RAD-140 (Testolone) SARM 101: The Bodybuilder’s Guide

Testolone (RAD-140) is especially appealing to bodybuilders because its core focus in research has largely been on stimulating muscle growth and increasing strength with minimal side effects.

RAD-140 is popular because of the incredible results that are possible with it. Many will say this is as close as you can get to a steroid without actually using one!

But is it any better or worse than taking anabolic steroids? What kind of results and side effects can you expect with RAD-140? Keep reading to find out all this and more!

What is RAD-140?

Testolone might give you a good idea that this SARM is designed to be similar to testosterone in some ways. Of course, it is still not a steroid by any means.

RAD-140 is formulated to be a SARM that provides very similar strength and muscle growth effects to anabolic steroids while avoiding the worst of steroid side effects.

Most SARMs can’t be compared closely to steroids in terms of anabolic power. Still, in early research, Testolone has shown the potential to have MORE anabolic power than a popular anabolic steroid (testosterone propionate).

RAD-140 is more than potent enough to give you decent results as a sole PED in a cycle, but I also want to focus here on stacking Testolone with other PEDs to amplify and compound upon those effects and results.

RAD-140 History and Overview

RAD-140 was first developed by the company Radius Health Inc., and it is now under license for research by Ellipses Pharmaceuticals.

Since RAD-140 is still under investigation and research, its potential medical uses are still being discovered. Some of the main types of conditions it looks to be useful for include:

• Muscle wasting
• Bone loss
• Post-menopausal breast cancer
• Osteoporosis
• Anemia

In rodent studies, scientists determined that RAD-140 is a safer option than testosterone replacement therapy, but we don’t yet know if the same will apply to humans^[1].

Unlike several other SARMs and research chemicals, RAD-140 remains under development and in research. This is good news – so far, no alarming findings have been uncovered to put a stop to the research going into Testolone.

Mechanism of Action

RAD-140 is a SARM (selective androgen receptor modulator), so its primary mechanism of action is to bind selectively to androgen receptors. The primary targeted receptors are those in the muscles and bone.

Thanks to this androgen binding activity, RAD-140 comes with similar anabolic effects to steroids. Still, by avoiding the binding to most other androgen receptors, RAD-140 can avoid many of the undesirable side effects of steroids.

At least, that’s the goal of a SARM like RAD-140. As we’ll see when I talk about side effects, RAD-140 is far from perfect. There’s no such thing as a perfect SARM (after all, none have approval for human use yet), and non-targeted androgen receptors can also be selected for binding – resulting in some unexpected and undesirable effects.

Effects of RAD-140 (Benefits)

RAD-140 is a more versatile SARM than a lot of people give it credit for. It’s not just a bulking PED and can be very useful in cutting and recomp cycles – provided you know how to use it to its maximum effect.

Muscle Gains

RAD-140 is one of the better muscle-building SARMs, with the potential to have you put on impressive mass quite quickly. Gains with RAD-140 should be dry without water retention, provided you’re using a good quality product.

Although other SARMs (and similar PEDs) can add more weight, RAD-140’s gains are regarded as high quality, and you should be able to maintain these gains after your cycle without the need to drop water weight.

Fat Loss

RAD-140 can possibly promote fat loss through direct lipolysis (using stored fat as energy). These fat loss benefits might not necessarily be noticeable to many RAD-140 users who have a primary goal of muscle growth (and are eating a high-calorie diet). Still, on a more moderate diet and with cardio training included in the cycle, it’s entirely possible to gain muscle while losing body fat with Testolone.

Muscle Retention

RAD-140 will help maintain your existing muscle and strength if you’re on a calorie deficit diet. Some users even find muscle gains can be made while on a cutting diet, something you won’t find happening with many other SARMs. This is a testament to the extraordinary anabolic effects of Testolone, allowing you to use it as a potent anti-catabolic compound.

Strength

RAD-140 is more than just a muscle builder. It can boost strength and performance significantly. This increase in strength can feel like it goes hand in hand with the elevated feelings of aggression. Putting that extra aggression into your workouts can only be a positive outcome, though!

Naturally, with a higher level of strength and, in many cases, stamina and energy, your training becomes more intensive. You can lift heavier, do more reps and sets, and work out for longer. Muscle gains (or fat loss) accelerate, and you can make faster and more significant gains than you naturally could.

