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All SARMs are equal, but some are more equal than others. In the following 5-10 minutes, I’m going to break down which SARM’s are going to be the best for your Crossfit journey, and will yield the best results.
TL;DR: What are the best SARMs for Crossfit?
SARMs for Crossfitters
SARMs or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators are highly particular compounds used to achieve similar results to their steroidal cousins, without many of the drawbacks. Steroids often have a great effect on strength and power levels, but at the expense of cardiovascular capabilities.
High blood pressure, cholesterol and high estrogen levels won’t really help when you’ve got a 400m sprint to do. SARMs act as a nice medium per say, granting you some of the benefits with quite a lot less side effects.
By mimicking the effects of the male hormone testosterone, SARMs can aid in muscular growth, increase in strength and perhaps even increase endurance. By having these benefits, SARMs could be a great alternative to steroids as they do not have the same affect on the cardiovascular system.
In fact, some current knowledge suggests that SARMs could have positive effects on subjects such as insulin sensitivity, triglycerides, and even cardiovascular capabilities.
Best SARMs for Crossfitters
The best SARMs for Crossfitters are those with positive effects on muscle hypertrophy, strength and endurance. The best SARMs for Crossfitters to take are as follows:
What are SARMs?
SARMs are compounds that were developed to have the benefits of steroids, without having the harsh side effects of steroids – particularly having less of the androgenic side effects. Taking a steroid, such as testosterone will result in the new androgens binding with all the tissue in the body. As the name suggests, SARMs are Selective in where the Androgens are effective and because of that reason they tend to have quite a lot less side effects than steroids. Individual SARMs have individual actions and original purposes such as fighting cancer, or battling the effects of muscle loss due to HIV. Since their development in the 1990’s, SARMs have been found to have specific effects when used at specific doses, something athletes began to notice and benefit from.
How do SARMs work?
Your body has something called Androgen Receptors. These receptors, when activated by a SARM, can signal and trigger changes in your biology and DNA to enable you to build more muscle, lose more fat or build more strength. SARMs can boost protein synthesis – fancy way of saying “Ability to build muscle” and can increase Nitrogen retention, meaning you retain muscle easier when in a caloric deficit. SARMs activate Androgen Receptors in a much safer fashion than steroids do. SARMs were engineered to mimic testosterone (and testosterone derivatives) in the body without the massive side effects. SARMs can even increase bone density, improve cardiovascular readings and perhaps even fight cholesterol. Of course, these are just some of their uses for you and me, they were really engineered for medical use.
Benefits of SARMs?
Depending on which SARM you go for, the benefits can vary greatly. Various SARMs have great effects on Muscle Building such as Testostolone, and will be extremely beneficial when combined with a caloric surplus and a resistance training plan. Other SARMs are greatly beneficial for Fat Loss such as Cardarine, which can not only aid in increasing lipid mobilzation, but can also relieve the poor feelings accompanying a deep cut. Other benefits include muscle retention when in a caloric deficit, increased protein synthesis and perhaps increased cardiovascular capabilities.
Are SARMs Legal?
Obviously, your location will be the main determining factor about the legality of something and I urge you not to break the law in your own country. If you are looking to compete in a Sport that is regulated by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) then you must know that all SARMs is on their prohibited list at all times. Since SARMs can give you an extra edge compared to your peers, it is not legal for athletes to use these compounds. Since SARMs have not been tested and cleared for human consumption, it is illegal to buy or sell these compounds labeled as dietary supplements or for human consumption. It is thus only legal to sell or buy them as research chemicals.
Who should use SARMs?
Obviously I cannot instruct you to use something, however I can identify the type of person who should NOT use SARMs. SARMs are not some type of magic bullet, they are not a magic pill or winning formula that will magically get you a 600lbs deadlift, a one arm pullup or a better 400m sprint. If you are not already sticking to a strict diet and training regime, then SARMs are not for you. SARMs should act as the icing on an already very moist cake, and will not make as a big of a difference as you gym bro says. SARMs are not as strong as steroids, and I know plenty of guys who are on the juice and are still weak and do not look any better than they did 3 months ago.
How to use SARMs?
