LGD 4033 is most people’s go-to SARM for bulking up and rivals the muscle-building ability of RAD 140 but without the hair shedding, and with a bit of water retention.
This makes LGD 4033 very appealing for bulking. The water retention results in weight gain pretty much overnight, giving users a much fuller and tighter look – especially with low body fat.
Based on my analysis of hundreds upon hundreds of online cycle reports, an average LGD cycle can yield gains of up to 10 lbs of weight in an 8-week cycle. Though some people report gains of up to 15 or even 20 lbs (2-4 lbs of which is typically water weight).
This article will showcase the before and after results of 12 nicely documented reports from real users who shared them on Reddit. The reports will cover info that the users have publicly shared, which may include:
- user’s stats
- dosage protocol
- weight & lifts progression
- diet & training protocols
- PCT protocol
- test base protocol
- bloodwork results
- reported side effects
I’ve made a high effort to bring you these detailed reports in an easy-to-read format, and included my own analysis of some of the transformations & their cycles, so you can learn from them.
If you find this useful, please share it! And a huge thank you to all the users that took the time to document and share their cycles on Reddit, the community loves you. Enjoy.
12 Weeks | Bulk | LGD 4033 Only
Reddit user & Source: u/igotaflatire
Users’ stats:
- Age: 22
- Height: 5’10 | 178 cm
- Starting weight: 178 lbs | 80.7 kg
- Experience level: 1-2 years of training
Cycle details:
- LGD 4033
- Week 1-12: 5 mg/day
Results:
- User u/igotaflatire gained 12 lbs of mass during his cycle and finished off at roughly the same bodyfat % as when he started.
Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
Bodyweight | 178 lbs | 80.7 kg | 190 lbs | 86 kg |
Bodyfat % | see pictures | see pictures |
Bench | x | x |
Squat | x | x |
Deadlift | x | x |
OHP | x | x |
Testosterone base:
- User did not do a test base
PCT:
- User did not feel the need to PCT
Blood work results:
- User did not do bloodwork
Reported side effects:
- User did not report any side effects besides frequent urination at night
Diet:
- User did not disclose his exact caloric intake, but he was undoubtedly in a caloric surplus during his cycle as he gained 12 lbs
Training:
- User did not disclose his training program
Personal Notes & Suggestions:
User u/igotaflatire had a successful bulk in which he made significant gains. I assume his diet & training were on point, and he knew what he was doing. As far as the cycle goes, the only thing I would have done differently is capped it at 8 weeks, since most users notice a halt in their progress at that point.
Ideally, I would have also done bloodwork before the cycle to find out my baseline markers, especially important for first-time users like u/igotaflatire, as there is only 1 chance to document one’s baseline.
8 Weeks | Bulk | LGD 4033 Only
Reddit User & Source: u/The_Junesong
Users’ stats:
- Age: 28
- Height: 5’7 | 170 cm
- Starting weight: 152 lbs | 68 kg
- Experience level: 3-4 years
User’s notes:
Cycle details:
- LGD 4033
- Week 1-8: 5 mg/day
Results:
- User u/The_Junesong experienced a dramatic increase in strength which he tracked and maintained even after the cycle was over
- Gained 12 lbs of body weight while gaining very little bodyfat
Before | After | After PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|
Bodyweight | 152 lbs | 68 kg | 190 lbs | 75 kg | 162 lbs | 73.4 kg |
Bodyfat % | see pictures | see pictures | |
Bench | 185 x 5 | 205 x 8 | 205 x 8 |
Squat | 230 x 5 | 255 x 8 | 255 x 8 |
Deadlift | 285 x 5 | 315 x 8 | 315 x 8 |
OHP | 110 x 5 | 125 x 6 | 125 x 6 |
Rows | 175 x 5 | 190 x 8 | 190 x 8 |
Testosterone base:
- User did not do a test base
PCT:
- Tamoxifen: 12.5 mg/day for 3 weeks starting at week 7 of the cycle
- Clomiphene: 12.5 mg/day for 3 weeks starting at week 7 of the cycle
