Your Complete Guide to HGH

[eazy]

Please tell me what I am missing----


Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is a peptide hormone produced by the pituitary gland. It stimulates
growth, cell reproduction, and regeneration. In performance enhancement, HGH is valued for its
potential benefits on body composition, recovery, and overall physiology. This guide synthesizes
evidence-based protocols and expert recommendations, focusing on safe, effective, and
health-conscious approaches.

Key Functions of HGH
• Stimulates growth in children and adolescents
• Increases protein synthesis in muscle and bone
• Promotes fat breakdown (lipolysis)
• Contributes to glucose regulation
• Supports immune function
• Aids in recovery and tissue repair
• Influences cellular regeneration

Natural HGH Production
Peak production during puberty, then declines ~10% per decade after age 30. By age 60, most people
produce ~75% less HGH than in their 20s.

Enhancing Factors: Quality deep sleep, intense exercise, intermittent fasting, reduced insulin, good
nutrition.

Suppressing Factors: Poor sleep, excess body fat, chronic stress, aging.

Benefits of HGH

Performance:

• Faster recovery
• Increased lean muscle
• Stronger tendons/joints
• Lower body fat
• Improved exercise capacity

Health:
• Better immunity
• Improved skin elasticity
• Better sleep
• Faster injury healing
• Cognitive benefits

Mechanisms of Action

Direct Effects: Fat breakdown, reduced insulin sensitivity, muscle protein retention, increased glucose
output, sodium retention.

Indirect Effects (via IGF-1): Bone/cartilage growth, cellular proliferation, neuronal protection, organ
maintenance.

GH/IGF-1 Axis: Pituitary → GH → Liver → IGF-1 → Tissue effects.
Local vs Systemic IGF-1

• Systemic IGF-1: Liver-derived, measurable in blood, broad effects.
• Local IGF-1: Produced in muscles/tissues, not measurable, crucial for hypertrophy.

Serum IGF-1 is a proxy, but muscle growth depends more on local IGF-1.

Practical Application
1. Nighttime dosing aligns with natural pulses.
2. Training window boosts HGH sensitivity.
3. Track both serum IGF-1 and performance.
4. Consistency is key.

Metabolic Effects

HGH impacts glucose, protein, and fat metabolism as well as water balance.

Hormone Interactions

Testosterone: Synergistic with HGH; estrogen from T aids GH → IGF-1 conversion.
Insulin: Opposing metabolic effects but enhances IGF-1 production. Balance required.

Optimal Protocols
Anti-Aging: 1–2 IU daily, AM or bedtime, ongoing.
Body Composition: 3–6 IU daily, 3–6 months cycle, maintenance 1–2 IU.
Bodybuilding: 6–10+ IU daily, 3–6 months cycle, maintenance phase.
Titration: Start 2 IU, increase slowly by 1 IU every 2–3 weeks.

Administration
• Subcutaneous injection: preferred, less painful, effective.
• Intramuscular injection: faster absorption, more painful.

Sites: Abdomen, thighs, love handles.

Duration & Cycling
• Short term (2–3 months): cosmetic/recovery benefits.
• Long term (6+ months): body composition, hypertrophy, anti-aging.

Continuous use with maintenance dosing (1–2 IU) is preferred.

Monitoring

Bloodwork every 8–12 weeks: IGF-1, glucose, insulin, A1C, lipids, CBC, thyroid, kidney.
Tracking: Weight, photos, recovery, endurance, sleep, side effects.

Risks & Side Effects

Common: Water retention, joint pain, carpal tunnel, insulin resistance, headaches.
Serious (high dose/long term): Acromegaly, diabetes risk, tumor growth risk, heart enlargement.

Best Practices
1. Optimize testosterone first.
2. Start low, titrate slowly.
3. Use nighttime dosing if >3 IU.
4. Track IGF-1 and subjective performance.
5. Maintain at 2–4 IU long-term.
6. Prioritize health monitoring.

 

[tommyguns2]

Good summary. I would add one or two things about the timing of GH injections. I've listened to a bunch of podcasts talking about this, and while there may be an optimal timing or group of times to inject the GH, the differences are not too much. The important thing is to take the GH everyday. Just get it all in there, and all the talk about cycling it (5 days on/2 days off) is silly.

