“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.”
— John Muir
“The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy.”
— Blade Runner
There are few or no biological free lunches.
This short post will cover the essentials of how this principle applies to performance-enhancing drugs.
But before we dive in, let’s watch some entertainment that drives the point home…
Growth agents have a place in medicine1, and some sports effectively require them at higher levels. That said, there are risks when you turn the volume to 11 within complex hormonal cascades with equally complex feedback loops. I have some personal experience here. When I long ago had my shoulder completely reconstructed (video here; viewer discretion is advised), a portfolio of anabolic drugs was part of the recovery plan. This wasn’t advised by my surgeon. I found gray-area longevity doctors recommended by world-class athletes, and the cocktail was incredibly effective for regaining full range of motion.
Physical optimization is fundamentally about trade-offs.
And if you ask “Is this risky?,” the follow-up question is sometimes relative: “Risky as compared to what?” In this case, I decided that using these powerful drugs with supervision was an acceptable risk relative to the likelihood of otherwise never regaining full function of my left shoulder.
I did a ton of homework, I budgeted for possible problems, and I didn’t take it lightly.
It’s alarming how many folks now treat “T” or “TRT” (testosterone replacement therapy) as something akin to taking a multivitamin, when they never would have considered taking androgenic-anabolic steroids (AAS) a few years earlier. Like Patagonian toothfish has become Chilean sea bass on fashionable menus worldwide, it’s quite the rebrand story, but that doesn’t change the underlying biology.
It also doesn’t change the underlying “replacement” part of TRT, which applies to many drugs.
If you take something exogenously (originating from outside an organism; think “exo” of exoskeleton) that your body produces endogenously (originating from inside an organism), your body—in its infinite wisdom—will reduce or stop producing said something. Endocrinology abhors waste. This is why many men’s testicles will shrink down to Raisinets when they take supplemental testosterone, and for a decent percentage of those men, the deflated balloons will not return to baseline function without post-cycle therapy (PCT) drugs like Clomid/clomifene and/or hCG. Side note: just as with testosterone, you shouldn’t casually take hCG. Faustian bargains abound if you don’t have a basic grasp of the systems you’re tinkering with.
This also applies to supplements and food. The more technical FDA definition of “drug” highlights a legal distinction, not a pharmacological one. If something’s intended to produce a change in your body, consider it a drug and you’ll make fewer mistakes. This is helpful reframing, whether the input is a prescription drug, illicit drug, peptide, mineral, supplement, or banana.
Separately, many growth agents aren’t hyper-selective (e.g., human growth hormone [HGH], IGF-1), meaning that they don’t just affect one tissue type. If, like some enhanced Major League Baseball players, your head jumps a few helmet sizes, that enlarged cranium won’t shrink when your muscles atrophy after getting off the sauce. Ditto if you unknowingly supersize your liver and spleen. It’s hard to hit undo on Dolph Lundgren jawlines if you’re a woman, it can be tricky to unwind drug-induced breast tissue growth (gynecomastia) if you’re a male, and it’s hard to whisper your organs down a size if you’re a human.
Think very carefully about which doors are two-way doors—reversible—and which are one-way doors. Best to measure twice and cut once.
This is not to say there isn’t a place for TRT. There is. But the use case matters, and the dose makes the poison. If I were 50+ years old and had chronically low testosterone plus symptoms of low testosterone plus I’d been evaluated for possible reversible causes of low T, I might consider TRT to bring me within physiologically normal levels. This is fundamentally different from someone taking supraphysiological doses—amounts greater than normally found in the body—for getting swole like a kangaroo.
This all might seem complicated, but most of what I’m saying boils down to basic logic and a few guidelines.
I’m not a doctor, and I don’t play one on the Internet, but the below heuristics have helped me avoid a lot of problems with performance-enhancing “drugs,” as broadly defined earlier:
- Assume there is no biological free lunch.
- Assume that the larger the amplitude of positive effect of *anything*, the larger the amplitude of side effects, whether they are known or unknown. This could apply to modafinil or a high-octane macchiato.
- Don’t ask a barber if you need a haircut. If someone is selling the thing you’re considering, or its use has become their identity, expect biased advice.
