GW501516 (Cardarine) doesn’t have any published human studies. In rodents, though, it shows great promise as an exercise mimetic – it lights up many of the same genes you’d activate by going on a run or lifting [4]. That alone wasn’t enough to make much of a change, but when researchers had mice take GW501516 with consistent exercise, results went through the roof:
In mice, GW501516 combined with 4 weeks of regular running increased running time by 68% and running distance by 70%, and doubled overall muscular endurance [4]. In rodents, GW501516 plus exercise increased mitochondrial growth in muscle by ~50% [5], allowing muscles to generate more power without fatiguing. It also decreased fat while preserving muscle (again, in mice) [4].
GW501516 could be a powerful way to improve performance and shed fat while maintaining muscle. Hopefully human studies will come out soon.
Side effects of GW501516
Shortly after it was classified as a performance-enhancing drug, reports started coming out saying that GW501516 caused cancer in lab rats.
But as with most substances, the devil’s in the dose. Studies did find that GW501516 is carcinogenic…but the rats were taking the human equivalent of 2400 mg a day for 2 years straight [6].
That’s about 240x a normal dose, taken every day, for 104 weeks instead of 4 weeks.
The studies found no evidence that GW501516 causes cancer at a dose you would actually use, or even at doses considerably higher than that. Other rat studies report no side effects, and people in the online SARMs community report none either, including no testosterone suppression. Again, though, that doesn’t mean there aren’t side effects. We may just not know about them. Proceed with caution.
How to dose GW501516
GW501516 works best if you split it into two daily doses. Try 5 mg, morning and afternoon, for a total of 10 mg a day.
Take GW501516 for 4 weeks, then cycle off for at least 4 weeks before starting another round. It pairs well with LGD-4033 and MK-2866.
GW501516, or Cardarine, is said to provide incredible energy levels during workouts or training. Due to its synergistic effects of accelerating fat loss while increasing endurance abilities, this SARM is best known as a fat burner. Ubiquitous reports of Cardarine’s ability to raise metabolism and increase athletic stamina have also made it a favorite PED (performance enhancing drug) for endurance athletes. As with all SARMS, its anabolic properties and high specific AR affinity also stimulate increased muscle gain.
Typical dose: 45-90 mg/day
Max: 90 mg/day
Stacking dose: 25-45 mg/day (depending on stack)
Half-life: 20-24 hours
