Are you thinking about trying SARMs for your precontest stack this year? You’ve heard about the results, and it’s time to experience them for yourself. SARMs are a new revolution of performance enhancers designed to give you the effect of steroids without the adverse side effects or health risks associated with steroids.
Cardarine (GW-501516) is a research compound popular in the fitness and athletic community. This drug is a PPARδ receptor agonist, not a SARM, but it produces astounding steroid-like results in the gym when used correctly.
Stacking Cardarine with other SARMs produces outstanding results. Cardarine is particularly effective for pre-contest prep and recomposition cycles where the user wants to shred for the stage while holding onto as much lean muscle mass as possible.
In this post, we’ll look at three different Cardarine stacks that you can use to get shredded up this summer!
What is Cardarine and why do I see it mentioned with SARMs so often?
Cardarine Explained
Cardarine, originally developed by Ligand Pharmaceuticals, is the same company responsible for producing Ligandrol (LGD-4033). Cardarine (GW-501516) also goes by the brand name “Endurobol.”
It might surprise you to learn that Cardarine is not a SARM; it’s a PPARδ receptor agonist.
What does that mean?
Instead of attaching to androgen receptors in your body, Cardarine works with the PPAR-delta pathway. Cardarine binds to the peroxisome proliferator activator receptor delta (PPAR-delta), increasing energy and metabolic output.
The result is an enhanced natural fat burning effect that “mimics” exercise. That’s right, by taking Cardarine in your SARMs stack, you trick your body into believing you’re working out all day long.
As a result, your body burns more calories to fuel metabolism, making you leaner, faster. As an “exercise mimetic,” Cardarine not only shreds away the fat but also strengthens the cardiovascular system, increasing your endurance.
Cardarine is a great choice to add to a stack if you’re looking to increase your conditioning for an MMA fight or a triathlon.
Other research on Cardarine shows the drug may also have the following benefits:
- It shields the blood vessels and brain from oxidative damage.
- It improves insulin sensitivity in users.
- Improves lipid profiles in users, dropping LDL while increasing HDL.
Adding GW 501516 to your cycle
Stacking
If you’re shredding for the stage or the beach, Cardarine is a useful addition to your stack. While it’s a better idea to focus on other compounds for the base component, like RAD-140 or Stenabolic, Cardarine makes an excellent supplementary choice to your cycle.
Since Cardarine does not work with the androgen receptor, it won’t over-saturate your receptors by adding another SARM into the cycle structure.
Carradine’s exercise mimetic behavior means that you’re in a fat-burning state 24-hours a day, even when you’re asleep! Think of it as your body doing cardio while you’re taking a nap.
Is it safe to stack Cardarine with SARMs?
Safety
There are conflicting reports about Cardarine causing cancer in mice. However, what the research neglects to mention is the quality of Cardarine used in the experiment.
The dosages in the mice were incredibly high, and the mice already had pre-existing conditions. Therefore, you can expect limited toxicity using this compound in your cycle.
Cardarine has minimal effect on liver cells. You don’t have to worry about the fibrosis they talk about in the research due to the incredibly high dosages used relative to body weight.
If you’re concerned about raised liver enzymes, check for signs of yellowing in your eyeballs. Yellowing in the whites of your eyes is a sign of “jaundice.”
This condition is a sign that your liver is under severe distress. Alternatively, you can get your doctor to run a liver enzyme test to see if you have elevated levels that are cause for concern.
Three example stacks that utilize Cardarine
Example Cycles
Running Cardarine for extended cycles of eight weeks or longer may result in the emergence of side effects. When stacking more than one compound, you’ll likely experience some sort of side effect.
For this reason, only advanced SARMs users must experiment with stacks. If this is your first cycle, and you’re planning a stack, you’re making a mistake. Since you have no history with any of the compounds, you won’t know what’s causing the problem if side effects present.
By taking it slow and experimenting with different compounds, you find out what works for you. After discovering the impact of SARMs on your body, you can start stacking your favorite compounds.
Stacking Cardarine involves building it into your cycle to help you achieve your physique goals. There are three ways to use Cardarine on your cycle; bulking, cutting, or recomping.
This section gives you insight into structuring a SARMs cycle, including Cardarine for each of the three-goal priorities.
DISCLAIMER: The author and publishing website do not bear any responsibility for your use of SARMs or SARM-like products like Cardarine. We do not condone its use or recommend it for human consumption. All information in this article is for research and entertainment purposes only.
#1 Dieting/ Contest Prep
Contest prep and dieting are the leading reasons why people decide to incorporate Cardarine into their SARMs stack. The exercise mimetic feature of Cardarine makes it the ideal choice for melting off the body fat.
However, you’ll see better results with your Cardarine stack if you start it when your body fat level is at the 12% mark. Starting at a higher body fat percentage will provide results, but they’ll be more noticeable if you start at a lower body fat level.
Cardarine increases your metabolic function, allowing you to burn fat for longer. If you have a hard workout, Cardarine helps extend the post-workout oxygen consumption by your body, keeping your engine running at full power, even when you’re not in the gym.
