If you want to start earning millions like the richest bodybuilders in the world, you’ve got to start optimizing your workouts. One way to build muscle like these multimillionaires is to use HGH for bodybuilding.
HGH stands for human growth hormone. Sometimes, you may find this hormone abbreviated as growth hormone or just GH. You can get human growth hormone from a doctor, but it is also a naturally occurring hormone in your body.
Doctors can prescribe HGH for various illnesses and disorders. But bodybuilders like you also add this hormone to their routines to support their goals. That’s because HGH can help you lean out and bulk up at the same time.
Sound too good to be true? We created this guide to help you understand everything about HGH, from how it works to how it can benefit your bodybuilding career. Learn how to build muscle like the pros below.
Growth Hormone deficiency
Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) or HGH deficiency is a medical condition that results when the body doesn’t produce enough growth hormone. Growth hormone is responsible for growth and development during childhood and adolescence. It also helps to regulate metabolism and body composition. People with GHD may have growth that is slower than normal, or they may stop growing prematurely. They may also have other symptoms, such as low bone density, decreased muscle mass, and high levels of body fat. While GHD can be treated with growth hormone replacement therapy, it can also lead to problems such as diabetes and heart disease if it isn’t managed properly. As a result, it’s important to diagnosis and treat GHD early to minimize the risk of complications.
What Is Human Growth Hormone (HGH)?
HGH is a hormone. More specifically, it’s a peptide hormone, meaning it’s made up of protein.
In the body, HGH exerts anabolic activity. That means it enhances chemical reactions to produce macromolecules.
In HGH’s case, the macromolecule it helps produce is protein. You know a lot about protein as a bodybuilder. Also amino acids. After all, this macro is the primary component of muscle.
What you may not know about protein, though, is that it also plays a role in cell production and regeneration. In other words, protein is an essential ingredient in creating new cells and healing injured ones.
How Does HGH Work?
The brain releases HGH periodically throughout the day or about every three to four hours. Some experts believe that exercise and physical activity stimulate the production of HGH. Other external stimuli that increase HGH include:
- Sleep
- Stress
- Low glucose
But let’s back up a second. How does the brain go about producing this hormone?
The hypothalamus is a region of the brain that controls homeostasis in our bodies. When you sleep, get stressed, or work out, this brain region produces a hormone called growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH).
GHRH then stimulates another region of the brain— the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland’s main role is to regulate hormones.
When GHRH enters the pituitary, it stimulates the production of another hormone that’s known as somatostatin. Somatostatin interacts with the pituitary gland. And this interaction leads to the release of HGH.
Once produced by the pituitary gland, HGH travels to the liver. There, it stimulates the production of a compound called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 travels into tissues, where it has a multitude of functions.
We’re talking about a few of those functions next.
What Does HGH Do?
HGH is sometimes called growth hormone for a reason. This hormone is critical for normal and healthy development. For instance, during childhood, HGH promotes bone growth, muscle production, and skeletal expansion (i.e., it helps you grow taller).
Levels of HGH in the body peak during puberty. After reaching maturity, your HGH levels will progressively decline throughout the rest of your life. But most people really start to notice declining HGH levels in their 50s and beyond.
During adulthood, HGH still influences growth. It helps regulate muscle quantity and quality as well as fat loss and gain.
HGH further helps regulate your blood sugar. This can affect your energy levels and workout performance.
Can You Use HGH for Bodybuilding?
If you’ve been paying close attention, you can probably see why so many bodybuilders use human growth hormone. Many of this hormone’s activities have to do with muscle gain and fat loss.
We’ll talk more about the benefits of HGH for bodybuilding below. But first, let’s go through a quick history of the use of peptides like HGH in bodybuilding.
Bodybuilders have been using HGH for decades. They started out as a natural and safe alternative to steroid use. But in 1989, the Olympics banned the use of this compound due to the belief that it conferred an unfair competitive advantage on athletes.