- Replicate before you escalate. This comes back to “measure twice, cut once.” I’ve seen many friends take dramatic steps before replicating their tests. If you booze over the weekend, sleep like garbage, and then do a blood draw later AM on Monday, you might find that—gasp!—you have low testosterone. Before you pull out the big guns, perhaps you should repeat the test on two Wednesdays and do so earlier in the morning, when T will typically be higher. Some evidence also suggests predictable seasonal variations in T levels. Last but not least, labs make mistakes. I recall one well-respected lab for allergy testing returning 100% positive results for black bean allergy to all of their clients for a two-week period. It was a lab error. Before any intervention with possible side effects, replicate.
- I routinely cycle off of drugs and supplements I can safely cycle off of for short periods of time. This might be one week every two months and one entire month a year. These are basically intermittent wash-out periods, intended to allow my body to reestablish some homeostasis and feedback loops without a bunch of confounding variables. Put another way, we don’t know what we don’t know, and some medically supervised form of pharma-fasting is an insurance policy. I think about cheap insurance in life a lot. THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO CRITICAL MEDICATIONS, AND YOU SHOULD SPEAK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES TO YOUR HEALTHCARE REGIMEN. Please don’t win any Darwin Awards.
- Know how you could get off of any substance before you get on it. Our understanding of biology is incomplete, so as with any form of gambling, no matter how informed, know your exit plan before you sit down at the table.
- Biceps are temporary, baseball helmet sizes are forever.
Choose wisely and play the long game, my friends.
– T
P.S. Sincere thanks to AS, PA, SG, KS, and MN for reading drafts and providing feedback. Of course, any screwups are mine. In timely news, the following came out in Forbes, just as I was about to hit publish: “Billionaire Peter Thiel Backs Doping-Friendly Olympics Rival — What To Know About The ‘Enhanced Games.’” I’ll certainly watch this competition, but truth be told, the doping Olympics already exists, and it’s called the Olympics. Athletes and coaches just have to be champions in two categories simultaneously: their sport and cat-and-mouse drug testing. I suggest the podcasts, documentaries, and books below for a taste of how sophisticated this has become.
Additional resources:
All things testosterone and testosterone replacement therapy by Dr. Peter Attia. (Exclusively for my audience, Peter kindly made this podcast episode—a 2-hour deep dive on testosterone and TRT—available for free. It is normally behind a paywall and part of Dr. Peter Attia’s membership, which offers extensive show notes for every podcast episode, member-only “Ask Me Anything” episodes, premium articles produced by Peter and his dedicated team of world-class research analysts, and much more. Click here to learn more about becoming a member.)
Bigger, Stronger, Faster (Documentary)
Icarus (Documentary)
Anabolics, 11th Edition by William Llewellyn
Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams
“The World’s Most Famous Performance-Enhancement Chemist” (Podcast episode on The Tim Ferriss Show with Patrick Arnold.)
Patrick Arnold, widely considered “the father of prohormones,” is an organic chemist known for introducing androstenedione (remember Mark McGwire?), 1-Androstenediol (marketed as “1-AD”), and methylhexanamine into the dietary supplement market.
He also created the designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone, best known as THG and “the clear.” THG, along with two other anabolic steroids that Patrick manufactured (best known: norboletone), were not banned at the time of their creation. They were hard-to-detect drugs at the heart of the BALCO professional sports doping scandal, which thrust Barry Bonds and others into the spotlight. BALCO distributed these worldwide to world-class athletes in a wide variety of sports, ranging from track and field to professional baseball and football.
- Some types of hypopituitarism, wasting syndromes/diseases, surgical care, etc. ↩︎
Comment Rules: Remember what Fonzie was like? Cool. That's how we're gonna be — cool. Critical is fine, but if you're rude, we'll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation! (Thanks to Brian Oberkirch for the inspiration.)
Please at least release and promote the transcript for your podcast.
Hi, S –
Thank you for your feedback and kind words. You can find all transcripts for The Tim Ferriss Show at https://tim.blog/2018/09/20/all-transcripts-from-the-tim-ferriss-show/ .
Best,
Team Tim Ferriss
In response to your asking about transcribing your blogs. Please do. I have just started trying the automatic transcription programs. They are amazing. I tried it with a support tech who helped me set up my new computer. I’m copying the following:
Certainly! There are several software options available that can help you transcribe entire novels. Here are some of the best ones:
Dragon Professional Individual: This is the best voice dictation software for authors. It is customizable and offers high accuracy. It is priced at $300 1.
Windows Speech Recognition: This is a free dictation software available on Windows devices. It is a great option if you are looking for a free option 1.
