Gains Retention: Prohormones vs. SARMs

Building muscle takes a lot of hard work, so keeping those muscles after you finish using supplements is really important. Whether you use prohormones or SARMs (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators), it’s helpful to understand how these products work and how they help you keep your muscle gains after you’re done using them.

Prohormones and SARMs are both used to improve muscle growth and strength, but they work differently and come with different side effects. This guide will help explain what prohormones and SARMs are, how they help you build muscle, and how easy it is to keep those gains once you finish using them.

In this article, we’ll explore what makes these compounds different and how you can make sure you keep your muscle gains. If you want a deeper comparison, check out our complete overview on the benefits, risks, and best practices of muscle building with prohormones and SARMs.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways:

- Prohormones and SARMs both help with muscle growth but have different effects on your body.
- Prohormones are stronger, but they can have more side effects and are harder to recover from.

SARMs are safer and have fewer side effects, which makes it easier to keep your gains after using them.

Post-Cycle Therapy (PCT) helps your body recover, and it is important after using both prohormones and SARMs.

What Are Prohormones?

Prohormones Explained

Prohormones are chemicals that turn into anabolic hormones after you take them. These hormones help you grow muscle and get stronger. They work a lot like steroids because they help build muscle quickly, but they need to be converted by your body to become active.

How Do Prohormones Work?

When you take prohormones, your body changes them into active hormones. These hormones then help your muscles grow by increasing protein production in your body. People usually use prohormones in “cycles,” which means they take them for a few weeks, then stop. After a cycle, they use special supplements to help their body recover, which is called post-cycle therapy (PCT).

Different Types of Prohormones

For Bulking (Building Mass)

1-Andro: Helps build muscle mass without a lot of side effects.
4-Andro: Increases testosterone levels, which helps you gain size and strength.

For Cutting (Losing Fat)

Epiandrosterone: Helps keep muscle while getting rid of fat.
1,4-OHP: Used to keep muscle during a diet when you’re losing fat.

For Strength

M1T: Known for making you a lot stronger quickly but has serious side effects. For more on improving strength, visit our comparison of prohormones vs. SARMs for strength gains.
Superdrol: Helps boost strength fast but can be risky for your health.

Benefits of Prohormones

Increased Muscle Mass: Prohormones help you gain a lot of muscle in a short time.
Better Strength: You can lift more weight and become stronger.
Quick Results: You see changes in just a few weeks of using them.

Risks and Side Effects of Prohormones

Hormone Problems: Prohormones stop your body from making its own testosterone, which can make you feel tired, weak, and affect your mood.
Liver Damage: Many prohormones can hurt your liver if you use them too much. Learn more about how prohormones and SARMs affect liver health.
High Estrogen: Prohormones can also turn into estrogen, which can cause problems like gynecomastia (when men grow breast tissue) and water retention.
Heart Risks: They can raise your cholesterol and increase the risk of heart problems.
Mood Changes: Prohormones can cause anger or mood swings.

Who Should Avoid Prohormones?

Teenagers: Young people should avoid prohormones because they can affect your hormones while you’re still growing.
People with Health Problems: If you have liver or heart issues, you should not use prohormones.
Competitive Athletes: Many sports organizations do not allow prohormones, so using them could disqualify you.

What Are SARMs?

SARMs Explained

Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) are compounds that target specific parts of your body, like muscles and bones. This makes SARMs a good choice for people who want to grow muscle without as many side effects. Unlike steroids or prohormones, SARMs don’t affect other parts of the body as much, which makes them safer. To learn more about how these compounds compare, check out our full analysis on which has fewer side effects: prohormones or SARMs.

How Do SARMs Work?

SARMs attach to receptors in your muscles and bones, helping them grow without affecting organs like your liver. This helps you gain lean muscle while avoiding a lot of the problems steroids cause.

Different Types of SARMs

For Bulking

RAD-140 (Testolone): A powerful SARM that helps add muscle quickly.
LGD-4033 (Ligandrol): Helps add lean muscle and strength.

For Cutting

MK-2866 (Ostarine): Great for keeping muscle when you’re dieting and losing fat. For more details, check out our guide on SARMs vs. Prohormones for cutting cycles.
Andarine (S4): Used for keeping muscle and burning fat at the same time.

For Recomposition (Building Muscle and Losing Fat)

MK-677 (Ibutamoren): Helps you grow muscle while losing fat.
YK-11: Helps both build muscle and lose fat at the same time.

Benefits of Using SARMs

Lean Muscle Gains: SARMs help you gain lean muscle without water weight.
Fewer Side Effects: Because they are selective, SARMs don’t cause as many unwanted effects as steroids do.
Faster Recovery: SARMs help your body recover quicker from workouts.
Versatile: You can use SARMs for bulking, cutting, or recomposition, depending on your goals.

Risks and Side Effects of SARMs

Testosterone Suppression: SARMs can lower your natural testosterone, though it is usually not as bad as with prohormones.
Cholesterol Issues: Some SARMs can lower good cholesterol and raise bad cholesterol, which is not good for your heart.
Eye Problems: One SARM, Andarine (S4), can affect your vision and cause a yellow tint in what you see.

Who Should Avoid SARMs?

Pregnant Women or Nursing Moms: SARMs are not safe for these groups.
Young People: SARMs could affect natural growth and hormone levels in teenagers.
Athletes: Many competitive sports ban SARMs, so using them could get you disqualified.

Gains Retention – How Prohormones and SARMs Compare

What Is Gains Retention?

