I thought I would put together a quick guide on SARMs Vs prohormones. I used to use prohormones until the ban in 2014, but I’d actually decided before that I had to use something different. Anabolic steroids were something I would never want to go near, so I was looking for an alternative.
SARMs were something I had read about several times, and people at the gym and even personal friends were already using them. I made the move to using SARMs in early 2015 after my last batches of prohormones finished.
I wish that batch had finished earlier, as the results are superior with SARMs, without the side-effects. So let’s talk you through everything you need to know, you can understand why it’s a sensible decision to use SARMs rather than the versions are prohormones still available.
SARMs Explained
SARMs stands for Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators. They were designed to deal with specific health conditions, notably muscle wasting and bone wasting diseases, like osteoporosis. They have also been developed to help lose body fat for certain conditions.
But because they were not developed for building muscle in fit people, and they were never brought to market for any purpose, they still remain research chemicals and are not fully tested. However, the chemical formulas are out there, which is why people copy them and made them available for bodybuilding purposes.
That’s why different SARMs work for different things. The classic SARM for cutting fat is Ostarine. It’s not great for building muscle tone, but it’s good at cutting fat while protecting muscle tone.
They work as the name suggests, they selectively modulate androgen receptors in the body. So they will target receptors in muscle, fat, and bone, and basically tell them to develop more quickly than naturally.
Because they selectively target and modulate those androgen receptors, side-effects are minimized because they don’t affect other androgen receptors that they encounter.
But look, I’m not going to just sing their praises and gloss over the side-effects. You do get side-effects from using SARMs. But only if use high doses, or the stronger ones, especially if you stack them. But testosterone suppression is the major one I need to tell you about.
What Are Prohormones?
Prohormones are prodrugs, meaning that they are converted in the body into something else. So they are basically chemical precursors to hormones. So what you’re doing is supplying your body with elements it needs to create the hormones for itself more rapidly than it can naturally.
When we are talking about prohormones to increase muscle mass, we are talking about precursors to anabolic hormones, primarily testosterone development. So the method of action of prohormones is very similar to anabolic steroids, but not in such an aggressive way.
Prohormones were all the rage at the gym a few years ago. They had aggressive names, which made you think they were basically the same as using anabolic steroids. However that was never the case, but it did mean that SARMs slipped under the radar for a couple of years.
But since they were banned, only a few remain, and they are the weak ones that got around it.
SARMs Vs Prohormones
The biggest problem when it comes to comparing SARMs to prohormones is legality. Prohormones are not legal any more, as they were banned in 2014 when the design anabolic steroid control was passed.
SARMs are not legal, but they are not illegal either. You can sell them, but not for human consumption, and you can buy them, but not for human use. So it’s a legal loophole that is basically easy to exploit.
Both will give you muscle mass improvements, but prohormones do it more aggressively than SARMs, but less aggressively than anabolic steroids.
Although I’d recommend you use a PCT (Post Cycle Therapy) supplement with SARMs, they often don’t have to be strong, and at lower doses, you may not need one at all. This is not the case with Prohormones, where if you can get the really strong ones, they can massively suppress natural testosterone production. So although you could suffer from lowering of T levels using both, you are definitely going to get suppression using prohormones.
A few types of prohormone are still available, but they are weak, and aren’t any more powerful than SARMs, for around the same price. You will read about the prohormone Superdrol regularly, and people swear by it, but you still need a PCT supplement, and you are running more risks than just using SARMs.
The final word in why SARMs are far superior to prohormones is the range of side-effects. They are virtually non-existent with low doses of SARMs, but with prohormones, you can expect to regularly encounter increased blood pressure, the potential for higher liver toxicity, levels, and more potential for gynecomastia (basically man boobs).
SARMs Vs Steroids
Steroids also work on androgen receptors in the body as SARMs do. However, the difference in how they do it is massive.
Anabolic steroids are like a bull in a china shop, they just smash into everything they encounter on their way through. This leads to an incredibly aggressive message for those androgen receptors, which is why you pack on massive bulk.
But you’ll also get massive side-effects because the anabolic steroids are smashing every other androgen receptor they encounter in the same aggressive way.
