+ 37 HGH – How much and when to take it….plus some other tidbits
Seems to be a lot of talk lately about HGH, especially when to take and even how much to take so I figured it was good time to give my perspective on this. First off, let me say that I have been using HGH pretty consistently for probably around the past 5 years or so and have tried many different protocols because there seems to be so many damn protocols out there. All these different protocols are confusing with no justification for them, which just muddies things up and has people wondering if they are doing it right. So I want to clear up some of that mud and give you some sound advice so you can make your own informed decision without being confused or wondering if you are doing it right.
All these different HGH dosing and timing protocols will suit different goals. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of them, but some are better suited towards certain goals than others. With this knowledge in hand, you should be able to choose a specific protocol that fits your goals the best and hopefully gives you some piece of mind that you are doing it the right way since this stuff isn’t cheap and you want to get the best bang for your buck.
Before we get into the nitty gritty of things, I highly recommend that you get your baseline IGF levels checked. This will let you know if HGH is even a worthwhile endeavor for you. For most it likely will be, but better safe than sorry. If you have a decent baseline IGF level what is the point in pinning a small, so called replacement dose for anti-aging purposes, doesn’t make sense logically and fiscally to pin exogenous HGH to replace your natty levels. HGH is not additive to natty levels, Just like pinning test is not additive to your natty test. There is a negative feedback loop here once again. Those of you 30+ years in age and especially 40 and us 50+ years in age will probably find your IGF levels really taking a nose dive. Seems to be after 30+ years old they really take a dive and supplemental HGH is likely a good choice, even just for ant-aging purposes and not necessarily for bodybuilding. You young bucks in your 20’s are probably wasting your money on HGH unless you are pushing the dosages for bodybuilding purposes, which is perfectly fine if using it in that regard.
A couple of other points to keep in mind if you are considering a run of HGH. It is not going to turn you into an IFBB pro, you will not gain a ton of muscle and it will take a long time to burn off any significant amount of fat. This is a long-term endeavor. A 100iu kit is not enough for a run of GH. 
so don’t waste your money if that was the plan. Get enough to run your highest projected daily dose (yes, I said run it daily) for at least 4 months to really get something positive out of it, and the longer you run it the better it just keeps getting.
Now that all of that is out of the way, on to the good stuff.
How much should I take
Let’s start off with probably the easiest choice you have to make and that is how much you should be taking. Before we get too far into that though, I just want to point out that the best way to start your HGH regime is to start with a low dose and gradual ramp up the dose (if you plan to go above 2iu/d that is). Doing it this way will help you to avoid or at least minimize some of the undesirable side effects that can come with HGH supplementation. I’m sure you have all heard the horror stories of CTS, bloating, joint pain etc. Ramp it up slowly and you can avoid or minimize most of that.
Let me break the recommended dosages down pretty easy for you.
Anti-aging (2-3iu)
So, to start off most people can handle 2 IU’s per day without any issues and this just happens to be about a full replacement dose for most middle-aged folks for general wellbeing, anti-aging, and healing etc. So just start there, no need to ramp up to that. 3iu is on the upper end of that anti-aging scale and I would ramp up to that if that is where you want to go. Start at 2 iu for a few weeks then go jup 0.5iu every couple of weeks or so and you shouldn’t have any issues and then cruise on your 3iu/d.
Are you going to notice anything earth shattering on 2iu/d? Nope, at least I really didn’t. Might sleep a little better and your beard, nose, ear and back hair grows faster but don’t expect to lose 10lbs of fat or gain 10lbs of muscle. 3iu should start to get you a little more fat loss. 3iu is where I cruise off cycle and the effects I see between 2 vs 3iu are night and day. Recovery after workouts is much better and additional fat loss is definitely noticeable. If 2iu works for you, then just stick with that. This is supposed to be your plan.
