In very little time, SARMS have started to rival anabolic steroids in terms of popularity.

And we see telltale signs that they might well replace steroids one day.

For now, here’s a beginner’s guide to SARMS. Everything that you wanted to know about it in a pocket sized article.

Enjoy the read.

https://youtu.be/lItUOqtiFww

What are SARMS?

SARMS is an abbreviation used to describe a group of investigational drugs called ‘Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators’.

These drugs are being studied for their potential therapeutic applications that range from treating muscle wasting to increasing bone density without the adverse side effects that come with steroid use.

SARMS were first discovered in the late 1970s. But research and development has continued at a snail’s pace. It is only in the past couple of decades that it seems to have gathered steam with many new pharmaceutical companies backing the research.

In theory, SARMS could one day be the cure for a wide range of health conditions. And in a performance enhancement setting, it could be the safer alternative for anabolic steroids. A pipe dream for many an athlete and gym rat.

How do they work?

It’s all there in the name.

SARMS work by selectively modulating androgen receptors in muscle and bone tissue.

This means that they signal androgen receptors in muscle tissue to start growing. But very stealthily bypass androgen receptors spread in other organs in your body, like the prostate gland for example.

So, you have more muscle without a direct influence on prostate health.

That’s just one example.

SARMS can be used for selectively modulating androgen receptors at just about any specific site in the human body.

Before the advent of SERMS like Nolvadex, Breast cancer treatment was limited to the use of anabolic steroids and other toxic chemicals. Look where we are today with SERMS.

The same might hold true for SARMS in the future.

Are they effective?

There are numerous clinical studies being conducted that show the effectiveness of SARMS in therapeutic applications. So we can say that they certainly are effective for medical use.

In a performance enhancement setting though, the word ‘Effective’ is highly subjective.

For someone who’s trained natty all his life, SARMS will be a huge step-up. So yeah, it will be effective.

In fact, even IFBB pros like Greg Doucette, talks about SARMS on his YouTube channel. And you can bet on your life that he might have used every anabolic compound that ever exists.

If it works for someone like him, we don’t see why it cannot work for you.

Which are some of the popular SARMS?

SARMS are an evolving science that’s still considered to be in a nascent stage.

So, what was popular a decade ago might have become obsolete already. The names that you see today may be replaced by something better a few years from now.

But these are the five that are more popular than the rest in 2019.

LGD-4033:

Hands down, the most widely used SARM now. Popular for bulking, muscle pumps and vascularity. Often compared to testosterone. Some users also claim that it helps them lose fat. Does cause minor suppression and lethargy related to the suppression. Other than that, works flawlessly.

MK-2866:

One of the oldest and most studied SARMS, Ostarine is extremely versatile. You can use it for lean bulks, cutting cycles as well as for body recomposition cycles. Ostarine may cause mild suppression. But lesser than LGD-4033.

RAD140:

One of the strongest SARMS that you can use. Will get you big, strong and mean. Mean? Yeah. Some people do experience a hint of the famed roid rage while they are on RAD-140. But it’s very manageable aggression. Nothing that will cause you to fly off the handle.

GW501516:

Terrific cutting SARM. Consistent energy levels all day. Accelerated fat burn. Vascularity. Hardening. If you are cutting or looking to get the dry look, Cardarine is your ticket.

MK-677:

MK is not really a SARM. It’s a growth hormone secretagogue that stimulates the release of natural growth hormone in the body. As someone wise once called it, MK is the poor man’s GH. Extremely low sides. Will have a profound, positive influence on everything. You will sleep better, look younger, lift better, run better. And you can run this 365 days a year if you can afford it.

Which are the least popular SARMS?

Believe it or not, some of the SARMS which started off pretty well quickly fell out of favor.

Andarine:

One of them is S4, also called Andarine. This very popular, first generation SARM has hardly any takers today because of a side effect that it causes at high doses.

Andarine can cause a yellow tinge to your vision and for some people, even cause a temporary loss of peripheral vision.

That’s scary. We’ll give you that and we understand why most people do not want anything to do with a drug that interferes with their vision.

So, S4 is the least popular SARM these days.

Can SARMS be stacked together?

Hell yes. They can.

SARMS work very well in synergy and might help you completely transform your body.

But should you stack them together? Or is it really necessary to stack them together to achieve good results?

Not unless you have multiple steroid cycles under your belt and are well versed with the side effect part of things.

You see, using one single SARM can get you great results because your androgen receptors will be unsaturated. Virgin, if that’s the right word.

But if you stack multiple SARMS, all of them will be looking to bind with the same receptors which will lead to saturation.

Not to mention that this will increase the risk of side effects manifold.

If LGD-4033 will cause minor suppression, clubbing it with RAD-140 or Ostarine might shut you down.

And if PCT was only optional when using one SARM, it will become absolutely necessary if you use multiple SARMS in a stack.

So yeah, no matter what you read or hear about stacking SARMS, only do it if you have the experience using multiple performance enhancing compounds.

