Introduction:
When planning to take SARMs one thing to take into consideration is that SARMs will suppress natural test production, which in turn will suppress endogenous estrogen production, which will lead to suppression related symptoms like loss of libido, feeling tired, and it will also hinder the results of the cycle because estrogen plays an important role in muscle building. You need to have an adequate amount of estrogen during a cycle to build muscle optimally and feel good.
When doing SARMs cycles there are different ways that you can go about designing your Test Base:
– HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin)
-SERMs
-DHEA
-4DHEA
-oral estrogen
-Testosterone injection
Remember, the main goal is to keep estrogen in a reasonable range here.
HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotropin)
HCG is in my opinion the best compound to use as a test Base when using either very suppressive SARMs like S23, YK 11, LGD 3033 or higher doses of a reasonably suppressive SARM like LGD 4033 or Rad 140. In addition to keeping testosterone and estrogen in a good range, HCG also keeps the gonads (your balls) producing testosterone which makes it easier to recover HPTA function when doing a PCT afterwards.
If you’re going to use HCG on cycle, I recommend you use it throughout the whole cycle and I recommend dosing it at 250-500IU every other day or 3 times per week. If you decide to use HCG as a test base you need to keep in mind that it will suppress your LH levels and that you will need to do a proper PCT at the end of the cycle.
SERMs (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators)
A good way you can go about doing a test Base is by taking a SERM while on cycle to keep testosterone and estrogen in a reasonable range, however this option is limited for cycles using low to moderate dosages of reasonably suppressive SARMs.
If you are going to go the SERM route I do not recommend prolonging the cycle past 8 weeks and I would only go this route If you’re taking less than 15mg of RAD 140 or LGD 4033 and less than 30mg of other less suppressive SARMs (like ostarine, or S4). If you take S23 or YK11 I don’t recommend going this route as these compounds are going to be way too suppressive and you will have subpar testosterone and estrogen levels on cycle.
For reference I did try to go past 8 weeks on my second RAD 140 cycle using only 12mg per day and after week 9 I felt suppressed like crazy despite being taking 20mg of tamoxifen per day from week 4.
If you’re going the SERM route I recommend that you start taking the SERM at week 4 and for the rest of the cycle. If you used a compound that was quite suppressive like RAD 140 or LGD 4033, or higher dosages of Ostarine or S4 (like 30mg per day or more), then I recommend you keep taking the SERM for an additional 2 weeks after you ended the cycle. SERMs have side effects as well, and they also exhibit some liver toxicity so limit your use to 6 weeks at most.
SERMs that could be deployed and dosing guidelines:
–Tamoxifen (nolvadex), it’s a powerful SERM and will be very effective at increasing Testosterone production, thus providing sufficient estrogen conversion while on cycle. It also has less side effects than other SERMs like clomiphene. Tamoxifen should be dosed at 20mg per day, taken once.
–Clomiphene (clomid), it’s the most powerful SERM available but it also comes with nasty side effects, like causing mood swings and visual disturbances that can in some cases be permanent. It should be dosed at 25mg per day taken once.
–Enclomiphene, it is on paper clomiphene but with way lower proportion of the isomer zuclomiphene which is the isomer that seems to cause the side effects people experience with clomiphene. In practical application finding a “legit” source for enclomiphene seems pretty challenging and people who tried it reported similar side effects to clomiphene, however if you can get your hands on “pharma grade” enclomiphene, then it should be dosed at 12.5mg per day taken once.
The SERM I recommend using is Tamoxifen unless you can have access to pharma grade enclomiphene.
DHEA
DHEA undergoes conversion into various hormones within the body, including estrogen. The concept behind using DHEA as a foundation is to provide enough estrogen conversion.
Given that oral DHEA has limited bioavailability, determining an adequate dosage can be challenging. Opting for topical DHEA, or using sublingual administration with the oral version, can be more effective alternatives.
I don’t have personal experience with DHEA, but recommended dosage seems to be somewhere between 25 and 100mg per day. Start with a daily intake of 25 mg and gradually increase it up to a maximum of 100 mg, if it’s required to feel good.
4-DHEA
4-DHEA is a prohormone that converts into testosterone. It is often sold as 4-andro, which is completely untrueas 4-andro is a one step conversion to testosterone prohormone and was part of the substances that were banned when the prohormone ban came up. 4 DHEA is a 2 step conversion to testosterone prohormone.
4 DHEA is a good test base option and can be administered either orally or via a transdermal cream. If
you’re going to use 4-DHEA I recommend using a transdermal cream, because oral 4-DHEA is pretty hepatotoxic and it is well absorbed when used in a transdermal cream.
Oral Estrogen
Oral estradiol or birth control are both options, but I wouldn’t recommend them. Birth control is even worse because it contains progestin, which will be even more suppressive to the HPTA.
Injecting Testosterone
Among the available test bases, injectable testosterone is considered the most potent option, although it may be less convenient to use compared to other forms.
For a test base, the recommended dosage of injectable testosterone ranges from 100 to 150mg per week. While some individuals may choose to go as high as 250mg, it is generally advised against as it can be excessive and is basically a cycle on its own.
It’s important to consider that SARMs decreases Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) levels and increase Free Testosterone. Consequently, using higher doses of exogenous testosterone can lead to elevated Free Testosterone levels.
This heightened Free Testosterone level increases the likelihood of experiencing symptoms such as mood swings, water retention, gynecomastia, and hair loss.
