u/Creative-Cat500 Tirzepatide + heavy-lifting recomp stack: 55 lbs in 6 months
Any woman on Cjc/Ipa? Looking to add to my current stack and was wondering if any woman in this group are on CJC no Dac/Ipa? I've been on Tirz for 6mo, down 55lbs. Added NAD+ a few months ago, MOTS-C three weeks ago and GHK-cu. Doing great with all those! Looking for something to help with sleep AND give me a little more muscle definition. I've got my diet dialed in, lift heavy 3-4x a week and Spin 2x a week.
u/Creative-Cat500 has heavy lifting 3-4x a week alongside Tirz + NAD + MOTS-c + GHK-Cu, which is exactly the lean-mass-preserving piece a GLP-1 protocol actually needs. 55 pounds in 6 months is a strong but plausible Tirzepatide outcome at standard titration, and her dialed-in diet plus sequential compound additions show experimental discipline most stacks in this space lack. The CJC/Ipa question she's asking the community is reasonable. The simpler answer is to address sleep directly first, before reaching for another peptide.
| Goal | Score | Grade | Weight | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longevity | 84 | B | 25% | Resistance training 3-4x/week is among the highest-evidence longevity interventions there is. GHK-Cu and MOTS-c add metabolic-aging mechanisms. Tirzepatide-mediated metabolic improvement is itself longevity-relevant in older adults. |
| Cognition | — | Not targeted | — | No ingredient with a primary cognitive mechanism. |
| Sleep & recovery | — | Not targeted | — | Author explicitly notes the current stack doesn't address sleep, which is why she's asking the community about CJC/Ipa. |
| Energy & metabolism | 86 | B | 30% | Tirzepatide is the headline mechanism. NAD precursor + MOTS-c add legitimate but weaker metabolic support. Spin class layered on top adds aerobic metabolic conditioning. |
| Body recomposition | 89 | B+ | 45% | Tirzepatide weight loss with heavy resistance training 3-4x/week is the gold-standard combination for preserving lean mass during a GLP-1 deficit. 55 lbs in 6 months is a strong outcome. Held off the A range by the absence of training program specifics. |
Ingredients (6)
Tirzepatide
Tirzepatide on peptidelist.org ↗
- Dose
- unspecified (6 months on protocol) · weekly
- Mechanism
- Dual GLP-1 / GIP receptor agonist. Phase 3 SURMOUNT-1 trial showed ~22% bodyweight loss at 72 weeks at the 15mg dose. FDA-approved as Zepbound for chronic weight management and as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes.
- Take
- Author calls it 'Tirz' without specifying Zepbound (FDA-approved branded) vs compounded. 55 lbs lost in 6 months is consistent with mid-to-upper-range Zepbound titration (10-15mg/week) sustained for the full duration. Standard titration is 2.5/5/7.5/10/12.5/15mg weekly subQ over an escalating schedule. Whether this is FDA-approved Zepbound or compounded matters for sourcing risk; author doesn't say.
NAD+
- Dose
- unspecified
- Mechanism
- NAD+ is a coenzyme central to mitochondrial energy production and sirtuin/PARP enzyme activity; declines with age. Supplemented as IV NAD+, oral NMN/NR precursors, or subcutaneous NAD+.
- Take
- Same vagueness problem NAD always has in stacks. Could mean IV NAD ($300-1500/session, weak evidence) or oral NMN/NR precursors at 500-1000mg/day (weaker biomarker evidence, much lower cost). Author doesn't specify, so the cost-benefit question can't be evaluated.
MOTS-c
- Dose
- unspecified (3 weeks on)
- Mechanism
- Mitochondrial-derived 16-amino-acid peptide encoded by mitochondrial DNA. AMPK activator with metabolic effects on insulin sensitivity, glucose homeostasis, and exercise capacity in animal and small human studies.
- Take
- Three weeks in is too early to attribute meaningful subjective change; effect sizes for MOTS-c on metabolic markers in published human data take longer than that to surface. Typical research-vendor protocols use 5-10mg/week subQ. As a metabolic adjunct to Tirzepatide, mechanistically coherent. Combinatorial human data with GLP-1s is essentially zero, but the components don't conflict.
