MOTS-c Dosing Guide
A high-milligram, few-times-a-week peptide — a 10 mg vial is only two doses.
MOTS-c is used for exercise capacity, metabolism and general energy. Unlike the microgram peptides, the standard dose is a full 5 milligrams, taken a few times a week — so a single vial disappears fast. Most guides say to take it in the morning or before a workout because a short stretch of tiredness afterward is commonly reported.
At a glance
- Typical dose
- 5 mg per injection (range 2.5–10 mg)
- How often
- 2–3 times a week; once a week for maintenance
- Route
- Subcutaneous — abdomen
- Timing
- Morning, or 30–60 minutes before training
- How long
- 4–8 weeks on, a similar period off; 2–3 courses a year
- Vial size
- 10 mg
How much
The consensus per-injection dose is 5 mg, cited as the standard by nearly every guide. The range runs from 2.5 mg up to 10 mg per injection; daily protocols use smaller amounts (1–3 mg a day).
Weekly totals are most commonly 5–15 mg. Some performance-focused guides go to 20–30 mg a week (10 mg two or three times), and a few escalation charts go higher still, but those are outliers.
How often & when
The most common schedule is 5 mg two or three times a week. Also cited: once a week at 5 mg for beginners or maintenance; 1–3 mg five days a week; and short daily runs at 5 mg.
Morning on an empty stomach is the most-cited timing, with 30–60 minutes before exercise the second. Guides note there is no clinically established best time; the morning habit exists because temporary fatigue after a dose is a common report.
How long
Most sources run 4–8 weeks on followed by a similar break; 8–12 weeks on / 4–8 weeks off also appears. Two or three courses a year is a phrase that shows up repeatedly.
Mixing the vial
Doses below are for a standard U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL). The formula: units = dose in mg ÷ concentration in mg/mL × 100. Bacteriostatic water is the usual diluent. A standard peptide vial holds about 3 mL of liquid at most — the store’s vials included — so every row below stays at or under 3 mL. Guides elsewhere that call for 4–5 mL will not fit.
| Vial | Water added | Concentration | Doses in units |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | 1 mL | 10 mg/mL | 5 mg = 50 units · 2.5 mg = 25 units |
| 10 mg | 2 mL | 5 mg/mL | 5 mg = 100 units (full syringe) · 2.5 mg = 50 units |
Either way a 10 mg vial is two 5 mg doses. A four-week run at 5 mg three times a week needs six vials. The 1 mL mix keeps a 5 mg dose to half a syringe.
How to reconstitute
Not sure how to mix the vial? Our free Reconstitution Calculator walks you through it: enter the vial size, how much bacteriostatic water you're adding and the amount you want per dose, pick your syringe, and it tells you exactly what mark to draw to, the concentration, and how many doses the vial holds — with a syringe diagram and a step-by-step worked example.
Practical tips
- Plan on volume: this is the peptide where the vial count adds up fastest.
- A short window of tiredness after a dose is commonly reported — the reason for morning dosing.
- Injection-site reactions are the main side effect reported, including in the one human trial of a related compound.
- Refrigerate after mixing and use within 28–30 days.
What the evidence looks like
Evidence level
Animal. The science on MOTS-c itself is in mice. One small human trial exists for a related analog (CB4211, 25 mg daily for four weeks), which was well tolerated. The doses above are community convention with no human dose-finding data.
For what the compound is and how it is studied — mechanism, research history and the primary literature — read the reference entry: MOTS-c.
Batch-tested with published COAs
MOTS-c on the store
Every vial is tested by an independent lab, with a batch-linked certificate of analysis you can check before you buy. This page is educational; purchasing happens on the store.
Common questions
How many doses are in a 10 mg vial?
Two at the standard 5 mg dose, four at 2.5 mg.
When should I take MOTS-c?
Morning is most-cited; 30–60 minutes before training is the other common choice. Evening dosing is avoided mainly because of reported fatigue afterward.
How many units is 5 mg?
50 units when 10 mg is mixed in 1 mL; 100 units (a full syringe) when mixed in 2 mL.
Sources
The figures above were compiled from the following pages. Where an FDA label exists it is listed first; the rest are vendor, clinic and community dosing references, which are not peer-reviewed.
- Peptide Dosing Protocols — MOTS-c — 5 mg 2–3×/week; 4–8 weeks on/off; 10 mg + 1 mL = 10 mg/mL Open
- The Peptide Catalog — MOTS-c reconstitution guide — 5–10 mg 2–3×/week; 10 mg + 2 mL = 5 mg/mL Open
- Peptides Explorer — MOTS-c dosage — 5 mg 1–2×/week; morning or pre-exercise; 8–12 weeks on Open
- Path to Peptides — MOTS-c protocol — 2.5–5 mg per injection, 5–10 mg/week, morning fasted Open
- Healthspan — MOTS-c dosage chart — 5 mg standard (2.5–10 mg); pre-training timing Open
- BioSpace — CohBar CB4211 phase 1a/1b results — Human trial of the MOTS-c analog: 25 mg daily × 4 weeks Open