Mots-c protocol advice

We have limited data on precise protocols, but we do have some sound theory from anecdotal evidence and of course some science behind AMPK activation that we can pull from. AMPK and mTOR kind of pull in opposite directions. MOTS-c lights up AMPK, which is great for burning fuel, insulin sensitivity, and that “I can just keep going” cardio/sprint feel. It’s not what you want sitting on top of a heavy lift session if the goal that day is actually building muscle. So I don’t pin it right before legs or a hard push day.

What I do instead:

MOTS days = cardio, sprints, zone 2, or just off days

Lift days = skip it, or pin it after I’m done training if I still want the weekly dose in

If I have to do both the same day, I wait a few hours after the MOTS shot before I touch weights

On actual dosing, people are all over the place because there’s no real human protocol. What I recommend based on strong anecdotal and personal evidence:

1 - 2mg 2–3x a week (Mon/Wed/Fri type thing). I got major ISRs going with larger doses and to be honest I can't tell the different between 3mg and 1mg.

Alternatives that the community users:

1–2 mg more often, like 5 days on / weekends off. Try it and see how you respond, but I believe the more you do it the less effective it becomes.

I've seen some guys do 1 pin a week at 5 or 10mg, which to me is insane. My body can't tolerate that large of a dose without a major histamine reaction. I'd be really careful with a dose this high, especially your first week.

Weekly total for a lot of people lands around 5-10mg and then 15mg on the high end. Again I have no idea how b/c I get serious lumps after injections. We're talking almost half a golf ball sized lumps under the skin. MOTs-c can also burn, which I've experienced.

Make sure you run it in the morning and fasted and always before cardio. Don’t expect it to slap you like a stimulant. Some days you just feel a little cleaner on the treadmill or recover easier. It’s more of a background metabolic thing than a preworkout. I wouldn’t run it year-round. 4–8 weeks on, then off for a bit, same as most of these mito compounds.

I’ve tried daily, 2–3 times a week, and 5mg all at once weekly. They all did something for me, but 3 times a week was probably the sweet spot. I felt it more during workouts and still got the body comp benefit.

Daily seemed to work best for fat loss, but it got annoying fast. Once weekly is convenient, but I mostly feel it that day and then the rest of the week is whatever. I always did mine fasted in the morning. If this is your first run, I’d probably start with the split schedule and see how you respond before getting creative.

I liked MOTS-c right up until I didn’t. About two weeks in, I broke out in hives out of nowhere and tossed the rest of my vials. Really sucked because I was enjoying it before that.

Obviously that doesn’t happen to everyone, but pay attention if you start getting itchy or notice anything weird with your skin. Mine showed up pretty suddenly.

This is exactly where I got stuck. Some people swear by daily dosing, then others say daily use defeats the point because of desensitization.

I ended up leaning toward splitting the weekly amount across 3 days. It seems like the best middle ground between keeping it active through the week and not turning it into another thing you have to remember every morning.