Blood work results:
- User did not disclose doing bloodwork
Reported side effects:
- Lethargy mid-cycle – common symptom of testosterone suppression
- Slight blood pressure increase: 135/80 baseline to 145/82 – user states that it could be attributed to increased caffeine consumption or other factors
- Increased body temperature – likely a result of overeating and water retention (user’s own comments – though I agree)
- Loss of sex drive post cycle – common symptom of suppression (can be mitigated by doing a proper testosterone base)
Diet:
- Aggressive caloric surplus, though user did not disclose exact calories
Training:
User ran a PPL program; Weekly volume:
Weeks 1-4: High Volume (sets per week undisclosed)
Week 5: Deload – user believed he was experiencing CNS burnout, though later concluded that he just felt lethargic due to the testosterone suppression caused by the LGD
Weeks 6-8: Moderate Volume (sets per week undisclosed)
8 Weeks | Bulk | LGD 4033 + MK677
Reddit User & Source: u/eeeee1453
Users’ stats:
- Age: 19
- Height: 6 ft | 183 cm
- Starting weight: 170 lbs | 77 kg
- Experience level: 0 years
User’s notes:
- User u/eeeee1453 had some previous experience in the gym and was coming back from a big break – so results may be inflated because of that
- User also spilled his MK677 bottle mid cycle so he had no choice but to stop taking it
Cycle details:
- LGD 4033
- Week 1-8: 10 mg/day
- MK677
- Week 1-4: 12.5 mg/day
Results:
- The user gained 25 lbs of weight during the 12 weeks and ended up looking even leaner than when he started – see pictures
Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
Bodyweight | 170 lbs | 77 kg | 195 lbs | 88 kg |
Bodyfat % | see pictures | see pictures |
Bench | 135 x 3 | 215 x 3 |
Squat | x | x |
Deadlift | 225 x 2 | 315 x 3 |
OHP | x | x |
Testosterone base:
- User did not do a test base
PCT:
- User did not feel the need to PCT – no symptoms of suppression
Blood work results:
- User did not do bloodwork
Reported side effects:
- User did not report any side effects besides some acne – very likely due to other factors
Diet:
- User was on a caloric surplus of ~4000+ calories/day
Training:
5-Day Split:
- Monday: Push
- Tuesday: Pull
- Wednesday: Legs
- Thursday: Push
- Friday: Pull
- Weekend: Rest
12 Weeks | Bulk | LGD 4033 + MK677
Reddit User & Source: u/Chaser720
Users’ stats:
- Age: unspecified
- Height: unspecified
- Starting weight: 196 lbs | 88.9kg
- Experience level: 10 years of casual lifting ; 4 of which serious lifting
User’s notes:
- Cycle started right after a long cut
Cycle details:
- LGD 4033
- Week 1: 10 mg/day
- Week 2: 10 mg/day
- Week 3: 10 mg/day
- Week 4: 10 mg/day
- Week 5: 10 mg/day
- Week 6: 15 mg/day
- Week 7: 15 mg/day
- Week 8: 15 mg/day
- MK677
- Week 1-8: 20 mg/day
Results:
- User u/Chaser720 gained an incredible 29 lbs / 13 kg of body weight in just 8 weeks
- Reported extremely good, borderline painful pumps
- A significant increase across main lifts
Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
Bodyweight | 196 lbs | 88.9 kg | 225 lbs | 102 kg |
Bodyfat % | see pictures | see pictures |
Bench | 275 lbs | 300 lbs |
Squat | 315 lbs | 355 lbs |
Deadlift | 495 lbs | 540 lbs |
OHP | x | x |
Testosterone base:
- User did not use a testosterone base
PCT:
- User did a standard 4 week PCT with one SERM:
- Tamoxifen
- Week 1: 20 mg/day
- Week 2: 20 mg/day
- Week 3: 10 mg/day
- Week 4: 10 mg/day
Blood work results:
- u/Chaser720 experienced the standard increased liver enzymes and cholesterol dyslipidemia that come with LGD 4033, but also extreme suppression and complete endogenous testosterone production shutdown, which is extremely rare, but a reminder to always take into consideration individual response and have a SERM ready to go at all times
- Additionally, the user did a third testosterone test 10 weeks after the cycle: Testosterone: 376 ng/dL; HF & FSH within range (view personal notes tab to see how this could have been prevented).
