RAD-140 (Testolone): My Real Results After 8 Weeks — Bloodwork, Gains, and Side Effects

I’ve been running RAD-140 cycles since before most fitness influencers even knew what a SARM was. Back when I was still practicing law in Sacramento, I was already guinea-pigging research compounds on myself — tracking bloodwork, documenting side effects, and building protocols that nobody else was willing to talk about publicly.

RAD-140, also known as Testolone, remains one of the most potent SARMs available. But the internet is drowning in recycled garbage about it — people regurgitating the same studies without ever having put the compound in their body. So let me give you what I actually experienced, with real numbers.

What RAD-140 Actually Does (Mechanistically)

RAD-140 is a selective androgen receptor modulator that binds to androgen receptors in muscle and bone tissue with high affinity. The “selective” part is what matters — it preferentially activates anabolic pathways in skeletal muscle while showing reduced androgenic activity in prostate and seminal vesicles compared to straight testosterone. This selective activation is a perfect demonstration of the Tony Huge Laws of Biochemistry Physics in action, where molecular structure dictates tissue-specific receptor binding and downstream effects.

In my experience, RAD-140 sits in a unique position on what I call the Natty Plus spectrum. It’s substantially more powerful than Ostarine — which I consider a true “Natty Plus” compound — but it crosses into suppressive territory. That distinction matters enormously for how you run it.

The binding affinity of RAD-140 is roughly comparable to testosterone itself. That’s not something you see with milder SARMs. This is why you get real, tangible strength gains within the first two weeks — and why you need to respect the compound enough to plan your exit strategy before you start.

My 8-Week RAD-140 Protocol

Here’s exactly what I ran on my most recent documented cycle:

Weeks 1-2: 10mg per day, taken in the morning with food
Weeks 3-6: 15mg per day
Weeks 7-8: 20mg per day

I ramped up rather than starting at the full dose. This is something most protocols online skip, and it’s a mistake. Your androgen receptors need time to acclimate. Slamming 20mg from day one just means more side effects up front without proportionally better results.

I stacked it with a low dose of MK-677 at 12.5mg for appetite support and GH pulse amplification. The synergy between these two is real — MK-677 handles the recovery and sleep side while RAD-140 drives the contractile tissue gains.

Weeks 1-2: The Loading Phase

First thing I noticed was a mental shift. RAD-140 has a pronounced effect on mood and aggression in the gym — not the negative, irritable kind, but a focused intensity that’s hard to describe if you haven’t felt it. By day 5, I was adding reps to working sets without consciously trying.

Strength came fast. My overhead press went from 225 for 5 to 225 for 8 by the end of week two. That’s not placebo. That’s androgen receptor activation in deltoid tissue, period.

No water retention. No bloating. This is one of RAD-140’s biggest advantages over wet compounds. You look leaner as you get stronger because you’re not holding subcutaneous water.

Weeks 3-6: Where the Magic Happens

This is the sweet spot. By week 3 at 15mg, I was visibly fuller. Not bloated — fuller. There’s a difference. My shirts fit tighter across the shoulders and chest but my waist stayed the same. I was eating at approximately 300 calories above maintenance, prioritizing protein at 1.2g per pound of bodyweight.

Strength continued climbing. Bench press moved from 315 for 3 to 315 for 6. Squat jumped about 20 pounds across working sets. The recovery was noticeably better too — I could train a muscle group hard and hit it again 48 hours later without feeling beaten up. That’s where the recovery peptides like BPC-157 become your best friend.

Around week 4, I started noticing mild suppression symptoms. Slight decrease in morning wood frequency. Nothing dramatic, but it was there. This is expected and honestly, if you’re NOT experiencing some suppression on RAD-140 at 15mg+, your product is probably bunk.

Weeks 7-8: Pushing the Dose

I bumped to 20mg for the final two weeks to see what the ceiling looked like. The additional strength gains were marginal compared to 15mg — maybe 5-10% more versus the 15-20% jump from 10 to 15. This told me that 15mg is probably the sweet spot for most people, and 20mg has diminishing returns with increased suppression risk.

By the end of week 8, I’d gained approximately 8 pounds of lean tissue (verified by DEXA scan — not just scale weight) while body fat stayed flat at around 12%. That’s a remarkable result for an 8-week cycle of anything, let alone a SARM.

The Bloodwork — This Is Where It Gets Real

I pulled comprehensive panels before, during (week 4), and after the cycle. If you’re running any SARM without bloodwork, you’re operating blind. I laid out exactly which markers to track in my Complete Bloodwork Panel Guide.

