HRT and Competitive Athletes

[Forest]

Are there any competitive athletes here on the Board which are on HRT?

[zaggahamma]

bump

[The Toad]

It would be interesting to know how they treat HRT as far as drug testing. Especially sports where older athletes compete such drug free powerlifting.

[dec11]

AFAIK, (in n ireland anyhow) as long as its medical nessecity and you have proof from the doctor, you can be on something on the IOC banned list and still compete.

[JohnnyVegas]

If you are on legit (program that puts you in the normal range) TRT, will your levels even show anything? I have always wondered.

[dec11]

If you are on legit (program that puts you in the normal range) TRT, will your levels even show anything? I have always wondered.

a very simple and good point, i guess if you are on a steady trt prog and not blasting then your good to go. anyone know what the testosterone limits are for the IOC?

[Forest]

As an amatuer athlete I never worry about "testing" of any sort. But my question was originally aimed at those that may not only suffer from low test levels, but are also competing in sports and enjoy the associated bump in performance from TRT. Although early in my therapy, TRT has undoubtedly increased my performance and recovery. Any other athletes getting the same results or different?

[Cyclehard]

Forest, I am an am cyclist. I'm a cat racer and have been looking for people like me on this site. I haven't tried T but want to. You do find that it has helped you?

[BgMc31]

When I was in the NFL, many older players are on TRT. The drug testing done measures the levels of test in your system and like the IOC, there is an "acceptable" limit. If you test over those limits you failed the test. Now in drug free powerlifting (I'm a powerlifter/strongman now), it's not so cut and dry. First it depends on the fed, then it depends on what type of testing is done. Many powerlifting orgs, because of the cost associated with drug testing utilize question and answer sessions, piss testing, and some will blood test. But again, they don't test for TRT, they do a test level test and if you test above the acceptable limits you fail the test.

[APIs]

When I was in the NFL, many older players are on TRT. The drug testing done measures the levels of test in your system and like the IOC, there is an "acceptable" limit. If you test over those limits you failed the test. Now in drug free powerlifting (I'm a powerlifter/strongman now), it's not so cut and dry. First it depends on the fed, then it depends on what type of testing is done. Many powerlifting orgs, because of the cost associated with drug testing utilize question and answer sessions, piss testing, and some will blood test. But again, they don't test for TRT, they do a test level test and if you test above the acceptable limits you fail the test.

Very interesting, thanks...

[zaggahamma]

Very interesting, thanks...

agree...glad the big man posted that...you'd think the big feller would have seen the thread in december

lol....i always wondered that same thing.....give us some names bigmac

[Nofinshline]

Forest, I am an am cyclist. I'm a cat racer and have been looking for people like me on this site. I haven't tried T but want to. You do find that it has helped you?

CH, Test really help with recovery and power IF you have low T. Endurance athletes that train/race hard AND are OLD are good candidates to TRT... I'm in my mid 40's doing self trt, Do a lot of research before you get into it if you can't get a doc to precribe it for you.

[Cyclehard]

CH, Test really help with recovery and power IF you have low T. Endurance athletes that train/race hard AND are OLD are good candidates to TRT... I'm in my mid 40's doing self trt, Do a lot of research before you get into it if you can't get a doc to precribe it for you.

Nofinishline,

I agree. I think that its underestimated just how much T we endurance athletes use up in the course of racing and training. And especially as we age it just gets worse. I've been diagnosed with Low T before but was put on thyroid meds, systemic I guess. But lately, and I do train and race a lot, I've had lots of low T symptoms. I have had a low sex drive, been down and irritable, trouble losing weight (for a cyclist) and trouble retaining muscle. I even had a few WEEKS of insomnia! I know my endo would probably be adverse to TRT, he was initially. But that was years ago and before I was training. I'm waiting for my insurance to kick in so I can have a blood lab drawn up but I think self is the way to go.

[clemont51]

As BigMc said they test for levels of testosterone .

Two types of T, T and Epitestosterone. The test is about the relationship of the two hormones. ("normal" construed as 1 : 1) Anything over a 4T to !E would put you out of international competition in most sports
Cyclist Floyd Landis was stripped of this Tour de France win when he tested at
11 to 1. I recall Mary Decker got a two years supension in 1999 for testing 8 to 1.

[Cyclehard]

These days there are very few situations in which I would be tested. Sadly, those days are over . . .

[Forest]

Forest, I am an am cyclist. I'm a cat racer and have been looking for people like me on this site. I haven't tried T but want to. You do find that it has helped you?

I am a competitive cyclist too. I believe it has helped. Blood tests show a measurable increase in RBC, and I am recovering much quicker.

More importantly though, my general well being is improved and that's what really counts.

[Cyclehard]

That sounds like magic to me! I'm excited to try it out. Hopefully soon . . .

[zaggahamma]

That sounds like magic to me! I'm excited to try it out. Hopefully soon . . .

lol...it kind of will feel like it bro...if youre really low T you'll be amazed

[Cyclehard]

I hope so. Gotta wait a few weeks for ins to kick in so I can get BW. But I'd rather try and go a different route.

