A popular selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM), it doesn’t take long in fitness circles for the topic of YK 11 to appear. Much like anabolic steroids, selective androgen receptor modulators have the power to increase muscle growth. However, this popular SARM differs from your typical anabolic steroid.
SARMs are a class of androgen receptor ligands, however, unlike anabolic steroids, they are a little more selective in how they work. This means, thankfully, they’re unlikely to have side effects quite as bad as anabolic steroids. But what are they really? And does YK 11 really work?
What is YK 11?
Often dubbed one of the most powerful SARMs on the market, YK 11 is considered both a SARM and a myostatin inhibitor.
Put simply, as a SARM, YK 11 works to promote lean muscle mass, while also inhibiting myostatin, unlocking your muscle growth potential.
However, research into this popular myostatin inhibitor is rather minimal, with no human clinical trials. I know, scary stuff. So it’s quite surprising that bodybuilders eager for muscle mass rely on something untested.
How does a myostatin inhibitor work?
Myostatin works to regulate muscle cell growth and differentiation – which means that a myostatin inhibitor (such as YK 11) work to block myostatin, which may help you produce more muscle and increase fat loss.
Is YK 11 a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM)?
Yep! YK 11 is a popular SARM. Often referred to as ‘research chemicals’, SARMs were originally designed to treat muscle wastage in cancer patients. Despite their initial medical use, YK 11 has quickly grown popular with bodybuilders looking to move away from anabolic steroids, and instead boost muscle tissue with fewer side effects.
However, it’s important to note that we all experience side effects differently, and some side effects of popular bodybuilding drugs can transfer over to SARMs such as YK 11.
Is YK 11 legal?
Completely outlawed for use in athletic competitions, YK 11 (and other SARMs) have been classified as an anabolic substance by WADA (the World Anti Doping Agency). This means that if you’re looking to train and compete, you could be tested for these types of drugs and therefore banned from competing.
Despite being primarily used for muscle wastage in a medical setting, YK 11 isn’t illegal to buy or sell, but we would advise against its use and promotion. Especially if you’re looking to compete.
What are the benefits of YK 11?
An incredibly versatile SARM, YK 11 has shown to be more effective than other compounds. This is a result of its unique mechanism, and power to:
- Have anabolic activity
- Potentially inhibit the activity of Dihydrotestosterone
- Upregulate follistatin
As we mentioned earlier, there is plenty of room for further research. However, this clinical study can help you to learn more about YK 11. Now, let’s talk about the benefits of YK 11.
Rapid muscle growth
While there is plenty of space for human studies into these ‘research chemicals’, there is evidence to suggest that YK 11 can be pretty damn powerful in building muscle gains – fast.
So much so, that many bodybuilders have compared a YK 11 cycle to a mild anabolic steroid cycle. Please note: YK 11 hasn’t been approved by the FDA for human use, with its primary use in a medical setting. That won’t stop bodybuilders wanting to get build lean body mass from using it, though!
Hardening of lean muscle mass
If you’re looking for lean muscle gains, YK 11 can help create that hard, chiselled look that many bodybuilders crave. Alongside rapid muscle growth, its power to harden muscle allows its users to bulk up fast and get cut.
Many choose to combine YK 11 with another SARM designed for cutting, to promote muscle growth and lean muscle mass.
Increased strength
As well as its potent muscle building effects, YK 11 also works to increase strength. YK 11’s anabolic properties make it incredibly popular in bodybuilding circles, for both building muscle mass and strength at the same time. One study showed that mice lacking the myostatin inhibiting gene (which YK 11 seems to disable), had twice the physical strength of those with the gene.
Typical results of using YK 11 – How much muscle can you expect?
Some users of YK 11 have reported an increase of up to 10lbs over a six week period. However, this can vary from one user to the next and shouldn’t necessarily be used as a benchmark.
In order to maximize its lean muscle mass building abilities, some users opt to stack it with other SARMs – such as MK-677 (Ibutamoren) or Ligandrol (LGD-4033).
Does YK 11 have any side effects?
While YK 11 may have a bunch of benefits, including boosting muscle gains, like an anabolic steroid, there are side effects to consider.
For starters, there are currently no studies of YK 11 in humans, so any research so far has been carried out regarding a myostatin inhibitor in mice, or the use of YK 11 in a medical setting.
Since there are no current human studies, most YK 11 side effects have come from anecdotal evidence and cycle logs. Here’s what you can potentially expect from using YK 11:
The suppression of natural testosterone production
Common with YK 11 and other SARMs/steroids, is their ability to suppress natural testosterone production. This is one of the most obvious, and most detrimental side effects. Put simply, YK 11 targets androgen receptors, signalling your body to build muscle mass and shed fat mass.
However, during this process, YK 11 (and other SARMs) also increase testosterone levels, so when you finish your cycle, your body doesn’t know to continue its natural testosterone production.
Can you avoid testosterone suppression?
Firstly, let’s talk a little more about muscle cells and increasing muscle strength.
Androgen receptors control the amount of protein in our bodies, and this protein forms the main building block of our muscles. This means that when a SARM such as YK 11 comes into the mix, they activate the androgen receptors, sending messages to proteins, encouraging lean muscle growth.
Also Read: The Ultimate Guide to SARMs
This is the most popular mechanism by which YK 11 increases testosterone levels. But, by doing so, your body’s natural production of T comes to a halt. In other words, what goes up, must come down. This means that as you start to reach the eight-week mark in your YK 11 cycle, your body will start to shut down testosterone production.
Since YK 11 starts to increase testosterone levels, your body believes it no longer needs to produce it.
