The Panel
What we actually test
A standard panel rules out disease. This one reads function. Eleven markers across five categories, interpreted against your sleep, training, stress, and behavior.
I select the panel and interpret every marker. I am not licensed to order or draw blood: the requisition goes through your physician, or through a direct-access lab if you would rather skip the appointment. Either way you own the results.
Eleven markers run on every client at intake and day 90. Another eight are run at the day-45 checkpoint to track what actually moves in six weeks. More than a dozen additional markers are ordered conditionally when your intake or your core results call for them.
Why these 11?
A standard panel is built to rule out disease. This one is built to read function. These eleven markers meet three criteria:
- Actionable — lifestyle intervention moves them meaningfully.
- Revealing — they expose dysfunction you cannot feel until it is severe.
- Predictive — they forecast decline years before diagnosis.
I don’t test everything. I test what changes performance.
Six of these markers are standard—your GP orders them routinely in annual physicals. Three require specific justification: Fasting Insulin (reveals early insulin resistance before glucose rises), SHBG (unlocks the testosterone picture your doctor likely misses), and ApoB (the single best cardiovascular risk predictor). The other two—Free T3 and Free Testosterone—require asking for the right test, not the standard one.
Most doctors won’t order the non-standard markers without prompting. That is not a criticism of physicians—it is a recognition that their incentive structure (insurance reimbursement, 15-minute appointments, disease-focused training) doesn’t align with performance optimization. Direct-access labs exist for this reason.
Hormonal
2 markersWhether your endocrine system is supporting recovery, drive, mood, and energy — or undermining all four.
Free Testosterone
Requires specific requestThe fraction of testosterone that reaches your tissues and drives performance.
Total testosterone can look “normal” while free testosterone is suppressed by high SHBG. This is the number that matters for energy, recovery, motivation, and body composition.
SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin)
Rarely ordered without expertiseBinds testosterone and makes it unavailable to tissues.
High SHBG with “normal” total testosterone is one of the most common missed findings in men’s health. Unlocks the true hormonal picture when paired with free testosterone.
Metabolic
5 markersHow efficiently your body processes fuel, manages blood sugar, and stores fat.
Fasting Insulin
Rarely ordered without expertiseThe marker most GPs never order. Reveals insulin resistance years before fasting glucose or HbA1c become elevated.
High insulin with normal glucose means metabolic dysfunction is already building. The single most important early-warning marker for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive decline.
HbA1c (Hemoglobin A1c)
Standard markerThree-month average of blood sugar control.
Reveals glycemic trends a single fasting glucose reading misses. Optimal range for performance is tighter than the “normal” range used to diagnose diabetes.
HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein)
Standard markerProtective cholesterol.
Low HDL signals poor metabolic health even when total cholesterol looks fine. Ratio of triglycerides to HDL is more predictive of cardiovascular risk than LDL alone.
Triglycerides
Standard markerA direct readout of carbohydrate intolerance and visceral fat storage.
Elevated triglycerides signal insulin resistance and excess visceral fat. The triglyceride-to-HDL ratio is one of the best proxies for metabolic syndrome.
ApoB (Apolipoprotein B)
Rarely ordered without expertiseThe single best predictor of cardiovascular risk. Counts atherogenic particles, not just cholesterol concentration.
Standard lipid panels measure LDL cholesterol; ApoB measures the number of particles carrying that cholesterol. Particle count is what matters for arterial plaque formation.
Inflammation
2 markersInvisible on a standard panel but measurable. Drives fatigue, poor recovery, and accelerated aging.
hs-CRP (High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein)
Standard markerThe most reliable single marker for systemic inflammation.
Drives fatigue, poor recovery, and accelerated aging, and correlates with cardiovascular risk and chronic disease. Standard CRP is for acute infection; high-sensitivity CRP detects subclinical inflammation.
Ferritin
Standard markerIron storage protein.
Low ferritin causes fatigue and brain fog even when hemoglobin looks normal — one of the most common causes of unexplained low energy in men. High ferritin signals inflammation or iron overload. Optimal range is narrower than the reference range.
Thyroid
1 markerControls metabolic rate, energy, and cognitive sharpness. TSH alone misses most subclinical dysfunction.
Free T3 (Free Triiodothyronine)
Requires specific requestThe active thyroid hormone that controls metabolic rate, energy production, and cognitive sharpness.
TSH, the standard thyroid test, can be “normal” while Free T3 is suboptimal — one of the most common missed patterns in men’s health. Low Free T3 drives fatigue, weight gain, cold intolerance, and brain fog.
Micronutrient
1 markerSuppress hormones, impair sleep, blunt recovery — often without obvious symptoms until severe.
Vitamin D (25-Hydroxyvitamin D)
Standard markerFunctions more like a hormone than a vitamin.
Low levels link to poor sleep, low testosterone, depressed mood, and impaired immune function. Most men are below optimal despite living in sunny climates. Deficiency is invisible until severe.
A note on eliminated markers. Total Cholesterol and LDL Cholesterol may appear on your bundled lipid panel report but are not interpreted in this system. ApoB, HDL, and Triglycerides provide superior cardiovascular risk assessment. Total Testosterone is ordered conditionally when Free T or SHBG are abnormal, or when hormonal symptoms are present. TSH is ordered conditionally when Free T3 is abnormal — Free T3 is the screening marker, TSH the follow-up.
The Core 8 checkpoint
Full panel at intake and day 90. At day 45 we re-run eight markers that actually move in six weeks: Free T, SHBG, hs-CRP, Fasting Insulin, Free T3, Ferritin, ApoB, and HbA1c.
