The whole truth about testosterone: the normal level of the hormone in a man’s body

Testosterone is the main male sex hormone that determines male sexual characteristics: increased skin hair growth, low timbre of voice, greater muscle strength, high vitality. Testosterone levels greatly affect the appearance and temperament of every man. Low testosterone levels affect the immune system and heart, causing reproductive problems in men. In sports, testosterone is widely used to increase muscle mass, increase overall energy tone and quickly recover between workouts.

Testosterone propionate course

1. There is a stabilization of androgen receptors, accelerating the process of protein synthesis, which means a strong androgenic effect;
2. Using a course of this drug it is possible to avoid excess accumulation of water in the body;
3. A distinctive feature of this steroid is its pharmacokinetics. After entering the body, the appetite increases in the shortest possible time and excites the nervous system. The result of these processes is enhanced recovery after training loads and improved strength indicators;
4. However, due to the effect lasting only 1-2 days, it is necessary to use a frequent course of injections.

What groups is sports nutrition divided into?

There are various groups of sports nutrition, but all of them are aimed at increasing testosterone levels in a man’s body. What groups of sports nutrition are distinguished?

• Protein. It is considered a protein supplement that helps build muscles and body contour. Hence, it increases testosterone in a man’s body.
• Testosterone boosters and anabolic complexes. These are natural supplements that are made from plants (such as Tribulus terrestris). They do not cause any harm to the body. This is much more useful than taking anabolic steroids, which produce male sex hormones artificially and only worsen a person’s condition.
• Sports nutrition based on vitamins and minerals. Even if a man’s testosterone level is normal, but he is in a sluggish state, has no strength, apathy, in this case there is simply a lack of vitamins in the body. But they allow testosterone to work more efficiently.
• Omega fats. This product is made from fish oil. 3 grams of fish oil can provide the body with energy for the whole day. Omega fats can improve metabolism, strengthen the immune system, improve heart function and the digestion of dietary fats so that they are not stored.

Sports nutrition is recommended not only for men who have a lack of sex hormones. A man who has everything in abundance can sometimes take sports nutrition to increase strength, endurance, or simply to improve the body as a whole.

Testosterone propionate instructions

The drug is used mainly in 2 ways:

• force;
• mass and strength.

The table below specifically outlines dosages to achieve both goals:

If you carefully study the first dosage regimen to improve strength performance, then injections should be done after 2 days on the third. This will allow you to get rid of water, which, although slightly, is capable of retaining this drug, which will help maintain the strength result. It is scheme No. 1 that is best suited for powerlifting.

The second regimen will allow you to improve not only strength indicators, but also advance in gaining muscle mass. This occurs due to the more frequent use of injections and, as a result, maintaining a high percentage of testosterone in the blood. Therefore, scheme No. 2 is more suitable for bodybuilding.

There is another method using a course of testosterone propinate, which is used before competitions. It is necessary to inject 300 mg 1-2 hours before the start of the competition. drug, which will cause a sharp improvement in strength and self-confidence.

There have been cases when doping control was deceived in this way, although this is a risky way to achieve high awards, but it has the right to life.

The rationality of taking hormones

Taking synthetic hormones has its pros and cons. While the benefits of doping are obvious, many athletes forget about the side effects or think that this does not concern them. A person cannot gain muscle mass indefinitely; there are certain limits that are regulated by internal metabolic processes.

Anabolic steroids allow you to overcome barriers and get the desired volumes. Exogenous testosterones are taken when, with an increase in strength indicators, body volumes remain the same, relief does not appear, when the body begins to deplete from excessive physical exertion or physical development has abruptly stopped and it is not possible to increase the load for a long time. Before a competition, a bodybuilder must gain on average 5 kilograms per week or more; this is impossible to achieve without external help.

Taking medications is advisable if you want to quit training. When hormonal levels decrease, motivation and performance decrease. After the injection, the level of the hormone in the blood reaches 60 nmol/l - this is twice as much as in the natural state. This indicator forces a man to move forward and perform physical feats.

It makes sense to take anabolic steroids during “cutting,” when an athlete is actively working on his body, getting rid of excess fat and pumping up lean muscles. At this time, training is especially grueling and the athlete must have time to recover. Drying is accompanied by taking other pharmaceutical drugs, in particular Proviron, Oxymetholone, Stanazolone, Primobolan.

How to take testosterone phenylpropionate correctly?