GHK-Cu
- Dose
- unspecified
- Mechanism
- Tripeptide-copper complex with well-studied effects on collagen and elastin synthesis when applied topically. Injectable use is far less characterized.
- Take
- Author doesn't disclose dose or route. GHK-Cu has the strongest individual evidence base of the recovery-class peptides, primarily as a topical cosmetic for collagen synthesis and skin remodeling. Injectable use is far less characterized; typical research-vendor subQ protocols use 1-3mg/day. In a body-recomp context the role is more about skin elasticity during weight loss than metabolic effect.
Resistance training
- Dose
- 3-4 sessions per week, 'lift heavy'
- Mechanism
- Mechanical tension and metabolic stress drive hypertrophic signaling via mTORC1 and satellite cell activation. Critical for preserving lean mass during caloric deficit, particularly in GLP-1-mediated weight loss where lean-mass loss is otherwise disproportionate.
- Take
- This is the load-bearing piece that distinguishes the stack from the typical GLP-1 protocol. 3-4 sessions per week of heavy lifting is in the sweet spot for preserving and modestly building lean mass during a caloric deficit. 'Lift heavy' implies progressive overload but the author doesn't specify program structure (sets per muscle group, periodization, exercise selection). Either way, having any structured resistance training during GLP-1-driven weight loss puts this protocol ahead of most.
Spin class (2x/week)
- Dose
- 2 sessions per week
- Mechanism
- Moderate-to-high intensity interval cycling. Improves VO2max, insulin sensitivity, and cardiovascular markers. Adds aerobic energy expenditure to the resistance-training base.
- Take
- Standard indoor-cycling group fitness. Adds aerobic conditioning that resistance training alone doesn't cover, supports cardiovascular health and energy expenditure. At 2 sessions per week alongside heavy lifting 3-4x, total training load is reasonable rather than excessive; recovery should be manageable with adequate protein and sleep.
Risks & interactions
- Tirzepatide GI side effects, ongoingmedium
GLP-1-class drugs cause significant nausea, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea in a meaningful fraction of users, particularly during titration. Author reports doing 'great with all those' so she's past the worst of it, but the side effect profile at higher maintenance doses can resurface.
- Research-peptide sourcinglow
MOTS-c and GHK-Cu come from research-vendor markets with the standard purity, sterility, and labeling concerns. NAD source isn't specified. Less central here than in stacks where the research peptide is the headline; Tirzepatide is doing most of the work.
- Three new compounds added in close successionlow
NAD+ a 'few months ago,' MOTS-c three weeks ago, and GHK-Cu added to that. Hard to attribute any subjective change to a specific compound when they overlap in time. The Tirz is the clear driver of the 55-lb loss; the rest is a faith-based attribution exercise unless tracked individually.
- Adding CJC/Ipa would shift the risk profilelow
Forward-looking, since the author is considering this. CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin elevates GH and IGF-1; sustained use needs IGF-1, fasting glucose, and HbA1c monitoring. Worth doing only if the benefit (sleep, muscle definition) materially exceeds simpler alternatives.
She's asking about CJC/Ipa for sleep plus a lean-mass increment. The sleep half of that question has a much cheaper, lower-risk answer: magnesium glycinate, sublingual physiological-dose melatonin, and the basic sleep-hygiene anchors (caffeine cutoff, blue-light avoidance, consistent timing). Total cost under $30/mo, zero peptide-sourcing risk, no bloodwork burden. If sleep stays broken after dialing those in, CJC/Ipa becomes a reasonable next step. Adding it for sleep up front is fighting flies with a flamethrower.
Estimated cost
Tirzepatide cost depends on sourcing: Zepbound through LillyDirect self-pay $299/mo, compounded tirzepatide ~$200-400/mo, reconstituted research-vendor lyophilized ~$50-100/mo. Research-peptide MOTS-c + GHK-Cu ~$60-130/mo combined. NAD ranges $30-80/mo (oral NMN/NR) up to $1200+/mo (regular IV NAD). Gym membership for lifting + spin ~$30-100/mo.