These are the markers most responsive to changes in sleep, training, nutrition, and stress management. The Core 8 retest tells us whether the protocol is working before the final assessment.
Vitamin D and other slower-moving markers are not retested at day 45 — they require longer intervention windows to show meaningful change. The day-45 draw is quick: eight markers, about fifteen minutes at the lab.
Conditional add-ons
Ordered when your intake, history, or core results indicate them. Not run by default.
Three ways to get tested
I select and interpret the panel; I don’t order or draw it. Here are the three ways clients get the eleven markers run. Any of them works.
Through your physician
What to do
Download the requisition above and bring it to your next appointment, or send it to your doctor ahead of time.
What to expect
Six of the eleven markers are routine and ordered without friction. The other five — Free T, SHBG, Fasting Insulin, Free T3, and ApoB — sometimes need a direct request. The requisition explains each one in a physician’s language.
If your doctor declines
Some won’t order optimization markers outside a diagnosis. That is common and not a dead end — use a direct-access lab instead.
Cost
Often covered by insurance when tied to symptoms. Out of pocket, roughly $150–$300.
Direct-access lab testing
What to do
Order the eleven-marker panel yourself online, then walk into a partner lab for the draw. No doctor visit, no referral.
Services
Quest Direct, Ulta Lab Tests, Walk-In Lab, and LabCorp OnDemand all let you order individual markers or a full panel directly.
When to use it
The fastest path, and the one that guarantees you get every marker on the list. I can help you match the panel above to the right order.
Cost
Roughly $200–$400 for the full eleven, paid directly. Not billed to insurance.
Functional or sports-medicine physician
What to do
Book with a functional-medicine or sports-medicine doctor who already works in the optimization space.
What to expect
They order every marker on this list without hesitation and often suggest useful additions. The closest match to how this system reads results.
When to use it
Ideal if you already see one, or want a local physician partner alongside the coaching engagement.
Cost
Visit fee plus lab work; varies by practice. Rarely covered by insurance.
Common questions about testing
Total testosterone counts hormone that is bound and unavailable alongside the fraction that isn’t. Free Testosterone — what actually reaches your tissues — is what drives energy, recovery, and drive, so it’s what we track. When Free T or SHBG comes back abnormal, Total T is ordered as a conditional follow-up to complete the picture.
Six of the eleven are routine and ordered without friction. Five sometimes require a specific request — the downloadable requisition explains each in clinical terms. If your physician won’t order the optimization markers, a direct-access lab will.
Insurance often covers markers tied to a symptom or diagnosis and rarely covers pure optimization testing. Direct-access labs let you pay out of pocket — roughly $200–$400 for the full panel — with no appointment or referral.
The full eleven at intake and again at day 90. Eight fast-moving markers are re-run at day 45 to confirm the protocol is working. After the engagement, one to two panels a year is typical for maintenance.
Yes. Fast 10–12 hours beforehand — water only — for accurate insulin, glucose, and lipid readings. Schedule a morning draw and take any regular medication as normal unless your physician says otherwise.
A standard physical is built to rule out disease against wide reference ranges. This panel reads function against tighter, performance-oriented ranges, and it includes markers — Fasting Insulin, SHBG, ApoB, Free T3 — that a routine physical usually skips.
Sometimes. If a recent panel already includes these exact markers, we can use it as your baseline. Most physicals miss several of the eleven, so a targeted draw is usually needed to fill the gaps.
More markers means more noise, not more insight. Every marker here is actionable, revealing, and predictive. Testing things you can’t change, or that don’t forecast anything, adds cost and confusion — not clarity.
That’s a finding, not a dead end. Bloodwork is one of four foundations. If your labs are clean and you still feel flat, the answer lives in your sleep, decision latency, environment, or the partner report — and those are measured too.
No. I am not licensed to order tests or draw blood. I select the panel, hand you the requisition, and interpret every marker. The draw happens through your physician or a direct-access lab, and you own the results.
What’s not on this list. Total Testosterone and TSH are deliberately left off the core panel. Free Testosterone and Free T3 reflect what your tissues actually receive; Total T and TSH are ordered only as conditional follow-ups when a free marker comes back abnormal.
Recommended assessments beyond bloodwork
The panel covers what blood can tell you. Three additional assessments are recommended when available. I do not order or administer them — you book them locally. Results are incorporated into your protocol.
Body composition (DEXA scan)
Recommended at intake and day 90. Lean mass and body fat percentage give the Conditioning and Fuel domains an objective baseline that bloodwork alone cannot provide. Typically $50–$150 per scan through a mobile DEXA service or imaging center.
VO2 max
Recommended at intake if available. The single strongest predictor of all-cause mortality. A formal lab test is ideal; a submaximal estimate from your wearable or a gym protocol is accepted. Your client portal already tracks this metric.
Continuous glucose monitor
Recommended for clients whose fasting insulin or HbA1c suggests early metabolic dysfunction. A two-week CGM worn during your normal routine reveals how your body responds to the meals and training in your actual protocol, not averages. Typically $75–$150 for a two-week sensor.
What bloodwork cannot tell you
Your panel covers one of four foundations. Decision latency, calendar re-acceptance rate, environmental readings, and an eight-item partner report measure the other three.
If your panel comes back clean and you still feel exactly the way you feel now, that is not a dead end. It is a finding.
The panel is where we start. The value is in how the protocol shifts as the numbers move.