Is my test even high enough to build muscle?

[yepimonfire]

awhile back i had a blood test run on me to check my test levels because i felt like they were low due to the fact i've struggled in the gym so much despite perfect diet, and perfect routine. the test results came back from mayo clinic. i am 20 years old.

total testosterone was 532ng/dl. reference range for my age group is 300-1,200ng/dl, free test is 28ng/dl with the reference range being 9-30ng/dl

according to what i've been told, total t is irrelevant provided free test is high. is this true?

[lovbyts]

Its not irrelevant but the free test is a better indication. Your levels look great, nothing to complain or worry about and YES it's more than enough to build good natural gains. Dont make the mistake that many do and think about running a cycle because due to age it could really screw you up where you natural test may not come back anywhere near what it is, you can easily get ED along with other side effect. Read up on the sticky notes above and the post titled the young and steroids.
http://forums.steroid.com/showthread...ighlight=young

[yepimonfire]

thanks man. was never considering a cycle. just wondering if my levels are high enough and if not what i could do to increase it naturally. also i'm wondering if i have high estrogen and or cortisol due to the way i store fat. it's very womanlike. i pretty much store fat evenly over every single part of my body rather then concentrating at the gut.

i lose fat in the same way. evenly from everywhere.

[jamotech]

awhile back i had a blood test run on me to check my test levels because i felt like they were low due to the fact i've struggled in the gym so much despite perfect diet, and perfect routine. the test results came back from mayo clinic. i am 20 years old.

total testosterone was 532ng/dl. reference range for my age group is 300-1,200ng/dl, free test is 28ng/dl with the reference range being 9-30ng/dl

according to what i've been told, total t is irrelevant provided free test is high. is this true?

lovbyts is right on, your numbers are fine, especially free T. how long have you been struggling at the gym? Maybe time to change to a very different perfect routine?

[JohnnyVegas]

lovbyts is right on, your numbers are fine, especially free T. how long have you been struggling at the gym? Maybe time to change to a very different perfect routine?

And/or a new perfect diet.

[jamotech]

And/or a new perfect diet.

Sounds right!

[Vettester]

Agree, your levels are really good! I would imagine you have a low amount of SHBG due to your better than average free test score. It's all good, run with it!

[zaggahamma]

agree with all above..good test levels

i would get more bloodwork as well if u feel something is wrong...estro, cortisol, igf, thryroid.....

good luck bro

[yepimonfire]

lovbyts is right on, your numbers are fine, especially free T. how long have you been struggling at the gym? Maybe time to change to a very different perfect routine?

already done that. seeing progress more sometimes then others. my progress is vastly different depending on muscle groups, for instance my back has grown very fast and i went from measly 80lb BB rows to 165lb BB rows, my calves shot from 270lbs of resistance to 500 (in like 2 months) and my deadlift went up from like 135 (pathetic lol) to 235. shoulders and chest are always lagging behind. regardless of changing lifts, frequency, routine, volume (more and less) rep range etc. my diet is perfect. i weigh and count everything i eat and eat a certain amount of macros, i have no trouble gaining or losing weight. my biggest problem is i have a very very low amount of muscle mass and a higher bodyfat (which im currently working on). sure it's improved somewhat but it's still ridiculous. i cut from 240 to 200 when i started lifting. ended up looking like this. did not lose any strength, gained a little bit but my starting lifts were horrid. like only benching the bar horrid. max i got up to on my cut was 95lbs for 5 reps.

after that i kinda just recomped for awhile then decided to gain some weight because i didnt want to look like a freaking skeleton, gained about 18lbs then cut back down to 200. this is the most recent pic. EDIT: CRAP I CAN'T POST PICS.
i am 6'4 200lbs. have had blood tests done, doc said everything checked out normal. thyroid was on the lower side of the range but still in the normal and above the minimum reference. i do not have insulin problems, i have great insulin sensitivity, not only do blood tests check out normal but i feel energized eating carbs and i always get a "pump" from them (increased vascularity and muscle tone). i have never seen someone with as bad a physique as me, i have been lifting seriously (consistent routine, consistent diet) for about a year.

