Sam Sulek TRT claims: what bodybuilding TikTok gets wrong

What did @newtonbuilt actually say?

In a short TikTok, @newtonbuilt walked through four testosterone esters, ranked them by half-life, and argued that cypionate and enanthate are the best options for stable blood levels. He called propionate "probably one of the worst esters" despite what he says is clinical support for it, and warned that testosterone undecanoate is "a more dangerous one" because of how long it stays in the system. He also framed this advice around bodybuilding outcomes specifically, not medical treatment.

The video is casual and confident, and some of what he says lines up with real pharmacokinetics. But there are gaps worth addressing, particularly around undecanoate and the framing of propionate as dangerous.

Does the science back this up?

Mostly, yes, on the half-life basics. The pharmacokinetics of testosterone esters are well-established. Testosterone cypionate and enanthate do have half-lives in the 4-to-7-day range, which supports twice-weekly or weekly dosing and relatively stable serum testosterone levels. That part is correct.

Testosterone propionate has a much shorter half-life, roughly 2 days, which does require more frequent injections and can lead to larger peak-to-trough swings if dosing schedules are not tight. Bhasin et al. (2006, New England Journal of Medicine) and subsequent pharmacokinetic reviews have confirmed that longer esters produce more stable serum levels with standard injection schedules. The creator's instinct here is pharmacologically sound.

Testosterone undecanoate (brand name Aveed in the US) has a half-life of approximately 20-21 days in its injectable oil form. It is approved by the FDA and is used in clinical hypogonadism treatment, not just as a niche holiday workaround. The "elderly people" framing is reductive.

What did they get wrong (or right)?

They got the core pharmacokinetics right. Cypionate and enanthate are genuinely the most common TRT esters in North America for good reason. The creator's description of propionate's absorption as "violent" is informal but captures the sharper concentration peaks that shorter esters produce.

Where the video falls short is on testosterone undecanoate. Calling it "more dangerous" is misleading without context. Injectable undecanoate does carry an FDA boxed warning for pulmonary oil microembolism and anaphylaxis, which is a real and serious risk, but oral testosterone undecanoate (Jatenzo, Tlando) has a different profile entirely. Lumping all undecanoate formulations together and framing the risk as primarily about duration in the system oversimplifies a specific, injection-related safety concern. Traish et al. (2011, Journal of Andrology) reviewed undecanoate's clinical use and noted it is a legitimate long-acting option with a distinct risk profile that is manageable in supervised settings.

The "try each one and see which one you feel the best on" advice is also worth flagging. For a bodybuilding audience it may sound practical, but cycling through testosterone formulations without medical oversight is not how TRT works clinically.

What should you actually know?

Testosterone ester choice in a clinical TRT context is not just about personal preference or half-life rankings. It involves injection site tolerability, dosing frequency the patient can actually stick to, insurance coverage, and the prescribing physician's familiarity with a given formulation.

Testosterone cypionate and enanthate are the most widely prescribed injectable options in the US for hypogonadism, and that is supported by both clinical guidelines and evidence. The Endocrine Society's 2018 clinical practice guidelines (Bhasin et al., Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism) recommend several formulations, including injectable esters and transdermal options, based on patient-specific factors, not a universal ranking.

Propionate is rarely used in legitimate TRT today, not because it is inherently dangerous, but because frequent dosing is inconvenient and compliance suffers. The creator's critique of it is directionally correct even if the reasoning is informal.

Undecanoate's real risk, in its injectable form, is the post-injection reaction risk that requires a 30-minute observation period in a clinical setting after each dose. That is why it is typically administered in a clinic, not at home. That context matters more than "it stays in your system a long time."

Bottom line: who should you actually listen to?

This video is fine as a rough explainer of ester half-lives for someone already familiar with the topic. It is not a substitute for a clinical conversation. TRT is a regulated medical treatment for diagnosed hypogonadism, not a performance optimization menu. Ester selection should happen with a licensed provider who can review your labs, your injection history, and your actual health goals. A TikTok ranking is a starting point for questions, not a protocol.