Every physique athlete understands that those last few weeks of contest prep take a toll on your energy levels. Eating minimal calories and working out combined with all the cardio drains the life from you.
By adding Cardarine into your cycle, you get the advantage of the compound’s endurance-boosting and energy-releasing effects. You won’t feel half as tired as you would on a standard cutting cycle, giving you the energy you need to perform in the gym.
For cutting cycles, try the following stack with Cardarine.
- Cardarine, Andarine, Stenabolic
- Additional for Advanced Users: MK 677
Week 1 – 10mg Stenabolic / 25mg Andarine / 10mg Cardarine / 10 mg MK 677
Week 2 – 20mg Stenabolic / 25mg Andarine / 10mg Cardarine / 10mg MK 677
Week 3 – 20mg Stenabolic / 25mg Andarine / 10mg Cardarine / 20mg MK 677
Week 4 – 20mg Stenabolic / 25mg Andarine / 10mg Cardarine / 20mg MK 677
Week 5 – 20mg Stenabolic / 25mg Andarine / 10mg Cardarine / 20mg MK 677
Week 6 – 20mg Stenabolic / 50mg Andarine / 20mg Cardarine / 20mg MK 677
Week 7 – 20mg Stenabolic / 50mg Andarine / 20mg Cardarine / 20mg MK 677
Week 8 – 20mg Stenabolic / 50mg Andarine / 20mg Cardarine / 20mg MK 677
Week 9 – 30mg Stenabolic / 75mg Andarine / 20mg Cardarine / 20mg MK 677
Week 10 – 30mg Stenabolic / 75mg Andarine / 20mg Cardarine / 20mg MK 677
#2 Recomposition/ Muscle Hardening
A Recomposition cycle is typically the first cycle for users new to performance enhancement. The goal of the cycle is to lose body fat while increasing lean muscle tissue. Typically, achieving this naturally is only possible in the first few months when a person starts training.
As they progress, it becomes challenging to make “lean gains.” However, adding Cardarine to a stack with Testolone (RAD-140) and Ostarine produces outstanding” recomping” results. Advanced users can add Andarine into the cycle for a drier look.
Try the following stack for your recomping cycle with Cardarine
- RAD-140, Cardarine, Ostarine
- Additional for Advanced Users: Andarine
Week 1 – 10mg RAD-140 / 15mg Ostarine / mg Cardarine
Week 2 – 20mg RAD-140 / 15mg Ostarine / 10mg Cardarine
Week 3 – 20mg RAD-140 / 15mg Ostarine / 10mg Cardarine / 25mg Andarine
Week 4 – 20mg RAD-140 / 15mg Ostarine / 10mg Cardarine / 25mg Andarine
Week 5 – 20mg RAD-140 / 20mg Ostarine / 10mg Cardarine / 25mg Andarine
Week 6 – 20mg RAD-140 / 20mg Ostarine / 10mg Cardarine / 25mg Andarine
Week 7 – 20mg RAD-140 / 20mg Ostarine / 20mg Cardarine / 50mg Andarine
Week 8 – 20mg RAD-140 / 20mg Ostarine / 20mg Cardarine / 50mg Andarine
Week 9 – 30mg RAD-140 / 25mg Ostarine / 20mg Cardarine / 75mg Andarine
Week 10 – 30mg RAD-140 / 25mg Ostarine / 20mg Cardarine / 75mg Andarine
#3 Bulking/ Muscle Building
Cardarine is a good choice to add to a bulking cycle for lean gains. It helps to elevate metabolism while preventing your body from packing on excess body fat due to your caloric excess.
It’s not the best choice if you’re trying to gain as much mass as possible. However, if you’re looking for a way to take that puffy look out of bulking, Cardarine is a great choice.
For bulking with Cardarine, try the following stack.
- Cardarine, RAD-140, Ligandrol
- Additional for Advanced Users: YK-11
Week 1 – 10mg RAD-140 / 10mg Ligandrol / 10mg Cardarine
Week 2 – 10mg RAD-140 / 10mg Ligandrol / 10mg Cardarine
Week 3 – 20mg RAD-140 / 10mg Ligandrol / 10mg Cardarine
Week 4 – 20mg RAD-140 / 10mg Ligandrol / 10mg Cardarine
Week 5 – 20mg RAD-140 / 20mg Ligandrol / 10mg Cardarine / 10mg YK-11
Week 6 – 20mg RAD-140 / 20mg Ligandrol / 10mg Cardarine / 10mg YK-11
Week 7 – 20mg RAD-140 / 20mg Ligandrol / 20mg Cardarine / 10mg YK-11
Week 8 – 20mg RAD-140 / 20mg Ligandrol / 20mg Cardarine / 10mg YK-11
Week 9 – 25mg RAD-140 / 25mg Ligandrol / 20mg Cardarine / 15mg YK-11
Week 10 – 25mg RAD-140 / 25mg Ligandrol / 20mg Cardarine / 15mg YK-11
Can I stack Cardarine with Prohormones / Steroids?
Cardarine + Testosterone
Cardarine is suitable for stacking with a testosterone cycle. However, if you’re using other dieting drugs like Winny, Tren, or Mast, we recommend leaving it out.