And/or a new perfect diet.

diet is fine

agree with all above..good test levels

i would get more bloodwork as well if u feel something is wrong...estro, cortisol, igf, thryroid.....

good luck bro

[yepimonfire]

here are the pics. first pic is after my initial cut. others are after a bulk and cut back to 200

[SEOINAGE]

thanks man. was never considering a cycle. just wondering if my levels are high enough and if not what i could do to increase it naturally. also i'm wondering if i have high estrogen and or cortisol due to the way i store fat. it's very womanlike. i pretty much store fat evenly over every single part of my body rather then concentrating at the gut.

i lose fat in the same way. evenly from everywhere.

This is a good thing, with free test at top range and total close to the mid I wouldn't worry about it. You really don't want to be the type like myself that stores it just in the gut, that is also an indicator of low testosterone and other problems, abdominal obesity.

[SEOINAGE]

And about the routine, I would be curious what it looks like as well as diet. Simple barbell routines are usually the best way to start and get a strength base to work from. Calf raises etc won't get you anywhere at your levels. Basics like squat deadlift and bench, sohp, rows, pull ups, that kind of thing, how you plan your progression is important and your rep scheme is important as well, form also, I would pick up some books and do some reading. I didn't get much beginner gains until a year into it when I started training heavier and eating more, something you probably haven't had the luxury of doing yet.

[yepimonfire]

thats what i do. it's all 100% compounds 3 sets of 5 reps with heavy (well heavy for me anyways lol) weight. calf raises are an exception, while other leg exercises do work them i never feel like they're being worked to their full potential. my diet is currently (cutting right now) 2000 cals 175 protein 125 carbs 89 fat. some days i trade fat for carbs. when bulking i eat 3500+ calories and try to get as many carbs in addition to my normal protein and fat requirements as i can. i take deloads every 6-8 weeks. this involves lifting 60% of my 5RM and eating at maintenance (if cutting). food wise, my diet consists of milk, whey, chicken, pork and other meats (can't really afford alot of beef lol), whatever kinds of fruits or veggies i feel like eating that day, cottage cheese etc etc etc. 90% whole foods.

[SEOINAGE]

What's your progression look like? are you increasing weight each training session? Are you doing 3 sets of 5 reps at the same weight or do you ramp the weight up? I prefer the latter. You should be able to make a lot of progress but it might just be one of those things that takes time. As far as calf raises, they really aren't that great for you functionally, if you want to really work them do hill sprints.

[yepimonfire]

i make an attempt to increase the weight every session. most of the time i do make increases, except as mentioned earlier. i've only managed to add 10lbs to my bench in like 2 months. form is perfect.

[bill24]

Your muscle mass appears to be better than a complete beginner. However, your fat seems to hide your muscle, even after the cut back. It's kind of a matter of what physique you want, but if I were you, I'd try to cut down to 10-12% BF, then focus on putting on lean muscle. At 10-12% BF, your muscles will show up better (and look bigger, especially in the arms), and your subsequent muscle to fat gain ratio should go up when you attempt to bulk. I'm sure others will disagree... but this approach has worked for me.

[yepimonfire]

bump

[bill24]

Just a few other things since nobody else has responded yet. First, it's a little dangerous to say diet and routine are "perfect," because you gotta do what works for you, not what worked for somebody else. It doesn't hurt to try several different approaches until you find what works. There are many many many diets and routines out there. Read them, and try them.

Re: diet--I would not say your diet is "perfect." For example, milk and pork are not really ideal or healthy foods, especially for cutting. Milk tends to be high in sugar, and will spike insulin, so best to take after workout only if cutting. Even while bulking, if you have a lot of fat, you don't need to drink that much milk. You can get calcium from other sources, such as casein. Some fruit is in the same boat as milk, especially high gly***ic index fruit like pinneaples. Some people get rid of fruit entirely while cutting. Also, pork is usually pretty high in unhealthy fat and sodium. Also, I didn't see healthy whole grain or starchy carbs in your diet. These would be important for bulking, but I'm assuming you DO include them. Finally, 2000 calories seems a little low for somebody at your weight for cutting.

Re: routine--In terms of lifting big, at 6'4" your body might not be made to lift big because of longer limbs, so don't get too caught up in how much you bench, etc. Just focus on progress. Also, try to change things up a bit in the gym. Muscle confusion is important for making progress. Doing 3 sets of 5 is good for strength, but not necessarily getting the physique you might want.

Overall, you're young, and I suspect you will find something that works eventually. In the meantime, it would not hurt to check additional hormones such as estrogen, cortisol, etc.