What is YK11

YK11 is a SARM (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator) and derivative of Testosterone.

Structurally, YK11 is very similar to DHT (dihydrotestosterone). It appears to have some affinity for the androgen receptor, which explains its anabolic properties.

However, people seem to have interest in YK11 for other reasons. A study by the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Toho University) claimed that YK11 possesses myostatin inhibiting effects.

If true, this could be huge for bodybuilders.

YK 11 is a highly mysterious compound with interesting properties. This write up will cover all the basics and give you a better understanding of whether it’s a good fit for your training routine.

Chemical structure of YK-11

Myostatin: The Real Bad Guy

Let’s jump right into it. I mentioned myostatin before, so what’s the big deal?

Myostatin, in a nutshell, is a protein that prevents your body’s muscles from growing.

It doesn’t matter how much protein you eat or whether you train as hard as you can. Myostatin quite literally sets the cap for how much muscle you can gain.

Don’t believe me? Check out what it looks like when an animal is deficient in myostatin:

Cow with a rare myostatin deficiency leading to uncontrollable muscle growth.

I know, insane right?

Herein lies the reason that people are so excited about YK11. If you can inhibit myostatin production, you can force your body to produce muscle.

So Does it Work?

That seems to be the question everyone wants to know the answer to. The answer is… maybe.

You see, there’s no doubt that YK11 can promote muscle gains in humans. It’s very well documented.

In fact, I decided to try it myself and to log my results (you can scroll down for that). Without spoiling it too much, I will tell you that I had a pretty amazing transformation.

The thing is, YK11 is very anabolic in it’s own right.

This makes it extremely difficult to judge where the muscle growth is coming from. Are you gaining mass due to it’s anabolic properties, or is it from inhibiting myostatin?

Unfortunately, more studies need to happen in order for us to really know. I’m pretty well connected in this industry, and I can say that out of all the SARMs on the market today, this is the one that really has people excited.

I know many people who remain convinced that YK11 is in fact a powerful myostatin blocker. Some of them claim that in order to activate these properties, you need to inject it.

Disclaimer: 99.9% of YK11 is available in a liquid solution that CAN NOT be injected. You should always take liquids orally.

I’ve heard rumblings that injectable YK11 is coming to the market very soon. It will be very exciting to see what kind of response it brings.

Yk11 Results

So what results can you expect to achieve when taking YK11? That entirely depends on what you are using it for and what your training and diet looks like.

You see, YK-11 is not a magic bullet. You still need to work hard in order to obtain the results you want.

If you eat unhealthy foods, disregard your protein goals, and gym days, you’re going to fail.

You’ll probably still gain 3 to 5lbs of muscle (I mean, YK 11 is pretty strong regardless) but you won’t be packing on the mass that you set out to.

If you really want impressive gains in muscle mass (10 to 15lbs+) , you’ll need to follow some guidelines.

Get Your Diet in Check

First of all, diet is always the most important factor in adding muscle mass to your frame.

Think of your body like a vehicle. You need to fill it up with quality fuel.

Stop putting Walmart gas in a Ferrari.

You should be focusing on eating lots of whole foods that are rich in protein. Red meat is always great, since it’s high in Omega-3s and other good fats. Chicken is fine too, but you’re not going to get the same nutrition that you would with beef.

Carbs are often misunderstood. I’m not going to go into a huge rant here, but just remember this: you need carbs to grow.

Yes, that means you can eat pasta. Yes, white rice is okay. And for god’s sake, eat a bagel if you want. Just make sure that you are getting your protein packed in as well.

Red meat contains many important nutrients such as iron and omega-3s.

Stop Lifting Like You’re Natty

The second key part of using YK11 for muscle growth is your training routine. I don’t know how to stress this enough.

You need volume to grow. Progressive overload is the most important aspect to signaling your body to product muscle mass.

That means you need to be training to failure. And you need to be doing it often.

Natural lifters have no problems lifting 5x a week, and many will train until failure once a week as well.

YK11 allows you to push the envelope when it comes to your training. There is NO reason why you shouldn’t be able to train 6x a week. In addition, you should be training to failure as much as possible.

You probably won’t be able to handle going to failure more than 3x a week or so at first. That’s fine. Start with 3x a week and then see if you can add to it each week. Ideally you should train to failure 5x a week.

In the past, I have made statements about hypertrophy vs strength training.

There is also a never ending debate about high rep vs low rep, what weights to use, etc.

Thing is, none of it matters as long as you are utilizing progressive overload.

You can add more reps, you can add more weight, you can add more intensity. But you need to always add something in order to grow.

Bottom line, lift heavy, eat a lot, and you will make great gains on YK11. Over 8 weeks or so, you should aim for 10lbs of muscle. If you can run it for 12 weeks, you should be shooting for 15lbs.

Utilizing progressive overload is the only science backed way to consistently build muscle.

