Post: #1

Hi all,

This is my first post in the forum, and I have to say I love this place because I feel I can relate to a lot of the people here as far as lifestyle perspectives go. I'm a 27 year old American who's been living in Egypt for the last 3 years, living my passions on my terms despite facing constant problems from people here who hate me and report me to state security simply for being a white American who lives in post-revolution Egypt... and US friends and family who try to convince me to leave with fear tactics every time some shit goes down near my apartment.


With that short intro over, I'm posting this because the only real weakness I believe I possess is my... (literal) weakness. I'm 6'2" and about 150-160 pounds. I've been naturally skinny my whole life, and it runs in my family. I could probably make a joke that I was an extra in Shindler's List and some people might actually take it seriously.

I found a good diet and lifting plan for guys with my body type... sounds tough eating a sizable meal 6 times a day, but it's certainly doable. The only thing stopping me is that baldness runs in my family, and I have a VERY mis-shapen head that is currently concealed from the world by my thick head of very nice hair. I would rather be my size and have my hair than have a much better body but balding/bald, as I think overall the former would look better than the latter.

Baldness runs in my family as well, so it's a bullet I will have to bite sooner or later. I have certainly balded a bit already, but it's very very mild at this point. The thought that lifting regularly will give my body a testosterone boost will make my balding rate increase is my only mental block from bulking up.


So the question is: Is my concern valid, or am I being an idiot who needs a swift kick in the ass? Feel free to be as brutal as you like, tough talk usually especially motivates me.

And nice to meet you guys.

Post: #2

Hey Flatliner,

It definately won't affect your hair just as long as you don't use steriods. My hair actually grew back when I changed my diet.

Im only 5'8 158, but I used to be 205. When I cut the weight and got back into shape, my hair started growing back strong....

Being overweight and balding go hand in hand...

Captain power

Post: #3

I don't believe it will. Either way, if you put 30lbs of muscle on your frame, and lose a bit more hair, you will still look way better than you do now. Check out StrongLifts.com and get started.

Post: #4

I'd be really skeptical about the overeating plan. I think it's terrible advice but it's floating around online and in every gym. I'm a shorter version of you, and decided to go that route and gained a pound a week for about 20 weeks. 90% of it was flab though evenly distributed so it took me a while to realize what was happening. Burning that weight off took a while and I gained a permanent thin layer of subcutanious fat over my stomach. We don't have bulky muscles for hormonal reasons, not because we don't eat enough. All of the men in my family are low muscle mass whether they're fatter or thinner. Hit the gym but don't expect dramatic results, and tweak your nutrition but don't go more than a couple hundred kcals over your usual intake.

Post: #5

I would definitely prefer to look balded and jacked than balding and skinny.

I don't see the link between heightened levels of testosterone / lifting weights with accelerated hair loss though. Do you have any scientific studies to support this claim? If not it's a no brainer.

Going to the gym is one of the best things a man can do to improve his quality of life and options with women. The best thing about it is...it's all in your control.

Post: #6

(11-01-2012 02:29 PM)Tim9000 Wrote:  I'd be really skeptical about the overeating plan. I think it's terrible advice but it's floating around online and in every gym. I'm a shorter version of you, and decided to go that route and gained a pound a week for about 20 weeks. 90% of it was flab though evenly distributed so it took me a while to realize what was happening. Burning that weight off took a while and I gained a permanent thin layer of subcutanious fat over my stomach. We don't have bulky muscles for hormonal reasons, not because we don't eat enough. All of the men in my family are low muscle mass whether they're fatter or thinner. Hit the gym but don't expect dramatic results, and tweak your nutrition but don't go more than a couple hundred kcals over your usual intake.

If you gained 90% flab, then your diet was obviously way off, or you were not lifting enough and/or correctly.

You CAN expect dramatic results if you eat right, and lift heavy. Just because you didn't get good results, doesn't mean it's impossible. Go over to bodybuilding.com and look at all of the before and after pics of average posters on their forum. Or the dozens of other forums out there with similar success stories.

