Merc..

Awesome Merc thanks for the replies. I have heard good things about the benadryl protocol so I will go that root.

As for cardio I will doing it 4 days a week. 2 days AM on an empty stomach and 2 days post workout. 30 minutes on workout days. 60 Minutes on non workout days.

Keep me posted on your results Kennedy... Best of luck on your clen cycle......

Merc i am thinking of doing my first aas cycle.testo+deca.What i want to ask is since i had an acne problem when i was young should i expect the worst?+does acne spread to the face?

Merc i am thinking of doing my first aas cycle.testo+deca.What i want to ask is since i had an acne problem when i was young should i expect the worst?+does acne spread to the face?


Hi Garnelek

What are are your stats?

Acne is not been a problem for me.. Most people I know dont have major problems with acne other than the occasional zit here , and there .. I have never met anyone that had bad breakouts of their faces ( from AAS)...

Check out the spa for some tips on treating acne .. This way you can read some feedback from people that are having acne problems , and , read how they are treating it..



http://forums.steroid.com/a/

Merc Im doing my first Pro hormone cycle Havoc by rpn... Im mostly trying it out for gyno removal I wanted to know how I should take it. 1 in the morning and one prior 30 min to the gym? should I take it with food? with liv 52?

Merc Im doing my first Pro hormone cycle Havoc by rpn... Im mostly trying it out for gyno removal I wanted to know how I should take it. 1 in the morning and one prior 30 min to the gym? should I take it with food? with liv 52?


Lexed

People I know that have used havoc liked taking it on a empty stomach... Yea, you could take one in the morning , and one prior to working out ...

I am pretty sure they used 30 mg everyday... I would use liv 52 or some sorta liver protection for sure ...

Keep me posted on your results on this.....

Here my stats i am 1.80cm,87kg,about 11% bodyfat.I am bb training for 2 years but i have been doing martial arts and competing for 5 years i stopped 2 years ago.By the way tnx for the answer!

Here my stats i am 1.80cm,87kg,about 11% bodyfat.I am bb training for 2 years but i have been doing martial arts and competing for 5 years i stopped 2 years ago.By the way tnx for the answer!


Garnelek

Keep me posted on your cycle ( when you start) , or let me know if you have any questions....

Best of luck on your cycle....


Merc.

MERRY X MAS ALL !!!!!

I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT HOLIDAY !!!




Merc.

ive been reading and hearing more and more about fake gear,when the term FAKE is used and the gear ir genuinly FAKE,what exactly is it then that we may be taking or injecting (ie) what is the compound in the products

Hey merc,

I decided to give German volume training a try and was wondering what your opinion on it is. I read that you only train 3 times a week would I be able to do cardio the other days with 1 rest day.

ive been reading and hearing more and more about fake gear,when the term FAKE is used and the gear ir genuinly FAKE,what exactly is it then that we may be taking or injecting (ie) what is the compound in the products


Mr NewBreed


Yea there are alot of fake steroids out there .. Thats why I am happy I am on HRT through my doctor.. I know I am getting legit stuff. I fill all my HRT prescriptions at a FDA approved pharmacy ..

People use all kinds of crap when they make fakes.. There was a horror story in the news paper ( a few years ago ) , were a student at the university took armor all

(yea, the stuff you use to clean your dashboard , and tires : on your car).. It is white , and he put it into a vial , and sold it as winstrol .. a friend of his that used it had to have his arm removed ...

Some people use just oil ( with no hormone in it ), for fakes.. Like Wesson oil , and shit like that .....

Like I said I am glad I fill all my prescriptions my doc gives me at a FDA approved pharm ..
[COLOR="Black"][B][I]


Hey merc,

I decided to give German volume training a try and was wondering what your opinion on it is. I read that you only train 3 times a week would I be able to do cardio the other days with 1 rest day.


I have done GVT .. For me it was overtraining .. I respond better to heavy weight , and lower reps... I do short rest periods ( like 30 secs in between sets. ).

I am doing a antagonistic - group training approach .. It moves blood from one group to an opposing one with 30 secs rest between sets..

How long have you been doing the GVT ? Do you feel you are recovering by the next time you train ? How is your body responding to it ( if you have been doing it long enough to see any results )??? I wouldnt add any HITT cardio .. You could try some moderate cardio ..

MERC! Ok I got a question I got some money to burn and I am looking to buy the IGF from AR-R. 200 bucks 20 dollar shipping 20% off basically free shipping (way to set that up Lion -.-). Anyways do you think it is worth to buy the MGF/IGF kit for 245? seeing as the MGF sells normally for 100 itself it seems like a steal. Now I have heard some good and bad things about running MGF and IGF together such as that when you shoot MGF your IGF receptors won't respond to the IGF for the next 24-36 hours. Should I do two separate cycles of them then?

