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The interest in TRT or testosterone replacement therapy has skyrocketed in recent years, perhaps most disturbingly in the younger population. In this video, I discuss how out of hand the situation has become and urge a return to normal where hard work and effort trump the rush to alternative methods for building muscle and getting in great shape.
I’ve been a personal trainer and physical therapist for almost 25 years, and I’ve seen a lot and heard a lot. Never have I seen a time when people of all ages are rushing to alternatives to hard training and proper nutrition like they are now. If it’s not TRT, it’s Sarms, peptides or even a diabetic drug called ozempic (to help non-diabetics lose weight instead of exercise). When is it going to stop?
Search trends that used to favor the words “diet plan” have been replaced by searches for this prescriptive alternative in large numbers. Even the popular term “chest workout” loses out to the searches for “TRT”.
But the most alarming part of this is that majority of these inquiries are taking place behind the keyboards of our youngest populations. Kids in their teens and twenties are the most active in looking for these alternative methods for getting in shape, losing fat and building muscle. This is often way before they even attempt to put in a solid few years of training and let their bodies do what they are capable of doing without any assistance.
There seems to be a glaring lack of risk assessment going on.
In other words, is there any thought being given to the potential side effects or dangers of these alternatives prior to rushing to take them? It doesn’t seem so. I mean, in an era of TikTok challenges that lead kids to do some of the dumbest things in search for views, would it shock you to think that they also aren’t doing their research into the long term or short term safety of the things they are putting in their body?
How many times do we have to see another tragic outcome from participating in one of these challenges before we realize that desensitization to risk is a major negative trend right now that needs to be stopped.
I’m not saying that there may not be some instances where the use of these things, when medically necessary, isn’t warranted. But let’s be honest. The number of cases where that is actually true are few and far between. Far more people are attempting to justify their use of these drugs in an attempt to soft launch the fact that there is no clear or viable reason why they are taking them other than for personal aesthetic benefits and as a shortcut to hard work and the time it takes to achieve them naturally.
The reason why this fires me up more than any other topic is because I know the truth.
And that is…
There is a safe alternative that works, every single time. The combination of effort and consistency is undefeated and always will be. Maybe you’ll never achieve the exact same level of results as fellow gym members who are enhanced, but you will look incredible and be able to maintain it long into your adulthood.
The truth is, you don’t have to achieve this using just one method either. There are plenty of things out there that you can do that will help you to get in better shape. Proper nutrition and supplementation go a long way towards supporting solid effort and consistency in the gym and provide you with your best chance to safely get in the shape you’ve always wanted.
If you’re looking for a step by step program as well as smart supplementation that is safe and tested for highest quality, you can find them at athleanx.com using the link above.
If you’re looking for more videos on how to get in shape without TRT and the best safe supplements like protein powder, you can find them here on our youtube channel. Remember to subscribe above and turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s released.
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So true Jeff, people just want the easy way in our days,, so sad.
Hello Mr Cavaliere and Mr Jesse. I hope you and your families are doing well. YouTube comments can’t be long so I’ll get straight to it. I’m 23 5’9 and over 325lbs. We all know my 2 problems-nutrition and training. I’d love to provide you two with whatever you deem of enough value for me to come train with you in person. I have to move pretty soon and I’m able to move to Connecticut. I understand if you’re too busy to train me Mr Cavaliere so could Jesse train me if he’s not too busy? All 3 of us know the power of proximity. It establishes a level of accountability needed to make a goal more likely to be attained. Jesse wouldn’t be where he is now without your in person guidance Mr Cavaliere. That’s why Jesse has better physical results than people who simply buy your online program. I need to utilize Jesse’s technique or else I’ll die at a young age from morbid obesity. I apologize if this creates a pressure but I literally need you to help me save my life. If I could do it on my own I would. Thank you for reading my comment.
Awesome
Jeff overlooked the research on dropping testosterone levels. A quick search showed a drop in testosterone levels of like 20-30 percent over the past 20 years.
What was true for Jeff 25 years ago may not be true for today’s youth? How about making a video on this topic?
I’m 40 and not yet remotely considering trt. These kids today are being led terribly by ridiculous standards set by fake natties and peer pressure. You DONT need to be 5% 200lbs and pick 500lbs. Stay in a sustainable zone for as long as you can and do it naturally for as long as you can.