Pumps and Vascularity

With the dry gains of RAD-140, you can expect a notable increase in vascularity, but pumps will also be impressive. Some guys even claim all-day long pumps on a Testolone cycle using just 10-15mg. Everyone’s experience will vary, but there’s no doubt that most RAD-140 users see some incredible pumps that can almost rival some steroids.

Faster Recovery

Faster muscle tissue healing will have you noticeably less sore after hard workouts. Muscle repairs quicker, leading to faster growth and the ability to have less downtime for recovery and repair between workouts.

RAD-140 Dosing and Administration

Getting your dosing and administration right is critical to your RAD-140 experience and results. Is the dose too high? You’ll be too busy dealing with side effects to focus on your results.

When it comes to RAD-140, at least, there’s no such thing as a dose that’s too low or ineffective, whether you’re male or female.

Doses

Being one of the most potent SARMs, you only need a low dose of RAD-140 to enjoy its maximum benefits. Whether you’re a beginner or advanced user or somewhere in between, the last thing you’ll want to do is take more than the maximum recommended dose of RAD-140.

While we have no guidelines to go by (there is no medical approval for this SARM), performance doses have long been used, evaluated, and shared, and this gives us an excellent idea of what works well and where the limits are with RAD-140 dosing.

In clinical studies, of which there have only been a small number so far, researchers aim to find the maximum tolerated dose. The main known study was based on evaluating RAD-140 in female breast cancer patients^[2]. Doses between 50mg and 150mg were given daily. The maximum tolerated dose was found to be 100mg per day.

These doses are considerably higher than what bodybuilders require or will find useful. Most notably, the female study participants did not have to consider testosterone suppression as a side effect as male RAD-140 users will.

Here’s a general guide to RAD-140 doses for different experience levels:

Beginner

Beginners can start at a 5mg daily dose and still expect to gain some excellent strength. This dose can allow males to avoid PCT in some cases. 5mg helps you avoid the worst side effects, like hair shedding, and some guys find that they do not need to go beyond this 5mg dose.

Intermediate

10mg is a standard and very common dosage. It’s the dose most of us end up at after our first cycle. There is a nice balance between managing suppression and other sides and seeing outstanding results. Just don’t expect double the gains when moving from 5mg to 10mg – most guys will find it’s more of a 20% increase, but almost certainly with more side effects.

Advanced

Very few men will find a need or desire to take more than 20mg of RAD-140. Want bigger results? You’re better off stacking with other PEDs than raising the dosage of this SARM to a point where side effects start outweighing the benefits.

You’re very unlikely to find that 20mg makes all that much difference over 10mg, especially when considering the additional side effects. Whether you’re comfortable with 20mg of RAD-140 will come down to your response to this SARM.

Female

RAD-140 is not the most commonly used SARM among women, but Testolone is tolerable and produces excellent muscle gain results in females at very low doses. 5mg to 10mg is sufficient for females, with some even taking 7.5mg after finding a good balance between results and side effects like acne, fatigue, and dizziness.

Bioavailability, Half-life, and Cycle Length

RAD-140’s half-life is between 20 and 60 hours, depending on who you ask. In any case, a once-daily administration works best and makes it simple to take.

Knowing the half-life of Testolone is also essential when it comes to your PCT planning (remember, this can be a suppressive SARM). Check out the PCT section below for more details.

RAD-140 is usually taken as a liquid directly into the mouth. Although capsules exist, too, they make it much more complicated if you want to take a dose of 7.5mg or similar.

Generally, it’s ideal to take your dose in the morning, with no difference being made whether you have a full or empty stomach.

What about the best cycle length for RAD-140?

Eight weeks is the standard and most effective cycle length. It provides enough time for gains without extending so far that you start plateauing or allowing side effects to advance to a more challenging level.

Dosing Schedule and Administration Methods

A liquid solution is the most common and preferred (by most of us) method of administration of Testolone. Capsules of 10mg and other doses are available, but if you want to split your dose into halves for any reason (such as 7.5mg), it’s almost impossible to get it accurately done with capsules. In other words, liquid provides the easiest and most accurate method of measuring out an exact dosage.

