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LGD 4033 vs MK 677: Which One Is Better For Bulking Up?

Chris Jackson

August 30, 2020

2 comments

It’s true that there are no shortcuts to success and there is only hard work, but there are a few elements that can speed up the journey quite considerably! One of these elements that can speed up your bodybuilding journey are SARMs, or selective androgen receptor modulators. 

SARMs are a type of synthetic ligand that enhances performance by binding to androgen receptors and stimulating anabolism. In plain, non-scientific words, SARMs are performance-enhancing agents that help you increase muscle mass and strength, recover faster from exercise, and cut fat. 

SARMs have really taken center stage in the fitness industry over the last few years, with many athletes, bodybuilders, and gym rats singing their praises. Whether you want to bulk or cut, many people claim that SARMs are the way to go. Most importantly, many people claim that SARMs are the safest way to go, a factor that should bear the utmost significance in today’s world of steroid obsession, cheap substitutes, and fake drugs. 

Today, we compare two such bodybuilding aids—LGD 4033 vs MK 677. What are these? What are the differences between them? What results can you expect after using either one or both of these? Read on to find the answers to all these questions!

The main differences between LGD 4033 and MK 677 are: 

• LGD 4033, also known as Ligandrol, is a SARM, whereas MK 677, also known as ibutamoren, is a growth hormone secretagogue (GHS).
• LGD 4033 works by increasing the sensitivity of cells to androgens (the hormones that influence metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and physical development) whereas MK 677 works by imitating the hormone ghrelin. Therefore, MK 677 works by boosting growth hormone production and the release of insulin-like growth factor (IGF 1), both important for growth.
• LGD 4033 is not as widely used or as recommended as MK 677, and it comes with more health risks.

Discovered by a biopharmaceutical company in San Diego, named Ligand Pharmaceuticals (hence, the name), Ligandrol is supposed to help users gain muscles and lean mass.

Due to this, it is a popular drug used to treat muscle dystrophy, osteoporosis, and other muscle-degenerative disorders. However, the drug found more wholehearted acceptance and popularity among bodybuilders and athletes, who used the drug to bulk up.

How Does LGD 4033 Work? 

Ligandrol is anabolic in nature; if you took high school science classes (and paid attention!), you’d know that anabolism refers to chemical reactions that build larger molecular structures out of many smaller molecules. 

If you paid attention thus far, you also know that Ligandrol is a SARM, selectively binding to our body’s androgen receptors. Thus, they bind at specific sites on the skeletal muscles, where they work their magic and impact the DNA in the muscle cells. Long story short, this leads to better muscle growth and repair. 

Essentially, Ligandrol works similarly to steroids and testosterone but is much safer, with fewer side effects.

Apart from increased muscle mass and recovery rate, Ligandrol also improves bone health and overall strength. 

Muscle Mass

Understandably, this is what gives Ligandrol its popularity. Since it works directly on the muscles and helps bulk up fast and safely, it has become the go-to SARM for increasing muscle mass. 

Many users claim to feel the incredible muscle growth benefits of Ligandrol after a single cycle, reporting as much as 10-15 pounds of muscle gain in this period. Users have also claimed that they are able to perform better in the gym. 

Faster Muscle Recovery

Muscle recovery is as important as muscle growth; fatigued, injured muscles can’t give you the results that you’re looking for. Ligandrol helps speed up this recovery process so that you can get back to pumping and making quick work of those weights! Without Ligandrol, your muscles will take 72 hours to recover after a particularly hard sweat session, whereas with Ligandrol, it only takes 24 hours. 

Better Bones

Your bones need to be able to support your increased muscle mass, as they are the frame your muscles grow on. Ligandrol helps increase bone strength by facilitating better mineral absorption and intake by the bones. Due to this, Ligandrol is a popular option for those suffering from osteoporosis. With healthy bones, you’re also at a lower risk of injury to your bones and muscles, both.

Increase in Overall Strength

Considering that with Ligandrol, you’ll have better muscle growth, better bone health, and faster recovery rates, you’ll see an increase in your overall strength, too. You’ll be able to put in more hours and push yourself further with Ligandrol backing you.

As wonderful as it all sounds, it must be remembered that Ligandrol is not yet FDA approved for human consumption. This does not mean that they are illegal or not available commercially; it means that they are marketed as ‘research chemicals’ instead. 

This only goes to show that the SARM isn’t perfect and has its share of side effects, the major ones being water retention and suppression.

