Having successfully joined the 1000-pound club, I took a small break from bodybuilding to focus on my professional career. I had attained most of my fitness goals and I just wasn’t feeling the same kind of pull towards lifting as I did before.
That all changed when I heard word about YK11, a steroid-like SARM that was never tested on human nor animals.
After doing my research and writing an article on it, the only thing left to do was to actually try it out.
I always try to talk the talk and walk the walk, and this time it was no different – I was going to do YK11 even if it cost me my life.
Here is what my stats looked like after a six-month hiatus from bodybuilding: I was 6’1’’ as always, 220 pounds, 15% body fat and 29 years old, almost 30; I was getting old.
I ate what I wanted up until this point, so I decided to introduce some changes to my diet; I completely cut off processed sugar from my menu and made it a goal to eat as clean as possible.
Here are the macros I was trying to uphold: 250 grams of protein, 330 grams of carbs and 74 grams of fat a day.
I didn’t have a specific goal in mind with YK11, I was mostly interested in trying it out so that I could finally understand what the ruckus was all about.
I got my bloods and a hepatic panel done, as YK11 is known to be liver toxic. I’ve wrote a bit about it here.
Here is what my blood test looked like:
Total Testosterone: 450 ng/dL
Free Testosterone: 11,5 pg/mL
Luteinizing Hormone (LH): 4.5 mIU/mL
Follicle-stimulating Hormone (FSH): 6,0 mIU/mL
Estradiol: 23.4 pg/mL
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG): 22,1 nmol/L
I wish my T-levels weren’t so low, I was actually around 600 ng/dL naturally, while training. It’s a marvel to behold just how much a few months of abstinence can hurt you.
Anyways, my other blood levels were in pretty good shape, so I was feeling ready to take the bull by the horns.
My liver function test also came out fine:
Total bilirubin: 0,9 mg/dL
Alanine transaminase (ALT): 30 U/L
Aspartate transaminase (AST): 24 U/L
AST/ALT ratio: 0,8
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP): 69 U/L
Now that I was ready to face the fire, I took 10mgs of the YK11 liquid, administered it sublingually (for better absorption), felt the familiar sting and prayed that everything would go alright.
To be completely honest with you, this might have been one of the rashest things I did in my life, and I was shaking like a leaf during the entire process.
I went to the gym and felt an immediate boost in power, it was something I’ve never experienced before. The weights seemed to lift themselves off the ground, with me just being a casual observer.
I’m not sure if I had this experience because I was so pumped (placebo) or because of the YK11, but disregarding that, I had a blast in the gym!
Week 1-2
YK11 ignited the fire back in me, I was feeling like a beast in the gym and I was definitely lifting like that too.
In the first two weeks, I managed to once again break through the 1000-pound club, and I didn’t even need to strain myself. It came naturally, probably because of muscle memory, but YK11 also had an active role to play in it, at least that’s what I figured.
Pumps were amazing and I could feel my vascularity start showing even in the first week!
I also felt increased stamina (not sure why none of the reviews that I’ve read talk about that) and my lifts had a purpose to them. I felt like I was actually there lifting, and not just wasting time loitering around the machines.
I didn’t break any PRs in the first two weeks, but that didn’t matter to me, I was feeling awesome and having fun in the gym.
Week 3-4
I knew that YK11 was strong and that one shouldn’t take it lightly, but words cannot describe the kind of strength, power and aggression that I felt on it.
I started sizing people up at the gym, wanting to pick fights with them, to show them just how strong I was.
I know this sounds bad, but the feeling is just indescribable, you feel invincible.
I’m usually a reserved guy and wouldn’t hurt an ant, but I knew that if someone stepped on my toes while I was on YK11, I would be breaking some jaws.
I also felt more masculine and my libido shot up to enormous levels. I was having coitus two to three times a day just to stave off the craving. My girlfriend at the time definitely liked it. I also felt a lot more sensitivity down there, which made the experience awesome!
In the four weeks of my YK11 usage, I put on around 8 pounds of weight, of which most was muscle and I improved all of my lifts by 10 to 15 pounds. It was incredible, really.
One effect I have also noticed were decreased recovery times, the gym basically became my second home.