@Azam Bin Omar You don’t have to worry about everybody’s health condition. They’re not part of your family, and their answer is irrelevant to your own situation. A family health history is the most useful tool for risk assessment we have for common chronic diseases, but even individual family members have different risks. For example, in my family, siblings don’t have the same issue with high cholesterol or hypertension. I know one person out of a large number of siblings who had cancer, and non of the parents had it. He was also the most health conscious and most athletic in the whole family. What I’m trying to say is use that knowledge of family history as a motivation to stay active and to stick to a healthy diet. Make sure you have you annual, or more frequent, health check and blood work to look out for markers of anything. That’s all you can do. Don’t obsess over it. Your mental health is just as important. Stressing out over diabetes and cardiovascular vascular diseases and anyone of the possible diseases can be a bigger problem. Good luck.
When I was in my 20s, 30s and even early forties I realized the way I worked out before has to be different than what I do in my fifties. Our bodies change and our workouts have to maximize how our bodies are currently function.
@spokje 5 days a week, one body part a day except on Wednesday which I do shoulder and biceps. Abs I do 5 times a week. And also I do lower weight and high reps. 20,30,40 even as high as 50 reps. I don’t do a lot of really heavy reps. And I don’t take any drugs or protein powders. I will hopefully workout until I die.
@Azam Bin Omar I have no health conditions and take no drugs of any kind.
I was 350lbs at my heaviest. Food addiction after a weight lifting addiction killed my back. Doc said I’d be dead in10 yrs if I didn’t change. Portion control,cutting sugar out. About 35 lbs fell off the first 30 days without trying. Started walking off the rest. Eating healthy. Now I’m 150lbs. Still have back pain all the time but nothing stretching and some Tylenol can’t take care of. I’m so much happier I get to watch my kids grow up. It took about two years to get 175 but it’s doable with hard work and good food.
I luv donuts
Congrats for doing a hard job–now the harder part is to maintain the lifestyle that allowed the weight loss to happen, Good luck and good effort!!
Keep it up. Whatever pants you buy now, don’t buy any larger. We all have our ups and downs but keep a realistic upper weight limit and as soon as you hit it get back on the wagon. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, I’m just reinforcing it. I’ve never met anyone who lost a bunch of weight sensibly and regretted it. They ONLY regret putting it back on.
Well Done!
This is the most important video you have made.
I’m tired of seeing 17 year olds juiced to the gills in my gym. It’s gotten out of control.
I blame tiktok
@marvin williams Take your own advice them, hypocrite.
Came across your channel when I was 25, 2 years ago, you’re on of the best human beings out there, your videos make me feel there’s a hope out there. The young guy really need someone like you to look upto, though I’ve a big brow who is motivating, but people and I need you too. Love- India!
This really feels like a heart felt dad to son talk and it’s really almost that. This is a SERIOUS matter
How about someone that’s in their 50s?
@Juan Carrillo Then your the one Jeff is talking to when he says it could be heart protective.
@Juan Carrillo diet and exercise
Hey Jeff. I was thinking of jumping on the TRT train. I am 39, and suffer from what seems to be an autoimmune disease; therefore, between work, school, life, and the gym, my immune system has a hard time keeping up. Over the past 5 years of lifting I have seen little gains, which has been really frustrating.
I have accepted that my gains will come slower than most and constantly remind myself that I am lifting to stay healthy, not to have an elite level physique, or crazy strength.
I know that there are many things I can do to get my health on point. This year I am going to take a holistic approach to my health and work on living healthier in all aspects of my life. No drugs needed 🙂
Focus on fixing your health, and your T levels will go up. Improve digestion, eat high-quality protein, get good sleep, get more sun, keep your workouts short, walk a lot.
Go to your doctors before even thinking about any of the drugs… Lifting bigger weights is not the goal of life, you should strive to be healthy and mold yourself in gym for discipline and the body health. You mentioning living healthier and trying more, means you haven’t considered everything before. When i was younger i was eating the same crap food and trying to lift harder before failing and then trying to maintain the weights at least, why i ate bad food? i was stressed, had issues at work or with family etc, didnt have time to make proper food yet all of that is literally just that – excuses to not dedicate my time properly because im drifting along. Im glad i had this mistake as it gave me a reality check – when people say your diet is 90% of the way you look and feel, they dont lie, lifting is just the shaping and sharpening, what you consume is the real mold of what you have to work with, now im completely serious with my food.
@Sayim You are right. I am the type that wants to accomplish more in all aspects of life and have a hard time accepting my limitations. Being healthy and productive is my goal. I believe I can do that with better diet, rest, and discipline.