If you’re relying on orals like Anavar, d-bol, or other 17-aa methylated products in the AAS cycle, leave out the Cardarine.
Most prohormones come with 17-aa methylated formulations, making them liver toxic. Adding Cardarine into a prohormone cycle could cause excessive liver damage.
What results can I expect with Cardarine stacks?
Results
Cardarine is a powerful PPAR agonist, and it works best in contest prep cycles where the user wants to shred for the stage.
Using Cardarine solo provides some impressive results. However, adding it into a stack with Andarine, Ostarine, RAD-140, or Stenabolic will give outstanding results on-par with what you would expect from a cycle with Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS).
The Cardarine helps to keep you looking dry, removing subcutaneous water. The result is a drier look, without that “flat” physique associated with calorie deficits and dieting.
Cardarine plays a prominent role in elevating your mood and energy levels, even when you’re eating limited calories. You’ll find you always have the energy for a workout, and you’ll power through your cardio sessions.
The issue with contest prep is that many users feel they lose muscle during the diet. It’s true; dieting does cause some muscle loss. However, with Cardarine, you preserve your lean gains while letting your body strip away the body fat.
Cardarine shows its best results when used at body fat levels under 12%. The additional vascularity and pumps you get with this compound are fantastic, and you’ll never feel tired in the gym.
What are the potential side effects of Cardarine?
Side Effects
While some research states it causes cancer in lab mice, the dosages used in the study are astronomical when we consider the bodyweight-to-dose ratio.
Some research also shows it might have a toxic effect on the liver, but this research also uses high dose-to-bodyweight ratios in the study.
We don’t expect you to find you develop any side-effects to this compound, provided you stick to the suggested dose.
Does stacking Cardarine with SARMs cause “shutdown”?
HPTA Shutdown?
No, Cardarine does not cause the dreaded “shutdown” in users. The shutdown is a term used to describe the Hypothalamic Pituitary Testicular Access going offline due to the introduction of exogenous hormones, like testosterone, into the body.
Cardarine works on the PPAR pathways, causing no disruption of the CNS (Central Nervous System) or the hormonal system. Therefore, there is no need to recover the HPTAs function after finishing your cycle.
The loss of natural testosterone production is one of the key drivers behind users losing gains when they come off-cycle. The longer it takes the user to recover their natural testosterone, the more gains fly out the window.
How many time can I run a Cardarine stack each year?
On-Off Time
Typically, that’s up to the user and how they recover from their stack. However, SARMs stacks are incredibly potent combinations of performance-enhancing compounds.
To think these drugs have no impact on your physiology is haphazard. Taking time off between cycles is critical to let your CNS and endocrine system recover from the experience’s effects.
When you’re using a stack, multiple SARMs and SARM-like substances are attaching to the androgenic receptor proteins everywhere in your body.
Throughout your cycle, you’ll “saturate” these receptors, using them all up with the compounds you’re cycling. After you finish the cycle, you’ll need to take time off to “clear” the receptors.
If you continue using or run another cycle too soon, it affects how your body responds to the new SARMs. Most users find they don’t get the same response due to the “Law of Diminishing Returns.”
Diminishing returns occur when your receptors saturate to the point where you aren’t getting any additional benefit from using more gear. However, you’ll start to experience an increase in the side effects associated with the compounds.
Running two 10-week cycles per year with your SARMs stacks helps you continue to make progress for decades. That gives you 20 total weeks on-cycle.
You could also run two 12-week cycles or five to six four-week cycles. Shorter cycles at higher doses are a popular strategy, four weeks on, four weeks off. With these short-duration cycles, the shutdown of the HPTA has a much lower risk, even when using multiple compounds.
Is Cardarine illegal to use or stack?
Legality
The legality of buying Cardarine online depends on your location, as regulations vary from country to country. In the United States, it’s not approved for human consumption, but it is legal to buy and sell for research purposes. Therefore, it is generally marketed as a “research chemical,” and companies selling Cardarine often include disclaimers stating that the product is not intended for human use.
In some other countries, the sale, purchase, or possession of Cardarine might be more strictly regulated or even illegal. It is essential to consult the specific laws and regulations in your country before attempting to purchase Cardarine online. Always exercise caution and ensure that you are complying with your local legislation.
WADA lists Cardarine as a banned substance, and athletes caught doping with the compound receive extensive bans of two years or longer, depending on the case.
Where Can I Purchase Cardarine SARMS Stacks?
It is crucial for those interested in using Cardarine purchase it from a reputable source. Due to its popularity and grey area legal status, dishonest sellers have been caught selling fake Cardarine, which could lead to unforeseen side effects or poor results.
Our Verified Source page is an excellent resource to help you find trustworthy vendors who have been vetted and approved based on their commitment to quality standards.
Citations
Chen W, Gao R, Xie X, Zheng Z, Li H, Li S, Dong F, Wang L. A metabolomic study of the PPARδ agonist GW501516 for enhancing running endurance in Kunming mice. Sci Rep. 2015 May 6;5:9884. doi: 10.1038/srep09884. PMID: 25943561; PMCID: PMC4421799.
