Brad Murphy

What are the Best Fat Burners to Use for Fat Loss

Updated on January 4, 2025 by Brad Murphy

Finding the best fat burner can be the key to accelerating your weight loss journey and achieving your fitness goals.

The top fat burners on the market are designed to boost metabolism, increase energy, and target stubborn fat, all while helping to curb cravings.

Whether you’re aiming to lose weight quickly or break through a plateau, the right fat burner can make all the difference.

With so many options available, it’s important to choose products with proven ingredients and real results. In this guide, we’ll explore the best fat burners to help you achieve effective and sustainable fat loss.Share

What are the Best Fat Burners to Use for Fat Loss

Best Fat Burners For Fat Loss

All the best fat burners work in a similar way-they help your body to burn fat.

However, not all fat burners are created equal. Most of them use a combination of ingredients that may make them a better option for some and a less desirable one for others.

So, when you are evaluating the pros and cons of different fat burners, it’s best to ask yourself what kind of user you are and what you are trying to achieve.

Not everyone wants to burn fat for the same reason.

Although a lot of people merely want to ditch their excess flab and get thin, others have more specialist needs.

Your sex may also make some fat burners more suitable than others. There is no one size fits all.

Recommended Fat Burners at a Glance

PhenQ – a multi action, multi benefit weight loss pill that can burn excess body fat, stop the production of new fat and also reduce appetite.

Instant Knockout – a great burner for preserving lean muscle mass. Ideal for sporty types, suitable for men and women.

LeanBean – a fat burner that has been developed exclusively for women. THE female fat burner.

Why Do We Need Fat Burners and What Do They Do?

In theory, we should not need to use fat burners at all. However, the harsh reality is an awful lot of people do need them. Burning fat is a difficult business.

Many people who are trying to reduce their body fat feel like they are banging their head against the wall. There is nothing to be ashamed of if you feel the need for some extra help.

Weight gain and weight loss are two sides of the same coin. Which side of the coin comes out on top is just a matter of calories.

“Calories” is a unit used to measure energy. Your body needs energy to function and it normally gets it from food. How much energy your food provides is counted in calories. For instance, celery offers a very low energy yield. It’s a low-calorie food.

Cakes, cookies, potato chips and other foods that are high in fat or sugar provide a greater blast of energy. These are high-calorie foods. They are also foods that can cause you to gain weight. When eaten without discretion, the weight gain can occur surprisingly fast.

When the body gets more calories than it needs, it stores them as fat. However, when people follow a low-calorie diet they deliberately deprive their bodies of energy. This causes the coin to flip over. Instead of storing calories as fat, the body begins breaking down its stores of fat so it can use the calories it contains.

There are no magic weight loss bullets, but all the best fat burners contain ingredients that can encourage the body to burn extra calories. These ingredients generally achieve this in one or more of the following three ways:

Increasing metabolism
Increasing thermogenesis
Improving lipolysis

Let’s take a closer look at what all this means.

All the best fat burners contain ingredients that boost metabolism

1. Increasing Metabolism

Metabolism is the process the body uses to extract energy from food and harness its power. It does not always function at the same speed.

For instance, the metabolism is normally slower during periods of rest. This is because your body has a lower energy demand that it does during your more active moments.

All the best fat burners contain ingredients that boost metabolism.

This causes the body to burn extra calories all of the time, even during periods of rest. This is sometimes referred to as raising the basal metabolic rate. [SOURCE]

2. Increasing Thermogenesis

Thermogenesis is a process that occurs in the body 24-hours a day. You can actually feel it working just by touching your skin. It’s warm because of thermogenesis.

All warm-blooded animals create heat via the process of thermogenesis and the process continues from birth until death.

Heat is a form of energy. Twenty-four hours per day you are losing energy into the atmosphere via thermogenesis. Like your metabolism, thermogenesis does not have a fixed speed.

Certain things can increase it. Exercise increases thermogenesis. So does hard physical labor. That’s why these activities cause you to “work up a sweat”.

Certain compounds found in food also have the ability to increase thermogenesis. The best diet pills contain such ingredients. They are often referred to as thermogenic fat burners. This is because, by causing the body to lose extra energy, they increase the need for burning fat. [SOURCE]

3. Improve Lipolysis

Some of the best fat burners also improve lipolysis. This is process the body uses to actually break down its stores of fat.

The process predominantly occurs within the white adipose tissue. In simple terms, lipolysis is the body’s way of mobilizing the energy it stored as fat and putting it to work.

Some ingredients used in fat burning diet pills have the ability to enhance the process and make it more efficient. In so doing they improve your ability to burn fat.

Additional Benefits

All the best fat burners also contain ingredients that support weight loss in other ways, such as by providing appetite suppression. By controlling hunger they make it easier to stick to reduced portions sizes and avoid the urge to overeat or snack.

The best fat burners also normally contain ingredients that take the sting out of fat loss in other ways such as providing extra energy. Some of the more specialized fat burners may also provide help in other areas including hormone support.

Who Uses Fat Burners and Why?

Obviously, anyone who is using a fat burner is doing so due to a desire to reduce their body fat. However, their reasons for wanting to do so are not always the same.

Let’s take a look at the different types of people who are likely to use supplements of this type.

People Who Need Extra Help to Lose Weight

These are the kind of people who probably gained weight due to a combination of bad diet and lack of exercise. They are probably already making efforts to lose weight but are finding it difficult and are in need of some extra help.

These are the people who primarily interested in weight loss. It’s their sole agenda. Their desire to lose weight may have been brought on due to a health scare or a warning from their doctor.

Then again, they may simply desire to make changes that will improve their health and help them to look good.

Alternatively, they may have no burning desire to lose weight but are making reluctant efforts in response to peer pressure.

People Who Want to Lose Weight Faster

Some people who already successfully losing weight through the use of a low-calorie diet, possibly accompanied by exercise, use fat burners to speed up their results. They are doing well but are striving to do better.

This need for more rapid weight loss could be due to impatience or a desire to meet a personal goal. The reason behind their need is immaterial. They have already taken all the right steps and the best fat burners will help them to get moving faster.

People Who Have Reached a Weight Loss Plateau

Weight loss plateaus are quite common. It’s the time when progress has stalled. People who reach a plateau may not be gaining any weight, but nor are they losing any either.

Plateaus can be a source of great frustration. Everything is going fine, then all progress ceases. Even though the diet and exercise routine that was proving to be so successful is still the same.

This kind of weight loss stall occurs when the body loses muscle mass. Although the energy deficit that results from low-calorie dieting causes the body to burn fat, it often burns a certain amount of muscle tissue too.

Muscle tissue requires a certain amount of calories per day. This helps keep the metabolism up. Loss of muscle tissue due to dieting can cause the metabolism to decline. That’s the real reason behind the plateau.

The diet is the same, the level of activity may be the same too, but the metabolism has slowed. The best fat burners can help get things back on track by speeding it up again.

