Insulin

It is without question one of the most powerfully anabolic hormones we have access to in-terms of both our body’s own natural production as well as through exogenous use and it’s not an anabolic steroid. From the powerful family of protein based peptide hormones this hormone is largely responsible for many metabolic traits and carries with it immense anabolic power and while our body is very accustomed to its presence just as it is with androgenic hormones such as testosterone, exogenous use is not always well-tolerated. This is a hormone when taken into the body that has the ability to add more size at an increased rapid rate more so than any hormone we have at our disposal; conjoin insulin use with anabolic steroids and other peptides such as Human Growth Hormone and you have the most powerful anabolic force you can imagine. In most cases when speaking of performance use it will be bodybuilders who make up the majority of users as size is an important factor but insulin’s importance greatly revolves around the medical community as it is necessary for those who have diabetes.

It is beyond important to note and cannot be stated with enough emphasis, the use of exogenous insulin can be very dangerous; when used for the purpose of performance enhancement not only can it cause a massive fat gain but it can kill you. That is not said to scare you, it is simply the truth and death is not necessarily caused by simply over-dosing but even a small amount of use can absolutely kill you. Yes, it is possible to supplement with exogenous insulin safely but you really need to have an understanding of the hormone and how best to use it before you even begin to consider it and for the strong majority even with understanding this is a hormone they should not touch as they will only get fat.

Insulin 101:

Comprised of 51 amino acids insulin is a peptide hormone produced by the pancreas and is produced and released largely on the basis of carbohydrate consumption and proteins, although when regarding proteins to a very small degree. As the hormone makes its presence known it aids the muscles of the body in the uptake of glucose; in-fact, it directly forces glucose into the muscle tissue where it is then stored as glycogen to be used as fuel by the body. Individual release of the hormone will vary from person to person, as is with all hormones but the total consumption of carbohydrates per sitting is what has the largest affect and is truly the only aspect worth note; the greater the carbohydrate consumption the larger amount of insulin released.

As insulin enters the body, be it by natural production or exogenous use it ensures glucose is stored properly but it also greatly enhances the efficiency of overall protein absorption. As you can easily see these are two key components in anabolic activity but it is far from all rainbows and sunshine. If you recall insulin can promote fat gain as its very existence promotes it by its very presence in the body; when insulin levels are spiked fat burning greatly reduces or even stops. The insulin hormone prevents fat from being burned; it prevents the body from burning fat as energy as the body will now only rely on stored glycogen for its energy needs. It doesn’t take a genius to see the downside in this for when insulin is present our stored body fat simply remains stored; it is always important to keep in mind the body does not want to burn fat, by the nature of our very existence the body desires to hold onto any fat it carries as it is necessary in a survival sense; this is one of the reasons losing body fat can be so difficult. However, once glucose levels begin to fall fat burning will begin again as your fat stores will be tapped into and used for energy.

When it comes to insulin we have a hormone that carries with it a very fine line; too much will make fat loss impossible and fat gain almost assured. Even so, as this powerful hormone affects every nutrient we consume to one degree or another by increasing efficiency of proteins and carbohydrates particularly this greatly aids in the desire or need to increase muscle mass to an extended degree.
Insulin also carries with it some other interesting properties regarding the hormones of the body. Insulin is not only anabolic in-terms of its correlation with food but it appears to stimulate gonadotropin secretion, thereby increasing testosterone production. This occurs due to insulin increasing both LH and FSH output but it should be noted, this increase while interesting indeed is not great enough to promote the use of insulin on this basis. The insulin hormone has an amazing synergetic affect with anabolic steroids; in simple terms the same anabolic steroids you are taking without insulin in the same doses become more valuable when insulin is present. It should come as no surprise, no one should supplement with insulin for the purpose of performance without the use of anabolic steroids; failure to ignore this warning will almost guarantee you will simply get fat.

The Benefits of Insulin:

When examining insulin, be it naturally produced or introduced exogenously the properties of the hormone do not change from one form to the next but the purpose may vary. For the diabetic the treatment and purpose is rather simple; they need insulin to survive as their body does not function properly. For the diabetic, in a general sense the problem is either the body does not produce enough if any insulin on its own or the body is unresponsive to the insulin it actually does produce; as a fat metabolizer and the primary regulator of carbohydrates it’s easy to see how this can be a problem; for the diabetic often insulin has one benefit, survival. For the performance enhancer, while survival is not the reason for use, again the purpose is simple; to simply increase or enhance the traits the hormone can provide by increasing the amount present in the body. This is generally the purpose of all hormones when used in a performance sense; for example, consider testosterone, a hormone you produce naturally but with excess amounts we simply enhance the traits of the hormone.

