Seems to not be a settled thing in the medical world. I need to see my doc on Friday for a routine physical, and in anticipation for that, did some blood work. When they scheduled the tests, I asked for a testosterone test also. Kaiser allows a member to go on-line to see their test results. For "Testosterone, Total", the "Standard range" is 193-740 ng/dL. "ng/dL is "nanograms per deciliter". WOW! That's a billionth of a gram per just under a half glass of water. Those weight weenies amongst us fret over 10 grams. A billionth of a single gram is nothing.
This is what the Kaiser "about this test" says:
The normal values listed here—called a reference range—are just a guide. These ranges vary from lab to lab, and your lab may have a different range for what’s normal. Your lab report should contain the range your lab uses. Also, your doctor will evaluate your results based on your health and other factors. This means that a value that falls outside the normal values listed here may still be normal for you or your lab.
Your doctor will have your test results in 1 to 2 days.
Total testosterone
Men
270–1070 ng/dLClick here to see more information. (9–38 nmol/LClick here to see more information.)
So? Who knows? My test came back with a reading of 283.4, not below the minimum standard range, but on the lower end. I'll talk to my doctor about it, and see if taking a supplement will help with my ride recovery. I know now that sometimes the day, or even two, after a particularly intense ride, that my legs have a dull ache when climbing the stairs at work. After a good 50-60 miler, I'm pretty wasted for the rest of the day, and sore and weak the next day. I'd sure like to recover quicker, and be able to put in back-to-back 40-50 milers. No reason, at our age, that we can't do something like that.