People Who are Preparing for a Vacation or Special Occasion

Some people have an urgent desire for weight loss that is brought on by an urge to look good for a special occasion, such as a friend’s wedding. Others are keen to look their best when they hit the beach during an upcoming vacation.

The people who want to lose weight for reasons such as this can be quite serious in their efforts. However, they are often looking for a quick fix and have little interest in long-term change. Short-term vanity weight loss is the name of the game.

People who fall into this category are often only interested in finding the best fat burners to speed up their crash dieting techniques. They may resort to these temporary changes in lifestyle again and again and may be prone to yo-yo dieting.

Bodybuilders

Arnold Schwarzenegger once said bodybuilders are like sculptors, but instead of sculpting clay they sculpt their bodies. It’s a good analogy. The truth is there’s a lot more to bodybuilding than most people think. Especially at the higher levels.

The periods when bodybuilders are trying to increase their muscle mass are generally referred to as bulking cycles. During these periods, any minor gains in body fat are not a primary concern.

Bulking is primarily about piling on the clay in the correct amounts and in all the right places.

When bodybuilders want to refine their creation and make sure they are displaying it at its absolute best, they switch to a cutting cycle. This is where fat burners come in.

No matter how large and well-sculpted the muscles are, the body fat that covers them can hide the all-important contours. In a condition like this, it’s impossible to display the muscles at their best.

Cutting cycles are all about improving muscle definition. Sculptors scrape away tiny pieces of clay, a bit at a time, to improve the shape and form of their creations. Bodybuilders ditch their fat.

Obviously, bodybuilders reduce their calorie intake and switch to a diet that best supports their aims. The best bodybuilding fat burners work alongside the diet and help get the job done.

The fact that low-calorie dieting can cause the body to burn a minor amount of muscle tissue for energy alongside the fat is a big problem.

After all that hard work during in the bulking cycles, no bodybuilder relishes the idea of seeing some of their gains go down the drain. That’s why the best fat burners to use during cutting cycles contain ingredients that help take this problem away.

Women Who Gained Weight During Pregnancy

Pregnancy can be a difficult time for a woman. Morning sickness, bleeding gums, backache, and incontinence are just the tip of the iceberg. During pregnancy there’s an awful lot of hormonal changes going on that can affect women in many different ways.

Then there are the cravings. These are just the body’s way of helping “mom” to provide her baby with the specific nutrients it needs. Unfortunately, what’s good for the baby is not always so good for mom.

It’s normal for a woman to be left with some extra body fat in the post-delivery room days. Most women gain between 11.5 kg and 16 kg. Obviously, this is a situation most women want to redress.

A good fat burner can help put things right, but it’s best that new mothers don’t start dieting too soon. Certainly not sooner than six weeks after delivery.

Women Battling a Mid-Life Weight Crisis

Menopausal weight gain is a problem many women have to endure. It’s the results of all the hormonal changes that happen within a woman’s body at this time.

One of the most interesting things about the problem is most of the fat gain is likely to occur in the abdominal area.

Unfortunately, menopausal weight gain is generally not a problem that goes away. On average, midlife women gain 1.5 pounds per year.

Even women who have previously been slim their entire lives often start using fat burners when this type of problem strikes. [SOURCE]

People Who Want a Cheat Pill

Not everyone who buys fat burners does so with the best of reasons. Instead of looking for something that will support their efforts to lose weight, they hope to find a magic bullet that will help them get shot of their excess blubber while allowing them to go on eating whatever they want whenever they want.

Such endeavors are always destined to fail. Even the best fat burners are incapable of increasing calorie expenditure sufficiently to allow a free rein on food. There is no substitute for healthy living. Cheaters never win.

Three of the Best Fat Burners Compared

All of the following top-rated fat burners can be used for general weight loss and they’ll get the job done. However, each of them is formulated to be especially good for people who have very specific needs.

Instant Knockout is for people who train hard and need a fat burner that can help them to give that bit more. Leanbean is a fat burner for women and Clenbutrol is best for bodybuilders.

Instant Knockout – for Muscle Definition

Instant knockout is a fat burner that was originally only available to professional boxers and MMA fighters. This restriction is no longer in place. Instant Knockout is now available to all.

Due to its origins and a somewhat aggressive marketing strategy that involves the pills being sold in a bottle shaped like a fist, many women think Instant Knockout is only a fat burner for men. This is not the case. Women can use it too and those who do have a lot of good things to say about it.

Instant Knockout

Although it offers a number of other benefits, Instant Knockout is primarily an energy-boosting fat burner. That’s not surprising for a product that’s intended to help turn people into lean, mean fighting machines.

Many noted fighters and trainers choose to use Instant Knockout instead of alternative fat burners and swear it’s the best.

Apart from boasting some ingredients that are extremely good at boosting energy and burning fat, the formulation also suppresses the appetite. This allows it to provide extra support to people who find it difficult to fight their hunger.

The formulation does contain a small amount of caffeine but, unlike similar products, Instant Knockout is not a stimulant-driven supplement. Much of its energy booting capabilities come from the Vitamins B6 and B12. Both of which are popular energy drink ingredients.

Instant Knockout Benefits at a Glance

Powerful fat burning
Sustainable energy
Appetite suppression
Erases fat from stubborn areas

Instant Knockout is easily one of the best fat burners for anyone who is involved in sports. It’s equally good for people who like to train hard. Anyone who has Instant Knockout in their corner is unlikely to need a pre-workout supplement.

Leanbean – Fat Burner for Women

It’s easy to bang a pink label on a bottle and say it contains diet pills made especially for women. Unfortunately, the promise is generally a lie. There are no such deceptions involved with Leanbean. It’s the real deal.

Women who wish to lose weight do not ride in the same boat as men who need to lose weight. They have it harder so it makes sense that they need a fat burner that works harder too.

Shop LeanBean Direct

Women have stronger appetites than men do. They are also more likely to comfort eat. That’s why Leanbean contains more powerful hunger-suppressing ingredients than any other fat burner on the market. Needless to say, these are paired with some incredibly good fat burning ingredients.

The formulation also contains ingredients that help regulate female hormone levels. Many women gain weight during menstruation. Often up to five pounds. Then, by the time that problem has gone away, they are likely to fall victim to menopausal weight gain. In both cases, it’s their hormones that are to blame. It’s good that Leanbean has the ability to help in such an overlooked area.

Leanbean Benefits at a Glance

Burns fat
Boosts energy
Powerful hunger Suppression
Subdues urges for sugar and carbs
Provides hormone support

Leanbean is easily one of the best fat burners for women. It’s been carefully designed to give them all the extra support they need. However, there is no reason why men cannot use it too. In fact, it could prove to be a very good ally for any man who has unusually strong hunger urges.

CrazyBulk Clenbutrol – for Bodybuilders

CrazyBulk is a company that specializes in producing safe steroid alternatives.

