Note: At the current time, there are very few personal experiences with SARMs. As we have more testing and reviews, we will expand this section.
By Anthony Roberts
Several months ago I received a bottle of S-4, a highly potent Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator. A few years ago (actually a lot of years) I pitched the idea of carrying SARMs to a couple of research chemical companies, but none were really interested in bringing them to the market. Then, a friend of mine contacted me asking about them, and since I had already done a ton of research on them, I forwarded all of it over to him. We had quite a few conversations about various SARMs and which would be the best one, etc…
I pretty much forgot about it until a year ago when he told me that he had figured out a way to get his hands on some. Then, this Summer, he sent me a bottle to try out – to help me write an article on them, and to figure out if the science stacks up to real performance. Remember, Halotestin is supposed to be almost 20x as anabolic as testosterone according to the research, but this isn’t how it plays out in real life.
According to the available research on S-4, it’s roughly 100% as potent as testosterone propionate, and only about 1/3rd as androgenic. There is no converstion to DHT and no conversion to estrogen – meaning if you’re one of those guys who suffers bad side effects from testosterone then this could be a God-send for you.
Or, if you’re one of those guys who buys a ton of ancillary products, then it means you can buy this stuff instead of Test + Finasteride + Arimidex and save a few bucks.
From actually using the compound, I can attest to this fact; it’s as potent as testosterone in terms of an anabolic effect, but honestly I didn’t notice any androgenic or estrogenic effects at all. There was no water retention, no acne, no real side effects at all (none that I noticed anyway).
I tried several different dosing protocols (daily, every other day, pre-workout-only), and found them all to be effective, based on dose. S-4 is very potent (although it has a very short half-life and active life), so I’m trying to figure out a really good dosing protocol. I’m partial to every day dosing, but pre-workout also on days that I train with weights (4 days per week).
Besides me, user feedback has been incredible (although some people report vision issues, similar to what is sometimes experienced with SERMs – Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators). I can’t comment on all of the various SARMs being seen in various medical journals, only the one that I’ve used…but much of the literature indicates that, in general, they are very potent oral anabolic agents – with potential for use in osteoperosis, wasting conditions, and androgen replacement therapy. They stimulate the androgen receptor in skeletal muscle tissue much the same way anabolic steroids do, but show much lower activity in the prostate and other tissues (the ones we probably don’t want androgen receptor activity in). They’re not God’s gift to steroid users, but honestly, I would feel comfortable saying that for most people, they’re going to be 100% just as good as testosterone (or better, for some people).
As far as I know, they’re currently not being regulated by the FDA and are not illegal to posess (but I’m no lawyer). I would suspect that a semi-loophole exists similar to the ones for research chems and IGF (which is a small loophole at best, but I suspect it protects the end user much more than the vendors). I’d love to tell you that I was the first person to talk about SARMs, but honestly they’ve been on the underground radar for about 4 years now (yeah, since the last Olympics – at least).
In January of 2008 they were recognized by the World Anti-Doping Agency, and added to the list of banned substances (along with Growth Hormone, Insulin, and IGF-I ….none of which have reliable testing methods yet).
I’m not sure what the future of SARMs is really going to be. I finished my first bottle a couple of months ago, so I’m certain that they are currently in the United States… I know I’m not the only person using them. And I’m not so sure how long they’re going to remain undetectable – but for now, they’re here, they’re potent, and they remain undetectable.
