Samir Bannout, a former Mr. Olympia champion, reached the top of the sport during the Golden Era of bodybuilding. In a recent video, Bannout picked apart Mike O’Hearn’s claim that testosterone doesn’t decline in men as they get older.
“To say testosterone is irrelevant to how healthy you are and your body — that’s wrong. I think testosterone is relevant,” Samir Bannout shared.
During his bodybuilding career, Bannout competed against some of the sport’s most prolific athletes. He shared the stage with eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney, seven-time Mr. O Arnold Schwarzenegger, bodybuilding icon Frank Zane, and many others. While he’s long stepped away from competing, Bannout’s passion for the sport is evident anytime he takes to a mic.
The last time we heard from Bannout, he was warning competitors about the dangers of Insulin. He didn’t mince words when discussing the controversial bodybuilding drug. Bannout called Insulin garbage and forewarned competitors that if they continue using it, they will likely die before the age of 60.
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In his latest discussion, Bannout is tackling Mike O’Hearn’s claim that testosterone doesn’t decline in men as they age. This topic came about when O’Hearn was questioned about his natural status — a position he’s held his entire life. According to O’Hearn, men’s hormone levels don’t drop as they get older. To shed some light on this subject, Bannout discussed the matter on a recent Old School Labs podcast.
Samir Bannout Opposes Mike O’Hearn’s Testosterone Claim: ‘That’s Wrong’
During the video, Bannout disagreed with O’Hearn’s claims about testosterone.
“Testosterone is very important to have at least in the middle. You don’t want to have low testosterone. I don’t think your body can do well on low testosterone. I disagree. If Mike [O’Hearn] said that, I don’t know. Mike is all natural. Obviously, he doesn’t bother with any anabolic or any androgenic [compounds].”
Bannout says there’s ‘no need’ to have testosterone levels around 1200. When discussing the topic, he shared that it’s best to keep testosterone levels in the middle of the spectrum.
“I’m talking about it from my perspective. If the range is between 200 and 1200 on the scale, at the very least, you should be around 6, 7, or 800 — you’ll do very well. There’s no need to go to 1200 really.
There is no need to. But you definitely don’t want to be below the scale or on the low part of the scale. You don’t want to be 300 if the scale says 200. It’s always good to be in the middle,” says Samir Bannout.
He specified that his testosterone range hovers around 7 or 800 before advising those over 50 to consider starting a treatment program of their own.
“So, 7 or 800 is doable, and that’s where I am. I’m always about 750. I always keep myself at about 7 or 800. Do I do it with the help of my friend? Yeah, I do but I find it’s necessary at my age. Anybody who is over 50 should consider testing because it’s actually healthy to be on it than be off.”
It’s necessary to have it within the scale and more above than in the middle of the scale. That’s fine. But never low or on the low side,” Bannout shared.
Natural Mr. Olympia John Hansen reiterated Samir’s point and mentioned that he feels better when his testosterone levels are at 800 or 900.
“I’ve been on TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) for five years and I started when I was 54. And I think my numbers were around 300 when I started. Now, I’m around 8 or 900 and I feel way better. I mean, it’s not necessary, but I feel better at 800 or 900,” John Hansen explained.
Bannout isn’t the only person who took aim at O’Hearn’s controversial statements about testosterone. Hormone therapy doctor and guru, Dr. Rand says testosterone does in fact decline as men get older. However, he said Mike O’Hearn is an exception to this rule, given the longevity he’s shown for much of his life.
Bannout on Testosterone: ‘Whether You Like It or Not, At Some Point We All Need to Do That’
Samir Bannout discussed different ways in which someone could take testosterone. He believes whether men like it or not, they ‘all need’ testosterone at one point or another.
“Some MDs really don’t understand, well some understand endocrinology. They think, ‘oh no problem, I don’t need to do that.’ No, you need to do that, whether you like it or not, at some point, we all need to do that.”
The former Mr. Olympia gave his thoughts on different routes of administration for testosterone replacement therapy.
“It would be more appealing [a testosterone capsule] but I don’t think it would be more effective. Maybe something sublingual [under the tongue] may work but if you take a tablet down, it’s going to be destroyed by the acid in your stomach.”
So, if it’s 100 milligrams, let’s say you take it orally, it’s going to end up being like 35 milligrams. Absorption is not the same,” Bannout shared. “Come on man, injectable is fine if you know how to do it. You don’t need to complicate things.”
Before ending the discussion, Bannout encouraged bodybuilders to use Insulin needles to shoot testosterone instead of a bigger syringe.
“For example, testosterone like cypionate or annotate could be used subcutaneously (applied under the skin). A syringe will do it, you don’t need to poke yourself with big needles. You can use this only like a half an inch Insulin – and boom. Nothing, no pain nothing. Just so I can remind some people, you don’t need to use these big [needles].”
This isn’t the first time that Bannout is warning competitors about drug regimens. In late July, the bodybuilding veteran told older competitors like Kamal Elgargni to be careful with steroids. He added that maintaining the mass of an Open competitor at over 50 years old could put Kamal’s health in jeopardy.
Despite retiring from the sport, Bannout is trying to keep athletes informed as they embark on their respective bodybuilding journeys. Bannout advocates for using testosterone replacement therapy even though some bodybuilders like Mike O’Hearn don’t feel the need to.
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