Week 5-6
The aggression was irking me, but through mindfulness and meditation, I managed to tone it down a bit.
Power went through the roof; I was now lifting 20 to 25 pounds more than I used to at my highest peak (before taking YK11).
It is surreal just how much this SARM-steroid can improve your lifts; you have to try it out for yourself to really see it.
My arms and back both looked fuller and my shoulders appeared wider. Triceps was more defined. My legs and chest also experienced growth.
I had changed my body composition in just six weeks with YK11.
I built another eight pounds of muscle, for a total of fifteen pounds.
Speaking of growth, my veins weren’t just vascular, but they were actually bulging through my skin, I felt like a fricking beast.
I experienced my second minor side effect: Acne on my back. It wasn’t a disaster, but it was definitely visible. It didn’t bother me too much, so I thought nothing of it.
Libido was still high, but I felt it falling off compared to the last two weeks. I wasn’t feeling the suppression yet, but it was lurking there; I had a sixth sense for it as I had previous experiences with suppressive SARMs.
Week 7-8
Suppression hit me like a brick. It was on day 53, I remember it clearly.
I woke up and everything just seemed so lame; I wanted to go back to sleep even though I spent the last eight hours doing just that.
Motivation at the gym significantly decreased and it wasn’t the only thing decreasing.
My libido plummeted like the stock market on a bear run.
I literally couldn’t get it up and that bothered me a lot. I had a girlfriend to please and she wasn’t too happy about me not performing.
I just wasn’t feeling like lifting weights anymore, I just wanted to sleep and do nothing. It was horrible.
I knew it was time to look at my bloods again, so I took a blood test and here is what happens when you take 10mgs of YK11 for seven weeks:
Total Testosterone: 189 ng/dL
Free Testosterone: 8,0 pg/mL
LH: 3,8 mIU/mL
FSH: 5,1 mIU/mL
Estradiol: 19.9 pg/mL
SHBG: 7.7 nmol/L
My SHBG and total Testosterone crashed by a lot, I knew that I had to do PCT, even though that was the last thing on my mind. I had some Nolvadex on hand, but I always strived to avoid SERMs, even mild ones like Nolvadex, as they carry side effects with them.
When I read my hepatic panel, I started seeing red. It was horrendous! Just take a look at this:
Total bilirubin: 1,5 mg/dL
Alanine transaminase (ALT): 70 U/L
Aspartate transaminase (AST): 57 U/L
AST/ALT ratio: 0,814
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP): 113 U/L
After I saw these results, which was 55 days into my cycle, I immediately decided to add TUDCA to my regime. I had to do something about my elevated ALT and AST levels, or I could potentially suffer from liver damage!
I made the mistake of not taking something like milk thistle right from the get-go.
Since it was just one day before my cycle was supposed to end, I decided to see it through and took my last 10mg dosage of YK11 on day 56.
I didn’t gain or lose any muscle in the last two weeks, but let’s just say that I didn’t go to the gym nearly as much as before.
Conclusion
I did PCT with Nolvadex and it lasted four weeks. For the first two weeks, I took 40mgs of Nolvadex and for the last two weeks, I halved the dosage.
My libido started improving two weeks into my PCT and the acne was completely gone from my back, meaning that YK11 was the culprit.
I did go to the gym frequently, so I didn’t lose any of the awesome muscle I’ve gained.
Lethargy started gradually subsiding from week one onwards and completely disappeared a month in.
In total, I had gained 15 pounds of raw muscle and my entire body looked shredded. I forgot to measure my total body fat, as this period was quite stressful for me, but I reckon it stayed the same.
There was a price to pay, but was it worth it?
I think that the answer leans more towards yes than no.
I had gained so much muscle and my body looked so much sharper that it would’ve taken me at least six months to a year to achieve these results as a natty.
YK11 is an incredible compound, but you should tread carefully.
Don’t be a fool like me and take your milk thistle from day one. Also, expect suppression to occur and have PCT nearby.
All in all, I liked what YK11 had to bring to the table, even the aggression experienced taught me new things about myself and the way I process the world around me.
I see my time with YK11 as a learning experience and don’t regret it one bit.
