If you know what I’m talking about, you’re ahead of the game, and chances are you’ve heard about the benefits. Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (S.A.R.M) are all the rage in athletics and bodybuilding.
This isn’t a science article so I won’t delve into the minutia, but suffice to say, SARMS are a bodybuilding supplement that mimics steroids anabolic properties, without mimicking its androgenic properties, i.e. side effects. You get the good without the bad. Sounds too good to be true? That’s why I’m finding out for myself.
After hearing over and over again about athletes failing PED tests for “Ostarine,” I needed to try it. If you search Ostarine, you’ll quickly realize why it is a banned substance. Apparently, it works. Not only does it help you build muscle faster, recover quicker, and perform better in athletics, it’s side effect free! Being an athlete and a biology enthusiast, all of this interested me. So I decided to put it to the test by buying some. This post will serve as my data entry sheet. Enjoy the ride.
I purchased two months worth of liquid Ostarine and another SARM, Cardarine (GW 501516). The suggested dosage range for Ostarine is 12.5 mg for those just looking for recovery but not much muscle addition, all the way up to 50 mg a day for those looking to maximize the supplements effects. From what I read there didn’t seem to be much efficacy for going over 25 mg a day first thing in the morning. Always start out on the low end to assess tolerance. Ya right. Does that sound like me? Nope. I’d definitely be doing 50 mg a day if I could afford it. Unfortunately, 50 mg a day was out of my price range.
Ostarine is just one of the many SARMS on the market. I researched a few others and settled on Cardarine. It is touted as “exercise in a bottle.” As in, this stuff exercises for you. What!? I had to try it. It’s also less expensive than Ostarine. Apparently, it improves endurance without having to do cardio. This sounds incredibly awesome. The dose is 10 mg a day, 45 minutes before exercise. I’m highly suspicious.
I’m not here to sell you SARMS, so I’m not going to mention a specific company, but I bought from the site with the best review. The reviews were good, but that’s always sketchy too. Regardless, I spent about 300 bucks for a two-month supply for both me and a friend. He’s only taking the Ostarine.
Full disclosure: I took Ostarine a few years ago in capsule form. I think I took it for three one-month cycles along with laxognein and epicatechin (these are “natural” anabolics but not classified as SARMS). Each time I added about 5-10 lbs, most of which I kept. It’s tough for me to gain weight period, so this was a big step in the right direction. However, it could have been the other two supplements or placebo effect.
Again, I begin a new quest to put on some size and strength for the sake of science and vanity! Mostly vanity. I started the journey a few weeks ago on March 19, 2018. I weighed in at 172 with 9% body fat, at 39 years of age. My diet is mostly low carb. I also intermittent fast daily. I’ve been following Layne Norton’s PH3 for the past 18 months and I will continue while using SARMs. I also do jiu jitsu 3-4 days per week.
My goal is to get up to 180 pounds by May 31st while not going back above 10% body fat. Any suggestions you may have to make my plan better feel free to keep them to yourself. I’m a genius. This is going to work.
Stay tuned…
SARM Machine
April 27, 2018
Two weeks into my SARM experiment with MK 2866 (Ostarine) and GW 501516 (Cardarine) and I’m up a bit in weight, and my strength seems to have improved as well. I’ve been dosing 1.5 ml (about 33 mgs) every morning on an empty stomach, and 1.5 ml (15 mgs) of Cardarine about 30 minutes before training. As I’ve been reading about liquid SARMS, many people note that they are perhaps underdosed or difficult to absorb, so I upped the dosages slightly from the original week. Better to do too much than not enough, in my opinion. But hey, “I’ll bet it all.”
I weighed in this morning (4/24) at 176, up 3 lbs since my original weight. I’m not sure I can directly attribute this to the SARM dosing because I came off a bit of a “carb-up” weekend, which means I may be holding a little water weight. I didn’t appear as lean today.
My strength is up too as I just dead lifted 335 for 3 sets of 6 fairly easily. Last week I dead lifted 2 sets of 315 for 6. Again, this could be the addition of the carbs helping me out a bit but I definitely felt solid. I also squatted and benched today and felt strong on all my sets. I also forgot to take the Cardarine today.
Unfortunately, I have to throw another wrench into the equation as I’m competing in a Jiu Jitsu tournament this Saturday. This means I have to weigh in on Friday at under 170. I’m pretty good about accurately cutting weight, hitting my mark of 169.5 consistently, but I’ve never done it with SARMS in my system. I’m not anticipating any problems, but with the new early weigh-ins… lol.
My buddy is also dosing the Ostarine the same as me but not the other. He’s up in weight slightly as well and he isn’t even working out because of a bad shoulder and neck injury from pro rasslin’. He claims it is because his appetite is growing. I haven’t personally noticed that side effect but I also Intermittent Fast and he doesn’t.
TAKE AWAYS: Anecdotally, the Ostarine seems to be adding some size and strength. The effects of the Cardarine haven’t been noticeable to me at all, but it’s supposed to give you endurance. I’m going to dose it before my tournament this weekend and see if that helps me bring home the gold.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE SELF-EXPERIMENTATION!
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