Clenbutrol is its alternative to Clenbuterol. It’s a little different from the company’s other products because Clenbuterol is not a steroid. It’s a fat burning drug. However, bodybuilders often stack it with their steroids during cutting cycles.

Shop Clenbutrol Direct

Mimicking the name was easy. The company just removed a letter “e” from Clenbuterol. Matching the drug’s power must have been a lot harder because it’s an extremely powerful fat burner. It’s also dangerous so there has always been a need for a safe alternative.

Fortunately, CrazyBulk knows its stuff. Clenbutrol matches the drug’s power, but the formulation of safe ingredients it contains does not cause side effects. Many people who have used both options are quick to say CrazyBulk’s product works best.

One of the best things about CrazyBulk Clenbuterol is its ability to burn fat while supporting increases in muscle mass. The formulation also supports a better workout by boosting stamina and endurance and improving blood flow to the muscles.

Clenbutrol Benefits at a Glance

Burns fat
Boost performance
Preserves muscle mass
Improves muscle to fat ratio
Enhances endurance and stamina

Although CrazyBulk Clenbutrol is easily one of the best fat burners for cutting cycles, its ability to torch through body fat could also be used for more general weight loss needs. It may be an especially good option for anyone who has been losing weight and hit a plateau.

Nugenix Thermo Review – Fat Burner for Men, Should You Buy it?

Updated on January 6, 2022 by Brad Murphy

A thermogenic fat burner for Men, Nugenix Thermo claims to be an extreme metabolic accelerator! To find out what this means and if it actually works read our impartial review.

Nugenix Thermo Reviews — Is Nugenix Thermo a good choice? One of the criticisms that has been levelled at it is that it contains too much caffeine.

PROS
Reputable company brand.
A good set of ingredients.
Some good customer reviews.

CONS
Too much caffeine.
A fair few bad customer reviews.
A compromise compared to other fat burners.

VERDICT – NOT RECOMMENDED
Nugenix make supplements for men. The best known and most popular supplement from Nugenix is a testosterone booster, it is only recently that they have become active in the fat burning product market.

I feel as they are not quite there yet with this fat loss capsule and so recommend you look elsewhere.

Recommended Alternative
Prime Shred is a multi benefit fat burning supplement that can also reduce cravings and block potential new fat. It is a serious weight loss product for men.

Nugenix Thermo Review

Nugenix Thermo is a thermogenic fat-burning supplement distributed by Adaptive Health. It’s a US company that also distributes several other supplements under the Nugenix brand name.

Other than the fact it’s based in the state of North Carolina, I haven’t been able to find out much about the company. Even the official Nugenix website doesn’t have a lot to say.

Adaptive Health refers to Thermo as an extreme metabolic accelerator and much about the product appears pretty hard-core.

Like a lot of alternative options, Nugenix Thermo is quite heavy on caffeine so it may be too extreme for some users to handle.

The marketing material states Nugenix Thermo is backed by eight studies that support the effectiveness of the key ingredients.

However, you need to remember studies that support the use of certain ingredients are not the same as studies that prove the finished product works.

Nugenix Thermo Benefits

Boost thermogenesis
Reduce body fat
Improve lean body mass

Another thing to remember is, these results are unlikely to be forthcoming unless you use Nugenix Thermo alongside a low-calorie diet.

It’s also worth being aware that, if you are following the right kind of diet, any number of alternative products will do the same thing and many of them are not so reliant on caffeine.

How Does Nugenix Thermo Work?

The main thing the formulation aims to do is increase thermogenesis. It increases metabolism too. Both these things increase the amount of calories your body burns each day.

Thermogenesis is the ongoing process that causes your body to leak energy into the air in the form of heat. Metabolism is the process that harasses energy and puts it to work.

If you are still eating too much, neither one of these things will help you much. However, if your body is short of energy it will already be burning fat as a secondary source of fuel.

If Nugenix Thermo makes you burn more calories than you were before, your need to burn body fat is only going to increase

What’s the Best Way to Use Nugenix Thermo?

You take two capsules each morning. There is no second dose. It’s a one time per day gig and you can take the capsules with or without food.

If you find the capsules hard on the stomach, though, using them without food is not the way to go.

Nugenix Thermo Ingredient Profile

Two Nugenix Thermo capsules provide:

Vitamin C (17 mg)
Niacin (16 mg)
Chromium (200 mcg)
Sicilian Red Orange Extract (400 mg)
Caffeine Anhydrous (150 mg)
Cayenne Extract (100 mg)
Coleus Forskohlii Root Extract (100 mg)
Green Coffee Bean Extract (75 mg)
Whole Coffee Fruit (50 mg)
Ginger Extract (50 mg)
Guarana Extract (50 mg)
Green Tea Extract (50 mg)
L-Carnitine L-Tartrate (30 mg)

Ingredient Potential

Is Vitamin C a fat-burner? Probably not. However, studies suggest a lack of Vitamin C may hinder fat loss. People with adequate levels of Vitamin C burn 30% more fat during exercise than people who are Vitamin C deficient.

Niacin is a B Vitamin (B3). It does a lot of different things. It helps you get energy from food and aids red blood cell production.

If you don’t get enough niacin you could fall victim to fatigue. Niacin also opens up the blood vessels and improves circulation. If you do sports this a big plus because you should be able to train a little longer and harder.

Chromium – this is a diet pill regular. Chromium’s main value comes from its ability to regulate blood sugar and insulin. When you take it in supplements, it may help you avoid the blood sugar crashes that cause you to crave carbs. Eating carbs after a workout is always recommended – but within reason.

Sicilian Red Orange Extract comes from Italian blood oranges. It’s included here in a patented version called Morosil. Although it’s not a popular ingredient, some evidence suggests it can help you to shed fat.

Caffeine Anhydrous – a super-potent caffeine power that’s very easy to absorb. Caffeine can boost energy. Research shows it also supports fat loss by increasing metabolism and thermogenesis.

Cayenne Extract is a good ingredient. Although cayenne red pepper extract is generally most respected for its ability to increase metabolism and thermogenesis, it also appears to be good for keeping appetite under control.

Coleus Forskohlii Root Extract is a plant-based ingredient that allegedly helps you to burn fat without losing muscle. Some studies support the use of coleus forskohlii in this way, but others do not.

Green Coffee Bean Extract provide chlorogenic acid. The compound appears to regulate blood sugar and insulin in a similar way to chromium.

Whole Coffee Fruit – It’s hard to say why this ingredient is here. Probably to provide extra caffeine. Adaptive Health states the coffee fruit it’s using is 70% Caffeine and there is 50g of fruit per serving. That’s another 35 mg of caffeine added to the mix.

Ginger Extract is generally used for providing digestive support and soothing upset stomachs. It may help with weight loss as well, but it’s not a power ingredient.