Thanks,
Renesis

MERC! Ok I got a question I got some money to burn and I am looking to buy the IGF from AR-R. 200 bucks 20 dollar shipping 20% off basically free shipping (way to set that up Lion -.-). Anyways do you think it is worth to buy the MGF/IGF kit for 245? seeing as the MGF sells normally for 100 itself it seems like a steal. Now I have heard some good and bad things about running MGF and IGF together such as that when you shoot MGF your IGF receptors won't respond to the IGF for the next 24-36 hours. Should I do two separate cycles of them then?

Thanks,
Renesis


Renesis

I have been recently researching this.. Take a look at the article .. Then we can discuss ...


The Science of Hypertrophy
Taking a new look at the “workout”

Introduction: Hypertrophy, simply stated, is an increase in muscle. Muscle cells are not like regular circular cells. Muscle cells are long and complicated and have several nuclei (brains of the cell). They are elongated with a fibrous interior full of little bands of contractile proteins that pull against each other to make muscles contract.. There are several ways to achieve hypertrophy. One way is to add more contractile proteins so the muscle is bigger and has more to pull with, making it stronger; however, only so much protein can be added before the muscle runs out of nuclei to control all the contractile proteins. In this case, muscles must actually recruit more nuclei, cellular organelles and proteins etc. from satellite cells. Satellite cells are essentially dormant in the body, waiting to be recruited to become a functional cell. They have no function until they are signaled to become something else, such as joining with other muscle cells to make a single, larger cell out of two merging cells.

Brief Physiology and Endocrinology
Your body has many ways to accomplish the above to things. It can release IGF-I (insulin like growth factor) both systemically and locally which causes the satellite cells to replicate, as well as, the relocation of some satellite cells to existing muscle cells by fusing with them, making them larger, and giving the ability to take on more contractile protein. Testosterone and other androgens can also cause satellite cells to replicate and relocate. They work by signaling androgen receptors on the satellite cells signaling them to replicate and fuse with muscle cells. Androgen receptors are unique in that, unlike most other receptors, androgen receptors actually increase in number with stimulation, making testosterone more effective over time. These receptors will drop down after a prolonged period or exposure to high levels of testosterone though. Lactic Acid is created during workouts as a bi product of creating energy. This is usually the cause of the burn, or soreness that follows shortly after a workout. Lactic acid signals the muscle and connective tissues for repair and in doing so also directly corresponds to an increase in HGH (human growth hormone). HGH is the body's main growth hormone. It signals the release of many other growth factors and metabolic regulators, so while it may not be directly affecting the muscle in the way that some of these other hormones do, HGH indirectly increases things such as IGF. Studies have also shown that in the absence of HGH the muscles while still containing the same number of fibers have significantly reduced muscle fiber width. MGF (mechano growth factor) and IGF-IEa are locally produced growth factors that are produced by the muscle itself. MGF is the main growth factor in replicating the satellite cells, it is the most important and most effective thing produced for increasing muscle satellite cells. IGF-IEa is its counterpart and is most effective at causing the satellite cells to fuse with muscle cells. MGF and IGF-IEa are released by muscles in response to stress and stretch stimulation. They are released in stages, MGF first and IGF-IEa a few days later. This allows for a natural process of regeneration of satellite cells, ensuring the population is never depleted. Depletion of satellite cells makes replenishing them harder because there are fewer cells replicating. These two growth factors are splice variants of IGF-I, together they are more effective than IGF-I but they are limited in that they can not cause hypertrophy themselves. However, IGF-I can signal the process of both of these, but not as effectively. The other difference is MGF and IGF-IEa are produced locally and do not effect other parts of the body where as IGF-I is a systemic growth factor mainly produced by the liver that effects many other parts of the body. There are also things that our body does to limit hypertrophy and/or induce atrophy (muscle wasting). Some training methods, although they up-regulate several of the hypertrophy inducing factors, actually stimulate some of the limiting and atrophy inducing factors. One hot topic is Myostatin. Myostatin is a protein produced by the body that keeps the muscle stem cells from replicating. This counteracts the positive effects of growth factors like IGF and hormones like testosterone. Another way that the body can prevent hypertrophy is through a rapamycin. Rapamycin blocks the hypertrophy signaling that is brought about by the activation of the AKT pathway and down stream regulators that are up-regulated by IGF. So it prevents some effects of training and IGF.
Angiotensin II is a factor that down regulates AKT, reduces circulating IGF levels and increases protein breakdown and programmed cell death in muscle tissue. Limiting any expression of this factor is extremely valuable. It seems that stimulation of IGF combats the effects of Angiotensin II as well.

