Bodybuilding and longevity

[Highserotonin90]

In your opinion, in 2022 it is possible to do bodybuilding (therefore also with the use of drugs) while preserving health and longevity or are these things that cannot coexist? beyond the economic side because it is certainly not a "lifestyle" for everyone.

Thanks

 

[EustaceBagge]

Bodybuilding does not imply drug usage. Besides that TRT if you have low levels of natural testosterone is not unhealthy. Finally, as long as you don't overtrain or fuel your body inadequately bodybuilding will be quite healthy, much more so than being sedentary.

 

[Peatfan69]

Bodybuilding does not imply drug usage. Besides that TRT if you have low levels of natural testosterone is not unhealthy. Finally, as long as you don't overtrain or fuel your body inadequately bodybuilding will be quite healthy, much more so than being sedentary.

TRT makes you look older and ages you. There are tons of pics of people taking TRT before and after and their face looks much older after starting TRT. Your body is not meant to have a high consistent level of testosterone 24/7 like that state TRT puts you in.

Testosterone levels naturally fluctuate throughout the day hence why they are higher in the morning. Additionally, you are constantly in suppressed state while on TRT doses, not ideal as the enzyme that endogenously creates testosterone is involved in many other functions.

 

[EustaceBagge]

In that case look up Derek from MPMD that microdoses testosterone daily to avoid fluctuations such as you put out so as to mimic natural production.

I also didn't say that TRT was not unhealthy, I said it was definitely healthier than having low levels of it. In case you want feminine skin you may as well start finasteride or something.

 

[GreekDemiGod]

Professional/ competitive bodybuilding, not supportive of health, and longevity.
Amateur and natural bodybuilding, very healthy if you are mindful of avoiding injuries(especially spinal/ disc injury), not dropping to too low bodyfat levels for extended periods, and also mindful of proper recovery.

 

[Iceman2016]

This is a question I have been concerned about myself and in the end I've come to to a tentative conclusion that bodybuilding as a lifestyle is not conducive to longevity.

Professional bodybuilders and YouTube/Instgram influencers seem to be dropping like flies once they get into their 40s and 50s... some even in their 30s. Drug use is probably the major factor (designer steroids, insulin, gh, diuretics, etc) but I don't think it's the only factor.

I think excessive weight training and/or carrying unnaturally large amounts of muscle mass both have negative heart and kidney effects. The acute intra workout blood pressure increases from large volumes of heavy lifting may be causing kidney damage that ends up leading to chronic blood pressure problems. Kidney damage/disease is still irreversible as far as conventional medicine goes.

Just my personal thoughts. As I get older I find myself wanting to err more on the side of caution.

 

[VitoScaletta]

Professional/ competitive bodybuilding, not supportive of health, and longevity.
Amateur and natural bodybuilding, very healthy if you are mindful of avoiding injuries(especially spinal/ disc injury), not dropping to too low bodyfat levels for extended periods, and also mindful of proper recovery.

^

 

[Tom K]

Unless you have the genetic gifts to become a competitive bodybuilder, taking drugs will improve results, but they will not enable you to develop the physiques of today. The enormous amount of anabolics taken today dwarfs those of the golden age in the 70s, and the negative impact continues to present themselves. Do not allow the drugged physiques destroy your desire to improve your body/health. Resistance training, including drug free bodybuilding, is a health promoter. If you are looking for physique only, take the drugs and for a short time you will look like a superhero. You will come to your demise before your time, but the short term rewards exist. Are these short term rewards worth dying? If your answer is yes, you have larger emotional problems that need to be resolved.

 

[Iceman2016]

Just to clarify further, moderate weight training, keeping bodyfat levels from going too low, keeping weight and muscle mass within reasonable natural ranges, keeping strength up, etc would probably all be pro longevity.

 

[Peatfan69]

In that case look up Derek from MPMD that microdoses testosterone daily to avoid fluctuations such as you put out so as to mimic natural production.

I also didn't say that TRT was not unhealthy, I said it was definitely healthier than having low levels of it. In case you want feminine skin you may as well start finasteride or something.

No offense but that Derek guy looks very old for his age. He has been on TRT for a long time and he does not microdose just like 99% of the people taking TRT today. TRT reduces/shuts off the same enzyme that is used for progesterone production. That is why your skin looks like ****. Finasteride is a synthetic progestin that is why it helps your skin.

How about assessing the root cause of your low T levels in the first place

 

[Tom K]

Moderate weight training improves health. High intensity training also improves health. Numerous peer reviewed papers have been published that demonstrate very short periods of all out interval training improves blood markers as well as, and in some cases better than moderate training (in a few papers as little as four 30 second all out sprints on a bicycle ergometer spread out over 15-20 minutes). High intensity training requires longer rest intervals to recover. Therefore, you can train two days per week and obtain the health benefits of daily training.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

No offense but that Derek guy looks very old for his age. He has been on TRT for a long time and he does not microdose just like 99% of the people taking TRT today. TRT reduces/shuts off the same enzyme that is used for progesterone production. That is why your skin looks like ****. Finasteride is a synthetic progestin that is why it helps your skin.

How about assessing the root cause of your low T levels in the first place

Yuk!

 

[opethfeldt]

TRT makes you look older and ages you. There are tons of pics of people taking TRT before and after and their face looks much older after starting TRT. Your body is not meant to have a high consistent level of testosterone 24/7 like that state TRT puts you in.

