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- Joined
- May 28, 2004
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- 1,757
Good morning everyone. It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything on a message board. I started posting on this board in 2004 and I’ve actually met several people from PM that I’m still friends with to this day. The information that was/is posted on this board can truly serve as an asset to anyone training for sports or trying to be competitive in any aspect of physique enhancement. I thought this would be a good place to share my experience and possibly answer some questions about life after you “shut things down” competition-wise. Although I’m not nearly in tune or involved with the bodybuilding subculture like I once was, maybe my experiences and transparency can help some people. If anything, you’ll actually see what really happens as you get older and if and when your training/gym priorities shift. I want to start by saying that these experiences are what happened to me and the long-term outcome(s) will not be the same for everyone.
First of all, I’m nobody special. I thought long and hard about posting this because I wasn’t a top level competitor or someone with an outstanding set of credentials after their name. I’m currently 39 years old and competed in the NPC a handful of times between the ages of 28 to 33 as a light-heavyweight. I was lucky enough to work in the supplement industry for about 10 years. During that time I was able to train with some top level national and now IFBB pro competitors. Being able to rub elbows with people much smarter than myself, coupled with many years of training for either sports or bodybuilding, led me to the decisions and experiences I’m going to share. I guess the reason I decided to post this long winded diatribe is because statistically there are far more “slightly above average Joe” type people walking around (like me) vs. the upper echelon of elite athletes that we typically see in the media. So with that said, here is what life (and my bloodwork) looks like at 39 years old.
Training and Diet – I still train 4-5 days a week in the gym. I love it and always will. I will say that after the age of 36 I decided to scale things back a bit and that really paid dividends today. I still train the large body parts (legs and back) but rarely will I dead lift or do anything that puts my joints at risk. I feel earlier on when I was trying to put on muscle, I was fairly reckless with some movements. Do what feels right for your body and don’t listen to anyone else in that regard. This saved me in my opinion. At almost 40 years old, I’m able to do the same things I was 20 years ago. I feel pretty athletic and flexible. Running isn’t an issue nor is throwing a football or playing a pick-up game of basketball. Funny I even have to mention totally normal activities that shouldn’t be an issue for most people, but as age creeps up after years of beating your body down, they certainly can be. Also, cardio remains a staple at least three days a week. Nothing crazy, but just enough to keep my heart healthy. Typically I’ll do 20 mins or so at 4.0 on a treadmill with an incline of 5%. On the weekends I’ll ride my bike or do something else active.
My diet is radically different than it used to be. I eat pretty much when I’m hungry. This equates to about three larger meals and a couple snacks a day. I don’t count protein grams but try to have some with each meal. Carbohydrates are eaten with my earlier meals and after I hit the gym. I don’t really count either of those. I do find myself eating more fish and lower fat protein sources now. Not for any other reason than I like the way they taste. I also eat vegetables daily (or at least attempt to). I drastically cut back protein consumption around 2012. I feel much better but probably still end up taking in slightly less than a gram per pound of body weight. I try to eat healthy but if I want a burger an fries I’ll have it. I guess it’s all about balance. I feel that’s something not too many people involved in physique enhancement embrace. Supplement-wise I’ve never gone crazy taking a handful of pills or pre-work outs ect. But what I did do around the same time I cut back my protein consumption was focus on longevity type supplementation. Now I take a good multi (w/phyto greens), fish oil, vitamin D, a high quality probiotic, NAC, and a liver/kidney support formula. Even then I feel I’m probably overdoing it.