And so, when you finish your YK 11 cycle, your body needs post cycle therapy to kickstart testosterone production once more. Testosterone suppression has been shown in anecdotal evidence by many bodybuilders using performance enhancing drugs.
Despite the performance enhancing effects of SARMs and steroids, their post-cycle effects may leave you requiring PCT and even professional medical advice.
What is post cycle therapy?
Often referred to as PCT, post cycle therapy is a cycle used after SARMs and other performance enhancing drugs to help your body recover its natural hormone levels. Typically, PCT lasts for anywhere between one month to six weeks, directly after your SARM or steroid cycle.
Compared to other SARMs and steroids, YK 11 has the potential to inflict mild suppression, however, this can vary between users.
Liver toxicity
Many bodybuilding steroids are well known for their potential to cause liver damage. However, adverse effects on the liver are much rarer with SARMs such as YK 11.
Other side effects of YK 11
There are a variety of side effects reported by YK 11 users, however, some have reported the following:
- Joint pain
- Hair loss
- Tendon pain
However, these adverse effects aren’t always prominent in all users. While a little joint pain or hair loss may not seem like the end of the world, some effects can linger after long term use of YK 11 and other SARMs.
While there are fewer risks of increasing estrogen levels with YK 11 and similar SARMs, it is a potential side effect with many performance enhancing drugs.
How does YK 11 work to increase muscle mass?
As we’ve just covered above, YK 11 and other SARMs work by targeting androgen receptors, encouraging muscle growth. But how much should you be taking of this popular myostatin inhibitor? And what’s the ideal cycle length? We take a look.
Can YK 11 help to lower body fat?
YK 11 is typically used for a bulking cycle, however, many do choose to stack it with other bodybuilding drugs in order to reduce body fat and increase lean gains.
What’s the right dosage of YK 11?
Many YK 11 users prefer to take it as a bulking cycle, however, it can also be used in a cutting stack to prevent muscle mass loss.
Example bulking stack: YK 11 10mg/day – Ligandrol 10mg/day – RAD 140 15mg/day
Example cutting stack: YK 11 5mg/day – Ostarine 25mg/day – Cardarine 10mg/day
However, since YK 11 (and many other SARMs) are lacking human trials, there is no medically established dosage. For beginners, a recommended dose is 10mg a day. For intermediate users, 15mg/day and advanced, 20mg/day.
Also Read: Check out our 100% natural and safe SARMs alternatives
What’s the best cycle length for optimal muscle growth?
In terms of cycle length of YK 11, it can last anywhere between 4 to 8 weeks, depending on your muscle building goals.
YK11 half life
The half life of YK11 is said to be about 10 to 12 hours. However, we wouldn’t recommend using YK 11 – despite its anabolic effects, the potential adverse effects of YK 11 make it a potentially dangerous performance enhancing drug.
Wait, what does ‘half life’ even mean?
The half life of a drug is the time it takes for the amount of a drug’s active substance in your body to reduce by half. This helps to determine your dosage. In this case, many users of YK 11 report dosing once a day to be sufficient, no matter the cycle lengths.
Is YK 11 safe?
The safety of YK 11 is certainly up for debate. Especially since there is very little clinical evidence to back its safety. Much of the reports of increased muscle mass and strength has come from its users, reporting their results on forums. However, its long term effects are pretty unknown for this type of research chemical.
Are there any YK 11 reviews?
Since there have been no human clinical trials of YK 11, much of the feedback is anecdotal evidence. The androgenic effects of YK 11 mean that it has remained popular in bodybuilding cicles, alongside other compounds, however, even a lower dose could result in adverse effects.
So, should you use YK 11?
While YK 11 may be considered a powerful myostatin inhibitor, allowing you to build lean muscle mass and strength, the potential negative effects are best avoided. Like many other SARMs and steroids, even a single cycle of YK 11 may result in:
- Testosterone suppression
- Tendon pain
- Hair loss
Is YK 11 one of the best SARMs for cutting?
While YK 11 is known for stunting myostatin production – which promotes muscle growth – it is typically used for bulking, rather than cutting. However, for those seeking fat loss and enhanced lean muscle mass, some users choose to stack YK 11 in order to maximize muscle strength and fat loss/lean muscle mass.
Are all SARMs legal?
Similar to bodybuilding steroids, SARMs have risen in popularity in recent years, being the go-to for bodybuilders wanting to reduce body fat and increase muscle mass and strength. However, SARMs such as YK 11 have not been approved by the FDA, and are banned from competitions and athletics.
While many SARMs are legal to buy and sell, they have been primarily designed for treating muscle wastage, particularly in cancer patients. Furthermore, SARMs have been used to treat osteoporosis, increasing bone density, preventing bone loss and improving bone strength.
Also Read: YK-11 side effects: Benefits, Uses, Dosage (SARMS)
Their chemical structure makes YK 11 and other selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) a go-to treatment for cancer, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis and muscle wasting. However, they are not fit for human consumption for performance enhancement.
Other popular SARMs
There are some SARMs that have remained a hot favorite in bodybuilding circles over others, and many that are preferred over ‘classic’ bodybuilding steroids. Previously, we’ve reviewed the potential muscle growth from SARMs, including:
What’s the alternative to YK 11?
Why risk it? There’s another way to burn fat, build lean muscle and increase strength, with ZERO side effects: YKBULK.
YKBULK utilizes a 100% safe and natural formula, for rapid strength gains and extreme muscle growth. Unlike YK 11, YKBULK has ZERO side effects, which means no testosterone suppression, just increased muscle growth, faster recovery times and lean gains.
