Ostarine is the most popular SARMs among first time users because of it’s muscle building potential and mildness in terms of side effects.
An average 8 week Ostarine cycle can bring gains of up to 4-5 pounds of lean muscle gains while on a caloric surplus, and potentially 1-2 pounds while on a deficit (if done right).
This article is based on all of the currently avaiable scientific literature as well as the analysis of thousands of anecdotal reports and experiences online. You will learn:
Ostarine (also known as MK-2866, S-22, Enobosarm, GTx-024) was originally developed for treating muscle wasting conditions and osteoporosis. It is one of the first SARMs ever created and the most popular one today.
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Ostarine is the most well-studied SARM today because it has gone through countless clinical trials. Although not all clinical trials have successfully proved the efficacy of Ostarine in various situations, every single one has proven its effectiveness in establishing lean muscle mass with minimal side effects, which has won Ostarine has won the trust of most users who use SARMs for the first time.
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It can build a modest amount of muscle mass on a small calorie deficit and retain all muscle mass on a larger deficit. Making it an overall great pick for both cutting and bulking, although most users use it while on a cut.
You can expect gains of up to 4-5 pounds of lean muscle gains while on a surplus, and 1-2 pounds while on a small deficit.
You should expect a considerable strength increase if you are in a caloric surplus. On a caloric deficit, you will only experience strength gains in the first few weeks, following a plateau as your cut continues and you lose more weight.
Users also often report increased stamina and motivation to train.
Ostarine is proven by clinical studies to increase the strength and density of your bones. This is also one of the purposes it was originally designed for.
There are claims that Ostarine helps heal and strengthen joints and tendons. There is no evidence to prove this in the clinical studies, although anecdotal reports say that Ostarine can indeed heal and strengthen your joints and tendons and it is the only SARM that may have this trait.
Contrary to what some people believe, Ostarine will not burn or help you with losing fat. It is not a fat burner.
As stated previously, it will help keep and even gain muscle mass whilst on a cut making cutting cycles more effective.
Ostarine will speed up your recovery times considerably. You will feel less sore and you will be able to hit the same muscle groups a lot sooner than if you were natural.
Ostarine will significantly harden your muscles, giving them a dense and lean look. It will not cause any extra water retention. Users also reported that it made their muscles pop more, with an increase in vascularity.
Before going in, it’s important to note that the majority of users do not experience more than just a few of the following side effects and only for a short and limited period of time, usually the first week or two after finishing the cycle.
Ostarine will suppress your natural testosterone production and lower endogenous testosterone levels. Luckily it is one of the least suppressive SARMs and the suppression is reversible and easily manageable.
A drop in your testosterone levels can result in:
Ostarine will also decrease your SHBG which will lead to a rise in your free testosterone levels and may increase your libido, motivation and overall well-being.
This will only last for the first few weeks of your cycle until the suppression of your total testosterone levels offsets the increase in free testosterone.
Ostarine rarely causes a notable degree of liver toxicity. Nevertheless, some people still experience elevated enzymes following their cycle.
Taking Ostarine will have a negative effect on your cholesterol levels and cause dyslipidemia. This is unfortunately another universal side effect all SARMs share.
You will experience a decrease in your HDL and an increase in your LDL cholesterol.
HDL – good cholesterol
LDL – bad cholesterol
Something worth mentioning is that there is contradicting evidence on the impact of your LDL levels, with some pointing to a decrease and others an increase.
The side effects mentioned up until now will impact the vast majority of users, but there are some side effects that are extremely rare and happen to a very small minority of users.
Fortunately effectively cycling Ostarine is pretty simple when compared to other stronger SARMs like Rad-140 or LGD-4033.
You won’t have to worry about experiencing side effects to a noticeable degree, and the recovery is a lot easier compared to stronger SARMs.
Cycle Cheat Sheet
Take Ostarine every day in the morning, on an empty stomach. It’s important to be consistent with dosing, as the half-life is only 24 hours.
Most people bounce back to their natural baseline within 4 weeks and do not require a PCT.
Though that isn’t always the case, so, you should always have a SERM at hand just incase you end up needing it after your cycle is over.
This is how to determine whether to PCT with a SERM or not:
|
Bloodwork |
Symptoms of Suppression |
PCT |
|---|---|---|
|
Total Testosterone & LH within reference range (even if close to bottom) |
No |
Optional |
|
Total Testosterone & LH within reference range (even if close to bottom) |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Total Testosterone & LH below reference range |
Yes/No |
Yes |
|
Can’t Do Bloodwork (For Whatever Reason) |
No |
Optional |
|
Can’t Do Bloodwork (For Whatever Reason) |
Yes |
Yes |
For a mild SARM like Ostarine, any SERM can work. I recommend between Tamoxifen, Enclomiphene or Toremifene, and I would avoid Clomiphene and Raloxifene.
|
WEEK 1 |
WEEK 2 |
WEEK 3 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
TAMOXIFEN |
10mg/day |
10mg/day |
5mg/day |
|
ENCLOMIPHENE |
6.25mg/day |
6.25mg/day |
3.125mg/day |
|
TOREMIFENE |
30mg/day |
30mg/day |
15mg/day |
|
CLOMIPHENE |
25mg/day |
25mg/day |
12.5mg/day |
|
RALOXIFENE |
30mg/day |
30mg/day |
15mg/day |
Enclomiphene would be ideal if you can get your hands on it, as it’s the most efficacious at boosting testosterone production and also extremely well tolerated. For many users, it boosts testosterone production even beyond the upper limit of the reference range.