Post: #7

(11-01-2012 02:44 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  

(11-01-2012 02:29 PM)Tim9000 Wrote:  I'd be really skeptical about the overeating plan. I think it's terrible advice but it's floating around online and in every gym. I'm a shorter version of you, and decided to go that route and gained a pound a week for about 20 weeks. 90% of it was flab though evenly distributed so it took me a while to realize what was happening. Burning that weight off took a while and I gained a permanent thin layer of subcutanious fat over my stomach. We don't have bulky muscles for hormonal reasons, not because we don't eat enough. All of the men in my family are low muscle mass whether they're fatter or thinner. Hit the gym but don't expect dramatic results, and tweak your nutrition but don't go more than a couple hundred kcals over your usual intake.

If you gained 90% flab, then your diet was obviously way off, or you were not lifting enough and/or correctly.

You CAN expect dramatic results if you eat right, and lift heavy. Just because you didn't get good results, doesn't mean it's impossible. Go over to bodybuilding.com and look at all of the before and after pics of average posters on their forum. Or the dozens of other forums out there with similar success stories.

Yeah, seconded. When you take on a lot of calories but don't bring the intensity in the gym you're going to be seeing more fat gain than musce. Don't just needlesly eat crap if you're not training hard - your body can only utilize so many calories in the context of hypertrophy (i.e. more food isn't always better), the need for which corresponds with the demands you're placing on your body.

I'd also check out Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 with Bodybuilding assistance work.

Post: #8

You definately will lose some hair with steroids....At lot of it is genetics, but roid's don't help.

But trust me, working out as a natural you will not lose any hair.

Captain Power....

Post: #9

(11-01-2012 02:44 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  

(11-01-2012 02:29 PM)Tim9000 Wrote:  I'd be really skeptical about the overeating plan. I think it's terrible advice but it's floating around online and in every gym. I'm a shorter version of you, and decided to go that route and gained a pound a week for about 20 weeks. 90% of it was flab though evenly distributed so it took me a while to realize what was happening. Burning that weight off took a while and I gained a permanent thin layer of subcutanious fat over my stomach. We don't have bulky muscles for hormonal reasons, not because we don't eat enough. All of the men in my family are low muscle mass whether they're fatter or thinner. Hit the gym but don't expect dramatic results, and tweak your nutrition but don't go more than a couple hundred kcals over your usual intake.

If you gained 90% flab, then your diet was obviously way off, or you were not lifting enough and/or correctly.

You CAN expect dramatic results if you eat right, and lift heavy. Just because you didn't get good results, doesn't mean it's impossible. Go over to bodybuilding.com and look at all of the before and after pics of average posters on their forum. Or the dozens of other forums out there with similar success stories.

I was lifting heavy. It was definitely way too much food for me. I guess its possible that some people are low muscle mass for lack if calories but it seems pretty unlikely for any middle class Westerner. A lot of the before/after photos I remember seeing were real young guys in their final growth spurt anyway (i.e. 18 to 22 year olds) when men thicken up after reaching max height. When I started my over eating plan I was older than t hat and had been lifting for five years. I'd venture to guess that a thin man over the age of 25 would be a lot closer to my situation than the young new lifter/eater.

Post: #10

I did the lifting heavy + greater caloric intake at about 38-40 as well. I was drinking about a half gallon of whole milk a day (I couldn't bring myself to try the whole gallon advocated in Starting Strength) and honestly I was still hungry a lot. I put on about 20 pounds and while I was noticeably a bit heavier in photos, a) it was distributed well and b) when I lost weight again afterward, I had put on a lot of muscle that stayed. So I'd have to say it did work for me, but I also appreciate that mileage will vary.

But for the OP: lift away. The benefits are great and I never noticed any hair loss.