Testosterone capsules or injections are prescribed when coming off steroid use, for example after a competition. This makes it easier to endure the transition period and stay in good physical shape. In this case, replacement therapy lasts 4-6 weeks.

Testosterone propionate side effects

Like any other anabolic drug, the specimen in question has its drawbacks:

• water retention;
• the occurrence of acne;
• increased blood pressure;
• gastrointestinal disorder;
• gynecomastia;
• increased aggressiveness;
• reducing the body's production of its own testosterone.

But it is worth paying attention that the injection dose over the course of a week is no more than 400 mg, so these side effects are not pronounced. If the course is used as a “solo” course, you should not expect strong “side effects”. Some have more, and some less, it all depends on the state of health, genetics, age.

Due to its "soft action" it is often used by women in the sports world. Typically the dosage regimen is 25-50 mg. every 5-7 days for 8-10 weeks.

Testosterone in medicine

Testosterone is available under a variety of trade names. However, the essence of the action and its principle do not change.

All athletes report a significant increase in strength when taking testosterone. The frequency of training can be increased to 2-3 per day with daily exercises. Body weight increases, and due to the growth of muscle mass.

These are the main positive aspects of the action of this hormone. However, there are many more negative side effects, and the degree of their impact on the body is much higher.

We will not list everything at once, but will make the necessary warning:

If a teenager starts taking testosterone, in addition to intensive hair growth on the face and body, the formation of growth zones in the bones and the growth of the bones themselves are completed, which means that the growth of the entire body stops. And even growth hormone will not help subsequently - the growth zones in the bones have closed.

As we noted above, testosterone is part of various drugs called anabolic steroids.

The mechanism of its action is as follows: testosterone accelerates protein synthesis in the muscles by binding to the corresponding receptors and acting specifically on the nuclei of muscle cells, thereby accelerating “protein synthesis by the nuclei.”

It is known that after the end of “steroid therapy,” muscle strength and volume can decrease significantly.

Perhaps, in the case of the use of anabolic steroids, the volume of muscle fiber can change (increase when using steroids and fall after their withdrawal) without changing the number of nuclei?

Surprisingly, research shows that athletes who use testosterone-containing drugs have no more muscle fiber volume per core than athletes who abstain from using such drugs. Despite the fact that the size of the muscles of athletes who use doping significantly exceeds the size of the muscles of natural athletes.

The conclusion inevitably follows from this fact: drugs containing testosterone should help increase the number of nuclei in muscle fibers.

Indeed, a number of experiments have established that the target of testosterone is precisely the satellite cells, the division of which is activated under the influence of this hormone.

Thus, when testosterone was injected into people, an increase in the number of nuclei in muscle fibers was recorded, proportional to the dose of the hormone, while an increase in the volume of muscle fiber served by one nucleus was not only not observed, but, on the contrary, the volume of fiber per nucleus decreased!

The latter phenomenon can only be explained by the fact that at the time of the measurements, the volume of muscle fiber in the muscles of the subjects had not yet had time to sufficiently increase following the rapidly multiplying nuclei.

It is interesting that the activity of satellite cell division depends on the dosage of testosterone: the higher the dose of the administered drug, the more actively the satellite cells divide.

Testosterone affects not only the muscle fibers themselves, but also satellite cells. It is very likely that the normal level of testosterone characteristic of an adult male (or its slight excess caused by small doses of the administered drug) may indeed be quite sufficient to fill all (or almost all) testosterone receptors present in muscle fibers, and increasing the dose testosterone above a certain level cannot accelerate “nuclear protein synthesis.”

In any case, this is in good agreement with the fact that any significant increase in the volume of muscle fiber served by one nucleus is not observed in practice even with the injection of testosterone.

But since testosterone can act not only on muscle fiber receptors, but also on satellite cell receptors, this leads to activation of satellite cell division and an increase in the number of nuclei in muscle fiber under the influence of the hormone.

New nuclei, in turn, generate new testosterone receptors, because receptors are also proteins, and each nucleus provides itself with the required number of receptors.

It is the synthesis of receptors by newly formed nuclei that can explain the “mysterious” appearance of new receptors in muscle fibers after testosterone injections. And it is precisely the effect of testosterone on the activity of satellite cell division that can explain the dependence of the anabolic effect of testosterone on the dosage of the hormone, observed by athletes using steroids, and stubbornly denied by a number of theorists.