In vivo research studies
The Basic Rep
Each repetition of an exercise consist of two motions. The eccentric (lowering or un-contracting) and the concentric (raising or contracting). Studies have shown that performed individually concentric training yields a greater gain in muscle size, soreness, and creatine kinase activities. Eccentric training yields greater range of motion, and maximum isolation strength. The amount of tissue damage is significantly greater during the eccentric portion of the rep. Taken together in the proper ratio of emphasis using tempo lifts such as a 2 sec contraction and a 1 second eccentric motion for example can provide optimal increase in muscle size and strength. It is important to note that while the eccentric training may not yield immediate gains in mass, the damage induced repair will lead to increased muscle cell nuclei giving it a higher potential for further growth. This is because the stretch and stress will increase MGF and IGF-IEa in the muscles worked. So the importance of the negative portion of a rep can not be underestimated.

How Many Sets?
Studies show that when comparing a single max effort set of 10 reps after warm up compared to that of a set of 6 reps yielded very different results. Androgen receptors were up-regulated greater in the single set group, in fact there was a 46% drop in androgen receptor content at 1 hour post exercise in the 6 rep group. However the 6 rep group showed a 12-23% increase in testosterone levels post exercise. Thus further research has shown that between these extremes in the 2-3 rep range with proper intensity you can up-regulate both testosterone levels and the androgen receptors with less muscle damage creating a much more anabolic environment. In addition to testosterone studies have shown that when comparing 2 vs 4 sets of an exercise, the 4 sets resulting in increased cortisol levels and HGH levels after muscle hypertrophy (1-RM), 3-min rest) and MH (10 reps at 75% of 1-RM, 2-min rest) and strength endurance training(15 reps at 60% of 1-RM, 1-min rest). There were no differences between muscular strength or testosterone levels between these two groups. Further research would suggest that because of the time length and repeated isolation of the same muscles only cortisol levels began to increase accordingly. By reducing either the time frame or number of sets the HGH./cortisol level may have been more favorable. Spending 12-18 minutes on one exercise is not a good idea. GTP utilizes a method of reps and sets to achieve the HGH stimulation without causing a cortisol increase as seen here.
In addition one must consider the effects of exercise induced damage in high set workouts. It does not take a lot to achieve enough muscle damage to signal repair. Research shows that a few skeletal muscle adaptation can be brought about by a single bout of relatively few eccentric muscle contractions. Increasing the number of eccentric muscle repetitions did not result in an increased prophylactic effect on skeletal muscle. Furthermore adaptation to eccentric exercise can occur in the absence of significant muscle damage. Exposure to a small number of non-damaging eccentric contractions can significantly improve recovery after a subsequent damaging eccentric bout. However this adaptation appears to be mode-specific and not applicable to concentric contractions.
In conclusion the cellular response for growth from muscle damage is directly related to creatine kinase levels which do not increase with further muscle damage by repeated eccentric sets.

How often/ training frequency
Training frequency has been discussed among athletes for quite some time. Research shows that while everyday training actually increases anti-hypertrophy factors and increase in myostatin levels, 48 hours in between sessions provides a steady anabolic environment. Serum testosterone levels, the free androgen index, Androgen receptor mRNA and protein were significantly increased. No negative factors were found to be increased in this study. With more than 48 hours between exercise sessions these levels begin to decline fast. This study used 3 sets of the exercise, and took data after 3 sessions each 48 hours apart.

©Flawless Training 2006 All Rights Reserved

©Flawless Training 2006 All Rights Reserved

Rating the Other Workout Routines

HST Hypertrophy Specific Training
Benefits: Utilizes optimum training frequency, fairly good stimulation of testosterone and androgen receptors and protein turn over. Low chance of increasing cortisol levels, does not cause unnecessary muscle damage. Moderate IGF-I stimulation.
Flaws: Fails to utilize HGH and lactic acid induced hypertrophy, limited MGF/IGF-IEa stimulation.

DC Training
Benefits: Utilizes HGH and lactic acid pathways to hypertrophy very well. Good at increasing testosterone. Stimulates MGF and IGF-IEa pathways. Burns a lot of calories.
Flaws: High likelihood of increased cortisol. Detrimental to androgen receptor content. Significant muscle damage can occur achieving your goal leading to increased risk of injury and limits in strength. Fails to keep the body in an anabolic state with time through training frequency.

