Why add GH peptides to a fat-loss cut
A Retatrutide protocol running at 8 mg/week maintenance produces a caloric deficit that's hard to meet with protein intake alone. Appetite suppression makes over-eating protein mechanically difficult. Weeks 6–12 of aggressive fat loss are where lean tissue is at risk.
GH and downstream IGF-1 are the standard axis for anti-catabolic signaling during a deficit. You can't eat more — the GLP won't let you — so the lever is endogenous anabolic signaling. That's the job of the GH-secretagogue layer in the Clavicular stack.
Two receptor pathways, one synergy
There are two ways to push GH without exogenous recombinant HGH:
- GHRH agonism — CJC-1295, Sermorelin, Tesamorelin. Binds GHRH receptors on pituitary somatotrophs → GH release. Mimics the natural hypothalamic signal.
- Ghrelin-receptor agonism — Ipamorelin, GHRP-2, GHRP-6, Hexarelin. Binds GHS-R1a on the same somatotrophs but through a different G-protein pathway.
When you activate both receptors simultaneously, GH release is not additive — it's synergistic. This is the rationale behind stacking CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin together rather than running either solo.
CJC-1295 — No DAC vs With DAC
| Feature | No DAC | With DAC |
|---------|--------|----------|
| Half-life | ~30 minutes | 6–8 days |
| GH pattern | Pulsatile (natural rhythm preserved) | Sustained (continuous elevation) |
| Dose frequency | Daily | 1–2× per week |
| Vial price | [$44.99 for 5 mg](/products/cjc-1295-no-dac) | $89.99 for 10 mg |
For the Clavicular stack during a cut, No DAC is the right variant. Sustained GH elevation (DAC) blunts natural pulsatility — and the pulsatile nocturnal GH surge is what the stack is trying to amplify. No DAC lets that surge happen and adds to it.
Ipamorelin selectivity
The other ghrelin-receptor agonists (GHRP-2, GHRP-6, Hexarelin) all spike cortisol and prolactin to varying degrees. That's not what you want during a fat-loss cut — cortisol promotes visceral adiposity, and a prolactin elevation is an HPG-axis disruption.
[Ipamorelin](/products/ipamorelin) is GHS-R1a selective. At typical 100 mcg doses, measurable cortisol and prolactin elevation is not observed. This is why it's the ghrelin mimetic in the Clav stack — clean signal.
The blend is the cheaper buy
If you're stacking Ipamorelin and CJC-1295 (which is the whole point), the pre-mixed blend is the right purchase:
- [Ipamorelin/CJC-1295 Blend](/products/ipamorelin-cjc-1295-blend) at $80.99 = 5 mg of each in one vial
- Ipamorelin 10 mg solo ($53.99) + CJC-1295 No DAC 5 mg solo ($44.99) = $98.98
The blend saves $17.99 and means one reconstitution instead of two. One vial at $80.99 covers ~50 nights at 100 mcg/100 mcg dosing.
Buy the singles only if you want different per-compound doses than 1:1, which is unusual for this stack.
Pre-sleep timing
The nocturnal GH pulse peaks during slow-wave sleep, typically 30–90 minutes after sleep onset. Inject 30–60 minutes pre-bed to stack the secretagogue signal with the natural pulse.
One injection, once a day, SC into abdomen or outer thigh. Rotate sites.
Dose
Standard looksmaxxing research dose: 100 mcg of each (200 mcg total from the blend).
At 5 mg/mL total concentration (2.5 mg/mL of each compound after 2 mL BAC water added to the 10 mg blend vial):
- 100 mcg / 100 mcg dose = 0.04 mL = 4 units on a U-100 insulin syringe
Larger doses (200 mcg / 200 mcg) have been studied but produce more injection-site GI sensitivity and don't meaningfully add GH release — the 100 mcg dose is the functional sweet spot.
Stack timing with Retatrutide
| Week | Retatrutide (weekly) | BPC-157 (daily AM) | CJC/Ipa Blend (pre-sleep) |
|------|----------------------|---------------------|----------------------------|
| 1–4 (phase 1) | 2 mg | 250 mcg | Optional — can start here |
| 5–8 (phase 2) | 4 mg | 250 mcg | Recommended start |
| 9+ (phase 3) | 8 mg | 250 mcg | 100 mcg / 100 mcg pre-sleep |
Clav's default is to add the CJC/Ipa blend at week 5 once the Retatrutide side-effect profile has stabilized. Earlier is fine — just one more injection per day from the start.
Don't eat before or after the injection
Elevated blood glucose blunts GH release through somatostatin feedback. Inject on an empty stomach (3+ hours since last meal) and wait 30+ minutes before any food. Pre-sleep timing helps with this naturally — dinner is far enough back.
What this layer does NOT do
- Does not replace protein intake. You still need sufficient protein — GH is anabolic in conjunction with amino acid availability, not instead of it.
- Does not drop body fat on its own. GH/IGF-1 does promote fat oxidation, but the big fat-loss signal is Retatrutide. The blend's job is lean-mass preservation.
- Does not require cycling at this dose. 100 mcg/100 mcg pre-sleep runs continuously through the cut without receptor desensitization concerns.
