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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IGF1 stands for insulin like growth factor. It mimics insulin in the human body and also at the same time makes the muscles more sensitive to insulin’s effects. It is a growth factor and is the most potent one in the human body at that. IGF causes muscle cell hyperplasia, which is an actual splitting and forming of new muscle cells. This was thought to only be possible during puberty. IGF is much more potent at this effect than growth hormone is, in fact almost all of the effects you see from growth hormone come from the increased amount of IGF that your liver produces when the GH is destroyed. So it would be very easy to say that IGF is a much more potent and cheaper alternative to GH use, although GH is more effective for fat loss than IGF due to some other effects that it causes such as metabolism increase and the ability to effectively use more insulin, T3, and anabolic steroids. Another advantage that IGF has over GH is that it has much more of an affinity to attach to muscle cells instead of bone and organ cells. Growth hormone has been know to cause a lot of organ enlargement and bone elongation since it attaches to all types of receptor cells. IGF is much more likely to go where we want it, our muscle cells. IGF-1 attaches to myogenic stem cells which are only located in muscle and connective tissues. These myogenic stem cells are responsible for the production of myoblast cells which in turn are responsible for the buildup and repair of connective tissues (ligaments, tendons, cartilage, and joints to a certain extent). So from this you can see that IGF-1 is great for increasing the strength of tendons and also for helping to heal existing injuries while at the same time helping to prevent them. IGF-1 is also responsible for increased protein synthesis and amino acid synthesis. IGF does not have to be used along with anabolic steroids, GH, insulin, or thyroid hormones to be effective. It causes muscle growth on its own. In fact some people prefer to use it during their breaks from steroid cycles since IGF has no effect on natural test production. It could effectively be used along with HCG, clomid, and PGF2a for a hell of an off cycle stack which would allow your body to return to normal and still allow you to grow!! On its own IGF will give an increase of around 2 lbs. of new solid lean muscle tissue every two weeks, and is also is know for its ability to strip off body fat and GREATLY increase vascularity, body fat decreases of 5-8% over a 50 day cycle are not uncommon. But, of course you will be much happier with the results if you use the IGF along with anabolic steroids, testosterone, and insulin. The use of steroids along with the IGF allow you to quickly mature and strengthen the new muscle tissue that the IGF has formed, and may also speed the process of hyperplasia. The dosage issue for IGF is where the most controversy lies. Dosages used by competitive athletes most commonly range anywhere between 60mcg/day to 100+mcg/day. The trick is finding the dosage that works best for YOU. For most the best results appear when you reach a dosage of 80mcg/day, while some do receive good results from only 40mcg/day. I personally feel the best results begin to be noticed at a dosage of 100mcg/day. Also I should let you know that the form of IGF is the Long R3 analog. It has been chemically altered and has a longer half-life than regular IGF, which only lasts about 10 minutes in the human body once injected. The Long R3 IGF-1 has a half-life of 6-10 hours, so you will only need to inject once or twice per day. The best time to inject is after lifting and in the morning, so it would be best to use half the dosage in the morning and the other half after lifting. This will take maximal advantage of IGF’s insulin mimicking effects.