I’m getting ready to talk about a taboo subject among men. This is not a gimmick, and I am not trying to sell you some snazzy magic pill to turn your sex life into a place where all the magic happens.
As part of my Escape Plan coaching I am finding that men over 40 do not even realize that one of the reasons for their general unhappiness is often low testosterone. It is not always the job or your wife that is making you so unhappy.
As part of my own journey since I turned 40 (I am 44 now), I have been researching testosterone. Most people, men and women, only associate testosterone with the sex drive.
Here is what I am finding out so far:
- Men lose on average 1% of their testosterone each year after 40
- A low but still normal testosterone range can have a huge negative effect on the body
- Pretty much all over-the-counter testosterone supplements are pure crap
- Prescription fixes have big problems and do not always work
- The most reliable fixes are cheap and easy
Despite my massively fierce red beard, and the fact that I have sired 5 kids from my loins, it turns out that I am on the low side of normal testrosterone levels. Several years of cholesterol-lowering medication that hurt me more than it helped assisted in destroying the high T-levels of my youth. I found this out in a big way as I ramped up my workout program trying to get back to a simple goal-
- Bench press my body weight for a 3 rep set
- 10 unassisted dead hang pullups
I could not do it, and still cannot although I am working every day on remedying that.
The cholesterol meds and age decreased my muscle mass tremendously. Add to that my weight gain, and I have trouble moving my body the way I should be able to. Even though I dropped from 264 to 232 pounds, I am still having trouble.
*Check the end for more info on the cholesterol drug issue.
Here is where I need your help, if you are willing. There are a couple of questions below, and you can just respond to this e-mail. It will come straight to me. Anything you send me will be confidential, unless I get your permission first. The only way I will use any of this information is in a very general way, such as “x number of men age 40-50 tried X therapy with no change”. This question of mine is only a survey, no a true scientific study, so don’t worry if you don’t have lab results and all that.
After the age of 40:
- Have you experienced a lag in strength, libido, muscle mass, or energy not related to another cause?
- Have you tried any testosterone therapies, prescription or otherwise?
- Have you ever had your testosterone checked?
That is it for now.
I hope a bunch of you will help me out. By all means, if you’re under 40, feel free to forward this to your dad, older brother, uncle, or Chuck Norris. Ladies, please send this on to your husbands for me.
Thanks everyone!
Dr. Redbeard, proof that it doesn’t take high testosterone to grow a massive beard, but it helps.
PS- My buddy Kent Julian turned me on to a book The Great Cholesterol Myth that exposes the scam of high cholesterol by the drug manufacturers. If your doc says you have high cholesterol or you are on meds for it, you need to read it.
