SARMs Use By Recreational Athletes & The Unfair Advantage

Hundreds of thousands of people compete in recreation sports. These are not professional athletes, so nobody is getting paid to compete. However, winning is important to most everybody. On average most people compete at the same level. Typically people are grouped according to skill so that the competition is fair. However, one thing that is not fair is the use of Select Androgen Receptor Modulators or SARMs by these recreational athletes that has been increasing year after year since they started being sold openly on the internet. SARMS are drugs similar to anabolic steroids. They go by names like Ostarine, Ligandrol, YK11, Rad-140, sr9009, and Cardarine. SARMS can increase muscle mass, speed, strength, and agility. SARMS can easily be purchased on the Internet, and most recently they have been experiencing a surge in sales. I would estimate that thousands of weekend warriors are now using SARMS to get an advantage over the competition. Is this fair? Is the use of SARMS the same as using anabolic steroids which are considered being unfair and that is why steroids are banned from professional leagues and events like the Olympics and the NFL, NBC, and MLB?

Recreational and weekend warrior sports range from 5k charity runs to Sunday afternoon softball games. When it comes to competing most people that are participating in these sporting events are competitive, which means that they care about winning or losing. I do not think that most people that participate in a race or a game play or participate with the intention of losing. As proof typically medals are giving to winners of marathons and trophies are giving to teams that win championships. But would these participating athletes feel cheated if they found out that the winner of a 10k bike race won and he was using SARMS?

What are SARMs?

SARMs are relatively new drugs that many pharmaceutical companies are experimenting with. They are being used to treat people that need to increase lean muscle mass. Usually people with some muscle wasting diseases like cancer or muscular dystrophy. The early conclusion of the studies being done on SARMS is that they work. Not only do they work, but they are safe to use, and people are experiencing very little side effects. SARMs seem to have more benefits than anabolic steroids and fewer side effects. That is why SARMs are increasing in popularity is because of the little side effects that occur with them. Unlike anabolic steroids and growth hormone which are potent drugs and cause dramatic changes in physiques along with side effects, SARMs are not as exciting. People do not want to be accused of taking steroids. When a person illegal takes anabolic steroids, their physique changes quickly and rapidly making it quite evident that they are taking illegal anabolic steroids like Anadrol or testosterone suspension. Everyone notices and comment and that makes the person feel guilty and "a cheat." With SARMs, because they are not as potent as anabolic steroids, they give the user a slow, weak, but gradually increase in muscle mass, strength, and fat loss. For most SARMs users that have been lifting weights for decades, as people in their 40's and 50's to all of a sudden be making gains in the gym this is very positive for them. Even though the onlookers cannot see the gains, the person using SARMs does. A small increase in muscle mass can mean the difference in hitting a home run instead of flying out or coming in 3rd place in a 5K race instead of 13th. And this is why SARMs are becoming so popular with weekend warriors and recreational athletes. Because the gains are small but adequate. Therefore they are not labeled a cheat, as opposed if they were to take anabolic steroids.

The use of illegal drugs to increase sports performance has always been around and will continue to be used by athletes and weekend warriors. Even though anabolic steroids are in the same drug class as cocaine and heroin do not stop people from using them. And now with the emergence of select androgen receptor modulators which are semi-legal so to speak, we are going to see a more significant increase in their use in recreational sports. Is this fair?
The use of SARMs by recreation athletes is not fair. It gives people an advantage over most people that are not using drugs for a competitive edge. The problem is that SARMs do not cause side effects like steroids, so people feel they are safer to use. According to the early studies on SARMS, like RAD-140 and LGD 4033, they are safer than anabolic steroids which makes them a perfect choice to increase lean muscle mass. In the future, unless Congress does something to make SARMs illegal to possess, we are going to see more and more recreation athletes use these drugs.