IGF-1, every thign you wanted to know and then soem shit you didn't
There is a lot of info in this post, covering basic IGF-1 information, and how to cycle and how to put together with other peptides mainly HGH, though a lil talk about AAS is in there as well this is literally every thing I could find on it in the past 3 weeks, that is worth any thing.It is a lot but I hope this helps man, it is worth the reading.
This a link to some basic info on IGF -1 I have been looking into it for some time now from what I have been researching, it is best used in 12 week cycles with 100mcg being the upper dose for a given day. Bilateral, injections should be the way to go to avoid the fact that it has a habit of begin more active in the location of injection. Though this is not necessarily needed, multiple injections are needed, even if you happen to be using the LR3 variant of it.here is a real basic crash course:
Insulin-like Growth Factor LR3 (IGF-1)
IGF-1 (Long R3 IGF-1) Dose:
Light: 20 mcg
Common: 40 mcg
Large: 80 mcg
IGF-1 is injected post work out (PWO) or in the AM on non workout days for 4-6 week intervals. Do not exceed 100mcg.
Insulin-like Growth Factor (Long-R3 IGF-1), an 83 amino acid analog of IGF-1 is a highly anabolic hormone released primarily in the liver with the stimulus of growth hormone (HGH).
IGF-1 is the most potent growth factor found in the body and causes muscle cell hyperplasisa.
Freeze dried (lyophilized) IGF-1 (in powder state) should be stored in the freezer (-18 degrees celsius).
Example Long r3 IGF-1 kit contains:
1000mcg of lyophilized (freeze dried) Long R3 IGF-1
2 mls of 0.6% Acetic Acid (AA)
30ml Sodium Chloride (NaCL) as buffer
Dilute the IGF-1 peptide with 2mls of Acetic Acid (.6%). Assuming (*DO NOT ASSUME*) Acetic Acid (AA) will yield the correct pH balance of your research peptide.
Note: This creates a concentration of 500mcg/ml. So each 1/10 of a ML is 50mcg’s.
Draw the desired amount of IGF in to a syringe. Desired amount should be the approx dosage wanted.
Example- 2mls AA used to reconstitute IGF-1 1mg vial means 5 units on a U100 insulin syringe would equal 25mcg IGF-1 LR3
Pre-load your syringes at 5iu (25mcg IGF-1). Divide your IGF-1 into 40 syringes for storage in the freezer.
Thaw prior to administration. Draw from your NaCL after thawed to buffer (.5ml is enough).
Unknown whether injecting IGF-1 to increase muscle growth is efficacious. Many believe in the value of this powerful growth factor. Question currently is whether IGF-1 is effective when not manufactured by the tissues themselves.
It is possible to go into hypoglycemia fro IGF-1 supplementation. Effect is dose dependent.
Here is another crash course on IGF-1 this time the LR3 variant this covers the basics:
Long R3 IGF-1 ...
For those not familiar with this compound can you tell us a little about it?
"IGF-1 is basically a polypeptide hormone that has the same some of the same molecular properties as insulin. In fact, IGF actually stands for insulin-like growth factor. IGF-1 is primarily responsible for long bone growth in children and it also affects muscle growth and repair of adults. Long R3 IGF-1 is a more potent version of IGF-1. It's chemically altered to prevent deactivation by IGF-1 binding proteins in the bloodstream. This results in a longer half-life of 20-30 hours instead of 20 min.
What benefits can it offer the bodybuilder?
IGF-1 greatly boosts muscle mass by inducing a state of muscle hyperplasia (increase in number of new muscle cells) in the body,.
How does its effects compare to that of Growth Hormone?
"Long R3 IGF-1 can directly stimulate muscle growth when compared to growth hormone (GH). This is because GH indirectly results in growth and repair by first inducing IGF-1 release in the liver.If you don't have to worry about IGF-1 release in the liver (because your directly injecting the IGF-1), new growth will be optimized."
Is there a benefit to using both of these substances together?
"Many research studies have shown that GH and IGF-1 act synergistically to augment the effect of either hormone taken individually. So, the greatest results will take place when effective dosages of both hormones are injected. Usually 10-20mcg of IGF-1 (post workout) and 2-4IU GH (with breakfast) is the ideal stack for optimal reults and minimal side effects.
Certain steroids such as NPP and Trenbolone (to name just two) actually increase IGF-1 production. Could someone still benefit from adding it if they were using one of these substances?