Bodybuilding (4-8iu)
Now we get into the fun doses of HGH. (Again, ramp up to these dosages and plan ahead because it can take quite a while to get there) This dosage range will give you accelerated and substantial fat loss, maximum recouperation from your workouts and actually start to build some lean mass due to hyperplasia and that is the name of the game when it comes to bodybuilding and also for those weird powerlifters For the average gym rat I don’t recommend going above 8iu. Dosages higher than that will require other ancillaries to make the most efficient use of it which is beyond the scope of what I want to cover here. 4iu is great, 6 is better and you can imagine what 8iu does. I have ran all these dosages and the steps up in dosage do correlate with greater results, the key is how much can you handle (or afford). I can’t push it above 6iu/d nowadays. I turn into a complete zombie and just want to sleep all day so I have to cap at 6iu now. Even at 6iu the fat melts off me and it is impossible to get sore (DOMS) from my workouts no matter how brutal they are. Recovery is phenomenal. 4iu recovery is still pretty damn good and fat loss is still quite noticeable so that 4-6iu is the optimum range for me. Up to you to find your sweet spot now. At least you know a solid range to shoot for when using for bodybuilding purposes. All I can say is the higher the better if you can handle it but even at 4iu you definitely will reap the rewards.
When getting up into the bodybuilding dosage range, I highly recommend that you start splitting the dosages into multiple times/day. This will help to alleviate a lot of the potential side effects. Still makes me sleepy above 6iu/d, but the joint pain/swelling, CTS and water retention are much less. This is a good lead into timing of your HGH.
When to take your HGH
There are several optimal times when to take your HGH which I will spell out here and a lot of it just depends on your specific goal and/or age, so take your HGH when it seems most advantageous to you. To lay it out plain and simple there are basically 3 optimum times I see when it is most advantageous to take your HGH. These are:
- First thing in the morning (particularly while fasted)
- Preworkout
- Bedtime
Morning shot
This is one of the most common times you hear people recommend taking HGH and there are good reasons for taking it in the morning. There are a couple of times during the day that cortisol spikes in the body, one of these times is early morning. Hopefully you all know that high levels of cortisol are very catabolic, i.e. bad. Hitting a shot of HGH right away in the morning will help blunt the catabolic effects of cortisol and shift you into a more anabolic state. Catabolic bad, anabolism good
Now time that morning shot while you are in a fasted state and you can also accelerate the fat burning properties of HGH. This is due to the fact that HGH releases glucose and fatty acids to circulation, (it basically takes your stored fat and releases it into the bloodstream for energy use). Stay away from carbs for an hour so after taking it to maximize fat burning. Once you introduce carbs your body will start burning those for fuel and blunt the lipolysis from the HGH. Shot of HGH first thing in the morning, then some fasted cardio to really burn off those free fatty acids in the bloodstream and you now have the golden ticket for fat loss. Now, keep the fat burning train rolling by eating the perfect breakfast after your cardio which I have laid out here:
https://www.eroids.com/forums/newbie-corner/diet/the-perfect-breakfast
So, morning is just overall a fantastic time for HGH. You get the double whammy of blunting cortisol and accelerated fat burning.
Preworkout
Preworkout is a good time for a shot of HGH. (Assuming you workout late afternoon/early evening is where you get the best bang for buck with a shot of it). Once again cortisol is spiking around this time and a shot of GH will blunt that nasty cortisol. It will also help mobilize fatty acids once again and provide more energy for your workouts and enhanced fat burning just like when you took it in the morning. It will also be peaking around your post workout meal and help provide some nutrient shuttling to promote anabolism. So, as you can see, prewo is another perfect time to take it.
Bedtime
This is probably a good time for those of you using it for anti-aging purposes with tanked IGF levels.
If sleep is a big issue for you then you may want to try hitting your HGH at bedtime to simulate when your body would have naturally had its highest pulse. One of the big positives many rave about is the improved sleep it provides. If you already sleep like a baby, then stick to morning or prewo.
Splitting up doses
So, what about splitting up doses? Glad you asked. I highly recommend splitting your dose of HGH when you get above 3iu. Main reason is that this really helps to alleviate those nasty side effects I mentioned earlier like CTS and water retention. The other reason is that you can really optimize its effects by pinning at a couple of those different times I mentioned and reap all those benefits multiple times a day. Why would you pass that up
There you have it. Hopefully now you can make a more informed decision on how to set up your run of HGH for optimal results and some of the muddy water has been cleared up.
- Bookmark
- 37
- 0
@Makwa Hope you are alright buddy with the lung situation, haven't seen you in 5 days now
This article is excellent
Thanks for sharing.
@Makwa excellent stuff, brother. So, I workout in the morning due to my schedule with kids and work. I usually have a protein shake and oats in the morning as my breakfast/pre workout meal. You mentioned carbs can dull the effects of GH but also stated that the GH can help utilize fat for energy. If I skip the oats in the morning, will the GH provide enough energy from fat so I won’t need carbs pre-workout? Because if that’s the case, I will definitely switch to morning/pre-workout dose.
