Description

T3, also known as Cytomel, Liothyronine Sodium, and Triiodothyronine, is one of the most commonly misunderstood drugs in not only bodybuilding but in the medical community.

I have spoken with several individuals who have had major issues with fat loss and having a weak metabolism who actually was walking around for years with an undiagnosed Thyroid deficiency (hypothyroidism).

Unfortunately, the method used to diagnose hypothyroidism, and autoimmune disorders that cause hypothyroidism is completely flawed, and 99% of physicians are utterly clueless as to what they are doing, or what their patients need to get healthy.

Sorry for the rant, but Thyroid hormones are a controversial topic for me as I have seen far too many doctors completely screw over their patients by being utterly clueless in the subject.

What Is T3?

In layman’s terms, T3 is the hormone in your body that regulates how fast your metabolism is.

The higher your T3 level is, the more calories you will burn, and the more fat loss potential you will have.

T3 is a drug that is prescribed to those with hypothyroidism, but it is commonly used by bodybuilders and recreational lifters who want to reach a level of body fat that would be difficult to achieve without drug assistance.

That isn’t to say that it is easy to get shredded on T3, it helps though.

Typical T3 Dosages

Determining the ideal T3 dosage will be based on several factors.

Typically, T3 for bodybuilding/fat loss purposes involves purposely ingesting a supraphysiological amount of T3 in order to increase your metabolism to a level that would otherwise be impossible.

This can be achieved with as little as 25 mcg, however, not all T3 is created with equal quality.

Despite T3 being an inexpensive drug, for some reason, the quality varies wildly between different sources.

Ideally, you’d want to get your T3 from a pharmacy (and prescribed by your doctor of course), as that’s the only way to absolutely ensure it is dosed accurately.

The standard dose for fat loss purposes ranges between 25 mcg – 75 mcg of T3.

The standard starting dosage for treating Hypothyroidism is typically much lower (as low as 5-10 mcg per day) and may be titrated up based on your doctor’s recommendation.

Personally, I never go above 50 mcg because T3 can be very catabolic at higher dosages, as it doesn’t discriminate between muscle and stored fat, so the higher your T3 dose is, the more muscle it will rip off your body.

50 mcg – 75 mcg should be more than sufficient for anyone to reap the benefits of a supraphysiological dose of T3.

Side Effects

Once you get to the 100 mcg + range, you put yourself at a much higher risk of side effects like Tachycardia, muscle loss, anxiety, and feeling weak.

Side effects that will be notable at any dose, but will be more pronounced the higher you dose T3 will be increased body temperature, increased hunger, and in some cases (I get this) constant muscle flatness.

By muscle flatness I mean it is a lot harder to get a pump, and your muscles lack that pop that they have when they are properly glycogen loaded and hydrated.

That is one of the first things I look for when I am determining if my T3 is legit or not.

I get a notable increase in body temperature, and I notice I am much flatter at the gym and it’s a lot harder to get a pump.

My appetite starts getting a lot more ravenous once I go above 50 mcg as well.

At 75 mcg I am hungry pretty much all day long.

Offsetting The Muscle Loss From T3

The only way you can offset the catabolism from a high dose of T3 is with anabolic assistance.

Whichever compounds are used to achieve that, the fact remains that a supraphysiological amount of Anabolics will almost always be necessary to maintain 100% of one’s hard earned muscle tissue when venturing into the higher dosage range of T3.

Obviously it isn’t mandatory, but you will lose A LOT more muscle on T3 without any anabolic assistance than you would with it.

How Much Fat Loss Can You Expect From T3

I’m going to be completely honest with you as addressing this question specifically is the main reason why I wanted to write this article.

T3 is NOT some magical compound like some portray it to be that lets you eat whatever you want all day long and stay shredded.

Usually, the individuals who perpetuate this myth about T3 consider “lean” as hardly visible abs.

For me though, being lean is being shredded at a single-digit body fat %.

You CANNOT get to single-digit body fat % by eating like crap on T3 just because you are on T3.

You still need to diet hard in a calorie deficit, keep training hard, and do your cardio; T3 will simply magnify how much body fat the body burns up during your cut.

I honestly think I could reach very close to the same body fat % I do during my cutting phases without T3 at all (I’d probably end my cut at 1-2% higher than I usually would), it would probably take me a month longer or so though.

Basically, T3 speeds everything up and makes things a bit easier.