"The IGF-1 that's produced from the use of fast acting Nandrolone or Trenbolone is nothing signficant when you compare to the amount that's contained in a single 10mcg Long R3 injection. Having said that, it's safe to inject exogenous IGF-1 while taking either one of these compounds.
Is IGF-1 of greater or lesser value when it comes to healing injured tissue?
"Tissue build up is one of the main features of IGF-1, so I'd say it's of greater value. IGF-1 can genetically change muscular and cellular counts within the body; it can also enhance the body's ability to regenerate damaged tissue. In fact, IGF-1 is now under intensive research for its potential to repair tissue in burn patients, and for its regenerative effects on AIDS patients suffering from muscular wasting. Immediate effects are, of course, impossible to observe since it takes a respectable amount of time to see any visible changes in muscular repair."
Due to its effects on insulin should diabetics exercise caution when using it?
"Not really; aside from the fact that "more is not better", there's no known lethal risk of administering IGF-1 to diabetic patients. In fact, IGF-1 can reduce the body's need for insulin, and according to one short study, it can reduce insulin dependence of the body by as high as 45%. This may bring very promising results if we are allowed to study this matter further. If anyone experiences any uncomfortable side effects, stop it's usage and see if the side effect disappear."
What is the difference between LONG R-3 IGF-1 and the standard IGF-1?
"Just as it was mentioned earlier, Long R3 IGF-1 is a chemically altered version of IGF-1. It has added amino acid chains that prevent it from being deactivated by IGF-1 binding proteins in the bloodstream. This gives Long R3 IGF-1 a much longer half-life. It's the 83 amino acid equivalent of IGF-1 that consists of the complete human IGF-1 sequence substituting the Glu (E) to the Arg(R) at position three. The structure also has an added 13 amino acid extension peptide by the N terminus. Overall it's a more biologically active version of the original IGF-1."
How is IGF-1 best mixed and stored?
"Assuming that we use the lyophilized form (dry powder) of Long R3 IGF-1, equivalent to a 1000 mcg vial, it is best prepared by using 1ml or 2ml of acetic acid. Let the acetic acid seep into the vile after removing the vacuum from the container. Then, let the mixture in the vial sit for a while. Put it in the fridge where the IGF-1 mixture can dissolve without accidentally knocking the vial or shaking its contents. Then afterwards, it's all about diluting your Long R3 IGF-1 in NaCl or bacteriostatic water before intra-muscular or subcutaneous entry."
What is the best way to use it in your opinion?
"The best way to use it is to use it in regulated dosages. Ususal dosages of Long R3 IGF-1 are 10mcg to around 50mcg per day. IGF is usually available by the milligram (1000mcg), which is equivalent to using 20mcg a day for 50 days. But for the most part, the actual dosage depends upon how much the person is able to spend on Long R3 IGF-1, although most are usually satisfied with the 20mcg per day dosage. Additionally, IGF is also best taken either IM or subcutaneously, having more direct effects on the body when injected. It's also recommended to be taken during the morning or after weight training sessions."
Is there a benefit to using it bi-laterally in trained muscles after workouts?
"Well, if one feels like getting both sides to grow equally for a shorter time, then I guess yes, there are certain benefits. There are some bodybuilders who practice this method because they feel like one part of their muscle group grows faster than others. And some just like the idea of being able to develop multiple muscle groups simultaneously. The truth is that once injected, the IGF-1 enters the bloodstream and doesn't stay, locally, in the particular muscle it was injected into. By that token, IGF-1 might as well be injected into a single injection site."
What is the best dosage and length of cycle?
"The regular dosage of most users of Long R3 IGF-1 is 20mcg a day. The 20mcg value is acquired from the total amount that you have to take within 50 days. It's usually already effective at this rate, as it is enough to be fully absorbed by the body to achieve the desired effect. Most users and even bodybuilders alike are also satisfied with the said dosage, although they may take the dosage at different times during the day than others. Too much IGF-1 will result in downregulation of IGF-1 receptors on the surface of muscle cells. This will essentially hault any gains from the injected IGF-1 since very little receptors means very little response!"
Are effects more immediate than with GH use?
"Yes, based on the facts mentioned earlier, effects are more immediate. IGF-1 is the compound that directly reacts with the proteins in the body, and consequently also directly effects muscle and tissue growth. GH on the other hand, is only the one who signals the other compounds to react (IGF-1 being one of those compounds), making the process quite slower. Therefore, effects are definitely quicker and faster when you use IGF-1 instead of ordinary GH."
Finally, are any side effects attached to its use?
