What did @drleprovost actually say?
Short version: mostly accurate, but thin on detail for a 1.7 million-view video. The creator said "most guys going to do in the glue, right? Their upper hip area" and mentioned the thigh as a second option. That's not wrong. But calling the gluteal region "upper hip area" is a loose anatomical description that could send someone injecting in the wrong place.
The gluteus maximus and the upper hip are not the same structure. The standard intramuscular (IM) site for testosterone is the ventrogluteal muscle or the dorsogluteal region, both of which require specific landmark identification to avoid the sciatic nerve. "Upper hip area" is vague enough to cause real problems if a viewer takes it literally and starts poking around without proper instruction.
Does the science back this up?
Yes, the general claim holds. Gluteal IM injection is the most commonly used site for testosterone cypionate and enanthate in clinical practice, and the evidence supports it. But the thigh gets undersold here.
The vastus lateralis (outer thigh) is actually the preferred self-injection site in many clinical protocols because it is easier to access without a mirror, has predictable muscle depth in most patients, and carries a lower risk of nerve injury compared to dorsogluteal injections when proper technique isn't followed. A 2020 review in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (Choi et al.) noted that subcutaneous (SubQ) testosterone injections into the abdomen or thigh are gaining traction as a viable alternative to IM, with comparable bioavailability and less injection-site pain reported by patients. The video doesn't mention SubQ at all, which is a real gap given that many telehealth TRT programs now default to it.
What did they get wrong (or right)?
Credit where it's due: the two sites named, glute and thigh, are both clinically accepted. No fabricated injection locations, no dangerous advice to inject into the neck or arm (yes, that circulates online).
What they got wrong, or at least incomplete: the anatomical shorthand "upper hip area" is imprecise enough to be a patient safety issue. The dorsogluteal site requires identifying the posterior superior iliac spine and staying in the upper outer quadrant to avoid the sciatic nerve. That nuance matters. Studies have documented sciatic nerve injury from misplaced gluteal injections. A 2019 paper in Clinical Anatomy (Kaya et al.) documented nerve proximity variance across body types, particularly in patients with lower body fat who may have less tissue buffer. Calling it "the upper hip" smooths over complexity that 1.7 million viewers probably needed to hear.
The omission of SubQ injection, deltoid injection, and any mention of needle gauge or depth selection is also notable. Not every omission is a factual error, but for a video framed as an explainer, the gaps are wide.
What should you actually know?
If you're on TRT and self-injecting, the injection site matters more than most online content suggests. Here's what the evidence actually supports:
- Ventrogluteal vs. dorsogluteal: The ventrogluteal site (lateral hip, not the upper buttock) is now preferred by many injection safety guidelines because it has no major nerves or blood vessels in the immediate area. The World Health Organization's injection safety guidelines have favored it for years.
- Vastus lateralis (thigh): Easier for solo injection, well-studied, and the preferred pediatric and self-injection site in most nursing curricula. Underrated in TRT content.
- SubQ is legitimate: A 2017 study in the Journal of Urology (Kaminetsky et al.) found that SubQ testosterone pellet and injection methods produced stable serum testosterone levels. SubQ IM comparisons for cypionate specifically are showing comparable pharmacokinetics with better tolerability in some patients.
- Technique over location: Z-track method, correct needle length for body composition, aspiration debate aside, rotating sites to prevent fibrosis. None of this made the video.
Talk to a licensed provider before settling on a site. Your body composition, injection frequency, and testosterone ester all affect which method makes the most sense for you.