Category: Sarms 101

Enhancement drugs and supplements are common place among bodybuilders, athletes and fitness lovers – even if they’re not professionally competing. With the right program, they can be a reliable tool to build muscle faster and maximize exercise so they can leave a more significant impression on your body. But what about the effects? Like Newton’s law: What goes up must come down. In this case when you artificially elevate your hormone levels you are left in a deficit after – often times loosing everything you gained in strength and muscle tissue or in some cases without the correct Post Cycle Therapy you can even be left in a worse case than than before you began an artificial hormone cycle. And this is not cool, nor healthy.

If you cherish your natural hormone production, but would still like to gain all the muscle building, fat burning, strength building and athletic performance results of synthetic hormones – in this article we’ll elaborate on how Elite Sarms can help you achieve this coveted goal, while remaining in a healthy hormonal state.

What are Synthetic Anabolics?

When movie star and seven-time Mr. Olympia winner Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted to using steroids, and then said, he has no regrets—we know your interest of anabolic’s certainly piqued! Further stating that, even knowing what he knows now about performance-enhancing drugs, he would still have used them.

Steroids are, in most cases, synthesized versions of testosterone and DHT (5α-dihydrotestosterone), the hormones that primarily promote muscle growth and physical strength, amongst many other things. Men naturally have more testosterone than women, but this endogenous hormone is limited, and for perfectly good reason. Synthetic steroids replace this natural amount of hormone boosting anabolic properties. However, the other side of this is that Synthetic anabolic use can and will also amplify the negative effects when used beyond hormonal therapy levels (which are only micro-amounts compared to what a body builder will use).

Synthetic Anabolics Side Effects

Anabolic’s are often seen as having increased risk and they can be really dangerous, with potential problems that can affect certain people in distressing ways including:

1. Gynecomastia. Males who take steroids are prone to developing ‘man breasts’. This is because the excess testosterone circulating in the blood is converted to estrogen by the aromatase enzyme causing the breast tissue to enlarge. It is not necessarily harmful but the unflattering mounds that makes for an awkward chest shape most definitely defeats the purpose of a sharp, contoured physique if that is what you were originally aiming for.

2. Testicular atrophy. Steroids disrupt the normal production of hormones in the body causing decreased sperm production, decreased function of the testes which leads to low testosterone levels,and shrinking of the testicles. Infertility may ensue and can be also be a serious problem.

3. Virilization in women. For female athletes and bodybuilders, steroid use can bring alarming changes – an enlarged clitoris, increased facial hair, deepening of the voice, and male pattern baldness – all of which are quite effects for women using artificial anabolic hormones. The increased testosterone levels start to erase the feminine physical attributes while encoding the body to develop more masculine qualities.

4. Cancer risk. Anabolic steroids may also act upon the hormone system to increase the risk of testicular cancer in men. One study established the association between AAS and the increase of Leydig tumor cells especially when used in combination with insulin and insulin-like growth factor.

https://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/Health/story?id=532456&page=1

Bring in the SARMs!!!

SARMs were designed to replace regular steroids in a medical setting. For reasons mentioned above synthetic steroids can not be used for serious illnesses such as cancers by children, females or the elderly – so Sarms were created as an alternative to serious problems like muscle wastage where they could be used by every group including children, women and the elderly. SARMs also happen to be performance enhancers designed to be selective, to mimic the anabolic properties of synthetic steroids with minimal side effects. This means that they only target the skeletal muscles, bones and connective tissues in the body to increase the mass, strength and volume while leaving the rest of your body alone!

SARMs were originally made to target and cure diseases, and as an adjunctive therapy for cachexia (muscle wasting condition in cancer patients) but they became even more popular in the fitness world due to their increased safety yet effective performance results.

