Starting TRT on a Cut?

bkb33

Active Member
I've received endocrinology treatment for about 9 months now, but just started TRT 1 month ago. I'm going on my honeymoon (viva la Mexico!) in March, so I've been cutting for that. This may be in my head, but it's seemed a lot harder to drop weight since introducing exogenous testosterone.

I've stalled at 12.5% BF, and my goal was to get down to 9% by early March.

Of course, I may just be eating too much (always the key thing to consider), but I've been tracking/measuring pretty diligently, and based on past experiences, I should be dropping fat more rapidly.

My question is: Is it realistic -- or foolish -- to begin TRT on a cut? Am I wasting the potential for "newbie gains"? If that is the case, then it's certainly worth it to have a little extra padding around my midsection on the beach. Muscle is hard to come by.
 
Hypertrophy is much easier to achieve with more T in your system. Of course you may be holding more water if you have elevated E2. You basically have 3 choices:

1. Cut calories back further.
2. Maintain calories combined with a training regime (cardio & weights).
3. Cut calories combined with a training regime (cardio & weights).

It should be noted, most bodybuilders will come off testosterone when cutting for a competition though they usually get stupidly shredded to the point which is not sustainable. It's not too difficult getting low body fat levels on low levels of exogenous test.
 
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It should be noted, most bodybuilders will come off testosterone when cutting for a competition though they usually get stupidly shredded to the point which is not sustainable. It's not too difficult getting low body fat levels on low levels of exogenous test.

Interesting point. I should have noted that I am on a training regimen, lifting 4 days a week, and make sure I hit at least 10K steps a day.
 

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Understanding Your Hormones

Estradiol (E2)

A form of estrogen produced from testosterone. Important for bone health, mood, and libido. Too high can cause side effects; too low can affect well-being.

DHT

Dihydrotestosterone is a potent androgen derived from testosterone. Affects hair growth, prostate health, and masculinization effects.

Free Testosterone

The biologically active form of testosterone not bound to proteins. Directly available for cellular uptake and biological effects.

Scientific Reference

Lakshman KM, Kaplan B, Travison TG, Basaria S, Knapp PE, Singh AB, LaValley MP, Mazer NA, Bhasin S. The effects of injected testosterone dose and age on the conversion of testosterone to estradiol and dihydrotestosterone in young and older men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Aug;95(8):3955-64.

DOI: 10.1210/jc.2010-0102 | PMID: 20534765 | PMCID: PMC2913038

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