The dosing frequency of RAD-140 is once per day. This is also the standard method in clinical studies. The timing of your dose comes down to personal preference, but morning is ideal for most of us.

Like a lot of liquid SARMs, RAD-140 doesn’t have the best taste, so having something tasty to eat or chew on afterward can help stop that unpleasant taste from lingering in your mouth.

RAD-140 Cycles

It’s widespread to use RAD-140 on its own. As I’ve said, this is one of the more powerful SARMs, and if it’s your first time using it, then you want to use it as the only PED in the cycle so you can discover your response to it (both the good and the bad).

Although it’s possible to both gain muscle AND lose fat at the same time with RAD-140, I want to point out that you can also find yourself putting on some body fat if you’re doing a cycle mainly for bulking and consuming a calorie-surplus diet.

With that said – you should not be gaining a large amount of body fat with high-quality RAD-140. If this happens, the main reason (besides a very poor diet and lazy training) is low-quality Testolone.

RAD-140 Cycle for Men

If we want to consider a standard RAD-140 cycle and standard results, this is a good place to aim: An 8-week cycle, 10mg daily, good diet and training, and expect lean gains in the 10lbs range.

It’s possible to drop 5% of body fat during this time (though some guys actually gain a little fat). Strength gains can be substantial and allow you to break through plateaus easily.

One of the negatives that I often hear about is the way strength gains and the overall fantastic performance you get with RAD-140 is incredible for the first few weeks, then starts to drop off.

This is more common than you think with this SARM and could either be addressed through a dose increase (if you have any room to move higher) or by stacking Testolone with another PED that can take over by adding strength mid-cycle.

Negative reviews and comments from male RAD-140 users otherwise focus on all the expected areas: hair shedding, increased anxiety for some guys, acne, testosterone suppression, and notable changes to liver and cholesterol values in bloodwork.

RAD-140 Cycle for Women

Women often look at other SARMs before considering RAD-140, but there’s no reason why females can’t use Testolone at low doses and avoid virilization.

A RAD-140 cycle for women should be one thing, first and foremost: Flexible. Be ready to adjust the dosage as needed throughout the cycle based on how you respond.

Every user feels different while using this SARM, and you might need to move your dose up or down to get the desired results or to reduce side effects. A standard 8-week cycle at 5-10mg daily will yield excellent results for females.

The typical results you can expect from this cycle include:

• Gains of 1-2lbs of muscle each week
• A stronger, harder, and leaner-looking physique
• Increase strength and ability to lift heavier weights

User reviews of this type of female cycle weigh strongly on the positive side. Other people describe muscle gains as impressive and noticeable, and many women state an increase in libido, nice pumps, and hard, defined muscles.

The downsides?

Relatively mild side effects like nausea, fatigue, and dizziness can often be reduced or eliminated through a lowering of the dose in 2.5mg increments.

RAD-140 vs. Other PEDs

We could take the time to compare RAD-140 to dozens of other PEDs, including SARMs, other research chemicals, and anabolic steroids. But I want to focus on just three PEDs that you might consider taking instead of RAD-140. Below, I look at Ostarine, Anavar, and MK-677 compared to RAD-140.

RAD-140 vs. Ostarine

Testolone is a more powerful PED than Ostarine.

Ostarine is a good beginner SARM that allows moderate muscle gains and simultaneous fat loss. However, when it comes to female users, Ostarine is a great choice and delivers excellent gains in muscle (not so much for males, who require a more potent anabolic).

RAD-140 provides better strength gains than Ostarine, and both are likely to help with fat loss similarly. RAD-140 requires PCT by male users, but it’s possible to get away with no PCT when using Ostarine.

Comparing these two SARMs makes it clear that Ostarine is much milder than RAD-140 and the better newbie option.

RAD-140 vs. Anavar

Anavar is one of the mildest steroids out there, so it makes sense to compare it to RAD-140, which can be used with very controllable side effects.

But how do the effects and results compare?

RAD-140 is likely to deliver better performance gains and much better and more significant muscle gains that are more easily maintainable. Anavar is better for boosting pumps while you’re on it, drying out your physique, and providing incredible vascularity and definition.

Running Anavar at a high dose will almost always provide better results than RAD-140.

But the downside?

Anavar will suppress you a lot at those doses, and you need a testosterone base, making it a more complex and expensive cycle than RAD-140.

