If there’s a gym bro in your life, they’ve probably already heard about the latest fitness trend for men looking to build muscle: testosterone-maxxing.
What the heck is that? Well, to supplement their exercise regimens, some men who want to build up have begun turning to testosterone replacement therapy, or TRT.
Originally intended as a medical treatment for men who suffer from low testosterone (Low-T), TRT supplements the reproductive hormone, with injections into the muscles.
Some users claim that, in addition to helping them build muscle, TRT also gives them increased energy, mental clarity, heightened confidence, and better recovery.
However, just like many other fitness fads, testosterone-maxxing comes with some risks.
“Internally, you don’t know what you’re doing to your blood count, your heart, your prostate, your skin and your adrenal glands.”
“I understand young people don’t think about those things longer term because they’re thinking about what it is right now that they want to do and how they want to look,” Dr. Theodore Strange, an internist at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, explained to The New York Post.
“In younger men doing this, the side effects are real, which could include something as simple as acne on your skin all the way to decreasing the amount of sperm a man produces with excess testosterone.”
In addition to acne and lower sperm counts, side effects of testosterone-maxxing can include testicle shrinkage and an increased risk for blood clots, heart attack, or stroke.
“If you’re going to do it, it should be in a controlled environment, not taken at a gym, not sure which anabolic steroids you’re taking and how much you’re taking it,” Strange added, urging anyone interested to consult with a doctor first.
“Internally, you don’t know what you’re doing to your blood count, your heart, your prostate, your skin and your adrenal glands.”
Additionally, users who stop their TRT injections have seen a reversal of their results, such as decreasing muscle mass.
Strange cautions against long-term use, warning that “unless there’s some medical issue of why you’re not producing it, super-therapeutic levels…can affect the glands to not come back to the way they were prior to taking the therapy.”
“If somebody says, ‘I’m going to stay on this for 40 years,’ that’s a concern,” he noted.
However, for some, the gains are worth the risk
“I’ve already accepted the fact that I’m going to be on it for the rest of my life,” fitness coach Adam Katz told the Post. “I personally would just rather live a life with higher testosterone.”
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