Muscle Growth: nootropics and compounds | sci-wiki

LGD-3303

LGD-3303 is a non-steroidal selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that stands out for its pronounced effects on bone as well as muscle. In rodent studies it raised bone mineral density, stimulated new bone formation, and increased muscle mass while keeping prostate stimulation low, and it even added to the benefit of a standard bone drug. Orally active and strongly tissue-selective, LGD-3303 has a distinctive physique-and-bone profile that keeps it firmly on the radar of SARM research.

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Blend

LGD-4033 + YK-11

LGD-4033 + YK-11 is a research stack that pairs Ligandrol (LGD-4033), a selective androgen receptor modulator, with YK-11, a myostatin-modulating compound, to pursue muscle growth through two mechanisms at once. LGD-4033 activates the androgen receptor and has increased lean body mass in a human trial, while YK-11 raises follistatin to counteract myostatin, the natural brake on muscle growth. For researchers exploring maximal anabolic signaling, this dual-mechanism combination is a frequently discussed and potent pairing.

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SARM

AC-262536

AC-262536, also written AC-262,536, is a nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) first characterized by Acadia Pharmaceuticals. It acts as a partial agonist of the androgen receptor and was studied preclinically for its tissue-selective anabolic profile, producing muscle-building effects while showing comparatively weak activity on reproductive tissue such as the prostate.

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Peptide

ACE-031

ACE-031 (ramatercept) is a powerful myostatin-blocking biologic, a soluble decoy of the activin receptor type IIB that traps myostatin and related muscle-limiting proteins before they can signal. By lifting this natural brake on growth, a single dose produced measurable gains in lean muscle mass and thigh muscle volume in human trials. Originally developed as a therapy for muscular dystrophy, it remains one of the most sought-after experimental agents for dramatic, receptor-level muscle building.

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Supplement

Arginine

Arginine, or L-arginine, is a conditionally essential amino acid that the body uses to build proteins and, importantly, as the raw material for making nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes and widens blood vessels. It also plays central roles in the urea cycle that clears ammonia and in the production of creatine. Healthy adults usually make enough arginine, but needs can rise during growth, illness, or injury; it is obtained from protein-rich foods and taken as a supplement for cardiovascular and exercise-related purposes.

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Supplement

Beta-Alanine

Beta-alanine is a naturally occurring amino acid and the main building block the body uses to make carnosine, a compound stored in muscle that helps buffer the acid produced during hard exercise. Taken as a supplement over several weeks, it raises muscle carnosine levels and can modestly improve performance in high-intensity efforts lasting roughly one to several minutes. Its most familiar effect is a harmless skin tingling called paresthesia.

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Supplement

Boron

Boron is a metalloid (atomic number 5) that occurs naturally as borate minerals and boric acid and is regarded in humans as a beneficial trace element rather than a formally essential nutrient. Controlled depletion and supplementation studies indicate that modest intakes, on the order of 3 mg per day, influence mineral and steroid metabolism; boron supplementation has been shown to reduce urinary calcium and magnesium loss and to raise serum concentrations of 17-beta-estradiol and testosterone, effects that are more pronounced under low-magnesium conditions. A notable short-term human study reported that boron lowered sex hormone-binding globulin and inflammatory markers while increasing free testosterone within a week, and it is obtained from fruits, vegetables, nuts, and pulses or taken as supplements such as sodium borate and calcium fructoborate. Borate compounds have relatively low mammalian toxicity, though intake is bounded by recommended upper limits.

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Supplement

Citrulline

Citrulline is a non-proteinogenic alpha-amino acid named after the watermelon, from which it was first isolated. In the body it is a key intermediate in the urea cycle and a precursor to the amino acid arginine, which is in turn used to make nitric oxide. It is sold as a dietary supplement, often marketed for blood flow and exercise performance, though the evidence for those uses is mixed.

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Supplement

D-Aspartic Acid

D-aspartic acid is the D-enantiomer of aspartic acid and one of the few D-amino acids found naturally in mammals, concentrating in neuroendocrine tissues such as the brain, pituitary, and testes. Mechanistic work indicates that it participates in the release and synthesis of luteinizing hormone and testosterone, acting in the pituitary through cyclic GMP and in testicular Leydig cells by upregulating the steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein and modulating luteinizing hormone receptor trafficking, in concert with NMDA-receptor-mediated stimulation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone. Despite this plausible endocrine role, controlled human trials tell a more sobering story; supplementation in resistance-trained men generally failed to raise testosterone, and a higher 6 g daily dose actually lowered total and free testosterone. It is therefore best characterized as a physiologically active amino acid whose marketed ergogenic and testosterone-boosting claims are not supported in trained populations.