Traditional Upper/ Lower Body Split (M T TH F routines)
Benefits: Generally utilizes HGH and lactic acid, provides stimulation for MGF and IGF-IEa somewhere between HST and DC. Better frequency than DC training, resulting in a more steady anabolic state but not as good as HST. Moderate to good testosterone stimulation.
Flaws: Slightly less likely to increase cortisol than DC, and prone to decreased androgen receptor content. In between Dc and HST on muscle damage.

The Once Per Week for Each Body part Routine
Benefits: Good testosterone stimulation and HGH/lactic acid stimulation. Muscle damage is likely but optimal time for repair if muscle damage is moderate. Good MGF stimulation.
Flaws: Very short term anabolic state for growth to occur. What stimulation there is, is short lived. Often times has high cortisol levels and decreased androgen receptors associated. While there may be optimal time for muscle repair, connective tissue damage may not be able to repair at a rate that is safe.

HIT High Intensity Training
Benefits: No muscle Damage issue. Not time consuming. No increase in cortisol levels. No negative effect on androgen receptor content.
Flaws: Poor increase in testosterone and practically no increase in HGH or lactic acid levels. Limited MGF stimulation.

GTP Games Training Protocol
Benefits: Almost equal stimulation of HGH and lactic acid hypertrophy pathways without increasing muscle damage or cortisol levels. Significantly increased testosterone and androgen receptor content. Very good stimulation of MGF and IGF-IEa.
Flaws: Workout is demanding and intense.

Damn it is hard to read when you haven't slept for 20 hours. Ok so what I take from this is that when you workout your body will produce MGF in order to recruit the satellite cells and a few days later it will produce IGF in order to bond the satellite cells to the muscle cells. So when taking this into account I would shoot the MGF PWO and the IGF a few days later right? But the thing is IGF is usually shot PWO as well into the muscles that were just worked which is where I have the issue here. The other issue is that certain types of training programs will lead to different types of MGF and IGF stimulation. My workout program most resembles the traditional body split as I feel it works great for me right now. It provides decent MGF and IGF response but slightly decreases androgen reception. So I am a bit confused as to how I would go about taking these two. Hmm I am going to have to analyze this further hopefully I can clear this up with your help.

Thanks,
Renesis

after reading the above on training/sets i thought i would pick your brain a little more-i train 2 body part a day
monday-arms,shoulders
tuesday-chest,back
wednesday-arms,shoulders
thurday-chest,back
friday-iron man hit routine
legs every other day,i like to hit the same body part twice a week,i change my routine every 12 weeks but the cardio below never changes and is as follows
i do 300 press ups a day,200 sit ups a day
and 1 hour a day cardio split into 2 half hour sets a day 7 days a week.so my question is do you think doing the press ups,sit ups 7 days a week is not giving my body enought time to recover?
thanks for your help merc and happy holidays bro

Damn it is hard to read when you haven't slept for 20 hours. Ok so what I take from this is that when you workout your body will produce MGF in order to recruit the satellite cells and a few days later it will produce IGF in order to bond the satellite cells to the muscle cells. So when taking this into account I would shoot the MGF PWO and the IGF a few days later right? But the thing is IGF is usually shot PWO as well into the muscles that were just worked which is where I have the issue here. The other issue is that certain types of training programs will lead to different types of MGF and IGF stimulation. My workout program most resembles the traditional body split as I feel it works great for me right now. It provides decent MGF and IGF response but slightly decreases androgen reception. So I am a bit confused as to how I would go about taking these two. Hmm I am going to have to analyze this further hopefully I can clear this up with your help.

Thanks,
Renesis


Renesis

People have diffrent ways they feel works best for them.. It goes back and forth .. I know people who like using only IGF ... I have freinds that tried many diffrent protocols ... Have you read Anthony Roberts article ?? Check this out ....


This month in steroids- from the desk of Anthony Roberts
By Anthony Roberts


Discussion of pharmaceutical agents below is presented for information only. Nothing here is meant to take the place of advice from a licensed health care practitioner. Consult a physician before taking any medication.

I have to admit, I was one of the last to jump on the Peptides bandwagon. I just wasn’t impressed by the results people had been talking about over the last few years. Sure, the guys in the IFBB have been getting bigger and bigger as the years have been going by, as have NPC competitors, but I still wasn’t convinced that it was from the hGH (human Growth Hormone, also called "GH"), the insulin, or the IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor). Besides, guys were getting pretty huge before that stuff was readily available, so I wasn’t ready to buy into Growth Factors and Peptides just yet.

