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14/07/201912/05/2022

5 Surprising Benefits of Ostarine MK-2866

Discover everything you need to know about the popular SARM Ostarine, also known as MK-2866. Ostarine is one of the most popular SARMs in the bodybuilding and physique world – no surprise once you learn about the potential effects of this research-backed compound.

What Is Ostarine?

If you’ve been around the bodybuilding or physique sport world for even a short while, you’ve probably heard about Ostarine. But what is this compound, why do some people use it, and should you consider it (or should you look for a better alternative)? To begin, it’s worth mentioning that this is widely considered one of the safest anabolic SARMs on the market.

MK-2866 is a SARM (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator) which is popular with strength, power and physique athletes who are looking for ways to boost muscle mass and strength with fewer or no side effects compared to harsher compounds such as steroids or prohormones. It was originally developed to help treat muscle-wasting conditions, so you can understand why bodybuilders are drawn to it. It preserves lean tissue when conditions would usually lead to catabolism (for example, dieting or high-frequency training).

How Does MK-2866 Work?

Like any SARM, MK-2866 can mimic testosterone (the primary anabolic hormone), stimulates the body’s androgen receptors and boosts the steroid hormone receptors. It can activate stem cells, helping to regenerate and build muscle and bone tissue – exactly what bodybuilders want. For this reason, MK-2866 is thought to have fewer side-effects than anabolic steroids because SARMs do not affect the organs. They are very selective by their very nature, which is the main advantage of any SARM. Of course, this can change if someone stacks Ostarine with an anabolic steroid.

Ostarine is renowned for improving both training performance (strength and power) and physique appearance (through bigger, denser muscle mass). However, its noteworthy advantage is injury repair and recovery; it has an excellent affinity for joint repair in particular.

Muscle Gain & Recovery with MK-2866

One reason many bodybuilders use MK-2866 is for its impact on the IGF-1 gene, as well as muscle cells and cells in connective tissues. Ostarine may stimulate these cells which means faster recovery from training stress. Less time out for recovery (or less soreness during your next training session) means you can train more frequently, achieving a greater workload across the training week. This is likely to result in greater muscle growth from the training stimulus.

In one human study of 120 healthy elderly people, Ostarine significantly increased lean muscle mass as well as fitness levels with no side effects or steroid-like risks.

5 Potential Effects Of Ostarine

There are five key reasons a bodybuilder might choose to use Ostarine.

#1 Muscle gain
The SARM is often used as a compound to aid muscle gain because of its effect on stimulating muscle cells. Not only does this mean you may gain additional muscle tissue but you are likely to protect the muscle mass you already have (important during a fat loss phase).

#2 Recovery
It can mean faster recovery from DOMS and training fatigue. This means you can train more frequently and you can push harder during each session.

#3 Fat loss
It is thought to slow or stop muscle breakdown (catabolism) whilst the body is getting leaner. This means you can push harder during a dieting phase without the usual worry about losing muscle, resulting in the holy grail of lean gains.

#4 Cardiovascular health
Ostarine can have a number of benefits for heart health, including reduction of triglycerides, reduced lipids and reduced total cholesterol. It may also help lower blood glucose levels and improve insulin resistance.

#5 Increased metabolic rate
It is thought to increase base metabolic rate, meaning you will burn more calories during training, NEAT and cardio. It can also increase endurance and give you better stamina, which will also mean longer more intense training sessions. All these combined means you are likely to burn more calories – good news if you are trying to get shredded.

How Long Does MK-2866 Take to Work?

As with most supplements, one of the most commons questions asked is how long MK-2866 takes to work. Anecdotal evidence shows that people tend to feel a great sense of ‘wellbeing’ within 2-3 days of using Ostarine. A sense of vitality, positive mood, good energy and holistic ‘balance’.

