Ex-AAS user on TRT at 46

[eryximachus]

Hey everyone. I used to be active on this forum back in the day and the advice was always tremendously valuable. I pretty much stopped cycling and lifting during COVID, but recently had a physical done and my test levels were 105. Went to the first TRT clinic that would take me (gameday) and they started me on 180mg of test e with weekly injections.

My questions are: 1) is 180mg per week sustainable for the long-term? I have been feeling much more anxious than I remember test ever making me in the past, which I am hypothesizing is due to my not lifting at all. and 2) has anyone else gotten back into the game of lifting in their late 40s and thrived?

Honestly, I am terrified of hitting the gym and seeing how poorly I perform or how difficult progress will be. At this stage, I think I am going to shoot for high rep/low weight daily routines with a personal trainer.

It's really amazing. I was 41 when covid hit NYC and I was still in god shape and had been for nearly 20 years. I'll never get back to that point, but hopefully I'll make some progress.

 

[DECLAN]

Hey everyone. I used to be active on this forum back in the day and the advice was always tremendously valuable. I pretty much stopped cycling and lifting during COVID, but recently had a physical done and my test levels were 105. Went to the first TRT clinic that would take me (gameday) and they started me on 180mg of test e with weekly injections.

My questions are: 1) is 180mg per week sustainable for the long-term? I have been feeling much more anxious than I remember test ever making me in the past, which I am hypothesizing is due to my not lifting at all. and 2) has anyone else gotten back into the game of lifting in their late 40s and thrived?

Honestly, I am terrified of hitting the gym and seeing how poorly I perform or how difficult progress will be. At this stage, I think I am going to shoot for high rep/low weight daily routines with a personal trainer.

It's really amazing. I was 41 when covid hit NYC and I was still in god shape and had been for nearly 20 years. I'll never get back to that point, but hopefully I'll make some progress.

Muscle memory is real, it is way easier to gain back what you have built before natural or not. You won’t get back everything but at least get close to where you were faster than gaining new muscle tissue.

I say just hit the gym without expectations, get back to following a routine and focus on consistency. Learn how to lift safely and progressively again, fix your nutrition and do the work; you’ll progress in no time.

Good luck brother, be positive and stay strong.

 

[eryximachus]

Muscle memory is real, it is way easier to gain back what you have built before natural or not. You won’t get back everything but at least get close to where you were faster than gaining new muscle tissue.

I say just hit the gym without expectations, get back to following a routine and focus on consistency. Learn how to lift safely and progressively again, fix your nutrition and do the work; you’ll progress in no time.

Good luck brother, be positive and stay strong.

THANK YOU

 

[Musmadar]

My story is more or less the same as yours...

My advice is to get back to the gym because it is worthing and a lot.

The trip will be much slover and harder but it can be a pleasant one with lot of satisfactions.

These days I'm not into bulking as I am into metabolic enhancement, fat loss, loosing unnecesary weight, etc.

Good Luck.

 

[ZavenRains]

I would split that single dose of 180mg to 90mg Monday and Thursday. Your levels will be more stable without the ups and down. I'm assuming it is cyp...??

 

[buck]

You don't know what you can accomplish till you do it.

 

[eryximachus]

I would split that single dose of 180mg to 90mg Monday and Thursday. Your levels will be more stable without the ups and down. I'm assuming it is cyp...??

No idea c or e. I've been going into their office, but can elect to have supplies shipped to me.

Honestly, outside of the anxiety, I don't have any side effects that I can identify.

But yeah, back in the day, I'd run 2x per week of long esters. I was surprised when they said 1x per week was typical.

Will be starting the gym again this week.

 

[DECLAN]

No idea c or e. I've been going into their office, but can elect to have supplies shipped to me.

Honestly, outside of the anxiety, I don't have any side effects that I can identify.

But yeah, back in the day, I'd run 2x per week of long esters. I was surprised when they said 1x per week was typical.

Will be starting the gym again this week.

Trt docs have archaic protocols, just for reference I am prescribed by my Urologist 80mg every two weeks lol, so it’s even worse.

Read up on trt protocols here, YouTube has tons of videos but finding out what works for yourself by trying it out is still the best to determine which gives you the best results with minimal side effects.