Reported side effects:
- Slight lethargy
- Low libido
- Elevated liver enzymes (bloodwork)
- Low HDL; High LDL (bloodwork)
- Endogenous testosterone production suppression/shutdown
Diet:
- User did not disclose exact caloric intake but was definitely in a surplus
Training:
- User did not disclose training protocol
Personal Notes & Suggestions:
- U/Chaser720 is one of those examples that you don’t find so often, and I’m extremely thankful to him for sharing his cycle on Reddit. He experienced complete shutdown, even though on paper he shouldn’t have. A reminder that individual response is a huge variable when taking PEDs, and, that you should always do bloodwork and have a SERM ready to deploy incase the worst happens.
- The only thing I would do differently is deploy a PCT protocol with 2 SERMs instead of just 1 as Tamoxifen alone is not strong enough to reverse suppression of this magnitude. U/Chaser720 reported that even after 10 weeks after his cycle his test levels were 376 (low), with LH and FSH in range.
8 Weeks | Bulk | LGD 4033 + CJC 1295
Reddit User & Source: u/seekingadvice1389
Users’ stats:
- Age: 27
- Height: 6’2 / 188cm
- Starting weight: 87kg / 191lbs
- Experience level: lifts to supplement main sport boxing / beginner lifter
User’s notes:
- U/seekingadvice1389 wanted to bulk up and recover from a gallbladder removal surgery which happened 2 months before the before photo
- He had a suboptimal starting point in terms of baseline testosterone levels because of the surgery, but also because he was getting off Prozac (SSRI)
- Fortunately he did plenty of bloodwork and we can accurately track the effects of this cycle on his testosterone levels
Cycle details:
- LGD 4033
- Week 1-8: 5 mg/day
- GHRP2 + CJC 1295 w/DAC
- Week 1-8: 300 mcg/day (100mcg x 3 per day)
Results:
- User u/seekingadvice1389 gained 24lbs | 10kg of body weight during his cycle
- Massive increase across main lifts
- Experienced “the best sleep of his life” (thanks to the CJC 1295)
- Incredible pumps weeks 3-7
Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
Bodyweight | 191lbs | 87 kg | 213lbs | 97kg |
Bodyfat % | see pictures | see pictures |
Bench | 220lbs | 100kg | 308lbs | 140kg |
Squat | 264lbs | 120kg | 374lbs | 170kg |
Deadlift | didn't deadlift before | 485lbs / 220kg |
OHP | 121lbs | 55kg | 165lbs | 75kg |
Testosterone base:
- User did not deploy a testosterone base
PCT:
- Tamoxifen (20/20)
- Week 1: 20 mg/day
- Week 2: 20 mg/day
Blood work results:
- The image includes results from:
- pre-cycle (04/09/2018)
- during-cycle (17/10/2018 – 2 weeks in -)
- after cycle (09/01/2019 – 5 weeks after cycle / 3 weeks after PCT – )
- Even though u/seekingadvice1389 started his cycle with low test levels (not recommended), he managed to fully recover even after a suppressive SARM cycle, and get his test levels to the top of the reference range with just two weeks of PCT with Tamoxifen
Reported side effects:
- Hair shedding
- Symptoms of suppression
Diet:
- +3000 calories/day from quality food sources
Training:
- Jim Wendler’s 3/5/1 Building the Monolith Program
Personal Notes & Suggestions:
16 Weeks | Bulk | LGD 4033 Only
Reddit User & Source: u/effrightscorp
Users’ stats:
- Age: unspecified
- Height: 5’10
- Starting weight: 180 lbs | 81.6 kg
- Lifting experience: unspecified
User’s notes:
- The before the picture was taken the last night of a 9-week cut
