Advice needed

M

Mwcc

New member
So first I want to apologize for the long dragged out message but I’d like to cover as much as possible. Im a first time poster but long time lurker on this site and others. I’m 42 years old, have a very active job and hit the gym 6x/week. Some may not like the style but my thing is CrossFit. I use to go to a typical franchise gym but was introduced to CrossFit and got hooked. About 8 months ago I started TRT. My doctor started me on a typical dose of 1ml at 100mg/ml and .25mg of anastrozole the day after every injection. My free test went from 338pmol/l to 1000pmol/l and test went from 15.3 nmol/l to 33.5 nmol/l in 4 months, which I am told is very typical. They have plateaued around the 680 and 26.4 level while maintaining the same dose as I started on. After reviewing my latest bloods, I explained to the doc, I just don’t feel as good as I did when they were higher. The doc increased it a little but not much, so I also increased it a little more as well. I’m still only taking 150mg/week along with some peptides and other supplements. I started tracking everything I eat and I consider my diet dialled in. I’ve gone from 201lbs to 181lbs in just under 2 months, all while eating just under 3400 calories/day. For the first time in years I’m starting to see my abs and veins in places that I’ve never seen before, for me these are small but big accomplishments. My issue is with my joints, primarily elbows, shoulders and one knee. As of lately my elbows hurt so bad, I would compare the pain to sprain. Not enough to tap out but definitely enough to be uncomfortable/irritated all of the time. This leads me to here. Even after all of the reading I’ve done, I’m admittedly very confused still, especially with the bloods. I don’t know what good and bad markers are when it comes to the numbers. This is where the experience comes into play. With the progress I’ve made lately I feel like I need more and definitely want more. Im not looking to compete on stage, I don’t want to be that guy that’s bigger or stronger than everyone else, I just want to be better than the current version of myself. My goal is joint pain relief, lean muscle mass/vascular appearance (would sacrifice), along with increased strength. I’m definitely not opposed to taking multiple things along with my test. As crazy as it sounds, I am a bit concerned though with how the blood work would look. I get it reviewed every 3 months until it’s levelled out then the doc will review it every 6 months after that. I’ve seen recommendations about pairing TRT with deca/primo/npp/masteron but it seems like everyone’s opinion differs. I want to stay on the leaner more vascular side of things but would like to add some strength as well. Heck I’m not even sure if it’s possible at such a low dose of test but that’s why I’m here, to see what people with experience recommend. All of my blood work is available if that’s needed and my stack right now includes, Test 150mg, Bpc 157, Tb 500, Reta, CJC 1295 with Ipamorelin, mots c, ss31, kpv and about a dozen vitamin/ mineral supplements. Pinning 8x-10x per day is getting old as well. I feel like the peptides are working some but Im ready to take the next step. I’ve included some of my bloods below. Anyways thanks in advance for any advice or comments.

Hematocrit =.496 L/L
HDL = 2.01 mmol/l
LDL= 1.59 mmol/l
Prolactin = 11.4 ug/L
Ferritin=99ug/l
Thyroid simulating hormone=0.83 miu/L
Hemoglobin=5.7%
Estradiol = 104 pmol/L
Testosterone = 26.4 nmol/l
Free test 683 pmol/l
Lh was 2.2 in/l before TRT
Fsh was 3.2 out/l before TRT
C Reactive protein 0.5 mg/l
 
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My first inclination would be at your age, training and ability to recover is the source of joint issues and not the need to add more compounds.

At your age lifting six days per week with the intensity of CrossFit, without well structured deloads is probably just too much for your body.

At your age, 4 days of lifting, plus some other days of either cardio, mobility work, etc. is probably the max you can recover from without joint and tendon issues

PS nothing abnormal in your BW but what is missing are your inflammation markers
 
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Oldguyjiujitsu said:
My first inclination would be at your age, training and ability to recover is the source of joint issues and not the need to add more compounds.

At your age lifting six days per week with the intensity of CrossFit, without well structured deloads is probably just too much for your body.

At your age, 4 days of lifting, plus some other days of either cardio, mobility work, etc. is probably the max you can recover from without joint and tendon issues

PS nothing abnormal in your BW but what is missing are your inflammation markers
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Thanks for your reply. I’ve added my C reactive protein results to the original post. It is 0.5 mg/l. I also thought going to the gym too much was probably the cause of the joint pain. I got caught up in trying to Rx the weights instead of scaling. It became almost like an addiction. You go in and are surrounded by like minded people and grind hard for an hour. There is also the competitive side to it as well, despite everyone telling each other it’s all friendly.
Despite that probably being the cause of the pain, I’m still ready to take the next step in enhancing my stack. Honestly I’m spending a ridiculous amount on peptides and I usually pin myself around 10x/day. I’d rather go a different route now and keep one or two of them in the stack.
 
Mwcc said:
Thanks for your reply. I’ve added my C reactive protein results to the original post. It is 0.5 mg/l. I also thought going to the gym too much was probably the cause of the joint pain. I got caught up in trying to Rx the weights instead of scaling. It became almost like an addiction. You go in and are surrounded by like minded people and grind hard for an hour. There is also the competitive side to it as well, despite everyone telling each other it’s all friendly.
Despite that probably being the cause of the pain, I’m still ready to take the next step in enhancing my stack. Honestly I’m spending a ridiculous amount on peptides and I usually pin myself around 10x/day. I’d rather go a different route now and keep one or two of them in the stack.
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With doctors checking your blood work every 3 months there’s nothing that you can really add that will make a difference in the weeks between bloodwork.

Once you go to six months or a year, increasing the test dosage and/or adding GH for recovery would be the primary option

Given what you’re doing includes an endurance component if you want to go the PED route it would be EQ, NPP or Anivar (pre workout). All come with pros and cons.
 
