SARMs & Nutritional Focus: What’s Important?
A lot of bodybuilders out there write (and talk on YouTube) about SARMs. A lot of people talk about nutrition. Both of these groups of people tend to be bodybuilders and invite you to weave them together.
However, weaving together SARMs nutrition is more complex than many people think. When it comes to SARMs, they don’t get the right balance, and they also don’t when it comes to nutrition. But is simpler than you may think if you get the right information to make a start.
In this quick guide, I’m going to cover how to use SARMs quickly. I’ll talk about stacking them, and not completely focusing on bulking or cutting.
I’ll also cover nutrition. I will talk about macronutrients and how you need balance within your intake. Focusing on protein alone can actually be detrimental, and it’s a crucial pitfall which will lessen the impact of the SARMs cycle, so buckle up, because this is going to tell you stuff that is outside the accepted dogma of most of the big bodybuilding sites.
Let’s Talk About SARMs & Bodybuilding First
If you’re into additional supplements then SARMs can be the best way of making faster bodybuilding progress, both in terms of building muscle, increasing the strength & endurance, and cutting fat.
Certainly, SARMs used correctly alongside hard work can produce far quicker results you ever could achieve naturally doing exactly the same work.
But most people don’t use SARMs correctly. They also don’t understand how nutrition underpins body building generally, and also how the combo of good SARMs use and good nutrition can dramatically increase your progress.
When it comes to SARMs, stacking is the most effective way of using them. Keep the stacks simple, to focus on muscle growth cutting fat, and underpinning them with a SARM that produces higher levels of energy output.
With that simple focus, backed up by a progressive gym routine for the entire length of the cycle that really pushes you hard, which is only possible if you back it all up with consuming food that will give you the energy and ability to repair your body, the truth is that you can make dramatic progress.
Macronutrients: Fats, Carbohydrates And Proteins
In terms of diet, let’s talk about macronutrients. You really don’t want to be worrying about calorie counting too much in the beginning, you do need to understand how you should balance your diet.
There are three macronutrient groups: fats, carbohydrates and proteins.
Bodybuilding sites will always focus on proteins, almost the complete exclusion of mentioning fats and carbohydrates at all. For me, that’s completely wrong.
I’ll talk more about balancing the nutrient groups later, but you have to have a balance otherwise you will not hit your bodybuilding goals.
Fats have had a bad rap for years. They were evil and to be avoided. Then all of a sudden about 20 years ago fats started to be talked about in positive terms. That’s because several key vitamins are only fat soluble. So you need fats to get the best nutrition. On top of that, some fats are required to keep the body and mind running correctly.
Carbohydrates have more recently become the devil. If you eat carbohydrates you are going to pile on weight, that’s the message you will be receiving. All the fad diets out there now almost totally carb free.
That just leaves proteins. Bodybuilders always talk about proteins. I’ll talk about protein shakes on top of the natural proteins you get from food. Protein, protein, protein. Builds muscle, builds endurance.
But that’s not the whole story. Protein is not stored in the body. It is used on demand. Any excess is excreted from the body. On top of that, if the excess is large and continuous it can cause kidney and liver problems.
So although protein is crucial to muscle development and the overall strength within the body, as well as many key functions, if you focus on it solely then you will not get the best results.
I also quickly mentioned that you don’t have to worry about taking in matters of calories if you are bulking, or stripping yourself there if you are cutting.
If your average daily intake at maintenance as 2500 cal for example, 15% either way is enough for bulking or cutting. 20% is top end in terms of consumption or deficit. Don’t go higher or lower than this, because you’re putting your body under unnecessary stress.
Stacking SARMs To Get The Best Balance
In terms of balance, let’s cover SARMs before we talk about nutrition.
Keep your SARMs stacks simple to target the areas you want to work on. Mostly this will be bulking up, cutting fat, or maintaining what you’ve got.
If you’re going to stack SARMs for bulking and strength, then you should focus on one for bulking, one for strength, and one for building your endurance. The classic bulking stack might look like this:
- 10 mg RAD-140 Testolone
- 20 mg S-4 Andarine
- 5 mg Cardarine
- Up to 12 week cycle length
- PCT required end of cycle
That typical SARMs stack for building muscle and strength contains RAD-140. It’s an anabolic SARM it’s great for building muscle and increasing levels of strength. You’ll also get Andarine boosting your endurance and strength, as well as creating denser and sculpted muscle tone.