I was in my late teens when hGH just started getting really popular, and just started becoming the "must have" drug for contest prep…In fact, even a decade later, most bodybuilders still consider hGH almost a necessity for contest prep, and many use the full spectrum of Growth Factors (Insulin, IGF-1, hGH) virtually year round. But still, from talking to regular bodybuilders, I wasn’t impressed. Most people who I spoke to (who weren’t professional bodybuilders or top amateurs) said that growth factors simply didn’t give them the same results as steroids did. Personally, I didn’t see the rationale behind paying a couple of hundred dollars for something which wouldn’t even produce the same results as a couple dollars worth of testosterone. Well…

I think that’s because a lot of people simply use Growth Factors incorrectly…because properly used, I think that they are highly potent and impressive drugs for both athletics as well as bodybuilding.

In other words, I was wrong. Sort of. See, I think that the reason we’re seeing mixed results from people using Peptides is their doses and dosing protocols. So what I’m going to do here is basically give you an overview of the various peptides on the market, and let you in on the optimal time, dose, and combination I think will allow them to produce the best possible results. Basically, what I’m going to do is tell you about all of the new peptides on the market, and how they are used for maximum results.

Now, to understand how to properly use them, first a brief explanation of how they function naturally may be in order. Natural GH levels are controlled by several stimuli including both neurotransmitters as well as hormones. Increasing your body’s natural GH level is first initiated in the hypothalamus. There, in the hypothalamus, two peptide hormones act to either increase or decrease GH output from the pituitary gland; these hormones are known respectively as somatostatin (SS) and growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) - and they have opposing effects. Somatostatin acts at the pituitary to decrease hGH output while GHRH acts at the pituitary to increase hGH output. Together these hormones are secreted in pulses to regulate your body’s hGH levels. In this way, your body can either cause the secretion or inhibition of hGH from the pituitary, as necessary.

When there isn’t enough hGH in your body, GHRH acts to initiate the emission of hGH, and when there is too much hGH in the body, somatostatin does the opposite. The latter effect occurs because hGH is subject to a negative feedback loop. When GHRH is released, it causes a hormonal cascade starting with the subsequent secretion of hGH. Once that hGH is released, exerts various metabolic effects…and it triggers the release of IGF-1, which is now known to exert many of the effects previously attributed solely to hGH. (1) IGF-1 is highly anabolic although a large body of contradictory literature exists on the topic of whether hGH is anabolic per se. Regardless, though I personally feel that enough evidence exists to show that Lr3IGF-1 is more potent for building muscle than hGH is (Note: Lr3IGF-1 is 2-3x more potent than regular IGF-1).

Now, with regards to GH as well as IGF-1, after they’re produced and secreted, they then have the ability to circulate back to the hypothalamus as well as the pituitary to initiate somatostatin release. As previously stated, the secretion of somatostatin will complete the negative feedback loop, and decrease hGH release. Although both hGH as well as IGF-1 can do this, and have many other overlapping effects, they seem to be able to produce many divergent effects as well, and individually they would seem to act in both an autocrine and paracrine fashion (meaning they can apparently affect various cells and their neighboring cells without it having to enter the actual cell). This is likely how IGF-1 causes a decrease in body fat, though there are no IGF-1 receptors in fat cells. hGH, on the other hand reduces fat through the hGH receptors found in fat cells. (1) IGF-1, however, is thought to be the primary autocrine/paracrine catalyst in myofiber (muscle) growth, also called "myogenesis" (generation of new muscle tissue).

To understand autocrine/paracrine signaling involved in muscle (myofiber) regeneration and growth, we can point to the various hypertrophic (growth promoting) effects which appear to be totally modulated by IGF-1. When muscle is broken down by training, the destruction of muscle tissue leaves behind something known as "satellite cells". Those satellite cells are small stem cells located within the muscle which are then mobilized by IGF-1 to begin the muscle growth and regeneration process. During this process of regenerating muscle, myoblasts are formed to replace and hypercompensate for damaged/destroyed ones, and then they can either fuse with each other to form totally new myofibers or become incorporated into previously damaged (surviving) myofibers. Ultimately, if more myofibers are created than were destroyed (by training) new muscle growth is experienced.

IGF-I and "myogenesis" during compensatory hypertrophy. Increased loading leads to satellite cell proliferation, differentiation, and fusion. IGF-I has been shown to stimulate these myogeninc processes in skeletal muscles. It is postulated that IGF-I, and/or the loading-sensitive IGF-I isoform Mechano growth factor (MGF), is produced and released by myofibers in response to increased loading or stretch. The increased local concentration of IGF-I (MGF) would then stimulate the myogenic processes needed to drive the hypertrophy response. (Adams J Appl Physiol 93: 1159-1167, 2002; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.01264.2001
8750-7587/02 $)

Though IGF-1’s effects on the creation of new muscle tissue are clear and direct, it would appear that hGH probably exerts the majority of its anabolic effects on muscular tissues through its ability to stimulate the secretion of IGF. Although it’s also speculated that there could also be an additional (and direct) effect exerted by hGH on muscle as well, though this has been difficult to prove for scientists.

