Peptides are a popular performance-enhancing aid in the bodybuilding community. Growth hormone secretagogues (GHS) are a type of peptide that attracts particular interest.

Bodybuilders are athletes that often seek to alter their body composition as quickly and efficiently as possible.

This explains why many resorts to supplements or other aids to reach their desired training and physique goals.

People often view peptides as a more natural alternative to anabolic steroids and praise them for their ability to boost muscle mass, promote fat loss, and help bodybuilders get the most out of their workouts.

This article reviews everything you need to know about peptides for bodybuilding, including their safety and whether they actually work.

What are peptides?

Peptides, including GHSs, are short chains of amino acids, which are little molecules that are the building blocks of peptides and proteins.

Peptides exist naturally in your body, but you can also find them in animal or plant sources of protein, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs, beans, lentils, and whole grains. Manufacturers can isolate these peptides or make them by combining individual amino acids.

The structure of peptides is similar to that of certain hormones or messaging compounds already present in your body. Many also have the ability to penetrate tissues.

These short chains of amino acids are involved in a variety of processes in your body, including in the production of hormones and DNA. They’re also helpful when building muscle tissue, which is what makes them particularly appealing to bodybuilders.

You can purchase peptide supplements as a powder that you can mix with a liquid and consume orally. Alternatively, you can find them in injectable form.

What do peptides do in your body?

Because peptides’ structure can be similar to those of some hormones and messaging compounds in the body, they can engage with and activate several receptors throughout the body, thereby influencing a variety of bodily processes

Depending on their sequence and composition, certain peptides may help prevent blood clots, boost the immune system, protect cells against damage, and reduce cholesterol, inflammation, and blood pressure.

Specific peptides may also help boost the release of hormones known to stimulate muscle growth, body fat loss, and exercise performance and recovery. This makes them particularly appealing to bodybuilders interested in maximizing their training results.

How do they work for bodybuilding?

Bodybuilders are typically interested in changing their body composition as quickly and efficiently as possible. Research suggests that certain peptides may help them achieve these goals.

Growth hormone secretagogues (GHS) are a group of peptides that attract particular interest among bodybuilders because they can stimulate the production and release of human growth hormone (HGH).

HGH is a hormone that the pituitary gland secretes. It can help enhance muscle growth and promote the loss of body fat.

It does so, in part, by stimulating the liver to release insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). In turn, IGF-1 triggers muscle protein production and muscle growth. It also appears to indirectly promote the breakdown of body fat.

To date, research suggests that GHS increases the release of HGH or IGF-1 in humans and actually leads to significant changes in body composition, exercise performance, or recovery.

Peptide types for bodybuilding

Bodybuilders may be particularly interested in peptides known as growth hormone secretagogues (GHS).

The most popular GHSs people use for bodybuilding include:

• Growth-hormone-releasing hormones: such as sermorelin, tesamorelin, CJC-1293, and CJC-1295
• Ghrelin and compounds mimicking its actions: such as lenomorelin, anamorelin, ipamorelin, macimorelin, and tabimorelin
• Growth hormone-releasing peptides (GHRPs): such as alexamorelin, GHRP-1, GHRP-2, GHRP-3, GHRP-4, GHRP-5, GHRP-6, and hexarelin

Each of these peptides ends up stimulating the production and release of HGH, although they may do so in slightly different ways.

Get answers to all your questions about the various types of peptides used in our clinic. Contact us right now!