RAD-140 vs. MK-677

Ibutamoren, or MK-677, is also useful for bulking and is known for being a well-tolerated PED by most users.

Best of all, Ibutamoren doesn’t cause suppression and requires no PCT, which is often the main reason it’s chosen over RAD-140 by men.

MK-677 works very differently from RAD-140, as it’s not a SARM. It stimulates the release of growth hormone. Ibutamoren is excellent at increasing bone density and other benefits that come with HGH.

My thoughts? Running these two in a stack can produce incredible bulking results (see my info on this stack below).

Stacking RAD-140

I’ve said this several times, but it bears repeating: if you’re new to SARMs or even just new to RAD-140, use it alone in your first cycle to evaluate your response and results.

Once you’re comfortable with RAD-140, you can consider looking at some of the potent stacks that are possible with this SARM. Ideally, we want to stack RAD-140 PEDs that are synergistic, working in different ways with each other and complimenting the effects.

But here’s the kicker:

You have to expect the side effect profile to change with each additional PED. So, always be aware of the potential side effects of each and every compound in the cycle.

Check out some of my very best cycles with RAD-140 for bulking, cutting, recomping, and strength:

RAD-140 + MK-677 (Bulking Stack)

We have so many options for bulking stacks with RAD-140, but a favorite of mine is MK-677. There are a few reasons for this, which I’ll list in the benefits below. But I especially love the increased appetite MK-677 brings! It makes it so much easier to consume those extra calories.

Benefits

• Appetite increase
• Bone and joint strengthening
• Muscle gains
• Big strength gains
• Better sleep quality
• Faster recovery

Dosing

Minimize side effects by keeping the RAD-140 dosage low: 5mg is often enough. Extend this to 10mg if you’re not seeing the strength gains you need after two weeks. 10mg of MK-677 is more than enough for most people. Eight weeks is the recommended cycle length.

Possible Side Effects

• Water retention
• Testosterone suppression
• Increased blood sugar
• Adverse changes to cholesterol and liver values
• Hair shedding

Results

15lbs of body weight can be gained, with about 10lbs of it being lean muscle. MK-677 can cause some fluid retention. Strength gains will power your workouts, and results will only be limited by what you put into your diet and training.

PCT

You might be able to get away with no PCT, but it will depend on how you’ve increased your dosage of RAD-140 and how you respond.

RAD-140 + Ostarine (Cutting Stack)

Ostarine is a staple in this cutting cycle for many good reasons. It will provide bone support as you gain and maintain muscle with RAD-140, and Ostarine is going to provide the extra boost to stamina and cardio workouts that you’ll need to burn off fat.

Benefits

• Fat loss
• Some lean mass gains
• Increased cardiovascular performance and endurance/stamina
• Bone strength
• Muscle definition and vascularity for a ripped look
• Faster recovery

Dosing

• 8-week cycle
• 10mg of Ostarine daily
• 5mg RAD-140 daily

Possible Side Effects

• Hair shedding
• Acne
• Testosterone suppression
• Fatigue/lethargy
• Headaches

Results

Although mega fat loss is unlikely on this moderate but very tolerable cycle, you can expect loss of fat in the 5% body fat range (but this will significantly depend on your current body fat ratio and how lean you already are).

Even though you’re cutting and on a calorie deficit, it’s possible to gain a few pounds of lean mass.

You should not experience any loss of muscle mass while dieting. Your ability to work out and exercise without fatigue and at a much higher intensity will be noticeable in just the first few days.

PCT

Both RAD-140 and Ostarine can often be used at low doses by males with minimal suppression, but if taking doses higher than I’ve recommended here, you should be ready for a standard Nolvadex PCT cycle.

RAD-140 + Stenabolic + Andarine (Recomp Stack)

This advanced stack should only be attempted if you’ve got a good amount of PED use behind you, including each of these compounds individually. Each of these PEDs brings its own benefits to the table, and I like to include Andarine, particularly its ability to speed up recovery.

Want a solid recomp cycle? You’ll need to be training at least five days a week. Andarine’s recovery effects make this possible.