As with most things in life, it is better to start small and move your way up to a bigger dose and a larger cycle. Reasons being, humans tend to think “More is Better” which might be true, but along with more usage comes more Side Effects. So, something I often preach is “As much as necessary, but as little as possible”. SARM cycles should be between 8 – 12 Weeks long, with beginners airing towards 8 weeks, intermediates at 10 weeks and more experienced users trying 12 week long cycles. It is also a good idea to make sure you can run a certain compound for a cycle before combining it with another compound, for if the unfortunate happens and you react badly to a compound and you’re using two new ones – how do you know which is causing you grief? Another thing people forget is the usage of a 3 Week PCT (Post Cycle Treatment) which is crucial depending on which SARMs you were taking, which dosage and for how long.
Forms of SARMs?
As most medications, SARMs do not only come in one form. Various mediums exist, all with their drawbacks and benefits.
Injectable SARMs
The big benefit to injecting a compound to using the oral medium, is of course the increased bioavailability. Injecting the compound intramuscularly will allow the body to use more of it, as surviving Ithe gastric system lowers the bioavailability of said compound. Intramuscular injections are apparently also not as impactful on the HDL Cholesterol readings. The side effects remain pretty similar compared to the oral SARM, however since you are piercing the skin in order to reach the muscle, there is an obvious risk of infection and great care needs to be taken for hygiene. Some injectable SARMs include: Ostalone, a modified version of Ostarine called Follitonic, and a modified version of YK – 11 called Cardiolone.
SARM Capsules or Tablets
Oral SARM Capsules or Tablets have the great benefit of being convenient. They do not posses the danger of an infection due to an injection, and you have the benefit that the capsule or tablet has been dosed perfectly by someone else already. That however, is also the problem. Some SARMs are not produced ethically, and you run the risk of not taking the dose you believe you are taking in the first place. Another drawback is that any SARM you take orally will have to go through the first pass in the gut, lowering the bioavailability, effectively giving you less bang for your buck.
Liquid SARMs
Liquid SARMs are the most popular medium for the compound, and will also be one of the easier methods of dosing. Bottles will come with a dropper for precise dosing. A big drawback is that SARMs taste awful – swing it down with juice or some soda. You’ll need it.
Cardarine (GW-501516)
Cardarine or GW-501516 is technically not a SARM at all. Since Cardarine is actually Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor or PPAR it is not known as a Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator or SARM. Created in the early 90’s, it’s main goal was to be a treatment for various cancers and perhaps even lower LDL cholesterol in the body. Cardarine has been shown to aid in fat loss not only by accelerating the fat loss itself, but also providing energy and a feeling to combat the normal feeling of lethargy when in a deep caloric deficit. By targeting androgen receptors which help to stimulate glucose metabolization in the muscle tissues, Cardarine ensures that glucose does not get stored as fat. This could be a useful SARM to use as a Crossfitter due to the fact that having less bodyfat and having better cholesterol levels will be beneficial to cardio and bodyweight based movements.
Pro’s of Cardarine:
- Can aid in Fat Loss whilst in a caloric deficit.
- Can lower LDL Cholesterol and boost HDL Cholesterol (The good kind).
- Can lower the intensity of a deep caloric deficit, and boost energy.
- Cardarine could have negative effects on the liver.
- Digestive issues are also a possible side effect.
Ostarine works as a normal SARM, by targeting the androgen receptors in the body and binding to them. These bound receptors will communicate to become bigger, and that is exactly what you want. Ostarine can not only increase muscle mass, but can also help in fat loss. Therefor, it could be a good SARM to use as a Crossfitter, as having a better power to weight ratio is going to help in every event. Ostarine also has the added benefit of acting like steroids in providing muscle growth potential, however it does not have the stereotypical sides such as androgenic sides, or liver toxicity.
Pro’s of Ostarine:
- Ostarine can increase muscle building potential, without minimal testosterone suppressive sides.
- Ostarine could have potential fat loss effects, combined with a caloric deficit.
- Ostarine (at a low dose) seems to be safe for females.
- Ostarine has been known to have little to no side effects. At higher doses, anecdotal evidence has been found to cause nausea, heartburn, diarrhea and stomach pain.