 

[Ateam2023]

Hey everyone. I used to be active on this forum back in the day and the advice was always tremendously valuable. I pretty much stopped cycling and lifting during COVID, but recently had a physical done and my test levels were 105. Went to the first TRT clinic that would take me (gameday) and they started me on 180mg of test e with weekly injections.

My questions are: 1) is 180mg per week sustainable for the long-term? I have been feeling much more anxious than I remember test ever making me in the past, which I am hypothesizing is due to my not lifting at all. and 2) has anyone else gotten back into the game of lifting in their late 40s and thrived?

Honestly, I am terrified of hitting the gym and seeing how poorly I perform or how difficult progress will be. At this stage, I think I am going to shoot for high rep/low weight daily routines with a personal trainer.

It's really amazing. I was 41 when covid hit NYC and I was still in god shape and had been for nearly 20 years. I'll never get back to that point, but hopefully I'll make some progress.

i would just take it slow and easy just to get back into the routine etc, 180 mg is enough to see some sort of change for the better and i'm a over 50 crowd and have alot of injuries i work around ,i thrive emotionally , physically, mentally and you just have to get that mentality back and just go to the gym and lift with higher reps as to avoid unnecessary strain on your aging joints ligaments and tendons/ connective tissue etc, but you just have to prioritize what you want to get outta that 180 mg testosterone it is a life changer for me , sorry so long boys

 

[Grey Spartan]

1) is 180mg per week sustainable for the long-term?

No reason it shouldn't be.

2) has anyone else gotten back into the game of lifting in their late 40s and thrived?

I did in my early 50 and beyond thrived. With consistency, focusing on time under tension and progressive overload (I added sets not so much weight). Ive gained 2 inches on my legs and arms and over 2 inches on my back and chest. Of course it took 3 years. I also dropped from I would guess 30% body fat to around 15%.

You got this brother!

 

[narta]

Honestly, I am terrified of hitting the gym and seeing how poorly I perform or how difficult progress will be.

Don't.

You got this.

 

[sinistral]

I'm another in the 50+ camp who has done this and I think it will be much faster progress than you expect. But I can also relate to the anxiety on 180mg. I don't know if that was a "too much too soon" kind of thing but I dropped to 140mg and felt much better.

Good luck!

 

[OldGHGuy]

Hey everyone. I used to be active on this forum back in the day and the advice was always tremendously valuable. I pretty much stopped cycling and lifting during COVID, but recently had a physical done and my test levels were 105. Went to the first TRT clinic that would take me (gameday) and they started me on 180mg of test e with weekly injections.

My questions are: 1) is 180mg per week sustainable for the long-term? I have been feeling much more anxious than I remember test ever making me in the past, which I am hypothesizing is due to my not lifting at all. and 2) has anyone else gotten back into the game of lifting in their late 40s and thrived?

Honestly, I am terrified of hitting the gym and seeing how poorly I perform or how difficult progress will be. At this stage, I think I am going to shoot for high rep/low weight daily routines with a personal trainer.

It's really amazing. I was 41 when covid hit NYC and I was still in god shape and had been for nearly 20 years. I'll never get back to that point, but hopefully I'll make some progress.

I'm in my mid-50's and have had several of these eras in my life when, for various reasons, I neglected the gym, nutrition, general health, etc.

However, the human body is extremely resilient and so far, even at my age, I am still making gains and the body is reacting very close to that of my 20's self (much to my surprise). Muscle memory helps a ton, as does all the latest training and nutritional info available today (wish I knew then what I know now...soak it up). Get your diet right, proper sleep, reduce stress and actually write out and monitor/adjust your training program. On AAS, learn everything you can on side effect avoidance, commit to using only the minimum amounts needed to achieve your goals and test bloods regularly. Monitor and adjust.

Very important: put extra emphasis on injury avoidance as you start to gain your strength back by focusing on proper form, utilizing ideal rep ranges, getting proper weekly rest, even theapeutic massage, etc. Don't ever "push through" the pain like you used to - this was one of the hardest lessons I had to learn (and I learned it the hard way until I wised-up).

Enjoy your re-emergence!

 

[eryximachus]

Don't ever "push through" the pain like you used to - this was one of the hardest lessons I had to learn (and I learned it the hard way until I wised-up).

Enjoy your re-emergence!

Thank you for the thoughtful reply! Very encouraging.