PCT after a course of testosterone propionate

After completing the course, it will not be possible to fully maintain the results acquired during the course, but this does not mean that the loss of mass and strength will be the same as before the start of the course. Not least important is proper nutrition, proper organization of the training process, and sufficient recovery period for muscle fibers.

In addition, a smooth exit from the course always has a better effect on maintaining muscle mass.

Regarding PCT (after a course of therapy), if the course is used individually, then, as in the case of turinabol, there is no need for exit. However, to be 100% sure, hepatoprotectors can be used for preventive purposes.

How to Increase Testosterone Naturally

To increase testosterone levels, a man must reconsider his diet. Hormones largely depend on the foods that a person consumes most. What foods increase testosterone in men?

To increase testosterone levels, you need food enriched with vitamins, minerals and nutrients, in particular those that promote androgen synthesis. Proper nutrition determines the condition of the entire body.

Functions of matter

Testosterone is one of the main hormones in the male body. It affects the functioning of all internal organs and some other hormones.

The result of its development is:

• good mood;
• attentiveness;
• confidence;
• muscle mass growth;
• strong heart muscle;
• reduction in fat percentage;
• high sex drive;
• high strength indicators.

The main production of testosterone occurs in the testes, by Leydig cells. The formation of the hormone begins in the womb and continues after birth. Over the years, less and less testosterone is produced and by the age of fifty, regression occurs.

Although this hormone is considered male, it is also present in the female body. It affects the formation of complexion, voice timbre, and sexual desire. Its production peaks during pregnancy. Additional intake of the hormone in tablet form during this period can cause irreversible harm.

In males, testosterone levels are determined using hormone tests, as well as external signs. Please note that it changes throughout the day. The peak concentration of the hormone in the blood is observed before lunch, after which the level begins to decrease.

If the amount of testosterone decreases to below normal levels, negative consequences may occur.
The following reasons are identified that affect the amount of the hormone in the blood:

1. Nutrition – various restrictions negatively affect testosterone production.
2. Weather conditions - active sun stimulates hormone production.
3. Smoking and drinking alcohol inhibit the functioning of Leydig cells.
4. Stress.
5. Lack of physical activity.
6. Presence of viral diseases.
7. Using tight swimming trunks.
8. Overheating of the testicles.

Also, hereditary predisposition and age can contribute to a decrease in testosterone production. It should be taken into account that various diseases also depress a man’s hormonal levels, especially obesity, increased levels of sugar and cholesterol in the blood and disruption of the genitourinary system.

List of drugs for muscle growth in bodybuilding

The main purpose of medications with testosterone substitutes is to normalize hormonal levels in men. There are drugs that must be taken only under the supervision of a doctor, so they are sold strictly according to a prescription.

List of pharmaceutical hormonal drugs that are available by prescription:

1. Anastrozole. A drug that inhibits the synthesis of estrogen in the body. In men, it prevents the accumulation of fat and is prescribed for gynecomastia (growth of the mammary glands). Do not use if you have osteoporosis, high levels of lipids/lipoproteins in the blood, or coronary artery disease.
2. Tamoxifen. The main indication is gynecomastia. It has similar properties to Anastrozole, but weaker.
3. Omnadren . The basic substance of the drug is testosterone propionate. For 2 months, 1 ampoule of the substance must be administered intramuscularly every week. One dose is 250 mg/1 ml. The medicine has androgenic activity and its main purpose is impotence, lack of puberty in adolescents, decreased activity of sex hormones, oligospermia.
4. Retabolil. A synthetic analogue of testosterone, the main active ingredient is nandranolone, the main task of which is to enhance muscle growth. The tablets have a prolonged effect, so the course of administration does not last long, no more than 7 days. The daily dosage is 200-600 mg. Athletes who have a history of renal and liver failure or have once suffered a myocardial infarction should not take the drug.
5. Gonadotropin. Recommended for use only by professional athletes. Used in complex therapy to protect the testicles from atrophy during doping. Such a deviation is possible only with frequent and long-term use of steroids. Abuse of gonadotropin is fraught with the formation of prostate tumors. Do not take the drug if you have glandular disorders, asthma, or hormone-dependent conditions.

Each drug has a dosage regimen developed by specialists that minimizes side effects. However, taking hormonal drugs without direct indications is always risky. Many developed countries are refusing to sell analogues of male hormones.