A🇳🇦🇰🇮🇳
I find your lack of faith disturbing.
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I see way too many 15-16 year olds on here asking how to get "shredded" or asking for "lean-maxxing" tips. If you are still in your growth window and you try to maintain sub-10% body fat, you are genuinely low IQ. Youre looking for a temporary 4-pack that looks like it belongs on a stick insect
"Thyroidmaxxing": https://looksmax.org/threads/why-thyroid-function-is-the-real-foundation-of-your-ascension.2072184/
Group A: Fasted normally. Their Testosterone and LH (the signal to make T) cratered.
Group B: Fasted but were given Leptin injections.
The Result: Even though Group B was "starving," their hormones stayed high.
This proves that your body isnt "broken", its just waiting for a signal. If your body fat is too low or you're cutting too hard, that Leptin signal disappears, and your HPG axis (the "man-making factory") goes on strike.
GH Resistance: When you don't eat enough (especially protein and fats), your liver becomes resistant to Growth Hormone (GH).
IGF-1 Crater: Because of that resistance, your liver stops producing IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1).
The Result: IGF-1 is the only thing that tells your growth plates (chondrocytes) to multiply and turn into bone. No IGF-1 = No height.
If you arent literally obese, stop cutting. 1. Eat at a slight surplus (200-300 calories over): Give your body the raw materials to grow your bones and brain.2. Focus on Saturated Fats and Zinc: These are the building blocks of Testosterone.3. Train Signal to your body that it needs to be bigger and wider.4. Sleep 9+ hours: This is when the GH actually pulses.
You can get lean whenever you want in your 20s. You only get one shot at building your skeleton and maxing your height. Stop starving yourself for a mediocre physique.
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Why "shredding" as a teen is a massive cope.
1. You’re nuking your Testosterone (HPG Axis)
Puberty is basically a free steroid cycle. Your body is trying to pump out enough T to change your entire biology. But guess what? Your brain needs Leptin to tell your gonads to start working.
"Thyroidmaxxing": https://looksmax.org/threads/why-thyroid-function-is-the-real-foundation-of-your-ascension.2072184/
- The Science: Low body fat = low Leptin. When Leptin is low, your hypothalamus stops sending the signal (GnRH) to produce testosterone.
- The Result: You end up with the hormone profile of an 80-year-old man. You won't develop masculine features, your voice won t deepen properly, and you will have zero drive.
- Study: Maguoes et al. showed that energy availability is the #1 "on/off" switch for the pubertal axis. If youre starving, your body shuts down the man-making factory. (https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/88/5/2272/2845258)
Group A: Fasted normally. Their Testosterone and LH (the signal to make T) cratered.
Group B: Fasted but were given Leptin injections.
The Result: Even though Group B was "starving," their hormones stayed high.
This proves that your body isnt "broken", its just waiting for a signal. If your body fat is too low or you're cutting too hard, that Leptin signal disappears, and your HPG axis (the "man-making factory") goes on strike.
2. Height is a one-time deal
You only have a few years before your epiphyseal plates (growth plates) fuse. Once they’re gone, they’re gone forever.- IGF-1 suppression: Height is driven by Growth Hormone and IGF-1. Chronic dieting/cutting absolutely tanks IGF-1 levels.
- You might have been coded to be 6'2, but because you wanted to look "lean" for some girls in school, you stunted yourself at 5'10
- The Proof: Check the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Chronic calorie restriction in teens leads to "stunted linear growth." You cannot "bulk" height back later. (https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/9/1752)
GH Resistance: When you don't eat enough (especially protein and fats), your liver becomes resistant to Growth Hormone (GH).
IGF-1 Crater: Because of that resistance, your liver stops producing IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1).
The Result: IGF-1 is the only thing that tells your growth plates (chondrocytes) to multiply and turn into bone. No IGF-1 = No height.
3. "Frame" vs. "Definition"
Everyone on here obsesses over clavicle width and a robust frame. Guess what builds bone? Nutrients and Test.- Bone Mineral Density (BMD): 90% of your bone mass is set by age 18-20. To get thick, dense bones and a wide frame, you need a surplus.
- If you’re cutting, your body will prioritize survival over building a wide, "masculine" skeletal structure. You will end up with a narrow, frail frame that no amount of lifting at age 25 can fix.
4. The "Hollow Cheek" Fallacy
You think cutting will give you that Gandy-tier facial structure. It won't.- At 16, your face is still "soft" because your bones haven't finished thickening.
- High Cortisol (from dieting stress) actually eats away at collagen. You’ll just look haggard and tired instead of "ascended."
- Let the Testosterone do its job. High T over 3-4 years is what actually hollows out the cheeks by growing the zygos and mandible.
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What you should actually do
If you arent literally obese, stop cutting. 1. Eat at a slight surplus (200-300 calories over): Give your body the raw materials to grow your bones and brain.2. Focus on Saturated Fats and Zinc: These are the building blocks of Testosterone.3. Train Signal to your body that it needs to be bigger and wider.4. Sleep 9+ hours: This is when the GH actually pulses.You can get lean whenever you want in your 20s. You only get one shot at building your skeleton and maxing your height. Stop starving yourself for a mediocre physique.
