Are my T Levels Low for an 18 Year Old?

Hi,
I recently got my hormone levels checked. To preface, I’m an 18 year old male and I was worried that my testosterone levels are low as I have absolutely 0 armpit hair and very little chest hair at all. I can grow facial hair, but it’s like a prepubescent version of facial hair (kind of like a small amount of stubble on the chin, upper and bottom lip, with small patches on my cheeks.) My sideburns grow fast, but I’m Jewish. My pubic hair is normal. I workout 6 days a week, I sleep 6-9 hours a night leaning on the 7-8 side, and I eat a balanced and healthy diet (I’m trying to gain weight, currently at 5’8 150 lbs looking to get to 160). I just started supplementing with a Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc/D3 set of tablets, after reading about how they can boost your testosterone.

The test came back, with my testosterone levels at 478 ng/dL. Unfortunately my doctor only sent the results for my test, leaving out the other levels. Is this a normal level for an 18 year old male? Because I’m going out to university in the fall, I’m not able to get on TRT, nor do I think it would be 100% optimal for my age. I don’t think I’m financially stable enough for it, either.

It’s a bit low for your age.

How hard are you training? If hard, it can lead to lower testosterone in some. Try testing after a few days off, and it might come back higher. Testosterone needs to be tested a few times before making a determination of Low T IMO. It can really vary a lot. FWIW, 480 ng/dL was the highest I’ve tested, other times were 379 and 390. Make sure you test in the AM soon after you wake up.

I’ll send my workout regiment because I recently wrote it outI will give two versions of my workouts - quarantine, and gym. For the past few months my quarantine workouts have been solely at home, but as the gym has just reopened I have alternated between my gym and quarantine workouts (3 days at the gym and 3 days at home, rest).

I’ll start with my gym workouts (DB=Dumbbell, KB=Kettlebell) Day 1 (Push - Triceps, Chest, and Shoulders) (Duration: 2 1/2hrs);
4x12 (each arm) Unilateral DB Neutral Grip Chest Press with an isometric hold on the arm that isn’t pressing.
4x12 DB Together Neutral Grip Chest Press (I push the dumbbells together)
4x15 Plate Chest Press (I interlock my fingers between two weight plates)
4x8-10 Upright Chest Flies (on the machine) 4x12 DB Chest Flies
4x10 DB Overhead Preas
4x10 Incline DB Shoulder Press
3x10-12(each arm) Unilateral Chest Press (on a plate machine)
4x12 Weighted Dips
4x10 Tricep Pushdown machine
4x12 Tricep Press (cable machine)
4x12 (each arm) Unilateral Tricep Press (Cable Machine)
4x15 Resistance Band External Rotation

Day 2(Lower Body): Duration (2hrs)
4x12 (each leg) Calf Extension (on a machine) 4x12 Leg Press (on the machine)
4x12 (each leg) Glute Kickbacks (machine)
4x20 Bodyweight Rock-back Calf Raises
4x10 Leg Extension
4x20 Bodyweight Rock-back Calf raises
4x10-12 Leg Curls
4x20 Bodyweight Rock-back calf raises
3-4 sets of walking KB lunges
4x10-15 KB Goblet Squat
4 sets of KB Clock Lunges
4x30 KB Calf Raises
4x40 Physioball Hamstring Curls, 1 set after to failure
4x60seconds Wall Sits (with a plate on my lap) If I’m up to it, I’ll do 4x12 DB Bulgarian Split Squats
Finisher: 4x8-10 Heavy Leg Extension
4x8-10 Leg Press Machine
4x10 Calf Extension on the leg press machine

Day 3 (Pull - Biceps and Back) (Duration 2 1/2hrs)
4x12 (each arm) Unilateral DB Kneeling Rows 4x10 (each arm) Alternating Unilateral DB Curls
4x10 (each arm) Alternating Unilateral DB Hammer Curls
4x15 Cable Machine Bicep Curls
4x10 Close Grip Cable Machine Seated Rows 4x12 (each arm) Plate Machine Rows
4x10-12 Neutral Grip Pull-ups
4x10 Pull Down Machine
4x10 Bicep Curls (weight machine)
4x10 Bicep Curls (bar)
4x10 Pronated Bicep Curls (bar)
4x10 Weight Machine Rows
4x15 KB Trap Raises
4x15 (each arm) KB trap raises
Finisher: 4x30 Alternating Unilateral Resistance Band Bicep Curls, sometimes I fail before 30