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Supplement

D-Ribose

D-ribose is a five-carbon sugar (a pentose) that forms part of the backbone of RNA and of key energy and signaling molecules, including ATP and the coenzymes NAD and FAD. The body makes its own ribose from glucose through the pentose phosphate pathway, so it is not a dietary essential. As a supplement it is promoted for restoring cellular energy in conditions such as heart failure, chronic fatigue, and fibromyalgia, though the supporting clinical evidence is limited and preliminary.

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Adaptogen

Fadogia Agrestis

Fadogia agrestis is a shrub in the coffee family (Rubiaceae) native to West Africa, where its stem has a traditional reputation as an aphrodisiac. It has become popular as a dietary supplement marketed for raising testosterone and libido. The evidence behind those claims comes almost entirely from animal studies, and its safety in humans has not been established.

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Adaptogen

Fenugreek

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is an annual legume whose aromatic seeds and leaves are used worldwide as a spice and in traditional medicine. Its seeds, which carry a maple-like aroma, are taken as a dietary supplement marketed for blood sugar, cholesterol, testosterone and milk production in nursing mothers. High-quality clinical evidence for most of these uses is still limited.

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Peptide

Follistatin 344

Follistatin 344 targets muscle growth at its source, binding and neutralizing myostatin, the very signal the body uses to cap how large muscles can become. In animal models, raising follistatin drives striking gains in lean mass alongside lower body fat, and the protein has been carried all the way into human gene-therapy trials for muscular dystrophy. For anyone fascinated by the most powerful lever in muscle biology, follistatin 344 is a cornerstone research tool with a genuinely remarkable track record.

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Supplement

Glutamine

Glutamine is an alpha-amino acid used in the building of proteins and is the most abundant free amino acid in human blood and muscle. Classified as conditionally essential, it can normally be made by the body but may become depleted during severe illness, injury, or intense stress, when dietary or supplemental intake becomes more important. Beyond its structural role in proteins, glutamine serves as a major carrier of nitrogen between tissues and as a fuel and biosynthetic precursor for rapidly dividing cells such as those of the intestine and immune system.

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SARM

GSK-2881078

GSK-2881078 is one of the best-documented SARMs in humans, which alone sets it apart in a class full of guesswork. Developed by GlaxoSmithKline as a non-steroidal, tissue-selective androgen receptor agonist, it produced clean, dose-dependent gains in lean mass in older men and women and was carried into a controlled trial in patients with COPD. For anyone seeking a selective androgen receptor modulator with genuine clinical evidence and a real pharmaceutical pedigree, GSK-2881078 sits near the top of the list.

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Growth Hormone

HGH

Human growth hormone, abbreviated HGH and also called somatotropin, is a peptide hormone of 191 amino acids produced by the somatotroph cells of the anterior pituitary gland. It drives growth during childhood and regulates metabolism throughout life, acting largely by prompting the liver and other tissues to make insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). A recombinant form, somatropin, is used medically to treat growth hormone deficiency and several other conditions, and it is also misused for anti-aging and athletic purposes.

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Supplement

HMB

HMB, short for beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyric acid, is a compound the body makes naturally from the essential amino acid leucine. A small fraction of dietary leucine is converted into HMB, which is studied for its role in preserving and building muscle. As a dietary supplement it is sold mainly in a calcium salt form and a free-acid form, and it is used by athletes and older adults for muscle support.

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Peptide

IGF-1 DES

IGF-1 DES, formally des(1-3)IGF-I, is a naturally occurring truncated form of insulin-like growth factor 1 that is roughly 10-fold more potent than standard IGF-1 at stimulating cell growth and proliferation [1][4]. The single change, removal of the first three amino acids from the N-terminus, sharply lowers its affinity for the IGF-binding proteins that normally restrain IGF-1, so more of the peptide reaches its receptor in active form [1][4]. This makes IGF-1 DES a potent anabolic research peptide with a distinctive, well-documented mechanism for escaping the body's own IGF buffering system [1][4].

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Peptide

IGF-1 LR3

IGF-1 LR3 (Long[Arg3]IGF-I) is an engineered analog of insulin-like growth factor 1 built to slip past the binding proteins that normally hold IGF-1 in check, making it substantially more potent at driving cell growth [1][2]. It combines a single amino acid swap at position 3 (glutamate to arginine) with a 13-residue N-terminal extension, and together these changes sharply lower its affinity for the IGF-binding proteins while preserving strong activation of the IGF-1 receptor [1]. The result is a highly active anabolic research peptide widely used in cell culture and studied for its amplified, less-restrained IGF signaling [1][2].

