Are anabolic for me? Or Should I take exogenous testosterone?
Maybe you’ve started weight training and have put a few months of solid work. Possibly you’ve never trained a day in your life and have considered what you could look like if you dedicated yourself to a hard-core regimen. Or perhaps you have trained for years and are looking to take it to the next level. The same thought crosses everyone’s mind at one point or another – ‘should I take exogenous testosterone?’ You know they will work. I mean, why else would the pros take it. Right? Just one quick injection and you can have the super athletic body you have always dreamed of.
In reality, it is not that simple. With the addition of an exogenous source of testosterone comes a host of issues that many individuals don’t consider prior to making this choice. Whether it be from the increased estrogen levels that follow the increased testosterone, back acne, hair growing in places it never used to, blood work issues, gynecomastia (enlarged breasts in men), testicular shrinkage, and so on. There are a lot of things to consider before making such a huge decision.
For some individuals, taking testosterone through a replacement therapy program is necessary as they deal with a form of hypogonadism. Simply meaning, they don’t produce the same levels of sex hormones that they should. In this scenario, a doctor closely monitors the patient’s personal needs to ensure that the dose they receive brings them back to what their natural level should be. But what about the guy/girl who doesn’t deal with any medical issue, but just wants that edge.
Besides the legal complications that anabolic steroid use creates, the reality is that once you start taking them, you must continue the use in order to keep the progress you’ve made. It means that after a few months of ingestion and progress made in the gym, if something happens forcing you to stop, the progress you’ve made over the period of usage goes with it. There is, however, a natural alternative that comes in the form of herbal testosterone boosting supplementation.
Make no mistake about it, an herbal supplement will never be as potent as an anabolic drug. Any company making claims that it is, should be carefully evaluated before investing in their product. But what natural supplementation provides is a way to get the benefit of optimal test levels without the never-ending list of side effects that comes along with exogenous supplementation. And the best part is you get to keep the progress made as long as you continue to train hard and eat well.
If you have considered going down that route and wish to optimize your training in the gym as well as your overall quality of life, give natural test boosters an honest chance. With proper diet, exercise, and supplementation, you could be living a healthier and happier life.