Just started the GH and dosing at night. If I dose in the morning for the reasons above, will the GH still help with sleep 16 hours later, or would I need to split the doses to get the best of both worlds? Thank you brother.
Great article. Thank you!
This was an awesome write up, thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge!!!
great write up, i used to look at your old comments on various HGH threads before i started a regiment and always valued your input.
i’ve been on growth for four months now, majority of the time on 4iu. ramped up to 6iu about a week ago just to see what happens, and so far so good. nothing negative. i plan to stay here for another few months and possibly ramp to 8iu just to see if there’s any benefit.
the only other PED i am on is test at 250mg/w. my goal is to see how honest of a physique i can get with just low dose test and hgh.
That fat loss gets pretty massive at 6+ iu. I would love to run it at those higher doses but I just become a zombie. As long as you can handle it you see a difference in results pretty rapidly. I really wouldn’t push it over 8iu though without some extra ancillary compounds to make it worth while and get the most bang for your buck
When you say “see a difference in results pretty rapidly” is that just in terms of fat loss, or the new muscle growth as well?
Fat loss. Takes a bit for hyperplasia and then you still have to grow those baby muscle fibers which will happen the next cycle down the road.
I have been taking gh for over 3 years now at about 1.5-2iu's a day and notice there is a definite change in my body composition. I am in my 40's and people always tell me I look way younger. Not sure if it's the gh but am sure it has something to do with it.
I plan on staying on it indefinitely but someone told me it is good to take time off.
I have taken time off (not by choice) because I forgot to order. Should I be taking a break from it if not using it for bodybuilding? Can I just cruise indefinitely?
Essentially with a replacement dose like you are doing you could do indefinitely. Especially useful as we get older and our natty production plummets.
Great info! What's a good starting point for women?
Totally agree though, No point in going much above 5iu without T3. It would just be wasted completely. There's a lot to this compound that's for sure. Thanks!
Why is T3 needed if going above 5iu ?
Higher doses long term can knock it down a bit but you need to confirm with bloodwork. Most won’t encounter any issues with the doses we are talking about here though.
Always good to monitor thyroid when using gh. I've seen it raise T3 in my own blood work and lower T4 in others who may be predisposed to thyroid problems.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18941435/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1295815/
Thanks for the reply.
Correct as Mak says, but if perhaps your naturally on the low range of free T3, the GH won't do much for fat loss or muscle building. Any slight inhibition in T4--T3 conversion, your shutting down your production. I should have been a little more specific by saying that using five IU or more GH along with Tren, then you might want to consider a very low dose like 12mcg. It's also going dependent if you're looking for crazy fat loss like into the single digits, then it could be helpful in boosting that metabolism. Although be it messing with the thyroid can be very dangerous or risky. It is not recommended for the common GH user unless like Mak says you're doing blood monitoring. You can easily up your own t4 to t3 conversion by making sure you have enough Trace nutrients like selenium zinc copper in your diet. That compound doesn't discriminate and will chew up fat along with muscle. You can easily send yourself into a negative feedback loop. Same goes for having too much GH and not enough T3 being produced. I think titrating up to a low dose of t3 could be beneficial for the advanced user. When I made that post I was assuming that anybody using five IU or more is obviously an advanced user. In which supplementing could be beneficial, in terms of really getting shredded or next level fat loss. It's definitely not a compound to just jump right into, I've ran it a couple times in the past with great results, but I remember coming off I had to take low dose iodine, which I use in the form of sea moss pills to get things going again. But again too much of either or, can have a negative feedback loop. GH/t3. That's why it's good to know your levels before even touching that compound, and monitoring throughout the cycle. The last thing you want to do is go hypo/hyper. To me it's just not worth the risk. Most are going to be fine at that dose of five IU. But when you start going to like 8iu, well GH gurus have a hypothesized, that you may just be wasting that extra GH above 5iu. I can't say that's a fact. Everyone is different with our hormone levels as you know, but this isn't one to be messed with looking back at my post, I would have rather not commented. I was really interested in the fact that it can age the HGH in protein synthesis, getting some bulk on while you shed the fat. If I had to weigh having a glorious recomp with lifelong or permanent thyroid damage, to me it's just not worth it. Mak is right about long term GH use. Most of us don't run it a year straight or years at a time but some do. Most of us aren't stepping on stage so the risk versus reward just isn't there. Personally I will not go about five IU as I will not be touching T3 again and I don't want to be pissing money down the drain with such an expensive compound as GH. They are both definitely a gas pedal with a synergistic effect with each other. Taking it standalone without GH is pretty much pointless also. It's definitely a contest prep drug where guys will use it for four or five months. Having too much can skyrocket your heart rate which isn't good as you know. Having too much of either or just isn't good that's why I personally will cap gh at five IU for recomp effects + bulking. I should have said if you're an advanced user, and going far about five IU while using tren, you may want to consider supplementation. With blood monitoring. You definitely do not want to screw up your thyroid out of all things. Sorry for the belated and long ass reply, hope I've added a little insight
Thanks for the detailed reply --
Anti-aging for a woman would be around 1.5-2iu tops. Just depends how high you want to go from there and what sides can be tolerated with higher doses. Many women fitness competitors are happy with 4iu as part of a fatloss and muslce building regime Bikinis are pretty conservative at around 2iu for most that I know. Have to say though I am not to familiar with women going above 4iu.. 4iu is the high end for most of them which really has to be worked up to. This dose also puts them into the muscle bodybuilding realms of dosages for women and they can build some good lean mass over a 4-6 month period. I personally wouldn't recommend a woman to go higher though. It won't turn them into a guy like AAS would but the need for higher doses really isn't justified for most women.
