Testosterone and HGH – Their synergy together

Testosterone and HGH – As bodybuilders, we are always seeking the perfect pairing of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) for muscle gain and limiting fat gain. Some look to the latest exotic research compound that has barely been tested in rodents. In contrast, others jump to a cocktail of various anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) to combine. But there might be a forgotten option here.

Testosterone and HGH – AAS Progression Model

Before jumping to the stack of choice, a reminder of what should make the base of this stack is testosterone. Testosterone is well-tolerated and provides a solid foundation for other compounds to build upon. It provides a source of estradiol for its anabolic properties of GH to IGF-1 conversion, insulin sensitivity, and improved nitric oxide production (Anderson, 2018). Estrogen protects the brain, heart, skin, kidney, and liver.

However, at some point, we must increase the testosterone dosage to grow more, but we can be limited by how much we can handle due to estrogenic side effects. This then raises the question of what we should stack next to grow. We can justify going to secondary AAS like Primobolan and Nandrolone, but let’s consider Growth hormone as an option.

Testosterone and HGH – Enter Human Growth Hormone

An issue with increasing AAS alone is that this is the most deleterious to organ health. Rather than using only one tool to grow, we can leverage something like human growth hormone (HGH), which creates a strong synergy with testosterone to elicit muscle gain but potentially with less risk. Let’s get nerdy for a second.

Nerdy Meathead Study Time

Sattler et al. (2009) tested the combination of testosterone and HGH vs. testosterone alone on body composition changes. The study was done in 121 older (~70-year-old) men who received transdermal testosterone (5 or 10 g/d) plus HGH at (0, 3, or 5 mcg/kg/d) for 16 weeks. *Note the extremely low bioavailability of transdermal testosterone.

One standout of the study was that the 5g test + 5mcg/kg/day of GH group gained the same lean mass at 1.5 kg as the 10g of testosterone alone group. The exciting part, though, is that the test + GH group lost 1.3kg of fat mass, while the test alone group only lost 0.7kg of fat mass. The same muscle gain was achieved with half the testosterone dose but with 2x the amount of fat loss.

The group on the highest dosages at 10g of test + 5mcg of GH added a total of 2.6kg lean mass and decreased fat mass by 2.1kg. The synergy for muscle gain while dropping body fat gain is potent in this combination. Remember these are old community-dwelling seniors, replacement tests, and HGH doses, not even resistance training or following an optimized bodybuilding diet. The effect would be profound once an optimized situation for young, healthy men, supraphysiological dosing, resistance training, and bodybuilding diets is achieved.

The Testosterone Growth Hormone Synergy

Testosterone increases GH receptor expression and local IGF-1 expression in skeletal muscle. It alters IGF-1 binding proteins, all of which favour enhancing HGH effects. HGH can increase lipolysis and partition nutrition towards skeletal muscle anabolism and also increase Androgen receptor expression. Not to mention, HGH shines in repairing connective tissue. This means limiting body fat gain, increasing lean mass, and sustaining training via connective tissue repair in the off-season phase.

The Savvy Enhanced User

Many use to say HGH is something to save for once you are a pro. Still, a case is to be made for starting HGH earlier to benefit from the synergies with AAS, decrease health risks, and make leaner gains.

Don’t reach out quickly for a secondary AAS to add before considering HGH as a significant tool for progress.

References

Sattler FR, Castaneda-Sceppa C, Binder EF, Schroeder ET, Wang Y, Bhasin S, Kawakubo M, Stewart Y, Yarasheski KE, Ulloor J, Colletti P, Roubenoff R, Azen SP. Testosterone and growth hormones improve body composition and muscle performance in older men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Jun;94(6):1991-2001. doi: 10.1210/jc.2008-2338. Epub 2009 Mar 17. PMID: 19293261; PMCID: PMC2690426.

Anderson LJ, Tamayose JM, Garcia JM. Use of growth hormone, IGF-I, and insulin for anabolic purpose: Pharmacological basis, methods of detection, and adverse effects. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2018 Mar 15;464:65-74. Doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2017.06.010. Epub 2017 Jun 9. PMID: 28606865; PMCID: PMC5723243.

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