Anabolic Use and HRT - I used anabolics off and on over the course of about 10 years. I’m actually slightly embarrassed to admit that. I think in my case I was used to looking and feeling a certain way so for long stretches of time I cruised on low doses of testosterone. Bad idea in my opinion (for me personally). I never had aspirations of competing nationally so to risk long term adverse health problems was pretty stupid. BP/RBC/Hematocrit can slowly creep up on you and potentially cause permanent damage. I’ll be very honest and tell everyone the dosages and types of compounds I used. Off-season was typically 600mg of testosterone and 400mg of EQ. I stopped using Nandralone after my first show. It really did a number on my blood pressure for some reason and I had horrible acne whenever I used it. Back when I first started using steroids you could get all of this stuff (excluding vet drugs) legally from Florida based rejuvenation clinics. You also had to get bloodwork done at least once a year to continue having your scripts filled. At the time I thought it was a hassle, but it turned out to be a great thing. I’d occasionally use Dianabol anywhere from 20-50mg for the first month of some of my cycles but it never was a staple. I rarely used anti-estrogen drugs unless I was getting ready for a show. For pre-contest dieting phases I’d increase my testosterone to 800mg and keep everything else the same. That’s as high as I ever went. About six weeks out I’d add Winstrol, Halotestin, Masteron, or Trenbolone and lower the dose of test slightly. I never used all of those compounds together either. I’d choose the first two or last two drugs I just mentioned in conjunction My last show I used 600mg of test, 200mg Tren, and 400mg Masteron per week for the last six weeks. I also used 25mcg T-3 and roughly 3 IU of growth hormone per day for the last six weeks. Now you see why I’m embarrassed. I know for a fact I got beat by a guy (in the top 5) who was natural in the last show I did. Genetics, diet, and training are always going to be king. No pill will ever take the place of that.
I was prescribed HRT in 2013. I was scripted a 200mg shot of testosterone every 10 days. I ended up breaking that up into two shots without my doctor’s permission to see if I could get a more stable plasma level. IMO I think it was a bit premature. I had low testosterone levels, but I had only been off everything less than a year. I should have waited longer before doing anything. I also caution anyone that thinks cruising is a good idea. There were stretches of time I stayed on something (when using) for 16+ months before taking a break. Not at my full off season dose, but 300mg instead of 600mg for four or five months and then back to full dose. This definitely was a horrible idea in terms of any type of long term HPTA axis restoration. Now as strange as this sounds, I decided to stop using HRT in early 2015. I wanted to see what was going to happen (and if) I had really shut myself down. Attached you’ll see my most recent set of labs as of 3/15/16. My total test is 297ng/dl with my free test at 52.2 pg/ml. I didn’t use any HCG or Clomid after my last HRT shot in 2015. I literally let it crash which was not, and I don’t recommend this, a good idea. Turns out I’m not as shut down as I thought I was. I actually feel great and had a hunch that I might have been better off than I thought. LH and FSH are low, but not totally crashed. So there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Blood Work- Something I tried to do at least once a year was get blood drawn. I’ll admit there was a 2.5 year period of time I didn’t get labs run. There is no excuse for that. I was terrified at what I was going to find. In all honesty, if you’re going to not get bloodwork done, be smart about what you’re doing to your body (i.e don’t put crap in your body). In hindsight, now I wouldn’t dare do anything toxic to my system without monitoring it. I was lucky enough to find good doctors that wanted to help me without enabling me. I think there is a big difference. I was able to get the truth and prioritize my health. My last set of labs were surprisingly good. I’m a pessimist and a bit paranoid, so I always expect my bloodwork to come back looking like toxic waste even though the worry isn’t warranted. My lipids were one of my biggest concerns and they were both in range and fairly healthy. Kidneys were good and my liver looked to be in good health despite a slightly elevated ALT reading (I had worked out the day prior to the draw). My BP was also decent at 126/81. My bodyweight still sits around 220ish and my strength is good when training. All in all I guess I’m happy with where I’m at and I got fairly lucky so far with no major health problems. I feel like a dodged a bullet honestly.
