Bodyfat blast: adding these to your training and diet plan will help boost fat-burning

Muscle & Fitness, July, 2009 by Jim Stoppani

While diet and exercise are the cornerstones to a solid plan for getting shredded, knowing what supplements to take can make all the difference in how quickly you see results. If you're following our "It's Show Time" training and nutrition plan on page 152, you already have the perfect diet and training program to reach your goals. Adding the following stack--caffeine, synephrine and yohimbine--will help you drop even more bodyfat in less time.

For example, a 2009 study conducted at the University of Memphis (Tennessee) reported that trained weightlifters burned 30% more calories and released 40% more fat from fat cells (lipolysis) when taking a supplement that contained these ingredients compared to a placebo group in the 90 minutes after ingestion (research was funded by VPX). This increase in metabolic rate and fat release was likely due to the 35% increase in levels of the neurohormone norepinephrine that the supplement stimulated. Here are more details on these three fat-burning ingredients.

CAFFEINE

This popular central nervous system stimulant turns up fat-burning by blocking receptors that would otherwise inhibit the release of fat from fat cells. In addition, caffeine boosts norepinephrine levels. Because caffeine can amp you up as well as stimulate the release of fat, it enhances fat loss while keeping your energy levels high in the gym.

Dose: Take 100-300 mg twice a day, with one dose 30-60 minutes preworkout.

SYNEPHRINE

The active ingredient from the plant citrus aurantium, or bitter orange, has a chemical structure similar to ephedrine. Like that sorely missed fat-burner of yesteryear, synephrine boosts metabolism but doesn't drastically elevate the heart rate or blood pressure. Synephrine enhances fat loss by stimulating specific receptors on fat cells that increase the breakdown and release of fat, raising metabolic rate and blunting appetite.

Dose: Take 200-600 mg of citrus aurantium standardized for 5-20 mg of synephrine 2-3 times a day before meals, with one dose 30-60 minutes preworhout.

YOHIMBINE

This active ingredient from the African tree pausinystalia yohimbe is commonly used to enhance male libido. Its fat-burning properties, however, have attracted a lot of attention as well. Yohimbine works by inhibiting certain fat-cell receptors that would otherwise limit the amount of fat leaving fat cells. In addition, research shows that yohimbine increases norepinephrine levels.

Dose: Take 2-10 mg 2-3 times a day, with one dose 30-60 minutes preworhout.

Ripped-and-Ready Stack
* Stack these three fat-burning products like this

SUPPLEMENT  DOSE

Caffeine    100-300 mg twice a day, one dose 30-60 minutes preworkout

Synephrine  5-20 mg 2-3 times a day before meals, one dose 30-60
            minutes preworkout

Yohimbine   2-10 mg 2-3 times a day, one dose 30-60 minutes preworkout

For a list of products containing these ingredients, check out muscleandfitness.com/stack

BY JIM STOPPANI, PHD