"IGF-1 is commonly known to cause feelings of fatigue. Some people feel very tired quickly when using this compound. It can, however, be looked at in a more positive light since more sleep means better growth. Other side effects include muscular stiffness, headaches, occasional nausea, and some also claim that it's sometimes responsible for hypoglycemia or low blood sugar."
It like many other peptides work best when your diet is optimized and you are already in a solid training phase. It will help with fat loss, and muscle, in fact this is what HGH eventually turns into, though there is more to it then a simple break down. Like HGH it can benefit from the use of some form of AAS ( the use of testosterone would be best even in a modest dosage of 250mg/ week would help out dramatically with the IGF-1) Then there is of course the co-administration of HGH with IGF-1 which is what I am currently researching the best resource I have found on this particular combo also included Insulin, which frankly only the top 1% of body builders should be using and only after a very very ling time of research, and only after a program has been laid out with a doctor, this is not some thing to take lightly Insulin can and will kill you if you fuck up, that in mid I will attempt to filter out the Insulintalk as best I can so yeah bear with the log ass post.
This is a cycle I will be planning to implement in the near future, fro my IGF-1 / HGH usage along with a rather hefty AAS blast. Teh use of the T3 may as well be implemented, but I will cross that road when I get there, though I dis-like the shakes I get from it. Credit where it is due the author of thsi article, has steered me in the right direction a few times.
Putting it all together - HGH + IGF-1 + Insulin – by RedBaron
A basic peptide cycle guide for the lazy man
There are volumes of studies available regarding the use of HGH, IGF-1 (and all its variants), and Insulin, but for the most part coming up with a good cycle incorporating all of these is a tedious process and requires more of an investment in time pouring over studies and other reading than most people wish to invest. The following is put forth as a basic guide. It is meant to be a quick and simple reference as to what a cycle including all three of these components might look like and a brief description of the action of each of the components. This is in no wise intended to be a comprehensive guide, a technical document, nor is it presented as the ONLY way to run a cycle such as this. This is merely as an example of one method that will definitely yield results. Myself and several athletes and all levels of competition have used the basic cycle principles below with good success over the last few years. You will certainly want to tweak this for your particular application, but this should at least get you headed in the right direction.
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAG EIS A LIST OF ARTICLES AND STUDIES ON IGF-1 FRO YOUR READING PLEASURE.
THE CYCLE
Weeks 1- (20-30) – HGH – On 5/ off 2
Weeks 1-5, 11-15, (21-25)
• 2 – 3 IU’s - first thing in the morning on workout days – early afternoon on non-workout days
Weeks 6-10, 16-20, (26-30)
• 2 – 3 IU’s first thing in the morning
All HGH injected subQ into abdomen, obliques, fronts of the thighs, and upper triceps
Weeks 1-5, 11-15, (21-25) – Long R3 IGF-1 – Every day
80 – 100 mcg’s intramuscular
• post work out on workout days
• first thing in the morning on non-workout days
OPTIONAL Addition to above cycle
Weeks 1- (20-30) T3 or T4 - Every Day
one of the following –
• 12.5 mcgs - 25 mcgs T3 taken once each day
-or –
• 100 mcgs T4 taken once each day
[alternative method if additional fat loss is necessary - Only use if sufficient AAS cycle is present to protect and support lean tissue and use only during the weeks of LR3 injections to avoid any potential negative impact to our IGF levels by increased IGF binding proteins. The 13 amino acid side chain of LR3 IGF-1 has specifically been engineered to resist being impressed by or bound to IGFBP’s, so any increase in the below ramp up/down will not kill your IGF levels. A reasonable dose AAS component of the cycle will further protect lean tissue from being used for fuel. In absence of these above-mentioned components, you won’t want to run your T3 above 50mcgs per day. It will begin to elevate IGFBP’s and will dismantle and burn through hard-earned muscle proteins quicker than you could imagine.]