Google Docs Voice Typing: This is a free dictation software that is integrated with Google Docs. It is a great option if you are looking for a free option 1.
Please note that dictation software is not perfect and may require some editing. If you are looking for other software options for writing novels, you can check out this guide which provides a rundown of your main novel writing software options, along with which operating systems each works with, the associated price, and the pros and cons of each tool.
Darlene
Thank you for your comment, Darlene.
We also just want to make sure you and others know that every audio and video podcast that Tim does has a transcript that Tim provides for free to everyone at https://tim.blog/2018/09/20/all-transcripts-from-the-tim-ferriss-show/
Best,
Team Tim Ferriss
in favor of blogs/writing. as a writer i find it extremely validating to hear you articulating that writing requires, compared to other outputs, a ton of work and weighing whether the “significant time investment” is justified. makes me feel less crazy. to me a benefit of Tim Writing More is that i get to hear your POV not in the context of a podcast guest (where you are unfailingly courteous in giving space for other people’s ideas) or a quick run-down on a tim solo q&a. writing gives time and space to document all the moves of a mind at work on a question/problem/topic/set of concerns, and i enjoy seeing your mind at work. my art-self feels obliged to note that if you don’t want to spend your time writing, don’t. it is hard and there are other things you are good at that communicate important ideas you care about. but if you feel, in the end, gratified by the problem-solving work of the writing process and the connection with others, and that writing is the best medium for the project – suck it up. (this is my pep talk to myself.) xo
I think you only need to blog things that are very dense with information, like metabolic health topics, or anti-aging topics.
Thanks for all you do!
Hi Tim, I’ a fan of blog posts, so more of those would be my choice. Thank you for all the work you put into these bi-weekly blasts. Hope your shoulder continues to do well and that you can stay on top of whatever hormone therapy/ies you choose. I personally stay away from hormones when I have the choice; but I’m over eighty now and tend to be conservative. Just keep moving.
Im definitely interested in blog posts. Especially if they are anything like your YouTube posts in the community section which have been very helpful. Thanks Tim.
Tim, timely article for me. Glad I found it in your newsletter (which I subscribe to) before I went down the possibly wrong road.
Yes, I love your blog posts!
Regarding gynaecomastia (man-boobs): yes, they are indeed “tricky”, but removable with surgery. I know this because I do that surgery. My last case was two days ago. Tissue removed from his right side weight 154g and from the left, 110g. That’s bigly big. This guy had taken one OTC supplement once, for a couple of weeks. Never did roids. Bang – titties. I’ve heard the same story with SARMs. I’ve had guys who developed moobs despite the most meticulously constructed tail-off programs. And of course it can happen naturally, with higher prevalence in certain ethnicities.
The surgery itself is not difficult but of course there can be complications, just like with any surgery. Generally though, my patients have been happy with the results and glad they took the step.
Make sure to find a surgeon with plenty of specific experience. Ask how many cases they’ve done and ask to see before/after photos. Best of luck guys, and great post Tim.
Good read!
While I don’t prefer blogs over podcasts- I do appreciate you taking the time to write this out. Cheers.
Great read, definitely enjoy this format if possible.
I love this article. I am 62 and do not dabble in any type of chemical enhancements other than multivitamins but do love the advice about testosterone. Any education on the human body helps us maintain as high a level of effectiveness under current physical conditions. Continue these blog posts please Tim.
Terrific article Tim, thanks for the insights. Sketchy subject indeed but your piece really helped me understand TRT better and when it should or shouldn’t be considered. More blogging please!
Write more blogs. They are always useful little dopamine hits.
Thanks for your work.
-Jackson
Blogs for sure👍
Awesome blog post thanks Tim definitely helps outline in digestible format keep them coming!
Thanks Tim. I have low T, in my 40s, and tried all the natural ways first. Then I did clomid which had some effect before not having an effect. I saw higher numbers but imp its all about treating symptoms not the #s. Next will be enclomiphene (which is way harder to get than it should be given my labs and past urology visits). Then its T therapy as a last resort. The advertising and push via insta on all these things is overwhelming and it does make it seem like a 2 min call with a virtual care provider is enough. I was shocked how little a recent one recently actually asked me – it was listen and prescribe right away and then they screwed up the order. Scary stuff. Anyway, like the others have said enjoy the blogs!
