How to use growth hormone
Growth hormones can be used in many different ways. The right method for you will be determined by your particular situation and your goals. There are many people who use growth hormone as a general supplement to help maintain a low body fat percentage and a reasonable level of lean body mass. For those who have reached their genetic potential for muscle growth, growth hormone is a tool to help you continue to grow and break through your natural genetic limitations. For others, it is a supplement for general health. Let’s take a look at how these growth hormones are used.
For bodybuilding, growth hormone (and IGF-1, the purpose of its use) is the only substance that triggers cell proliferation, and the reason we use it in the fitness field is that it allows the body to make new muscle cells. Whereas the use of anabolic steroids AAS can lead to muscle hypertrophy (enlargement of existing muscle cells). Steroids do not have the ability to recruit/make new muscle cells. At the same time, growth hormones can do that. Growth hormone also increases protein synthesis, which can lead to muscle hypertrophy. Growth hormone – also strengthens and heals connective tissue, cartilage, and tendons. These uses are what make it so attractive to athletes, especially in fitness/bodybuilding.
First, it should be noted that the vast majority of users of growth hormones do not see rapid, noticeable growth. If your idea of using growth hormone is to gain 20 pounds of muscle after a few weeks, or just a month, two months, or to miraculously heal a wound after a few shots, then you are likely to face disappointment. Growth hormone can indeed do some incredible things, but it is seen as the result of a long-term effort. A reasonable length of a growth hormone cycle is 20-30 weeks. While you can always find one or two exceptional cases that have made great progress in a very short period of time, for most of us, it still needs to be seen as something that takes time to build up to see results.
As mentioned earlier, we introduced growth hormone as a major player in the human growth process; it acts on the liver, muscle, and other tissue cells, which in turn secrete IGF-1. This process is naturally cumulative in nature, and external aid growth hormone will boost your IGF-1 levels after a period of use, creating an environment conducive to optimal growth. It is true that growth hormone brings nutrients to your muscles and stimulates lipolysis and muscle gain, but for these effects to be noticeable, they must be injected continuously for at least 12 weeks.
Dosage of Growth Hormone
- Objective to delay aging, general health and wound healing, fat loss, and other uses, etc.
2-3 IU per day (10-15 IU per week) is sufficient. For middle-aged people, a dose of 1.5-2iu/day is basically sufficient. Subcutaneous injections of growth hormone can achieve a 70-80% absorption rate, so a daily dose of 2-3iu is sufficient to achieve the above goals.
- Goals to increase muscle mass and improve body composition substantially
To achieve this goal, growth hormone doses of 5-10IU/day (25-50 IU/week) are necessary. For most people with an active pituitary gland, a dose of 5iu/day will respond very well. Although for advanced bodybuilders and other high-intensity training athletes, a dose closer to 10 IU/day is also within a reasonable range.
The addition of Testosterone Test and/or other anabolic products should also be considered if maximum results are to be achieved. Further, other supplements such as insulin and low doses of T3 or T4 would also be considered.
However, regardless of your goals, as a general rule, the best way to start with growth hormone at first is to start at a low dose and then allow your body to adapt slowly. This will allow you to avoid (or at least reduce) many of the common side effects of growth hormone, such as bloating, joint pain, and edema. Most people can take a dose of about two IU/day, so two IU/day is a good initial dose choice.
For doses over 2.5-3iu/day, I recommend splitting your dose evenly and injecting twice a day (if operationally feasible). In my personal experience, I have had single injections of up to 10iu, but at this level of dosing, my body developed very severe joint pain and bloating. In my experiments, it seems that, at least for me, keeping the single injection dose below 3-3.5 IU, I felt able to more effectively boost my IGF-1 levels while minimizing the side effects associated with high doses of growth hormone.
Here’s a good step-by-step dosing schedule.
Week1-4 growth hormone 2iu/day
Week5 Growth Hormone 2.5iu/day
Week6 growth hormone 3iu/day (in two injections of 1.5iu each)
Week7 Growth Hormone 3.5iu/day (in two injections of 1.75iu each)
Continue to increase until you reach your desired dose.
If during this process you start to feel bloating or joint pain, then reduce the dose by 25% and keep it up for a few weeks. If the discomfort subsides, continue your step-up program until you reach your desired dose. If the discomfort continues, then reduce your dose again and maintain it for two weeks before continuing the step-up. This method allows you to use growth hormones safely and with little to no side effects felt.
A regular growth hormone cycle lasts 5-8 months, with injections once or twice a day, seven days a week. It has also been shown that the inhibitory and negative feedback response from exogenous growth hormone is short-lived (approximately 4 hours after the point in time of injection). Some anti-aging organization studies have shown that taking two days off a week when using growth hormone for a long period of time can have a protective effect on the pituitary gland. Therefore, if you are using growth hormone as a lifestyle, I would consider using a 5on2off or 6on1off use strategy until we have reliable data to prove that long-term growth hormone use does not have an effect on the output functioning of the pituitary gland. I have personally tried every injection strategy I can imagine and devise. All I can say about the anti-aging doctor’s hypothesis is that it was all proven and worked for me. I just recently finished a seven-year-long cycle of growth hormone. I had been getting my platelets tested every six weeks. After being off growth hormones for a few months, my body levels are much higher than they were a few years ago ….. relative to my age. All levels and marker values are perfectly healthy and normal.
Another option is to use growth hormone for two months straight to get your IGF-1 levels up quickly, help build your anabolic environment, and then return to 5on2off. The every-other-day growth hormone injection use strategy is also a good option if your body can handle the side effects of high doses of growth hormone.
The list could go on and on. But the really good use depends on your body’s condition and goals.
