Your Testosterone Is ‘Normal’… So Why Do You Feel Like This?

Most guys misunderstand testosterone because they only look at total testosterone on blood work and assume “normal” means optimal, but Coach Andre breaks down why that’s not the full picture. Even if your total T looks fine, what really matters is how much of it is actually free and usable by your body, since a lot of testosterone gets bound by proteins like SHBG and becomes inactive. When SHBG is high, free testosterone drops, which can leave you feeling tired, unmotivated, low in the gym, and with weak libido even if your labs look “normal.” He explains how his own years of keto, fasting, and low-carb dieting pushed his SHBG up and crushed his free T, despite having mid-range total testosterone. The fix, according to him, isn’t chasing extreme hacks but focusing on the basics: eating enough calories and carbs, improving recovery and sleep, correcting deficiencies like iron or boron, and using certain supplements or herbs like tongkat ali or nettle root that may help support healthier hormone balance. The key takeaway is that testosterone health isn’t just about a number on a lab report—it’s about how much of it your body can actually use, and fixing the lifestyle factors that control that.