Love your blog posts and Friday newsletters!
There’s a lot of good, succinct, quick absorbing advice here. Thanks Tim.
Definitely enjoy blogs as long as they are linked in the newsletter. They are quickly and easily digested. Thanks
Appreciate the reminder…. 59yo male trying to sort out cause vs correlation with lowish T and depression. Frustration with years of relentless anhedonia (sp?) sometimes has me on the precipice ready to jump into TRT against the advice of my drs. A careful reconsideration of .my circumstances and options is warranted right now. Thanks for this and all you do!
Love it Timbo! Just turned 50 and thinking that TRT may be the norm. Thank you for communicating this in a manner which can be understood by your regular person. Please keep them coming!
“No Biological Free Lunches”, indeed.
I’ve been ruminating on this statement for nearly an hour now, thinking about how it applies to all things consumed.
Very impactful!
Much more so seeing it in writing over hearing those same words fleetingly in a podcast.
The information you share is fascinating in any format.
As always,
thank you for enhancing our lives.
Very timely and informative for me. I love your podcasts, but blogs are concise and easier to reference. Thank you for writing. Looking forward to reading more.
Probably not much help, but I love both your podcasts and the blog.
I was a bit late to the podcast party. Listened to Kevin Kelly (most interesting man on the planet) and your episode with Morgan Housel. Loved both, so I determined to go back to the start and work my way through from beginning to end. No easy feat! Started in Easter 2022.
Over the last 2 years I’ve listened from #1 – #188, and then I jumped to the most recent which was at the time #626. I’ve listened to #626 – #703.
I work in education with a focus on excellence. I have takeaways for my work from every episode.
I’m still determined to get through every episode, but understand that it is going to take time.
Much of your content inspires many topics for me to write/talk about.
Thanks for everything.
Cheers Danny.
Great post. I’m always cautious on what I put in my body. Do you think celebrities like Hugh Jackman use these shortcuts or others? Cuz most of them say they don’t, but I heard that’s impossible. You should post more blog posts.
The consequences of trt at 30 years old are real. It was becoming increasingly popular and I had nobody around to suggest I try anything different. And became a gateway to more performance enhancing drugs. Thank you for this blog post, I hope it reaches many people considering life changing choices. Since I started trt and performance enhancing drugs I tell everyone interested it’s a life sentence think twice, is there something you can optimize first before taking the plunge
Yes. Please keep writing blog posts.
Hey Tim, I recently watched your San Francisco WordCamp opening keynote, How to Build A High-Traffic Blog Without Killing Yourself and would suggest you revisit yourself regarding why you blog in the first place and whether or not it’s worth the time and effort. You referenced Tucker Max in it who said, “The important thing is not being a good writer, it’s having a voice.” Your voice and delivery forms have evolved over the years, yet remained influential and top quality throughout all mediums, so whether you’re walking while interviewing someone for a new podcast episode/style, searching for the next blend of FTZ coffee, finding the perfect clip to drive home a point illustrating something you’re writing about, googling swole kangaroos, or whatever it is, keep it fun! And remember, “A mediocre blog is more of a liability than no blog at all.”
Thanks for sharing your stories in whatever forms they come out in, but more importantly, thanks for having your own unique voice. In a world of mimicking parrots, you are a wild goose.
Your own blog posts are much better than endless excerpts over the past many years.
blog yes
please keep updating the blog Tim
More great writing !
Hey Tim,
I have a friend who just started using this and I wondered as he talked it out about the long term results he’ll see. I don’t know what I don’t know I guess, but establishing a long baseline and REPEATING it to verify might be some good advice to follow in general myself. He seems to understand his goals with it, has tested a few times, but it seems like a way to really screw up your biology.
These days there’s so many superfoods, drugs, enhancers, vitamins, oils that are being pedaled to everyone to improve some aspect of life, but almost no one goes back after a few years and says, “Yeah that worked” or “No it didn’t”. And they all seem to lose their meaning because their claims are all so extreme, that we should all be superhuman by now if we even use a quarter of them.
Thanks for taking the time to reflect on your own documented experiences and tracking data over the course of several years. It gives a good guide for resources that start to set a baseline to understanding your own biology.
