For years, Aiden* didn’t think his naturally skinny figure represented who he was.
Athletic but slight, he felt there was a disconnect between how he looked and how he wanted to feel in his body. After turning 30, he decided to do something about it, including eating a protein-heavy diet, prioritizing sleep and working out with a trainer. He made progress, but his gains plateaued.
“As I got older, I noticed my testosterone or general energy levels felt lower, and I wanted a boost to help me reach the next level in the gym,” he told The Post.
His solution? Testosterone injections — sourced without a prescription.
While testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) can be an important tool for men with clinically diagnosed testosterone deficiency, Aiden never had his levels checked by a doctor. Instead, he believed his T levels had declined based on how he was feeling — and didn’t want a medical professional to tell him otherwise.
“I haven’t spoken to a doctor because I didn’t want to be talked out of it, as I had my mind set on it,” he said. “I just researched a lot online.”
After three hormone cycles over two years, Aiden reports that the injections give him “more energy, more focus, more motivation, more strength and faster recovery than what I felt at my natural baseline level.”
His story isn’t unique: Young men without diagnosed testosterone deficiencies are increasingly taking testosterone to accelerate their gains, a trend known as “testmaxxing.”
But while synthetic hormones may seem like a harmless way to supercharge success, the trend poses serious risks and speaks to a growing culture of physical optimization and the pursuit of “masculinity.”
What is testmaxxing?
“Testosterone is the main androgen (the male sex hormone) produced by the testes,” explained Dr. Sam Saling, a general practitioner. Both men and women produce it, but in adult men, “it supports libido and erectile function, muscle strength and mass, bone density, sperm production, and red blood cell production.”
Those benefits are what the “testmaxxing” movement has latched onto: the idea that optimizing testosterone means unlocking greater muscle growth, sex drive, energy and, ultimately, a more “masculine” physique.
For some, that means lifestyle changes to support testosterone production. For others? That isn’t enough — and they turn to outside sources of the hormone.
Accelerating masculinity
For Henry*, a fit professional in his 30s, the tipping point came after seeing his friend’s progress.
“I saw a friend’s before and after pics from training — we use the same PT — and I was like, ‘There’s no way naturally you’re getting to that stage,’” he recalled.
His friend was injecting synthetic testosterone and recommended Henry try it, too.
“I’ve trained for years and yo-yoed a bit, so I’m looking at it as an enhancer, to push stubborn fat and build muscle and tighten up a bit,” Henry said.
Henry met a backdoor supplier who hooked him up with a product labeled Pharma Test 250, which lists testosterone enanthate 250 mg/mL as its active ingredient.
Three months in, “I’m definitely getting stronger,” he said. “Weights at the gym have gone up dramatically, mood is good, no side effects yet.” He plans to keep cycling the injections until he achieves his ideal physique.
While Henry had a regular blood screening before starting injections, it didn’t reveal a testosterone deficiency. Like Aiden, he views the hormones as part of his training regimen — an accelerator toward his ideal physique.
Measuring masculinity
For both men, testmaxxing isn’t just about getting stronger — it’s about what that idealized body represents.
“I definitely feel more masculine taking it,” Aiden said. “Masculine, to me, is feeling strong, and looking physically fit and more built.”
Growing up skinny and gay, Aiden associated being slight with feeling “more feminine.” With testosterone injections, he said he’s working toward a physique he associates with greater masculinity.
“Ultimately, we all wanna be hot, so will do whatever it takes if you don’t have good genes.”
Henry
“I more wanted to do it for myself, because I thought it would help me reach my goals quicker,” he says.
Neither Aiden nor Henry considers his decision to inject testosterone to have been influenced by the manosphere. But male-dominated online spaces are rife with the idea that muscularity, confidence and sexual performance are markers of “alpha” masculinity, and that the body can and should be continually optimized to achieve that ideal. That physical pursuit is part of a burgeoning “looksmaxxing” culture, where men seek to optimize their appearance to look “more masculine.”
Joe Rogan is one prominent voice in that conversation and has long been open about his TRT use. In a 2018 clip from “The Joe Rogan Experience,” he dismissed the stigma around not producing enough testosterone naturally, saying that ultimately “all that matters is that you have it in your system.”
Not every man injecting testosterone belongs to the manosphere. But for fitness-focused men, these spaces can expose them to more polarizing ideas about masculinity — and how to achieve it.
A 2024 study from Dublin City University’s Anti-Bullying Centre found male-identified accounts were being served “masculinist” and extremist content within 23 minutes of scrolling.
For men already interested in testmaxxing, that algorithmic ecosystem can expose them to controversial ideas about masculinity that are increasingly difficult to escape online.
Do you actually need more testosterone?
Google Trends data show US search interest in “testosterone” was 30% higher over the past 12 months than the year prior — a trend Dr. Joseph P. Alukal, a professor of urology and director of Men’s Health at Columbia University, is seeing play out in real time.
“Tons of people are coming in and asking about this to a greater degree this year than ever before, and then last year more than any year previous,” he said.
But does testosterone actually need to be “maxxed” in the first place?
Testosterone declines gradually with age, but Associate Professor Dr. Tim Moss said healthy bodies “are pretty good at regulating our hormone levels for optimal bodily function… This is true for testosterone — so healthy boys and men need not worry about their testosterone levels.”
For men whose testosterone levels are within the normal range and who don’t have symptoms of androgen deficiency, testosterone injections are not likely to be the answer.
The price of optemizaiton
Henry and Aiden are aware of the risks of taking testosterone without a prescription, but choose to proceed without medical advice.
“I think [seeing a doctor] comes with a layer of judgment, despite probably being safer,” Henry said. “Ultimately, we all wanna be hot, so will do whatever it takes if you don’t have good genes.”
When he started injecting, Aiden wasn’t concerned about potential long-term risks, reasoning he could be putting worse things into his body. So far, he reports one side effect: shoulder acne, which went away after switching cleansers.
“If I was to experience bad side effects, I would definitely stop,” he said. Though he takes his own blood pressure at home, he admits to not getting “proper blood work” in the past.
Doctors urge young men to reconsider.
“If [a man’s] levels are normal, I would say that’s not somebody who should be taking testosterone or testosterone boosters because he incurs real risks like health risks that are serious,” said Dr. Alukal.
“If you take testosterone, you turn off testosterone production by your body,” Dr. Moss added. “You also turn off sperm production.”
Testosterone and sperm production can take months or even years to return to normal after stopping, he went on, noting that “withdrawal symptoms can make [coming off testosterone] difficult.”
Synthetic testosterone can cause polycythemia, which increases the risk of blood clots and stroke, and doctors flag mood disorders, irritability, tendon rupture, liver disease, heart attacks and even death.
An absence of morning erections or a complete change in or absence of libido is worth investigating, noted Dr. Alukal. But genuine men’s health concerns are being conflated online with anxiety about a hormone that predominantly takes care of itself.
Masculinity no matter the cost
When pushed about his reason to inject despite the health risks, Henry’s explanation is blunt: “body dysmorphia.”
That may be the painful truth underpinning testmaxxing: For some men, hormones are a landing place for the belief that their bodies, even healthy ones, are not enough.
There is always a higher tier of optimization: more muscle, less fat, better energy, higher testosterone.
For Aiden, testosterone is a vehicle to achieve the physique — and masculinity — he always wanted. But when the goalposts are always moving, and masculinity is just another hormone cycle away, when is enough ever enough?
*Source names have been changed for anonymity