Bodybuilders commonly use one of three different types of peptides to stimulate HGH production:
- Growth hormone-releasing hormones
- Ghrelin and synthetic ghrelin
- Growth hormone-releasing peptides
Unfortunately, buying these compounds in supplements isn’t the best move. Instead, you want to get your HGH from a doctor or clinic like HGH Vallarta in Cancun, Mexico.
Benefits of HGH in Bodybuilding
HGH has four primary goals in the body.
First, it helps with bone growth. It also enhances skeletal muscle and internal organ growth. And finally, HGH improves healing mechanisms, especially within tendons, joints, and ligaments.
That’s not all HGH can do, though. This hormone additionally helps the body heal and produce new cells. Both of these functions can help turn back the clock and make you look and feel younger by promoting:
- Hair growth
- Healthier skin
- Wrinkle reduction
We won’t talk more about HGH’s beauty and anti-aging benefits here. But we will discuss the benefits of HGH for bodybuilding in depth below.
Speeds Up Muscle Recovery
When you work out, you create thousands of tiny tears in your muscles. Even amateur bodybuilders know that you have to allow your body to recover and heal those tears before you can get back in the gym.
Have you ever wanted to get back to the weights quicker after a hard workout? HGH can help you do just that.
If you recall, we discussed earlier that HGH can help make new cells. New cells are essential for our body to heal. And that means new cells are critical for the formation of new and bigger muscles.
How does HGH do it? Scientists aren’t 100% sure, but they think HGH’s healing qualities come from its interaction with Foxm1. Foxm1 is a gene that gets transcribed when there’s a lot of HGH in the body.
According to researchers, it’s this gene that leads to the production of new cells. So, when you use HGH after a workout, it stimulates the Foxm1 gene, which, in turn, helps to heal muscle tears from lifting weights.
Enhances Protein Synthesis
Another HGH benefit that’s relevant to you as a bodybuilder is that it more directly impacts muscles. In addition to helping repair muscle tears, this hormone also helps increase muscle quality (i.e., size) and quantity.
Interestingly, HGH is slightly better at doing the latter. That’s good news for you because once you develop a new muscle, it would be hard work (or, rather, a lack thereof) to lose it.
But how does all of this happen? Remember that we called HGH an anabolic hormone. Anabolic hormones encourage chemical reactions, which then produce macromolecules.
The main macromolecule HGH produces is protein. However, it’s important to note that HGH’s protein-stimulating effects are dose-dependent. Dose-dependency refers to how much of a compound you need to produce a particular effect.
In HGH’s case, long-term exposure to HGH is better for muscle gains than short-term use. We’ll talk more about this idea when we discuss HGH dosing cycles below.
Increases Metabolism and Energy Levels
In addition to producing proteins, HGH interacts with other macromolecules in the body. That includes carbohydrates and lipids (i.e., fats).
More specifically, human growth hormone may regulate the transformation of carbohydrates and fats into ADP— the body’s preferred source of energy.
When it comes to carbohydrates, HGH’s interaction with IGF-1 leads to the breakdown of carbs into simple sugars. This leads to the production of glucose via glucogenesis or glycogenesis. Your body can then use this glucose as energy.
HGH also has many functions surrounding fat metabolism. One such function is to encourage the liver to process more fat. The body can use fat as energy in a process known as ketosis.
An exciting side effect of HGH’s ability to metabolize fat is potential weight loss. You likely won’t lose any muscle, either. This is why many bodybuilders incorporate HGH during a cut.
Strengthens Joints and Bones
About half of all bodybuilders get injured at least once per year. And the risk of injury increases for bodybuilders over the age of 40. The most common injuries occur to knees, shoulders, elbows, and the back.
As a bodybuilder, you have a lot of muscle mass. And your bones are critical to supporting all that extra weight. This is why many bodybuilders (especially older ones) are always looking for a way to increase their bone density.
HGH is the answer to this problem. That’s because HGH’s stimulation of IGF-1 doesn’t just impact the breakdown of carbs to sugar. This interaction also leads to bone formation and bone healing.
