Hello everyone. In this guide i’ll be breaking down how I naturally boost IGF-1 for bone growth and overall health. Since this is my first full guide, any feedback is greatly appreciated. 
To start, IGF-1 can be increased with and without ped usage in many different ways, the real key is, IGF-1 signaling itself. Effective IGF-1 signaling relies on three factors, a surge in growth hormone , a healthy liver, and solid nutrition. I will break each of these down in more detail.
Before anything else, it’s important to understand how to trigger a strong growth hormone release. Fasting is one of the easiest ways to spike growth hormone. But if you're a fat ass like me, you don’t like feeling hungry all the time, there’s a workaround. Here’s the method I use: 2-2.5 hours before bed eat your last meal of the day, then right before bed take 400mg of magnesium glycinate, and 500mg of gaba (scientifically proven to increase growth hormone surges during sleep.) then make sure to sleep at least 9 hours, or longer (the longer the better) When you wake up take 2 grams of L-carnitine. L-carnitine shuttles the fat released by GH into your cells to be burned for energy during fasted cardio, making it more effective, keeping GH levels high.
Next, you're going to do fasted cardio, ideally about an hour of walking. By the time you finish, you'll have gone 12-13 hours without food while also doing fasted cardio. This helps keep you relatively lean, which is important because excess body fat increases aromatase, an enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen. Too much estrogen can slow growth plate activity and hurt body composition, while staying lean keeps everything in check and supports better growth. All of this together creates a massive surge in growth hormone, which, with the right nutrition, will be converted to IGF-1 in the liver.
During fasting, growth hormone rises while insulin stays low. High GH is great, but without insulin, it can't be converted into IGF-1. When you eat clean carbs after fasted cardio, insulin spikes, allowing all the GH you built up to convert into IGF-1 in the liver. If your liver is not healthy, your results will be limited. Supplements like NAC, choline, and TUDCA keep it running efficiently.
Proper nutrition is the third part of IGF-1 signaling. Even if you spike growth hormone and keep your liver healthy, poor food choices can undo everything. Protein is key. Aim for roughly a gram per pound of bodyweight each day from clean sources like Greek yogurt, beef protein isolate, chicken, fish, eggs, or collagen. Always include protein in your post-cardio meal so your body has the raw materials ready when IGF-1 is active.
Carbs matter too, but timing is everything. Keep carbs moderate most of the day to avoid constant insulin spikes. The one time you want a strong insulin response is right after your GH surge, when insulin unlocks GH and converts it to IGF-1. Clean carbs like cereal, rice, sweet potatoes, or fruit work best here. Avoid junk carbs, and keep fat low in this meal since fat slows insulin's effect.
Healthy fats are still important for hormone production-just stick to good sources like olive oil, avocado, or fatty fish, and limit fried or processed fats. Stay hydrated, especially in the morning and after cardio.
Lastly key supplements like magnesium, zinc, vitamin D3, K2, boron, vitamin c, and collagen are essential in signaling osteoblasts and supporting bone development and hormonal health.
This has given me great results. Let me know what you think. And good luck
To start, IGF-1 can be increased with and without ped usage in many different ways, the real key is, IGF-1 signaling itself. Effective IGF-1 signaling relies on three factors, a surge in growth hormone , a healthy liver, and solid nutrition. I will break each of these down in more detail.
Before anything else, it’s important to understand how to trigger a strong growth hormone release. Fasting is one of the easiest ways to spike growth hormone. But if you're a fat ass like me, you don’t like feeling hungry all the time, there’s a workaround. Here’s the method I use: 2-2.5 hours before bed eat your last meal of the day, then right before bed take 400mg of magnesium glycinate, and 500mg of gaba (scientifically proven to increase growth hormone surges during sleep.) then make sure to sleep at least 9 hours, or longer (the longer the better) When you wake up take 2 grams of L-carnitine. L-carnitine shuttles the fat released by GH into your cells to be burned for energy during fasted cardio, making it more effective, keeping GH levels high.
Next, you're going to do fasted cardio, ideally about an hour of walking. By the time you finish, you'll have gone 12-13 hours without food while also doing fasted cardio. This helps keep you relatively lean, which is important because excess body fat increases aromatase, an enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen. Too much estrogen can slow growth plate activity and hurt body composition, while staying lean keeps everything in check and supports better growth. All of this together creates a massive surge in growth hormone, which, with the right nutrition, will be converted to IGF-1 in the liver.
During fasting, growth hormone rises while insulin stays low. High GH is great, but without insulin, it can't be converted into IGF-1. When you eat clean carbs after fasted cardio, insulin spikes, allowing all the GH you built up to convert into IGF-1 in the liver. If your liver is not healthy, your results will be limited. Supplements like NAC, choline, and TUDCA keep it running efficiently.
Proper nutrition is the third part of IGF-1 signaling. Even if you spike growth hormone and keep your liver healthy, poor food choices can undo everything. Protein is key. Aim for roughly a gram per pound of bodyweight each day from clean sources like Greek yogurt, beef protein isolate, chicken, fish, eggs, or collagen. Always include protein in your post-cardio meal so your body has the raw materials ready when IGF-1 is active.
Carbs matter too, but timing is everything. Keep carbs moderate most of the day to avoid constant insulin spikes. The one time you want a strong insulin response is right after your GH surge, when insulin unlocks GH and converts it to IGF-1. Clean carbs like cereal, rice, sweet potatoes, or fruit work best here. Avoid junk carbs, and keep fat low in this meal since fat slows insulin's effect.
Healthy fats are still important for hormone production-just stick to good sources like olive oil, avocado, or fatty fish, and limit fried or processed fats. Stay hydrated, especially in the morning and after cardio.
Lastly key supplements like magnesium, zinc, vitamin D3, K2, boron, vitamin c, and collagen are essential in signaling osteoblasts and supporting bone development and hormonal health.
This has given me great results. Let me know what you think. And good luck
