If you spend any time on the bodybuilding message boards, you’ve probably seen the words “GH”, “IGF” and “Insulin” tossed around rather flippantly. Everyone just assumes all bodybuilders use the stuff. To some extent, this is true at the top levels of the sport. The majority of the top bodybuilders in the world use, or have used, some of these compounds. Many bodybuilders aren’t familiar with how these compounds work, or how they differ from one another. Today we are going to examine IGF-1 and growth hormone, and determine which compound works best for the goals of building muscle and shedding body fat.
Q: I’m a bodybuilder. I have been training for almost 8 years, and I’ve won some local and regional level shows. I’m ready to jump up on the national stage and do a qualifier, but I know that I’m currently not big enough to hang with the big boys yet. I need more muscle. Should I consider the use of IGF-1?
A: IGF-1, or Insulin-like growth factor, will give you the same muscle-building effects of insulin without some of the dangerous risks. If you are a good bodybuilder, it will turn you into a great bodybuilder, when combined with good nutrition and smart training.
Q: Is IGF-1 something like growth hormone?
A: IGF-1 is actually a lot more powerful than growth hormone. You see, GH works by mimicking the effects of IGF-1. You can settle for that, or you can have the real thing with IGF-1.
Q: Which one is cheaper?
A: Growth hormone gets all the good press, and is very much in demand, so it costs a great deal more than IGF-1, which is a lot cheaper, albeit less available.
Q: Is this the only advantage of IGF-1 over growth hormone?
A: Actually, there are more. As you may know, growth hormone causes many things in your body to grow. This includes muscle, which is good, but it also causes a growth of your internal organs. Researchers simply don’t know the long-term effects of having a heart, liver, spleen and other organs which are larger than they should be. What they do know is that IGF-1 doesn’t lead to organ enlargement. If you are a bodybuilder who wouldn’t mind living to see 70 or older, then IGF-1 might be preferable to GH.
Q: So which compound has a better affinity to muscle cells?
A: IGF-1 actually has a better affinity to adhere to muscle cells, while GH finds a way to attach to bone and organ cells at a much higher rate.
Q: Which compound is better for fat loss?
A: Growth hormone is a preferable compound for shedding body fat. However, IGF-1 will make common fat-loss compounds such as ECA, insulin, and T3 more effective in their fat-burning efforts.
Q: How should I use IGF-1 and GH together?
A: You could use IGF-1 during the off-season mass building phase, when the goal is to add size to your muscle groups – and not your bones and organs. Once pre-contest rolls around and you’re ready to shed the fat, growth hormone can come into play. Short-term use won’t lead to as much organ and bone growth as year-round use, and you’ll drop the body fat very quickly.