James
As a female, TRT is not considered necessary, or, well, for anything. But when I couldn’t remember what I walked across a room to get, or a 3 item grocery list, and I was wondering if I had early dementia at 37… I started getting any health data checked that I could get checked. When my testosterone level came back undetectable and TRT was offered, I thought, hey, why not. I tried sublingual replacement for about a year, and got it to 27. I still felt just bad. I tried the pellets and got my level to 288! I felt amazing! I quit feeling like a victim at work, realized I could quit if I didn’t like it. I started speaking up about things I didn’t agree with. I realized my old fractured wrist quit hurting. I started looking at everything low testosterone was associated with- abdominal fat, decreased bone density, depression, memory problems… I had them all. Fast forward a year and a half-every 3 months I’m there faithfully getting my pellets. I can practically feel it when it’s time.
Really helpful article. I have shared with my husband who is working with our Functional Medicine dr on TRT
I can’t listen to podcasts and your blog has been my number one most impactful read in the last ten years. You have helped me take back control of my life and future after significant lifelong traumas.
Very helpful blog. Short. Concise. Practical. Pros and cons. I like the links for further reading. Thank you, Tim!
This was cool, and prescient. Tim, you have had a huge impact on culture; my house and I were discussing how you in some ways validated and normalized meditation for CEO’s and founders. Addressing TRT and true health in this way is important and valuable.
Very logical and concise approach. Should give anyone pause before taking PED’s, especially the point about negative internal side effects.
Responding to your 5-Bullet-Friday request, I’m stoked to see you blogging. Admittedly, I discovered you through your podcast and haven’t read a ton of your prior posts. You’ve done a few different pods, though, discussing some of the issues regarding the deterioration of our focus and the art and importance of writing and reading; I’m trying to read more books, articles, and blogs from people whose thinking is interesting and challenges me. You fall in that category! I also frequently consult your blog archives when I’m thinking of “I wonder how Tim does X” or “I wonder what Tim thinks of Y” not only because are a thinker and doer I greatly admire, but because it seems you systematically approach many things in your life which is helpful to learn from. So, for whatever it’s worth, I would love to see more blog posts from you and appreciate all of the work you put into it! Cheers.
Awesome post! Thanks Tim.
Highly value the blog over the pod.
Very sane advice that more people need to read for sure. Thank you Tim- Mike T
I prefer blogs to podcasts as well.
So great to see you blogging again Tim! If you’re loving it, I definitely want more!
Performance enhancing drugs are such an interesting topic. I often find that people have a really hard time looking at the macro perspective of their life and become too consumed with the micro. Another way of saying they give up what they want most for what they want right now.
I have been involved in athletics for most of my life and know many athletes personally at the peak of their sports who are clean and also some who are supplementing (not openly). Personally, I never felt I was a good enough athlete to even be tempted to risk my own health/aesthetics. Maybe if I was closer to gold medals on international stages, or a lot of money in endorsements that would have been different – I will never know.
I’m curious what you (or other readers) think of Peter Thiel recently funding the “Enhanced Games” a competitor to the Olympics that doesn’t test for performance enhancers and also pays athletes.
On one hand as a spectator I’m curious to see what the body can do enhanced and also uncertain about the impact on young athletes, sports as a whole etc.
Maybe it will help educate people on how to take these compounds responsibly? The side effects? Or, will individuals that would have otherwise avoided taking them due to the consequences, now decide to do so? Is that a bad thing?
How do sports change now with some people having better access to doctors and higher quality substances? Is that different than access to coaches? Equipment?
What is the impact on the younger generation? In most sports the cream of the crop are still very young and I am not sure can fully comprehend the gravity of making this kind of decision.
It’s an interesting conversation and grateful for the awareness you are bringing through this article.
Please continue to write Blog Posts! .. This is my favorite way to absorb wisdom from the Tim Ferriss universe.
Thanks for the Blog Posts Tim.
Really awesome to read your blogs again!
I read it.
Fantastic so good to see you writing in the blog again
I would much rather hear/watch a podcast.
Thank you for spending your valuable time writing about this and providing us with additional sources of information to continue our research. This is an important discussion.
Best wishes,
Ian
Tim,
This was a joy to read. Like so many others have said, it’s nice to read the depth of your thinking on a given subject, and especially with the classic humor you’ve always employed, even once in a while this would be a treat. Your podcast is second to none, but the value you provide through writing is immense. Got another book in you?
Nice to see new blogs! I like the podcast but tend to prefer reading to listening.
Blogs over p9dcasts all daylong!