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Supplement

Leucine

Leucine is an essential branched-chain amino acid that the body uses to build proteins but cannot make on its own. Along with valine and isoleucine it belongs to the branched-chain group, and it is best known for switching on the cellular machinery that drives muscle protein synthesis. It is obtained from protein-rich foods and is a common ingredient in sports and clinical nutrition supplements.

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SARM

LGD-4033

LGD-4033, also known as ligandrol or VK5211, is an investigational nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulator, a class of compounds abbreviated as SARM. It binds the androgen receptor, the same target acted on by testosterone, but is designed to stimulate muscle and bone while having weaker effects on other tissues. First described by Ligand Pharmaceuticals and later developed by Viking Therapeutics, it has been studied for muscle wasting but is not approved for any medical use, and it is banned in sport and sold illicitly to bodybuilders.

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Growth Hormone

Modified GRF 1-29

Modified GRF 1-29 is a synthetic peptide analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), built from the first 29 amino acids of GHRH with four amino acid substitutions that make it more resistant to breakdown. It is closely related to sermorelin and to CJC-1295; in fact it is the short-acting form of CJC-1295, lacking the albumin-binding attachment (the drug affinity complex, or DAC) that gives the latter its long duration. Like other GHRH analogs it prompts the pituitary gland to release growth hormone, and it is handled as a research chemical rather than an approved medicine.

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SARM

Ostarine

Ostarine, known in drug development as enobosarm or MK-2866, is an investigational selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM). SARMs are compounds designed to stimulate the androgen receptor in a tissue-selective way, aiming to build muscle and bone like anabolic steroids but with fewer effects on organs such as the prostate. Ostarine has been studied mainly for the muscle wasting associated with cancer and related conditions, but it is not approved as a medicine anywhere; it is prohibited in sport and has been the subject of regulatory warnings over its sale in bodybuilding and supplement products.

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SARM

OTR-AC

OTR-AC is an acetate ester of ostarine (enobosarm), the most clinically characterized selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) in development. It is designed to deliver enobosarm's muscle-selective, orally active anabolic signal, building lean mass and physical function while sparing the prostate and other tissues that traditional androgens affect [3][4]. In controlled trials, enobosarm consistently increased lean body mass in older adults and cancer patients [1][2], and the acetate ester form is marketed as more potent per milligram.

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Supplement

Sodium Bicarbonate

Sodium bicarbonate is an inorganic salt with the formula NaHCO3, made up of a sodium cation and a bicarbonate anion, and is widely known as baking soda. It appears as a white crystalline powder with a faintly salty, alkaline taste and dissolves readily in water. Beyond its household and culinary roles, it is used medically as an antacid and to counter metabolic acidosis, and in sport it is taken as a buffering agent intended to improve high-intensity performance.

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Anabolic Steroid

Superdrol

Superdrol, known generically as methasterone, is a synthetic, orally active anabolic-androgenic steroid derived from dihydrotestosterone. First prepared in the 1950s but never developed as a medicine, it later resurfaced as a designer steroid sold over the counter as a bodybuilding supplement. It is now a controlled substance and is noted chiefly for pronounced liver toxicity.

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Anabolic Steroid

Testosterone

Testosterone is the principal androgen and male sex hormone, a C19 steroid produced mainly by the Leydig cells of the testes in men and in smaller amounts by the ovaries and adrenal glands in women. It drives development of male reproductive tissue and secondary sexual characteristics and supports muscle and bone mass, red-blood-cell production, libido, and sperm formation. Synthesized in the body from cholesterol, testosterone is also manufactured as a medicine, used chiefly as replacement therapy for male hypogonadism, and is regulated as an anabolic-androgenic steroid because of its potential for misuse [1].

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Mitochondrial

Urolithin A

Urolithin A is a compound produced by gut bacteria from ellagitannins and ellagic acid, plant polyphenols found in foods such as pomegranates, walnuts and berries. It is not present in food itself but is formed in the gut, and people differ widely in how much they make, with some producing none. It has attracted research as an inducer of mitophagy, the recycling of damaged mitochondria, and is sold as a dietary supplement studied for mitochondrial health, muscle function and ageing [1][2].

