How am I growing on T3?

[Kluso]

So I have been cutting for awhile now do to being sick with Covid then ear infection and elbow injury. I’ve only been going to the gym 3 days a week, didn’t even use arms for weeks. Only chest I could do was cable crossovers. Only back was an old Nautilus pullover machine. Been on just 150mg test a week. Been on .5mg semaglutide for a couple months maybe. Is it possible semaglutide could be anabolic? Growth started when my elbow was feeling better and using light weights. Slow controlled. Focusing on mind muscle connection. Weight had been stagnant for about last month. Definitely recomping! Slowly increased T3 from 30mcg to 60mcg per day and growth occurred at 60mcg? Most noticeable growth is in my back. Lats especially. Which I finally learned to target properly over a year ango and made significant growth in that area. My avatar pic shows that progress. But this makes no sense to me. I’m in a deficit. On trt doses and running high dose t3. For me anyways. Chest development has improved also. I’m fairly confident the T3 is legit. Been using this source of liquid T3 for a few years now on and off. Fact that it’s liquid you should know where I got it. I rarely get a pump on T3 and that’s been what’s happening. It also makes me hungry even on semaglutide. One possibility is that I recently switched my source for my trt test. And I have a suspicion the test D I had been using has been bunk. And who knows how long that’s been the case. But I never lost size coming off a blast and running trt doses. And I have had lowT since late 30s. Turning 50 this year. My insulin sensitivity is probably off the charts right now. I take Berberine and more recently dehydo- Berberine twice a day with meals. I feel like I have accidentally come across a concoction that’s turning on anabolism while cutting. Or maybe like some guys respond to hgh with crazy growth is it possible my genetics could cause T3 to be anabolic for me? Cause I feel like the first time I ran T3 during a cut and stayed on it at first when I increased carbs/ calories I grew like crazy. Maybe it’s just me. It’s not like these are newbie gains. Been at this awhile now. Maybe it’s the combination of T3 with semaglutide and dehydoberberine? I feel like even if my test was bunk, 150mg in a deficit I should not be growing like this. Especially with 60mcg T3. Seriously wtf? Had to share because I’m way confused and delighted at the same time as to how this is happening! I was nervous increasing my T3 on semaglutide also because I herd a few times from Skip Hill on Think Big Podcasts that semaglutide increases the potency of t4 and t3 and to start low. Which I did. But I wasn’t losing weight. Then I realized I was losing bodyfat and getting more muscle. Anyone have any ideas how this might be possible? Cause it shouldn’t happen from everything I have heard or understand.

 

[Kluso]

Because of this happening I’m gonna try taking advantage of whatever is going on by dropping t3 and increasing test to 500mg. I’m going on vacation/ Caribbean Cruise next month and want to be swole for it. Just gonna keep an eye on bodyfat and play it by ear. Want to still have the six pack of course. Keeping the Semaglutide in for now. And bereberine only in evening away from workout window. Which is another thing that should be reducing muscle growth. Oh yeah! And because my sciatica is back I have been taking 200mg of Celebrex twice a day. Another negative for muscle growth. Fuckin weird! I guess if growth slows I’ll add the T3 back in. Lmao. Little experiment.

 

[genetic freak]

Sounds like you have some Reverse T3 going on. Your body is producing RT3, because it feels like it is starving. By increasing your T3 you likely increased your RT3, which blocked the effects of your T3. Your metabolism decreased, which is actually allowing you to grow some tissue. The same thing would happen if you just stopped the T3 and increased the calories.

I think you play around with T3 too much. Haha.

 

[CFM]

Less training is more, sometimes. I read about a BB found working his calves (extremely) and then stopping would create growth and it only worked for his calves. If you are not taking pharma T3 what could be in it?

 

[Kluso]

Sounds like you have some Reverse T3 going on. Your body is producing RT3, because it feels like it is starving. By increasing your T3 you likely increased your RT3, which blocked the effects of your T3. Your metabolism decreased, which is actually allowing you to grow some tissue. The same thing would happen if you just stopped the T3 and increased the calories.

I think you play around with T3 too much. Haha.

I always thought only T4 could convert to reverse T3 and T3. One of the benefits of taking T3 over T4? And high circulating T3 stops or reduces natural production of not only T3 but T4 as well. So So, reverse T3 shouldn’t be an issue. If I was taking a high dose of T4 I could have high rev T3 but I’m not taking any T4. Just T3. Or am I totally wrong about that? I know my resting heart rate has been between 80 and 90 while sleeping. It’s usually around 60. To me that means my metabolism is up and T3 is legit. I have definitely been leaning out too. I’m probably back at 8% now. I used to have a “fat patch” (what doctor called it) on my lower back you could really see last time I got this lean. I’ve been cutting so long it’s finally gone. It was pretty big too. Like 2” accross and 1” tall. Maybe 1/4” thick. Right above my waist. Center left.

Ever since first time I used T3 it’s my favorite “fat burner”. I get zero side effects and feel normal on it. Unlike T4. I haven’t used any since two summers ago actually. I had to think about it cause it did seem like it was just this past summer. Time flies man!

 

[genetic freak]

I always thought only T4 could convert to reverse T3 and T3. One of the benefits of taking T3 over T4? And high circulating T3 stops or reduces natural production of not only T3 but T4 as well. So So, reverse T3 shouldn’t be an issue. If I was taking a high dose of T4 I could have high rev T3 but I’m not taking any T4. Just T3. Or am I totally wrong about that? I know my resting heart rate has been between 80 and 90 while sleeping. It’s usually around 60. To me that means my metabolism is up and T3 is legit. I have definitely been leaning out too. I’m probably back at 8% now. I used to have a “fat patch” (what doctor called it) on my lower back you could really see last time I got this lean. I’ve been cutting so long it’s finally gone. It was pretty big too. Like 2” accross and 1” tall. Maybe 1/4” thick. Right above my waist. Center left.