When I say plate, I mean I’m holding 1-2 plates in my hands.
Day 4: Push Duratio: 3hrs
4x15 Plate Chest Press
5x6-8 Bench Press
4x15 DB Chest Flies
4x8-10 Military Press
4x10 DB Overhead Press
4x20 Alternating Incline Shoulder Press
4x15 DB Chest Press
4x15 Plate Raises
4x20 Bodyweight Dips
4x12 (each direction) Plate L-Raises
8x20 Resistance Band Tricep Press
4x12 (each arm) Unilateral Band Tricep Press 4x25 Elevated Tricep Dips
4x20 (each arm) DB Tricep Kickbacks
4x15 (each arm) Resistance Band External Rotation
4x18-20 Diamond Pushups
4x12 Incline DB Chest Flies
4x12 (each arm) Unilateral DB Chest Press

Day 5: Lower Body Duration (2 1/2 hrs) 4x30(15 each leg) DB Walking Lunges
4x15 Plate Goblet Squats
4x12-15 (each leg) DB Bulgarian Split Squats 4 sets of DB Clock Lunges
4x30 Plate Calf Raises
4x40 physioball hamstring curls, 1set to failure 4x60 seconds wall sits with a plate on my lap 4x20, 1x30 (each leg) Plate Elevated glute raises
4x35,
1x40 Elevated Calf Raises
4x30 Glute and Back Extensions
4x15 (each leg) Unilateral Elevated Calf Raises
4x60steps Plate Farmers Walk with the Calves raised
4x20(each leg) Unilateral Plate Calf Raises

Day 6: Pull (Duration: 3+ hrs)
4x20 (each arm) Plate Kneeling Rows
4x25 Plate Hammer Curls
4x20 Waiter Curls
4x40 Alternating DB Bicep Curls
4x40 Alternating DB Hammer Curls
4x12-15 DB Zottman Curls (3seconds on the eccentric
4x12-15 Chin Ups
4x40 Resistance Band Seated Rows
4x12-15 Neutral Grip Pull-ups
4x60 Alternating Resistance Band Seated Rows
4x10-12 Pull-ups
4x10 Barbell Bicep Curls
4x12 Barbell Pronated Curls
4x20 Inverted Rows
4x15 Pronated Plate Curls
4x15 Plate Curls
4x20 Plate Bent -over Rows
4x30 Plate Shrugs
4x20 Headbangers
4x30 Unilateral Plate Shrugs
4x30 Alternating Resistance Band Bicep Curls 4x30 Scapular Pull-ups
4x12-15 Pronated Pull-ups
4x12 Trap Plate Raises
4x20 Resistance Band face pulls

Used to do 3hr core workouts at night with some bench press but I haven’t done them in a while.

That is a lot of volume. I think you might grow better, have higher test levels, and save some time with less. I would bet you would. I think you are probably running yourself into the ground.

Many people in pursuit of gains just do more and more (I did at one point). I bet it is pretty hard to do much after the first few lifts with intensity? I think exercise selection could use improvement too. I did all of this type of stuff when younger too.

Are you open to trying a structured program?

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If you are open to changing your training program, assuming you want to get stronger and put on weight, I recommend you look into Starting Strength programs.

I did strong lifts, which is basically a rip off of Starting Strength with pretty good success. IMO, starting strength is good because of the frequency of practicing the squat especially. However, I would switch to something intermediate like 5/3/1 after 1 or 2 stalls in hindsight.

ZMA usually isn’t enough to boost your testosterone. In your case, I’d advice at least 5000 IU of vitamin D3 per day. Be sure to get enough cholesterol and unsaturated fat. You might want to add some Tongkat Ali and/or some Bulbine Natalensis as well. That could potentially bring your T levels up to the high 500s or low 600s – perhaps higher. Judging from your workout schedule, you might be overtraining; I’d advise you to rework your workout schedule (do a Google search on “fuckarounditis”). :slight_smile:

Holy crap dude…workouts lasting 3 hours or more?

TEN different types of curls in a single workout?!

A Jewish dude naming himself after 3 of the biggest rappers?

So much to take in.

That volume seems… excessive

Thats very low for your age. My father is 75 and is 500s. You need twice that man. Free t should be in the 20’s. I would get help asap and not wait around before puberty is over. DHT i believe plays a big role in puberty as well. get some man. you won’t regret it. fuck it you now have a perfect excuse to live your entire life optimized and you’ll have no excuses. talk about excelling in life.

on the other hand it does suck I get it, but what can you do?