So there is my take on life after everything is over and done. It’s pretty easy to get caught up in living your day to day life and forget that there might be health ramifications down the road. I’m not anti-bodybuilding or against anything I mentioned. If you’re destined for the higher ranks of any activity, you to have to do what you have to do to be competitive. I totally get that. However being honest with yourself, and not just about your potential as a bodybuilder but more so your health, needs to be prioritized at some point I think. That’s up to each person who decides that they want to venture down a path with potential consequences. If anyone has any questions about anything just post them up in this thread and I’ll be happy to give you a full and honest answer. Thanks for reading, if you made it this far, and enjoy your weekend!
AWN2004
First of all, I’m nobody special. I thought long and hard about posting this because I wasn’t a top level competitor or someone with an outstanding set of credentials after their name. I’m currently 39 years old and competed in the NPC a handful of times between the ages of 28 to 33 as a light-heavyweight. I was lucky enough to work in the supplement industry for about 10 years. During that time I was able to train with some top level national and now IFBB pro competitors. Being able to rub elbows with people much smarter than myself, coupled with many years of training for either sports or bodybuilding, led me to the decisions and experiences I’m going to share. I guess the reason I decided to post this long winded diatribe is because statistically there are far more “slightly above average Joe” type people walking around (like me) vs. the upper echelon of elite athletes that we typically see in the media. So with that said, here is what life (and my bloodwork) looks like at 39 years old.
Training and Diet – I still train 4-5 days a week in the gym. I love it and always will. I will say that after the age of 36 I decided to scale things back a bit and that really paid dividends today. I still train the large body parts (legs and back) but rarely will I dead lift or do anything that puts my joints at risk. I feel earlier on when I was trying to put on muscle, I was fairly reckless with some movements. Do what feels right for your body and don’t listen to anyone else in that regard. This saved me in my opinion. At almost 40 years old, I’m able to do the same things I was 20 years ago. I feel pretty athletic and flexible. Running isn’t an issue nor is throwing a football or playing a pick-up game of basketball. Funny I even have to mention totally normal activities that shouldn’t be an issue for most people, but as age creeps up after years of beating your body down, they certainly can be. Also, cardio remains a staple at least three days a week. Nothing crazy, but just enough to keep my heart healthy. Typically I’ll do 20 mins or so at 4.0 on a treadmill with an incline of 5%. On the weekends I’ll ride my bike or do something else active.
My diet is radically different than it used to be. I eat pretty much when I’m hungry. This equates to about three larger meals and a couple snacks a day. I don’t count protein grams but try to have some with each meal. Carbohydrates are eaten with my earlier meals and after I hit the gym. I don’t really count either of those. I do find myself eating more fish and lower fat protein sources now. Not for any other reason than I like the way they taste. I also eat vegetables daily (or at least attempt to). I drastically cut back protein consumption around 2012. I feel much better but probably still end up taking in slightly less than a gram per pound of body weight. I try to eat healthy but if I want a burger an fries I’ll have it. I guess it’s all about balance. I feel that’s something not too many people involved in physique enhancement embrace. Supplement-wise I’ve never gone crazy taking a handful of pills or pre-work outs ect. But what I did do around the same time I cut back my protein consumption was focus on longevity type supplementation. Now I take a good multi (w/phyto greens), fish oil, vitamin D, a high quality probiotic, NAC, and a liver/kidney support formula. Even then I feel I’m probably overdoing it.
