Which Health Markers Actually Matter On Cycle—And Which Ones Are Noise?

[AMP]

Bloodwork is the new badge of honor in bodybuilding. Everyone’s got charts, ranges, and biomarkers memorized like it’s a competition in who’s the healthiest guy on 750mg of test. But here’s the question:

Out of all the labs we pull—AST/ALT, creatinine, HDL, LDL, e2, prolactin, hematocrit, CRP, whatever—which ones actually matter for long-term health vs. short-term bloat?

Let’s be real—some of these values are always going to be off if you’re blasting, and that doesn’t always mean something’s wrong. ALT and creatinine are always up if you’re training hard. HDL tanks on orals, Hematocrit climbs on 300mg of TRT if you’re genetically prone.

So what are you actually watching when you get labs back? What’s worth pulling back for, and what do you just keep an eye on but don’t panic over?

Curious to hear what you guys do—and if anyone’s ever actually had a legit scare from ignoring one of these

 

[Poppy]

At 52 I was diagnosed with type 2 beetes and my kidneys (ckd) were bouncing between stage 3a and stage 3b failure.

My blood sugar and renal function are my aw craps. Glucose goes up and down like a ping pong ball.

Turinbol (sp) wreaks havoc on my lipids … they went through the roof.

 

[Poppy]

Legit scare… got real slack on my diet… blood glucose went sky high along with my a1c… that and slack on water intake exasperated my chronic kidney disease.

All that got my attention

 

[AMP]

Legit scare… got real slack on my diet… blood glucose went sky high along with my a1c… that and slack on water intake exasperated my chronic kidney disease.

All that got my attention

Damn man glad you were able to stay safe! Definitely times we neglect the easy things

 

[Erock]

Legit scare… got real slack on my diet… blood glucose went sky high along with my a1c… that and slack on water intake exasperated my chronic kidney disease.

All that got my attention

What did your A1c get up to?

 

[Neuro]

I think ast/alt and creatinine and eGFR from creatinine.

AST/ALT are present in muscle fibers all over the body and will rise with exercise. If your bili and alakaline phase PLUS ast/alt are elevated. Be worried about your liver. A GGT is liver specific.

Creatinine and eGFR from it are a terrible
Indicator of kidney heath for a large variety of reasons. Always always check a cyststin C for direct kidney health.

 

[GUY2060]

Cholesterol for me. Genetics screwed me there. When I was overweight my triglycerides were in the 1500’s. Had that under control long before I started gear but it’s still something I watch closely.

Last cycle it was wrecked at the end, but implementing ezi and rosuva brought it back in range in 2 weeks.

So lipids, ApobB for me are big. But honestly all markers are important to check and watch during cycle and health phases.

 

[Poppy]

What did your A1c get up to?

Over 9 … embarrassing enough. I’ve got all the top meds and know what I need to do.

Fasting glucose was almost 200.

I’m weak and lazy! Stupid oreos and cosmic brownies

 

[Poppy]

I think ast/alt and creatinine and eGFR from creatinine.

AST/ALT are present in muscle fibers all over the body and will rise with exercise. If your bili and alakaline phase PLUS ast/alt are elevated. Be worried about your liver. A GGT is liver specific.

Creatinine and eGFR from it are a terrible
Indicator of kidney heath for a large variety of reasons. Always always check a cyststin C for direct kidney health.

You must be in the medical field

 

[Poppy]

I’m not going to “out” @Neuro but he’s highly educated and extremely handsome too

 

[Poppy]

@Neuro is also my adopted son. I’ve got all daughters and all granddaughters. He’s the son Ive never had

 

[Neuro]

I’m not going to “out” @Neuro but he’s highly educated and extremely handsome too

Awww shucks. You stop that!! I’m the most happily adopted son there is!

 

[Neuro]

Stupid oreos and cosmic brownies

I feel attacked.

 

[AMP]

Over 9 … embarrassing enough. I’ve got all the top meds and know what I need to do.

Fasting glucose was almost 200.

I’m weak and lazy! Stupid oreos and cosmic brownies

I’ll do you one better , when I was at my worse and unhealthiest I had to be rushed to the E.R and my a1c was at a 10.2

 

[Poppy]

I’ll do you one better , when I was at my worse and unhealthiest I had to be rushed to the E.R and my a1c was at a 10.2

That’s up there!!!

 

[Poppy]

I’ve lead a very interesting and adventurous life that put me next to some interesting folks.

I’ve seen professional sports up close and im here to tell anyone that the size and speed in real life (an arms length away) is freaking amazing. TV or observation from the stands do not even come close to capturing it.

I’ve met a dozen or so pro athletes over the decades and it became immediately clear that we had different parents. 2 very close friends… one is ex nfl and the other is ex top tier collegiate decathlete. Both are still training and just washed up meat head old men like me BUT they’re on a whole other level. Very good dudes.

The same goes for pro bbing… in real life on/off season… those dudes are huge!!! I’ve been close to a few of them over the years.

I bumped into Thomas Hearns at an event in the early 80’s and shook his hand and chatted. His arms looked 10 feet long and had fists the size of a volleyball. He could punch your lights out from across the room before you could blink.

 

[Poppy]

Ok… morning coffee chat is over.

 

[Erock]

Damn fellas. What’s y’all’s A1c and fasting glucose now?

 

[Poppy]

Ok… morning coffee chat is over.

I posted in the wrong thread. Im a goober

 

[Poppy]

Damn fellas. What’s y’all’s A1c and fasting glucose now?

Just had a full panel drawn yesterday morning (fasted) and it was a complete failure. Got my results back this morning. My doc is going to have kittens next Friday.

A1c, glucose and lipids off the charts