As we already know, the production of IGF-1 probably occurs when hGH is first released from the pituitary (or injected), then travels to the liver and other muscle tissue where it influences the synthesis and subsequent release of IGF-1. We know that the newly secreted IGF-1 then travels in the blood to the target tissues after being released from the cells that produced it (in the liver, in this case, but also in muscle tissue when you train).

Although all of this seems promising, and I previously had read about the GH/IGF axis, I just hadn’t been a fan of either hGH or IGF-1, because of their relatively high cost, compared to other anabolic compounds. I had also been hearing less than amazing results being reported from some people using IGF (remember, in my estimation, I now think that those people were using it poorly, as regards timing and dosing). I’ve actually been interviewing dozens of bodybuilders and athletes, and trying to figure out what kind of doses and dosing protocol the most successful use of IGF has been. Now that I’ve figured out exactly how to use IGF and other peptides for optimal results, I think that they are really quite remarkable. Just hang on, because I’m getting around to telling you how to use them…But first, I need to go over a bit more about IGF, and how it isn’t only produced in the liver.

This is possibly the most important part about production of IGF-1…all of the production/secretion of it isn’t actually done in the liver. And this last fact brings up an interesting (and very relevant) point about IGF…and that is the idea that it can be locally produced in alternate splices in muscle tissue as a response to training (2). While liver produced IGF-1 has several important systemic (total body) effects, when it is produced locally (in muscle) it has several different physiological functions (but mainly we’re concerned with muscle growth and development, and fat loss).

Lets take a look at what happens when you resistance train, and look at how your body responds hormonally. As you can see from the following chart, both eccentric as well as concentric movements will raise IGF-1 levels, as well as IGF-1 receptor concentration levels, while also lowering levels of some IGF binding proteins like IGFBP-4 (which serves to temporarily deactivate IGF-1, possibly inhibiting its actions):

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->

(Chart from: Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 280: E383-E390, 2001; 0193-1849/01)

Also of note is that skeletal muscle IGF-I mRNA and protein expression both increase during mechanical loading (2), thus indicating that the locally produced IGF-1 is not exactly the same as liver produced IGF…nor is the liver the only source of IGF-I. This is very important to us here. In fact, a review of this evidence makes it highly unlikely that increases in liver produced IGF-I are necessary for hypertrophy and instead, we find a much higher correlation in new muscle mass with locally produced IGF. (3)

This locally produced IGF is extremely likely to cause myogenesis during skeletal muscle hypertrophy by contributing to at least by three important molecular processes:

1. increased satellite cell activity

2. gene transcription

3. protein translation


Buy IGF-1 for Research use!

Each of these processes contributes in a different manner to local and general muscle growth. It is highly likely that IGF-I, through each of these three processes, directly and significantly contributes to hypertrophy. So we can see that once IGF-1 is produced in the muscle, by mechanical stimulation (resistance training) the gene is actually slightly different than liver produced IGF-1…this indicates that the IGF-1 gene can actually be "spliced" into different forms, to produce divergent effects on the hypertrophy response. (4)

So we know that there are different forms of IGF-1, caused by gene splicing, which have now been identified to follow resistance training. Basically, this means that different isoforms (forms) of the IGF-I gene have been shown to be expressed by muscles when subjected to mechanical stimulation. In other words, when you lift weights, varying "versions" of the same basic IGF-1 gene are created out of the IGF-1 which is secreted. This brings us to the dominant isoform of IGF-1 which is expressed primarily during mechanical overload: Mechano Growth Factor, or MGF. (3)

However, before going on, it is important to keep in mind that these isoforms of the human IGF-1 gene (some of which are IGF-1Ea, b, and c) are all very similar to each other and all have the ability to produce slightly different (though important) effects which aid muscle growth.