Appreciate the insight thanks Mak! My wife is still contemplating running a cycle of it primarily for anti-aging and fat loss. She does light workouts and eats a good diet so she has been fine with that, primarily she is hoping it may boost her libido at age 43 for the most part. She also wants to slow down the grays coming in. She's a bit jelly of me at times lol
She might notice a little fat loss at 1.5-2iu, most likely at 2iu but most of the bikini/fitness competitors like I mentioned are running it at 2-3iu for fatloss. That seems to be the trigger point for noticeable fatloss. Most of the non-pros aren't going above 4iu though. I haven't much about it boosting libido though.
Nicely laid out post and great info. Appreciate your time and knowledge putting it together.
I started HGH myself this past month and in a hurry as always LOL. I started to high at 4 IU giving me several lbs of water retention and numb hands at night. I backed the dose to around 2IU a day split morning and bed. Working up to 3IU now and water retention is all, but gone now. Still get the occasional numb hand feeling but not as often.
Im staying around 3 IU for anti-aging and help staying lean as I get older. Im past adding alot of size at my age more just staying lean and in great shape.
One thing I still wonder about is body size to dosing . Just seems like a lean ripped guy like me at 190lbs would require less IU's vs a guy say 250lbs for the same level of affect. . My 3IU dose maybe the same as you taking 4-5 IU with more body mass?.
3iu really seems to be about the perfect cruise dose. That is where I typically stay. I really don't think body sizing has much to do with how much of a dose you need. You just need to look at your IGF levels and make sure they are elevated to the levels you desire whether you are 250 or 190, it is doing the same effect.
Sounds right to me. I'm taking 2.5 iu a day on average right now working towards 3iu.
No sides to speak of since I dropped from 4iu which have me alot of water retention.
Ive also ran some of the highest quality UGL and also real pharm HGH and both seem to give me the same feelings good and bad.
The only notable effects so far since starting HGH have been better sleep/more rested feeling. Its only been over a month so don't expect much for a while.
The improved sleep would be good for me. Sounds good at 2.5 IU. You might could stay there depending on a few factors. It's good that you dropped due to sides.
I can notice the better sleep within a week or so, even when just taking 1 shot in the morning. I have a sleep disorder and even a tiny bit more sleep is noticeable. Being less sore after a workout should show up soon after getting above 3iu for awhile.
Im a poor sleeper also my whole like. With HGH maybe sleep 4-6 hrs now which is great for me.
I plan on doing my TRT labs plus IGF-1/GH first of Jan.
Great write up man
Thank you vey much
Well written and informative Makwa, respect. I posted some IGF-1/GH serum bloodwork. I don’t understand why I had elevated GH levels but dismal IGF-1 numbers. If you have the time to shed some light, it would be much appreciated
PM'd you.
This is spot on very good work. Step by step guide. It’s definitely not a quick fix it’s one thing that works at a microscopic level. Appreciate you taking time write this
GH is another one of those patient man's compounds.
Great article thank you Makwa. Have been running a well known UGL brand of HGH for the last few months stepping up from 4iU to 5iU in the past month. I do tend to feel tired often yet have trouble sleeping. Dose is split first thing in morning and second 10 hours later at 4pm.
