Blood panel

[Pinit2Winit]

This is my third cycle I’ll be doing it correctly this time by actually logging diet and workouts and everything anddddd OF COURSE bloods which never should be half assed! I’m closing in on preparation just need a couple more things and one being blood work. So my question is will this panel be fine or should I be testing for more?
Hormones
lipids
blood cell
liver
kindey
electrolytes, minerals, and glucose

 

[01dragonslayer]

Here is a list of the recommended blood tests

Hormones
Luteinizing hormone (LH) and Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)
Luteinizing hormone (LH) and Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) are messenger hormones released by the pituitary gland to stimulate testosterone and sperm production in the gonads. It is impossible to have good testosterone and build muscle with low levels of LH and FSH. Low levels can occur if you are taking steroid hormones as the body down regulates it’s own production, if you are doing a cycle of steroids you want to wait until your LH levels normalize before starting the next cycle. High stress/ cortisol hormone and thyroid function can also suppress LH and FSH production.

Testosterone
Testosterone is the main sex hormone for men (it’s important for women too) and is responsible for the male characteristics. Clinically low levels will lead to low libido and infertility, but even a moderate deficiency in testosterone will affect muscle growth and your ability to recover from workout sessions.

Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) is a glycoprotein that binds to testosterone and estrogen helping to keep your levels balanced, it is used to help measure your free testosterone levels and high levels of SHBG will lead to low free testosterone and you will have a hard time building muscle. High estrogen can cause high levels of SHBG.

Estrogen
Estrogen is often seen as the evil fat producing hormone amongst bodybuilders and for good reason, excess estrogen levels can affect muscle growth, make it hard to cut body fat and have negative effects on mood. While estrogen is essential for both males and females it is rare that men will have an estrogen deficiency.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is an adrenal hormone which is a precursor to testosterone and estrogen production, it is also beneficial for immune function, and along with cortisol is a good marker for healthy adrenal function.

Prolactin
Prolactin is another hormone which is mainly associated with women, but anabolic steroid use can lead to higher prolactin levels which can also lead to higher estrogen levels, and the negative side effects that come with this.

Cortisol
Cortisol is the number one stress hormone and you want to have it in the right balance. Too much cortisol from overtraining, stress, poor recovery or not enough calories will have a catabolic effect on your muscles, and a higher risk of injury. On the flip side too little cortisol will lead to fatigue, inflammation and you will have a harder time training.

Insulin like growth factor-1 IGF-1) and Growth hormone
Insulin like growth factor-1 IGF-1) and Growth hormone are two hormones that the body produces (and drugs can stimulate) that promote muscle growth, but like many hormones in the body there is a happy medium. Too little of these hormones is going to make it difficult to make gains in strength and size, while excess amounts can promote insulin resistance and in a worse case scenario increase your cancer risk.

Thyroid hormones
Thyroid hormones also need to be in just the right balance, too little and you will have problems with metabolism, weight loss and fatigue, but excess amounts can be catabolic to muscle and cause anxiety. This is a hormone that is poorly tested by most doctors, usually they only test TSH, but it is important to also test T4, T3 and reverse T3 to get a thorough understanding of your thyroid health.

Thyroid problems can be caused by stress (high cortisol), nutrient deficiencies, this is also another hormone to keep track of if your taking anabolic steroids.

Liver Function
Liver Function tests don’t actually measure how your body is detoxifying substances from the body, but they do measure liver enzymes which if elevated can be a sign of liver disease, or inflammation of the liver. Some of these enzymes like AST and ALT can be naturally high in bodybuilders and it is important to take into account other markers like GGT, ferritin, HsCRP and HbA1C to see if the liver is functioning optimally or not.

Kidney Function
Kidney Function test measures the electrolytes and kidney markers like glomerular filtration rate and creatinine, there are a lot of misconceptions about high protein diets causing kidney problems, and bodybuilders are not at higher risk of kidney disease than the rest of the population, but it is an inexpensive test to do and could help to prevent future problems. The two biggest causes of kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure.

High sensitive C-reactive protein (HsCRP)
High sensitive C-reactive protein (HsCRP) is an Inflammation marker, this can be caused by injury, overtraining or systemic inflammation. Inflammation is catabolic to the body and is going to affect muscle growth and recovery.

Iron studies
Iron studies measures your iron, transferrin, iron binding protein and ferritin which is your iron stores. Too little iron is going to affect training, lead to low energy levels and poor recovery, while too much iron which is more common in men is going to lead to inflammation and oxidative damage. High ferritin can cause liver damage, diabetes and heart disease, it is often genetic in its cause and needs to be monitored regularly if you have high levels.

Zinc
Zinc is an important mineral and one that is commonly deficient in men. Zinc is important for testosterone production and keeping estrogen levels low as it is a natural aromatase inhibitor. Zinc is also important for thyroid function, digestion, immune function and skin. Too much zinc can suppress other minerals so testing to find out your needs is the best option.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D is technically not a vitamin but a hormone, every cell in the body has a receptor for Vitamin D which indicates it is important for all functions in the body, as a precursor for hormones to immune function having the right levels of Vitamin D will improve your performance and recovery. Like most things more is not better and excess Vitamin D can have negative consequences so the best way to assess your ideal needs, and even if you do need to supplement is with a blood test.