- User also started TRT 5 weeks into his cycle
Cycle details:
- LGD 4033
- Week 1-16: 5 mg/day
Results:
- User gained a solid amount of muscle, 20 lbs / 9 kg, without gaining much fat in just 16 weeks at a low dose
- Unfortunately user did not provide progression in terms of main lifts
Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
Bodyweight | 180 lbs | 81.6 kg | 200 lbs | 90.7 kg |
Bodyfat % | see pictures | see pictures |
Bench | x | x |
Squat | x | x |
Deadlift | x | x |
OHP | x | x |
Testosterone base:
- Testosterone injections via TRT;
PCT:
- No need for PCT as the user is on TRT and gets his testosterone via injections
Blood work results:
- User did not do bloodwork
Reported side effects:
- User did not experience/report any side effects
Diet:
- Bulk; exact caloric intake unspecified
Training:
- User did not specify workout split
Personal Notes & Suggestions:
6 Weeks | Bulk | LGD 4033 Only
Reddit User & Source: u/VLTXH
Users’ stats:
- Age: unspecified
- Height: unspecified
- Starting weight: 185 lbs | 84 kg
- Lifting experience: novice lifter
User’s notes:
- Had to cut cycle 2 weeks short due to gyms closing because of lockdowns
Cycle details:
- LGD 4033
- Week 1-6: 5 mg/day
Results:
- User u/VLTXH gained 8kg of body weight in just 6 weeks, very impressive
- While unfortunately he did not disclose exact lifts progression, he reported a steady increase across all lifts
Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
Bodyweight | 185 lbs | 84 kg | 202 lbs | 92 kg |
Bodyfat % | see pictures | see pictures |
Bench | x | x |
Squat | x | x |
Deadlift | x | x |
OHP | x | x |
Testosterone base:
- User did not do a test base
PCT:
- User did not feel the need to PCT
Blood work results:
- User did not do bloodwork
Reported side effects:
- User did not report any side effects
Diet:
- User had a strict diet with a pre-planned caloric surplus during the first 3 weeks of the cycle, though after changes to his lifestyle, namely getting a new job, he continued into a dirty bulk consuming roughly 3200 – 4000 calories/day
Training:
Program: 6 days per week week:
- Monday: upper body
- Tuesday: lower body
- Wednesday: light push
- Thursday: pull
- Friday: push
- Saturday: legs
- Sunday: rest
Volume: 20+ sets for chest/back; 15+ for all other body parts;
Personal Notes & Suggestions:
- u/VLTXH is a great example of what is achievable as a novice lifter with a low dose of LGD, paired with a large caloric surplus and good training. Unfortunately, he did not get to finish his cycle, which he planned to last 8 weeks, due to gyms closing back in 2020.
10 Weeks | Maintenance | LGD 4033 + MK677
Reddit User & Source: u/Crack3rJack3r
Users’ stats:
- Age: 28
- Height: 5’10 | 178 cm
- Starting weight: 183 lbs | 83 kg
- Experience level: 10 years +
User’s notes:
Cycle details:
- LGD 4033:
- Week 1-10: 10 mg/day
- MK 677:
- Week 1: 10 mg/day
- Week 2: 10 mg/day
- Week 3: 10 mg/day
- Week 4: 10 mg/day
- Week 5: 10 mg/day
- Week 6: 20 mg/day
- Week 7: 20 mg/day
- Week 8: 20 mg/day
- Week 9: 20 mg/day
- Week 10: 20 mg/day
Results:
Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
Bodyweight | 183 lbs | 83 kg | 185 lbs | 83.9 kg |
Bodyfat % | see pictures | see pictures |
Bench | x | x |
Squat | x | x |
Deadlift | x | x |
OHP | x | x |
Testosterone base:
- User did not do a testosterone base
PCT:
- Tamoxifen (20/20/10/10)
- Week 1: 20 mg/day
