Can You Build Muscle on HRT?

Hormone Replacement Therapy, or HRT, is becoming more and more popular across the United States of America, as well as the entire world. The demand is continuing to grow for a multitude of reasons, as the benefits for health, as well as overall wellbeing, seem to only increase exponentially as word spreads throughout the medical community and amongst regular day-to-day people as well. Benefits range from increases in energy, mood, confidence, libido, productivity, and even increases in muscle tissue, along with decreases in body fat.

What is TRT?

Testosterone has both androgenic and anabolic effects. The androgenic effects of testosterone include hair growth, deepening of the voice, and similar masculinizing properties. The anabolic effects are where we get into the growth of lean muscle tissue. Higher testosterone levels will directly accelerate the growth of muscle tissue as well as the continued acclimation of greater levels of strength. Although these effects can be profound, especially in those with greater testosterone deficiencies that begin HRT treatment with bio-identical testosterone, they are only part of the puzzle (albeit a significant part). Proper exercise routines utilizing resistance training are the stimulation required to illicit hypertrophy; the growth of muscle cells. Proper nutrition supplies not only the necessary fuel to carry out these exercise routines and training programs, but it provides the building blocks for new muscle in the form of amino acids, which make up the protein we consume in our diets. With these three pieces of the puzzle; optimization of hormones, optimization of nutrition, and optimization of exercise, the majority of HRT patients will notice significant increases in lean muscle tissue.

What can Testosterone Optimization do for Me?

Optimized testosterone levels will not only boost strength which can drive more effective training sessions in the gym, but it will also enhance the recovery in between weight lifting sessions, which is crucial for muscle tissue to repair itself and rebuild itself bigger and stronger. Another well-known and documented benefit of optimal testosterone levels is an increased level of energy. Fatigue can make day-to-day activities, let alone exercise, grueling and exhausting to even attempt to complete. The benefits of HRT in regards to its ability to increase drive and energy can be monumental tools that can be directly utilized for more effective time spent in the gym.

Building More Muscle with TRT

One way to ensure you can and will get the most out of the muscle-building properties of your hormone replacement therapy is to seek out the guidance of a fitness professional who specializes in both personal training as well as nutritional guidance. A qualified and experienced trainer or coach can be a tremendous asset to guide you on your fitness journey as you begin your HRT regimen to optimize your hormones and improve your body composition. A good personal trainer will teach you exactly how to set up and execute movements that properly and safely challenge the muscle you are training in order to make sure you are progressing forward and avoiding injuries. The additional guidance on structuring your eating habits from a coach or trainer with a background in nutrition provides the other piece of the puzzle, which can further assure you are on the right path to maximizing your physique by gaining muscle, losing body fat, and improving your health as a whole alongside a medical professional supervising your Hormone Replace Therapy regimen.

Drew has 18 years of experience as a certified personal trainer and certified strength and conditioning coach with 10,000+ hours of one on one experience.