Testosterone levels naturally fluctuate throughout the day hence why they are higher in the morning. Additionally, you are constantly in suppressed state while on TRT doses, not ideal as the enzyme that endogenously creates testosterone is involved in many other functions.

I don't think this occurs because of high testosterone. It's the suppressive nature of the steroid that causes it. This results in lower levels of other protective steroids like DHEA, pregnenolone and progesterone. That, combined with the elevated estrogen caused by excessive levels of testosterone aromatizing and you have a recipe for rapid aging.

 

[golder]

TRT makes you look older and ages you. There are tons of pics of people taking TRT before and after and their face looks much older after starting TRT. Your body is not meant to have a high consistent level of testosterone 24/7 like that state TRT puts you in.

Testosterone levels naturally fluctuate throughout the day hence why they are higher in the morning. Additionally, you are constantly in suppressed state while on TRT doses, not ideal as the enzyme that endogenously creates testosterone is involved in many other functions.

Out of curiosity, is there anything else that this suppressed enzyme does other than the production of the protective neurosteroids? Thanks.

 

[Nebula]

Non natty physiques objectively look ridiculous and often repulsive. The pursuit of abnormal levels of muscle and low body fat is pathological imo. There’s usually some underlying psychological issue that has motivated this obsession. For longevity and well being I think it’s more worthwhile to focus on structural balance of fascia. What’s the point of carrying a lot of muscle you can’t even use because you’re chronically injured and have limited range of motion?

 

[Highserotonin90]

Non natty physiques objectively look ridiculous and often repulsive. The pursuit of abnormal levels of muscle and low body fat is pathological imo. There’s usually some underlying psychological issue that has motivated this obsession. For longevity and well being I think it’s more worthwhile to focus on structural balance of fascia. What’s the point of carrying a lot of muscle you can’t even use because you’re chronically injured and have limited range of motion?

what do you mean by band? do stretching, mobility, pilates?

 

[Highserotonin90]

I don't think this occurs because of high testosterone. It's the suppressive nature of the steroid that causes it. This results in lower levels of other protective steroids like DHEA, pregnenolone and progesterone. That, combined with the elevated estrogen caused by excessive levels of testosterone aromatizing and you have a recipe for rapid aging.

This is really very interesting! who does TRT does not take into account having to integrate these hormones too?

 

[MetabolicTrash]

Healthy and modern bodybuilding is almost an oxymoron.

Not only is the "sport" built around stress (as in always obsessing over workload or intensity/volume) but always around drug megadosing too.

As another poster above me said if you megadose the compounds necessary to be a "successful" bodybuilder you are probably going to skew your progesterone, DHEA, estrogen, serotonin, etc.

Seeing some 24 year old in Photoshopped pics on Insta flexing on high gear, cutting agents, etc. is not indicative of health at all beyond the short term impression of such.

Not that any sports are healthy in extremes but bodybuilding is more a decorative "sport" than most others anyways.

Plus let's face it ... Most people are DYEL without hormone abuse, and some even DYEL on cycles too. There is hardly any room for bodybuilding naturally. At least you can play football and basketball and do reasonably good regardless of your natty status in most cases, but with bodybuilding it is almost a no go to even bother in most cases as you'll never look Instagram Good naturally (or probably even on moderate gear) > 90% of the time, which is likely the bare minimum necessary for it to be worth it anyways.

 

[MetabolicTrash]

Yuk!

I think the More Plates More Dates guy is becoming the Joe Rogan of bodybuilding.

Somehow this guy has become mister inspiration to mostly bodybuilding hopefuls or young guys questioning their masculinity or purpose.

Of course it is ironic that most men who question their masculinity are the ones more likely to hop on tons of hormones (not just TRT nonsense -- that is the gateway or excuse to tren and heavy roiding lifelong).

Funny enough someone like Peat is a much better inspiration for manhood since he doesn't preach to the choir nor tell anyone how to be a "real" man or a better man.

Plus if one thinks their compounding of exogenous hormones to insane amounts makes them better men ... I got news for them. If you are so good let's see you do better naturally then (as in stepping up without a massive advantage, nor advocating such a discrepancy since standards keep increasing if more and more guys take roids and then want to challenge natural guys as if that is fair or justified at all)

Derek also was supposedly used as an example of a guy who can get ladies by "looksmaxxing." Look I do not want to be mean but I really doubt he is going to be considered facially attractive to few women, and it is relative to his hormone use at all. Not that I'm a stud but come on....

No big hate but Derek seems to be another zog of bodybuilding psyops. He is a more roughened edges version of Six Pack Shortcuts mixed with a heavily dialed down Rich Piana or something like that.

They aren't fools but they seem to be tools for the agenda audience of self-improvement or bodybuilding per se.

 

[EustaceBagge]

No offense but that Derek guy looks very old for his age. He has been on TRT for a long time and he does not microdose just like 99% of the people taking TRT today. TRT reduces/shuts off the same enzyme that is used for progesterone production. That is why your skin looks like ****. Finasteride is a synthetic progestin that is why it helps your skin.

How about assessing the root cause of your low T levels in the first place

He looks old but his is not due to TRT actually, the guy explains in one of his videos he did at least 2 heavy accutane cycles and now his skin is permamently beyond repair.

The progesterone issue is true, but for people that have other reasons for as to why their T is low, supplementing is more beneficial than leaving it low.