Welcoem to posts!!
in the future - u will be able to do some more stuff here,,,!! like pat catgirl- i mean um yeah... for now u can only see others's posts :c
Hair loss update: I'm into week 15 of 26 involving daily application of topical finasteride, fortnightly derma-rolling and twice weekly grapeseed/peppermint/rosemary oils. This is also the first set of progress pictures under artificial light. I feel like I'm continuing to lose hair around the crown in a horseshoe shape, otherwise I'm struggling to draw conclusions on my hairline/thickness in other areas. Thoughts?
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Here's an excellent hair loss episode of the Huberman Lab released a few days ago. My key takeaways:
- Things like massage and peppermint oil improve blood flow to the scalp, supplying oxygen and nutrients, and may slow hair loss but won't have a significant impact on reversing hair loss.
- Minoxidil works as a vasodilator which improves blood flow, meaning it also won't regrow hair well on its own.
- Massage alone has a transient effect, meaning it only really improves blood flow for the period you're doing it and shortly after.
- The root of each hair is in a "bulb" which contains stem cells for growth, but access to the bulb can be closed off meaning hair stops growing.
- Micro-needling (derma-rolling/derma-pen) can reactivate these dormant bulbs and allow new hair growth. A recent literature review concluded that 1-2mm needles are optimal.
- The best method for regrowing hair is a combination of mechanical (micro-needling) and chemical protocols.
- An enzyme called 5-alpha reductase converts testosterone to DHT, which in turn inhibits hair growth. The best chemicals therefore either inhibit 5-alpha reductase directly, or reduce DHT.
- In terms of proven methods, you have ketoconazole shampoo (shampoo needs to contain 2% ketoconazole, 1% is insufficient), which should be used 2-4x/week and applied for 3-5 minutes. This has a minor effect on DHT levels.
- Saw Palmetto (300mg/day spread across 2--3 doses e.g. 100mg each at breakfast, lunch and dinner) also has a minor effect on DHT levels
- Finasteride can cut DHT by 50% in incredibly small doses, (0.01mg or 1/100th of a standard pill - good luck cutting that :-D) but for most people it's best to start at 0.5-1mg/day and work down in dosage based on side effects. Be warned that 20-40 year olds are more susceptible to "post-finasteride syndrome" with erectile dysfunction and severe depression a possibility.
- The only other thing to check is that you don't have an iron deficiency.
This is incredibly timely as I've just got to the end of a 14 week experiment of stinging nettle root and daily scalp massage. The next (and hopefully final!) protocol will be a reintroduction of 1mm derma-rolling every 14 days, doubling the frequency of stinging nettle root to twice daily (not mentioned in the podcast but is comparable to Saw Palmetto in 5 alpha reductase inhibition), daily 5 min scalp massage (alternate days will include a topical blend of grapeseed, peppermint and rosemary oil) and 3x/week application of Nizoral shampoo (2% ketoconazole) leaving it in for 5 minutes. I got side effects with 0.25mg/day of Finasteride (1/4 pill) but if I can find a very precise pill cutter I might try 1/8th of a pill. Hope you find this as informative as I did!!
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For anyone interested in longevity, Peter Attia's new book is out today (28th March).
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JOIN ME! I'll be following a 7 week push up program designed to increase the total number of reps you can do in a row (potentially to 100+). I'd love to have some other people following the program at the same time. There's a spreadsheet that outlines the warm up, testing, cool down and all six programs (link here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P6PcrJZVWO90GU6XOc…. All you need to do is take the initial test (one set of push ups) and that determines which program you follow. All programs are three days a week for 7-10 weeks, consisting of 5-8 sets of push ups. Good luck if you're following along!
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What podcasts does everyone listen to? I'm mainly interested in health and fitness ones. Here are my top 5 picks:
Whoop - open.spotify.com/show/0yFoBgekRMM9lN0xMMczL7?si=30…
Peter Attia - open.spotify.com/show/63AWQmsSnFNFHUqnRAOFtD?si=fd…
Rhonda Patrick - open.spotify.com/show/5QjpaU0o1Q2MkVZwwG3y7d?si=df…
Andrew Huberman - open.spotify.com/show/79CkJF3UJTHFV8Dse3Oy0P?si=da…
Tim Ferriss - open.spotify.com/show/5qSUyCrk9KR69lEiXbjwXM?si=7e…
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Today is the 30th and final day of another little self experiment.. swapping out all red meat, white meat and fish in my diet for edible insects. I've been eating 50 grams of crickets per day since early January to see what effect it has on my physique, strength and blood test results. It'll be a few weeks before the video is filmed and edited, I'll have a write up on my website in the next 7-10 days. Anyone else tried these?
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For my hair regrowth followers, latest update after 17 weeks of Finasteride is written up on my website 9to5strength.com/hair-growth-self-experiments/
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Recommended Beginner Strength Training book: *Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Michael Matthews*
Recommended Advanced Strength Training book: *Supertraining by Siff & Verkhoshansky*
Interested if anyone has a recommendation for an Intermediate text. Bigger, Leaner, Stronger covers all the basics really well, I've written my own review here 9to5strength.com/bigger-leaner-stronger-book-revie…
For anyone wanting to go more in-depth, I'm currently 2/3 of the way through Supertraining and it's outstanding. I got a bit lost in the foundation stuff (sliding filaments, Krebs cycle etc.) but I'm on the more practical stuff now and it's completely changing the way I think about lifting weights and getting stronger. I used to think squatting heavier would surely lead to jumping higher and running faster, but now the focus is on lifting the same weight faster rather than adding plates. This is something covered really well in Vert Code Elite, where the squats are often given a maximum time of ~0.5 seconds for the concentric portion of the lift. The PDF is freely available online.
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Hi all, another write up to share, this time my laser tattoo removal process from start to finish. It's taken 2.5 years, 12 treatments and £1500 to get this far. The final picture of the article was taken six months after my 12th session 9to5strength.com/laser-tattoo-removal-before-and-a…
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I've spent the afternoon writing up my entire hair growth journey all the way back to December 2019 (see link). It includes before and after pictures at each stage and the current protocol I'm on now (micro-dosing Finasteride!). Future updates will be on both the website and shared here in the Community section 9to5strength.com/hair-growth-self-experiments/
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Hi there, I'm Fraser. My background is in Sports Science and I have a passion for all things fitness, strength and nutrition. My channel has a blend of self-experimentation, tips & tricks, and informative content.
Subscribe for monthly videos such as:
- 7 Weeks to 50 Pullups
- Learning the Human Flag in 21 Days
- 60 Days of German Volume Training
- 100 Push ups and 50 Pull ups for 21 days
- Vert Code Elite Review
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- The Longevity Diet (8 week trial)
- 28 Days with a Continuous Glucose Monitor