- Week 2: 20 mg/day
- Week 3: 10 mg/day
- Week 4: 10 mg/day
- MK677 (as an addition to the PCT):
- Week 1: 20 mg/day
- Week 2: 20 mg/day
- Week 3: 20 mg/day
- Week 4: 20 mg/day
Blood work results:
- User did not do bloodwork
Reported side effects:
- User did not experience/report any side effects
Diet:
- ~2500 calories/day; high protein, medium carbs, low fat;
- consumed alcohol once a week on average
Training:
- Monday: Chest back (heavy)
- Tuesday: Shoulders, arms (heavy)
- Wednesday: Lower (squat focus)
- Thursday: Rest
- Friday: Chest back (light)
- Saturday: Shoulder arms (light)
- Sunday: Legs (glute focus)
8 Weeks | Bulk | LGD 4033 Only
Reddit User & Source: u/expandyourbrain
Users’ stats:
- Age:
- Height: 5’10 | 178 cm
- Starting weight: 149 lbs | 67.5 kg
- Experience level: 5 years
User’s notes:
- User u/explodeyourbrain has one of the freakiest transformations I’ve seen thus far. He’s a lifter with 5 years of experience, who took a break and lost all of his gains. He has also done an LGD cycle prior to losing his gains, and the before and after pictures shown above, where he reports was roughly the same size as here. During the time the first picture was taken, u/explodeyourbrain explains that he was in a severely malnourished state because of his mental health. So take into account the role muscle memory and previous experience played in his freaky progress during this cycle.
Cycle details:
- LGD 4033:
- Week 1-8: 10 mg/day
Results:
- User u/expandyourbrain gained 30 lbs of body weight while staying relatively lean with a full sixpack, one of the freakiest SARMs transformations I’ve come across – keep in mind that these gains are inflated because of muscle memory
- User reported an aggressive increase across his lifts, though unfortunately did not disclose exact numbers
Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
Bodyweight | 149 lbs | 67.5 kg | 179 lbs | 81 kg |
Bodyfat % | see pictures | see pictures |
Bench | x | x |
Squat | x | x |
Deadlift | x | x |
OHP | x | x |
Testosterone base:
- User did not do a testosterone base
PCT:
- Tamoxifen; user did not disclose exact dosing
Blood work results:
- User did not share bloodwork results
Reported side effects:
- Headaches
- Symptoms of suppression (low libido, lethargy)
Diet:
- 2800-3000 calories per day
Training:
- User was following a 3-5x week workout regiment; exact split unspecified
2 x 8 Weeks | Bulk | LGD 4033 Only
Reddit User & Source: u/LordoftheManlets
- The before and after pictures cover two separate LGD 4033 cycles
- Natty: Left Column
- After Cycle 1 of LGD 4033: Middle Column
- After Cycle 2 of LGD 4033: Right Column
Users’ stats:
- Age: unspecified
- Height: 5’5″ | 167 cm
- Starting weight: 140 lbs | 63.5 kg
- Experience level: 2.5 years
User’s notes:
- Reddit user u/LordoftheManlets has been training for 2.5 years consistently, and this is his progress throughout 2 LGD 4033 cycles
- User reports having a very suboptimal setting in terms of diet during his first cycle
- During the second cycle, the user took 1 week completely off training, and 1 as a deload due to fatigue/under-recovery
Cycle details:
- Cycle 1 – LGD 4033:
- Week 1-8: 5 mg/day
- Cycle 2 – LGD 4033:
- Week 1-7.5: 5 mg/day
Results:
- User gained 13 lbs of weight across both of his cycles
- Unfortunately, he did not track main lifts, so we cannot know exactly how much strength he gained.