Many bodybuilders and athletes report noticeable consistent strength gains within the first 2-3 weeks of using the compound. In terms of physical changes; body composition and muscle definition, results will usually be seen to the eye from 4 weeks onwards, however, it’s important to understand that this ultimately comes down to so many individual factors. Your current body composition, your goals, your training and diet, as well as recovery protocols. Everyone will respond to different compounds in different ways whilst your efforts and commitment will play an even bigger part in how quickly you see results.

Ostarine & Bodybuilding

MK-2866 is best known for is building muscle and burning fat – two things all bodybuilders are interested in at some point during their lifting career (even if they never want to step on stage).

Muscle gain: remember how we said Ostarine was originally developed to help tackle muscle wasting diseases? People who want to build more muscle tissue, and hang on to the muscle they’ve got, can use MK-2866 to harness those anti-catabolic effects.

Fat burning: Ostarine has muscle preserving properties, meaning you can diet more aggressively or for longer without losing muscle tissue. Retaining muscle during a diet phase means you’ll also retain more strength, so you can train harder and heavier, all leading to a positive circle of lean gains.

But there’s more than muscle building and boosted fat-burning abilities. Ostarine can also boost bone health, help reduce LDL and triglycerides and improve insulin resistance. These are all things which can be attractive to bodybuilders looking to gain mass and strength.

How to Stack Ostarine

Bodybuilders use Ostarine in a few different ways. This is what you need to know.

Using Ostrarine by itself: Ostarine MK-2866 can be used alone. It should be used as a cycle (like any SARM) of 12 weeks for men, up to 8 weeks for women. Men should use between 15-25mg and women should use 5-10mg. Ostarine has a half-life of 24 hours so there is no need to split the dose across the day.

With other SARMs: bodybuilders typically stack Ostarine with other popular SARMs, like Ibutamoren MK677 or Ligandrol LGD-4033. Ostarine can also be used in a so-called “triple SARM” stack of Ostarine plus Andarine and Cardarine (although Cardarine isn’t a true SARM).

Choose The Best Ostarine Supplement

Like any SARM, it’s important you choose the best-quality Ostarine MK-2866 supplement. Don’t go for the cheapest product. Check the label carefully and look for smart ingredients which are designed to optimise the product’s effectiveness so you see the best gains.

We love our best selling Mutagenic Labz Ostagainz, which delivers 10mg of pure Ostarine MK-2866 along with Piperine in every dose (to aid digestion and absorption). It’s non-liver-toxic, has no androgenic activity, and promises minimal side effects – with maximum results. Click here to try it for yourself. Choose an Ostarine product you can trust, backed by a reliable name in bodybuilding supplements.

We should point out that Ostarine – like all SARMs – is not approved for use in tested strength and physique sports but for those of you who don’t want to compete with the tested federations? There are so many reasons to try Ostarine by itself or as a stack, whether you’re dieting, bulking, or aiming for a body recomposition phase.

Cardarine GW-501516: A Complete Guide to GW501516

05/07/201912/05/2022

In Fat Loss, SARMs, Supplementsby Nicola Joyce

Cardarine GW-501516: A Helpful Guide 2019

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the PPAR-delta activator Cardarine (GW-501516), how long it takes to work, the ideal cycle length, safety and vital information you need before you consider adding it to your supplement regime.

A lot of the compounds we write about at PumpingIron.com are SARMs (selective androgen receptor modulators). This article is about something a little different, although often classed into the same category. GW501516 can help burn fat, boost metabolism, increase training endurance and protect muscle tissue but it isn’t actually a SARM. It’s a non-hormonal PPAR-delta activator which doesn’t work on the androgen capacitors at all.

If you’re curious about Cardarine, here’s everything you need to know and if we haven’t covered something, simply e-mail us and we’ll be happy to answer your questions!

Is Cardarine (GW-501516) a SARM?

As we said, Cardarine isn’t actually a SARM (anyone who tells you it is doesn’t know what they’re talking about). A SARM activates androgen receptors in muscles and other tissue. Cardarine is a PPAR-delta activator but it can produce results similar to those of SARMs.