Guarana Extract berries provide caffeine. The form being used here provides 20%. Fortunately, it delivers the dose to the body slowly. Nevertheless, it’s presence here adds a further 10 mg of caffeine.

Green Tea Extract contains caffeine too, but generally not a lot. The amount this form provides is minuscule—less than 1%.

Green tea also provides EGCG and other beneficial compounds that help prevent disease, increase metabolism and thermogenesis and, ultimately, help you to lose weight. It’s one of the most popular fat burners in the world.

L-Carnitine L-Tartrate – this is a form of L-carnitine (amino acid) that’s sometimes put in sports supplements because it boosts energy. Manufacturers also use it in nootropic supplements because it supports improvements in cognitive function.

What Customers are Saying About Nugenix Thermo

There aren’t enough customer reviews to provide an accurate insight into what this product may do.

However, here are a couple I’ve borrowed from GNC.

positive customer review — A good review of Nugenix Thermo

a negative customer review — A bas customer review of Nugenix Thermo

Known Side Effects of Nugenix Thermoe

I was unable to find any reports of side effects but there are not many reviews to check. Bearing in mind the high caffeine content, unless you are a hardened caffeine user the potential of side effects is certainly there.

All told, each two-capsule serving provides 198 mg of caffeine and most of it is in a fast-acting form (caffeine anhydrous). Each dose provides as much caffeine as you may get by drinking two cups of coffee back to back.

The formulation also contains coleus forskohlii. It’s an ingredient that requires further study. Known side effects include flushing, rapid heartbeat, headache, and stinging eyes.

Many people can use coleus forskohlii without having any problems at all. You may be one of them but it doesn’t make sense to take risks. I suggest you get a doctor’s opinion before using this product to try and lose weight.

Places to Buy Nugenix Thermo

If you live in the US, you can buy Thermo from the Nugenix website. The company does not offer shipping options to other areas of the world.

Nugenix Thermo is also generally available from Walgreens, GNC, and several other popular North American retailers. Amazon.com is another option, but you may find it hard to find a supplier who offers international shipping.

How Much Does Nugenix Thermo Cost?

There are 60 capsules in a bottle. That’s a 30-day supply and the cost per bottle varies depending on where you buy. If you buy directly from the Nugenix website or GNC you are looking at paying just under USD 60 per bottle. Some suppliers may charge a little more but the Amazon price is USD 10 less.

Guarantee

Nugenix products do not have a money-back guarantee.

Is Nugenix Thermo a Good Product to Buy?

The formulation has some good far burning ingredients so, if you are eating right, it should help you to burn extra fat. With all that caffeine in it, the formulation should boost energy too.

Loading diet pills with caffeine is not a good move. At best the benefits will only continue for the short-term. Then the body adapts and caffeine becomes less effective. That’s probably why some customers say Nugenix Thermo does nothing for them at all.

This is a product that appears to be popular with gym-rats and other athletic types who have probably built up a tolerance to caffeine due to prolonged supplement use.

Nugenix Thermo would probably have a lot more to offer if it provided less caffeine and more cayenne and green tea.

Proven Set Variations for Increasing Muscle Mass

Updated on March 2, 2020 by Brad Murphy

Playing with sets for optimum muscle mass building.

Changing aspects of the sets you perform during a resistance training workout can help you increase your muscle mass gains significantly.

A lot of people do the same exercise, for the same number of reps, for straight sets…forever.

They do this, and wonder why they are not making the same progress as they once did. One big reason is because their muscles have adapted to the way they have been training.

Muscles do that when they get used to certain stimuli. It’s what makes them great, but it’s also what makes them

Not only does messing with set design allow you to break that stagnation, but it offers additional advantages for stimulating muscle hypertrophy.

For the sake of clarity, let’s just determine what I’m referring to when I say set.

A set is a number of repetitions of an exercise or exercises performed continuously until the next rest period.

You can manipulate sets in a number of ways. To start with I’ll cover some of the more classic sets that bodybuilders have gained a lot of success with over the years.

If you get through those and it’s nothing new to you then fear not, there will be more.

On the other hand, if you are totally new to resistance training or you are recovering from injury, then I would not attempt these sets until you have a solid base of straight set training under your belt.

For a green lifter, the point where you should start messing with sets is an individual thing. There’s no template that suits everyone. These are the bodybuilding basics.

However, if you record your progress from the start, you will see very clearly when your progress in your current program starts to stall.

The Classic Bodybuilding Sets – Adding Exercises

One of the first things to do when you want to push your gains, when you’re experiencing what you think is a plateau, stagnation, or whatever, is to add exercises to the set.

These sets are basically two or more exercises performed back to back with no rest in between.

The main benefit of doing this is of course the increased training volume without adding too much additional time to the total workout.

Again, you’ve probably heard of them before, but read on anyway because there’s some useful tips for getting the most out of them.

Supersets – Increasing Muscle Mass

When you lift a weight, you are using the agonist muscle in concentric and eccentric contraction, which is the shortening and lengthening of the muscle, respectively, under load.

The simplest example of this is the bicep curl. The biceps are the agonist in the curl movement and must contract concentrically and eccentrically in order to complete both the positive and negative portion of each repetition.

The agonist is often called the prime mover, as it is the primary muscle utilized in the exercise.

An antagonist is simple the muscle that must work in an opposing way to allow the contraction of the prime mover.

In the case of the bicep curl, the triceps work antagonistically. They actually relax to allow themselves to lengthen so that the biceps muscles can perform concentric contractions.

On the eccentric contraction, as the biceps extend under load, the triceps must contract to allow it.

Superset training is where you train both muscles (or muscle groups) in their agonist-antagonist pairs.

The superset is a number of reps of an exercise which uses the agonist, immediately followed by a number of reps using what was the antagonist, but switching it to become the agonist.

It is only once both have been completed that the set is over and the rest interval between sets begins.

A basic bicep-tricep superset might be:

12 x barbell bicep curls, followed immediately by
12 x cable tricep pull-downs

People often pick an agonist-antagonist pair and do three or four supersets on them. Basically about the same number of exercises they would do in straight set fashion on the single muscle group.

Doing this for one pair per workout is a great way to add an extra muscle group without the addition of much more time, i.e. just the time it takes to complete the extra reps.

Superset training is not just a time saver which allows for more volume though. The first muscle to be trained in the pair actually becomes a weaker antagonist for the second muscle.

That might seem like a bad thing but it’s beneficial to your muscle gains, because a weaker antagonist allows for a stronger contraction of the agonist.

Biceps and triceps are a beautiful example of this because there are two bicep muscles and three tricep muscles. By training biceps first in the superset, it allows for the stronger triceps to get maximal contractions, thereby increasing the resistance or number of reps you can lift.

Another agonist-antagonist muscle pair example is the chest and back. Both muscle groups are fairly large and so superset training the pecs and lats for example will cover a lot of ground, plus provide that hypertrophy benefit from added volume and second exercise power.

