CommunityTraining & Muscle

MOTS-C Timing and Dosing for Endurance Sessions

24 replies16 peopleJul 10, 2026☆ Follow
Summary

Does MOTS-C taken a few hours before endurance exercise improve performance and what dosing avoids side effects?

Users report mixed but mostly positive short-term endurance gains from 2-8 mg pre-cardio or pre-gym, with some measuring higher watts or longer sessions. Several note a delayed energy crash hours later even when using SS-31, while others see no benefit or prefer lower daily amounts. Insulin-resistance status appears to influence perceived effects for at least one participant. Debate continues on whether HOMA-IR tracks mitochondrial function and whether benefits require ongoing use.

What this discussion establishesWhere people disagree

Whether HOMA-IR reliably indicates mitochondrial health and whether benefits persist after stopping MOTS-C

Still open

Optimal long-term protocol and whether effects require continuous administration

Nothing here is advice.

24 replies · 16 people
SlowLantern46archiveopening postJul 10

I got some MOTS-C hoping to use it a couple hours before gym or a hard road-bike session of 30-60 miles. I only plan to take it right before riding, not spread 15 mg over three days. Threads are split on whether it helps performance. Since it is inexpensive I bought a kit to test. The goal is simply to push harder and get better gains from those sessions. Has anyone else tried MOTS-C right before endurance work and seen results? I am starting at 5 mg and may increase, though some say 10-15 mg is needed.

PlainAnchor17archiveJul 10

Following. I have a kit ready but have not started because I am still testing KLOW and do not want to complicate things. I barely do cardio, just occasional jogging, and mainly want to improve squats.

SharpCinder28archiveJul 10
↳ replying to @SlowLantern46 (opening post)

On dosing I would stay at or below 10 mg. Higher amounts seem more likely to cause a systemic reaction, which is also why I would only use subq, never IM. By the way, I would ask AI for ways to reduce injection-site reactions with MOTS-C. Mixing KPV in the same syringe and taking breaks are options mentioned, and KPV can be reconstituted with saline BAC.

SlowLantern46archiveJul 10
↳ replying to @PlainAnchor17

MOTS-C should give a boost before workouts, though 200 mg caffeine does too. For endurance it is supposed to produce a measurable difference, for example a 3-4 % rise in average watts on a hard ride that would count as real rather than placebo. Who knows with all the different reports. KLOW is mainly for repair, skin, and inflammation, right? I bought some cheaply for a friend and saw posts about it. I plan to start low and watch for reactions; if anything big shows up I will probably drop it because I want to keep things simple.

SlowLantern46archiveJul 11

So a nine-week cycle at 15 mg per week? Do you inject at the same time or an hour or so before the run?

BrightSignal52archiveJul 11

Before my morning run I use 2 mg via nasal spray. I notice slightly better endurance than without it. I am currently working on insulin resistance, so I would not expect identical results in someone with better insulin signaling already.

WarmSparrow60archiveJul 11

I use 8 mg MOTS-C every other day and alternate with 100 mg NAD+, both fasted pre-workout in the morning. After lunch I take 10 mg SS-31 daily. My mitochondria feel optimal after six months of this.

BrightSignal52archiveJul 11
↳ replying to @WarmSparrow60

Have you calculated your HOMA-IR to gauge mitochondrial function?

WarmSparrow60archiveJul 11
↳ replying to @BrightSignal52

I have not yet. I will get insulin and glucose checked this week and report back. Right now I am going by how good I feel with diet, exercise, and sleep dialed in. I just started HGH ten days ago so I expect more changes from that. Hopefully the Tirz is helping offset any insulin-resistance increase.

ClearKettle55archiveJul 11

I do not see how MOTS-C would fail to give a boost if the suspected mechanism holds and it activates AMPK; the body should then pull energy from every available source.

KeenKettle50archiveJul 12

God that has to be expensive.

GreyPebble34archiveJul 12

Did you begin your MOTS-C use at 15 mg a week or gradually work up to it?

RustSignal22archiveJul 12

On 5 mg before cardio my energy stays very steady and I can keep going for a long time without fading. The downside is that later in the day, even hours afterward, I feel completely drained, as if the tank is empty and overall energy took a hit. Some people use 1-2 mg daily and I wonder if that lower amount could give steadier cardio energy without the later crash. I tried SS-31 both before and during but it did not prevent the exhaustion afterward.