To understand the benefits of the insulin hormone we only need to understand its purpose as discussed above and its direct correlation with food. As food is highly anabolic in its own right and insulin, an anabolic hormone tied directly to our food consumption when we conjoin the two in thinking the anabolic total punch is massive; simplistic but look at it like adding gun powder to TNT. By-an-large, when examining the benefits of exogenous insulin use there is only one word we need to use “Size” as putting on size and massive piles of it is really the only reason anyone would ever supplement for use outside of the medical realm.
So how does it directly benefit you? Your proteins absorption will be more efficient, meaning the protein becomes more valuable and you will effectively use more of each gram you consume. Further, the obvious, exogenous use of insulin greatly enhances carbohydrate efficiency allowing for more effective use, again for each and every gram. The individual who uses insulin will be fuller as more glycogen will be forced into the muscles, he will continually grow as the muscles will feed off of the increased glycogen like wild fire and as protein absorption increases, the very building block of muscle tissue, the size of each tissue strand readily increases.

These are not the only benefits of insulin use; although they are perhaps the most apparent and important. Insulin also greatly increases the body’s release of the powerful anabolic IGF-1 hormone; a hormone with similar qualities to a degree that affects all of the cells within the human body. Further, as mentioned previously, the synergy between anabolic steroids and insulin may be more powerful than any hormone combination there is and as we should not supplement with insulin without anabolic steroids if we are supplementing for performance this is simply another welcomed attribute of the powerful peptide.

The Side-Effects of Insulin:

While all hormonal medications carry with them a potential for negative or adverse side-effects the probability with the insulin hormone is increased. With many hormones the individual will tolerate the substance or they won’t, some will find side-effects occur while others will not and while many times side-effects from anabolic steroids can be easily prevented this remains true with insulin as well. However, in the case of insulin failure to adhere to proper form will in-fact kill you; there is very little room for error when insulin is in the game.

Recall, insulin is released in response to carbohydrates entering the body, therefore when exogenous insulin is applied carbohydrates and in the proper amount must necessarily accompany it. Failure to do so will leave you dizzy feeling, with a possible headache and difficulty staying awake and if you go to sleep there is a strong chance you will not wake up. Those who make this mistake may find a severe hypoglycemic reaction to occur, which if severe enough the shock to the body can cause and bring about an irreversible coma.

is Insulin for You?

There’s no denying it, insulin is perhaps the most powerful anabolic hormone we have at our disposal yet there is no denying most should never consider supplemental use; the majority will need to ensure their own natural production doesn’t get too high, let alone even consider exogenous use. Remember, the presence of insulin can and will promote body fat and on that basis alone it is not worth the risk for most, let alone the actual dangerous effect. The only individual who should ever consider performance enhancing with insulin should be a hard gainer, a true hard gainer, a veteran of hormone use and as a last resort when all other options have failed. Even for the hardcore hard gainer extreme caution should be applied as this substance is dangerous from the very onset of its presence. To give you an idea of the seriousness, DNP, while more people supplement with insulin than DNP a higher percentage of insulin users die than with DNP use and DNP is an actual chemical poison.

If you are at a true sticking point you may wish to consider the hormone but if you do be sure to follow proper form and guidelines as laid out below. You will find there are six forms of insulin you can use but we recommend Humulin-R as it is very effective and easy to get; not to mention legal. Keep in mind, even if you follow proper form you may need to increase carb consumption beyond the below recommendations; if you supplement with insulin and begin to feel weak, dizzy or tired start pouring carbs down your throat; you may not be hungry but the alternative is not pretty.

Insulin Cycles & Doses:

As mentioned above Humulin-R will be our primary form of insulin to choose with Humalog also being a superior choice; however, Humalog is generally only available with a prescription where Humulin-R can be purchased over the counter. Further, you will more than likely not find Humalog on the black market as insulin must be kept in a refrigerated state at all times. The good news is Humulin-R is very cheap and when we consider the cost of other powerful anabolic hormones this can be more than welcomed for those who supplement.

Regardless of the form you use, Humalog or Humulin-R both are very fast acting and will clear your system rapidly and you will find this to be far safer than slower acting insulin forms when used for performance purposes. Without question the absolute best time for insulin therapy will be post-workout immediately after your training with your post-workout meal. Most will find only a few units of insulin to be needed, especially when first starting out; there is no need to start big until you have an idea of how your body is going to react.

A solid plan for a first time insulin user would be as follows: 1-2iu of insulin accompanied by 150g of carbohydrates, 40g of protein and some EFA’s. As you progress with your insulin dose you will need to increase your carb consumption to match and generally a mixture of both slow and fast acting carbs is advised; complex and simple with simple carbs being what you need in abundance, especially if you get into trouble. Remember, always fall on the side of caution; do not tiptoe around your carb intake; if you get into trouble start pouring sugary carbs down your throat as fast as you can. If you can do this and it’s not as easy as it might sound you will grow like you never have before but you will need to keep a close eye on your waist line as well or you will be fatter than you’ve ever been.