Benefits

• Big strength boost
• Fat loss
• Muscle gains
• Endurance and stamina boost
• Better sleep
• Fast recovery
• Increased bone density

Dosing

• Eight weeks
• Andarine: 50mg daily (split into two doses morning/afternoon)
• RAD-140: 5mg daily
• Stenabolic: 30mg (split three times daily)

Stenabolic should not be taken late in the evening due to the possibility of it causing sleep difficulty in some users (as opposed to the improved sleep that most of us experience with it).

Possible Side Effects

• Mild to moderate testosterone suppression
• Elevated liver enzymes
• Negative cholesterol changes
• Visual changes from Andarine
• Hair shedding
• Anxiety
• Insomnia from Stenabolic if taken too late in the day (the minority of users)

Results

Muscle gains with a shredded look are the ultimate goal. Loss of body fat can be taken as far as you want and will determine just how defined, ripped, and vascular you are at the end of this cycle.

You’ll be able to hit the gym almost daily and not feel like you’re going beyond your means or injuring yourself. RAD-140 will give the strength boost you need to power resistance training, while Stenabolic will take stamina and endurance to a level that supports high-intensity, long cardio workouts.

Users report enhanced mental well-being and energy on this cycle, which only helps to keep you going to hit your goals.

This isn’t a cycle to do casually! You need to be committed for the entire eight weeks, including taking split doses of the PEDS daily. The commitment to some hardcore training and diet will make or break your results here.

PCT

Testosterone suppression is possible from both Andarine and RAD-140, although both are considered relatively mildly suppressive. With the low doses I’ve recommended above, males can potentially go without PCT. Bloodwork is still recommended, and having Nolvadex on hand if PCT is required is advisable.

RAD-140 PCT

All male RAD-140 users should be prepared to do PCT following a cycle, as this is a suppressive SARM at moderate and high doses. You will find some guys who swear that no PCT is needed following a low-dose RAD-140 cycle.

My view?

You could get away with no PCT if you’re not feeling suppressed. Most of the time, the no PCT guys are taking no more than 5mg of RAD-140. Indeed, if you’re doing 10-20mg, you’re almost sure to be suppressed to some level.

While the only surefire way to know just how suppressed you are will be to do bloodwork, in the case of Testolone, I always assume that I WILL be suppressed and have PCT ready to go.

I’ve experienced the horrors of testosterone suppression with other PEDs, and the lack of energy and depression alone is enough to send you over the edge – I can’t state strongly enough that PCT is better off being done than risking it and finding yourself in a low testosterone state.

I know guys who bounce back well with no PCT after a moderate and short 8-week RAD-140 cycle (as long as no other suppressive PEDs are used). And as long as a break of at least the time on the period (in this case, eight weeks) is followed by no PED use before the next cycle.

But I always prefer to be prepared. My ideal PCT following a RAD-140 cycle is simple: Take 20mg of Tamoxifen for two weeks, then 10mg for the final two weeks.

I’ve seen guys take just 5mg of Tamoxifen daily with good results, but this involves starting your Tamoxifen use during week 6 of the RAD-140 cycle and then continuing for another two weeks after the cycle.

There are many ways to go about PCT; these are just two strategies. I cover PCT for SARMs in more detail in my PCT article here.

RAD-140 Side Effects

RAD-140 is not what you would call a side-effect-friendly SARM, far from it. This can shock anyone who has learned very little about SARMs and thinks they’re all “just like steroids, without the side effects!”

While this might be somewhat true for some SARMs, RAD-140 is not one of them. With Testolone, you should be prepared for the level of side effects that you might expect with anabolic steroids. Mostly, this revolves around potentially significant testosterone suppression.

You won’t necessarily experience all the possible side effects or suffer with them at a high level, but you should know that some guys have a pretty hard time taking RAD-140. This is one good reason why taking as low of a dose of RAD-140 as possible while still getting benefits is a good idea.

