Thanks for the warm welcomes!
I'm a 28 year old guy originally from Toronto, now living in Ottawa. I grew up playing most sports, which got me into weightlifting and exercise when I was 16 or 17, and I never really stopped. The gym has long been my sanctuary, and a place that has helped to keep me centred. I wouldn't call myself an expert by any means when it comes to weightlifting, but not a beginner either - somewhere in the middle.
The main thing that brought me here was an interest in learning more about AAS- specifically testosterone. AAS have always been a blindspot for me, and they were something I hadn't really considered from a performance enhancing context (largely just due to ignorance and fear).
But in the last 6-9 months I started getting more interested in understanding AAS through the Moreplatesmoredates YouTube channel. Beyond strictly gym performance, I have begun to notice that I have many symptom markers of some of the non-optimal hormone profiles he mentioned, and so I did some blood testing in the last few months. I discovered that my total testosterone was on the low-normal side at 368 ng/DL, free test was 254 pmol/L, and that my estradiol was 174 pmol/L. Not really significant enough for most risk-averse doctors to pursue treatment for since it is in the reference range, but concerning nonetheless.
I'm still unsure about whether I would want to pursue something like TRT through a clinic or another kind of supplementation, but I am looking for a place where I can exchange ideas and learn from those with greater knowledge in these areas.
Thanks!