Background Information

The best way to understand what to expect from a compound is to look at why it was developed (and what was discovered by researchers). GW501516 was originally developed by a drug company in the 1990s as a way to prevent tumours (especially on the colon and prostate). But there were some surprising discoveries.

During their studies into increased endurance and fat burning, the researchers began to understand more about the PPAR-delta pathway. They realised that activation of this pathway had an astounding impact on muscle growth, endurance and energy whilst decreasing blood lipids and subcutaneous fat. And – you guessed it – the compound GW-501516 can bind to this PPAR-delta pathway.

It turned out Cardarine could help reduce body fat, boost metabolic rate, improve the strength of blood vessels. This has a positive impact on cardiovascular health, increases muscle growth rate and even reduces recovery time. We’ll go into these factors in greater depth later in this article.

One thing we need to make clear: Cardarine is not currently sold for human consumption. It is classed as a ‘research compound’, sold for research purposes only.

How Long Does Cardarine Take to Work?

It’s important to understand how the Cardarine works in the body. Like we’ve already said, it binds to PPAR-delta in muscle cells and it stimulates certain genes which facilitate the body’s use of energy. Once you know that, you can see how it can boost your metabolic rate, improve physical performance and even help burn more fat (whilst increasing and protecting muscle mass).

You’ll notice the effects almost instantly; timing one of your dosages about thirty minutes before a high-intensity training session is an ideal protocol. The difference in energy, endurance and stamina will be noticeable almost immediately.

Burn Fat & Recover Faster with GW-501516

How exactly does Cardarine burn body fat? It’s not as simple as just torching fat right off your body. It starts with preventing the formation of fatty acids chains which, in turn, stops your body actually storing fat. This means your body needs to tap into your subcutaneous fat stores for energy – just like when you diet. But there’s one big difference to when you burn body fat by dieting. GW-501516 has those sought-after anti-catabolic properties, which means you get leaner without losing valuable muscle tissue.

What about boosting recovery between training sessions? It seems Cardarine can help your muscle fibres (specifically the slow-twitch fibres) use oxygen more efficiently, and this can help improve rates of recovery between training. It can also mean better endurance during training sessions. Good news if you train for hypertrophy, with a lower-load and higher-rep style of training.

Cardarine & Bodybuilding

You can already guess that this is an attractive compound for bodybuilders with its potential for muscle gain, training recovery and fat burning. (Side note: it’s also getting a lot of interest with the nootropics crowd.)

Cardarine could be used by itself or with other compounds as a cycle; you can stack it with prohormones, SARMs or other fat-burners. You can also use it to bridge between cycles or throughout a PCT (post cycle therapy) phase. Either way, it should be cycled for best results. Plan your cycle length for 8-12 weeks before having a 4-8 week break.

GW501516 has a half-life of 12-24 hours so you can decide whether to split your dose or to take it once per day. A dosage of 10mg-20mg per day is recommended.

Stacking Cardarine with Other Compounds

Cardarine can be used as a standalone supplement but is often stacked with other compounds. Most commonly, it has great synergistic effects with MK-677, RAD-140, Ostarine, LGD-3303 and Andarine.

It can also be used to combat negative side-effects of some anabolics (such as Trenbolone) and address potential lipid health issues. Cardarine is beneficial during PCT because it can lessen your chances of a fat-regain or rebound after running a steroid or prohormone cycle.

7 Things You Need To Know About Cardarine

#1 Fat Burner

It boosts your body’s fat-burning capacity by stimulating glucose and activating the ABCA1 and CPT1 fat-burning genes. Interestingly, there was a human study done on Cardarine’s potential for receding fatty acids, VLDL proteins and triglycerides (human studies on Cardarine are pretty rare, so it’s worth a look at this one).

#2 Training Endurance

It can stimulate the body’s glucose uptake, encouraging your body to use glucose as its primary fuel source. This means you get more energised for training and can train harder for longer. Since Cardarine can activate PPAR-delta pathways, it can also improve strength endurance. This 2015 study (on mice) suggests Cardarine can increase the specific muscle fibres associated with peak training performance.

