hey guys, perhaps I’m crazy, but I’m 34 and been getting into lifting for a year or two. Gained some weight and workout 3-4 times a week. I dont over do it by any stretch of the imagination, but some people have commented I look more “fit”. i do the basic lifts (squat, bench, overhead, rows, etc) and I mountain bike on weekends. I also eat like a horse, usually healthy type stuff. So my question is… why do I feel like sleeping all the time and like crap all day?? also i dont feel I’m getting any stronger despite my efforts. Nor gaining quality weight… I’ve been 190# for the past year. Does this mean I’m getting old and can’t keep up with the younger guys? I’m a little concerned. Additionally, I’ve had some acne all my adult life (face and back) and all of a sudden it is gone… does that mean my “T” might have dropped???
Check your volume, frequency, and sleep patterns. Also, as hard as it is to do, take a week off every 10 weeks or so of training. Sometimes dropped T-levels are a result of too much training, not enough sleep or food, or all of the above. Sometimes a simple tweak or 2 does the trick. Here’s another “secret”: dehydration often appears as fatigue. Be sure you’re very well hydrated. Also try to get out into the sun for 20 minutes a day (maybe even take a nap out there). Works wonders.
If you kept a training log there wouldn’t be any guesswork here. You’d know for certain. Also, a training log helps you from getting into a rut. It’s too easy to get into a rut of lifting the same amount the same number of reps every workout. If you aren’t challenging yourself, you’ll never make gains.
This makes me feel you aren’t really serious about nutrition. If you don’t know how many grams of carbs, protein and fats you’re eating a day, then you’re not serious about nutrition.
How are your sleeping patterns? What are to doing specifically to help with recovery?
When you’re 17 you can get away with a lot of crap you can’t get away with when you’re 34. It’s really that simple. I wouldn’t worry about my testosterone levels until I had cleaned up my act in every other way first.
34 is the younger guys! Got to say, if that’s you in your avatar and you’re sportin an arm like that after only a year or two your doing something right. I think the Iron Dwarf and happydog48 gave some pretty good advise.
post routine, diet and recovery measures. HappyDog48 gave you the crucial piece of advice: keep a training log.
That log is for weights lifted, tracking volume and intensity, how you feel on the day you lift and what recovery measures you’ve taken. You can mine that log for info and trends and begin pinpointing what works, what doesn’t, weaknesses, strengths and 2nd order info about your training - e.g. “When I do this my bench goes up.”
I’d say you need a week off. Start paying attention to your recovery needs. Just to sound like a broken record, start writing stuff down. Your old journals are a gold mine of information.
And no, you’re not getting old. You have a lot of growth ahead of you even without the Photoshop.
[quote]stuward wrote:
I’d say you need a week off. Start paying attention to your recovery needs. Just to sound like a broken record, start writing stuff down. Your old journals are a gold mine of information.
And no, you’re not getting old. You have a lot of growth ahead of you even without the Photoshop.
Call me crazy, but here I go again; Ever notice when girls go through puberty they get lots of “zits”? Ever notice boys around the same time also get “zits”?
The question is: are girls breaking out because of the elevated T levels in their bodies? Probably not, most likely Estrogen. So, are boys breaking out from raised T levels? Once again, probably not.
My point is danielwtk, maybe your current lack of “bacne” is a direct result of Estrogen reduction at this time. The possible cause is maybe your T levels are starting to dwindle, and not converting to the Estrogen that has always caused you to break out.
Get your blood checked because the cleanest diet in the world is not as effective with low T levels.