By Jason Carr
As told to Rebekah Harding, NASM-C.P.T., C.N.C.In high school, my friends and I were obsessed with bodybuilding. We followed the diets and workout routines of our buff idols, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jay Cutler. But while my buddies packed on muscle and shredded body fat, I didn’t have the same results, no matter how much protein I ate or creatine and pre-workout I downed.
I wanted to “stay natty” like my friends, but I had a change of heart after seeing the results of guys at the gym taking anabolic steroids. It seemed like they had unlocked a cheat code to muscle definition. I started taking steroids in my early twenties and immediately saw results.
But as I got older, I started feeling uneasy about some of the scary side effects linked to steroids, like high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, infertility, and permanently messing up my hormones. For years, I tried to quit, but every time, I’d hop back on them a few months later to maintain my gains.
Then, when I was 35, I scored a job that required a lot of travel. I was nervous about carrying around my injections, so I finally stopped taking steroids for good.
As soon as I quit, the crash hit hard. I struggled to fall and stay asleep, leaving me wiped out during the day. At first, I thought it was just the come-down from quitting the performance-enhancing drugs. But as the weeks went by, the exhaustion didn’t go away—it got worse.
I had to drink multiple cups of coffee and take pre-workout to make it through the day. After work, I had no energy to exercise or cook healthy meals. I often skipped the gym and hit fast food drive-thrus more often than I’d like to admit.
My body started to change significantly. My body fat crept up from 10 to 16 percent. I developed man boobs and a gut. The custom-tailored suits I once proudly wore to high-profile events for work no longer fit. After hearing other former steroid users open up on social media, I began to wonder if my years of steroid use had permanently messed up my testosterone levels.
I asked my doctor to test my hormones, but she told me I was too young to have low testosterone. I felt so discouraged I didn’t even bother to get a second opinion.
For the next seven years, I continued to ignore my health. Until one day, I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a truck. I was so tired I could barely sit up straight in bed. The fatigue was so paralyzing that I called out of work. I knew I had to start taking control of my health—my job depended on it.
Desperate for answers, I looked online. That’s when I found Hone. I immediately ordered a hormone assessment, which showed my total testosterone levels were below 100 ng/dL. According to my Hone doctor, a healthy guy my age should have levels between 300 and 1,200 ng/dL.
Because my T levels were so low, it took about six months of twice-weekly testosterone injections to feel more energized. But something still wasn’t right. A follow-up blood test revealed that I still had low testosterone. My doctor also prescribed clomiphene citrate to help boost my body’s natural testosterone production—and it was a game-changer.
Within a month, my fatigue resolved entirely. I started to feel better than I had in decades.
Now, three years into my treatment, I sleep like a rock and wake up energized. I don’t have to guzzle caffeine, and my clients and colleagues regularly commend me for the energy I bring to work.
Even after a full workday, I still have the energy to hit the gym. I exercise five days a week, alternating between heavy lifting and cardio workouts. I’ve also cleaned up my diet—no more fast-food dinners. And I’m back down to 12 percent body fat. My man boobs and gut melted away, revealing a chiseled chest and abs. The sweetest reward? My tailored suits fit again.
I finally achieved peak physical fitness in my mid-40s—and I did it in a healthy and sustainable way.
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