Ligandrol, also known as LGD-4033, is perhaps one of the most, if not the most, potent SARM out there. In fact, its potency is very close to that of steroids.
It works by selectively binding to the androgen receptors of the body, which are responsible for muscle growth. After binding, it creates anabolic effects in both muscle and bone, which leads to building more muscle and increasing bone density. The increase in bone density significantly decreases the chance for injury.
LGD 4033 Research & Safety
Ligandrol has gone through what is called Phase I clinical trials. This phase of a clinical aims to find out how much of the drug is safe to take for a given population, potential side effects, and the drug’s potential effectiveness. These trials are often very small and are short in duration.
What is significant about this is that Ligandrol is the only SARM to have gone through this type of trial. This means that we now have a better idea of its safety and side effect profile. Not only that, we can know establish better dosing protocols to find out what is optimal. In fact, research has shown us that people have been able to tolerate up to 22mg at a time for 2 weeks straight!
LGD 4033 Benefits
One of the most praised benefits of Ligandrol is the lack of water retention seen with it. This is in contrast to steroids, which are notorious for making people hold water This is a plus for people who track their progress by weighing themselves, as the lack of water retention will prevent any false readings.
Another great benefit of Ligandrol is that its half-life is superior to that of other SARMS; ranging from 24-36 hours. This allows you to only have to take it once per day as opposed to multiple times per day, such as with Andarine, another popular SARM out there.
LGD 4033 Dosing
Based on what your fitness goal is, your personal dosing of Ligandrol will vary.
1- Bulking
Your best bet here is around 5-10mg per day for 8 weeks.
2- Cutting
3-5mg per day for 8 weeks. However, when cutting, most people choose to stack it with other SARMS.
In this case, Andarine, Cardarine, or Ostarine are your best bets. For cutting, I’d recommend stacking Cardarine with Ligandrol, as this is known as one of the most potent SARM stacks out there. I’ll talk about Ostarine in a future article.
3- Recomp
5-8mg per day for 8 weeks. Again, just like with cutting, Ostarine is your best option. Just make sure your weight training and cardio are on point to obtain the best results, as this is often the most difficult fitness goal to achieve.
LGD 4033 Cycle Duration
I wouldn’t recommend using this SARM for over 12 weeks. After this point, you reach a point of diminishing returns, where use after 12 weeks comes with more risks than benefits. It’s best to give your body a break; 4-12 weeks should do just the trick, depending on how long you used it. The longer your cycle was, the longer your recovery time will be. A simple rule to abide by is that your recovery time should equal the length of your cycle. For example, if your cycle was 8 weeks, then you should take approximately 8 weeks to recover.
Final Words
Ligandrol is certainly one of the most powerful SARMS out there and I highly recommend it if you want to see the most potent muscle-building stimulus without the use of steroids.