SARMs can also be used for rehabilitative treatment for muscle, bone and tendon injuries. Like steroids, they can help with muscle growth and repair, and can even help restore decreased testosterone levels if used correctly. Below are the more popular SARMs and their signature benefits:

LGD-4033 aims to increase muscle mass with an effect similar to that of exogenous testosterone. Considered the King Builder out of all SARMs due to its excellent muscle bulking properties.

MK-677 is a growth hormone secretion stimulant with anti-aging benefits. It also increases the natural secretion of IGF-1 which mediates volume growth in skeletal muscle and fat loss.

S4 – Increases endurance through the formation of new mitochondria. it was originally synthesized to treat obesity. S4 has great muscle-protective properties under caloric deficit programs.

RAD-140– In addition to anabolic growth RAD140 helps to increase endurance and mimics the action of natural testosterone. Also has nootropic benefits.

MK-2866– Well-documented for gaining lean muscle mass, repairing tissue injury and restoring bone density.

YK-11– Inhibits myostatin (a protein that acts on muscle cells to inhibit further cell growth). This results in the ultimate muscle growth exceeding the muscle fibers’ usual potential.

SARMs Side Effects

Dosage is Key. It is the dosage of each Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator that matters to ensure Optimal results with minimal concerns. So the question remains, do SARMs have side effects? Yes. In a way, you could suffer adverse effects if they are taken well above the recommended dosages and for durations well over recommendations also, however pure Sarms can never convert to Estrogen and can never shut down the HPTA (Hypothalamic Pituitary Testicular Axis) and women will not virilize (meaning they will not develop male characteristics) from taking Sarms. It is impossible due to the fact they are not a synthetic hormone – they are Sarms!

A potential side effect with dosing too high for too long with SARMs is that they can reduce the amount of natural testosterone in your body: in particular, RAD-140 and LGD. This is because of their great affinity to androgen receptors to ensure their muscle building and restorative effects. This signals the body to reduce testosterone levels as the body is reading that it has more than enough due to the drastic protein synthesis effect the Sarm is having on the skeletal muscles. However suppression and SHUT DOWN are two completely different things. And simply stopping the Sarm or reducing the daily dosage can and will reverse this effect. Adding one of our PCT products to your cycle like Protect® or Re-Charge® during or post cycle will prevent this testosterone drop altogether. However if you shut down the HPTA from taking synthetic testosterone you WILL need to run PCT and HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) otherwise natural hormone levels may never return to their normal working state, estrogen levels will go through the roof (causing PMS-like symptoms for males!!!) and all your strength and muscle gains can be deleted in as short as 1 – 2 weeks.

FACT: You will need to take a very high dosage of Sarms for a much longer duration than recommended, to see any major side effects. So the bottom line is – yes, SARMs can have adverse effects. They’re very minor compared to what can happen with steroids. And you need to take far, far more over the average dose before any problems will be created. So basically you have to work hard to create negative effects with Sarms or almost be dosing intentionally high and long for them to occur.

TIP: After most of your SARMs cycles, Post Cycle Therapy is recommended. This is recommended for a number of reasons including: to keep everything you just gained during your cycle period, to reduce any potential drop in testosterone levels and to keep your energy, strength and athletic performance high or even elevate them higher post your Sarms cycle. Something that is almost impossible to do with body building dosages of synthetic hormones.

Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators

SARMs stands for Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, and they are a novel group of compounds chemically similar to anabolic steroids.

Anabolic steroids have been around for more than half a century and are well known to stimulate massive muscles. Unfortunately, they also cause side effects in the body, which are undesirable and can be harmful. Imagine releasing a “hormone bomb” in your body – and muscle is just a single part of the many areas these hormone bombs effect. Not before long one can also develop acne, excessive hair growth, male pattern baldness, enlarged prostate, and smaller testes.

This is where Elite SARMs shine. You see, instead of bombing your entire bodily systems with a synthetic hormone, SARMs selectively interact with only the target tissues necessary for improved aesthetics, recovery and athletic performance, particularly targeting the muscles, tendons, and bones.