#3 Lean Gains

It is a popular choice for stacking with SARMs and other compounds to protect lean muscle tissue whilst dieting to get shredded. As we’ve said, it can help burn body fat without the problem of losing muscle mass or looking over-dieted and scrawny.

#4 Brain Health

It can have a positive effect on blood vessels (see #5) and this means protection for your brain blood vessels (plus more blood to the brain). You might also like to know PPAR activators are thought to boost nerve cell development of nerve cells.

#5 Cardiovascular Health

It can prevent oxidative damage to blood vessels, helping reduce build-up in the arteries and (most exciting for bodybuilders) increasing your nitric oxide (NO) levels. This could mean Cardarine may reduce inflammation and associated tissue damage – a key factor in recovery and muscle growth during hypertrophy.

#6 Liver & Kidney Health

MCP-1 activity is a key factor in kidney disease and Cardarine can reduce this activity. Additionally, Cardarine acts directly on your liver (a powerhouse for storing fats for fuel in the body), using PPAR-delta activation to use fatty acids for energy. Cardarine could even reduce the body’s production of IL-6 and thereby prohibit insulin resistance.

#7 Muscle fibres

Activating PPAR-delta also means Cardarine can encourage better muscle fibre development. This means increased training endurance and the potential for greater muscle growth.

Choosing & Using Cardarine GW-501516

The bottom line is that Cardarine GW501516 is not currently legal for human consumption so it is sold for research purposes. Not for training, cutting, bulking, or bodybuilding.

You also need to bear in mind that Cardarine is banned for any tested bodybuilding competitions (yes, even trace amounts found accidentally in another product). At the moment, almost all the (limited) research on Cardarine GW501516 is on animals.

Don’t risk wasting your money on cheap, fake dupes!

One of the best selling products Mutagenic Labz Amalgamation combines a blend of GW-501516 and SR-9009, a very effective fat-loss combo. If you’re not keen on Cardarine just yet, Check out Mutagenic Labz Assimilation – our safe, legal and insanely effective GDA (Glucose Disposal Agent) to help you get leaner and build more muscle faster.

Disclaimer: By publishing this post we are not recommending using GW501516. It’s our duty to inform and educate you on all compounds. All of the information we have given here can be corroborated by published scientific reviews and literature. We recommend Mutagenic Labz Assimilation.

The Best Epicatechin Dosage for Bodybuilding (2019)

02/07/201913/03/2023

In Testosterone Boosters, Natural Muscle Building, Supplementsby Kristina Vassilieva

The Best Epicatechin Dosage for Bodybuilding (Updated 2023)

Wondering about the best Epicatechin dosage for bodybuilding? In the bodybuilding world, we talk about a lot of chemicals. From SARMs to prohormones, peptides and everything in between. Yet somewhere down the line after all the benefits we nearly always hear the term side effects. Well, not today guys… because epicatechin (also known as epicat) really is one of the good guys. What is it and is it really any good?

What is Epicatechin?

Epicatechin is a flavonol, a type of flavonoid found in many plants including tea, cocoa, and apples. It is a natural antioxidant and has been studied for its potential health benefits, including its effects on athletic performance and muscle growth.

What are the sources of Epicatechin?

Epicatechin is found in a variety of plant-based foods, including tea, cocoa, apples, grapes, berries, and nuts. It is most abundant in dark chocolate and cocoa products.

Benefits of Epicat

Epicatechin has been studied for its potential health benefits, which include its ability to improve cardiovascular health, reduce inflammation, and enhance athletic performance. It may also have neuroprotective properties and help prevent certain types of cancer.

Don’t let its humble origins fool you, epicat is one serious bioactive. Over the years numerous studies have proved time and time again that Epicatechin can enhance muscle growth and strength as well as improving vascularity, blood flow and stamina.

