Are you ready to take your physique to the next level? Andarine (S4) is one of the hottest SARMs for muscle hardening, lean gains, and fat loss.
Unfortunately, there’s not much information available online regarding what you can expect from using this compound in your research. There’s also little data on how to use S4 for optimal performance and results.
In this brief guide, we’ll unpack everything you need to know about Andarine. We’ll discuss the best protocols to help you achieve your physique goals and make suggestions on cycles and stacks.
Andarine is an advanced-user-level SARM producing outstanding results; let’s get into what using it at the right dosage can do for your physique and training goals.
What is Andarine and how does it work?
Andarine
Andarine is a class of Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs). Andarine is a compound manufactured by GTX Pharmaceuticals ( a US-based company) and Kaken Pharmaceuticals (a Japanese-based firm).
GTX was the first to license Andarine from the University of Tennessee Research Foundation. The company conducted research using Andarine on subjects suffering from chronic muscle wasting disease. The use of Andarine increased lean body mass, reversing the effects of the condition.
It’s also notable that the research shows S4 is a muscle and bone agonist and only a partial agonist in prostate tissue. That means using S4 won’t cause irritation and inflammation of the prostate the same way exogenous testosterone supplementation might.
S4 also has a use in treating Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) in men, and it increases muscle and bone density in users. These attributes make S4 a suitable candidate for reversing the effects of osteoporosis.
It’s the muscle-building capabilities of the compound that interest us the most for bodybuilders and physique athletes.
Some experts in the research field suggest that combinations of S4 and LGD-4033 or Ostarine may one day end up replacing androgenic hormone replacement therapies in men.
How S4 can improve your performance
Improving Performance
S4 is a performance enhancer, and you’ll experience noticeable effects for using a single cycle of this compound.
All SARMs come with a specific intended use in mind. For S4, the intended effect is more towards the dieting end of things. However, if you’re coming off cycle and want a compound to preserve your gains and keep you lean, S4 is a good choice.
Andarine provides steroid-like effects comparable to other hardening agents like Masteron or Winstrol, without the shutdown and nasty androgenic side effects produced by these testosterone derivatives.
We recommend using S4 in the following ways.
Lean Gains
Andarine provides the muscle-building effect of compounds like testosterone. However, when using testosterone, you can expect a fair amount of water retention from the test’s aromatizing effect, increasing your estrogen levels.
The result is a puffy look, and that’s not ideal for dieting. Many bodybuilders turn to testosterone esters with shorter clearance times, like propionate. Prop creates a drier look without retaining water.
Andarine provides an even drier look, giving you a similar effect to testosterone derivatives like Winny V and Mast. Some users say the drying effect with Andarine is as potent as what you get from the first week of using DNP (2,4-Dinitrophenol), without the risk of severe sides from a DNP cycle.
With S4, you can expect lean, dry gains, provided your diet is on point. Some users report up to 6-lbs of lean gains with two six to eight-week cycles in a single year.
Since S4 does not cause shut down your natural testosterone production, your body recovers from the cycle faster, and you keep most of your gains.
Muscle Hardening
If you’re dieting, adding S4 into the last four to six weeks of your contest prep is a great choice for a muscle-hardening effect. If you want to look as hard and grainy as Branch Warren on stage, S4 is your SARM of choice.
When we’re dieting, many of us find it hard to get pumps in the gym. The lack of carbs and calories forces us to rely on our supplementation to push us through our training.
With S4, you’ll be getting muscle-splitting pumps right through to contest week, with no water to worry about on show day. Unlike Winny and Mast, S4 won’t dry out your joints, and there are no muscle cramps to deal with after a hard cardio session.
Fat Loss
Many people think it’s the muscle-hardening effect of S4 that makes you look leaner. However, the reality is Andarine is a potent metabolic booster, increasing the oxidation of fat cells.
Sure, the fat loss you get with S4 won’t compare to other compounds like clenbuterol and DNP, but it definitely acts as a cutting agent. Combining S4 with another cutting SARM like SR 9009 makes an excellent contest stack to get you ready for the stage.
From our experience, we think that S4 produces the best results in physique athletes that are already under the 15% to 12% threshold. Dropping it into the final few weeks of contest prep is a great way to polish off your physique before hitting the stage.
How to cycle Andarine the correct way
Cycling
Using Andarine requires you to dose it in a “cycle.” You can’t stay on Andarine year-round, or you reach a point of diminishing returns in your results where side effects start to increase.
Andarine works best in six to eight-week cycles. Your experience with SARMs determines your cycle length.
Beginners – We prefer short cycle lengths of four to six weeks for best results.
Advanced – Six to eight-week cycles are ideal for advanced users.
Cycling your SARMs use means you need to take the same amount of time off that you took on-cycle before starting a new one.
Most users will cycle three to four times a year at most. Many users prefer using Andarine on contest prep cycles as a hardening agent in the final weeks or off-cycle to preserve gains.
How much Andarine to use per day
Dosage
Your dosage depends on how you react to the compound. Some people are more sensitive to SARMs and compounds like S4 than others.
If this is your first cycle with S4, we recommend starting at the dosing protocol’s low-end range.
Start with 25mg every day, and increase it by 25mg each week for three weeks until you hit a dose of 75mg per day.
Advanced users can start with 25mg for the first three days and increase by 25mg every third day until they hit a total of 75mg per day. Run the 75mg dose until week 6, and then increase to 100mg per day for the final two weeks.
How much Andarine to use when stacking with other SARMs?
Stacking Dosage
Stacking involves taking two or more SARMs compounds in the same cycle. S4 is ideal for adding to a cutting cycle to shred you for the stage. It’s also a great compound for increasing lean gains after an AAS cycle.
It’s important to note that stacking is only for advanced users. If you’re new to SARMs, start with one compound to assess its effects instead of starting with a stack.
Newbies that use stacks are at higher risk of developing side effects.
Cutting Stacks
25mg to 50mg per day, combined with Cardarine at 20mg per day.
Increase your dosages on cycle every week for the first week and in the last two weeks of your cycle. This stack lets you hang onto your muscle, even when you’re in a caloric deficit.
Combining Andarine at 25mg to 50mg per day with Testolone or Ligandrol at 15mg to 25mg per day is a great stack for packing on lean mass.
Side Effects
Andarine only has one known side effect. Some users claim they experience vision issues with the compound. However, the vision side effects are temporary, and they don’t occur in all users.
The vision side effects produced by S4 occur due to the compound binding to the retina temporarily. Some users experience this side effect even at low doses.
Some of the vision side effects experienced by users include the following.
- A slight yellowish tinge to your vision during the day.
- Complete or partial loss of peripheral vision at night.
- Difficulty transitioning between light and dark areas.
Most users start to experience these vision side effects on doses of 50mg or more per day. If you’re dealing with the sides, try the 5:2 protocol to see if the sides fade away.
With the 5:2 protocol, you take your normal dose for 5-days and then take two days off. If the sides are too much for you, they fade after about a week of ceasing the use of S4.
Where to find high purity Andarine online
Buy S4
If you want to find the best suppliers and stockists of Andarine S4, we recommend checking out our list of verified SARMs suppliers.