Scott Stevenson was on BSG podcast a couple months ago, and the entire episode was on whether to take GH IM or SQ. Looks like IM provided a bigger spike, while the SQ had a larger "area under the curve" (not as high a spike, but a longer duration). Seems like in the end, the differences aren't too big. I take my GH in one single dose pre-workout, fasted, and pin it IM, with the idea that I'll hit peak concentration during or immediately after my training.

I suppose if I were to start upping my dose (e.g., to 10 IUs), I might do half IM in the morning pre-workout, and the other half SQ at night before bed.

I'd be interested to hear from anyone that has run the tesamorelin, which is a GHRH that is intended for administration before bed, and it's supposed to increase your natural pulsatile realease of GH as you sleep. Can anyone tell me whether the benefit of that would be greater than an exogenous 5 IU SQ shot of GH? About the same? Less?

Last thing, I would love to say that the GH has improved my skin quality, but I haven't noticed that it's done anything for that.

 

[JohnnyDramma]

question on the optimal protocol's

are any of these recommendations age based and or related?

 

[daman1]

For me, sub q at 3IU ED maintenance in the morning made me a little "sleepier" but I noticed better overall body recomp than before bed. However, I've never slept better in my life, and overall felt better, than pinning about an hour before bed. Just my .02.

 

[genetic freak]

I have tried just about every dosing schedule from 2 iu to 18 iu.

What I found worked best for me is 2 iu before bed, 2 iu upon waking and 2 iu post workout (around 11 am).

There is a lot of talk about insulin resistance on split doses. I haven't seen it, but I don't eat like an asshole either. I eat the same foods in the growing season that I do during prep and am firm believer in carb cycling. Moderate carbs on training days, only veggies on non-training days (even in the growing season) and high carbs once or twice a week in substitute for moderate days. Reta and SLU help too.

To give you an example of how little these split doses have impacted my insulin sensitivity. Labs at the end of August, fasting glucose was 52. I drove there and back, no issues. This is the norm now. Last night 1.5 hours after eating 6 oz of salmon, 8 oz of potato and 7 g of macadamia nut oil, I started sweating and felt a little trembly. I knew what was going on, so I started making my next meal. I checked my blood glucose, 64. A 64, 1.5 hours after eating all that fat and slow digesting carbs.

You never hear about guys having insulin resistance problems in prep doing split doses. It isn't the GH. It is undisciplined eating. The GH is keeping them lean, so they eat more crap.

Been doing the split dose 6 iu a day for almost 3 years now with an occasional 18 iu split dose for the last 8 weeks of growing season.

 

[tommyguns2]

question on the optimal protocol's

are any of these recommendations age based and or related?

I don’t think so

 

[The other Snake]

What I found worked best for me is 2 iu before bed, 2 iu upon waking and 2 iu post workout (around 11 am).

There is a lot of talk about insulin resistance on split doses. I haven't seen it, but I don't eat like an asshole either. I eat the same foods in the growing season that I do during prep and am firm believer in carb cycling. Moderate carbs on training days, only veggies on non-training days (even in the growing season) and high carbs once or twice a week in substitute for moderate days. Reta and SLU help too.



You never hear about guys having insulin resistance problems in prep doing split doses. It isn't the GH. It is undisciplined eating. The GH is keeping them lean, so they eat more crap.

You telling me this 1.5 IUs/day I'm going to start is going to be a timing problem? Grant it, I'm not overweight, Glucose and A1C are always slightly in the upper range but always good, and do eat relatively clean but I eat often. This includes a bedtime snack and a 16 oz glass of 2%.

 

[genetic freak]

You telling me this 1.5 IUs/day I'm going to start is going to be a timing problem? Grant it, I'm not overweight, Glucose and A1C are always slightly in the upper range but always good, and do eat relatively clean but I eat often. This includes a bedtime snack and a 16 oz glass of 2%.

At that dose, likely not. However, I still wouldn't take it pre-bed if you are eating a bedtime snack and drinking 16 oz of 2% milk. The GH is going to inhibit the uptake of glucose, so you might be waking up 8 hours later with a still elevated glucose level.

 

[JohnnyDramma]

So I just want to confirm. I am starting this week my first cycle of GH. I was starting on 1.5/day for the first two weeks, working up to 3. I was planning on a early evening dose but it seems it could be ok either then or early morning? would that be the same at 2 and 3IU?