s bothered me yet. It’s not cheating unless you get caught, though if you are reading this you should probably glance at the calander.
-The coolness manifesto, it’s close
This isn’t about juicing or EPO. Testosterone is a natural substance in the body, so many milliwatevers per whatever. Replacement therapy, from what I’ve read, just gets you to a normal range. I agree that if it’s low due to training or age, adding is doping. But what if it’s low, and clinicly diagnosed due to what ever lowers testosterone? Seems adding testosterone to get to a normal level would be acceptable. EPO is not an “entitled, naturally occuring substance” so I don’t see that it is the same. One adds to get you to normal, one puts you over the top. So much for civil question.
EPO is a naturally occuring substance in the body. It is one of the things that produce red blood cells.
steroid therapy is fine, if you are sick. If you are that sick, you shouldn’t be racing.
If it is a clinically diagnosed issue and you are getting some man breasts or something similar, I don’t see the issue. If your jaw line starts to change and you throw some guy over the fence in the transition area because he was drafting, then it might be an issue. Live and let live, unless of course you start beating me.
Considering he didnt post any numbers. I think people are judging him unfairly. Aging affects different people in different ways, and it may be hitting him a little hard. Testosterone therapy has seen benefits not just in performance as everyone cynically pointed out, but also in preventing a wide range of age-related illnesses.As long as you stay within the normal range, you shouldnt have a problem
Insulin - potential side effects include death. Nothing serious.
Yes, but the best quote from Dr. Ferrari is the infamous “orange juice” quote… a classic!
I was wondering if someone was ever going to bring up the connection between HGH and cancers. I cant believe what some of those pro-cyclists put into thier bodies, and its sad so many of them have no idea, they get so many injections to replace fluids, its so easy to just slip whatever else in there too.
As a guy who wanted every skirt(wanted,not went after) in his 30’s. Was beyond normal in looking at the girls,it all changed at about 39-40. Its normal,its aging and that is the way it is. Now if you want a little more bang for a buck,as Slowman said,"Thats fine just don"t race"thats juicing.
I guess the real thing is the french dude has no penile issues. That’s why chicks dig the french guys.
This is even more tricky than it sounds. I am a physician and due to some recent media information more men are asking about testosterone replacement. First you do a hormone level if and determine if your testosterone level is low. Most often it is just fine. Assuming the first random level is low, the level needs to be repeated as an 8:00am level with both free and total testosterone. Much of the testosterone in your body is bound to circulating blood proteins and is not biologically active. It is the unbound “free” testosterone that is active. Now if that is total testosterone is low but the free testosterone is normal you DO NOT have a problem and replacement therapy is unnecessary and potentially harmful. This would most definitely be doping. Now if your free testosterone is actually low further tests are needed to determine why. It could be a slow growing pituitary tumor is causing the problem, it could be you drink too much or it could be gonadal failure. Once a firm diagnosis and cause has been established and it is truly medically indicated-testosterone therapy may be indicated.
I have lots of patients ask me to prescribe testosterone. I do prescribe infrequently when a medical condition warrants it.
If you truly had gonadal failure and your body were unable to make testosterone I could envision a set of circumstances where replacement may be ethical and not doping. However I think many men taking testosterone don’t really need it.
David
" Replacement therapy, from what I’ve read, just gets you to a normal range."
if you’re 40 and you’re testosterone has fallen to the level of other 40 year olds, you’re in the normal range. if by “normal range” you’re looking for the testosterone level of a 25-year-old, that’s okay. but then enter the 25-29 age group, not the 40-44.
“Anyone doing the hormone replacement thing?”
the slowtwitch stand: if you’re significantly lower in testosteone or HGH than those in your age category, you’ve probably known about this since you were a teenager and you’ve been injecting yourself for decades.
if your loss of testosterone is simply due to aging, taking supplemental testosterone is just plain cheating if you’re racing. feel free to juice and not race, or not juice and race. choose one.
there are people out there–endurance sports coaches–preaching that it’s somehow ethically okay to do this. it’s not. no problem that you asked, i’m glad you did. it’s a legitimate ethical question. i’m glad to be given the opportunity to answer it.
it’s like lance and epo. if you’re recovering from chemo, no ethical question there. if you’re healthy and your hematocrit is 42 and you want it to be 49, that’s not a legitimate use of epo. likewise, if your testosterone is way out of the range low, then i think (doctors please correct me) you’ve probably been shooting blanks long before spending hours on a pointy-nose saddle, etc., and extra-low testosterone is evident in ways other than athletic performance. i don’t think there’s any ethical problem taking testosterone if that’s you. if that’s NOT you, supplemental testosterone is juicing. it’s both unethical and (for racing purposes) illegal.
if you’re looking for some extra Human Growth Hormone, you can get it for free and legally. Just ensure that you sleep. Your body produces it naturally when you sleep. Many of us consistently sleep deprived. When I made an effort to sleep for 8-9 hours per nite, I suddenly got all the things that HGH is supposed to give you: quicker recovery, stronger muscles, increased concentration and brain function and smoother younger skin. Don’t know if it is helping the hair loss part, but the hair line seems to have gotten no worse in the past year, but that is likely coincidence. I’ve also even set some PB’s at the age of 38 after 25 years in sport, something I never thought possible 
Get some sleep and get free and legal HGH
Dev
But his orange juice quote was true - as long as you don’t shoot for jello levels of HCT it is an incredibly safe drug and has very few side effects especially compared with many popularly prescribed drugs. Probably why it is used so widely compared to some other purportedly performance boosting drugs. Well that and it actually works, which is questionable for testosterone, HGH and corticoids in particular in endurance athletes.
Are you post menopausal?
agree with devashish, do it naturally. Check your diet and lifestyle rather than taking shortcuts.