Guys often perform cable rows before hitting the benchpress so that they can maximize the pectoral activation.

Recommended frequency: superset training is demanding but it’s not as intense as some of the set variations I’m going to get to. However, there are some things to think about.

It may not be optimal, for example to perform biceps-triceps and then chest-back the following day. Reason being, the chest-back superset will actually utilize the triceps and biceps quite heavily anyway. If they are fatigued from the day before, they might be limiting factors in your chest and back exercises.

With all that in mind, I would give both muscle groups two days rest before you hit them again. This means you can focus on other muscles on the days between.

The most common muscle group pairings are:

Chest and Back
Biceps and Triceps
Quads and Hamstrings
Shoulders and Lats

People find different combinations to work. Some focus on supersets for a limited period of time, while others add them in to their program on a regular but less intense basis.

Personally, I like to add a couple supersets in to my training per week, with one upper body and one lower body pairing.

Compound Sets – Increasing Muscle Mass

Compound sets are also two back-to-back exercises with no rest in between but both are done on the same muscle group, rather than agonist-antagonist pairs like in supersets.

You can either:

Use the same part of the muscle group in both exercises; or
Target two different sections of the muscle group

A tactic often used is to perform a multi-joint lift (aka compound movement) and then immediately follow it with an isolation exercise.

Examples include:

Bench press with dumbbell fly
Shoulder press with lateral raise
Squats with leg extensions

Other methods used include:

Barbell exercises followed by dumbbell exercises
Free weight exercises followed by machine exercises

A benefit of doing compound sets is of course the added volume without much added time. Much like supersets.

When you are trying to hit a particular muscle group harder to stimulate a greater growth response in the days following, there aren’t many better exercises than compound sets and tri-sets and giant sets (I’ll get to those in a bit).

Compound sets are more intensive than supersets thought because you are focusing the entire set on one muscle group, sometimes on one muscle.

There’s only one way to make up for the added energy you expend and that is in the recovery process.

These sets are therefore best used only occasionally and/or for short stretches. The longer you use them for, the more at risk you are of over-training.

I will stop using compound sets at the first sign of unusually high tiredness over the course of a couple of regular days.

Also, you should consider adding time to the rest interval between workouts of the same muscle group. Some people wait up to a week before training the same muscle group again after they have hit it with compound sets. Others only need 3 days rest but for them it is still an increase.

Find your pattern.

Tri-Sets and Giant Sets – Increasing Muscle Mass

Compound sets aren’t limited to two exercises like supersets are. Tri-sets and Giant sets are basically just bigger compound sets.

At the risk of stating the obvious, tri-sets are sets where you perform three exercises on the trot with no rest intervals in between them.

What’s cool about tri-sets is that you can do three sets and hit an entire small muscle group, without the need to add on some straight set exercises afterwards.

Your triceps are a great example because there are three of them and you can perform a nice, quick transition between the exercises to hit the long-head, lateral head and medial head of the group.

Giant sets are four or more exercises performed on the bounce. They are perhaps better suited to the larger muscle group, but can be performed on smaller groups provided lifting form doesn’t suffer.

In fact, that piece of advice goes for any of the compound set variations. If your form starts to slip during any part of the set then I would suggest that your rep counts are too high, or you are simply not ready for that intensity of exercise yet.

Make sure you can cope with the intra-set endurance required before you attempt trisets and giant sets. If you are used to hitting straight sets on the shoulders, for example, then jumping into giant sets might not work out for the best because you don’t have the stamina to really get the most out of it.

Increasing Exercise Intensity

The increasing exercise intensity and set volume from two exercise compound sets up to giant sets would be best approached in congruence with your experience level.

This will help you to avoid over-training, injury and program failure, as you will be confident in your strength and skill, despite the sets still pushing you physically.

As you stuff more exercises into your compound sets, your frequency and period of training them should be less and shorter respectively.

Not only will this reduce the likelihood of overtraining, fatigue and failure, but it will help you recover better and in fact grow more from the training stimulus.

Basically, the more energy you put into the process, the longer your body needs to recover and overcompensate afterwards.

One muscle group particularly suited to giant set training is the abdominal muscles. There are many variations of exercises, utilizing bodyweight, free-weights, cables and other machines that can target different sections of the abs.

Also, due to to almost constant use of our core, the abdominal muscles are used to being engaged frequently and for extended periods. Thus they have a high recovery rate, between both sets and workouts.

Giants sets are therefore a great way to work the core deeply and stimulate maximum growth by interrupting that fast recovery time with back-to-back exercises.

Things to Bear in Mind – Increasing Muscle Mass

Additional volume and intensity means additional stress. Supersets and all variations of compound sets should be used infrequently and for short periods of time to get the maximum adaptations from them.

There are a few ways to work them into your program, and over time you will become accustomed to what works for you.

Some people add one or two set variations into every workout for a period of time, targeting different muscle groups each session. This works because no one muscle group becomes overly fatigued over the course of a few weeks.

For example, if Monday is your chest day and arms day, then you could probably do a superset for your arms and a compound set for your chest. On the other hand, you could do straight sets on your chest and then tri-set your triceps to really finish them off. The following week, you could tri-set your chest and straight set your triceps.

This would allow both to recover adequately for the next chest/arms day the following week.

Another possibility is using set variations to bring a lagging muscle group up to the same standard as the rest of your physique.

Compound/Super-Setting

This can either be done by compound/super-setting that muscle group every week for a few weeks and training the rest as normal.

A strategy that has worked well for me is adding a workout for that muscle group within the week’s program and using set variations then.

For example: if I feel a muscle group is lagging, such as my back, then I will simply add another back workout to my weekly program so that there is only 2/3 days between each back workout.

Supersets are great for this because you can superset your back with your chest on chest day and then carry out back day as normal a few days later.

To take it to the next level, you could dedicate an additional workout to the lagging muscle group – the back in this case – and do compound sets on that additional day while training it as normal on the regular back day.

Again, it will take some experimentation to see whether this is actually beneficial to your muscle growth response, or whether it fatigues you more and ends up being detrimental.

The more you focus on one muscle group, the more you have to be wary about the length of time you train for, both within the session and on a week by week basis.

Experience, fitness level, diet, sleep and general activity level in your life will dictate much of what you can achieve, and there is no point in me saying ‘do this for 4 weeks for the best results’ because no program fits all.

Somebody who has a very physical job, for instance, should not be attempting multiple giant sets per week unless they are mitigating the energy usage elsewhere with nutrition and additional hours of sleep.

What I’m saying is: as you invest more energy into your program, another factor of your life must give some back to retain the balance and prevent you from experiencing the negative effects of over-training.

Training to Failure – Training a Muscle to Failure

Updated on November 24, 2021 by Brad Murphy

If you repeat the same exercise on the same set of muscles you are likely to experience muscle failure. Trust me you don’t want to experience muscle failure!