Before Cycle 1 | After Cycle 1 | Before Cycle 2 | After Cycle 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bodyweight | 140 lbs | 63.5 kg | 152 lbs | 68.9 kg | 147 lbs | 66.6 kg | 153 lbs | 69.4 kg |
Bodyfat % | see pictures | see pictures | see pictures | see pictures |
Bench | x | x | x | x |
Squat | x | x | x | x |
Deadlift | x | x | x | x |
OHP | x | x | x | x |
Testosterone base:
- User did not do a test base (both cycles)
PCT:
- User did not do PCT (both cycles)
Blood work results:
- User did not do bloodwork
Reported side effects:
- User did not report any side effects
Diet:
- Cycle 1: ~ 2900 calories/day with only ~70g protein per day, fluctuated from week to week, inconsistent, undisciplined
- Cycle 2: ~ 2700-2800 calories/day
Training:
- Cycle 1: 5 days/week
- Push
- Pull
- Legs
- Rest
- Upper
- Arms
- Rest
- Cycle 2: 4 days/week
- Chest & Back
- Arms & Shoulders
- Rest
- Legs
- Arms & Shoulders
- Rest
- Rest
8 Weeks | Bulk | LGD 4033 Only
Reddit User & Source: u/Grapez331
Users’ stats:
- Age: 22
- Height: 5’7″ | 173 cm
- Starting weight: 161 lbs | 73 kg
- Experience level: unspecified
User’s notes:
- u/Grapez331 did a very nice tiny dose cycle, which is not something you find that often (let alone be nicely documented)
- He did not gain any body weight, despite consuming what he thought was a large caloric surplus of 3200 calories – which he speculates is due to the increase in his daily energy expenditure once he hopped on
- Therefore what he assumed to be a big caloric surplus turned into a small surplus or maybe even maintenance
Cycle details:
- LGD 4033:
- Week 1-1.5: 5 mg/day
- Week 1.5-8: 2.5 mg/day
Results:
- u/Grapez331 had a great cycle and made significant strength gains, considering the tiny dose
Before | After | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Bodyweight | 161 lbs | 73 kg | 161 lbs | 73 kg | |
Bodyfat % | see pictures | see pictures | |
Bench | 250 lbs | 275 lbs | |
Squat | 335 lbs | 365 lbs | |
Deadlift | 385 lbs | 405 lbs | |
OHP | x | x |
Testosterone base:
- User did not do a testosterone base
PCT:
- User did not PCT
Blood work results:
- User did not post bloodwork results
Reported side effects:
- Insomnia (went away after lowering dose + supplementing with melatonin)
- Irritability
Diet:
- 3200 calories/day
Training:
6 days/week PPL (push, pull, legs) with 250-500 reps/day of volume
- Focus on heavy lifts, but also included a lot of supplementary isolations
- Put a huge emphasis on high rep quality, mind-muscle connection, and getting a squeeze
- Did shoulder flys at least 3x week with 80-100 reps per workout
Key Observations & Conclusion
Before and after pictures are the only way to track one’s progress in terms of visible changes. By analyzing not only other people’s results but also their entire setup across all training variables, you can make conclusions.
I hope this post helped you do exactly that, and that my effort was worth it. But, before you jump to conclusions about the potential of LGD 4033 for yourself, please keep in mind these factors:
1. Not everyone that does PEDs knows proper training, diet, and discipline:
PEDs are performance enhancers, not magic muscle pills, the basics need to be honed and mastered to get the most out of them.
2. Genetics play a huge role (PEDS can’t change your genetics):
If you spend hours and hours looking at cycle logs (like me), you’ll very quickly realize that 99% of the time, users that get the best results, are users that were already jacked and stacked as naturals, or showed great potential from the get-go. Simply put, Performance-Enhancing-Drugs, enhance your baseline performance.
If you have great genetics, they’ll make them even better, if you have crappy genetics, they’ll make them less crappy.
3. Individual response
Some of the users on this list got away without doing a PCT, others got completely shut down, but most did a mild PCT.
You never know how a drug will affect you, expect the best, but be prepared for the worst, and always have a SERM at hand.
Many of you guys are beginners and are oftentimes faced with misleading information regarding PED use. Companies and marketers do this in order to get you to buy a product.
Just look at the other before and after articles that show up on Google and compare them to this one.
If this article brought any value to you, I would greatly appreciate it if you shared it on your socials. Cheers.
