03 / The protocols

Coaching alone
has a ceiling.

After 35, discipline fixes a lot, but not everything your labs show. That’s why every Iron & Axis program is coaching plus a medically-guided peptide protocol: ordered from your bloodwork, prescribed by a licensed provider where appropriate, and coached alongside your training so the two actually work together.

  1. 01

    Baseline labs

    A comprehensive panel, reviewed by a licensed provider. Nothing is prescribed before this.

  2. 02

    Provider review

    Your provider determines what, if anything, is clinically appropriate for you. Not everyone qualifies.

  3. 03

    Protocol + coaching

    Up to three therapies, run alongside your training and nutrition plan, with monthly 1:1 check-ins.

  4. 04

    Retest

    Labs again at the end. Your Iron Score tells you what actually moved.

Therapies where clinically appropriate

GLP-1 classGrowth-hormone supportTissue repairCellular energy · NAD+Longevity
Start with Baseline
The five categories

What each protocol is for

Every program draws from these five. Your provider chooses from them based on your Baseline labs and your goal, and we coach around whatever is prescribed. Nothing here is sold off a menu, and no category is right for everyone.

01

GLP-1 class

Prescription medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide. They act on the hormones that regulate appetite, how quickly the stomach empties, and how the body responds to insulin.

Most often paired with Weight Loss
Commonly prescribed to support
  • Appetite regulation and fewer cravings
  • Sustained fat loss alongside a nutrition and training plan
  • Blood sugar and other metabolic markers
Typically considered when
  • Weight and labs meet your provider’s criteria for treatment
  • Fat loss has stalled despite consistent effort
  • Metabolic markers are heading the wrong way
How we coach around it
  • Protein targets and resistance work to protect muscle while weight drops
  • Strength tracked as closely as the scale
  • Dose, pace and side effects stay with your provider; we flag what we see between visits
02

Growth-hormone support

Peptides that prompt your body to release more of its own growth hormone, rather than replacing it. Growth hormone output declines with age, and with it recovery, deep sleep and the ability to hold muscle.

Most often paired with Muscle Building and Performance
Commonly prescribed to support
  • Recovery between hard sessions
  • Sleep quality, particularly deep sleep
  • Body composition: building or holding lean mass while leaning out
Typically considered when
  • IGF-1 and related labs sit low for your age
  • Recovery and sleep are the limiting factor, not effort
  • You are training hard and not seeing the return you used to
How we coach around it
  • Progressive training that gives the added recovery capacity something to do
  • Sleep and nutrition timed to support it
  • Labs retested so the protocol is adjusted on numbers, not feel
03

Tissue repair

Peptides used by some providers to support healing in tendons, ligaments, muscle and the gut lining. Human evidence is still developing and availability depends on your provider and current regulation.

Most often paired with Performance and Signature
Commonly prescribed to support
  • Recovery from nagging soft-tissue injuries
  • Joint comfort during a return to heavy training
  • Gut health, where it is limiting nutrition
Typically considered when
  • An old shoulder, back or knee keeps dictating the program
  • You are coming back from injury and want to train, not rest
  • Your provider judges it appropriate and available for you
How we coach around it
  • Programming written around the injury, not through it
  • Load added gradually with checkpoints, not a calendar
  • Pain and range of motion tracked alongside the lifts
04

Cellular energy · NAD+

NAD+ is a molecule every cell uses to turn food into energy and to repair itself. Levels fall with age, shift work and poor sleep. Protocols restore it directly or through precursors your body converts.

Most often paired with Energy, Sleep & Longevity
Commonly prescribed to support
  • Daytime energy and the 3pm crash
  • Mental clarity and focus
  • Recovery from long shifts and broken sleep
Typically considered when
  • Fatigue is the main complaint and labs rule out the obvious causes
  • Your schedule makes consistent sleep impossible
  • You want to feel better before you look better
How we coach around it
  • Sleep and shift-recovery habits built first, so the protocol has a foundation
  • Training intensity matched to the week you actually have
  • Energy and sleep tracked in your dashboard, not guessed
05

Longevity

Protocols aimed at the markers that track with healthy aging: inflammation, insulin sensitivity, body composition and recovery. Compounds vary; your provider chooses based on what your labs show.

Most often paired with Signature and Energy, Sleep & Longevity
Commonly prescribed to support
  • Inflammation and recovery markers
  • Metabolic health over the long run
  • Staying strong and capable into your 50s and beyond
Typically considered when
  • You are already in decent shape and want to protect it
  • Family history or labs point to risks worth getting ahead of
  • You are thinking in decades, not weeks
How we coach around it
  • Strength, VO2 and body composition treated as the long-term scorecard
  • Labs retested on a schedule so the plan evolves with you
  • Habits built to last past the program

Evidence varies by compound and by category. Your provider will walk you through what is well established, what is still being studied, and what applies to you. Some compounds are FDA-approved medications; others are compounded and not FDA-approved for these uses.

Specific compounds are determined by your labs and your licensed provider, never sold off a menu. Iron & Axis provides training, nutrition and lifestyle coaching; it does not prescribe or dispense medication or provide medical advice.

Book a call Request info