Everything about Ostarine: results, side effects and dosage

What are the benefits of Ostarine? What dosage should I take? Does it have any side effects? We will answer these and many more questions in this article.

What is MK-2866 (Ostarine)?

Ostarine is one of the most well-studied and popular SARMs on the market. GTx (which has been developing the SARM) has conducted over 8 clinical trials on MK-2866 on about 600 subjects. Since the early 2000s, the discoveries about Ostarine have made it a highly popular SARM among bodybuilders and athletes.

It is commonly recommended to first-time users because it is milder and has fewer side effects than other SARMs. If a woman were to consider taking SARMs, very low-dose ostarine would be the smartest option.

Ostarine is also known as MK-2866 or Enobosarm. It is a SARM which is short for Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator. It mimics the effects of testosterone, by binding to the androgen receptors in specific types of tissue.

Research into this SARM started in the early 2000’s and it is currently in phase 3 of human trials. Although it has yet to be approved by the FDA for human consumption, it is highly popular among athletes and bodybuilders.

What does Ostarine do to the body?

Just like other SARMs, Ostarine targets the androgen receptors (AR) in a similair fashion as androgenic anabolic steroids. But, unlike steroids it only targets the receptors in skeletal muscle and not in the organs.

As a result, it provides many of the benefits of steroids, including an increase in lean muscle mass. But it doesn’t have the unwanted side effects that come with the use of steroids.

What is MK-2866 used for?

Ostarine MK-2866 has been developed to prevent muscle loss and bone wasting in specific diseases.

These anabolic properties are exactly the reason why it has gained popularity among bodybuilders and athletes.

1. Building muscle/muscle growth – Ostarine can do a lot more than prevent muscle loss/muscular dystrophy. It can also help you to gain lean muscle mass and reduce body fat.
2. Lean muscle – When bodybuilding with MK-2866, you won’t experience the same amount of weight gain as with steroids. But you will gain strictly lean muscle mass, without the risk of water retention or gynaecomastia.
3. Muscle recovery – this is particularly important for workouts because the faster you recover; the quicker you’ll be able to get back into the gym.
4. Joints and tendons – its protective properties – namely its ability to guard your joints, tendons and bone tissues – have made this SARM particularly popular amongst athletes.
5. Bone health – the loss of bone-protective sex hormones as we age can result in poor bone health and even osteoporosis. Increasing muscle mass can help to reduce the risk of bone fractures and ensure a speedy recovery.

Ostarine helps by mimicking testosterone in your muscles and bones, providing support to your skeletal system and in the healing of fractures. It is also beneficial in the prevention of bone diseases.

Ostarine Benefits

Ostarine is developed to imitate the effects of anabolic steroids, but without the adverse side effects. It was originally designed to help people with muscle-wasting diseases such as osteoporosis, as it binds to the androgen receptors.

It did not take long for athletes and other gym fanatics to discover the benefits, and it is currently the most popular SARM on the market.

The main benefits associated with the use of Ostarine are:

• Improvement in muscle mass
• Faster recovery between trainings
• Higher bone density
• Reduced risk of fractures and injuries
• Maintaining muscle mass during a caloric deficit

Improvement in muscle mass

Multiple studies have shown that MK 2866 can increase lean muscle mass at dosages as low as 1mg per day. A recent study from 2020 showed that both MK-2866 and LGD-4033 had shown positive effects of lean muscle mass.

When used during a caloric deficit, it helps to maintain muscle mass.

Improve strength and performance

Next to gaining muscle, most studies showed an improvement in physical performance as well.

Most users who took this SARM for a cycle of 8-12 weeks noticed an increase in strength and also improved performance while working out.

Higher bone density

Ostarine has been developed for the treatment of osteoporosis and other diseases that cause bone mass loss. MK-2866 is praised because it prevents bone loss by increasing the density of bone minerals.

Side effects

Research and anecdotal reports have both shown that MK-2866 usually doesn’t cause any adverse side effects.

However, some studies suggest that taking Ostarine for a longer period of time could lead to serious health problems.

Reported side-effects associated with the use of Ostarine include:

• Headache 
• Back Pain
• High Blood Pressure
• Suppress testosterone
• Liver Injury

Is Ostarine legal?

Ostarine’s legal status is the same as that of most other SARMs. Since the FDA and EMA have not approved it for human consumption, it is illegal to sell it as a supplement. The legal status when sold for research purposes is not as straightforward.

Like most SARMs, it is considered doping and therefore forbidden in professional sports. As a result, it is uncommon for it to be seized even in countries where it is not a scheduled substance.

You can avoid this situation by ordering from a vendor that provides highly discreet packaging and shipping, such as HQSARMS.

Read all about the legality of SARMS in our blog post: Are SARMS legal in Europe?

Professional sports

It’s important to know, however, that Ostarine, as well as the other SARMs, are prohibited in competitive sports.

Ostarine is listed as a banned substance by almost all sports bodies including the Olympics as well as organisations such as:

• USADA (U.S Anti-Doping Agency)
• WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency)

This is because of the obvious unfair advantages this compound provides, such as increased strength, muscle, and endurance.

Does Ostarine lower testosterone?

Anecdotal evidence has shown that Ostarine lowers testosterone levels when used for an extended period of time in high dosages.

So yes, technically MK-2866 will cause some suppression. But the amount of suppression is very low, compared to more potent SARMs, such as RAD-140 and LGD-4033.

Remember to stick to normal dosages and cycle lengths to ensure minimal suppression.

When not exceeding the common dose, there is no need for any PCT when using Ostarine.

Ostarine dosage and cycle length

During clinical trials, MK 2866 proved effective in dosages as low as 1 mg. However, the dosages used by bodybuilders and athletes are a lot higher, ranging from 5 to 30 mg per day.

The most common dose for Ostarine is 10 mg per day for women and 20 mg per day for men.

The most common cycle length for most SARMs is 6 to 8 weeks. Some users prefer to take MK2866 for up to 12 weeks, mainly because it is widely considered to be a safe compound with little to no side effects.

We will give an example of 2 possible Ostarine cycles:

CUTTING CYCLE

Week	Dosage
1 – 8	15 mg per day

This is a great cutting cycle. Ostarine at this dosage is very safe and will allow you to keep on all of your muscle mass while you are cutting.

BULKING CYCLE

Week	Dosage
1 – 8	20 mg per day

Ostarine at this dosage will be great for bulking. You will gain a lot of muscle mass and will most likely lose fat at the same time. Remember to eat at maintenance or a slight calorie surplus.

Half-life of Ostarine

The half-life of Ostarine is 24 hours, which means it is sufficient to take it in a single dose once per day. It really doesn’t matter if you take it in the morning or evening, as long as you stick to 24 hour intervals.

Some users prefer to split the dosage into two parts, taking half of the dose in the morning and half in the evening.

Stacking Ostarine for cutting

Since Ostarine is a mild compound, you can stack it with pretty much any SARM. A great stack for cutting combines Ostarine with Cardarine.

For ever better results, it is possible to add Andarine (S-4).