Time point of injection
As mentioned above, the body produces growth hormones in a pulsatile manner. The strongest pulse of growth hormone during the day occurs about 2 hours after you fall into a deep sleep. And the growth hormone injections are fully absorbed and applied after about 3 hours. So the timing of the injection depends on our age and some other factors. As you will see below, there is no perfect time; it depends a lot on your personal situation.
For those who are 20-50 years old, their body is still producing growth hormone at a reasonable level. So for them, the best time to inject is early in the morning …… because your body itself releases growth hormone pulses at night, and if you get up early in the morning to go to the bathroom (3-5 am), this is probably the perfect time to inject growth hormone. This is the least disruptive time point for growth hormone injections. The second best time to wake up is in the morning.
If you split the dose between two injections, the second one is when your cortisol levels are at their peak, which is around the time you go to bed and wake up in the afternoon. You can give the second growth hormone injection at this time. Because cortisol breaks down the growth hormone, this is the time to blunt its effect.
If you are 50 years of age or older, or if for some reason your pituitary gland is not releasing vegetative growth hormone properly, then the best time to use growth hormone is at night before bedtime. This allows you to very closely mimic natural patterns if your pituitary gland is functioning properly. For others, using growth hormones before bedtime will create a negative feedback loop that robs your body of its own growth hormone pulses. While the absolute nature of the timing of negative feedback is inconclusive (conflict studies), what is certain is that the closer we inject external growth hormone to the timing of our own growth hormone pulse, the more it will eventually disrupt our own growth hormone production.
Another strategy is if you are using insulin and growth hormone at the same time. Then you should use insulin immediately after exercise. The growth hormone-insulin synergy is excellent. They can utilize the nutrients very efficiently, and the growth hormone-insulin combination can provide the optimal environment for the liver to create IGF-1 production. If you use insulin immediately after training, then using growth hormone before training allows your body to mobilize all of your adipose tissue, allowing your growth hormone and insulin to help the liver release the maximum amount of IGF-1 at the right time.
How to deal with the side effects of growth hormone
Our bodies tolerate growth hormones well for the most part, but there are still some uncommon, mild side effects that exist. Among the most common side, effects are swelling and joint pain. These side effects can be minimized, or even eliminated, by utilizing the step-up method of dosing discussed in this guide.
If you are under the age of 30, it is very wise to use growth hormones under the guidance of a doctor who can monitor and ensure that your growth plates are fused. Abnormal bone growth is generally uncommon when growth hormone is used, but if it is used in an incorrect situation, then it can lead to disproportionate growth.
If you have a history of cancer or other tumors (at any age), then you would be wise to have a complete workup first and be monitored by your doctor to make sure that no malignant tumors are growing in your body while you are using growth hormone. And while growth hormones (and IGF-1) do not cause the appearance of cancer or tumors, they can create an environment that allows malignant tumors to grow faster. During the treatment of a cancer patient, we deliberately keep growth factors at their lowest levels in cancer patients. While a tumor can create its own growth factors, we really don’t want to add another fire on top of that to speed up its growth rate.
Other than these factors, there’s not much to worry about with growth hormones. How people respond to growth hormones is a very individual thing. Some people have fairly good results with minimal suppression, while others see no effect after using growth hormone because the exogenous growth hormone is causing significant suppression. What is stated above is written based on the experience of most people?
With regard to thyroid suppression that may be caused by growth hormone, the following adjunctive protocols can be used as a reference.
- Conservative-No measures are taken
- Intermediate supplementation with Mercurial algae, selenium, zinc, chromium, copper
- Aggressive – use T3 (12.5-25ugs/day) or T4 (100ugs/day)
Regarding insulin resistance that may be caused by growth hormones, the following adjuvant regimen can be used as a reference.
- Conservative-300mg alpha lipoic acid and 200-300ug of chromium
- Intermediate-15mg of pioglitazone (prescribed to increase insulin sensitivity), dimethyldiphenhydramine (which handles excess glucose and increases muscle)
- Aggressive – add some insulin to the growth hormone cycle
Regarding people with good physical indicators after growth hormone use, the following complementary protocols can be used as a reference.
- Conservative-No measures are taken
- The intermediate- moderate use of dong Quai or Tribulus Terrestris saponins
- Aggressive – add 200-300mg (or more) of testosterone per week to the growth hormone cycle
For those who want to provide protection to the prostate after growth hormone use, the following adjunctive protocols can be used as a reference.
- Conservative-No measures are taken
- Intermediate-Take 2000mg of SawPalmetto daily
- Aggressive-use of Prolotherapy
For those who develop problems with breast tissue growth during the use of growth hormones.
For those who have experienced this, there is a possibility that the problem is caused by the presence of sufficient estrogen in their body and that growth hormone promotes breast tissue growth. Another possibility is that growth hormone, prolactin, and placental prolactin are subfamilies of the large class 2 cytokine superfamily of proteins. And the amino acid sequences of growth hormone and placental prolactin are very similar (85% identical). In the human body, binding receptors for these three proteins promote a variety of physiological effects in the body, including mammary gland development, lactation, etc.
The current consensus solution to this problem consists of two parts: 200 mg of B6 daily and 20-40 mg of tamoxifen (Nolva) for control. If the above methods do not work, then a few months of continuous use of Letro will definitely solve the problem. This is a very rare case, but I have had several friends talk to me about this type of problem.
I hope this guide will help you to better understand growth hormones and what they can do for you. Growth hormone, especially when it is used in conjunction with anabolic steroids, will give you very high-quality, pure muscle growth. It can also be used in conjunction with IGF-1 and insulin, and there’s enough about this to write another guide on the subject, which I’ll share if I can finish it.