Before and After Pictures

The best way to gauge what results to expect from YK11 is to look at before and after pictures. It’s much easier to understand the power of this SARM when you can see what other people are achieving.

Check this out:

Example of what is possible when using SARMs.

Other Benefits

Building a lot of quality lean body mass is the most obvious benefit of YK11. With that said, there are a handful of other benefits you should be aware of.

First on the list is what I like to call the “on” feeling. People who have ran large doses of testosterone (750mg+) will know what I mean.

Feeling “on” is when you are able to feel the anabolic properties of the drug when you’re not lifting.

You might be at the supermarket getting a gallon of milk. When you pick up the jug of milk you notice your veins popping out of your arms.

The next morning, you are putting on a t-shirt that you wear all the time. This time however, you notice the shirt is fitting much tighter that normal.

When you walk into a bar, your confidence is higher than baseline. Your posture is better, your chest sticks out more. You feel powerful.

You see, that’s what it’s like when you feel “on”. That’s what it feels like to use real YK11. I emphasize real because most YK11 on the market is fake. More on that later.

What it looks like when you feel “on”.

YK11 Dosage

The next thing you need to know is what dosage to use during your YK11 cycle.

Different people say different things, but in my experience the best YK11 dosage is 15mg per day.

I always recommend starting lower (5-10mg a day), and increasing your dosage after a week. Doing it this way will allow you to judge your body’s response accurately.

Half Life and Dose Timing

Next up is your dosing schedule. You need to understand the half life of YK11 to create a proper cycle.

The half life of YK11 is around 8 hours, so you need to split your doses up throughout the day to obtain steady levels.

Many people settle for a twice a day regimen. That is fine, but not optimal. Ideally, you want to split it up in 3 separate doses. One morning, one afternoon, and one at night.

My personal recommendation is to take one of those doses 30 minutes to an hour prior to your workout of the day. So if you workout in the morning, wake up and take your YK11 beforehand. Take another at lunch, and another before bed.

If you follow my dosage recommendation of 15mg a day, this means taking roughly 5mg three times per day.

A 3x daily schedule works best with SARMs that have short half lives.

Cycle Length

You should keep your cycle between 8 to 12 weeks. Many people find that 8 weeks is the perfect amount of time to utilize the power of YK-11.

If you can sustain a cycle for 12 weeks without side effects, go for it.

The main thing here is to listen to your body. I say that a lot because it really is the most important part of cycling SARMs.

Cycles don’t have to be linear. You can adjust dosage and cycle length as needed. Unfortunately many people are stubborn and refuse to look long term.

Don’t ride out a 12 week cycle if you feel like your body isn’t responding in the best way. Cut the cycle short and try a more mild SARM like Ostarine.

Where to Buy

I mentioned before that there are a lot of fake SARMs going around. YK11 is at risk more than others due to how expensive it is to manufacture. There are only a few labs in the world that are able to create it, so the market price is high.

Best YK11 Deals For August 2020 The sarms.io Verified Source List allows you to find a reputable supplier of YK11. You can check lab reports and read real customer reviews across 70+ stores. Don’t get ripped off by a website selling fakes! Shop Now

When I started writing this article, I asked the SARMs community what brands they had tried and what their experiences were. Here are some of their responses.

Popular Brands

Proven Peptides

This company always seems to make it on my list of best sources. They lab test their products by the batch, and their customer service is outstanding. The SARMs they sell (including YK11) are definitely legit. Highly recommended for anyone who needs a good source.

Chem Tek Labs

To be honest, I hadn’t heard of Chem Tek labs before someone suggested I check them out. I’ll be honest though, the reviews don’t look all that great. I’ve seen multiple people online calling them out for selling bunk products. I haven’t tested them myself, but I would say stay away.

Enhanced Athlete

Enhanced Athlete used to be the #1 SARMs seller in the entire world. Most people had great results with their products. Unfortunately, they got sued by the US government and as a result stopped selling SARMs. The only products they sell these days are natural and non anabolic.

Centurion Labz

This is another company I hadn’t heard of. I can not say for certain whether they are legit or not because there aren’t many reviews for them online. I’ve never personally used their products so take that for what it’s worth.

When in doubt, Proven Peptides is always a good pick.

My YK11 Log and Review

When summer passed this year, I started to plan out my fall bulk cycle. I typically run three to four cycles a year and I design each one to line up with a certain goal.

For the fall season, my goal was simple: gain as much muscle mass as I can in 12 weeks.

I broke the cycle up into three parts and utilized a bridge when changing compounds.

I also utilized LGD 4033 and MK 677 in this cycle (I run MK 677 year round). I have used both in the past with good results so I am confident that I can distinguish which effects are from YK11.

Part One: Weeks 1-4

I started off with my normal 25mg dose of MK 677 coupled with 10mg of LGD 4033. During the tail end of the first week I started to notice the LGD kicking in. My workouts got longer and I was able to put up more weight.

