Competing while on TRT

[KevZA]

Good day all,

Firstly, Im not sure if this is the correct thread or even if this question is allowed.

I live in South Africa and unfortunately in this country, doctors are very hesitant to provide TRT, we are very behind in this regard, and I only know of 1 doctor in the country who is doing it.

That said, most people end up having to buy UG test in order to get onto TRT.

I have done bloods and do them every few months and currently taking 150mg of Test cyp per week divided into 2 dosed together with 500mcg HCG 3 times a week.

The problem is that I do powerlifting and the club that I belong to competes on a provincial, national and even international level with the IPF.

The problem is that in order to compete in their competitions, I will have to join the SAPF which is IPF affiliated so I will be part of the WADA testing pool.

Im not competitive or even intend on being competitive, I wont even place in the events. I only do it because I love it and I want to compete to try beat my best. Its just fun to do the comps.

The issue is that if I get tested, it will look really bad for the club and my coaches. Im not too bothered if I get banned because Im not worried about trying to win anything.

So I am in the situation where I am on TRT and its working and feel good but now I cant compete because I run the risk of getting caught for the tiny amount that Im taking.

Does anybody have any recommendations on what I should do? Should I stop a month before my comp and then start again after? Should I move to a quicker acting test and pin more often? (I dont mind pinning every day, it doesnt bother me) Should I just forget about competing altogether?

I dont know if this is even a problem as I wont place so the likelihood of me being tested is very low, but that said, it can still happen as they still do random tests at comps and also can ask for random samples throughout the year.

I just want to know if anybody has had similar problem or can offer advice?

Thanks for your help Gents.

**Edit** I wont be competing in any competitions for now.

[Cylon357]

Talk to your coaches and other club members. They may not care, or may pitch a fit, or have pointers for you not to get caught. Sorry, I don't have much else to offer.

[Test Monsterone]

You first have to figure out what type of test it is. I’m assuming it’s a urine test so they will be testing for metabolites or testosterone vs epitestosterone. If you are taking HCG, your body is producing some amount of testosterone in addition to the exogenous test you are injecting. To avoid most/all chances of being caught, you could just drop the test a couple of weeks before the PED test and let HCG do the work. I dont know how sophisticated the testing program is for this sport, but if you stay within normal physiological hormone ranges, you could likely continue the TRT as usual. You’re probably higher than normal with your current dosing, however.

As for whether or not you should compete, that is an individual decision. I personally do not like to compete, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. Is the juice worth the squeeze? I work out for aesthetics and longevity, not for prizes. Prizes come with injuries, and they are not worth the sacrifice for me.

[Killah_Keith]

Do they not have an untested division?

I would definitely consider it cheating. But I think the majority of tested divisions have people using a multitude of banned substances.

Some of the bigger names right now in untested got caught for band substances before they were known in tested divisions.

[Killah_Keith]

You first have to figure out what type of test it is. I’m assuming it’s a urine test so they will be testing for metabolites or testosterone vs epitestosterone. If you are taking HCG, your body is producing some amount of testosterone in addition to the exogenous test you are injecting. To avoid most/all chances of being caught, you could just drop the test a couple of weeks before the PED test and let HCG do the work. I dont know how sophisticated the testing program is for this sport, but if you stay within normal physiological hormone ranges, you could likely continue the TRT as usual. You’re probably higher than normal with your current dosing, however.

As for whether or not you should compete, that is an individual decision. I personally do not like to compete, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. Is the juice worth the squeeze? I work out for aesthetics and longevity, not for prizes. Prizes come with injuries, and they are not worth the sacrifice for me.

I will add to this that you are not competing for a prize. You are competing against yourself. Yeah, there are winners for the highest total, but rarely are there actual payouts.

In my opinion, gym lifts do not count. Straps, inadequate technique, touch and go bench press, soft lockouts, etc. Most gym lifts would never get three white lights at a Powerlifting meet.

For example, during training I can generally deadlift 100lb over my competition max. That's because deadlift is last. Meets are an all day thing where timing, nutrition, recovering from your weight cut, and a host of other things come in to play.

[KevZA]

Do they not have an untested division?

I would definitely consider it cheating. But I think the majority of tested divisions have people using a multitude of banned substances.

Some of the bigger names right now in untested got caught for band substances before they were known in tested divisions.

Unfortunately they do have have untested comps. My gym and trainers are all IPF affiliated.

[KevZA]

I will add to this that you are not competing for a prize. You are competing against yourself. Yeah, there are winners for the highest total, but rarely are there actual payouts.

In my opinion, gym lifts do not count. Straps, inadequate technique, touch and go bench press, soft lockouts, etc. Most gym lifts would never get three white lights at a Powerlifting meet.

For example, during training I can generally deadlift 100lb over my competition max. That's because deadlift is last. Meets are an all day thing where timing, nutrition, recovering from your weight cut, and a host of other things come in to play.

Thats the thing, I also feel that comp lifts are what count and its fun to do comps. As I said, Im not going to win. Its all about my own goals etc.

The problem is that the doctors here in SA are very conservative and are very behind with global trends. If I had a doctor who would give me the TRT (my levels are low) then they would be able to give me a report that I could send to WADA and apply for a Therapeutic Use Exempting (TUE) that way they could test me and as long as my test level are within normal range, I can compete but I doubt I would find a doctor that would do it.

I think it might be best to try find a doctor that is willing to help me and take that route?

What are your thoughts?

[Killah_Keith]

I believe they cannot test for exogenous testosterone since it's natural hormone. But they're may be a Total Test limit that will get you looked at for further testing

What they normally test for are other things that are not naturally occurring. Example: aromitase inhibitors, esther's, other anabolic compounds, etc

[KevZA]

I believe they cannot test for exogenous testosterone since it's natural hormone. But they're may be a Total Test limit that will get you looked at for further testing

What they normally test for are other things that are not naturally occurring. Example: aromitase inhibitors, esther's, other anabolic compounds, etc

They do test for testosterone but when they test they test for both testosterone and epitestosterone and compare the ratio between the two.

When your body makes its own testosterone it makes the same amount of epitestosterone. So if you are injecting test your body wont make the epitest so the ratio will be out.

Some guys inject epitest to get around this so they so do still test for levels in general but you will only get into trouble if your levels are unnaturally high.

[kelkel]

Don't they have acceptable ranges for those competing while on TRT?

[KevZA]

Don't they have acceptable ranges for those competing while on TRT?

They do, and as long as you have submitted a Therapeutic Use Exemption report from your doctor that has been accepted then you can do TRT and compete.

But as mentioned, Doctors here in South Africa are very conservative and its extremely to get legit TRT. So most people end up doing it themselves with UG gear. So there is no way that I can get a Therapeutic Use Exemption.

[kelkel]

They do, and as long as you have submitted a Therapeutic Use Exemption report from your doctor that has been accepted then you can do TRT and compete.

But as mentioned, Doctors here in South Africa are very conservative and its extremely to get legit TRT. So most people end up doing it themselves with UG gear. So there is no way that I can get a Therapeutic Use Exemption.

Well that just sucks. Sorry to hear.