Definitely more blog posts, please! (See Tomas Pueyo’s ‘Unchartered Territories’ concept of general but extensive and detailed free material followed by more indepth writings behind a paywall)
I love reading your posts and your books, but you do whatever fills your heart, dear Tim, podcasts, writing or whatever it is in the future. Thanks for all your work, you make this world a better place
Great topic, keep blogging!
Appreciated, as always, Tim. One topic with lots of conflicting info that I would love to get your latest thoughts on: how much protein should we aim to get per day, understanding that there are a few factors (activity level; age/sex; maintaining vs. building muscle; and diet type, e.g., vegetarian).
Thanks very much for the blog post – reading things can be more impactful than hearing them. These are very good points. It’s very tempting to start something because it promises a quick fix to a problem. I appreciate the mindset of “taking a beat” before jumping in, and your providing strategies for approaching a decision.
Keep blogging Tim…you’re still in your your prime…podcasts are past their prime (not just yours…all of them).
Another exceptionally written piece. With your characteristic calm intensity, your well-thought-out perspectives and data dive deep into the topic, providing technical clarity and practical insights. Greatly appreciate your mastery of “the economy of words.” This would make Mark Twain proud. (Smile)
Hey Tim. So glad to see you getting back to your roots. I’m very interested to see where this experiment takes you, and I’ll surely be watching closely. Also interested as to why you chose this topic?
In any case. I think you should keep these coming. What’s old is definitely new again.
You have an incredible skill for synthesis, which is clearly visible in all your books. I’ve noticed that your podcast doesn’t seem to highlight this aspect as much. While I understand podcasting may be less effortful and more lucrative, I must admit I miss your more in-depth written pieces. I would be thrilled to see more blog posts that allow for the depth and analysis you’re so good at.
Thanks Tim. I appreciate this.
I think that reading some thoughts on this are a good format for certain topics. This has some lists that feel like it lends itself really well to a blog format and would likely not work as well in podcast form. I like it!
Hey Tim,
Much gratitude for a useful post giving more clarity and perspective on a complex topic. I appreciate your blog posts as well as your willingness to write them — as to blog vs pod I would say I my lifestyle leads to a consumption of pods at a 5:1 ratio against (longer) blogs. When you do post a blog though, I pay attention because it tells me you’ve identified a specific area of interest that you’ve chosen to put written effort towards. From that point of view, I think posting blogs less regularly helps me in the decision of whether or not to dive in and give it a read. Were you to post weekly, for instance, the articles could get lost in the strurm und drang of the ubiquitous deluge of online content.
Hello Tim,
I hope this comments finds you well!
I know how valuable your time is, so I’ll keep it short.
I’m a massive fan of your work! I love your podcast, the recent episodes with Noah Kagan and Andrew Huberman have been the ones I’ve enjoyed the most recently. I also read Tools of Titans some months ago, and the quantity of knowledge you made available was mind-blowing.
About me:
20 years old intl. student from Spain seeking a summer internship with someone I admire.
Extremely keen on learning.
Core values: accountability, self-discipline, and getting the fcking work done.
Most knowledgeable in finance and marketing, but acquiring technical skills.
My only requirements: learning from someone I look up to, and realizing how I didn’t know I don’t know about everything.
If you’re interested, I’d be honored to set up a call (obviously, while we are both walking).
Thank you very much,
Juan Suero
Great read that’s going to send me down a rabbit hole of trying to understand seasonality of testosterone!
Love that you’re back writing on the blog!
I like reading the blog vs podcasts. It’s easy to find the info I want to look back on and for me personally, easier to understand due to hearing problems I have. Thanks for the great information!
This was a good, short blog post that I appreciate you writing. I do think there are a lot of “miracle drugs” out there currently and people, based upon their “idea” of your 4-Hour Body work, associate you with being willing to use them, but they didn’t really get your point from that book and your other writings and so it is important that you as an “influencer” call this out specifically: there are no biological “free lunches.”
“If you’d like me to write blog posts, leave a comment on this blog post” – Yep, please write again.
Lots of value here. Always appreciate your blog posts. 5” read on a focused topic is super valuable.
Tim,
The opportunity writing affords to polish and tweak allows your wit and wisdom to shine forth in full bloom. I rarely have time to listen to a full podcast, even at my habitual 1.5X, but I can read a blog post.