Gains retention means keeping the muscle and strength you have gained after you stop using prohormones or SARMs. This depends on things like hormone recovery, diet, and how you train. You can learn more about the detailed differences between these compounds in our guide on gains retention for prohormones vs. SARMs.

Factors That Affect Gains Retention

Hormone Recovery: If your hormones don’t go back to normal, you could lose muscle.
Training: If you stop training hard after your cycle, you could lose some of the muscle you gained.
Diet: Eating the right foods, especially enough protein, is important for keeping muscle.
PCT: Post-Cycle Therapy (PCT) is very important for helping your body recover.

Gains Retention with Prohormones

Harder to Keep Gains: After using prohormones, your natural testosterone drops a lot, which makes it hard to keep your gains.
Catabolic State: Without testosterone, the body can start losing muscle.
PCT Is Very Important: PCT with strong medicines like Clomid or Nolvadex is needed to help restart testosterone production.

Gains Retention with SARMs

Easier to Keep Gains: SARMs don’t suppress testosterone as much, so it’s easier to keep gains.
Better for Cutting: SARMs work well for keeping muscle while losing fat.
User Reviews: Most users report that they keep more of their muscle gains after a SARM cycle compared to a prohormone cycle.

Post-Cycle Therapy (PCT) for Gains Retention

What Is PCT?

Post-Cycle Therapy (PCT) is a process of taking supplements and medicines after a cycle of prohormones or SARMs to help bring your body’s hormones back to normal. PCT helps prevent muscle loss and side effects after a cycle. You can find more details on how PCT works differently for prohormones and SARMs.

PCT for Prohormones

SERMs: Clomid and Nolvadex are often used to help get your body making its own testosterone again.
Aromatase Inhibitors: Sometimes, an AI (Aromatase Inhibitor) is needed to keep estrogen from getting too high.
How Long: PCT for prohormones usually lasts 4-6 weeks.

PCT for SARMs

Light PCT: Many SARMs only need a light PCT because they don’t suppress testosterone too much.
Natural Boosters: Supplements like D-Aspartic Acid (DAA) or Ashwagandha are used to help boost natural testosterone.
How Long: PCT for SARMs typically lasts 2-4 weeks, depending on the SARM used.

Prohormones vs SARMs – Gains Retention Comparison Table

Factor	Prohormones	SARMs
Testosterone Suppression	High	Low to Moderate
PCT Requirement	Strong and Essential	Light to Moderate
Gains Retention	Hard to Keep	Easier to Keep
Side Effects	High	Low to Moderate
Liver Issues	Common	Rare
Estrogen Conversion	Yes	No

Tips for Keeping Your Muscle Gains

Diet and Nutrition

Eat Enough Protein: Aim for 1-2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to help repair and keep muscles.
Don’t Starve Yourself: Avoid eating too few calories, which could make you lose muscle.
Get Your Vitamins: Eating enough zinc, magnesium, and vitamin D helps support hormones and muscle growth.

Training Strategies

Keep Lifting Heavy: Focus on big movements like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses to keep your muscles engaged.
Don’t Overtrain: Keep workouts intense but be careful not to overdo it, especially when your body is recovering.
Progressive Overload: Gradually increase the weight or number of reps to keep challenging your muscles.

Lifestyle Tips

Sleep Well: Get 7-9 hours of sleep each night to help your muscles recover.
Manage Stress: Stress makes cortisol, which can break down muscle. Try relaxing activities like yoga or meditation.
Stay Hydrated: Drink lots of water to keep your body working well.

Supplements for Gains Retention

Creatine: Helps keep muscles full and strong during PCT.
BCAAs: Branched-Chain Amino Acids help prevent muscle breakdown.
Adaptogens: Ashwagandha helps with stress, which is helpful when recovering after a cycle.

FAQs

What Are the Main Differences Between Prohormones and SARMs for Gains Retention?

The main difference is in how much they affect your hormones. Prohormones are stronger but lead to more testosterone suppression, making it harder to keep gains. SARMs are easier on your body, making it easier to keep your gains.

Is Post-Cycle Therapy Necessary for Both Prohormones and SARMs?

Yes, PCT is needed for both. Prohormones need a more comprehensive PCT involving medicines like Clomid, while SARMs usually only need a light PCT.

Which One Retains Gains Better After a Cycle: Prohormones or SARMs?

Most people find it easier to keep gains after a SARMs cycle because SARMs don’t suppress testosterone as much as prohormones.

How Long Do the Gains Typically Last After a SARMs Cycle?

If you do PCT, eat well, and keep training, gains from SARMs can last for several months after your cycle.

Are SARMs or Prohormones Safer for Long-Term Use?

SARMs are usually considered safer for long-term use because they target muscle tissue directly and don’t have as many side effects.

What Is the Best Post-Cycle Training Strategy to Retain Muscle Gains?

It’s best to keep lifting heavy weights, do compound exercises, and avoid overtraining while giving your body time to rest and recover.

Do I Need a Prescription to Buy Prohormones or SARMs?

Prohormones are mostly banned, so you might need a prescription. SARMs are sold as “research chemicals” and don’t need a prescription, but they are not approved for human use.

Can SARMs Affect My Cholesterol Levels?

Yes, some SARMs can negatively impact cholesterol by lowering good cholesterol (HDL) and increasing bad cholesterol (LDL), which could affect your heart.

How Can Diet Influence Gains Retention After a Prohormone Cycle?

A high-protein diet, enough calories, and healthy fats are important to keep your gains after a cycle and help your hormones recover.