Training to failure is repeating your specific exercise or workout to point where your muscles fail.

Training Your Muscles to Failure

Typically, you just cannot muster the strength for one more bench press.

Take a look around a typical gym full of bros and you’ll see a lot of them squeezing out their best pain face as they crank out the last few reps of their set.

That often means they are taking the set to muscle failure, otherwise known as the point when your muscles just won’t do another rep, no matter how strong your mind-muscle connection is.

Many of the same bros would tell you that training to failure is the best way to grow muscle. Some of them will say it’s the only way to grow muscle.

In fact, this has been the edict of many a professional bodybuilder over the years.

And who can argue with the very people who should absolutely know how to grow the biggest muscles, considering they have the largest muscles in the world?

But, is it necessary to do it every time your train? Should you take each muscle group to failure on each set? How many times should you do it a week? and is there an advantage to leaving some reps in the tank?

I’m going to cover all the answers to those questions, and possibly more. I’ll discuss some fancy research that’s put this very subject to the test, and I’ll provide you with some cool advice that you can immediately apply to your training in order to get more out of it.

Must Read: Build, repair, and recover faster with Crazy Nutrition’s TRI-PROTEIN formula. Made with 6 natural, non-GMO proteins that break down in 3 phases for more energy and strength than regular whey, hemp, or soy protein formulas

First, let’s start with the basics.

What is Muscle Failure?

Within the context of resistance training, it’s the point when your muscle/s can no longer generate adequate force to overcome the resistance and perform even a partial concentric contraction.

You can't budge it when your muscles fail! — You can’t budge it when your muscles fail!

In other words; you can’t move the weight an inch.

Muscle failure is technically temporary, and might be called momentary concentric failure in pretty books about bodybuilding and strength training.

It’s temporary because you should be able to perform more contractions with the same load after you’ve taken a breather.

In fact, this momentary nature of muscle failure has led to many different set designs being thought up over the years, from the rest-pause method to completing multiple back-to-back drop-sets to failure.

What’s Good about Training to Muscle Failure?

Exhausting your muscle, sometimes repeatedly in a short space of time, has been used to improve rates of muscle protein synthesis and muscle hypertrophy – i.e. growth in terms of size and mass – for years.

Basically, the idea is that by working a muscle to its point of failure makes sure that as many motor units and thus muscle fibers as possible are recruited to keep moving the load.

That’s because as more and more of the initial fibers that were engaged at the start of the set become fatigued, the muscle needs more to help it generate the same total muscle force.

That in turn means that more muscle fibers are stressed under load, providing the stimulus for the supercompensation/growth that happens in the post-workout recovery stage.

Going to failure essentially ensures that no more of the muscle’s fibers could have been recruited.

That concept of leaving no room for doubt might actually be the only reason to train to failure, and I’ll get into why that is a bit later.

What’s Bad about Muscle Failure?

Longer recovery, decreased frequency, decreased volume, reduced intensity and higher probability of injury.

Okay, that sounds really bad, but it all makes sense when you think about it.

Longer Recovery

Training a muscle to failure implies a heavy reliance on anaerobic respiration and therefore lactate.

One can only work the muscle using lactate as an energy substrate for so long until muscle acidity rises to the point where it is too high for the conversion of glucose to occur at effective rates.

This acidity is commonly known as lactic acid, and it’s why our muscles fail.

Lactic acid is a good thing though because it prevents you from simply working the muscle until it wastes away. It’s a defence mechanism.

However, it causes soreness in the muscle, often proportional to how far you took your training. This can extend the recovery period of the muscle tissue, which can have knock on effects to your training.

Muscle failure is not a great experience

Decreased Frequency

Of course, if a muscle or muscle group takes 4 days to recover instead of 2 because you ventured deep into the pain cave last time you trained, it can affect the frequency by which you can train.

Most trainers and coaches these days advise that you don’t train if you are sore. Obviously the whole situation varies from one individual to another, but soreness – sometimes referred to as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) – is a good indicator for when you should train a body part again.

Light soreness is not really an issue but if the pain causes reduced function of the muscle it is probably best to let it rest some more as it is still recovering, growing and strengthening.

I’ll talk about soreness in more detail in a while. For now, suffice to say that it plays a role training frequency.

Soreness aside, the reduced capacity of muscle tissue following an intense lifting session can reduce training frequency. Simply put, you want to avoid overtraining because it can have many negative impacts, both in the short term and down the road.

Decreased Volume

From decreased frequency, a decrease in training volume is a definite possibility.

Weekly training volume is defined by the number of reps and sets you do in the seven days. Reduce the frequency and you can reduce the overall volume unless you increase the volume per workout to compensate.

That’s fine of course, and often part of the natural course of progressive overload. Progressive overload doesn’t always have to mean adding weight to the bar. It can also involve adding another set, say to your squat routine.

Training to failure too often can disrupt that progression.

After all, something has to give if you’re cooking the muscles to failure but trying to pump out the same volume and frequency as you would do if your sets actually left some reps in the tank.

That something can be training intensity, or the health of your joints, muscles and connective tissue.

Decreased Intensity

Generally speaking, if it takes more effort to lift the same weight for the same sets and reps as you did in your last workout, something is going wrong.

I say ‘generally speaking’ because sometimes there are understandable reasons for this, such as during cutting cycles, acute fatigue, nutritional timing etc. or any other short-term issue.

Intensity – at least in the context of bodybuilding – refers to the amount of weight your are lifting. It’s often referred to as a percentage of your 1RM (one rep max). And again, in general, it should increase for a given volume and frequency over time.

If training to muscle failure is preventing this increase from happening, or it is even causing your intensity to decrease, then it’s most certainly time to re-assess how often, or when, you are doing those failure sets.

Decreasing either of the other factors – volume or frequency – in order to maintain intensity is just as bad.

Increased Risk of Injury

This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise but weakening muscles by training them to their point of failure can heighten their potential for injury.

The risk of injury when lifting weights is extremely low, especially compared to other sports, as long as you are aware of your body’s capabilities and limitations.

Important Counterpoint

It’s worth noting that none of these points are inherently negative until they have a negative effect.

If that seems like I’m stating the obvious then let me use an example to explain: if training to failure reduces your overall volume, it’s only negative if you are set back in your progress as a result.

In fact, I’ve often heard people explain that reducing volume and adding some failure sets in is what broke them through a plateau. Ultimately, progress can be attributed to a combination of all the factors, and much of that is down to the individual.

Even the perceived increased risk of injury that’s associated with concentric muscle failure is theoretical. There’s no reason to assume the risk of injury is greater unless when it has been accommodated for.

For example, someone who performs free-weight back squats to failure in the open, nowhere near the safety bars of a power rack, is putting themselves vastly more at risk than someone doing arm curls to failure on a cable machine.