Weeks 1-5, 11-15, (21-25) T3 Every Day
For each of the 5 week runs of T3:
Days 1-3 25 mcgs
Days 4-6 50 mcgs
Days 7-9 75 mcgs
Days 10 - 20 100 mcgs
Days 21 - 24 75 mcgs
Days 25 - 27 50 mcgs
Days 28 - 30 25 mcgs
Days 31 - 35 12.5 mcgs
DESCRIPTION OF THE ELEMENTS OF THIS CYCLE
HGH
HGH should ideally be used for 20-30 week cycles (or longer). The dosage should be between 2-3IU per day if you are using GH primarily for fat loss, 4-8 IU’s a day for both fat loss and muscle growth, and approximately 1.0 – 2.0 IU’s a day for females. It is best to split your injections 1/2 first thing in the morning, 1/2 early afternoon if your dose is above 3.0 IU’s per day. Your pituitary will naturally produce an average of 6 or so pulses of GH per day, the mega pulse being 2 hours after we fall asleep. Each injection you take will create a negative feedback loop that as suggested by a couple of studies will suppress these pulses for an approximate 4 hours. By taking your injections first thing in the morning and early afternoon you will still allow your body to release its biggest pulse, which normally occurs shortly after going to sleep at night, as well as blunting the effects of cortisol, the two biggest peaks of which are occurring at these same times (early morning, early afternoon).
When starting out with your HGH cycle, for most people it is wise to begin you dose at 1.5 – 2.0IU per day for the first couple of weeks, and then begin increasing your dose by 0.5 unit every week or two until you reach your desired level. While it isn't an absolute necessity to do this, if you are sensitive to the type of sides HGH present you will often times avoid these sides of joint pain/swelling, CTS, and bloating/water retention by slowly acclimating to your ultimate 4-5 IU/day goal.
You should use an U100 insulin syringe for injecting HGH, and inject it subQ into your abdomen, obliques, top of thighs, triceps. Rotate injection sites. HGH can have a small-localized fat loss benefit, so keep this in mind when choosing your injection sites.
IGF-1
When HGH makes it pass through the liver, a release of IGF-1 is a result. IGF-1 appears to be a key player in muscle growth. It stimulates both the differentiation and proliferation of myoblasts. It also stimulates amino acid uptake and protein synthesis in muscle and other tissues. While HGH will cause an increase in your IGF-1 level over the course of a few months, HGH has a cumulative effect, so our addition of IGF-1 will greatly speed up the time to results.
There are two types of IGF-1 that will typically be used by bodybuilders. One is bio-identical huIGF-1, a 70 amino acid string. The other is Long R3 IGF-1, which is an 83 amino acid analog of human IGF-I comprising the complete human IGF-I sequence with the substitution of an Arg for the Glu at position 3 (hence R3), and a 13 amino acid extension peptide at the N-terminus (hence the long). This 13 amino acid "side chain" helps prevent the IGF-1 from being so easily bound by binding proteins, and thus increases its active window exponentially. Which of these you use depends on your goal.
HuIGF-1 is very short lived in the body (probable half life of approximately 10 minutes). This type of IGF-1 is very useful if you are seeking local site growth. Since it is so short lived, little if any of the IGF-1 makes it to other tissues and IGF-1 receptors in other parts of the body. The way to inject this is immediately post work out into the muscle that you wish to have local site growth. Use a U100 insulin syringe, and inject 100 - 300 mcg’s (in some cases more) bilaterally into the desired muscle immediately post workout. For this type of IGF-1, I would use it workout days only.
For Long R3 IGF-1, it isn’t as critical that you inject into a local site as long R3 has a active window of many hours (if not days), and is designed specifically to resist being bound by IGF binding proteins.
Since it is common to reconstitute this type of IGF-1 with Benzyl Alcohol, Acetic Acid, or Hydrochloric Acid, I would still recommend that you inject intra-muscular. While for some purposes of nerve regrowth and other medical recovery purposes subQ is a somewhat superior injection method, it can and probably will leave a nice red irritated spot for a couple of weeks if you inject subQ, and it is not superior for our purposes of muscle growth anyway.
I still inject into a muscle just worked to take advantage of increased IGF-1 receptors present as a result of tearing down muscles with my workout, but because of the long activity window of this type of IGF-1 any muscle will work well and give you good results. I would suggest that you inject between 80 – 120 mcg’s per day everyday immediately post workout on workout days, and first thing in the morning on non-workout days.
The added bonus of using LR3 in our cycle is that fat loss will be accomplished while still eating a great number of clean calories per day. You will visibly see yourself leaning out from a couple of weeks in on while using LR3 at doses suggested here.
Use a U-100 insulin syringe with 1/2" needle to inject IGF-1 intramuscular (bilaterally for HuIGF-1, bilaterally optional for Long R3)
T3 or T4
HGH can (but certainly not universally) have a slight inhibitory effect on your thyroid. For most people this is minimal and does not require any additional thyroid be taken, but if you wish to augment protein synthesis as well as give yourself a slight metabolic boost in thyroid without shutting down your own production, you can add 12.5mcg of T3 or 50mcgs of T4 daily to your HGH, IGF-1, and Insulin cycle. This will aid both in bulking and cutting.