Post: #11

(11-01-2012 03:11 PM)TheCaptainPower Wrote:  You definately will lose some hair with steroids....At lot of it is genetics, but roid's don't help.

But trust me, working out as a natural you will not lose any hair.

Captain Power....

that is just wrong. If you're genetically disposed to baldness it won't matter if you're juicing or not you're going bald eventually, the worst gear use will do is speed up the rate of hair loss if you're already prone to baldness . On the same token if you're not predisposed you can stay on pemanantly and not lose anything. So to answer the OP, work out and get as big you'd like to get, the hair if it's gonna go is gonna go whether you work out or not.

Post: #12

Okay - first off, it's not testosterone that causes hair to fall out, it is simply the process of conversion of testosterone into DHT. The DHT is what is responsible for accelerating Male Pattern Baldness (MPB) and hairloss in general.

Don't act like hitting the gym recreationally is going to send your T levels into oblivion...not even close actually.

Working out gives you a modest increase in testosterone production, but being fat means you have more leptin in your system (which systematically reduces testosterone as they are more or less inversly related).

Given this: Even if you hit the weights like a boss and lose fat concurrenltly, you will still not get a HUGE boost of testosterone. Of the boost that you do get, the percentage of that being converted into DHT is based off genetics as well.

As someone stated before, exogenous (injected) testosterone will convert more redily into DHT. Because of this, the obvious answer is to combat this conversion by an anti-aromatase. This will help prevent said conversion from happening to the extent that prompted your OP.

I would go to the doc and get prescribed Aromasin; this will help slow the process regardless of weight-lifting or not.

The idea of not working out simply because you may lose more hair is just idiotic. Guys who are bald and in shape pull much more than a slob in the beginning stages of MPB.

If you'd like more info send me a PM. I've had clients who have had these concerns before. I can assure you that this is simply a bodybuilding.com shibboleth in which the blind are constantly leading the blind. I can't stand that website.

Post: #13

I am lightly balding but am growing a beard and shave my head with a trimmer set to #0
some girls respond to the look as it makes me look more dangerous and in case of one girl she described me as "evil" looking on multiple occasions. which apparently makes her feel excitement.

Post: #14

I've never heard of anyone balding because of working out. If anything making your body healthier should have a positive impact on your hair instead of a negative one. Worry about balding later because there are many options around from wigs to medical options. Right now build up your body to your liking, improve your game and attitude with women, and enjoy life to the fullest.

Post: #15

(11-02-2012 02:13 PM)Cruisen_Chubby Wrote:  ... it's not testosterone that causes hair to fall out, it is simply the process of conversion of testosterone into DHT. The DHT is what is responsible for accelerating Male Pattern Baldness (MPB) ...

Yep, I've looked into this quite thoroughly, and what you need is medicine to inhibit the conversion of testosterone to DHT (dihydrotestosterone).

The medicine that does the job is called dutasteride. It is a medicine to prevent/reduce prostate enlargement (something that we'll all 'face', if we live long enough), but can be used off-label to reduce hair loss.

It is a stronger, and more precisely targeted, improvement on finasteride, which is prescribed by hair loss companies.

If you research dutasteride on the internet, you may find some talk about side-effects, of a not good, dick-related variety. I've been taking the stuff since 2005, and have had no problems ...

You can get generic dutasteride from various companies via the internet. The pills are 5 milligrams. My dosage regime is 1 per day for ten days when you first start, then 3 per week thereafter. The pills cost roughly $1 each.

I haven't lost my hair, after the first signs of thinning that prompted me to find out about this (and I'm lots older than you), but of course I _might_ not have lost my hair anyway. Without having an identical twin brother who didn't take the stuff, I'll never know.

Inhibiting DHT production still allows you your testosterone, with all the things that that gives you (muscles, hard dick, macho etc), while avoiding the less desirable 'masculine' trait of baldness (and possibly acne).

Good luck - pump iron, all the good things they say about weight training are true.