In some cases, I’ve seen guys have to quit a Testolone cycle early or drop the dose down because of the difficulty in dealing with some of these side effects. Here are the main side effects to be aware of with RAD-140:

• Testosterone suppression (can be severe): Very low doses of 5mg daily may help you avoid suppression, but otherwise, most male users will want and need to do PCT following a Testolone cycle to avoid low T symptoms.
• Anxiety: If you’re an existing anxiety sufferer, then RAD-140 can potentially worsen it. Some users even note panic attacks. Lowering the dose may be the only option to reduce this side effect in susceptible individuals.
• Cholesterol and blood pressure: These are dose-dependent side effects, but you’ll want to keep an eye on cholesterol levels, with many users finding that levels have changed dramatically in bloodwork.
• Liver toxicity: Liver enzymes may be elevated, with this being a very individual side effect. Again, bloodwork will be the only way to be sure. Taking a liver support supplement is always recommended.
• Hair loss or shedding: A common but harmless side effect. If you don’t notice a receding hairline, the hair you shed on cycle will likely grow back normally.

Other reported side effects among SOME Testolone users (note that every single person will have a different response) include lethargy, insomnia, night sweats, water retention, headaches, stomach aches, nausea, and dizziness.

Female-specific side effects:

Females can normally take a low dose of Testolone without any risk of virilization. So, while there are no known specific female side effects, some women have noted issues like unwanted increased aggression, increased libido (most note that this is a positive rather than negative), nausea, acne, and temporary hair thinning.

You will not know which – and how bad – you might suffer from any of these side effects until you’ve personally used RAD-140. Every user has their own experience.

Where to Buy RAD-140?

Testolone will be easily found through any of the usual research chemicals, SARMs, and peptide suppliers. Do your due diligence and research before handing over your hard-earned cash.

Bad quality RAD-140 is the underlying cause of most complaints that revolve around unexpected water retention, gyno, and other side effects that normally shouldn’t be an issue with this SARM.

In other words?

If you want the results and experience you expect to have with RAD-140, you need high-purity, top-quality Testolone.

So, where to buy it? Here are my top picks:

Availability of RAD-140

RAD-140 is widely available from most research chemical suppliers. You will find that almost all online suppliers claim their Testolone is of 99.9% purity and verified by third-party testing – but unless you get it lab-tested yourself, you have no real way of verifying these claims!

So what’s my point?

Don’t just believe the marketing. Instead, find high-quality and trusted suppliers to buy SARMs like RAD-140 from. You can get a huge difference in the results (and side effects) if you’re using truly high-purity RAD-140 compared to a product that might be under-dosed or even contaminated.

In the US and most other countries, you will find it simple to purchase RAD-140 online, even if you’re not a scientific researcher. The most common form is liquid Testolone, although capsule products are also available.

Is RAD-140 Legal?

RAD-140 is legal to buy in most countries, although, in the US and many other locations, this is done through a gray area of the law. Classed as a research chemical, RAD-140 can be sold by research chemical labs to scientific researchers.

However, no checks are done to determine who is buying (or even selling) RAD-140, so it’s very simple for bodybuilders to get their hands on this and other SARMs.

But if you’re wondering whether you can use RAD-140 in sports or bodybuilding competitions where anti-doping rules apply and drug testing takes place – the answer is a resounding no!

RAD-140 is a banned substance, just like anabolic steroids are, due to its effects on enhancing strength and performance.

Typical Pricing

Where in the world you’re buying your RAD-140 from will determine its pricing, as will the reputation of the supplier. But with that said, even poor quality SARM suppliers can jack up their prices to appear premium quality. So my advice is to never go on price alone when choosing where to buy RAD-140.

Typically, RAD-140 in capsule form can be bought for around $80 for 60 x 10mg capsules. But most of us will look at liquid RAD-140 as it’s easier to measure out precise dosing and more widely available from a larger number of sellers. Most liquid RAD-140 is sold in 30mg bottles, but the concentration is what you need to pay attention to. 15mg/ml can be found for around $65.

Final Thoughts

RAD-140 might be as close as you can get to experiencing the power of steroids without actually using an AAS.

This SARM certainly has its fans. While it’s never going to support the gains you can get with something like Dianabol, the usually more tolerable side effects make RAD-140 a much easier PED to use than almost any AAS.

This is still one of my favorite SARMs to use, and you’ll literally find hundreds, even thousands of comments and reviews out there of users describing and sharing photos of some awe-inspiring results with this SARM. And once you’re confident in stacking it, you start getting into steroid-level gains and performance benefits.

Related:

• YK-11 SARM 101: The Complete Guide
• Cardarine SARM 101: The How-To Guide to GW-501516
• S23 SARM 101: The Bodybuilder’s Guide

— Furious Joe