shuld I have higer testosterone for building muscle?

[sasa]

Hi,
I have my blood test done, but I think my testosterone is lil low? What range is good for building muscle? I know I'm in normal range, but sometimes u need to have the numbers above normal to better effect?

Testosterone total 40 normal range 2-45 ng/dl
testosterone free percent 0.54 normal range 0.50-2%
free testosterone 2.2 normal range 0.1- 6.4 pg/ml

 

[slat1]

My testosterone is less than 1/3 the average mans and I am over 260lbs. I guess what I am getting at is it is still all diet.
There are guys at my with 10 to 20 times my testosterone levels who are a lot smaller than me. They just don't put in the time to learn what to eat, how much to eat, when to eat it and why. If they did it would change everything for them.
I can only imagine it is the same for women. Little things we change with how we eat can make big differences.
One quick item is a post workout shake. If you want size you should be taking protein with dextrose, aminos, luecine etc.
Then there is the preworkout shake...

 

[Thandie]

My testosterone is less than 1/3 the average mans and I am over 260lbs. I guess what I am getting at is it is still all diet.
There are guys at my with 10 to 20 times my testosterone levels who are a lot smaller than me. They just don't put in the time to learn what to eat, how much to eat, when to eat it and why. If they did it would change everything for them.
I can only imagine it is the same for women. Little things we change with how we eat can make big differences.
One quick item is a post workout shake. If you want size you should be taking protein with dextrose, aminos, luecine etc.
Then there is the preworkout shake...

+1

You also have to have muscle maturity. I found that I have builded muscles through the years. Not huge muscles, which I don't want anyway, LOL! But lean sculpted hard-earned muscles. It will come if you keep training hard.

 

[slat1]

The funny thing is the changes have usually occured already and we miss them cause we look in the mirror every day! Sad but true.
I had no idea I was in great shape until I couldn't work out for a year and lost it all.

 

[Tatyana]

My testosterone is about the same as that.

So many people think that testosterone is the only factor in muscle growth. It isn't. It is ONE of the factors.

Oestrogen is anabolic and aids in muscle growth. They give it to cattle in the US (to have them put on more muscle).

Other hormones related to insulin, the thryoid hormones, cortisol, and growth hormone.

Other factors related to muscle growth are myostatin, follistatin, mTOR pathway of protein synthesis.

It also relates to the distribution of your muscle fiber type.

It isn't just the testosterone. If that was the case, women wouldn't be able to grow muscles at all, and quite a few do with normal testosterone levels and no drugs.

How about you post your training and diet routine?

 

[sasa]

thx,
4days lifting 8-12 rep each body part 3-5 exercise { i like do squats, deadlift, should press, push-up, leg press.. I like super sets}
3 days cardio 1HIIT 2 moderate

diet lean protein {egg whites, chicken breast, turkey breast}
lot of veggies { brocolli, zuchinni, string beans, lettuce...}
carbs { usually in the morning oatmeal or piece of WW bread}

I drink lot of coffee lol
Also I am on synthroid 200mcg and Armour 2 grains... I am hypothyroid
Now im on Adderall to 20mg daily.

 

[Varga]

It's not the teststosterone alone and I agree but it sure helps a whole lot.
It's acutally the growth hormone that does more than the testosterone of course along with other hormones.

 

[Thandie]

thx,
4days lifting 8-12 rep each body part 3-5 exercise { i like do squats, deadlift, should press, push-up, leg press.. I like super sets}
3 days cardio 1HIIT 2 moderate

diet lean protein {egg whites, chicken breast, turkey breast}
lot of veggies { brocolli, zuchinni, string beans, lettuce...}
carbs { usually in the morning oatmeal or piece of WW bread}

I drink lot of coffee lol
Also I am on synthroid 200mcg and Armour 2 grains... I am hypothyroid
Now im on Adderall to 20mg daily.

How much of it are you eating and, in terms of carbs, do you only have green vegetables?

 

[OneBreath]

It's interesting that your total testosterone is great, it's your free testosterone that might be considered a tad on the low side.

There are strategies that men have in increasing free testosterone without actually taking testosterone. They mainly have to do with decreasing testosterone binging to SHBG.

I have no idea what the equivalent might be for females. Here is a bit on SHBG if you are curious.

Sex hormone-binding globulin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[RottenWillow]

So many people think that testosterone is the only factor in muscle growth. It isn't. It is ONE of the factors.

Other hormones related to insulin, the thryoid hormones, cortisol, and growth hormone.

Tatyana's posted this before, but it really bears repeating, especially with respect to women. Some of the anabolic-androgenic steriods, legal and otherwise, that enable the most profound muscular growth do so because they partially aromatize to estrogen in the body.