Underpinning the stack is Cardarine. Energy in a bottle, it will dramatically increase glucose availability so that you can push yourself longer and harder.
In terms of cutting, the same principles apply. Keep it simple, keep the cycle length to the shortest minimum time to get the best results, and focus on the principal goal.
A great cutting stack is:
- 10 mg S-4 Andarine
- 10 mg Cardarine
- 12 week cycle
- PCT supplement required
as you can see, it’s a really simple stack consisting of two SARMs with already mentioned. The Andarine increases strength, protects muscle mass in a calorie deficit, and tones your existing muscle as well. Then you got the Cardarine that deliver significant energy output allow you to burn more calories and maintain your strength through your workouts and after.
Balancing Macronutrients To Get The Best Fuel For Your Progress
On top of using simple SARMs stacks, you’re going to have to balance your macronutrients and your calorie intake to get the best results for your goals.
Whether you are bulking or cutting, you don’t exclude any of these groups. You should keep your ratios roughly within the boundaries of 50% carbohydrates, 20% fats, and 30% proteins.
That may seem low on the proteins, but as I said, any excess is wasted. If you exclude fats, you’re not going to absorb the vitamins you need and some of your neurological functions will struggle.
But carbohydrates are crucial, and at least half your diet should consist of them even if you are bodybuilding. The reason for that is they are converted into glucose which is essential for energy expenditure both mentally and physically.
If you are taking in a deficit of carbohydrates, or consuming refined carbohydrates, then you just won’t get the energy output you need. You’re looking at slow burning whole grains, oats, peas and beans, vegetables, and some fruits. These will give you the energy you need to match the output the SARMs you’re taking demand of you.
What Should You Focus On When Starting Out With SARMs And Improving Your Nutrition?
When you start out with SARMs you should be looking at improving your nutrition so that it can underpin the extra effort you will be putting in, and the extra results your body will be instructed to achieve by the SARMs.
You need to focus on getting the macronutrient balance right. That way you’ll get not only the nutritional balance you need to fuel your body functions, but you’ll also get the carbohydrates needed to produce the extra energy output the SARMs will demand.
So don’t focus on proteins, at least not all the time and to the detriment of other macronutrients.
Keep things in balance generally, but target carbohydrate consumption prior to working out each day. Then switch to protein consumption after the workout to target fueling muscle development.
Avoid using protein shakes to top up protein levels if you can. Although they can be handy if you are unable to consume the right amount protein that day properly, they are expensive, excess is going to be discarded, and they are not a balanced way of consuming proteins.
Consuming proteins in a balanced meal after you workout is the best way. Preferably with vegetables and fruit.
Then when it comes the SARMs that the nutrition is underpinning, keep the stack tightly focus on what you’re trying to achieve.
Keep the doses as small as possible, keep the cycle length realistic (never go longer than 12 weeks even if the SARMs aren’t androgenic), and ensure you are constantly monitoring your progress.
Plus, you’ll have to work hard. SARMs only work if you really push yourself physically. You’ll have to spend more time in the gym, lift heavier, and push yourself harder.
You will not be able to do that if you’re not fueling your body correctly, which means carbohydrate consumption. You won’t have the correct will and desire if you aren’t consuming the right proteins and fats, and the proteins you consume must be good quality and not excessive so that they are wasted.
Alternatives TO SARMs
SARMs are the strongest way (other than steroids) that you can elevate your body building results in a short space of time.
However, if you’re not ready for SARMs, or you want to supplement them, then you could use SARMs alternatives. These are natural supplements that are constructed to mimic the effects of SARMs at a lower level.
For example, a company called Brutal Force produce a range of SARMs natural alternatives that I’ve used successfully.
They aren’t as potent as SARMs, let’s be clear on that. They are better than natural bodybuilding, a bridge.
But more than that, because they are natural, they can be stacked with SARMs. Accentuating the results.
And, post cycle, you can keep on using them. Some can help to lift your testosterone levels, others help to protect your gains, and others can help to increase your metabolism and energy levels at a time when they may be dropping through testosterone drop post cycle.
For example, you could use Andalean. Constructed to mimic Andarine, it will protect your gains, boost your energy output, and help to promote fat loss.
So even if you’re not ready for SARMs, or you can’t get your hands on the, or you just want to supplement them, then look at those natural alternatives that could be the perfect complement.