Ostarine should always be combined with YK-11 and/or MK677 for bulking, and GW-501516 or SR-9009 for cutting.
Since these compounds work via different pathways, they add on top of Ostarine instead of competing with it. Which would otherwise happen if you combine it with another SARM.
Hundreds of anecdotal reports have confirmed that combining SARMs of the same sort is highly ineffective in comparison to taking just one or stacking it with the compounds mentioned previously.
My theory for this is that SARMs of the same sort compete to attach to the same receptors, and the one with the higher binding affinity wins – kicking the other one out of the receptor and making it useless.
As shown in the majority of anecdotal reports, users that combined Ostarine and Testolone for example experienced only a small increase in benefits and a big increase in side effects.
NOTE: If you’re stacking it with YK11 treat it like a very suppressive cycle – you absolutely must do a PCT along with a testosterone base.
These cycle examples should serve as guidelines for cycling Ostarine. All three are fairly simple to follow and are a general sum of what we talked about so far.
|
WEEK |
OSTARINE |
TAMOXIFEN |
|
1 |
20mg/day |
|
|
2 |
20mg/day |
|
|
3 |
20mg/day |
|
|
4 |
20mg/day |
|
|
5 |
20mg/day |
|
|
6 |
20mg/day |
|
|
7 |
20mg/day |
|
|
8 |
20mg/day |
|
|
9 |
20mg/day |
|
|
10 |
20mg/day |
|
|
11 |
20mg/day |
|
|
12 |
10mg/day |
This is an extremely effective cutting cycle for beginners who want to lose fat and preserve muscle with the least amount of side effects.
PCT is only necessary if your bloodwork shows that you need it and/or you feel symptoms of suppression. Alternatively, the SERM can also be taken from weeks 4 to 8 as a SARM+SERM combination.
A different SERM would also work, and you could even use DHEA from weeks 4 to 8 as a non-suppressive test base – but again I don’t think it’s necessary.
To mitigate some of the side effects, take the following supplements:
|
WEEK |
OSTARINE |
MK677 |
TAMOXIFEN |
|
1 |
20mg/day |
15mg/day |
|
|
2 |
20mg/day |
15mg/day |
|
|
3 |
20mg/day |
15mg/day |
|
|
4 |
20mg/day |
15mg/day |
|
|
5 |
20mg/day |
15mg/day |
|
|
6 |
20mg/day |
15mg/day |
|
|
7 |
20mg/day |
15mg/day |
|
|
8 |
20mg/day |
15mg/day |
|
|
9 |
15mg/day |
20mg/day |
|
|
10 |
15mg/day |
20mg/day |
|
|
11 |
15mg/day |
20mg/day |
|
|
12 |
15mg/day |
10mg/day |
This bulking cycle utilized MK 677 as an addition to Ostarine in order to boost IGF-1 levels, recovery and hunger.
Not everyone will need a PCT, and the Tamoxifen could be used from week 5 to 8 as part of a SARM + SERM protocol. Any other SERM could work, and you could even throw DHEA at 25-50mg/day from week 5 to 8 if you prefer to use Tamoxifen after the cycle rather than on-cycle.
To mitigate some of the side effects, take the following supplements:
|
WEEK |
OSTARINE |
CARDARINE |
|
1 |
5mg/day |
10mg/day |
|
2 |
5mg/day |
10mg/day |
|
3 |
5mg/day |
10mg/day |
|
4 |
5mg/day |
10mg/day |
|
5 |
10mg/day |
10mg/day |
|
6 |
10mg/day |
10mg/day |
|
7 |
10mg/day |
10mg/day |
|
8 |
5mg/day |
10mg/day |
|
9 |
||
|
10 |
||
|
11 |
||
|
12 |
This is a simple and safe cutting cycle for women in which Ostarine is used in conjunction with Cardarine for the retention of muscle mass and strength while losing fat.
Since women do not need a PCT and just need to taper off the dose during the last week, simply go back to taking 5mg/day of Ostarine during the last week in order to have an easier time when coming off.
This cycle will cause dyslipidemia and possibly mild liver toxicity as well. To mitigate these side effects, take the following supplements:
Do you lose your gains after Ostarine?
– You will retain almost all of your gains after a cycle, provided you PCT properly, and continue to train hard and eat enough protein.
Does Ostarine cause erectile dysfunction?
– ED is caused by low testosterone. Ostarine can potentially cause it through suppression, but it’s highly unlikely given how mild it is.
How long does it take for Ostarine to kick in?
– You will start to feel the effects after approximately one or two weeks in. But the drug itself “kicks in” as soon as it enters your bloodstream.
Will Ostarine fail a drug test?
– Yes, in fact all SARMs will fail a drug test if detected. Don’t forget, they’re officially banned for human consumption.
Ostarine is an amazing compound for beginners and even experienced users. The mildness of side effects will allow you to determine how well you respond to PEDs without risking too your health as you would be with stronger SARMs or AAS.
It’s also an incredible drug to take if you’re dealing with injuries or achy joints and tendons as it can potentially help you recover. Especially if you pair it with GH-secreting peptides, BPC 15, TB 500 or MK 677.