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Stimulant

Clenbuterol

Clenbuterol is used for fat loss, and that is the only reason most people encounter it, so it is worth being direct about what the evidence supports. It is a long-acting beta-2 agonist licensed in some countries as an asthma bronchodilator and widely used in veterinary medicine; it raises metabolic rate and drives lipolysis, and in livestock and rodents it reliably shifts body composition toward lean mass [32][31]. What is missing is the human version of that result. There is no controlled trial showing clenbuterol produces meaningful fat loss in healthy people, while there is a systematic review of case reports documenting what it does produce: tachycardia, arrhythmia, myocarditis and hospital admissions [14]. The gap between those two literatures is the whole story.

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SARM

RAD-140

RAD-140, also known as testolone, is an experimental selective androgen receptor modulator, or SARM, a class of nonsteroidal compounds designed to stimulate muscle and bone growth while causing fewer of the unwanted effects of anabolic steroids. It was created by a pharmaceutical company as a potential treatment for conditions such as muscle wasting and, later, hormone-sensitive breast cancer, but it has not been approved for any medical use. Despite this, it is sold online and misused for bodybuilding, a practice associated with reports of liver and heart injury, and it is banned in sport by anti-doping authorities.

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SARM

YK-11

YK-11 is a synthetic steroidal SARM (selective androgen receptor modulator) famous in bodybuilding circles as a myostatin inhibitor, prized for its potential to push muscle growth past the body's natural limits. Uniquely among SARMs, it drives muscle cells to produce follistatin, a protein that blocks myostatin, the built-in brake on muscle size. This dual action as both an androgen receptor activator and a follistatin booster has made YK-11 one of the most talked-about compounds for lean mass, though it remains an experimental, unapproved research chemical.

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Growth Hormone

MK-677

MK-677, widely known as Ibutamoren, is an orally active, non-peptide growth hormone secretagogue that mimics the hunger hormone ghrelin at the growth hormone secretagogue receptor to amplify the body's own pulsatile production of growth hormone and IGF-1. In a two-year randomized controlled trial in older adults it restored growth hormone secretion into the young-adult range and significantly increased fat-free mass without serious adverse effects, and separate controlled studies show it raises IGF-1 in growth-hormone-deficient children, increases markers of bone turnover, and improves slow-wave and REM sleep. Because it is taken once daily by mouth rather than injected, it is among the most rigorously characterized compounds in the growth hormone space. Trials in frailer populations have been more equivocal, with the ghrelin-mimetic mechanism engaging its target reliably while functional and disease-modifying benefits, for example in hip-fracture recovery and Alzheimer disease, were not established; increased appetite, transient edema, and reduced insulin sensitivity are recognized effects.

5 outlets

Blend

RAD-140 + YK-11

RAD-140 (Testolone) plus YK-11 is a popular bodybuilding stack that pairs two selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) sought for rapid gains in muscle mass and strength [1]. RAD-140 is a potent nonsteroidal androgen receptor agonist designed to drive muscle growth with fewer of the prostate and hormonal effects of testosterone, while YK-11 is a steroidal SARM marketed as a myostatin-modulating muscle-builder [1][7]. Both are investigational research chemicals, not approved drugs, and both are banned in sport; importantly, RAD-140 has been linked in case reports to serious cardiac harm, so the stack carries real risk [1][2][3].

Muscle Growth

LGD-3303

LGD-4033 + YK-11

AC-262536

ACE-031

Arginine

Beta-Alanine

Boron

Citrulline

D-Aspartic Acid

D-Ribose

Fadogia Agrestis

Fenugreek

Follistatin 344

Glutamine

GSK-2881078

HGH

HMB

IGF-1 DES

IGF-1 LR3

Leucine

LGD-4033

Modified GRF 1-29

Ostarine

OTR-AC

Sodium Bicarbonate

Superdrol

Testosterone

Urolithin A

Clenbuterol

RAD-140

YK-11

MK-677

RAD-140 + YK-11

Alpha-Ketoglutarate (AKG)

Anadrol

Anavar

ART27-13

BCAAs

BMS-564929

Calcium Citrate

Casein Protein

Cistanche

Citrulline Malate

Colostrum

Dianabol

Dihydroboldenone

Epicatechin

Equipoise

GDF-11

Gelatin

GLPG-0492

GSK-2849466

GSK-971086

GTS-21

GTX-027

IGF-1

Irisin

Malic Acid

Masteron

MK-3984

Nandrolone

Primobolan

Trenbolone

Tribulus Terrestris

Turinabol

Turkesterone

Whey Protein Isolate

Winstrol

Muscle Growth

LGD-3303

LGD-4033 + YK-11

AC-262536

ACE-031

Arginine

Beta-Alanine

Boron

Citrulline

D-Aspartic Acid

D-Ribose