I'm a 25 year old male 5'7 Heavy upper body build. Ive been taking alot of supplements like Arginine blends (No Xplode) for awhile now. But now that I'm 25 I'm thinking about adding Test Boosters, just the beginner standards blends with Tribulus what do you think?"
Hey there!
Ah yes, supplements and bodybuilding. The two are perceived to go together like peanut butter and jelly. But my take on supplementation may be different than what most people in the bodybuilding community think and believe.
First off, let me just say that you do not need supplements. Let me say that again: YOU DO NOT NEED SUPPLEMENTS.....so long as you're only concerned with natural bodybuilding. Professional / competative bodybuilding however is a whole other story that I'm not educated enough on to say anything about and is beyond the scope of this blog. But so long as you are eating the right whole-foods that are conducive towards great bodybuilding results, you will be fine. However, if you wish to see what supplements I DO recommend, please stop by my recommended supplement page here.
Now to get into your question. At age 25, you shouldn't really be worried about decreasing testosterone levels. While it's true that you do not have the kind of absurd testosterone levels you did when you were 18, the kind of testosterone deficency that happens to all males at some point in their life that I'm guessing you're probably talking about is something that comes around your 40's or so. You can still get great results well into your 30's, and I see countless people in the gym every day who are doing so with not as much effort as you'd think (effort meaning how intensly they need to watch their diet and frequency / duration of gym time). With dedication, intensity, frequency, and consistency, you can see great muscular development and have a great physique even past your 40's and well into the twilight years of your life (something I also see in the gym). Just leave nothing on the table when you train, stay focused, rest, and eat right and you'll continue to make great mental and physical gains.
As for test boosters / pro-hormones / Tribulus, I would recommend you stay away. After researching the topic more in-depth (expert opinions / skimming the literature), I've come to the conclusion that pro-hormones / test boosters for the most part are useless and will not elicit the kind of positive response you are looking for while at the same time possibly giving you negative side effects you are NOT looking for.
You see, a lot of these kinds of supplements do not have the kind of research and credibility necessary to conclude that they are effective in making significant gains in muscle growth and body composition. Tribulus, for example, does not have any significant research performed on it from a credible western peer-reviewed journal, and therefore no systematic reviews or enough research done over time to generate any opinion for or against its use. In my experience as an Epidemiologist, that generally leads me to believe that it's not worthwhile or worth the cost / possible side effects that come along with the use of test boosters / pro-hormone / Tribulus. Also, if you take a second to think about it, if these supplements were SO beneficial and effective, wouldn't you see doctors and other credible professionals heavily advocate its use? It's not like those kinds of people try to hide that kind of information for some diabolical plan or anything.
Tribulus Plant. Source: gnet.org
Finally, even if supplements like Tribulus elevated testosterone levels, they would need to elevate them to a level high enough to stimulate muscle growth (like the kind of insane level that anabolic steroids raise your testosterone levels), which Tribulus and other related supplements do not do. It's like saying that going to the beach will increase your chances of being killed by being hit in the head by a beach ball, but the likelihood of dying from being hit in the head by a beach ball and the additional risk added from being at the beach are too insignficantly small for you to care.
I do not advocate anabolic steroid use, but if you're going to play the hormone manipulation game, you might as well just do something that you know will work as opposed to getting similar negative side effects without any gains.
So just train hard, eat well and with purpose, rest, and do all of those three consistently and with intensity and I promise you you'll get the natural gains you want. Bodybuilding is a process that (sadly) takes a LONG time to see progress. Don't get discouraged at not seeing gains right away and jump on the supplement bandwagon. As pro-bodybuilder Kai Greene would say, don't be turned into a consumer before you are turned into an athlete / fitness buff.
Thank you so much for your question!
P.S. If you use a pre-workout (like your NO-Xplode), don't forget to cycle it for maximum effect!
-Jtrain
*Have a question about natural bodybuilding / fitness / nutrition / stress? Email me at jtrainfitness@gmail.com and I will answer it on this blog! Be sure to enter your email to receive alerts for when the next blog post has come out, and be sure to tell your friends about this blog!*
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