Actually it is not bollocks ut it would almost certainly work and improve your performance. That’s why it is forbidden in racing and why you should fire a “coach” who suggest such a thing without knowing or informing you that it is illegal in competition.
Heck, I’ve avoided otc cold meds on race weekends because some ingredients are on the UCI’s list and I didn’t want to take any risks.
Even if I decided to “T” - and I wasn’t racing, of course - I wouldn’t appreciate the gains because it wouldn’t be me. I suspect my body would let me know that in its own ways, too, whether I cycled off and became miserable, or felt off while on whatever it is. Whatever you gain from taking this supplement will very likely be lost when you stop taking it, along with the other side effects that come with it. I agree with others - I’d ****can that trainer.
I’m with a good diet, supplemented with fish oil and caffeine in natural foods!
I ran across this blog a while ago about a guy who was on the lower end of normal testosterone and doubled it in 90 days:
Basically: eat meat and eggs, don’t store food in plastic, lift weights, sleep more and have sex.
ask floyd landis what he thinks of testosterone supplements…
and then get a new trainer.
Your personal trainer is an idiot.
If your blood levels are fine, then leave it alone
My blood levels showed decreased testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin. My doctor suggested testosterone. I have been on it for 2 months. Last shot is next week.
It is fucking rocket fuel. I’m not the same. I recover quicker, I sleep better, I am not as sore. It’s ridiculous. I will stop once my levels come back to where they should be because staying on the medicine will eventually hurt me. My body would stop making the hormone. No bueno.
Your body stopped making its own testosterone the day after (more or less) you had your first shot. You’ll be in the dumps for a month or two so once you stop.
I wouldn’t base my decision on what my trainer says. If your Dr is someone you trust and says your T levels are fine then leave it alone.
The problem is that the clinical normal range of T is very wide ranging. What’s normal for some men may not be normal for you. The symptoms should be treated and treatment should not be necessarily based off what your numbers are.
If you feel great and have no symptoms of low T then I would stay away from it. If you do have symptoms then the T will definitely get you feeling better.
Sports medicine doctor here. To be clear this would be the definition of doping.
That’s all there is to be said.
Its only doping because sports governing bodies have ruled it as doping - In my view doping is where an athlete with normal levels is boosting their levels higher for the purpose of improving performance.
A athlete who is boosting abnormally low levels back to normal - I question how this can be considered doping.
On the opposite end of the scale if an athlete naturally produced high levels, these same governing bodies now expect them to supplement to reduce the levels back to what is considered normal. Caster Semenya case in point, she is now expected to dope down in order to compete. How is this NOT doping ?
A 50 year old guy who rides and races for fun, that takes supplementation due to low T levels should not be subject to the same rules as a pro racer competing for line honors and podiums.
The OP said that the doctor is happy his T is at a normal level. So it would clearly be doping by your definition.
Caster Semenya is a massively different topic, and should be on a different discussion. In a nutshell, the argument is that if she wants to compete in a “protected” category, then she has to fit into the norms of that category. The details are massively complex.
If you compete while taking a banned supplement it is doping because it’s against the rules. Think of it this way. An older guy struggles to hang with the pack in the race so he shows up on an ebike.
I have no problem with someone who takes the supplement because their levels are low or they want to just boost them. In fact I think there are people I’ve seen on group rides who do that. But if it’s a race, it’s against the rules.
But, taking the discussion in that direction, if IOC/WADA/CAS/etc. define male vs. female in terms of testosterone level and a male athlete (define that however you want) has a testosterone level below the normal range for males, should that athlete allowed (even required) to supplement testosterone to reach a normal level to compete as a male?
Also, why is female sports a “protected” category but not male sports. No doubt, feminist social critics would argue that view is a product of a patriarchal, misogynistic culture.
(Not a feminist social critic here. 
Just find it interesting the complex and conflicting issues the Caster Semenya situation raises.)
Generally speaking, male physiology has
than female physiology. Some of those differences shrink with training, but none of them disappear completely. All of them are an advantage in most athletic disciplines (ultra-endurance cycling and swimming are super interesting outliers). Male sports is not a protected category because there’s no other category to protect it from.
This is a bizarre tangent.
I’m sorry, but yes they should. Any event that’s governed by a nations cycling federation is bound by the rules. And if you read them this mean using any substance that’s banned by the federation. It’s the same at any level.
I agree. Doping is doping regardless of level.
You either play by the rules or you…don’t.
If you don’t agree with the rules, feel free to contest them through proper channels…but play by the rules whatever they are.
Polinquin died on September 26, 2018 at the age of 57
So by your definition this same guy who is on T for medical reasons is branded a doper, just because he cycles or runs or swims to be social and race against his mates trying to live a healthy life. Doc tells him he needs to go on T and he has to give it up in fear of being branded a cheat.
If raising abnormally low T back to Normal be considered performance enhancing, then in the same thing applies by lowering abnormally high T back to normal.
Sports governing bodies have demonized doping so badly that everyone is simply painted with the same brush. Or so I thought !! then came along Caster Semenya, ooops so what do we do now. And of course lets not forget Rachel McKinnon - I wonder how she got round doping control on all her HRT to become a women.
But i suppose we’ll just have to agree to disagree
I’m absolutely not going to get into a debate with you about this. I’ve read some questionable views about PED’s on the TR forum which I find disturbing for a site that promotes improvement through hard work.
If NEED to take T for health reasons (rather than performance gains) as recommended by a doctor then go for it…but (in my view) that means NO racing. Ride with your mates etc of course but no proper races.