Lifting weights while on ADT: hitting a wall?

I started ADT last September, I have hot flashes, mood swings, and sudden fatigue. But, I continue to lift weights (very intensely) 4 days a week, this is the only thing that helps me feel normal. I can say that the side effects have decreased and are of short duration, but they are still there. I also walk 5 miles every day, even if I do not feel like it, I do it anyway and feel better afterwards. As far as the weight lifting, I have actually increased most of my lifts since starting ADT. I think it is more mental than testosterone! Hang in there

I've found if I overdo it with weights, I fall off a cliff, but as long as I keep it steady with only gradual increases, I have more energy.

(My situation is a little weird, though, because I've also dealing with the spinal injury that the metastasis caused.)

Keep at it, brother. Before I started Eligard in February 2024, I had already ramped up my weight training, power yoga, etc. After I took the shot, it was a few months before I noticed my workouts were getting so much more difficult. So I kept at it, but also cut back to avoid injury. It seemed to get worse as I went through five rads of SBRT treatment in May 2024, and summer was a struggle. And I took a day or two off as needed.

Over time, it got better and now my workouts are better and I look and feel better. Don't be afraid to back off and give your body, and mind a break, you're going through a lot now.

I agree, North; for me, pushing into the next level - or more weight or increased reps - actually sets me back.
I’ve found that a variety of moves with weights of “do-able” size work best for me. I’ll use a 50 lb barbell for chest (50 reps) and military presses (30 reps); for butterfly chest move I’ll use 25 lb handweights (40 reps) and bicep curls 20 lbs with 25 reps.
I’m not training for a lifting competition or a muscle fitness photo-op; just wanna keep some tone while on ADT.
I’m not a big, bulky guy ( a swimmer’s build as brother Niles Frasier used to say) so those weights I mentioned work for me. If you are a bit burlier - and manlier - increase poundage as you see fit!

I had lapsed on the weight lifting since the pandemic and I went back in earnest before starting ADT last May.

I expected the typical improvements after a few weeks and months of lifting but, no, I continue to struggle with the same weights. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between ADT and general aging so I just blame ADT! I tell myself that at least I'm not decreasing the weights, reps, or sets and maintaining that is actually quite a good incentive.

I'm jealous of those of you who get out for regular walks but I'm still working and it's a struggle to fit everything into the day. I'll try harder!

Hang in there!

I finished my 6 month ADT treatment (Orgovyx & Zytiga) a month ago. Also I’ve been a weightlifter for 40 years. During treatment and post treatment, I have been able to maintain the weight levels but the aches afterwards until now were much much worse than before treatment. During my exercise sessions it was a battle to work through the fatigue and aches but I continue(d) to prevail, likely a result of weightlifting being hardwired into my life’s routine. I’m hoping that once my body produces more testosterone and I complete my weaning off the prednisone I will again fell normal. It’s not been easy but I attribute it to ameliorating my side effects. So from my point of view the workout hardships were well worth it as I know I could have vegged-out many days and can only speculate my body and mind would have been worse off for it. Hope my experience gives some motivation to you to work through and keep your energy up.

I wouldn't say "keep them away..."

My medical team and I discussion mitigation of side effects through diet, exercise, stress management and socialization.

My experience in the 11 years since diagnosis, it's not that I can do more when I'm off treatment and my T returns, it's that I feel better doing it, gone are the muscle and joint stiffness, the fatigue and the hot flashes,

None of the things I mentioned, diet, exercise, stress management...reduce my side effects, at least not in a measurable way that I can speak to.

Thanks for all the encouraging comments. In my case I think I'm the victim of a confounding factor: I'm sick of winter! Today was the first day I've ridden my bike in about 6 weeks. It felt great!

Maybe we could start a thread on the Key to Success for Working Out. There are a couple things I've done in the past few months that seem to work.

First, I switched gyms. Before, I worked out in the university facilities, which were overcrowded with young men flexing their muscles in front of all the mirrors. I sometimes had to wait in line to use a machine, because some 20-year-old was sitting there staring at his cell phone. So, I decided to join a gym where, instead of being the oldest person there, I'm often the youngest. It's the local hospital's fitness center. I see mentally and physically handicapped people there, and lots of old farts who can barely walk. It's less crowded, and people are friendlier.

Actually, the first key to success would be to just join a gym. I used to "exercise" at home to save money, but my elastic bands and light dumbbells are in the same room (bedroom) as my laptop, which is a 24-hour potential source of entertaining Youtube videos, such as kittens playing with a box. So, do you think I spent several hours a week in my bedroom working out, or was I often distracted by other things (such as Youtube)?

(As an aside, the "I am Maru" series features my favorite Japanese cat)

And since I am frugal (my wife call me "stingy"), if I pay for a membership, then by golly, I want to get my money's worth! So, I exercise a lot more often in the gym than I ever did at home.

Another key: Pay for a trainer, even if it's just for one hour, one time. During our session we filled out a chart with the names of the weight machines and the proper weight and number of reps. I always wondered why some of those old codgers carried around clipboards in the gym. I thought they looked kind of goofy, but now I carry my clipboard and chart with me, and it keeps me focused and makes me feel like I'm conducting a scientific experiment.

Listening to music and/or podcasts while working out also helps.

What other tips do y'all have?

When it snows, I get my resistance training from nature. For maintaining muscle and bone mass, there's nothing like pushing hundreds (thousands?) of pounds of snow from the front of the house to a pile by the back fence. And if I need a bonus round, the snowplow driver is always happy to go past and plow me in again.

Hey rt, I DID decrease the weights - but just a bit on the presses by 10 pounds; made a world of difference!
I was getting discouraged so I said to myself “Hey man, you’re on ADT, cut yourself some slack!”
So just dropping the barbell from 60 to 50 pounds made it so much easier that it gave me the incentive to do more reps and an extra set.
Once the effects of ADT wear off I’ll go back to the heavier weight….or maybe not🫣…