I have found this rather difficult and slow moving with the scale.
Anyways, here is my question.
Theoretically speaking, wouldn’t running long distance 5-7mi/day be good for weight loss while on TRT? If I am thinking about this correctly, the runs would put you in a calorie deficit and normally you would lose muscle from all the steady state cardio, but with being on TRT you would be prone to hold onto the muscle you might have otherwise lost?
that depends on your metabolism and thyroid/adrenal functions.
all things being perfect then yes, I would expect long distance running would be good for weight loss - as would weight lifting, biking, swimming, etc. etc. etc.
Cortisol levels are strong.
Thyroid is being controlled with Armour Thyroid 1 grain/day and levels are strong.
I was mostly concerned about the muscle loss effects of long distance running that I have experienced in the past. I thought TRT may help maintain muscle while I lost fat using long distance running as the method to produce the weight loss.
Generally speaking, for an average male trying to hold onto muscle mass while losing weigh, long “jogs” or steady state cardio is not optimal because it is highly catabolic…being on TRT only gives you “average” levels of hormones, so this would not change the reality for you…if you want to hold onto muscle while losing weight, you must give your body a reason to do so (high intensity resistance training with proper diet, with optimal cardio)…personally, I would opt for less steady state stuff (maybe 1-2 sessions per week fasted in the morning MAX) adn replace it with hard, manly conditioning (complexes, prowler pushes, sprints)…stuff you can finish up in 15 minutes or so…high protein
[quote]PureChance wrote:
that depends on your metabolism and thyroid/adrenal functions.
all things being perfect then yes, I would expect long distance running would be good for weight loss - as would weight lifting, biking, swimming, etc. etc. etc.[/quote]
hello sir sorry to jump in quick ?,did not want to make a new thread,I can PM u if thats ok… you mentioned thyroid/adrenals,I feel sluggish all the time etc…had thyroid checked was low,not super low,but I have every symptom of low ! and id assume taking ephedra for 15 yrs straight double doses at times 2x a day,even mixed it with spike…red rox…and other any suggestions ? as many DR’S are slow when it comes to adrenals,I read somewhere some hyrocortizone would help ? low like 5,10 mg ? thank you either way
I lift more than I do cardio and once I started Anastrozole with test I lost 7 pounds in 2 weeks… But I also didn’t have good estrogen levels either. Also didn’t lose any strengh either, also feel better
Over training in combo with other health issues is not good. We have guys in good youthful hormone states ruin there lives by to much training and severe diets can make things all the worse.
With your details lost in 5 other threads, can’t really say anything very useful.
As I lost T, I lost muscle and gained fat -->34" waist. With TRT I was down to 32" in 2-3 months [E2=37]without trying and eating more, weight did not change, added AI and -->31" waist[E2=22], weight did not change. Muscle gain was balanced by fat loss. Everyone is different and I changed back to the body I had in my 20’s. I think that the balance of T:E2 is probably a dominant factor, other than genetics which cannot be changed.
Something like CrossFit – short, intense conditioning like VTBalla34 described – will give you the metabolic benefits of cardio without the catabolic (and joint-grinding) problems you get with the long steady state stuff. Unless you really want to do a triathlon or something I’d look for alternatives to the roadwork.
But more importantly, get your food right. A trainer I respect says that body comp is 80% diet and 20% exercise, and I think there’s something to that. Check out the V-diet here, or similar paleo-type approaches. They work.
I would say 60% diet, 20% exercise, and 20% genetic… I would agree on 80% diet if you are like most trainers core freaks no heavy lifting, and almost all cardio… Remember strength training burns calories 24/7, and cardio burns calories right then.
The TRT should help your metabolism some, I know I do a combo of am workouts on treadmill in fasted state for an hour not let HR above 120-130, and every other day I do an interval workout of jumping rope, squat thrusts, mt climbers along with intervals on rows 15 sec on 15 sec off as hard as you can go for 5-8 rounds and have lost 40 lbs & no perceivable muscle lost.
Prior to TRT, I did do longer distance runs up to 5 miles, but also loss muscle mass and didn’t feel like I was in shape. I feel like I am at a really good level of conditioning right now. I would look at Ross Enamit (sp) “Infinite Intensity”, with some his workouts to keep the muscle and burn the fat.
Diet is a major part to many bad carbs will wreck your goals. Watch your sodium intake as well.
See what works for you…good luck
You realize this is a weightlifting forum right? Just pick one of the programs here the authors put out, and follow it…the fact that you are on TRT does not make you special–you just have the same hormone levels of most of the people on this site, who are able to get good results by being consistent and working hard…well, you are in the higher end of those guys (if you are on an ideal TRT protocol) so it should be a bit easier for you, but you still have to put in the work
I agree with the others…I ran track in high school and used to do “long, slow cardio” (10-mile+ trail runs) but I’ve almost totally stopped cardio. I don’t see the point anymore…I think I was just doing it because I’ve always had body image issues with being skinny and weak, and I wanted to be “athletic” in some sense.
I guarantee you that the vast majority of endurance guys would trade their bodies in a heartbeat to be bigger and stronger, they just don’t know how or have given up after trying all the wrong things. My waist size, BP and HDL/LDL ratio are the same with zero cardio, intense weight training 3x/wk and (mostly) primal diet…meanwhile I’ve put on a lean 30lbs and roughly doubled my strength in less than a year, and I like the way I look more every day. So why run 10 miles? In my opinion there’s no reason to do it unless you are a competitive endurance athlete. Short, intense workouts are where it’s at. You can put on LBM and drop fat at the same time with the right training and diet. TRT will definitely help but you gotta put in the work. Do some cardio if it makes you feel good.
I lost 46lbs and got to 7% body fat being on TRT…no issues at all…