Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last few years, you’ve heard people talking about HGH, or human growth hormone. Whether it’s in reference to a star athlete getting accused of gaining a competitive edge by taking HGH or it’s something you’ve heard mentioned in the gym, the fact is that HGH is a hot topic. I remember a few years ago when I first heard about it was when all the baseball players were getting popped for taking banned substances and some of them admitted to taking HGH. Immediately it made me think that the stuff was steroids. It was the “Steroid Era” in baseball and these guys were getting nailed. Left and right. I remember some of them saying they used HGH to recover from injury quicker so originally that’s what I thought it did. I mean, I could understand some of these guys wanting to get back on the field quicker. Made sense to me, right? I never really bothered to look into what HGH actually was until I started taking fitness a little more seriously. The benefits or effects of HGH are actually quite surprising if you take your blinders off. I’ll try to clear up some of the myths so you don’t get the wrong idea like I did.
What Is HGH, Really?
HGH (or just GH, growth hormone) is naturally produced in the body in the pituitary gland. Based on the name, it should come to no surprise that GH is in charge of cell growth and regeneration. Increasing one’s muscle mass or bone density are not possible without the presence of GH in the body. Not only that, it is also very vital in the maintenance of all human tissue. When secreted, GH is only active in blood for a couple of minutes. However, this is plenty of time for the liver to convert GH into growth factors. The most critical of these growth factors is similar to insulin, growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which contains a myriad of anabolic properties. As gross as this sounds, scientist started harvesting Growth Hormone from the pituitary glands of cadavers in the 50s. It didn’t start synthesizing the first HGH in labs until 1981, which was shortly followed by its use and popularity as a performance enhancer.
Out of all of the substances people put into their body to increase performance I think HGH is the one the is the most misunderstood. According to WebMD “HGH, produced by the pituitary gland, spurs growth in children and adolescents. It also helps to regulate body composition, body fluids, muscle and bone growth, sugar and fat metabolism, and possibly heart function.” The actual uses of HGH that is FDA-approved are not what most people use it for. Let’s be honest, you didn’t come to this page because you have a malfunction with your pituitary gland. You found this because you are like 99% of the people looking for an edge. HGH is thought to “turn back the clock” for athletes, bodybuilders, and anyone looking for that edge. Since it is produced naturally in the body at a young age it is thought to be a fountain of youth. This has yet to be proven medically or scientifically but the general consensus is that it is a performance enhancing substance.
How Do You Get HGH?
HGH is not something you can get over-the-counter. It’s not something you can get at your local GNC or nutritional supplement store either. HGH is something that is obtained legally through a prescription from a medical professional. I use that term loosely because a lot of the prescriptions are written for HGH are a little sketchy at best. If you have a true growth hormone deficiency then you may be able to get a prescription from a doctor. But if you are looking for a prescription to get jacked and increase your libido, then an ethical doctor may not be your first choice.
Some people also opt for ordering HGH online and having it shipped from overseas. That’s always an option, but to be honest, I’m not so sure I’d be entirely comfortable injecting something that is shipped in the mail, let alone from another country! You really never know what you’re going to get. Plus it is incredibly expensive. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to take a chance of paying out the ying-yang for something that amounts to a B12 shot.
Safe HGH Alternatives and Supplements
So are there any alternatives other than sketchy doctors or foreign shipments? Well there are plenty of supplements on the market that are taking advantage of the incredible popularity of HGH that claim to boost your natural production of GH, or growth hormone. If you go into your local fitness and nutrition store you will be able to find plenty of options claiming to naturally boost your growth hormone levels. But how do you know who to trust and what is pure poppycock?
(Coming Soon)
Human growth hormone is not something that’s going to go away. It is legitimately one of the most popular “supplements” available on the market today. It has been proclaimed to increase strength, burn body fat, increase energy levels, and increase that ever so important libido. As the body’s production of GH lowers rapidly as you age, HGH has been shown to be an exceptional alternative, often being hailed as the “fountain of youth” by its users. Obviously there are ways to increase the level of GH your body produces naturally. The usual suspects of sleep, training, and nutrition are all great ways to increase the level of GH in your body. But supplementation is one of the best ways you can get results fast. But keep in mind, this is not some kind of magic pill. You can’t sit on your ass on the couch eating Twinkies and a bag of Lay’s and think you’re going to get ripped just because you’re taking a GH supplement. This is for people who are serious about their fitness and want that ever-elusive edge to their workouts and results.
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