Oldguyjiujitsu said:
With doctors checking your blood work every 3 months there’s nothing that you can really add that will make a difference in the weeks between bloodwork.

Once you go to six months or a year, increasing the test dosage and/or adding GH for recovery would be the primary option

Given what you’re doing includes an endurance component if you want to go the PED route it would be EQ, NPP or Anivar (pre workout). All come with pros and cons.
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I’ve always been more of an endurance guy, even before taking anything. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not keeping up to the 28-35 year old guys but I’m not too far off. I really just want to put on lean muscle mass and strength. I’m 6’ and weighed in this morning at 179lbs. I was actually thinking about lowering my dose of Reta or increasing my calorie count. I’m all for losing fat, which I definitely lost but I’ve also lost some strength with it. For me, it’s time to get the size and strength back without getting the love handles back.
 
Bigwheel said:
FYI you can mix most peptides in the same syringe
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Been hoping to see a chart like that for a while, source? I like that it had appropriate message about doing your own research. I always wince when I see spelling mistakes in anything presented like this but I'd still like to see what whoever made this has to say on the subject.
Thanks
 
Do you guys monitor your own bloodwork or have a doctor do it. I’m so ignorant when it comes to what looks good, what’s bad, what’s needed, that if I’m being totally honest, I'm a bit intimated by it all.
 
Mwcc said:
Do you guys monitor your own bloodwork or have a doctor do it. I’m so ignorant when it comes to what looks good, what’s bad, what’s needed, that if I’m being totally honest, I'm a bit intimated by it all.
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Those of us in ON and BC can use a service called Teletest.ca to monitor bloodwork, if you don't have or don't want your doctor to do it. Check them out if appropriate in your case. There are other services in other provinces I believe, but you might have to go looking for a naturopath or some sort of clinic for private bloodwork.

Regarding your joint pain in your original post, as an older lifter I can tell you what I've found is that your muscles can recover pretty well still, especially when taking some PEDs, however your joints are what tell the real story in terms of fatigue and recovery. I can workout 4-5 days a week heavy and my muscles seem to want more, and that's because they can get themselves sorted out and refreshed on an occasional deload or even 5-7 days off. Your connective tissues take weeks to recover fully and if you've been hitting it hard at an older age, you're just not giving the underlying framework enough time to fully restore itself back to a state where pounding the weights doesn't just resume long term damage and wear.

So, if you're feel that might be the case, select the parts that are bothering you the most and really give them a break. Take a few weeks of lower intensity, maintenance work and see what happens. You won't lose anything, and 5 or 10 days in, if you feel like superman and think you're ready to go again because you're muscles feel fine...just remember, the rest of the system is trying to heal and catch up. You're just not aware that there's a whole repair crew trying to fix your tendons and ligaments while the muscles are seemingly having a lazy vacation.

Just my 2c on that issue, as I've run into it myself plenty.

Cheers.
 
As OGJJ said....

Most likely the training.

Too much and preffered activity.

Cross fit, whether a fan or not, is ridiculously taxing on the body and many of the workouts and movements are high risk for both acute and repetitive strain type injuries.

You have to look at what you are doing and think about what may be leading to your injuries. Then consider different variations or work around to get the job done.

More rest would do your body great. If sav you can't break away from the idea of tgat much training - look towards mixing in lower impact type activity.

If that doesn't work, a total overhaul of your workouts may be required. It's a kick to the sac for sure, but rethinking things can be a life saver and can be a refreshing new challenge.

It will be hard at first.

I get the whack that something like crossfire gives many of its followers....but if you're having so many issues.....something has to give.

Any adds drug wise are just a mask. You have to root out the cause, address it, make changes and move forward.

The other angle that is worth mentioning is your leanest. You mentioned noticing things getting worse now that you've made strides in that area.

Conditioning and leaness are the measures that show all the hard work....at least for many of us.

This comes at a cost for most however. In simple terms, this is why many high performance athletes (think hockey especially but any contact sport prone to injuries) are never sub 10 on the bf scale. So, it may be that with this increased leaness, you've either dried out too much and/or the body can't manage the wear and tear without a little extra reservoir so to speak.

Ain't no shame in a 12-15% bf life man....the only place in the world where that looks fat is under the ugly lights....if you're a crossfit guy, that isn't really a worry.

Obviously there could be a laundry list of other contributors or even causes....but I'd start there.
 
Mwcc said:
It definitely can. You can’t get caught up in wanting to hit all of the prescribed weights for male athletes before you learn proper techniques.
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I did CrossFit for a short time during Covid but they also had standard gym stuff too so I was doing a hybrid of both. I was in great shape but aches and pains definitely crept up on me more so than just very heavy lifting. I lift obscenely heavy when I’m dialled in but that doesn’t hurt my joints as much as CrossFit.
 
Redz said:
I did CrossFit for a short time during Covid but they also had standard gym stuff too so I was doing a hybrid of both. I was in great shape but aches and pains definitely crept up on me more so than just very heavy lifting. I lift obscenely heavy when I’m dialled in but that doesn’t hurt my joints as much as CrossFit.
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I feel the pain. It comes down to being fluent with the movements before trying to hit the RX weights. I also do Olympic weightlifting there as well. At this point I wouldn’t change it for anything. You go and surround yourself with like minded people who grind for an hour. I’ve done WODS that only lasted 12min and was on the verge of puking in comparison to some of the 32 min WODS.
 
I’ve had a couple guys recommend tbol or anavar, paired with eq and some HGH. I think I may just have to run a small 8-12 week or maybe even 16week cycle to find what works for me, as I’m sure it’s not the same for everyone.
 
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