If you’ve hit a plateau with your workouts… if you're gaining fat despite training hard… or if you're feeling constantly tired and inflamed, your bloodwork might have the answers.
In this episode, we dive into:
What the DHEA-to-cortisol ratio really tells you about stress, recovery, and resilience
The exact numbers you want to see (with examples)
Key blood markers like CK, AST, LDH, CRP, and what they reveal about muscle breakdown
How to interpret patterns that signal overtraining or burnout
Because you don’t build muscle in the gym—you build it when you're recovering properly. Let's make sure you're set up to build, not break down.
🔬 DHEA-to-Cortisol Ratio: What It Means Hormone Ratio What It Means ✅ ≥ 10:1 Healthy recovery, strong stress resilience, good environment for fat loss & muscle gain ⚠️ ≤ 5:1 Stress outweighs recovery; may stall progress, impair sleep, increase fat storage ❌ ≤ 2:1 Burnout, poor training response, HPA axis dysfunction, inflammation, fatigue 🧮 Example Calculations:DHEA-S 150 / Cortisol 10 = 15:1 ✅
DHEA-S 90 / Cortisol 18 = 5:1 ⚠️
DHEA-S 40 / Cortisol 22 = 1.8:1 ❌
Overtraining or lack of deloads
Low-carb or low-calorie diets
Emotional stress and poor sleep
Hormonal changes (especially in midlife)
Poor gut health or chronic inflammation
These markers give you insight into whether your training is building your body—or breaking it down.
🧬 New Peptides + Supplements💊 Now Available: 5-Amino-1MQ A powerful compound that supports fat loss, muscle preservation, and energy through NAD+ pathways.
🧪 Coming Late August: SLU-PP-332 If you'd like to be notified the moment it's available, email me at 👉 www.jlcstrong.com Let’s find the right fit for your body and your goals.
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