@FREEDOMRINGS Read my whole comment. I have decided not to take TRT. There are multiple reasons my gains have been slow. I have chronic bronchitis, issues with inflammation, I was working full time, going to school full time, not getting enough sleep, not eating as well as I could, and working out too hard, leading to illness and injury. Yes, I was tempted to take TRT, because I thought it would help me push through. I am done school for now and am looking into getting my health on point.
@mcpartridgeboy I do have issues with chronic inflammation. I have seen many Drs and specialists. Non of them know why I have it. I do agree with you though. Right now I am clean bulking, but when I am done I am going to try an elimination diet to see if it helps.
60. Been training consistently, 6 days a week, for 16 months. Intensity: I’m sore the next day about half the time, get minor injuries. I take sets to failure or near-failure, rest for 15 seconds and knock out 4-6 more reps. Take Creatine, get 130+grams of protein/day. Hydration, sleep, palmar cooling between sets, I’m throwing everything I know of into this, and the gains are TINY. It’s frustrating. I won’t inject anything, but I am one of the many who have googled Peptides trying to figure out if I should try some. I wish I could come and train with someone like you for a week just to get a sanity check on what I’m doing
Great video Jeff… I’m 25YO, fortunately found your channel when I was 16-17 and you single handedly gave the foundations for selecting the training methods that work for me. Through the years the temptation of taking PEDs for a multitude of reasons has been almost overwhelming at times. This whole TRT hype in particular has been particularly difficult and suppose I have the fortune of being able to wait another 20+ years to make that decision when further research will be available but this video right now has possibly corrected my impulse to potentially hop on earlier and possibly shorten my time with loved ones. I am super proud of the discipline, hard work and dedication into mastering how to fuel and train my body and I learn something new every day. All of that sprouted from your wisdom… Sincerely. Thankyou!!
Stay natty, my bro ❤
So glad you addressed this topic!! I’ve been discussing the dangers of ozempic with my own clients when it’s not taken for its intended purpose. And even for the targeted audience, ozempic is prescribed as a chronically-needed medicine to avoid weight gain. High risk indeed! Less and less discussion of lifestyle changes and behavioral adaptations.
I’m in a men’s bariatric support group on Facebook and I’ve seen this come up so many times about using both TRT and Ozempic. It also blows my mind the sheer number of people that are getting bariatric surgery just for 100# overweight and after the 2 week liver shrinking liquid diet only have 70-80# to lose. I would have never thought about that at that time. I’m only doing bariatric surgery because I have 250# to lose and after many successful then failed dieting attempts I realize I need this for any long term success. Looking forward to a whole new me next year and I will be in the gym practicing what I learn here to bulk up.
Two thumbs up. There is definitely no substitute for effort and hard work. I became part of Team Athlean forteen months ago, done two rounds of Xero and am now doing AX-1. I’m 53 and in better shape now than in my 20’s. Yes the road of effort and hard work is slower and does suck at times, but is totally worth it when you see the natural and sustainable results. Big thanks to Jeff and AX, keep reppin and never stoppin.
I’m 29 and was feeling like crap so I got my levels checked. They came back at 315 and 305 back in December of 22. I sat down with my wife and we decided for me to do everything as naturally as I can. At that time I was under high stress with my business 25% bf and not lifting.
So moving forward the goal is to get to at least 15% bf and lifting 2-3 times a week and then seeing where my levels are at to see if my body can naturally go to a better level.
Def try the natural route first. Maybe even throw in natural ingredients that may help. But if you’ve done everything and still no luck, don’t feel like you can’t go on it. It will better your health and life dramatically
I wish you all the best. You’re on the right path. Consistency is the key. Rome wasn’t built in a day
HUGE respect towards you for putting out this incredible in your face facts of wanting the easy way with no natural solid gains that will last.
Tumors also grow when taking such stuff but they don’t talk about this either.
I actually had my doctor do a test on my levels because of my age and he just told me I’m in the middle and don’t need it, pretty cool to hear btw. 🙂
thanks again for an incredible video 😉
Thank you for addressing this very serious issue. I live in Thailand where TRT, steroids, SARMS etc are readily available. And without a prescription at local pharmacies. I’m appalled at the number of young men and women who are so concerned about their appearance that they gravitate toward “TRT” enhancement without considering the future impact on their health. I liked your comment that these treatments are new and relatively untested. And that diet, exercise and hard work are a proven and more effective option. I’m 70-years old now and have lived a lifestyle of fitness since I started martial arts at age 8. I follow your videos religiously and share them with others looking to improve their health and fitness. People respect and listen to you, as indicated by the numbers who follow you. Your message will make a positive impact on the lives of those willing to listen.