If you add T3 or T4 to your cycle, you should also consider taking some thyroid support supplements such as t-100x, bladderwrack, and coleus forskolin. You should check and make sure your intake of trace minerals (selenium, zinc, copper) is sufficient to aid in the conversion of T4 to T3.
If you are going to take more than 12.5 mcg of T3 or 50mcgs of T4, a wise method is to cycle the dose both up and down to avoid a rebound effect when going off the T3 portion of your cycle. While many profess they don’t suffer from this rebound problem, I can personally attest to MANY that do. If you don’t have a desire to find out whether you are one of the lucky ones or not, consider the ramp up/down to minimize the rebound. It is a real bummer to lose a bunch of fat only to pack it right back on because your metabolism is in the toilet for many weeks post thyroid cycling. The other consideration is that T3 is very indiscriminant in it stoking of the metabolic fire. It will happily burn both fat and lean tissue (muscle proteins are really attractive, easy marks), so I would only recommend its use at much above 25mcgs of T3 or 100mcgs of T4 per day (and definitely if used at 50mcgs of T3 or 200mcgs of T4 or above - at which point IGFBP's will rise significantly enough to be a consideration) if you are on a reasonably healthy anabolic cycle to protect your lean tissue. For strictly our use with an HGH cycle and use in assisting with protein synthesis, 12.5mcg of T3 or 50mcgs of T4 will be sufficient and will not be problematic.
Also another consideration if cycling in higher doses, cycle your T3 in conjunction with your LR3 IGF-1 use. The thought behind this is that LR3 binds poorly to IGFBP's, so you will be able to use an elevated dose of T3 (which will likely increase IGFBP's) and still keep elevated IGF-1 levels. I would suggest that use of T3 above 25mcg's or T4 at doses above 100mcgs or so would not be advisable for too many 5 weeks segments of your complete cycle. As one of the major "anabolic" benefits of HGH use is elevated IGF-1 levels, we don't want to create an environment of radically increased IGF binding proteins. Abuse of T3 or T4 will go a long way in creating that environment hostile to IGF-1.
Well, I think that about covers the basic peptide suite …all that is needed to complete this cycle is the addition of your preferred anabolic portion of the cycle –a simple testosterone combo (cyp, e, prop, etc.) or a more complex cycle. In either event, add something along those lines and you have a great combination that can be tailored for whatever your goals may be.
I hope this guide helps get you going on the right path. Happy growing!
RedBaron
The following was compiled from articles by The Red Barron / Leigh Penman / Basskilleronline / as well as a few other sites, and articles. I have taken the time to post the full cycle outline, as well as a few primer blurbs on IGF-1 and the IGF-1 LR3. I am not completely up to speed on the latest info regarding IGF-1 but I have been researching it heavily lately since I had the opportunity to get Pharmaceutical grade gear in a good quantity. The, combination of HGH and IGF-1 seems to be the most common one out there ( though the inclusion of T-3/4 is common as well and as such reflected in the post), hence the posting to reflect such. Any way I hope this helps, or at least lays out the basics. I will continue to add to this thread as I do more research.
~ Compiled by Neopriitive~
** This is a list of articles and studies that I found interesting on IGF-1 **
IGF1 insulin-like growth factor 1 (somatomedin C) [ Homo sapiens (human) ]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3479
-An over View of IGF-1
http://www.phosphosite.org/proteinAction.do?id=14685&showAllSites=true
- IGF-1 Receptor Inhibitors in Clinical Trials
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2728362/
-Alternate-day fasting and chronic disease prevention: a review of human and animal trials1,2,3
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/86/1/7.full
- Molecular defects of IGF1
http://www.cme.hsc.usf.edu/growthladder/presentations/files/19 Molecular Defects- JW.pdf
-IGF1 Shows Benefit in SBMA Mice
http://quest.mda.org/news/igf1-shows-benefit-sbma-mice
-Modifying IGF1 activity: an approach to treat endocrine disorders, atherosclerosis and cancer
http://www.ym.edu.tw/bps/paper/0521 Modifying IGF.pdf
-Circulating levels of IGF-1 directly regulate bone growth and density
http://www.jci.org/articles/view/15463
- Growth Hormone, IGF-1,and metabolism
http://www.cecentral.com/assets/1624/men08146-03_content_FINAL_web.pdf
-Utility of Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 as a Biomarker in Epidemiologic Studies
http://www.clinchem.org/content/48/12/2248.full