How does that happen? IGF-1 can lead to the production of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Osteoblasts help form new bone cells, while osteoclasts work by healing injured bones.
Both of these activities can help strengthen your bones to better support your muscles. Plus, when you get a skeletal injury in the gym, HGH can help you get back to your normal self faster.
Boosts the Immune System
When you were growing up, HGH didn’t just help you grow tall and strong. It also helps to develop the immune system. The hormone does this because it interacts with a specific brain region— the thymus.
The thymus is a gland located behind your sternum. It is sandwiched between your lungs and sits just above the heart. The main role of the thymus is to produce a type of white blood cell called T cells.
White blood cells are critical for a healthy immune response. They specifically perform three primary functions:
- Take up foreign bodies (e.g., bacteria and viruses)
- Destroy infections and cancerous cells
- Produce antibodies
T cells are responsible for the second function. When you get sick, T cells kill off the infection. They also activate other white blood cells to clean up the mess left behind by that infection.
You may not think that immunity matters for bodybuilders. But when you miss a few workout sessions because you’re sick, you’ll understand why this one can benefit you.
Regulates Sleep
So far, we’ve only discussed the benefits of HGH for the body. But this hormone also has advantages for the brain. Studies show that HGH can help improve cognitive function (i.e., help you think clearer) as well as protect your brain cells and help make new ones.
Another impact HGH has on the brain is regulating sleep. As we mentioned earlier, sleep is one of the events that stimulate HGH secretion by the pituitary gland.
But the reverse is also true. Research shows your brain needs HGH to sleep deeply. In one study, HGH therapy helped children extend deep sleep, and the longer they underwent HGH therapy, the more pronounced the effects.
Scientists aren’t certain exactly how HGH helps people sleep deeper. But some research suggests that this hormone could balance out your circadian rhythm. And the circadian rhythm regulates sleep-wake cycles.
Getting better sleep is a great thing for bodybuilders. The better and deeper you sleep, the more HGH your body will produce on its own. Plus, deep sleep comes with muscle repair, which takes us back to the first benefit on this list.
What’s the Right HGH Dosage for Bodybuilding?
If you’ve been paying attention, you might have noticed that we’ve mentioned HGH dosing quite a bit. So, you may be wondering how much HGH to take a day for bodybuilding.
When you go in for your human growth hormone prescription, your doctor will talk to you about your medical history. He or she will want to know what kinds of medications and supplements you’re taking already. And finally, your physician will ask about your goals with HGH.
Using this data and your body weight, the doctor will determine the right dosing schedule for you. In general, bodybuilders usually inject around one to six IUs per day. One IU of HGH equals about 0.33 milligrams.
Your physician will also recommend how long you should take HGH. To see results, you typically need to take HGH for at least six weeks. Most doctors will not recommend using HGH for longer than 24 weeks because undergoing therapy for longer can increase the risk of side effects like the following.
HGH Safety
HGH is a hormone that our body produces naturally, so that means it is safe… Right? Legal HGH that you get from your doctor can be safe as long as you take it as prescribed.
But if you buy black market HGH, you could experience the negative side effects we’re talking about next.
The Side Effects of HGH
Using HGH may be safer than steroids, but it still comes with some risks. Unfortunately, we don’t know how common these risks are, especially if you’re using illegal HGH supplements. We also don’t know the long-term side effects of using HGH.
What we do know is that side effects can affect older people more than younger adults.
The side effects you experience will also depend on exactly what type of HGH therapy you’re undergoing. For the purposes of this article, we’ll be discussing the side effects of HGH injections. These include:
- Nerve pain
- Muscle pain
- Joint pain
- Edema (i.e., fluid retention)
- Swelling of the extremities
- Increased cholesterol
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Mood changes
- Cardiomegaly (i.e., heart enlargement)
- Fatigue
- Gynecomastia (i.e., breast growth in men)
- Carpal tunnel
In rare cases, using HGH can lead to more serious side effects. This includes the growth of cancerous cells. There’s also a risk of developing acromegaly, which we’ll discuss next.