 

[Pinit2Winit]

Here is a list of the recommended blood tests

Hormones
Luteinizing hormone (LH) and Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)
Luteinizing hormone (LH) and Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) are messenger hormones released by the pituitary gland to stimulate testosterone and sperm production in the gonads. It is impossible to have good testosterone and build muscle with low levels of LH and FSH. Low levels can occur if you are taking steroid hormones as the body down regulates it’s own production, if you are doing a cycle of steroids you want to wait until your LH levels normalize before starting the next cycle. High stress/ cortisol hormone and thyroid function can also suppress LH and FSH production.

Testosterone
Testosterone is the main sex hormone for men (it’s important for women too) and is responsible for the male characteristics. Clinically low levels will lead to low libido and infertility, but even a moderate deficiency in testosterone will affect muscle growth and your ability to recover from workout sessions.

Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) is a glycoprotein that binds to testosterone and estrogen helping to keep your levels balanced, it is used to help measure your free testosterone levels and high levels of SHBG will lead to low free testosterone and you will have a hard time building muscle. High estrogen can cause high levels of SHBG.

Estrogen
Estrogen is often seen as the evil fat producing hormone amongst bodybuilders and for good reason, excess estrogen levels can affect muscle growth, make it hard to cut body fat and have negative effects on mood. While estrogen is essential for both males and females it is rare that men will have an estrogen deficiency.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is an adrenal hormone which is a precursor to testosterone and estrogen production, it is also beneficial for immune function, and along with cortisol is a good marker for healthy adrenal function.

Prolactin
Prolactin is another hormone which is mainly associated with women, but anabolic steroid use can lead to higher prolactin levels which can also lead to higher estrogen levels, and the negative side effects that come with this.

Cortisol
Cortisol is the number one stress hormone and you want to have it in the right balance. Too much cortisol from overtraining, stress, poor recovery or not enough calories will have a catabolic effect on your muscles, and a higher risk of injury. On the flip side too little cortisol will lead to fatigue, inflammation and you will have a harder time training.

Insulin like growth factor-1 IGF-1) and Growth hormone
Insulin like growth factor-1 IGF-1) and Growth hormone are two hormones that the body produces (and drugs can stimulate) that promote muscle growth, but like many hormones in the body there is a happy medium. Too little of these hormones is going to make it difficult to make gains in strength and size, while excess amounts can promote insulin resistance and in a worse case scenario increase your cancer risk.

Thyroid hormones
Thyroid hormones also need to be in just the right balance, too little and you will have problems with metabolism, weight loss and fatigue, but excess amounts can be catabolic to muscle and cause anxiety. This is a hormone that is poorly tested by most doctors, usually they only test TSH, but it is important to also test T4, T3 and reverse T3 to get a thorough understanding of your thyroid health.

Thyroid problems can be caused by stress (high cortisol), nutrient deficiencies, this is also another hormone to keep track of if your taking anabolic steroids.

Liver Function
Liver Function tests don’t actually measure how your body is detoxifying substances from the body, but they do measure liver enzymes which if elevated can be a sign of liver disease, or inflammation of the liver. Some of these enzymes like AST and ALT can be naturally high in bodybuilders and it is important to take into account other markers like GGT, ferritin, HsCRP and HbA1C to see if the liver is functioning optimally or not.

Kidney Function
Kidney Function test measures the electrolytes and kidney markers like glomerular filtration rate and creatinine, there are a lot of misconceptions about high protein diets causing kidney problems, and bodybuilders are not at higher risk of kidney disease than the rest of the population, but it is an inexpensive test to do and could help to prevent future problems. The two biggest causes of kidney disease are diabetes and high blood pressure.

High sensitive C-reactive protein (HsCRP)
High sensitive C-reactive protein (HsCRP) is an Inflammation marker, this can be caused by injury, overtraining or systemic inflammation. Inflammation is catabolic to the body and is going to affect muscle growth and recovery.

Iron studies
Iron studies measures your iron, transferrin, iron binding protein and ferritin which is your iron stores. Too little iron is going to affect training, lead to low energy levels and poor recovery, while too much iron which is more common in men is going to lead to inflammation and oxidative damage. High ferritin can cause liver damage, diabetes and heart disease, it is often genetic in its cause and needs to be monitored regularly if you have high levels.

Zinc
Zinc is an important mineral and one that is commonly deficient in men. Zinc is important for testosterone production and keeping estrogen levels low as it is a natural aromatase inhibitor. Zinc is also important for thyroid function, digestion, immune function and skin. Too much zinc can suppress other minerals so testing to find out your needs is the best option.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D is technically not a vitamin but a hormone, every cell in the body has a receptor for Vitamin D which indicates it is important for all functions in the body, as a precursor for hormones to immune function having the right levels of Vitamin D will improve your performance and recovery. Like most things more is not better and excess Vitamin D can have negative consequences so the best way to assess your ideal needs, and even if you do need to supplement is with a blood test.

thank You!