HGH Strategies
There are many different approaches to taking HGH. The right approach for your particular situation will depend on your goals, age and genetics.
To begin with for the vast majority of HGH users, results are not rapid and earthshaking in nature. If your idea of using HGH is to get ripped in a few weeks, gaining 20 pounds of muscle in a matter of a month or two, or being miraculously healed in a matter of a few injections you are likely in for a BIG disappointment. HGH does some pretty incredible things, but it HAS to be viewed as a long-term endeavor. A reasonable length HGH cycle would be 20-30 weeks in length. While you will always be able to find the one or two individuals who will make great strides in a short amount of time, the majority need to be dedicated to its use for the long haul for it to be a worthy venture.
As mentioned in our introduction to HGH, one of the major roles it plays in growth is by its passing through the liver, which in turn secretes IGF-1. This process is cumulative in nature, and it will take some time for your exogenous HGH use to bring your IGF-1 levels to create an environment conducive to optimal growth. While it is true that HGH begins shuttling nutrients to your muscles, and begins mobilizing fat from the first injection, these behind the scenes benefits will only be VISIBLE several weeks (up to 12) down the road.
DOSING
For anti-aging, general health & healing, fat mobilization
For these purposes, a dose of 2-3 IUs per day will be sufficient for the majority. A dose of 1.5 to 2.0 IUs is considered to be a full replacement dose for those in their middle-age and beyond.
For gaining lean muscle and substantially improving body composition
For this purpose a dose of 4-8 IUs per day will be necessary. Most people will respond very well at a dose of 4-5 IU's per day.
For maximum benefit in this regard, the addition of Testosterone, Insulin, and low-dose T3 would be something to seriously consider. More on this in our comparative cycle guide of HGH/Insulin/IGF-1.
Regardless of your goal, as a general rule the best way to begin your HGH program is to start with a low dose and ease your body into the higher doses. This will allow you to avoid or at least minimize many of the more common sides of HGH such as bloating and joint pain & swelling. Most people can tolerate up to approximately 2 IUs with few sides, so that would be a good place to start.
For many using this as a general health supplement, that is as high as you will need to go. For others this will be only the start. Above 2.5 3 IUs, I would definitely suggest that your split your injections into two per day instead of one unless it is just not feasible to do so.
Here is what a good ramp up program would look like]Weeks 1-4 = HGH 2 IUs one injection
Week 5 = HGH 2.5 IUss one injection
Week 6 = HGH 3.0 IUss split into two injections of 1.5 IUs each
Week 7 = HGH 3.5 IUs split into two injections of 1.75 IUs each
And so forth until you reach your desired dose.
If at any point in this progression you begin to have unbearable bloating or joint pain, drop the dose by 25% and hold it at this lower dosage for a couple of weeks. If the sides subside, begin your progression back up toward your desired level. If the sides remain, lower your dose again and hold it at the lower level for two weeks before beginning the upward progression. This method will keep your HGH experience a good one and side free for the most part.
For a normal cycle of 5-8 months in length, injecting once or twice a day, 7 days a week should be fine. While there are studies that suggest that the suppression from exogenous HGH is short lived (about 4 hours from injection), there are no large-scale studies to indicate safety of everyday injections in long-term use. There are studies by anti-aging groups demonstrating that a day or two off per week is adequate to protect the pituitary and its triggers over long cycles. If your use of HGH becomes more a lifestyle than a single cycle, I would consider running it 5 on/2 off, or 6 on/ 1 off until such time as we have reliable data demonstrating long-term safety sans any degradation of your own output or the triggers initiating that output.
Another option would be to run your HGH cycle everyday for the first two months to get your IGF-1 levels elevated quickly and to a level to assist you in an anabolic way, then drop back to 5 days a week.
TIMING
As described above, the body produces HGH is a pulsatile fashion throughout the day with the heaviest pulses occurring approximately 2-3 hours after going to bed as you fall into a deep sleep. Injectible HGH is completely absorbed and put to use within approximately 3 hours. The strategy with respect to timing depends somewhat on our age and the other elements of our cycle. As you will see below, there is no single best strategy as it depends a lot on your individual situation.
For those that are between their late 20s and early 50s, there is still a reasonable chance that your own endogenous production of HGH is still at a reasonable level. The best time to take and injection, this being the case, would be early morning …. After your bodys own release of HGH in the night. If you get up to go to the bathroom in the early morning, this is probably the perfect time to take a couple of units of HGH. This will be the least disruptive time to take an injection of HGH. The second best time would be first thing in the morning when you wake up.
If you are splitting your doses, two times of the day when your cortisol levels are at peak are when you wake up and in the early afternoon. Another good strategy is to take your HGH injections at these times. Cortisol is very catabolic by nature and a well -timed HGH injection can go a long way toward blunting this effect.
If you are in your late 50s or beyond, or if for some reason you have a condition that has rendered your pituitary incapable of a normal release of HGH, a great time to take HGH is right before bed. This allows you to closely mimic the natural pattern that would occur if your pituitary were functioning properly. For the rest of us, taking your HGH right before bed is going to end up creating a negative feedback loop, robbing you of your bodys own nightly pulse of HGH.
Yet another strategy should be considered if you are using insulin with your HGH. Insulin should be used immediately post workout. HGH and insulin do some great things together they shuttle nutrients in a very complimentary way with each other, and the combination of HGH and Insulin create the best environment for IGF-1 production. If you are using insulin immediately post workout, this would be a great time to take a couple of units of HGH.
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Originally Posted by Semin