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->

However, when examining all of these different isoforms, it would seem that the primary growth factor responsible for the hypertrophy process is insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) and MGF, or Mechano Growth Factor (IGF-1Ec). (7)

Actually, though, even though MGF seems to be the most important isoforms of IGF-1, there are two isoforms which appear very relevant to hypertrophy are: IGF-1Ea (sometimes termed "muscle IGF-1") which is actually similar to the IGF-I produced by the liver, and as already mentioned, IGF-IEc (termed mechano-growth factor and known to bodybuilders and athletes simply as "MGF"). (3) The latter of those two only appears to be produced by damaged, stretched, or loaded muscle tissue (5-7), as a repair/rebuilding mechanism. Although, the actual mechanistic roles of these different isoforms of IGF-1 as regards muscular hypertrophy are still regarded as quite complex and not well understood, IGF-1 (and specifically these isoforms of IGF-1) could actually be the most important contributor to skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

Before I go on to my personal preferences on how to use IGF-1 and MGF, I think I should clearly state that I feel that the combination of those two (or even either one alone) is far superior to the use of hGH, for most purposes. In fact, lately I’ve been getting quite a bit of heat over my recommendations to use a combination of Lr3IGF-1 and MGF in lieu of hGH, and I think that at this point, it’s not too difficult to understand why I consider IGF-1 and MFG to be a very potent combination for muscular growth- far superior to hGH. IGF-1’s superiority to hGh is intuitive at some level, but has also been clearly elucidated clinically as well. In the following graphs taken from a rodent study comparing IGF-1 and hGH, a low dose as well as a high dose of IGF-1 was shown to be more anabolic than hGH. In comparison to hGH, IGF-1 produced an overall greater total protein content within the injected muscle as well as a greater final weight of the that muscle (called the "Tibialis Anterior" or TA) (9):

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--> <!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->

So, in comparison (in this study), it seems to be the case that IGF-1 would be superior to hGH as an anabolic agent. In some clinical studies, that is not always the case, but in bodybuilders and athletes I’ve spoken to, greater results are often seen with IGF-1 over hGH - and it should be noted that they are often seen more quickly as well. And while an intact insulin and IGF-1 Receptor signaling system is necessary for hGH to produce an anabolic effect (10), an hGH receptor deficiency is not sufficient to stop IGF-1 from being anabolic. (11) This is another reason to believe that when you are using hGH, you’re really just hoping that it produces IGF-1, for an anabolic effect.

There’s also another important reason I favor the use of IGF-1/MGF instead of hGH. Over the past few decades, hGH has developed quite a reputation for taking awhile (often several weeks) for the user to start seeing results. In contrast, IGF-1 often begins to product noticeable results within the first couple of weeks. When talking to people who have used both, I’m finding that the current trend is leaning towards IGF-1 use. At this point I should note that the IGF-1 use that’s most popular (and the kind I would recommend) is always the Lr3IGF-1 version.

Although it’s a fairly new peptide, recent studies drawing the comparison between IGF-1 and MGF have concluded that MGF is even quicker to produce results. (4) Actually, it’s been found in rodent studies to produce both faster and better results with regards to muscle growth, compared to IGF-1. (4)

Now that I think I’ve stated my case for IGF and MGF being used instead of hGH, I’ll tell you how I personally have used them successfully- and where my dosing protocol comes from. I’ve been noticing that the bodybuilders who are getting the best results from both Lr3IGF-1 as well as MGF are using it after workouts. So first of all, my recommendation is to inject them after working out. You’ll be getting better results by using them by injecting at this time because after mechanical loading (weight training with CONcentric and ECCentric loads), your levels of specific IGF-binding proteins (like IGFBP-4 are lower) (12). IGFBP-4 is a protein which binds to IGF-1 and inhibits its anabolic effects. As you can see from the picture below, levels of IGFBP-4 are lower following both concentric as well as eccentric movements, than pre-workout:

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Thus, it makes sense that you’ll get better results by injecting when levels of IGFBP-4 are lower than usual. In addition, at this time (right after a workout), IGF-1 levels are high (particularly MGF), and I feel that an additional spike in those levels would aid in the body’s ability to induce myogenesis and therefore hypertrophy. If I’m going to spend the money on IGF-1 and MGF, I’d rather inject them when binding protein levels are lowest, and they can have their maximum effect- and that means injecting them after a workout which contains a stretch component, as well as eccentric and concentric loads.

This is why I recommend shooting MGF immediately post workout, when natural levels of it are already elevated. The addition of extra MGF should push more satellite cells towards the formation of new muscle tissue, and I firmly believe that maximal benefits from this compound won’t be experienced if it’s not used after the muscle has been broken down and overloaded with training. After all, MGF is a repair factor, and I think it’s only logical to conclude that it should be used when muscle repair is going to (hopefully) be taking place anyway.

Next, I recommend using Lr3IGF-1 about an hour later…because at this point, although MGF is still highly elevated, we can still derive a benefit from adding in some IGF-1, which will then be spliced appropriately into the isoforms which are most needed by the body. When we look at both young and old subjects who are resistance trained, we see that the highest MGF levels correspond with the lowest IGF- 1Ea levels (5):

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This is why I think that by introducing an excess of MGF into the body, followed by IGF-1 which will then be spliced appropriately, will produce the additional activation of satellite cells, protein translation, and gene transcription will force the body to produce much more new tissue than if MGF or IGF are used at any other point during the day, or in a different sequence.