While SARMs clearly sound like the holy grail for muscle building and the scientific studies support their many potential uses in medicine, these chemicals are not toys and must be used within the recommended dosages and for the recommended cycle lengths – not following protocol could lead to dips in testosterone, increased oil production in skin and water retention.

One thing is definite, you can rely on the effects of SARMs without the drawback when used intelligently, as recommended, revealing to be a much, much safer route to take over anabolic steroids for body recomposition and accelerated lean muscle gains. Below are some stand out points that make the bodily side-effects very different from one using artificial hormones:

1. SARMs are not affected by 5-alpha reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT, the main culprit of the undesirable effects of steroid use. Including but not limited to; severe acne, oily skin, hair loss, liver disease, and enlarged prostate in men while increased facial and body hair growth (hirsutism), and menstrual cycle irregularities (amenorrhoea) in women are commonly reported.

2. SARMs are resistant to Aromatase, the enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen. This is the mechanism that causes gynecomastia, irritability (PMS – like symptoms, even in men) and water retention.

3. SARMs are highly selective, meaning they mimic the positive effects of testosterone in muscle, joints and bone tissues, but have little to no effect on other cells in the body.

4. Finally, because SARMs have a ceiling dosage point, whereas artificial hormones do not their tendency to suppress natural testosterone production is so much lower, making post cycle gains easier to keep and side effects null and void when used correctly.

https://www.elitesarms.com/
https://www.elitesarms.com/collections/muscle-building

This brings us back to our original question, given that SARMs have only been around for a few decades and we’ve enumerated their unique properties, are SARMs completely free from side effects?


The answer is: It depends…

Whether or not you’ll have adverse effects will largely rely on:

1. Your daily dosage

2. The length of your cycle

3. Your body’s susceptibility and sensitivity to side-effects in general

4. Other supplements you take with SARMS

Look at it this way, vitamin C is a very popular supplement that doctors recommend to all their patients, and given to children and pregnant mothers. However, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) when taken in mega doses can cause diarrhea, vomiting, heartburn and abdominal cramps just to name a few. What is the point here? Take the recommended dose and stick to it. If you dig around into some bodybuilding and athletic performance forums you could be surprised at the stupidity of some people, taking more than excessive amounts of anabolic compounds with or without SARMs way above the advised dose. Don’t be one of those people.

You’ve probably heard this before that SARMs operate in a sort of “lock and key” mechanism. This is true. Your lock is the androgen receptor (AR) of your muscles, SARMs is the key. Once a SARM molecule attaches to the AR, it activates your bones and muscle tissue to take in more nutrients so they can grow bigger and stronger. There is a ‘saturation point’ that any one body can take in with a particular Sarm and taking more will only increase chances of side-effects.

The takeaway: The longer you use SARMs, the more of your endogenous testosterone will accumulate in your blood which can then eventually lead to test suppression. So the smart thing to do is to gauge what cycle length will work for you that will give you maximum gains without causing your testosterone to shut down.

Which brings me to third factor, your body’s own susceptibility. We are all made differently- that’s the mystery of creation. We’ve encountered athletes who can tolerate a daily dose of 15mg/daily of LGD-4033 for 12 weeks without any issues, while some will take 5mg/daily and feel moody and bloated on the 6-8^th week of their cycle.


Our tip: Start low and go slow until you find that sweet spot that will give you Optimum gains.

Lastly, some are prone more than others to fluid retention, mood swings, and gynecomastia due to their aromatase levels. As mentioned earlier, this is the enzyme that converts free testosterone to estrogen. If you have these symptoms, you can do 2 things: adjust your dosage and cycle length, or you can simply take a PCT either during or after you complete your Sarms program. Post cycle therapy is a great companion for your SARMs supplement because of 2 mechanisms: firstly, by inhibiting your aromatase enzymes or secondly, by blocking your estrogen receptors. Leading to gains being held onto and negating the drawbacks aforementioned above.

Thanks for reading team 🙂