This last part is interesting. This literally used to be a daily strategy, especially if on gear, and especially if on tren.

This is part of the reason I'm going to cough up the cash for a personal trainer as I'm not sure how disciplined I can be.

 

[UncleBuns]

Hey everyone. I used to be active on this forum back in the day and the advice was always tremendously valuable. I pretty much stopped cycling and lifting during COVID, but recently had a physical done and my test levels were 105. Went to the first TRT clinic that would take me (gameday) and they started me on 180mg of test e with weekly injections.

My questions are: 1) is 180mg per week sustainable for the long-term? I have been feeling much more anxious than I remember test ever making me in the past, which I am hypothesizing is due to my not lifting at all. and 2) has anyone else gotten back into the game of lifting in their late 40s and thrived?

Honestly, I am terrified of hitting the gym and seeing how poorly I perform or how difficult progress will be. At this stage, I think I am going to shoot for high rep/low weight daily routines with a personal trainer.

It's really amazing. I was 41 when covid hit NYC and I was still in god shape and had been for nearly 20 years. I'll never get back to that point, but hopefully I'll make some progress.

If you apply yourself appropriately and are consistent you can go beyond where you left off. Depends on how bad you want it and what you're willing to give up (time, food, comfort, etc.). Nothing says you have to get back to where you were before. If you just want to put in a reasonable amount of time and be reasonably strong if it that's fine too. If you want to go further, it is possible.

Might want to look into 2x a week test injection. Some guys do fine with one a week but most prefer two at minimum

 

[AlexDavis43]

My questions are: 1) is 180mg per week sustainable for the long-term?

No reason it shouldn't be.

180 mg/wk is approaching side effect territory. TRT is supposed to be for life and who wants to be dealing with side effects for life? Or needing more drugs to manage the side effects.

If you got mental wellness, skin disorders, gut health, sleep quality, etc, all in check with that dose, go for it. Otherwise regular TRT doses work well for a lot of men. More isn't always better.

 

[eryximachus]

180 mg/wk is approaching side effect territory. TRT is supposed to be for life and who wants to be dealing with side effects for life? Or needing more drugs to manage the side effects.

If you got mental wellness, skin disorders, gut health, sleep quality, etc, all in check with that dose, go for it. Otherwise regular TRT doses work well for a lot of men. More isn't always better.

Thing is, I have no clue at this point what the correct dose is. Is it 100mg per week? That's actually what I thought it was going in. We'll see where my numbers are, but I totally agree. 180mg just a bit less than half my very first steroid cycle! (500mg test e)

 

[AlexDavis43]

Thing is, I have no clue at this point what the correct dose is. Is it 100mg per week? That's actually what I thought it was going in. We'll see where my numbers are, but I totally agree. 180mg just a bit less than half my very first steroid cycle! (500mg test e)

Yeah there is no official dosing schedule but a lot of guys with actual hypogonadism experience symptomatic relief around 100-120 mg/wk.

People who want a faster increase in muscle mass and are OK with the trade off for more side effects lean toward TRT Clinic™ doses (200 mg/wk) which is fine but not strictly TRT imo.

I think a reasonable TRT dose should be the minimal effective amount that provides symptom relief, improved mood skin libido etc, with no side effects. Most people still improve body composition w/ 100-120 but not as fast.

 

[AlexDavis43]

A guy I know IRL (who thinks I'm batshit crazy for dabbling in UGLs) started on 200 mg/wk. One day he got home from work and took off his shirt only to find little red spots on the back. Pimples that popped and bled a little.

 

[readalot]

Went to the first TRT clinic that would take me (gameday) and they started me on 180mg of test e with weekly injections

WAY too high to start. 50 to 100 mg/week of test ester is the range that puts vast majority of men in physiologic range if you are looking for true replacement therapy. Today, there are also other options besides injectables to replace testosterone without as much suppression to HPTA (see for example nasal gel, troches, etc).



Details

At your age I'd be cautious with starting dose to ensure your protocol doesn't come with all the sides of supraphysiologic dosing (Hct, water retention due to RAAS activation, blood pressure, prostate). You can always add more later if you decide to transition from TRT to borderline AAS abuse or full blown AAS abuse. TRT is a wonderful gateway drug for some.

Best wishes on your journey.