The SARMS Promise: Steroid-Like Gains Without Side Effects?

Summary

In this video, Dr. Mike from RP Strength delves into the science behind SARMs (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators), explaining how they were marketed as a safer alternative to anabolic steroids. However, SARMs fail to deliver significant muscle growth without the harsh side effects of steroids. Dr. Mike emphasizes the issues of purity and the lack of effective results, warning viewers of their potential risks. He suggests turning to more reliable methods like the RP Hypertrophy app while hinting at future breakthroughs, such as myostatin inhibitors, which could revolutionize muscle growth without the downsides of current substances.

Takeaways

• 😀 SARMs (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators) are marketed as safer alternatives to anabolic steroids, but they fall short in terms of muscle-building results.
• 💪 While SARMs can help build muscle, their effects are weak compared to traditional steroids, and higher doses can lead to similar side effects.
• ⚠️ Common side effects of SARMs include liver enzyme increases, suppressed testosterone production, and cardiovascular risks.
• 🧪 SARMs are often contaminated with other substances like steroids, making them more dangerous and unreliable than they appear.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Professional bodybuilders and coaches tend to favor traditional steroids, such as Anavar, over SARMs due to better-known effectiveness and side effect profiles.
• 🔬 SARMs are essentially underpowered steroids with similar risks, offering only marginal benefits and significant health concerns.
• 📉 SARMs have been found to have only a slight muscle-building effect compared to more established performance-enhancing drugs like anabolic steroids.
• 💥 Myostatin inhibitors, a class of drugs that could promote muscle growth by blocking myostatin (a molecule that limits muscle development), may revolutionize muscle-building in the next 5-10 years.
• 🐄 The idea of myostatin inhibition has already been demonstrated in animals, such as cows, which have shown extraordinary muscle growth due to genetic modifications.
• ⏳ While SARMs may have some potential, the future of muscle growth is likely to involve more advanced, targeted treatments like myostatin inhibitors, making SARMs obsolete in the long run.

Q & A

What are SARMs and how do they work?

SARMs, or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, are compounds that target androgen receptors in the body, primarily in skeletal muscle cells. They are designed to mimic the anabolic effects of steroids but with fewer side effects, as they are supposed to selectively target muscle tissue while sparing other tissues that typically experience negative effects from steroids.

Why do people turn to SARMs instead of steroids?

Many people turn to SARMs as an alternative to steroids because they believe SARMs can provide muscle growth benefits without the severe side effects associated with steroids. They are marketed as being less harmful to non-muscle tissues like the prostate, hair follicles, and skin, which are common targets of steroids.

What is the major flaw in the SARMs promise?

The major flaw is that, while SARMs do promote muscle growth, they are not as effective as steroids in this regard. To achieve similar results to steroids, users must take higher doses of SARMs, which leads to increased side effects. In reality, SARMs often present side effects similar to steroids, such as liver issues, suppressed testosterone, and cardiovascular risks.

How do SARMs compare to anabolic steroids in terms of effectiveness?

SARMs are less effective than anabolic steroids in promoting muscle growth. While they do provide some anabolic effects, the muscle growth they induce per unit dose is much lower than that of anabolic steroids. In order to achieve comparable muscle gains, users would need to take much higher doses of SARMs, which results in more side effects.

What are the common side effects of SARMs?

Some common side effects of SARMs include increased liver enzymes, suppression of natural testosterone production, and elevated risks of heart attack and stroke. These side effects can be comparable to those of anabolic steroids, particularly when SARMs are taken at higher doses to increase their muscle-building effectiveness.

What is myostatin, and how could it revolutionize muscle growth?

Myostatin is a molecule in the body that acts as a 'muscle stopper,' limiting muscle growth to prevent excessive muscle development. By inhibiting or removing myostatin, muscle growth can be greatly enhanced. Research on myostatin inhibitors shows promising results in animals, and in the future, these inhibitors may be used to significantly boost muscle growth in humans.

What examples of animals have shown the potential of myostatin inhibition?

Examples of animals that have shown the potential for enhanced muscle growth due to myostatin inhibition include cows (specifically 'double-muscle' cows) and greyhounds. These animals exhibit extreme muscle development due to genetic mutations that disable or inhibit myostatin, leading to uncontrollable muscle growth.

Why are SARMs not the ultimate solution for muscle growth, according to the speaker?

The speaker argues that SARMs are not the ultimate solution because they are underpowered compared to anabolic steroids and come with similar side effects when used at higher doses. While they may be effective in the short term, they are not the revolutionary solution people are looking for in muscle growth. The speaker predicts that the real breakthrough will come with myostatin inhibitors in the next decade.

How reliable is the current SARMs market?

The SARMs market is unreliable, with studies showing that up to 50% of SARMs purchased on the market may be counterfeit or contain unknown substances, including actual steroids like Anavar. This makes it difficult for consumers to know if they are getting legitimate SARMs or potentially harmful substances.

What are the potential future advancements in muscle growth drugs?

The speaker believes that in the next 5 to 10 years, non-androgenic anabolics, like myostatin inhibitors, will hit the market. These drugs could offer much more effective and targeted muscle growth without the side effects of SARMs or anabolic steroids. Myostatin inhibitors have already been successfully tested in animals, and there is hope for similar breakthroughs in humans.