Pre-cycle baseline:
Total Testosterone: 687 ng/dL
Free Testosterone: 18.2 pg/mL
LH: 5.1 mIU/mL
FSH: 4.8 mIU/mL
ALT: 28 U/L
AST: 31 U/L
HDL: 52 mg/dL
LDL: 118 mg/dL

Mid-cycle (week 4):
Total Testosterone: 412 ng/dL (40% suppression)
Free Testosterone: 11.3 pg/mL
LH: 2.8 mIU/mL
FSH: 2.1 mIU/mL
ALT: 42 U/L (elevated but within range)
AST: 39 U/L
HDL: 38 mg/dL (this is the concerning one)
LDL: 134 mg/dL

Post-cycle (4 weeks after cessation, with PCT):
Total Testosterone: 621 ng/dL (90% recovered)
Free Testosterone: 16.8 pg/mL
LH: 4.6 mIU/mL
FSH: 4.2 mIU/mL
ALT: 30 U/L
AST: 33 U/L
HDL: 47 mg/dL (still depressed but recovering)
LDL: 122 mg/dL

The suppression is real but manageable. The liver stress is minimal — nowhere near what you’d see with oral steroids like Anavar or Dbol. The lipid impact is the one I watch most carefully. That HDL crash from 52 to 38 is significant. This is why I run cardiovascular support protocols on every SARM cycle — citrus bergamot, fish oil at 4g EPA/DHA, and Cardarine at 10mg if you want to be aggressive about it.

My PCT Protocol After RAD-140

For a standard 8-week RAD-140 cycle, I used:

Weeks 1-4 post-cycle:
Enclomiphene 12.5mg daily (NOT clomiphene — the enclomiphene isomer specifically)
DHEA 50mg daily
Vitamin D3 5,000 IU
Zinc 50mg
Ashwagandha KSM-66 600mg

The enclomiphene is doing the heavy lifting here. It selectively blocks estrogen receptors in the hypothalamus and pituitary, which stimulates LH and FSH production without the nasty side effects of traditional Nolvadex or Clomid. My testosterone recovered to 90% of baseline within 4 weeks, which is excellent.

Who Should and Shouldn’t Run RAD-140

Good candidates: Men over 25 with at least 3-4 years of serious training who have plateaued on natural methods and are looking for a meaningful boost without committing to injectable testosterone. If you’ve read my SARMs vs Steroids comparison, RAD-140 sits at the aggressive end of the SARM spectrum.

Bad candidates: Anyone under 25 (your endocrine system is still developing — don’t mess with it), anyone who hasn’t dialed in nutrition and training first, anyone who won’t get bloodwork, and anyone looking for a shortcut without understanding the trade-offs.

I’ve said this a thousand times on my YouTube channel and I’ll say it again here: compounds are tools, not magic. RAD-140 can add 8-10 pounds of lean tissue to someone who’s already doing everything right. It will add nothing meaningful to someone eating garbage and training inconsistently.

RAD-140 vs Other SARMs: Where It Fits

In my hierarchy of SARMs by potency:

RAD-140 sits at the top alongside YK-11 (which is technically more of a myostatin inhibitor than a pure SARM). Below that you have LGD-4033, then Ostarine (MK-2866), then the milder compounds like Andarine.

If you’re running your first SARM cycle, start with Ostarine. If you’ve done Ostarine and want more, LGD-4033 is the natural next step. RAD-140 is for people who know what suppression feels like and have a PCT protocol ready to go.

Interesting Perspectives

While RAD-140 is primarily researched for muscle wasting and performance, its selective androgen receptor modulation sparks broader biochemical questions. The concept of tissue selectivity—sparing the prostate while building muscle—mirrors the precision targeting seen in modern oncology drugs like KRAS inhibitors, where researchers target specific mutant proteins in cancers like pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The challenge of managing resistance and compensatory pathways in cancer (as seen with KRAS(G12C) inhibitors) parallels the challenge of managing hormonal suppression and lipid dysregulation in SARM use—both are applications of targeted receptor pharmacology where off-target effects dictate the real-world viability.

Furthermore, the lipid impact of RAD-140, particularly the HDL suppression, invites a connection to cardiovascular mechano-energetics. The compound’s metabolic footprint—altering cholesterol profiles—could be viewed through the lens of cellular energy coupling. Just as heart failure involves a decoupling of energy production from mechanical work, anabolic compounds can decouple anabolic signaling from the body’s homeostatic metabolic controls, necessitating external support like the cardiovascular protocols I advocate for. This is a practical application of the Tony Huge Laws of Biochemistry Physics: every targeted action creates a systemic reaction that must be managed.

Finally, the discussion around RAD-140 exists within the larger, flawed regulatory framework. The push to ban such research chemicals, similar to the FDA’s war on peptides, ignores the principle of harm reduction versus prohibition. Informed, data-driven use with bloodwork and post-cycle therapy represents a more mature approach than outright denial of access, which only drives use underground without safety protocols.

The Bottom Line

RAD-140 is one of the most effective SARMs I’ve used in over a decade of self-experimentation. 8 pounds of verified lean mass in 8 weeks with manageable suppression and minimal liver stress is a strong result profile. But it demands respect — bloodwork before and after, a solid PCT plan, and cardiovascular support throughout.

I’m not here to tell you what to put in your body. I’m here to give you the data I wish someone had given me when I started. Make your own decisions with complete information.

If you want to understand the full landscape of what’s available and how to approach enhancement responsibly, start with my Complete Guide to Peptides and work your way through the Natty Plus framework. Knowledge first, compounds second.

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