Test and libido tank after lifting - Why?

[rottenapple]

I agree with some of the previous points. I think a lot of us are looking at diets which are paleo or low on carbs, which is great, but when you train real hard, after training, carbs are necessary I believe for recovery.

Do your high protein, high fat diet as a standard, but directly before and after training take in carbs. I recently bought a post workout mix which is very high on carbs (with BCAAs, creatine, etc.), high sugar content but it definitly helps me recover after crossfit.

Ps. anekdotal advice, not sure on the science of it all.

 

[Ezio31]

Overtraining? Take a few days off, and you'll see the test roaring back

 

[StrikeBack]

My T level improved a lot with lifting. I didn't know what it was before, but I had plenty of low-T symptoms. Now it's in the low 800s.

My libido shoots up just after a lifting session, as my fiancee can attest to on a regular basis... :kermit:

I'd look into firstly your recovery:

- How much sleep you are getting
- What you are eating - food quality, P/C/F breakdown. You might be eating not enough fats and sugar. Good fats are super important for your testosterone production, and sugar is critical for your energy level.

Secondly, your training program might be the problem here. It looks a little excessive on high reps and volume, which may make you feel rather sore after every session. How do you typically feel post-workout? Some wise coach told me years ago to live the gym feeling like you can conquer the world, not like you need to crawl up in bed and crash. What this translates to is that you train hard but always leave some in the tank. I train myself or other people to improve on their 75~90% at training, not their 100%. After a workout, I feel fantastic, and want to do a whole lot of things that same night (or day, if in the morning) including getting home and bending my fiancee over the couch before she serves me dinner.

If I train to serious fatigue and failure, then I won't have any energy to do shit afterwards, and for certain my libido would drop like I just accidentally saw Leslie Jones' nude leaks.

 

[nomadbrah]

Hard cardio is more likely to tank you test than lifting imo.

 

[DaKi]

So I've been lifting pretty consistently for nearly three years now and while I've definitely made some progress both in size and strength, my results are definitely underwhelming considering the amount of work and time I've put in. My slow progress combined with the low T symptoms I've been experiencing for the last couple of years had me curious enough to get some labs done and sure enough - my T was low for my age.

When I was lifting moderately about a year ago, 2-3 times a week, my total T was in the 500-515 range. Libido was wasn't where I wanted it to be but manageable.

Six months ago while I was lifting with a little more volume averaging 3-4 times a week, I tested in the high 400's but with extremely low free T numbers. My libido had very noticeably dropped and I was hating it.

After 3 months of lifting 5-6 times a week + boxing for an hour 3-5 times a week, my total T tested in the mid 300's. I consistently felt like shit and my libido was nonexistent.

This was the point where I decided it was time to get with a TRT doc so I got in touch with Defy Medical and flew to BKK to get all the labs they requested done.

Now here is where I finally put it all together and made the connection between my T levels and the intensity/volume of my training - because I was traveling off the grid for a couple of weeks my gym time was extremely limited, just some light work in shoddy gyms once, maybe twice a week for nearly two weeks. After 8-9 days, I felt better, my libido came raging back, and my test nearly doubled up to 670. My body has gotten pretty noticeably softer not lifting for two weeks but I was loving life for about a week or so. Until I finally got to a real gym and got my typical leg work out in - 4x8 ATG squats, 4x10 leg extensions, 4x20 calf raises, 4x10 stiff leg DLs, and some side delt work - that was two days ago and already I'm back to feeling like shit.

What's the deal? Is this a sign from above that I should not ever lift again and accept being skinny and physically weak? Just hoping for a little bit of insight or an alternative before I say fuck it and hop on the TRT train.

For the record, I have a pretty solid understanding of diet and nutrition, I eat well, take a good multi, fish oil, good sleep, lifestyle, etc. are all good.

Sounds like "gross overtraining".

If you wish to try a HIT-inspired program, you could--as a template--try something like:

1) Take two weeks off--no exercise.

2) Eliminate the boxing, or cut back to 20 mins, 3x per week maximum-on weight training days, preferably before weight training.

3) Lift two or three days per week, with one set to failure per exercise, with 1-3 exercises per bodypart (depending partly on how one defines "bodypart").

A three day schedule I've used in the past was something like--

Monday: Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
1) Incline Bench Press
2) Side Laterals
3) Flat Flies
4) Triceps Pressdowns

Weds: Upper Back and Biceps
1) Curl-Grip Pulldowns
2) Dumbbell Shrugs
3) Rows
4) Alternating Dumbbell Curls

Friday: Legs, Lower Back and Abs
1) Squats
2) Hyperextensions
3) Lying Leg Curls
4) Standing Calf Raises
5) Hanging Leg Raises

Obviously, this is only a template--one can easily substitute or alternate exercises (pullovers for curl-grip pulldowns, stiff-legged deadlifts for leg curls, leg presses for squats, etc.)--the important thing with HIT-style programs is to train very intensely and progressively on few sets on few days and to allow full recovery before training a muscle group again (both subjective signs and workout logs will help with this).

Baye.com is one great resource for training tips.