Realistic TRT Recomp Progress

I was also started at 160 but it really didn’t do much for me. I complained several times and was bumped to 200. There is a huge difference for me. I’m actually putting on muscle while I’m cutting. It’s crazy! I’ll run my first set of labs next week, very curious to see my free test and SHBG. I started around 70 SHGB prior to TRT.

You reminded me of a video I jsut watchdd. Check this out Bulking | Cutting | The Truth!! - YouTube

Looking forward to following. I took some before photos and have been going at it for a couple months. I’m on the cream 3 clicks am and pm. So 150 am and pm…

Once I start going to gym 3-5 days a week consistent I’m going to take another photo every 30 days and eventually post a timeline.

Thanks for sharing I’ll be watching and supporting your change brother.

I started the cream a week ago. How are you doing with it?

Awesome! Keep me posted, tag me when you get your first labs. We have similar body types, SHBG levles and T levels. I’d be very curious to see how you do on 200.

You should feel lucky! My pre-TRT was 180. Yep…180!

Yep, I think our low free T (which will look relatively high on a test because of SHBG) is a huge part of the issue. All these years I just thought I was a hardgainer. But I was meticulous about tracking everything. Low T really makes building muscle impossible.

Keep me posted on your labs! I’m about to start trying Danazol, added to my protocol.

So, I’m 6 weeks in at this point.

Weeks 1-4: Awesome, huge libido increase, felt great in gym
Weeks 4-6: Lost almost all of the effects, no longer getting morning wood, SMH

So I just had a consultation with my doctor. We decided to increase my dosage of the cream and to have me start applying to more areas. Now I’m doing 2 clicks per day to the scrotum and 2 to the inside of my legs. We are also adding Danazol, 25 MG, EOD.

I have to say, the cream is convenient as hell. I already inject HCG; I don’t want to have holes all over my body. And it’s super easy to travel with cream.

You can definitely get there, man! When we have our hormones in check, there’s so much more we can accomplish. I think your goal is perfectly attainable. And Subq 3X a week is a really easy protocol; that’s what I was doing with HCG for a long time.

Similar to you, I am light (175 at 6’2"), which is frustrating given how long I’ve been lifting and eating well. High SHBG is a bitch.

Whoa! That’s so huge. Love to hear that you’ve experienced positives from increasing your dose. I also just increased my dose (to 4 clicks, which I believe roughly translates to 200mg injectable). Excited to see if I have similar effects!

My strength, for what it’s worth, has been steady/slowly increasing while I’ve been cutting. This recomp has definitely been different from any pre-TRT recomp I underwent. I feel more solid and strong while slowly losing fat.

Damn, that’s one hell of a dose. I thought mine (2 AM, 2 PM) was about as high as they come. So you’re doing 300 mg per day? What are your lab numbers? Do you have a prescription for that, or just doing it solo?

I’ll be following your change, too, bro! Very much looking forward to seeing all you accomplish.

Check out this post for a recap. TL;DR: early part was great, recent has been meh, upping my dose and adding Danazol; excited to see how that works.

Absolutely. I had four-week labs:

Total T: increased from 1989 to 2338 (Ref 250-1100)
Free T: increased from 192.9 to 215.1 (Ref 35-155)
SHBG: increased from 110 to 114 (Ref 15.5-55.9)
Estradiol: decreased from 51 to 50 (Ref <29)

You’ll notice SHBG/E didn’t really move; that may be a result of the transdermal approach. We are sticking with cream, but upping the dose (4 clicks per day) and adding 25 mg Danazol EOD.

Wow! This is completely me for the last 4 years. I kept thinking “I’m just missing this one supplement, or this one training technique and then surely I will start to gain”. Especially the last 2 years when I really got my nutrition dialed in. I wish it had dawned on me earlier to get my hormones checked. Oh well looking on the bright side it got me really dialed in with lifting, nutrition and sleeping.

I can not wait to see what happens once I get hormones optimized. 160 a week is definitely helping some but I really believe there is more to be had. But I’m only 5 weeks in so trying to relax and play the long game.

I’m having same issues. My labido is all fudged. But my levels are rediculous my high. I started cream the day after my final injection … so that was built up and then I was doing 3 clicks am and pm… you’d expect my labido to be off the chain… like leave 90 labido wiZardry. But no it’s not… so yeah high numbers don’t equate to better labido. I guess we just need to stabalize and let the body adapt! Maybe it’s estrogen… did you lose sensitivity?

Your t levels are high… this is from cream?

Thanks yes 300 daily. Check my post it’s uodated with labs a couple hours ago.

Wow your free T is really high. I guess that’s from using the cream 2x daily so you don’t really have a trough? Does that make sense. I’m injecting E3.5 days and my first labs since starting will be drawn right before my injection Thursday so I should be in a trough

Its high but not that high. that would be like a 28 in the NG/DL .The cream raises levels very easily in men, you cant dose 150mg of cypionate consistently and reach the same levels as you can wtih cream.

My free T actually isn’t all that high, to be honest. To put it in common metrics, move the decimal over one place – it’s 21.5. The upper end of the range would be 35.0. The SHBG is still binding up a ton of that total testosterone, and also likely a ton of the estrogen.

It’s true. Although I do wonder if injections may be better for high SHBG guys. Transdermal applications typically only have a minor impact on lowering SHBG. In my case, it seems to be having virtually no impact. So I’m considering injections. But upping my dose of the cream and adding Danazol are the first steps I’m trying out.

I don’t think shbg is as big of an issue with creams. You need much less Cream dosing to achieve the same levels with injections. Just look at the lab results from the Last couple guys in creams here and in excel male.

I saw one man taking 1 click at 50mg am and pm. He had super high levels.

Best thing to do is consult a doc who prescribes creams.