Other benefits include its ability to boost the production of nitric oxide and increasing the sensitivity of insulin. All of which adds up to promoting muscle growth and burning fat. One study has found that daily supplementation with Epicatechin also increases endurance levels.

One of its most notable features, Epicatechin has powerful antioxidant properties which mean Epicat is a natural collateral leveller and has also been linked to improved brain function and healthier hearts.

Epicatechin for Muscle Growth

Epicatechin has been shown to stimulate the production of follistatin, a protein that inhibits myostatin, a protein that limits muscle growth. This inhibition of myostatin can lead to increased muscle growth and improved athletic performance.

How does Epicat Work?

Studies suggest that epicat is a natural myostatin inhibitor. Myostatin is a protein which effectively governs the limits of muscle growth. The magic comes from follistatin which is known to affect the levels of myostatin in the body and research indicates that it increases the body’s follistatin level.
In short, epicat reduces the effectiveness of myostatin and less effective myostatin means more muscle.

Is Epicatechin safe for consumption?

Epicatechin is generally considered safe for consumption when consumed in moderate amounts through food sources. However, there is not enough research on the safety of Epicatechin supplements, and long-term use of high epicatechin dosage may have adverse effects.

Epicatechin Dosage for Bodybuilding

It’s safe to take a decent amount of epicat and studies suggests that the most effective Epicatechin dosage ratio of 2mg per kg. The highest density of naturally concurring epicatechin comes from pure cocoa at 3mg per gram.

Obviously, it’s going to be hard to get that sort of levels just by eating chocolate, although it might be nice to try, so supplements are clearly the way to go. From previous trials, users who were taking daily epicatechin dosage between 150-200mg have reported optimum results in terms of general fitness, muscle building and endurance, which suggests that this would be the best epicatechin dosage to aim for.

How long does it take to see the effects of Epicatechin?

The effects of Epicatechin may vary depending on individual factors such as age, sex, and baseline fitness level. However, studies have shown that improvements in athletic performance and muscle growth may be observed after 2-4 weeks of supplementation.

Can Epicatechin help with Fat Loss?

Epicatechin may have some weight loss benefits due to its ability to reduce inflammation and improve cardiovascular health. However, more research is needed to determine its effectiveness in promoting weight loss.

Does Epicat Really Have No Side Effects?

Despite numerous studies and countless research projects, science has yet to directly link a single negative effect on the use of epicatechin. In fact, if anything the opposite is true. A 2007 Harvard University study demonstrated that it lowered the risk of mortality from Diabetes, Strokes, Cancer and Heart disease by 10%. Be sure to use the recommended Epicatechin dosage to avoid any potential side effects.

Epicat is Safe for Women

One of the best things about epicat is the fact that it’s beneficial for both men and women alike. Unlike so many other muscle-building supplements, it’s not hormone-based and can produce great effects regardless of chromosomes, however, it is always best to use the correct epicatechin dosage for optimal results.

Pumping Iron Epicat/Laxogenin (Natty Blend)

The Pumping Iron Natty Blend is a combination of Epicat and Laxogenin. The product is natural and can be used by both men and women and can also be a great product to stack during PCT to help keep hard-earned muscle gains. See our Guide To PCT for some helpful tips.

100% Natural
Massive pumps and vascularity
Can be used by both men and women
Best-selling natural muscle builder
Shown to increase in protein synthesis and muscle recovery
Boost strength and muscle mass
Comparable to the effects of SARMs but without impacting your hormones
Powerful anti-inflammatory effects; helps with joint pains
Increases endurance

In conclusion

Epicatechin is the real deal. However, it is worth noting that results from Epicat won’t quite be on the same level as you’d expect from SARMs but it will certainly give you the edge you’re looking for. An organic bioactive substance that has no known side effects (if using the correct epicatechin dosage), promotes muscle, improves stamina and blood flow and has even been proven to protect against death itself… what’s not to love? Oh, and did we mention you can get it in chocolate?