Ever since first time I used T3 it’s my favorite “fat burner”. I get zero side effects and feel normal on it. Unlike T4. I haven’t used any since two summers ago actually. I had to think about it cause it did seem like it was just this past summer. Time flies man!

Your body is still likely producing T4, it does happen sometimes when taking exogenous T3. Since your body recognizes it already has a high amount of T3, instead of converting the T4 to T3, it converts it to rT3 as a means to reach equilibrium. This is why at 30 mcg it wasn't happening, because it wasn't enough T3, but at 60 mcg it is.

 

[Kluso]

Less training is more, sometimes. I read about a BB found working his calves (extremely) and then stopping would create growth and it only worked for his calves. If you are not taking pharma T3 what could be in it?

Good point. I’m probably recovering better with less workouts and less intensity. Lifting differently in a way my muscles aren’t used to, they are getting really sore the next day too and I’m not even going to failure like normal.

 

[Kluso]

Your body is still likely producing T4, it does happen sometimes when taking exogenous T3. Since your body recognizes it already has a high amount of T3, instead of converting the T4 to T3, it converts it to rT3 as a means to reach equilibrium. This is why at 30 mcg it wasn't happening, because it wasn't enough T3, but at 60 mcg it is.

My last attempt to bust this. I promise. Lol. From what I remember about reverse T3 is that it blocks the effects of T3 and causes people not to lose bodyfat. I had to be still losing bodyfat because my weight stayed the same for weeks while muscles grew but then weight finally dropped 2 lbs just recently. Last Friday and this Monday weight stayed 2 lbs lower than it had been. When I was running just 30mcg T3 my weight stopped dropping. Thats why I bumped it up. First to 50mcg (30 am/ 20pm) for a 2 weeks. No change, so decided fuck it, 60mcg (30am/ 30pm). I’ve never ran it that high before. Two weeks later weight is staying the same still but noticed my pecs look bigger. Another week goes by and my back looks bigger. I’m not sure if it just looks bigger because I’m finally doing real back workouts when I bumped up because of elbow injury. But another week goes by and there’s no doubt in my mind my lower lats are bigger and hanging lower. I’m not necessarily thinking the T3 is anabolic for me but there’s no way it’s catabolic for me. I’m coming to that conclusion. The fact that it is a catabolic hormone maybe something else I am taking (semaglutide?) is blocking the muscle catabolism effects while still allowing fat metabolism to occur. Just shifting that ratio in favor of fat instead of the normal 50/50 (fat/muscle) or whatever it usually it. Usually guys have to run extra gear to preserve muscle on T3. But I’m not and not only am I not losing muscle but growing muscle! Shouldn’t happen and that is what is puzzling to me. I just feel like if rev T3 was high I would have gained bodyfat while growing muscle. That’s usually only way I gain muscle (with increased bodyfat at same time). And on just 150mg test D/U a week. That’s like same as 100-125mg test e a week probably. Bodyweight should have gone up. Ive ran 200mg test for trt before and I always lift to grow. Just because I’m not on a blast doesn’t mean don’t keep pushing, for me. I have just never seen growth like this before on just trt before! But I guess it’s possible my calories became new maintenance calories by holding same weight for so long and then when I bumped up T3 my reverse T3 increased, blocking T3 and causing current calories to become slightly over maintenance. Just not enough to add bodyfat but grow new muscle? It’s just doesn’t seem possible with me being almost 50, just trt doses, not lifting to failure and definitely not eating enough to grow from past experience. I actually did increase daily protein intake by 25 grams around same time I bumped up T3 to 60mcg. But still. These are like gains I have only seen on a heavy cycle eating 1500 more calories a day before. I’m telling you something weird is going on! Lol

 

[genetic freak]

If the scale is not going up, how do you know you are gaining muscle? When I am prepping (like right now), I look bigger at 7% BF than I do at 10% BF, because my muscles are more pronounced. Cuts are much deeper. It doesn't mean I gained muscle. It means I lost fat, hiding my muscle. The second I have a high carb day and fill back out, it looks like I gained 25 lbs of tissue. When I do that at 10% BF I just look more vascular, not better or bigger.

 

[CFM]

I wonder if the 100 calories from adding 25g of protein and the additional protein itself created a metabolic response. I was training with some comp BB's and this chick swears she only ate 10 almonds over her comp prep diet and blew up, missed her mark and couldn't get it back. She looked incredible 3 days after the show.

The variables, especially as we get older are infinite.

 

[Glycomann]

I can only guess. I don't know what you were doing before this big change. You could have been using high doses and been toxic to some extent plus over trained and undernourished. I have seen that dropping dose leads to better gains by improving overall health from reduced toxicity. It does sound like a recomp. Maybe also a rebound from being ill and increased insulin sensitivity. You are apparently leaner and same weight. T3 versus rT3, I don't know. The balance is complex.

 

[Massive G]

Interestingly enough I recently started taking 12.5 mcg at bed time and noticed a lot more energy and fullness.
The caveat is that I had a throidectomy in 2005 and have been on T4 since then. So I have plenty of thyroid in me. However many people have a conversation problem of T4 as it has to be taken on an empty stomach hours before a meal. The doc switched me to tirosint which is a gel cap vs the tablet and I feel a ton better on it.
T 4 probably is not an option for those that have a thyroid as it can be quite suppressive.