Been with you from the beginning. Thanks for…268 years??? (I checked the publication date for 4 Hour Body to calculate–so I guess I HAVEN’T been with you since the beginning, oops).
XOXO
Peter J. White
I appreciate seeing, and carefully read, Tim’s posts. I know Tim’s written thoughts are carefully considered, logical, and based on the best information Tim has available, as well as Tim’s experience. For me a podcast doesn’t have the same level of credibility and reliability.
Please keep up the blogging! I love the podcast too but I miss these posts that I can consume anywhere, not just when I have the chance to listen.
Yes the blogs are bite sized and no fluff. I get value from them.
Yay blogs!!! Thank you!
Tim, I’ve been a fan of your writing for years. I also prefer reading blog posts (written content in general) over listening to podcasts. Since you asked for feedback, I think the blog post was good length and provided a good, broad overview of the topic. The post is heavy on literary devices (ie metaphor), which at times made it difficult to follow. We are about the same age. I’ve been hearing a lot of chatter about TRT lately so this blog post is both timely and relevant. I look forward to reading your future posts and hope you continue to post new content to the blog.
Please continue blogging; podcasts aren’t always the best media options!
Keep blogging. The podcast, for me, is indispensable. But if you’re asking ‘should I blog, too?’, I say yes!
Tim, more fan mail… thanks for all that you invest in your output, it shows. I hope that you take great satisfaction from the contribution you make to improving people’s lives not just today but over the years to come. Your material is always considered, interesting and often helpful. I love your interviewing style and appreciation for nuance. I’m new to your written work but enjoyed this, my first article. I hope you mostly enjoy the creative process, thanks again!
“Don’t ask a barber if you need a haircut”. Advice for the ages.
Blogging is good. I also prefer blog to podcast. Enjoying your format.
Yes I love your blogs. Please keep writing. I prefer reading to listening as I take in the info better.
With any ergogenic aid we should ask the following 4 questions.
1. Is it safe?
2. Is it effective?
3. Is it legal?
4. Is it ethical?
Yes to all 4, then do all the homework prescribed by Tim. Great article. Thanks
Great advice Tim. I appreciate your point regarding the potential benefit of TRT in 50+ with low T group. Most important point is to get into physiologic range. Enclomiphine works well here
Loved this one! Glad you’re back to writing brother. Keep ’em comin 💪
Tim, do you have related thoughts on psychedelic substance use?
I’ve heard Jordan Peterson use the term “unearned wisdom,” which sounds related to the free lunch.
Hi Team Tim Ferriss, A suggestion to enhance the user / reader experience of blog posts.
Can you create 2 separate ‘Leave a Reply’ field options?
One for the “Yay Tim, love you blogging again” positive reinforcement people (which is great btw), and
Two, a separate ‘Leave a Reply’ field for those who want to engage / share their own personal experiences etc. directly on the blog subject matter.
Why do that? Well, those who are looking for ‘case studies or use case examples’ from other folks re. the blog subject matter can see it quickly in one place, and when they select ’email me new comments’ they get more targeted comments vs. all the other comments as well.
There’s probably a smarter more elegant way to achieve that outcome with an additional check box option or filtering and I’m sure you’ll know that.
Thank you.
What is you knowledge on using Melatonin as a sleep onset aid? “Endocrinology abhors waste” I have had no side effects that are noteable other than improves sleep latiency and better overall sleep scores. I have not cycley off and after reading this I am scared to!
This may be a good lens for analyzing hormone replacement therapy for menopause (being 46 – it is on my mind).
PLEASE keep writing. Your books and more recently, your blog is a north star for me in our brave and hopefully renewing.
I got a copy of 4 Hour Workweek win it was new and I was in a low spot in my singing career. The feeling of desperation departed. I felt renewed confidence and the singing took off , again. I had some illness in my late 60’s and SAG retired me. I found you on you tube. I’m making a plan to market my artwork. Thank you
Your ability to create meaningful, insightful, and live changing content is a gift. Please continue to share this gift with the world. It’s benefited me greatly
thanks for posting this.
Hey Tim – do you still use cod liver oil / butter oil blend capsules? I’ve taken them on and off for years and they have definitely helped me feel better have naturally increased my testosterone. Wondering what supplements if any you use
Thank you for blogging this content, Tim. I am an exceptionally choosy podcast listener (1-2 episodes per month, tops) and find it MUCH easier to scan a written article for your invariably valuable gold nuggets of actionable information.