I’ll be honest, steroids definitely get you better results than SARMs. But you are taking a 10th of the risk with your body, and your life. Anabolic steroids are linked to life-threatening side-effects, and high levels of aggression and these are simply not present when using SARMs.
So look, I wouldn’t even consider using anabolic steroids. They are far too damaging and dangerous, and simply not worth the boost your ego for the price you will pay. Especially when you can get brilliant results with a little hard work and stacking a couple of muscle building SARMs.
Using & Buying SARMs
The SARMs industry has got a lot smaller. The simultaneous pressures of regulation, FDA scrutiny, the Chinese SARMs manufacture and export Ban, the pandemic, rising inflation and shipping costs, along with Eastern European labs closing down, has closed a lot of companies.
But you still want the same high standards. Let’s talk you through the companies I still use the SARMs purchases, and an alternative supplement form you can consider if you don’t want to use SARMs right now (or you want to enhance your SARMs use).
- CHEMYO (Liquid & Powder)
Chemyo are now the company I exclusively buy my SARMs liquid from.
With so many other companies vanishing, it’s rare to find good dosing, high purity, and reliable service. They provide all of those essential things.
Let’s just look in detail at why I’m now in love these guys:
- Large 50 ml dropper bottle sizes
- Doses per bottle equal to other companies
- Better value for money
- Fully independently lab tested and guaranteed
- Free shipping over $100 in the USA
- Full moneyback guarantee
- Credit card processing
- SARMs liquid and powder
They do a good range of SARMs, at competitive prices. The larger 50 mL dropper bottles are great because you are getting far more SARMs for money compared to company selling 30 mL dropper bottles, but only supplying around the same total dose.
YK-11, S-23, Ostraine, all the main SARMs are available at great prices.
They also do paired SARMs as well as a 10% discount, so that you can get pairs for bulking, cutting, and strength.
I also want to mention that they do high-quality SARMs powder. Full gram of SARMs powder at a reasonable price. They even sell the suspension liquid you need, and by mixing the two together you can create your own liquid SARMs for around a 40% discount on the premixed version.
- Swiss Chems (Capsules)
If you’re looking for high-quality SARMs capsules then Swiss Chems are definitely the company you should use.
They’ve lowered their prices considerably over the past 12 months, perhaps capitalizing on the gap in the market because so many other companies have gone bust.
You’ll get 60 capsules for only about a 10% premium over buying generally cheaper premixed liquid SARMs other companies sell.
For example, right now, 60 capsules of Cardarine, each dosed at 10 mg (total dose 600 mg) will cost you only $69.95. That’s compared to Chemyo Cardarine liquid costing $54.99 for 500 mg total dose.
- Brutal Force SARMs Alternative Supplements
I want to mention these guys because they offer a great alternative if you don’t want to SARMs, want to supplement SARMs use, or use them as well as SARMs.
Brutal for SARMs alternatives mimic the effects of SARMs by using only natural ingredients. They aren’t as potent, but they are a great alternative to natural bodybuilding alone.
Because they are completely safe, you can use them alongside a SARMs stack for even greater results.
Plus, you can use them post cycle which is very important. They allow you greater output, minimize the side effects of low energy, and help you to protect muscle mass, or cut more fat, than you can naturally.
Each supplement mimics a SARM and costs $60 for one month’s supply. However, if you buy two months, you’ll get an additional month free at checkout.
They also do stacks: bulking, cutting, strength, and maintenance stacks.
I’d recommend the stacks because you get 40% off the individual sale prices, and you’ll get that additional third month supply free at checkout.
On top of all that, they do free global shipping. Put it together and it’s a great way to experiment and benefit from a low price.
I use one of their stacks now when I do a SARMs stack. It enhances the results by teaming up the SARMs alternatives with the actual SARMs you’re using.
So for example, if you are bulking using YK-11, you can teaming up with YKBULK to enhance the effects even further.
I’ll also run these post cycle, so straight through the cycle and post cycle, because it helps with recovery and maintaining higher levels of results.
If you’d like to learn more about SARMs, you can check out my guide here, and also detailed SARMs vendor reviews here.
