what are the pros and cons of using HGH.

Do you mean Human Growth Hormone?

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yes , can u share some infor

Not only is it banned in sport, but has some nasty side effects and is less likely to improve your cycling than some decent training!!!!!

Here is the list of banned substances....
http://www.wada-ama.org/docs/web/sta...ndard_2004.pdf

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the fact that youre asking this on a forum tells me you arent pro and dont have major sponsors (b/c its very illegal). Anyway, its extremely expensive, for the price of the drug, you would be able to buy many top of the line bikes every year. Also, as previously mentioned it does have some nasty side effects, and you should be under the care of a doctor if taking it for any reason. But, will it help cycling? probably not. Here's why: how many (good) cyclists do you know with huge bodies, weigh over 180? While strong leg muscles help, HGH can lead to the production of lots of mass on your body. Even big legs can hurt you in cycling if they are too massive. More weight = more effort to shove yourself up a hill. Dont go with HGH. If you really wanna spend huge amounts of money for small gains, take EPO (jk, its illegeal too), or the legal alternative, an altitude tent. The reason why some cyclists take HGH is because it enables faster recovery from workouts.

I just looked at that list, and the funny thing is that some of the banned substances are potent poisons. I guess being dead would improve your decents?

Actually, HGH is a peptide hormone and does not behave like mass-building anabolic steroids. You wouldn't necessarily realize weight and/or strength gains from taking it. In fact, you could very well lose weight if you are overweight. HGH improves fat metabolism and is used by athletes to pare down unwanted fat and give the body a dramatic visual leaning effect and hardness.

Unlike anabolic steroids, HGH is not a scheduled substance in the U.S., and is comparatively safe. It is also very expensive if purchased domestically, and that is probably the most significant factor that discourages abuse.

If you're a competitive bodybuilder, HGH is a must-have. As far as any benefit that could be useful to a cyclist, I can't think of anything that would justify the cost.

i never said it was a steroid, just that it can lead to overproduction of muscle mass, and because climbers want to be so skinny, its not that popular with them, more with the sprinters, or classics riders. Just as you said, bodybuilders love it, and if they love it, i doubt a person trying to be as light as possible (that includes having little fat or muscle) would want to take it.

Again, you won't put on lots of muscle mass from taking HGH. Steroidal hormones do that. What you will do is lose fat....lots of it. In fact, you can lose so much that your skin seems paper thin - which is why bodybuilders use it (gives them the dramatic 'ripped' look). For an endurance cyclist, would you really want to lose all your fat stores? Probably not.

i beleive that apart from making you massive,it also enlargens your heart.That would look great MON,riding thru the bahamas and having your heart explode!!!

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Using HGH as some of the others have stated is expensive. Guys in the States can help to avoid that by going south of the border to obtain. Many pro cyclist have used this in the past due to the fact that it is not detectable by doping controls even now. The pros are that HGH enhances recovery, grows muscle mass and increases red cell mass. The cons are the expense and the fact that it grows other body organs.

The parts that helps performance are the fact that it is converted to Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 in the liver and this is what helps with muscle development, speeds recovery and increases hematopoeisis too (increases RBCs!). If you don't think the guys in the pro peleton are using it, do some research about the Rumsas affair. Raimodas Rumsas's (Lampre Pro) wife was caught with flasks of Norditropin (HGH) in the trunk of her car after the Tour in 2002 along with everything else imaginable.

Cyclist on the elite level are taking HGH along with many other substances to improve performance. Example of recents things are Actovegin, which is a calf blood extract that has a suposed EPO like effect along with vasodilatory actions too. EPO is rampant because it can't be detected by urine test 3-4 days after taking it, eventhough its effects last 21+ days out.

There's other ways for US guys to get HGH than going South of the border... I've used Jintropin Online who do very affordable prices unlike certain other brands,and they guarantee delivery to your door. I use it to keep my body fat down and aid recovery, and can't complain about the results!

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Former Kelme rider Jesus Manzano on Thursday said that professional cycling is awash with growth hormones, the banned blood booster EPO and host of other products often not intended for human use.

Manzano's interviews are appearing in the Spanish newspaper AS in a bid to avenge his sacking by the Kelme team last year, said for many riders the practice was openly available.

"It's like an open bar when it comes to growth hormones, and you get injected with EPO (Erythropoietin) almost every day," said the 25-year-old Spaniard in the second part of his interview with AS.

Manzano backed up his shocking claims by naming several brands of human growth hormone - Humatrope, Norditropin, Genotonorm, as well as IGF1, which he describes as HGH mixed with insulin.

"There are piles of the stuff because each laboratory has its brands," he said.

The first part of Manzano's revelations claimed that he was injected with an unknown substance on last year's Tour de France which left him "on the verge of death" after he collapsed during the seventh stage.

Manzano also said he had to contribute 3000 euros to a team fund before the three-week race for the stocking of blood, which was used for transfusions during the race.

During his interviews Manzano showed reporters how he extracted blood from a vein to test his own hematocrit (ratio of red blood cells to whole blood).

In Thursday's edition of AS he showed how he used to inject EPO. He said it is used "to fight fatigue and oxygenate the blood - you use it over long periods and it has long-lasting effects."

Manzano also said blood was taken out of his body when his red blood cell count was high - his maximum reading was 56 - and transfused back into him if needed.

"If it wasn't for EPO I don't think the average speed at major tours would be 41kph," he said, adding that blood testers - whom riders call 'vampires' - can be fooled when they turn up at team hotels.

"You get around half an hour after the testers turn up because they (team) send down the riders with low levels first. The team doctors are prepared," he explained.

"The rest of the cyclists who have higher levels are given blood plasma and glucose products and then do the controls - these can lower your hematocrit level by four points."

Manzano decided to lift the lid on what he alleges goes on in the peloton because he claims to be living in poverty since Kelme did not renew his contract for this season.

He was effectively sacked at the end of last season by Kelme for having sex with a woman in his bedroom during the Vuelta a España in September - which he denied.

Both the Kelme team and the Spanish cycling federation (RFEC) have disputed Manzano's claims and have promised to take legal action.

However Manzano is set to make further allegations, which could further harm his ex-team's chances of winning a Tour de France wildcard invitation this year.

"There are also Cortisone, Nandrolone, synthetic hemoglobin, Actovegin," Manzano said, "There are a lot of things to explain, but I'll talk about them in the coming days."

i agree.