What You Need to Know About Acromegaly
Acromegaly is a condition that people can develop naturally or due to overuse of HGH. The symptoms of this condition include oversized hands, feet, and facial features. Changes to facial features can include a protruding jaw, enlarged lips and nose, and a more prominent brow bone.
Acromegaly happens naturally when an adult’s pituitary gland over-produces human growth hormone. Though rare, HGH therapy can also lead to the development of this condition.
According to one report, HGH therapy is correlated with acromegaly when the patient takes too much of this hormone. As you can imagine, this risk increases when you use HGH without a doctor’s prescription.
Can You Get Addicted to HGH?
Acromegaly is rare. A more common issue associated with HGH use is dependency. There is anecdotal and scientific information surrounding the addictive nature of HGH.
Again, addiction to HGH is more common in people who report using this hormone illegally. As long as you receive a prescription and follow your doctor’s dosing recommendations, you can avoid experiencing dependency and withdrawal.
Where to Buy HGH
Now that you know everything there is to know about supporting your bodybuilding journey with HGH, you probably want to know where you can get a prescription.
The generic name for human growth hormone is somatropin. Legal somatropin therapy only comes in the form of an injection. You must get a prescription from a doctor to undergo HGH injection therapy.
Human growth hormone products you get from other sources are illegal and potentially unsafe. You might find HGH in supplements sold online.
However, the FDA doesn’t regulate these products. That means the supplements may not contain the amount of HGH listed on the label. Worse, the supplement could contain ingredients not listed, which could cause side effects.
Your doctor will prescribe a reputable brand of HGH that’s been approved for human use. Below, we’ll talk about the best HGH brands on the market today.
Genotropin
Genotropin is the brand name of HGH produced by Pfizer. This is one of the most popular brands bodybuilders use for muscle growth and bone strength.
Pfizer sells Genotropin as an injectable pen. You’ll take the prescribed dose once per week.
Norditropin
Norditropin is arguably the best HGH for bodybuilding. The pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk manufactures this brand. People love it because the HGH comes in a pre-loaded “FlexPro” injection pen, allowing for easy dosing.
The only downside to this HGH brand is that it’s exorbitantly expensive. Getting your Norditropin prescription in Mexico instead can save you hundreds of dollars.
Saizen
Saizen is another great HGH brand for bodybuilders. This brand name therapy comes from the US pharma company Merck.
Many bodybuilders say this is the best brand for HGH. That’s because, unlike other therapies (e.g., Humatrope), Saizen doesn’t cause water retention.
Omnitrope
Omnitrope is a brand name HGH therapy that comes in injectable form. The Swiss pharmaceutical company Sandoz manufactures this treatment.
One thing to keep in mind about this HGH treatment is that it can cause weight gain as a side effect. However, this is rare. Talk to your doctor about any concerns regarding side effects if he or she prescribes this therapy for you.
Humatrope
Humatrope is another injectable HGH therapy. You can buy a 28-day supply of pre-loaded “HumatroPen” injections.
The US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly makes and markets this brand of HGH. Doctors regularly prescribe this injection for children with human growth hormone deficiencies. It’s less commonly used in bodybuilding and athletics.
Nutropin AQ
The Nutropin brand’s unique differentiator is that it offers HGH therapy that lasts longer than other brands. People who use this brand of injections like that they don’t have to inject every day. You only have to dose one to two times per month.
Nutropin is more commonly used for children with HGH deficiencies. It’s less commonly used in the bodybuilding world.
Do You Need an HGH Prescription?
Human growth hormone therapy is a legitimate medication used for many purposes. HGH for bodybuilding can help you see more muscle gains, support your cut, and feel better while doing it. However, steer clear of illicit HGH and get your prescription from a doctor.
Are you looking for a reputable source of human growth hormone? HGH Vallarta Clinic is a legal and clean source for all your HGH needs. Learn more about how to get an HGH prescription online and get in touch with us today!