[GotNoBlueMilk]

This is HRT forum. There are sports forums here, this just isn't one of them. There are also forums and threads on cheating. Again, this isn't one of them.

[zaggahamma]

This is HRT forum. There are sports forums here, this just isn't one of them. There are also forums and threads on cheating. Again, this isn't one of them.

ouch?

[Cyclehard]

This is HRT forum. There are sports forums here, this just isn't one of them. There are also forums and threads on cheating. Again, this isn't one of them.

You're right, GotNoBlueMilk. But the first thread was about competitive athletes being on HRT. Plus, in the section for competitive athletes there isn't much for us endurance athletes. I've had posts up for a few weeks now that no one has replied to, mainly I think, cause most guys here BB. Sorry to break the rules if that is the case. Just trying to get help were we can.

[GotNoBlueMilk]

My apologies regarding my HRT comments. I failed to notice the HRT connection.

I still stand by my cheating comment.

[Cyclehard]

Fair enough. But do BB'ers on AAS cheat or is that just part of the sport? Honestly, and I don't condone this, but cycling has the highest level of doping/cheating out of any sport out there. The guys still train like crazy and eat right, but the sport is so demanding --even at the am level -- and the incentives to cheat are so high that it is just a pervasive problem. For me, I'm not looking to mess with anything serious, just something to aid recovery and improve my general sense of well-being. From what I gather, this is what test does and why cyclist use it.

[zaggahamma]

to me its a moot point (cheating)...as said time and time again....taking aas WONT give you the ability to hit 70 homeruns in a single season, make a couch potato grow abs, etc, etc.

[Black]

to me its a moot point (cheating)...as said time and time again....taking aas WONT give you the ability to hit 70 homeruns in a single season, make a couch potato grow abs, etc, etc.

Totally agree.

'Cheating' is such a dead argument. Everyone has a different opinion. What constitues cheating? Technically, taking a whey protein supplement will increase your muscle faster than not taking one. That is a performance enhancement. Is it cheating?

EDIT: Sorry jpk, wasn't directing that at you, just quoted you because I agree with your statement.

[Cyclehard]

Yeah, but you still have to have the ability. Hitting 70 Homers with or without AAS is damned hard. On the other hand, no AAS won't turn a couch potato into world-class BB'er, but it will get someone, with the right amount of work, to a pretty high level of competition.

[pittbulldad]

Even Barry Bonds who certainly got benefit from "cheating" wouldn't have been able to hit that many homeruns if he didn't have the skills to begin with...

[zaggahamma]

Totally agree.

'Cheating' is such a dead argument. Everyone has a different opinion. What constitues cheating? Technically, taking a whey protein supplement will increase your muscle faster than not taking one. That is a performance enhancement. Is it cheating?

EDIT: Sorry jpk, wasn't directing that at you, just quoted you because I agree with your statement.

all good...agree....i really love this topic and i really feel for these athletes that have had their lives mauled by the public and GOVERNMENT!
i hope their lawyers can help them unlike poor marion jones...guess she had a check writing problem too? which would have probably went away a lot more easily if it werent for her aas connection

[GotNoBlueMilk]

I think in a competition everyone has to abide by the same rules even if we disagree with a rule.

Steroids for highschool and college is insane because of health reasons and the lack of mature decision making on the part of a highschooler. For pro athletes, if they want to assume the risk then they should be able to do it. They get paid to abuse their bodies for the sport so what is the difference?

[PK-V]

Isn't Lance Armstrong not on TRT and competing?

He lost one of his nut's with cancer :0

I'm sure he and his doctor were trying to keep his levels high normal aka just under the testing cutoff

In my opinion that's still an advantage over the ordinary athletes not on TRT

The test using the testosterone to epitestosterone levels via urine sample not sure how accurate it is compared to a blood sample but im sure the follow up with a blood test if the urine sample is doped so to say

I have heard of guys doing all sorts of sh*t to pass drug tests from storing a urine sample in a balloon hidden in you know where
and some others injecting clean urine directly into there bladder :0

[GotNoBlueMilk]

Blood tests never proved Lance was not on any controlled substance. Of course, the athletes all know how ot beat this so he may have been.

Wasn't aware it was testicular cancer. Are you sure about this?

[Nofinshline]

Blood tests never proved Lance was not on any controlled substance. Of course, the athletes all know how ot beat this so he may have been.

Wasn't aware it was testicular cancer. Are you sure about this?

Yeah it was testicular cancer, and if he was competing while in Trt he had an advantage over hin competition.. Hard racing, particularly 3 week tours destroy your t levels.

[Cyclehard]

Lance did test positive at one point, in 1999 I believe. But they changed the limits for today's competitors. In other words, he had elevated T levels that would've gotten him popped today but not back then. Besides, it appears a case is finally building against him. It sorta sucks. I mean everyone was doping, he just did it best. It just gives the sport a bigger black eye if he gets busted.