Until recently, incorporating an IGF-1 dosage cycle into a muscle and fitness program was a matter of secrecy and guesses.
Long banned by professional sports organizations, and tightly controlled by the FDA as a Schedule III drug, IGF-1 could only be taken as an underground supplement.
Unless supervised by a doctor, any athletes who experimented with IGF-1 would do so “in the dark,” without the support and information available to users of legal supplements. This may have led to increased side effects and misuse.
Now, legal forms of IGF-1, such as deer antler velvet spray, have mainstreamed the supplement. With the right information about IGF-1 dosing and usage, it’s now possible to experience excellent gains in the gym.



- Involved in muscle protein synthesis
- Supports joint health & functionality
- May aid sexual function & anti-aging
IGF-1 Dosage Recommendations
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IGF-1 can provide a significant performance edge in the gym and on the court. This natural protein growth factor provides more than 70 amino acids to muscle tissue.
When released by the body, it causes special receptors to trigger muscle growth at the cellular level. Supplementing with IGF-1 can ignite this process regardless of age or fitness level.
The purpose of an IGF-1 dosage is to:
- Build lean muscle mass quickly
- Maximize training effort for maximum gains
- Carve a “ripped” looking physique
- Provide bone and connective tissue support
- Assist in recovery from injuries, including broken bones
- Boost muscle coordination
- Increase stamina
- Give support to people with muscular deterioration
- Provide anti-aging benefits to skin
- Increase sexual potency and arousal
Injecting IGF-1
In medical settings, an IGF-1 dosage is traditionally administered as an intra-muscular injection. This is a cumbersome and painful method of supplementation, especially for a compound that is intended to be taken daily (see below). The use of needles for this purpose is regulated, and prescriptions are not very easy to come by.
IGF-1 cannot be consumed as a traditional pill because it is highly susceptible to damage in the digestion process. If you ingest it as an oral pill, the active ingredient will not be bioavailable and will mostly be excreted. Now, spray forms of the supplement derived from animal antlers offer a painless and legal alternative to needles.
Taking Your IGF-1 Dosage as a Spray
IGF-1 can also be taken as an oral spray. Oral applications of IGF-1 supplements do not require a prescription or a doctor’s supervision. These sprays are created from a seemingly unusual source – the growing antlers of various deer species. The same growth factor which spurs exponential growth in antler bone has a muscle and bone building effect in humans.
This is why antler remedies have been popular as folk medicines in China for 2,000 years. They are rich in IGF-1, and when fine mists of antler extract is sprayed under the tongue, this compuund can enter the blood without the need for any injections. For the full history of deer antler extract medicines, browse this review.
How Often Should You Be Taking IGF-1?
IGF-1, when used as a legal oral spray product, can be taken safely every day. Some athletes prefer to take the spray only on workout days. However, all muscle growth occurs on rest days. This basic tenet of weight training also applies to growth factor supplementation. Muscle tissue needs the fuel to fire cell division and growth.
Just as the laws of conservation of mass indicate that you must eat more calories/protein to acquire the raw materials for larger muscle, you must also provide the cell signaling which spurs that growth in the form of growth factor – every day.
Typically, periods of supplementation are alternated with breaks. This is very similar to a 2-month bulking cycle that many athletes employ periodically throughout the year, alternated with a trimming or cutting phase. For full information on how to calculate a workout supplementation cycle, read this resource.
When You’ll See Those Results
As with any workout regimen, getting results from growth factor sprays are going to take a little time to kick in and be noticeable.
The loading cycle for an IGF-1 supplement is approximately 3 – 5 weeks. During that time, workouts and diet should proceed as normal.
After 5 weeks, it’s important to enter an off-cycle wherein no growth factor is supplemented, though workouts and focused eating schedules should continue. The off-cycle can last for a month or more.
Over a period of 3 – 6 months of these cycles, most people will experience very significant gains to lean muscle and increased fat burning. Of course, the specific nature of any workout plan, be it bulking or cutting, will play a role in the nature of results. A regular IGF-1 dosage will result in gains to workout endurance and will contribute to overall immunity. These kinds of gains are more immediate and do not need to build up over time.
When properly calibrated and administered faithfully, an IGF-1 dosage in the form of deer antler velvet spray can make a noticeable difference in the time it takes to grow lean muscle. For athletes over the age of 40 or 50, this growth factor support can enable a broad range of healthy exercise activities for decades to come, with lowered risk of muscle and bone injury.
The best research results are the ones that come from personal experience, as everybody is different and will react differently to new supplements. The best strategy is to gradually introduce an IGF-1 supplement into an overall fitness regimen of daily exercise and great diet. You can find out what goes into a quality deer antler extract supplement here.
- Jin C, Guo J, Qiu X, Ma K, Xiang M, Zhu X, Guo J. IGF-1 induces iNOS expression via the p38 MAPK signal pathway in the anti-apoptotic process in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells during PAH. J Recept Signal Transduct Res. 2014
- Vottero A, Guzzetti C, Loche S. New aspects of the physiology of the GH-IGF-1 axis. Endocr Dev. 2013
- Mason C, Xiao L, Duggan C, Imayama I, Foster-Schubert KE, Kong A, Campbell KL, Wang CY, Alfano CM, Blackburn GL, Pollack M, McTiernan A. Effects of dietary weight loss and exercise on insulin-like growth factor-I and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2013
Article last updated on: April 29th, 2018 by Nootriment