Anabolic Use and HRT - I used anabolics off and on over the course of about 10 years. I’m actually slightly embarrassed to admit that. I think in my case I was used to looking and feeling a certain way so for long stretches of time I cruised on low doses of testosterone. Bad idea in my opinion (for me personally). I never had aspirations of competing nationally so to risk long term adverse health problems was pretty stupid. BP/RBC/Hematocrit can slowly creep up on you and potentially cause permanent damage. I’ll be very honest and tell everyone the dosages and types of compounds I used. Off-season was typically 600mg of testosterone and 400mg of EQ. I stopped using Nandralone after my first show. It really did a number on my blood pressure for some reason and I had horrible acne whenever I used it. Back when I first started using steroids you could get all of this stuff (excluding vet drugs) legally from Florida based rejuvenation clinics. You also had to get bloodwork done at least once a year to continue having your scripts filled. At the time I thought it was a hassle, but it turned out to be a great thing. I’d occasionally use Dianabol anywhere from 20-50mg for the first month of some of my cycles but it never was a staple. I rarely used anti-estrogen drugs unless I was getting ready for a show. For pre-contest dieting phases I’d increase my testosterone to 800mg and keep everything else the same. That’s as high as I ever went. About six weeks out I’d add Winstrol, Halotestin, Masteron, or Trenbolone and lower the dose of test slightly. I never used all of those compounds together either. I’d choose the first two or last two drugs I just mentioned in conjunction My last show I used 600mg of test, 200mg Tren, and 400mg Masteron per week for the last six weeks. I also used 25mcg T-3 and roughly 3 IU of growth hormone per day for the last six weeks. Now you see why I’m embarrassed. I know for a fact I got beat by a guy (in the top 5) who was natural in the last show I did. Genetics, diet, and training are always going to be king. No pill will ever take the place of that.
I was prescribed HRT in 2013. I was scripted a 200mg shot of testosterone every 10 days. I ended up breaking that up into two shots without my doctor’s permission to see if I could get a more stable plasma level. IMO I think it was a bit premature. I had low testosterone levels, but I had only been off everything less than a year. I should have waited longer before doing anything. I also caution anyone that thinks cruising is a good idea. There were stretches of time I stayed on something (when using) for 16+ months before taking a break. Not at my full off season dose, but 300mg instead of 600mg for four or five months and then back to full dose. This definitely was a horrible idea in terms of any type of long term HPTA axis restoration. Now as strange as this sounds, I decided to stop using HRT in early 2015. I wanted to see what was going to happen (and if) I had really shut myself down. Attached you’ll see my most recent set of labs as of 3/15/16. My total test is 297ng/dl with my free test at 52.2 pg/ml. I didn’t use any HCG or Clomid after my last HRT shot in 2015. I literally let it crash which was not, and I don’t recommend this, a good idea. Turns out I’m not as shut down as I thought I was. I actually feel great and had a hunch that I might have been better off than I thought. LH and FSH are low, but not totally crashed. So there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Blood Work- Something I tried to do at least once a year was get blood drawn. I’ll admit there was a 2.5 year period of time I didn’t get labs run. There is no excuse for that. I was terrified at what I was going to find. In all honesty, if you’re going to not get bloodwork done, be smart about what you’re doing to your body (i.e don’t put crap in your body). In hindsight, now I wouldn’t dare do anything toxic to my system without monitoring it. I was lucky enough to find good doctors that wanted to help me without enabling me. I think there is a big difference. I was able to get the truth and prioritize my health. My last set of labs were surprisingly good. I’m a pessimist and a bit paranoid, so I always expect my bloodwork to come back looking like toxic waste even though the worry isn’t warranted. My lipids were one of my biggest concerns and they were both in range and fairly healthy. Kidneys were good and my liver looked to be in good health despite a slightly elevated ALT reading (I had worked out the day prior to the draw). My BP was also decent at 126/81. My bodyweight still sits around 220ish and my strength is good when training. All in all I guess I’m happy with where I’m at and I got fairly lucky so far with no major health problems. I feel like a dodged a bullet honestly.
So there is my take on life after everything is over and done. It’s pretty easy to get caught up in living your day to day life and forget that there might be health ramifications down the road. I’m not anti-bodybuilding or against anything I mentioned. If you’re destined for the higher ranks of any activity, you to have to do what you have to do to be competitive. I totally get that. However being honest with yourself, and not just about your potential as a bodybuilder but more so your health, needs to be prioritized at some point I think. That’s up to each person who decides that they want to venture down a path with potential consequences. If anyone has any questions about anything just post them up in this thread and I’ll be happy to give you a full and honest answer. Thanks for reading, if you made it this far, and enjoy your weekend!
AWN2004