Myostatin is a protein in the body that limits the amount of muscle growth, apparently because having too large muscles is bad? Beats me. Countless claims have been made about specific means to decrease Myostatin, however YK-11 could really be that compound. By lowering the amount of Myostatin in the body, you could potentially massively increase your muscle building capabilities. Not only does YK-11 lower Myostatin, but it also increase Follistatin.
Pro’s of YK-11:
- Because of the mechanism in which YK-11 works, it can be beneficial in a cut and a bulk.
- Can significantly increase strength and muscle growth.
- Could also increase bone density.
- Anecdotal evidence shows hair loss, and acne while using YK-11.
- Increased aggression.
- Decreased sex drive.
Andarine was originally developed as a method to manage muscle loss due to disease. It’s action is much like that of Testosterone, just without the negative side effects. Andarine can increase muscle mass, and bone density; and as a nice bonus induces fat loss by decreasing lipoprotein lipase (LPL) levels in the body. Andarine is thus a good SARM by not only limiting use to muscle building phases, but can also be used to aid a fat loss phase by helping the retention of muscle and increasing fat loss capabilities.
Pro’s of Andarine:
- Increase in muscle building capabilities.
- Can increase fat loss capabilities by decreasing lipoprotein lipase (LPL).
- Anecdotal evidence indicates that Andarine can potentially increase recovery time significantly.
- Yellow vision has been known to plague users of Andarine at doses of 50mg or higher.
- Sensitivity to light, and difficulty adjusting to the dark.
Ligandrol LGD-4033 was originally developed as a medication method for muscle loss due to illness. Now of course, if you’re not ill and you take this product it can act as a muscle building compound. Well, not only does Ligandrol help with muscle building, it has also been shown to aid in fat loss, and even promoting strength. Ligandrol like most SARMs, works very similar to how testosterone works, without affecting you estrogen levels or kidney health. This makes it a great compound to use as a Crossfitters, as it can help with muscle and strength gain.
Pro’s of Ligandrol :
- Can increase muscle mass.
- Can increase strength.
- Some evidence shows that it can aid in recovery after training.
- Could also help a lot with fat loss.
- Ligandrol has little side effects, though some anecdotal evidence reports nausea, fatigue, headaches, and low libido.
Roid rage is a common phenomenon amongst people who take anabolic steroids, and even amongst men who suffer from low testosterone. The reason for this is unclear, but small studies have found that steroid users tend to be more irritable and be more aggressive; however this is not true for all users. Certain compounds such as Halo are notorious for aggression (and that is exactly what it’s used for), while Trenbolone is known to make users much more anti social. Much like the Captain America juice, steroids multiply what is. If you’re a jerk before you use, well now you’re a bigger jerk. Since SARMs are not testosterone based, with non of the stereotipycal side effects of testosterone, it is safe to assume that SARMs won’t cause roid rage. However, certain SARMs such as YK-11 have been known to increase aggression.
Are SARMs banned in Crossfit?
Yes. In 2017 an individual was tested for SARMs and stripped from his podium finish, and banned.
Which SARM is good for Cardio?
More often than not, using a testosterone or testosterone derived compound will result in an increase of cholesterol and blood pressure, and a definitive decrease in cardiovascular ability. However, SARMs such as Cardarine have been shown to improve your cholesterol reading. Ostarine has some anecdotal evidence to support the notion that it can improve your endurance.
Do you need to PCT for a SARM cycle?
A PCT or Post Cycle Treatment is a protocol of certain compounds to deal with the hormonal impact of using the SARM or Steroid. More often than not, dealing with the likelihood of increased estrogen and decreased testosterone production. Certain SARM cycles will indeed require a PCT protocol, especially more potent SARMs like Ostarine. For more information on PCT, read this article. Sources
[*]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6326857/
Best Steroid Stacks for Sale
We've scoured the web for our favorite steroid stack alternatives and came up with this.
Crazy Bulk has the bulking stack with alternatives to Dianabol, Trenbolone, Deca Durabolin and Testosterone.
They also have the cutting stack with alternatives to Anavar, Winstrol, Clenbuterol and Testosterone.
You can also buy them individually.
If you're interested in more potent compounds you can always check out the latest research on SARMs and buy them from Science.Bio.
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