Strength and physique athletes drove a lot of the early interest in research peptides. Here's what the literature actually studies for growth, recovery, and body composition — plus where SARMs fit in the conversation, and how to source both from vendors that test.
The bodybuilding-adjacent research conversation splits into two groups: peptides (mostly growth-hormone secretagogues and recovery compounds) and SARMs (selective androgen receptor modulators — a separate class studied for muscle and bone). They're different chemistry with different research and legal profiles, but the same audience searches for both.
MK-677 (Ibutamoren) — an orally active GH-secretagogue studied for GH/IGF-1 elevation; one of the most-searched compounds in this space.
Ipamorelin + CJC-1295 — the classic secretagogue pairing studied for the GH/IGF-1 axis, recovery, and body composition.
Tesamorelin — the only FDA-approved GHRH analog, studied heavily for visceral fat and GH pathways.
Sermorelin — a GHRH-analog studied within the same axis.
Heavy training is hard on joints and connective tissue. BPC-157 and TB-500 are the most-studied recovery compounds — see Best Peptides for Recovery for the full breakdown.
SARMs (RAD-140/Testolone, Ostarine/MK-2866, Cardarine, LGD-4033, YK-11) are a separate compound class studied for muscle and performance. If your research crosses into SARMs, the vendor bar is the same: third-party HPLC testing and verifiable COAs. Our top pick for the SARMs-and-peptides crossover is Sports Technology Labs — a US supplier that publishes COAs with the testing lab's contact info and backs orders with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Read the Sports Technology Labs review →
Whether peptides or SARMs, demand batch-specific third-party COAs, transparent purity numbers, and a verifiable reputation. Start with how to read a COA, then compare vendors on our ranked company list and comparison table.
Vetted vendors that stock these strength & GH-secretagogue compounds — all independently reviewed above:
Last reviewed July 2026. By the Peptides Uncaged Research Team. For research use only. Affiliate links disclosed per FTC guidelines.
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