As we’ve discussed many times on this site, the benefits of testosterone replacement therapy are many. Enhanced cognition, elimination of brain fog, more energy, better libido, the list goes on and on. Among these benefits, the ability to put on lean muscle also piques people’s interest. Many men hope to achieve dramatic changes in their physique on TOT. And in order to do this it’s important to make the most of your first year. As long as your diet is and training is solid. Your body has suddenlyย gone from a low testosterone to a hormonally optimized state. The increase in testosterone means your body has an enhancedย rate of protein synthesis. Similarly, the testosterone saturates previously dormant (from low T) androgen receptors. The result is a very favourableย environment for buildingย lean muscle. Here at TOT revolution we are passionate about bodybuilding. However, our message is about more than just aesthetics.
The ultimate goal of hormone optimization isย better HEALTH and a better quality of life. And in this regard, developing muscle has very practical applications. Strengthening muscle supports bones and joints. It improves mineral bone density and reduces the likelihoodย of injuries. Furthermore, muscle is anti-inflammatory in nature and serves a protective role in disease prevention. The benefits of testosterone replacement therapy are clear for all to see. Therefore, it’s a no-brainer to take advantage of themย and build your foundation of health for life.
Be Consistent and Set Clear Objectives
To make changes toย your physique while on TRTย it’s important to set clear and achievableย objectives.ย How much muscle do you want to gain? And more to the point what’s realistic? If you’ve never picked up a weight in your life and don’t know how to eat properly, then your learning curve will be very steep. My goal after one year of TOT was to gain 10 lbs of lean tissue. I knew this wasย doable after seeing other guys achieve similar results. By the end of the year I easily achieved myย goal ofย 10 lbs of mass.ย If you don’t know what is realistic, ask other men whoย have experience on TOT.
The main difference between those that gainย muscleย on testosterone replacement therapyย and those thatย don’t is consistency. It doesn’t matter how often you lift weights, whether it’s three, four or five days aย week. What matters is that you trainย every week. Training five days a week for a month, then taking another month of because of commitments means your results will be erratic. Therefore, if you train lessย frequently but more consistently, you’ll achieve better results. People say to me, ‘I wish I could spend hours in the gym every day like you!’ When youย hear this from someone, rest assuredย they’ve never spent any time in the gym. What they’reย really doing with this passive aggressive behaviourย is rationalizing meagre results. In realityย I only trainย three days a week.
That’s three hours a week.
And the reason I achieveย results is because this is something I can do consistently. Anyone can. Even if I have a busy schedule, Iย always get three hours a week in. Follow a Trainingย Routine We’ve talked about maintaining consistency inย your training. And in order to maintain this consistency, it’s important toย followย a solid training routine. ย Routine is the foundation of building muscle. Ifย you’re changing routineย every week, then you’re not giving your body enough time to adapt and grow. Youย should give a training routineย at least two months. By training this way you’ll find out what works for you and what doesn’t. Then you can adapt and tweak programs to suit your needs. We eachย have our own individual muscle fibre make up.
And you may have some body parts that respond vastlyย different to training than others. For example,ย my calves respond readily to minimal stimulus. Whereas I need to work my biceps twice as hardย to notice any change. There are countlessย bodybuilding programs available on the internet.ย ย If you’re an experienced lifter, thenย try Rest Pause Training. The best rest pause program being Dogg Crapp training by Dante Trudel. For most of my first year of TRT I used Rest Pause Training with great results. This type of high intensity training takes some getting used to. It’s important to take the time to learn how to take your muscles to true positive failure. Now that I have conditioned my body to train to positive muscle failure regularly, I use what I believe is the ultimate way to life weights- Jim Brown’s Forged Training.
The key is to train regularly, intenselyย and follow a program for long enough to see results. Nevertheless, once you stop making progress it’s time to switch things up. The body adapts quickly and needs to be challenged. ย As the saying goes, ‘The best workoutย is the one you’reย not doing. Do Whatever It Takes The testosterone optimization therapy benefits are fantastic, however putting on muscle still requires work from on your part. You mustย be preparedย to do whatever it takes. Adopt the sameย attitude as the ancient Greeks. When they arrived on shore in enemy territory, the first order was to burn the boats. They committed themselves to victory. You should be willing to make the short-term sacrifices for long-term success. Can you give up alcohol for example? How about ordering fruit at a restaurant when everyone is eatingย dessert?
One saying that always stuck with me was: ‘There is always another special occasion.’
There’s always another birthday,ย wedding or anniversary. And there’s always junk food at these events. Where do you draw the line?
I’ve mostly eliminated sugar from my lifestyle.
Now it doesn’t take much effort to pass up dessert. However, when you begin to do this it can be difficult to avoid temptation.ย Seeing this through means your tastebuds will change. Now I appreciate fruit even more, and things like strawberries taste especially sweet.
Final Thoughts
Leveraging the benefits of testosterone optimization therapy, and makingย the most of your first year is a combination of the right things done often. You should aim to make a little progress every time you go to the gym. The aim as Jim Brown preaches is to beat your training log eachย weekย (you do have a training log right?). Even if you justย do one more rep than the previous week – that’s progress. Over the course of a year these small increments compound for incredible results. When you adopt the right habits and mindset, achieving great results on your first year on TOT is a foregone conclusion. Optimizing your hormones means you’ll want to optimizeย other areas of your life too. After your firstย year you’ll, your doubts about going on TOT will be a distant memory. And you’ll look back with pride to see just how far you’ve come. But no man should start using therapeutic testosterone without first reading the greatest book ever written on the topic!