Yes, on it at the moment. Will follow with Tamoxifen PCT.
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What benefits have you noticed and what is your protocol look like if you don’t mind me asking?
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My protocol is 12 weeks using 1ml of a 25mg/ml solution. I follow this with 2 weeks of 20mg tamoxifen, then taper to 10mg for one week, then pill split 5mg daily for final week.
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AnUser
#521
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RapAdmin
#522
New from last month’s ARDD meeting in Europe:
Preserving Muscle Mass for Healthy Aging: Old Tricks and New Targets
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Timing matters? The effects of two different timing of high protein diets on body composition, muscular performance, and biochemical markers in resistance-trained males
Conclusion: High-protein diet enhances muscular performance and skeletal muscle mass in resistance-trained males, irrespective of intake time. Consequently, the total daily protein intake appears to be the primary factor in facilitating muscle growth induced by exercise.
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There are real benefits from having protein right after a workout for some people. Here are a few.
- A reward for a job well done (helps with habit formation). A protein shake can be very tasty.
- Ensures you get it in. Some people get full easily and might not get enough protein if they eat fewer meals
- Can focus on the quality of amino acid profile when isolating a protein “meal” right after a workout (vs eating whatever protein you are having with your meal). Not all protein is the same.
I use none of these reasons. My problem is I eat too much protein…all of it high quality.
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Muscle Strength Correlates with Mortality in the Oldest People
Loss of muscle mass and strength is universal across the aging population. A perhaps surprising amount of this loss is the result of lifestyle choice, however. We live in an age of comfort, in which people conduct lesser degrees of physical activity than was normally the case in past centuries. Compare the average modern first world individual with the average modern hunter-gatherer, and the hunter-gatherer is in better shape, better maintaining muscle function into later life. Given than people age at different rates, and people undertake different degrees of physical activity, one might expect to see variations in muscle mass and strength in later life, and indeed this is the case.
In today’s open access paper, researchers examine the correlation between measures of strength and mortality in a population over 90 years of age. The more muscle, the lower the mortality risk. It is worth bearing in mind other studies that have shown programs of resistance exercise, which builds muscle and strength, to lower mortality risk in older individuals. A fair degree of the state of muscle in later life is under our control. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue, producing a comparatively poorly understood set of myokine signals that are generally beneficial to the operation of metabolism throughout the body. So having more muscle, and better quality muscle tissue, isn’t just a matter of avoiding frailty, it is also beneficial in other ways.
Association of Muscle Strength With All-Cause Mortality in the Oldest Old: Prospective Cohort Study From 28 Countries
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This thread started with a research article on dhea and increase of muscle strength/mass.
A 2022 research article Circulating testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone are associated with individual motor unit features in untrained and highly active older men | GeroScience
With the conclusion: This study highlights the associations between circulating sex hormones and MU properties in older men. DHEA was positively associated with MU FR* in these older men, a key component of muscle force generating capacity. Higher T levels were associated with reduced MUP complexity, indicating reduced electrophysiological temporal dispersion, which is related to reduced differences in conduction times along axonal branches and/or MU fibres. Although evident in males only, this work highlights the potential of hormone administration as a therapeutic interventional strategy specifically targeting the human neuromuscular system in older age. * MU FR MU firing rate (FR), and motor unit (MU) features.
I think long term benefits of long term supplementing of dhea is very under reported or researched. As I age, though concerned by diminishing hypertrophy response to strength workout, I am far more concerned about how my muscles “fire” and respond to motor nerve function. At age 70 I have dosed at 25 mg dhea for the past 5-10 years. Considering going to 50 mg.
I haven’t read through all posts and hope this isn’t a second post on this topic. Blood flow restricted lifting is a great thing for all of us as we get older. Lifting only 30% of the weight gives you 100% of the muscle gain, without the risk of muscle injury or joint injury, comparatively. Also wearing them while doing aerobic activity is very intense on the muscles.
Here are a couple of videos, and the link to the cuffs we use that calibrate and then you can select what % of blood flow restriction you want, we have both the upper and lower limb cuffs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exr8nOSoeFs&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amdm9bF-HeU
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Tim
#528
A 15-minute video on a 95-year-old who’s into power lifting.
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I have experimented with all of these in the past. I would say they are not worth it for men, right now.
Yes, all of them - RAD-140, LGD-4033, Ostarine - quickly reduce your endogenous testosterone production and raise your SHBG. As a result, you will generally feel horrible after a while. Your LH and FSH will fall to below 1, and sperm counts will follow after a while. I’ll also be honest, that after a while my penis stopped working properly. My HDL also fell to about 20 mg/dl, for whatever that’s worth. However, the muscle gains are pretty good, and you definitely gain strength.
I think the real magic here might be for women, where suppression isn’t such a big deal. Indeed, the few clinical trials of these drugs have been mostly in women, and did show benefits of strengthening pelvic floor muscles (“kegels in a bottle” was how I remember this being promoted).
I’ve self-experimented a lot in this area since being about 18 years old. IMO, it’s better to just stay natural, and avoid trying to “game” your testosterone levels for gains unless it’s an essential part of your life. There’s very little correlation of testosterone to performance as long as it’s within the normal range. I.e. a guy with a natural level of 900 isn’t going to be automatically jacked compared to a guy with a natural level of 400.
Basically, if you feel well (and you certainly look amazing for your age), I just wouldn’t really care about the number on the test whatsoever.
Clomid absolutely works for raising testosterone. But, Attia has reported that it trashes your lipids in a way which isn’t seem on most blood tests. It raises desmosterol levels, and that’s a pro-atherosclerotic lipid.
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Attia says a lot of things about Clomid and Enclomiphene, yet I haven’t seen him provide a single source backing it up.
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It’s an observation, sure. But realistically most people are never having desmosterol levels measured in their entire lives. His patient population is one of few who might have used Clomid and measured desmosterol, so I think the observation is worth something. I’m putting the information there so that any readers who are taking Clomid might consider checking desmosterol for themselves.
Larger point is that while Clomid does raise total testosterone, it really isn’t that good at symptom relief. Looking at the literature, most men don’t feel better long term, and don’t see much change in mood, erections, energy etc - all the reasons they sought help in the first place.
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Looking at the literature, most men don’t feel better long term, and don’t see much change in mood, erections, energy etc
Could you provide sources for your claim? I’d be interested in learning more about Clomid research.
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I have used clomid mono therapy, and in my limited experience l found the lack of symptom relief to be correct. My total testosterone initially was around 350 and after taking 25 mg clomid 3x weekly my total jumped to around 530. My free testosterone (around 45 very low end) did not move at all. My FSH and LH jumped 3 or 4x from my baseline (l would have to go back for the exact numbers). These are all in American units from quest diagnostics.
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FWIW - I take enclomiphene due to borderline low (~250) testosterone from weight loss. My normal is ~500-550 and it raised it to ~1000. Full symptom relief (muscle mass loss, libido, primarily).
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That’s great to hear. Very easy to take and seems very effective for you.