You can read part two here – Training To Failure – Muscle Soreness and Muscle Failure

Crazy Bulk Bulking Stack Review – Muscle Building Stack

Updated on January 1, 2022 by Brad Murphy

If you want to rapidly accelerate your bulking and maximize your muscle growth then the Crazy Bulk Bulking Stack is a great choice. It is four of the best legal steroid alternatives bundled together as one product.

PROS
Rapid muscle gains.
Gain strength and stamina.
Quick recovery times.
Legal steroid alternative.
Great value.

CONS
Available exclusively from manufacturer.
A lot of supplements to take daily.

VERDICT – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Crazy Bulk are responsible for some powerful bodybuilding supplements. The bulking stack brings together 4 of the most popular and most effective mass gaining strength, stamina and recovery products.

There are special offers and discounts – the best selling countries that buy the Crazy Bulk Bulking Stack are the US, Canada, UK and Australia.

There are no valid coupon codes due to the current special offers – see website.

SHOP CRAZY BULK

CrazyBulk Bulking Stack Review

This review will tell you all you need to know about the Bulking Stack from CrazyBulk.

It will feature the individual products that make up the stack and why you can get better, quicker results combining products (stacking)

I will also provide before and after images and testimonials (scroll down through the review).

Bulking Stack at a Glance

D-Bal (Substitute for Dianabol)
Testo-Max (Substitute for Sustanon)
DecaDuro (Substitute for Deca-Durabolin)
Trenorol (Substitute for Trenbolone)

Crazy Bulk has a much-deserved reputation for being one of the best legal steroids manufacturer in the world. The company has come up with safe alternatives to all the popular anabolic steroids.

That’s quite an achievement in itself and Crazy Bulk has actually succeeded in going one better by making steroid alternatives you can stack. Better still you can stack them without running the risk of adverse reaction.

Crazy Bulk customers are doing this and confirm that their results are great. That’s pretty sweet and, when it comes to packing on lots of lean muscle mass, the company’s Bulking Stack is an exceptional product.

Crazy Bulk says it’s the “ultimate bulking combo”. A self-endorsement like that means nothing. That fact that Crazy Bulk customers are saying it too? That’s a whole different ball game.

So, what’s including in the Crazy Bulk “Ultimate” Bulking Stack and why does it appear to work so well?

That’s a question that deserves a good answer. It’s time for a CrazyBulk Bulking Stack review.

The Answer to an Age-Old Problem?

Stacking steroids is pretty normal practice with steroid users. It’s a good way to get even better results. Of course, it’s an equally good way to be hit by a greater range of side effects as well.

There’s no silver lining without a big black cloud—at least that’s the way it’s always been with steroids.

The good news is, it no longer has to be that way. Back in the 70s and 80s, steroids may have been a big noise in the gym. There are better alternatives now and the biggest noise in the legal steroid industry is CrazyBulk.

Unless you’re still relatively new to the game or gifted with phenomenally good genetics, making good gains can be hard. It’s problem and we all know it.

Sometimes eating right, getting enough protein, and plenty of sleep just isn’t enough, no matter how hard you train.

So what do you do when the best protein powders aren’t working for you anymore? For many bodybuilders, anabolic steroids used to be the best answer, albeit at a price.

Shoot! Let’s face it, they were the only answer, but that was then. This is now. These days more and more bodybuilders are seeking safer alternatives and CrazyBulk legal steroids are in big demand.

Nobody likes to wait. Getting results is not good enough, most bodybuilders want to get them yesterday. Sooner if possible. That’s one of the reasons why the CrazyBulk Bulking Stack is so popular.

What’s In the CrazyBulk Bulking Stack?

The Crazy Bulk Bulking Stack consists of four of the company’s best bulking steroid alternatives:

D-Bal (Substitute for Dianabol)
Testo-Max (Substitute for Sustanon)
DecaDuro (Substitute for Deca-Durabolin)
Trenorol (Substitute for Trenbolone)

Although all four products have proven to be top-notch steroid alternatives in their own right, they have an incredible synergy. In other words, they are good team players.

“Team” is a good word as well because the best football teams consist of the best players. Why should a bulking stack be any different?

One of the cleverest things is the bulking stack does what it has to do without causing side effects. CrazyBulk scores a big point there.

Another interesting thing is, when combined, the four products in the stack enhance each others’ abilities. That’s just one of the reasons the CrazyBulk crowd goes so wild about the Bulking Stack.

What the CrazyBulk Bulking Stack Is Designed to Do

CrazyBulk says its Bulking Stack is for people on a “mission to build mega muscle mass”.

If this is you, the stack will help you see your mission through by:

Rapidly accelerating the bulking process
Maximizing muscle growth
Increasing strength levels
Enhancing nitrogen retention
Boosting testosterone
Enabling you to train with beast-like ferocity
Giving you superior strength
Reducing your recovery time
Helping you to shred fat without loss of muscle mass

Who the Stack Is For

If you’re one of those guys who is lucky enough to be able to build muscle so easily you seem to be on autopilot, this isn’t for you. It’s for the other 99.9 percent of guys who sweat blood at the gym several days per week and still struggle to get any gains.

The CrazyBulk bulking stack is for people who are serious about their ambition to attain an awesome physique. Serious enough to train like a crazy fool and never say die no matter what.

It’s also a good option for:

People who are looking for a safe legal steroid bulking stack alternative
Anyone who has a desire to pack on extra muscle in a safe and natural way
People who are finding it’s getting harder to make any decent gains

How the Crazy Bulk Bulking Stack Works

The CrazyBulk Bulking stack contains four of the best legal steroid alternatives. Their combined abilities provide similar benefits to those you would get by stacking anabolic steroids.

Anabolic Steroid Stack	CrazyBulk Legal Steroid Stack
Dianabol Sustanon Deca-Durabolin Trenbolone	D-Bal Testo-Max DecaDuro Trenorol

The problem is, all of the anabolic steroids in the left column can really screw you up. The legal steroids in CrazyBulk’s legal steroid stack are totally safe.

When you use the CrazyBulk Bulking stack the legal steroid combination helps you to bulk up in four ways:

Improved Protein synthesis
Better Nitrogen Retention
Increased Testosterone
Improved Oxygen Supply to the Muscles

Let’s take a look at these things in more detail and see what’s really going on and why it matters.

Protein Synthesis and Why It’s Important

If you think about it, what goes on with protein is a funny old game. When you consume it your body has to break it down into amino acids. Then the amino acids are picked up by the blood and carried to the muscles.

When the amino acids reach the muscle, your body does an about turn and starts putting them together again. “Protein synthesis” is the putting together again that makes your muscles grow.

What’s really happening is your body is using the amino acids to repair the damage done to the muscle during exercise. We’re not talking major damage here. Just the minor damage to the muscles that can make them feel sore after a workout.

This is good damage because it triggers the need for repair. However, the body always overcompensates by making the muscles a little stronger than they were before. That’s why bodybuilding works.