LevelMarble39archiveJul 13
↳ replying to @SlowLantern46 (opening post)

I run 3.33 mg every other day in the morning and have noticed much more endurance in the gym and during cardio after weights. I can stay in the gym about two hours doing weights, cardio, and sauna and feel good the whole time. It could be placebo from getting fitter overall, but it feels like the compound has helped since I started.

CopperFenwick10archiveJul 13

I love the MOTS-C boost pre-workout; I can go harder for longer.

QuietSignal61archiveJul 13

Yep, big boost to cardio. I usually do 5 mg but 2.5 mg seems almost as effective when taken 30-60 minutes beforehand.

GreenLedger79archiveJul 15

Have you noticed how the endurance effects change once you stop MOTS-C? Do they stay or do you basically need it ongoing for the boost? I am asking about both aerobic base and hard zone-4/5 intensities.

WarmSparrow60archiveJul 16
↳ replying to @BrightSignal52

HOMA-IR came back at 0.80, which is optimal. Just got the results today.

BrightSignal52archiveJul 16
↳ replying to @WarmSparrow60

That's great since the energy centers inside cells probably won't gain much by adding MOTS-c.

WarmSparrow60archiveJul 16
↳ replying to @BrightSignal52

Planning to pause MOTS-c for the next three months. Felt wiped out right after my midday meal lately and spent time ruling out everything else until I traced it back to that compound. It shows up once the system has enough and homocysteine begins climbing. Still plan to keep NAD+ on alternate days plus daily SS-31. Acting as the test subject sure isn't simple.

PatientFenwick91archiveAug 17
↳ replying to @BrightSignal52

The HOMA-IR calculation does not assess how well mitochondria are working. It only uses fasting levels of blood sugar and insulin to gauge how resistant the body is to insulin. Problems with mitochondria might link to insulin resistance without turning that calculation into a direct indicator of mitochondrial status. Even though connections exist between them, one does not always lead to the other. Appreciate the post, found it intriguing. With my own HOMA-IR reading at 0.5, daily use of MOTS-c still seems helpful to me. In contrast, NAD+ often leaves me feeling drained, requiring caution in its use. My situation appears nearly reversed compared to yours.

BrightSignal52archiveAug 18
↳ replying to @PatientFenwick91

When I looked into what occurs inside muscle and liver cells during energy overload, the power plants there normally consume fats plus sugars to make fuel. Yet once incoming calories especially from fats and processed sugars outpace actual needs the internal chain slows down and backs up. Partial fat breakdown then leaves behind harmful leftovers that include specific lipid forms. Those leftovers switch on enzymes which attach a phosphate to a signaling protein at the wrong position and this cuts off the insulin response. Blood sugar therefore stays high until extra insulin gets released which shows up on lab checks as elevated resistance markers. Since the core problem is overloaded cellular engines the markers drop when fuel intake falls through skipped meals or overall lower calories or when the engines are pushed to run faster via triggers that either create fresh ones or waste proton energy as warmth to clear the backlog.

PatientFenwick91archiveAug 18
↳ replying to @BrightSignal52

I already acknowledged that problems with mitochondria might play a role in insulin resistance. That should have been obvious from what I wrote before. The key thing I'm trying to say is that this HOMA-IR calculation by itself doesn't assess how well mitochondria are working since it just uses fasting insulin and glucose levels. Just because the two are linked doesn't turn HOMA-IR into an indicator of mitochondrial condition. Studies in people demonstrate they don't always go together so someone might show normal HOMA-IR values yet still experience mitochondrial issues.

GreenLedger54archiveAug 19

This thread really grabbed my interest. It became clear to me that my Mots usage was much too low. I recently completed a 10 mg container while administering one milligram daily without detecting any changes. For the next attempt I'll go with an increased amount. Grateful to all who posted.

LevelSignal11archiveAug 19
↳ replying to @GreenLedger54

Yeah, I'm dealing with something comparable, although it looks like I benefited from a substantial placebo effect. This is a solid thread.

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