So how much is being used? Well, in talking with bodybuilders and other athletes, I’m finding that the magic starts with these drugs at about 80-100mcgs, which is injected into the primary muscle trained in the preceding workout- half going into that muscle on one side of the body, the other half going into the mirror image of that muscle on the other side. At this point, adequate protein and carbs need to be ingested, because IGF-1 is only going to be effective when there is adequate protein in the body to build new tissue from.(13)

So those are my full recommendations, and reasons behind them. IGF-1 (especially Lr3IGF-1) and MGF are going to be more effective than hGH, for muscle growth, and if you use them in the way I’ve outlined, you’re going to take advantage of your lowest levels of inhibitory binding proteins (thus allowing the peptides to exert maximal effects), while giving your body the best possible environment to create new muscle tissue from your workouts.

So as I said in the beginning of this article, I wasn’t the first to jump on the peptide bandwagon- but now that I figured out how to use them, they’re becoming an increasingly large (and successful) part of my anabolic intake. If you’re interested in trying them for the first time, or have used them in the past with less than great results…give my protocol a try. You won’t be disappointed.

References:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1. <!--[endif]-->Are the metabolic effects of GH and IGF-I separable? Mauras N, Haymond MW. Growth Horm IGF Res. 2005 Feb;15(1):19-27

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2. <!--[endif]-->Haddad & Adams. Aging-sensitive cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3. <!--[endif]-->Goldspink, G. Research on mechano growth factor: its potential for optimising physical training as well as misuse in doping.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4. <!--[endif]-->Cheema, et al. Mechanical signals and IGF-I gene splicing in vitro in relation to development of skeletal muscle.
J Cell Physiol. 2005 Jan;202(1):67-75.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5. <!--[endif]-->Hameed, M. et al. Expression of IGF-I splice variants in young and old human skeletal muscle after high resistance exercise.
J Physiol. 2003 Feb 15;547(Pt 1):247-54. Epub 2002 Dec 20.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6. <!--[endif]-->Goldspink, G. Changes in muscle mass and phenotype and the expression of autocrine and systemic growth factors by muscle in response to stretch and overload. J Anat. 1999 Apr;194 ( Pt 3):323-34. Review

<!--[if !supportLists]-->7. <!--[endif]-->Yang and Goldspink. Different roles of the IGF-I Ec peptide (MGF) and mature IGF-I in myoblast proliferation and differentiation. FEBS Lett. 2002 Jul 3;522(1-3):156-60. Erratum in: FEBS Lett. 2006 May 1;580(10):2530.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->8. <!--[endif]-->Bickel et al. Time course of molecular responses of human skeletal muscle to acute bouts of resistance exercise. J Appl Physiol 98: 482-488, 2005. First published October 1, 2004; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00895.2004
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->9. <!--[endif]-->Adams and McCue. Localized infusion of IGF-I results in skeletal muscle hypertrophy in rats J Appl Physiol Vol. 84, Issue 5, 1716-1722, May 1998

<!--[if !supportLists]-->10. <!--[endif]-->Intact Insulin and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Receptor Signaling Is Required for Growth Hormone Effects on Skeletal Muscle Growth and Function in Vivo. Hyunsook Kim, Elisabeth Barton, Naser Muja, Shoshana Yakar, Patricia Pennisi, and Derek LeRoith
Endocrinology, Apr 2005; 146: 1772 - 1779.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->11. <!--[endif]-->Recombinant Human Insulin-Like Growth Factor I Has Significant Anabolic Effects in Adults with Growth Hormone Receptor Deficiency: Studies on Protein, Glucose, and Lipid Metabolism. Nelly Mauras, Victor Martinez, Annie Rini, and Jaime Guevara-Aguirre J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., Sep 2000; 85: 3036 – 3042

<!--[if !supportLists]-->12. <!--[endif]-->Mechanical load increases muscle IGF-I and androgen receptor mRNA concentrations in humans
Marcas M. Bamman, James R. Shipp, Jie Jiang, Barbara A. Gower, Gary R. Hunter, Ashley Goodman, Charles L. McLafferty, Jr., and Randall J. Urban
Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, Mar 2001; 280: E383 - E390

<!--[if !supportLists]-->13. <!--[endif]-->Fryburg DA, Jahn LA, Hill SA, Oliveras DM, Barrett EJ. Insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I enhance human skeletal muscle protein anabolism during hyperaminoacidemia by different mechanisms. J Clin Invest. 96(4):1722-9, 1995