What are the benefits of using SARMS over steroids?

For starters, SARMS wont shrink your gonads into oblivion. At least most of them don’t. And definitely not to the extent that steroids do. Other than this, here’s some more motivation for you.

• No aromatization. SARMS won’t cause conversion to estrogen, which means a very low risk of gyno.
• No conversion to DHT, which means very little risk of losing your hair.
• Doesn’t enlarge your prostate. Can promote healing and be neuroprotective.
• Are not liver toxic.
• No need to pin. The bioavailability is excellent.
• Recovering from SARMS will be a lot easier

Need more reasons? 

Are SARMS safe?

Again, safe is a subjective term.

We can say that SARMS are reasonably safe when used in controlled doses for short periods of time.

Are they safe to use in the long run? That’s a different story altogether.

Is alcohol safe? Far from it. Are cigarettes safe? Hah! Is a microwave oven safe? Definitely not.

Are steroids safe?  Again, we would say that they are. There are people in their 70s who have been using steroids since they were in their 20s. That’s safe enough for us. But you’ve got to treat it with the respect it deserves.

If you misuse it or are reckless about it, it will probably hurt you.

Sarms are a milder and safer alternative to steroids. Ideally, that means that SARMS can also be used safely for years.

The point that we are trying to make over here, is that somethings do not work for some people. It can cause adverse reactions.

There are people who died using the above mentioned things, possibly because they went overboard with the usage.

The same thing holds true for SARMS. We just do not know how it will end for you if you put these drugs every day in your body for the next thirty years.

We do not have the quantifiable data to present you with.

What we do know at this point of time is that it ‘appears’ to be reasonably safe provided you stick to recommended doses. That’s the truth.

Do you need PCT after using SARMS?

Once again, no definitive answer to this question. Sorry to disappoint you.

It depends on how you react to the SARMS, the quality of the SARMS that you sourced, your dose and your age. Not necessarily in that exact order.

Let’s look at these factors one by one.

Your reaction to the SARMS:

There’s only one way to be sure of this. Blood work. Do your blood work before you hop on to a SARMS cycle, and do a blood work after you finish your cycle. Check your testosterone levels. Are they within the normal range? If yes, then congratulations. You don’t need a PCT. If the test levels have dipped slightly below normal levels, then you might still not need PCT. But some supplementation can help restore your testosterone levels to normal within a few weeks. Like Hcgenerate or M1-Mk. And if your testosterone levels are way off, then you might want to do a mild PCT to help stimulate the natural production of test. Do not hop on to a PCT without doing bloodwork. As simple as that.

The quality of the SARMS:

Time and again, we have spoken about how crucial it is to buy your SARMS from legitimate sources. Manufacturers who offer third party certification and stand by their products. If you are buying SARMS from an unknown, fly-by-night operation then you will most likely end up with prohormones instead of SARMS. And the results will be way better than what SARMS can get you. But so will the risks and the side effects. In that case, you will definitely need a strong PCT.

Your dose:

It is highly recommended that you start with the lowest possible dose of SARMS and then work your way upwards. If you are using LGD-4033, start with just 5 mg instead of 10 or 20 and then gradually increase your dose, if needed. We have met countless athletes who got great results with zero suppression from just 5 mg of LGD. They didn’t need a PCT. But when they dosed at 25 mg, the benefits started to taper and they got hit hard by suppression. It was so bad that they needed a six week PCT to restore their bloodwork to normal.

Your age:

If you are in your 20s, then your body will recover a lot sooner from a SARMS cycle with minimum assistance. But if you are in your 40s, then its going to take a lot more time and you might need to use supplementation during and after the cycle. PCT might be required as well.

How do the results of a SARMS cycle compare with an Anabolic steroids cycle?

There’s no doubt about it that an anabolic steroids cycle will give you much better results. More muscle, more strength, more vascularity.

But that comes at a risk of some serious side effects.

SARMS will be like dipping your toes into steroids without the risks.

You will experience at least 25% of the results. Great pumps, reasonably good gains, muscle hardness. But you cannot compare the results of a SARMS cycle with an anabolic steroid cycle.

Almost like comparing apples and oranges.

What are the side effects of SARMS?

Most of the side effects of SARMS are caused at high (read unreasonable) doses.

S4 for example, which has earned notoriety for causing the yellow vision problems, tends to cause these sides at 70mg or more. You can start at 20mg for the first few weeks and then increase the dose gradually to avoid this. There’s also a 5×2 protocol which is very effective against these side effects.

LGD and RAD can cause testosterone suppression to some extent. But again, altering the dosage seems to be the easiest way to control it.

The other side effects are individual specific. Like lethargy, headaches, sleeplessness, anxiety and estrogenic sides.

SARMS do not cause serious or dangerous side effects like steroids do.

Closing thoughts

SARMS are a great alternative to anabolic steroids. They are safer, easier to use and from what’s apparent now, they are here to stay.