Sarms available in Thailand easy? Nice I’ll get my fix when I’m traveling out there
Needed to hear this. Im 29 years old, single parent. Girl left me 8 months ago, been in the gym for 4.5 months, seeing results but have been considering trying sarms or test or something to getter better results, to get more self confident. Just gonna keep doing what ive been doing and put way more effort into my diet.
Remember that you are always setting an example for your child (even when you think they don’t know). Good luck.
Bro the only thing that matters for summer is leanness. Just do a PSMF til June and be ripped for boating and festivals.
Ask a doctor for advice
At most, you could try Ashgwanda or natural plant based supplements if you feel T might be stunted (excess body fat lowers T and raises estrogen, mstrbation makes any amount of T nigh unusable as the receptors are nullified for a time, blockers for colon cancer etc). There’s many things that can affect T, but I think unless someone is in their 50s, or close to 60, only then it might be affected by age. So I wouldn’t say more than natural plant sources are needed (when one is eating enough protein and has lowered body fat and starts gaining muscle, T should be in a good place)
@AndyMandura Sort out your diet really good and adjust accordingly when you increase your weights/gains etc. depending on your goals. When they say 90% of work is in the kitchen, they dont lie. thats the harshes truth i learned, what you do in the gym just shapes/sharpens your body that you mold with the food you consume. Stay strong and life will get better.
Everybody want the easy way out. I am 53 years old. I decided two years ago to invest in myself. I went from 360 lbs to 215 lbs naturally. No surgery! Just hard work. Thanks to guys like you, I took your lessons and applied them to my life.
That’s awesome! I’m always blown away by people who’d rather have their stomach partially cut out (or however those dangerous surgeries work) than to do exactly what those surgeries force them to do: control their eating better. Congrats.
Well done, that is awesome!!!
@Jeff Bennett keep up the great work friend! well done!
Agree 100%. I’m 63. Been training consistently for over 45 years. TRT is definitely tempting at my age but like you I do the risk assessment and have decided against it – at least for now. And to you young guys (and I consider 40 to be young) you just need to get out and do the hard work for your fitness and health, forget looking for shortcuts. Be consistent, stay focused and committed, mix it up when necessary to keep it interesting. Also, don’t forget to focus on the long game – take care of your joints, learn proper technique for technical lifts like deadlift, squat, bench press etc.
All the benefits of trt far outweigh the negatives especially at your age. If your testosterone is 600-800 I would say I agree with your assessment but if it’s in the 300s then I would say hop on
@Steven Joseph yeah, there’s a simple yes or no, at some point. Check with your doctors etc. maybe you feel good, maybe you’re happy etc. but simple small TRT increase could bring so much improvement even when you dont count lifting, think about the family and your own health, not about lifting, that is just a part of your disciple to maintain your health, your hormones still affect the inside of you. Testosterone is very important hormone in mans life, if you can safely maintain it even when you’re old, definitely talk seriously with your doctors. My dad is 68 in few months, he’s already on small TRT dosage prescribed by doctors after tests etc. his life improved quite a lot just because he has more energy, he’s less lethargic and has more “active” mentallity like he used to when he was younger and he cant thank enough us for finally forcing him to do it as he was scared of “negatives” as he was also a gym-bro trough his life, but my sister having kids now he want to live better and be more active while they’re still small to have them remember him as active grandpa instead of sitting at the couch after workout cuz he’s just tired overall.
Although if you’re young, like in 20-30s like me, i think you still should get tested and consult with your doctors if there are issues to probalby maintain it to stable average levels, but just abusing TRT for lifting gains to me was always very dumb idea same as steroids etc. if you dont build your foundations with dedication and hard work what will TRT do to you in 10 years when you cruble from overwork that caught up to you. Just my personal opinion.
You’re good brother. My grandfather worked out with 225 as ‘light’ weight on bench and didn’t take anything.
I’m 50 and working out the same and don’t take anything… if you enjoy working out, you’re good to go.
Great video Jeff! I’m 66 years old, doing time in the gym and cycling, and have a good diet, but I’m hitting the age curve. My 190 Bench press is now 85. My 7-minute mile is now an 18-minute mile. When I got my latest blood test, my testosterone was below the lower limit for normal. My doctor prescribed TRT and it is making a difference. My cholesterol is lower, in fact, all my liver numbers are back in the normal range. When combined with good nutrition and a consistent gym and cycling regimen, I feel infinitely better. The difference is that it was prescribed for a medical reason and it is part of a total fitness lifestyle. I use your videos and I think they are great.