By the second week going into the third, I was already up 4lbs. I also looked leaner, which is strange because I was eating a ton of food. Weights felt much lighter, and I was able to recover much faster.

The end of the fourth week had me at +5lbs and feeling great.

Part Two: Weeks 5-8

My workouts remained very productive and by this point I was feeling the effects of the ligandrol in full swing. My pumps lasted longer, and vascularity increased a lot as well.

I was almost sad to stop the LGD, but I knew that the gains were only starting to begin. Oh boy was I right.

I started taking the YK11 in the beginning of week five, and I stopped the LGD 4033 at the end of week six. So there were two weeks where I was running both together with the MK 677.

During those two weeks, I kept the YK 11 dose at around 10mg. My main goal was to get a jump start so I wouldn’t need to wait for the YK-11 to kick in after I stopped the other SARM.

By week seven, I was up 8lbs. Somehow I still looked just as lean. There’s a good chance that I lost a little bit of body fat even though I was eating well over 4,000 calories a day.

I finished the eighth week weighing in at 9.5lbs over where I started.

Part Three: Weeks 9-12

This is where my cycle started to blast off. Before I tell you about my results, I want to stress how powerful this SARM can be when used properly.

I’ve read multiple studies online and experimented with countless SARMs. YK 11 continues to be one of my absolute favorites and is an auto-include for any bulking cycle I plan.

Anyone saying that YK-11 isn’t effective orally is wrong. It’s VERY effective. The reason people tend to be underwhelmed by it is because they are getting fake product. Simple as that.

Real YK is going to blow you up. By week 10, I was up 12lbs. Hardly any of my old shirts fit. My veins were popping out 24/7 and people started noticing how much weight I had gained.

I remember looking in the mirror at 10 weeks in and feeling astonished by how much muscle I had already gained. I’ve done many cycles in my life but this one was something special.

I finished my cycle out strong and ended up gaining a total of 16lbs. Not to bad, right?

After my cycle, I switched to a high weight routine for 8 weeks to keep as much strength and size as possible. I got blood work done at the end and everything came back perfect. Testosterone levels remained in the 700s and all my liver values were in range.

I ended up keeping 12lbs of the 16 that I gained. I’m assuming some of my weight gain was in the form of glycogen and water, so I’m satisfied with the 12 that I kept. I also added a lot of weight to all my big lifts, including a 50lbs increase in dead lift.

YK11 Side Effects

As with all SARMs, YK11 has a few side effects that you should watch out for. Most of them are mild, but they are worth mentioning nonetheless.

Hair loss is possible, for one, but it is not common. YK11 is androgenic in nature but is still much more selective than anabolic steroids.

That being said, if you’re already thinning I would recommend to say with SARMs that are more hair friendly. Ostarine, LGD 4033, MK 677 and Cardarine are all great options.

Aggression is another side effect to look out for. Again, not a big deal, but it can happen. This is due to the masculinizing effect that occurs when androgen receptors become saturated.

Last, you should be mindful of your blood pressure. Most people have no issues here, but you should still monitor it.

As I stated before, always pay attention to your body and make adjustments when needed.

Hairloss from YK-11 is rare, but it can happen.

PCT: Is it Needed?

I’ve said it before and I will say it again. You do not need to PCT to recover from using SARMs (including YK 11).

This is because SARMs do not suppress LH and FSH (the building blocks that your body uses to create testosterone). It is true that your testosterone will be somewhat suppressed on cycle, but your body will bounce back fast.

Adding things like Clomid and Nolvadex after your cycle can cause many side effects. You’re usually better off skipping them completely.

If you must run a PCT, please take my advice and run a low dose Nolvadex cycle. Four weeks at 10-20mg should be plenty to jump start your production and keep side effects minimized.

Nolvadex is a popular drug used for PCT. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMY-PVnx42I

FAQ

How long does YK11 take to work? You will start feeling the effects of YK11 within a few days and notice weight gains within two weeks. Full effects happen by week four, which is why I recommend eight week cycles to maximize your gains. How do I take YK11 liquid? Start by measuring the appropriate dosage with the included measuring pipette. Measure out 1ml of liquid and squirt it in your mouth. Wash down with orange juice to mask the taste. How long should I wait between YK11 cycles? You should wait at least eight weeks between cycles to allow your body enough time to recover. If you are on TRT, you can follow an eight week on, four week off protocol.

In Conclusion

YK11 is a very exciting drug that the sarms.io team will be following closely. There is no doubt that it’s one of the most powerful SARMs on the market today.

Remember to only shop at reputable sources (fine one that fits your needs here). Don’t gamble with your health and be responsible.

If you follow the guidelines laid out in this guide you will have no trouble using YK11 to gain muscle and achieve your fitness goals.