
In this article, I’ll be looking at two of the most popular SARMs available today to see which of the two is best: Stenabolic and Cardarine. I’ll begin by explaining the pros and cons of them individually, before revealing what I think the best one is on reflection.
Cardarine
Cardarine (also known as GW 501516, or as Endurobol) is one of the more potent compounds to which health and fitness enthusiasts have been turning in recent years. It promises to enhance your metabolic rate whilst greatly improving your endurance, making it one of the more potent fat burning SARMs available.
You will find yourself burning energy more quickly when you begin to take Cardarine. You will also notice a great deal of improvement to your cardiovascular capabilities. This will be followed by increased stamina and ability to deal with higher workout volume and work load.
The increased fat burn obviously makes Cardarine a potent tool when you’re trying to drop into a cutting phase. However, it has more uses than merely increasing weight loss potential. Cardarine will enable you to maintain your lean muscle in a deficit. The loss of muscle mass is one of the main reasons lifters hesitate to cut body fat. I have even managed quite significant body recomps on Cardarine, achieving the holy grail of losing fat and building muscle at the same time.
There will be some health benefits aside from the main fitness gains when you run a Cardarine cycle. Cardarine may be beneficial for your heart and blood vessel. Small doses given to mice has shown to reduce damage down to arterial tissue. It may also improve your body’s ability to heal itself as it stimulates muscular repair. Cardarine is also noted for improving energy levels, meaning that you will be able to put in some good quality training at the gym without sacrificing your ability to get on with everything else. These all point to Cardarine being a big player in optimising the positive aspects of fitness whilst allaying some of the unwanted side effects (we all need help healing up sometimes, and your heart and arteries take a pounding when you regularly push your body to the limit.)
You won’t experience any suppression on Cardarine, meaning that no PCT will be required when you take it.
Stenabolic (also known as SR 9009) was designed with the body’s circadian rhythm as its focal point. It has been proven to lower anxiety levels and reducing inflammation in animals, whilst improving physical endurance and sleep quality. It is almost tailor made to keep you in a state of relaxed uber-fitness.
Stenabol also led to improved weight loss and reduced cholesterol levels in animal subjects.
These are many of the health benefits that we look to get from physical exercise, of course. Though, as with all SARMs, there is a lack of human testing involved, we can be fairly confidant both from inference and anecdotal evidence of users that these facets are all greatly enhanced by taking SR 9009.
As a brief overview, you should expect Stenabolic to reduce fat production in the liver, as well as bile acid and cholesterol. It will increase mitochondria in the muscles, and will increase use of glucose and fatty acids, as well as proliferating oxygen consumption, meaning that you will have far more energy both in general and during your workouts.
These translate into some serious fitness benefits. SR 9009 is a great fat burner, meaning that you will be able to shed excess fat with minimal dietary change. Stenabolic gives astonishing muscular benefits, with a great deal of improvement to both endurance and strength. All this, whilst decreasing inflammation, meaning that you will recover faster, with fewer aches and pains, than you otherwise would be able to.
The main reason I value Stenabolic, however, is for the physical improvements it offers that have a knock-on effect to your mental wellbeing. Your heart will function better and your arteries will be more efficient, meaning that you will have more oxygen rich blood circulating your body. You will be more alert, feel more awake, and have energy to spare even following the most gruelling training session.
Cardarine vs Stenabolic: Which is Better?
Cardarine and Stenabolic both have very similar effects. They allow you to burn more energy, pack on lots of muscle and generate a feeling of wakefulness both during training and in your day to day life. Both will improve endurance and will promote fat loss.
The main thing I prefer Cardarine for is ease of dosing. Stenabolic has a tiny half-life of 4 hours, meaning that you will need to take small doses continuously throughout the day (4-5 times, realistically) to maintain adequate levels. Meanwhile, Cardarine has a roughly 20 hour shelf life, meaning that you can take it once in the morning and then forget about it. It may sound like a small difference, but I actually find this quite significant.
Aside from this, both have their bonuses.
Stenabolic has the edge when it comes to fat loss, for me. It has a decent metabolic effect in itself, and when you’re taking it you will generally end up being more generally active and pushing your training sessions harder as it gives you such a potent energy kick. Many people look to use it as a bit of a pre-workout for this reason, or else reserve it for deeper cuts when they’re struggling with a final bit of body fat.
Cardarine will be a slower burner, giving you boosted energy throughout the day. In my experience, it has the edge during a lean bulking phase. It will allow you to keep the body fat off- or even burn a little- even as you pack on 5-10 pounds of muscle.
I’ve used them both and found them to be pretty much equal. Both also stack well, especially if you add Ostarine into the mix. However, if you want a definitive decision on first place, I would recommend Cardarine as the best, mostly for the convenience of its longer half-life.