It’s probably too early to tell if it’s working. My question is: given the vast price gap do you believe there is a vast difference of quality/purity between well known UGL and pharma grade?
I don't believe there is a vast difference between quality now. Look at some of the janos (yeah I know its from jano
, but still) purity is just as good and some pharma and some even show zero dimers. There is some really good, consistent UGL HGH available, basically making it affordable for anyone to at least give it one good run. 10yrs ago I would have given you a different answer, but not today.
For all we know, Jano it's just using a roid test kit at home to identify compounds and spitting out numbers. We don't know. Dude was straight busted red-handed. after that I can never look at any of his testing without taking it for a grain of salt. After the beaker and Angus debacle it just adds further distrust. How does a bad reputation all of the sudden become trusted? It's just something I'm personally a wee bit skeptical about that's all
Thanks for reply. Given I’ve been running now for a few months without sides, do you think it worthwhile to up again to 6iU? Have not seen benefits yet at current doses. I know it’s not like gear where you see a sudden and dramatic physical change but still would have expected to see some effect by now.
It is worth a shot to crank up the dose and see what happens.
Depending on how lean you are, and how much muscle you carry.. results from HGH can vary. I definitely noticed a difference within the first 100iu i did. Fuller, tighter, more 3D, but leaner at a heavier weight. HGH is a long game. You slowly just get better and better. Quality wise. Working up to 5iu daily (shot IM in morning fasted) I added 20lbs of lean tissue to my frame while getting leaner in under a year. Now in my 2nd year i haven’t jumped up as fast in weight but the overall quality of my physique has improved more and more.
I think HGH is best done fasted before morning cardio. Always shot IM. (IM is superior to subq. Fact. IV is even superior to both but I’m not that hardcore.)
Haven’t noticed too much difference from say 4iu-6iu. Thats my personal sweet spot. Anything above that 6.6iu/day makes me much too bloated, lethargic, and BG shoots up much too high. And I don’t use insulin so I prefer to keep it at 3.3iu-6.6iu. Anything less is just for longevity. Anything more I feel I’d need insulin to balance out the BG. But I’m a huge supporter of HGH. Nothing has helped me grow into new dimensions like HGH does. It really shines if you’ve already been using AAS for years and have maxed out your frame muscle wise. THEN add hgh and see yourself transform.
Hey bro, do you have specific areas where you IM inject? I mainly use sub q for fat reduction. I know some like to pin pecs.
I’ve always done IM HGH injections into my deltoids. Switching sides each day. Just the way I’ve always done it.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2439518/
Interesting read^^^
Started pinning delts two days ago since your suggestion. Fairly lean there so hopefully going IM even with an insulin pin.
Have always pinned subq into stomach. Will try IM from now on. Many thanks for the detailed post.
Very interesting points. Great break down. You and I will be talking about a few things. Love the fact that you're emphasizing results varying depending on how lean one is. We are not all the same so I get it.
I mean.. everything (AAS & HGH) works “better” when one is lean. As in, one sees results more easily. And the visual effects the PEDs have on the body are more pronounced. One can really see what the drugs can do when you’re lean. (single digit BF%)
Well you and I have talked about the one shoe size approach not being totally accurate for everyone. Yes us humans are the same but a little different lol
If I could go back to the beginning, I’d tell myself to get shredded lean first and learn how to get lean with diet and cardio alone before trying anything PED related. Never been high BF% but even starting enhancement at say 15% BF isn’t as optimal as single digit. Simply starting PEDs lean would cure up so many side effects for people they wouldn’t otherwise have. IMO
For sure. Starting with a lean foundation should be a prerequisite before even using gear period. Too many times I've seen guys attempt to lose weight using gear. It's mind boggling but hey some folks want the easy way out or they want results asap. Not how it works unfortunately. We're definitely on the same page with our thinking
What does your bloodwork say?
I haven’t had bloods done. I’m 43 years old running 5iU for the past few months.
Your muscles will fill out in a nice way. Definitely will be leaner, but as far as being stronger it didn't do much. Always kept it at a mediocre 3iu and the highest was 6iu. Stuff will have you taking naps if it's legitimate so be ready. Quality is a big one here and that's what you want. Otherwise your going to waste a lot of money. Good information here for others. I never tried the pre workout time so I might give that a whirl. Thanks for your feedback and experience brother.