Suppression refers to suppression in the amount of natural testosterone in your body. Which is still better than steroids—steroids shut it down. Every SARM is suppressive but to varying degrees. Using high-quality Ligandrol will help negate this to some extent. Even if not, your body recovers within a few weeks post the cycle, so you shouldn’t really worry. In most people, the suppression is hardly noticeable! 

Water retention can be easily set right by drinking at least 2.5-3 liters of water a day. Insufficient water intake is more the reason for water retention than Ligandrol itself. The retention disappears a few weeks after the cycle, so again, there’s not much to worry about.

Apart from these, many users also have reported side effects such as joint pain, insomnia, hair shedding/hair loss (mild), headaches and pain in the testicles. Though no studies as such exist to indicate these as side effects, it only goes to show that buying high-quality Ligandrol is extremely important!

As mentioned earlier, MK 677 or ibutamoren is not a SARM, but a GHS, working to promote growth hormone and IGF 1 production in the body, both extremely important for growth in the body. Essentially, with MK 677 in the picture, you’ll be going back to the growth hormone levels of your teenage years!  

Additionally, MK 677 is deemed much safer than Ligandrol, as it is also better researched, with multiple human and animal trials (Ligandrol is only in the second production/testing phase). Though ibutamoren isn’t FDA approved either, it is more likely that it will be faster than Ligandrol.

How Does Ibutamoren Work? 

Ibutamoren works by mimicking ghrelin and activating the ghrelin receptor. This activation leads to the activation of the hypothalamus and pituitary glands, which then release growth hormones and IGF.

MK  677 works like a growth hormone shot, but on a much smaller, weaker scale.

Ibutamoren boasts quite a range of benefits when compared to Ligandrol, including a reduction in body fat, an increase in muscle mass, faster recovery, and even better sleep, hair, and skin.

Reduces Body Fat

With prolonged usage, MK 677 reduces body fat. Studies indicate that as much as 3% of body fat can be lost over 6 weeks, thanks to the increase in growth hormone levels. Therefore, your body is encouraged to grow muscle and lose fat. 

Increased Muscle Mass

MK 677 once a day is shown to increase muscle, without any change to the diet or training regimen of the subjects. Due to this, many athletes and bodybuilders stack MK 677 with SARMs such as Ligandrol—the best of both worlds!

Faster Recovery Rate 

Like Ligandrol, ibutamoren speeds up muscle recovery by two times, cutting down recovery time from 72 to 24 hours.

Better Sleep, Skin and Hair

Unlike its counterpart, MK 677 is actually good for your sleep, skin, and hair. The increase in your growth hormone levels let you sleep better—it improves your quality of sleep so that even if you’re only sleeping 6 hours, you feel better rested than you would have with 8 hours of sleep sans ibutamoren. You can feel this benefit within two weeks of starting the drug.

Your hair and skin quality also increase, with faster nail growth and thicker hair post-ibutamoren. Due to this, ibutamoren is also popularly used to arrest hair loss and balding.

Ibutamoren’s most major side effects are reduced insulin sensitivity, water retention, and increased hunger. However, the severity of side effects is still less than a SARM.

Water retention, like with Ligandrol, can be solved with plenty of water intake and a good diet with low sodium levels. Monitoring both will keep the water retention away. Increased hunger, the most famous (or infamous) side effect of ibutamoren, is not really worrisome, but you can avoid it by taking your MK 677 before you hit the bed.

If you don’t mind the increased hunger, stick with morning doses. Reduced insulin sensitivity, though a rare side effect, is a serious one, especially for type 2 diabetes patients. No clinical studies exist to show that ibutamoren does indeed increase blood glucose levels; therefore, this could be an effect of low-quality MK 677 instead.

If you take both these compounds individually, you can expect the above-discussed results. However, if you take them as a stack, you can expect even better results.

Stacking LGD 4033 with MK 677 is one of my favorite combos – and for good reason! It is not uncommon to put on 10 pounds of muscle and lose some body fat at the same time. You will also grow stronger with every passing week.

Additionally, both these compounds are actively being researched, with clinical trials to back them up. Thus, they are much safer than other stacks, at the moment. It also works very well in its favor that the stack will improve your skin, hair, and sleep quality!

However, don’t rely on magic happening—create it by working out well and eating clean. Remember, SARMs and GHS are no shortcuts; they are only aids. Keep this in mind and you’ll be seeing the kind of results you want pretty soon.