I watched his podcast yesterday. He is very good at PR, he articulates why he takes TRT very well, he makes people feel sympathy for his position. Stories of depression, obseity and how TRT has saved him. Lots of data describing how he is on the minimum dose that he needs and how his Testosterone levels are average/slightly below average.
He touches very lightly on the fact that he will need to be on TRT for the rest of his life… and his response is that this is not a problem, of course he intends to remain on TRT, its only an issue for people who take TRT who don’t need to. He trivialises side effects, saying that they are minor and its his choice. He doesn’t even touch on some of the long term health implications of TRT, of which there are a lot… long term use of TRT will probably shorten his life.
As for sports, this is where I have an issue. He says that he is totally open about TRT and he is not competing at a high enough level, however, he implies that should he ever be testes, it is not an issue to apply for a TUE retrospectively. We all know that this is utter bullshit, he would have far more credibility if he applied for a TUE up front.
If I was overweight and/or suffering from depression and had relationship issues, I would watch Mark’s podcasts and think that TRT was the answer. In some cases yes it is the answer, however, in many cases it is not and there are side effects and long term impact on health.
I also watched it. Matt covered the main points. He also mentioned:
His weight loss & most of his fitness gains were achieved prior to taking TRT.
He tried all the natural methods (e.g. diet, sleep & exercise) first, TRT was a last resort.
T is a steroid, hence we’re all on steroids.
As Matt said, it came across as quite a PR piece, he’s telling his story to help the millions of others out there suffering who many not realize low T could be the reason and TRT may be the solution.
Tbh I just put him in the same category as Trump & Raymond; an insecure narcissist. He just hides it way better than the other two and presents as way more ‘mature’.
Lots of people stopped watching his videos when they realised he was basically taking peds .
It took a 7? Reply’s each conversation with me before he came clean, if his depression/ physical health / sex life is / was sooo bad that he needs an injection on the bum every fortnight hood on him, crack on.
BUT don’t compete to a good/ very good level in a sport we’re test is a huge advantage ( like any sport really) if it was me and I still wanted to compete I’d do the race but forego any age group podium places ( I’d respect that ) he’s been in the podium a few times I believe whilst taking artificial testosterone, as Matt says that’s just not right.
I don’t think we will know his actual T levels; however…
If you go from “below average levels”, use TRT and find yourself winning your AG and being highly competitve, then you are getting an unfair advantage. One might question your levels in the first place.
Going from say the 40th percentile to 95+ after therapy is nothing short of doping.
He takes it 3 times a week actually He did mention the dose, I think it was 120, which he pointed out was far lower than most. According to him, he experimented and takes the lowest possible dose to make him feel “normal”.
I’m pretty sure he did quote a figure, but the values don’t mean anything to me so I didn’t really pay much attention, think it might have been 500? He stated what 3 days he takes the TRT and then which day the reading was taken. I think the reading was taken on the Monday and he’d taken TRT on the Saturday, so he did admit the reading wasn’t giving the peak values.
He was open about his T levels, and no reason to suspect that he wasn’t being honest.
He says that he started train in his early 40’s - so similar to me. He saw impressive early gains - check. that his performance increase slowed down, check. He started to take T (no check), his performance continues to improve on the same trajectory and he expects it to continue to improved until his mid 50’s, which is exactly what he would expect if he wasn’t on T
I diagree. I am now 51, and I hit my peak at 49. I am trying desperately to cling on, but I am not seeing any further gains. Also according to my scales, even though my weight has remained constant for 5 years, my muscle mass percentage is falling very gradually, but at a pretty linear rate. If Mark is building muscle and getting fitter into his 50’s I suspect that has something to do with TRT
The only reason you peaked at 49 is late onset; usually it’s in your 30s. My PB was at 37, and I got fairly close at 39, but declined slowly thereafter.
It’s absolutely not normal to start in your early 40 and not peak until your 50s; assuming you are training enough in your 40s.
He certainly likes to come up with every excuse under the sun!
He got his newby gains - TRT helped him push on.
He tried natural methods, but he was also pushing extreme endurance feats 100Km races etc, he was always going to be able to convince a private TRT clinic to give him a prescription.
We all produce natural opioids, doesn’t mean we should slam Heroin though.
I also like the way he always justifies his TRT with his inhaler and his contact lenses.
He’s a funny onion, must say that I wouldn’t have heard about Hyrox without seeing his channel.
I think he has been and is massively influenced by other YouTubers and maybe he will come to regret some of his decisions.
There is no way to apply for a TUE upfront in the majority of the population. Only the very top of professional athletes can do so.
But as I spelled out a couple weeks ago, there is ZERO chance he would get one from what I’ve read on here.
If you’ve had your testicles removed, or irradiated, or similar.
Similar to my Q a few weeks ago, would you say that for everyone on T? Ie the people on the very short list of conditions who would get a TUE if tested?
I was asked yesterday ( in person ) “how can I go faster “
This was a bigger guy wanting to do a 65 min pairs time in hyrox
I gave all the usual answers, intervals, weight loss and paticulary compromised running… he immediately steered the conversation towards supplements
Beetroot
Hydration tabs before
Creatine if your a veggie ( small amounts )
Tribulus terrestis is as heavy as some older athletes admit
“What about test “ ?!
“ that’s cheating … point blank “
“ oh I see”
I got asked a similar question on Friday by someone wanting a faster singles time on line
Not sure if I should be complimented or insulted as people think I’m taking peds
I beat the majority of peoples time in my gym, some are half my age, but most hate / are crap at / running
John S proved how fast a decent balanced multi sport guy can go, I’m expecting some news from him today … he’s ped free!
Contact lenses and indeed spectacles are man-made aids just like exogenous T and they all help him survive day to day. He can’t see the difference (even when wearing his lenses!)
He did mention the dose, I think it was 120, which he pointed out was far lower than most. According to him, he experimented and takes the lowest possible dose to make him feel “normal”.