Tendon and Ligament

Androgen Receptor

The receptor every anabolic-androgenic steroid is designed to hit. Binding moves it into the nucleus where it switches on genes for muscle protein synthesis, and in other tissues for hair loss, prostate growth and oil production.

IGF-1 Receptor

The receptor that carries almost all of growth hormone's anabolic effect, one step downstream of it. It is also the reason the IGF-1 analogs are the peptides with the most serious theoretical cancer question: the same signal that grows muscle grows anything already growing.

Collagen Synthesis

Building the protein that tendon, ligament, joint surface and skin are made of. It moves slower than muscle does, and not every androgen supports it equally.