The thing is when you are hitting your muscle hard and doing it often things can go wrong. If the speed of muscle breakdown exceeds the rate of repair your muscles can become weaker and smaller.

There are two answers to this problem. The first one is to reduce the frequency of your workouts, but you’re never going to get big that way.

The second option is to speed up protein synthesis and the CrazyBulk Bulking Stack helps you to do that. Another thing it does is improve nitrogen retention.

Why You Need to Pay Attention to Nitrogen Retention

Apart from protein (amino acids) your muscles also need nitrogen and protein provides it. The problem is, exercise depletes nitrogen. It’s a pretty big problem as well because muscle growth requires a nitrogen-rich environment.

So, if protein provides the building blocks of muscle, nitrogen provides the foundation. Both are necessary for growth. That’s why the legal steroids in the CrazyBulk Bulking Stack contain ingredients that help you to nurture your nitrogen.

Think of it as a three-step process:

Improved nitrogen retention
Better protein synthesis
More muscle mass

Testosterone: A Sex Hormone and an Important Anabolic Steroid

Testosterone is the male sex hormone and you may be surprised to learn women need it too. The female body produces less than a man’s body does, but it’s still there. It’s necessary for a healthy sex drive, muscle growth, stamina, and numerous other things.

The Sustanon steroid provides testosterone. That’s why bodybuilders use it. If you want your muscles to grow, protein and nitrogen are not enough. You need testosterone too.

Actually, one of the reasons women find it harder to gain muscle than men do is because their bodies produce less testosterone.

However, both sexes share a common problem—testosterone levels diminish with age. You don’t need to be 90-years-old to be affected either.

Testosterone production is highest during adolescence. After that, production drops off and keeps dropping off every year. That’s why Testo-Max (Sustanon substitute) has such an important role to play in the CrazyBulk Bulking Stack.

Pump Up Your Muscles With Oxygen

Oxygen is another important key to muscle growth. Your muscles receive it from the hemoglobin in the red blood cells and the need increases with exercise.

Do you know what happens when the muscles experience a lack of oxygen? Lactic acid build up, that’s what and you don’t want it.

When we exercise we start to breathe faster. It’s the body’s way of trying to deliver extra oxygen to the muscles.

The body is programmed to provide the muscles with energy via this “aerobic” method. However, during strenuous activity, the body cannot deliver enough energy in its preferred way.

So, when the muscles need more oxygen, what’s a body to do? Simple, it starts to generate energy anaerobically (without oxygen). Problem solved? Not really.

When the body generates energy anaerobically, it causes lactic acid to build up in the muscles. This makes the muscles feel too sore for continued activity at such a level.

It’s actually the body’s way of protecting the muscles from being damaged by too much anaerobic exertion. That’s why Trenoral is such an important inclusion in the CrazyBulk Bulking Stack.

One of the main things the Trenoral steroid alternative does is boost oxygen flow to the muscles. This will, of course, make help you to workout with greater intensity.

CrazyBulk Bulking Stack Ingredients at a Glance

D-Bal

MSM (750mg)
L-Leucine (600mg)
L-Isoleucine (150mg)
L-Valine (150mg)
Protease (150mg)
Ashwagandha Extract (300mg)

Testo-Max

D-Aspartic Acid (2,352 mg)
Nettle Leaf Extract 4:1 (40 mg)
Red Ginseng Powder (40 mg)
Fenugreek Extract 4:1 (40 mg)
Boron (8 mg)
Bioperine (5mg)
Vitamin K1 (20 mcg)
Vitamin B6 (20 mg)
Magnesium (200 mg)
Zinc (10 mg)
Vitamin D3 (52 mcg)

DecaDuro

Dioscorea Opposita Thunb (750 mg)
Panax Ginseng (375 mg)
L-Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate (150 mg)
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (75 mg)
L-Citrulline (75 mg)
Tribulus Terrestris (37.5 mg)

Trenorol

Beta Sitosterol (600 mg)
Samento Inner Bark (300 mg)
Nettle Leaf Extract (300 mg)
Pepsin (75 mg)

How the Ingredients Stack Up

Okay, we’re looking at four products and 27 ingredients. There’s a lot going on here. Fortunately, all of it’s good. The CrazyBulk Bulking Stack delivers a generous helping of some seriously good ingredients.

Let’s take a look at a few of them and see what they can do

D-Bal

MSM — Methylsulfonylmethane reduces inflammation and prevents muscle cramps and damage.

L-Leucine — A branched-chain amino acid that throws the switch and gets protein synthesis up and running.

Protease — A group of enzymes that breaks the peptide bonds that shackle amino acids together. By doing so, these important enzymes free the amino acids and allow your body to put them to work.

Read our full D-Bal review

Testo-Max

D-Aspartic Acid — An amino acid that boosts testosterone production by releasing luteinizing hormone. D-Aspartic Acid also boosts levels of human growth hormone.

Fenugreek Extract — A popular testosterone boosting herb. CrazyBulk is using a special concentrate that boasts four times the normal power, so expect good results.

Vitamin K1 — An important fat-soluble vitamin that helps prevent your circulating testosterone levels from becoming depleted.

Read our full Testo-Max review

DecaDuro

Dioscorea Opposita Thunb — A wild yam extract that boosts hormone production by providing diosgenin. If you are prone to fatigue or lack endurance, this ingredient can help.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine — An energy boosting amino acid that drags fatty acids into the cells so they can be put to work.

L-Citrulline — An amino acid that’s often added to pre-workout supplements because it boosts nitrogen levels and provides vasodilation. L-Citrulline is also used as a safe alternative to Viagra.

Read our full DecaDuro review

Trenorol

Beta Sitosterol — A plant sterol ester that keeps your cholesterol levels low and your testosterone levels high. Beta Sitosterol also fights fatigue and can help keep you alert in the gym.

Samento Inner Bark — Reduces fatigue and enhances the immune system. Also known as Cat’s Claw, this ingredient helps you to train harder and heal faster.

Nettle Leaf Extract — Helps ensure the blood circulates plenty of oxygen and testosterone. Nettle leaf is also good for reducing muscle pain and inflammation.

Read our full Trenorol review

A Legal Steroid Bulking Stack with No Side Effects?

Combining lots of ingredients often increases the chances of side effects, but it’s not the case here. Crazy Bulk has chosen the ingredients well. Instead of clashing, the ingredients work in synergy to provide you with the best combination of benefits possible.

So, if you are worried the stack will make you bald or give you man-boobs and a limp dick, chill-out. It won’t make you aggressive or damage your heart either.

Real steroids may do these things, but CrazyBulk legal steroids don’t. However, if you have existing health problems it makes sense to get a doctor’s approval before using supplements. The same is true if you are planning on mixing supplements and prescription medication.

How to Use the Crazy Bulk Bulking Stack

Obviously, when you are using a stack like this you aren’t going to knock back 12 capsules all at once. Crazy Bulk has come up with a schedule that ensures your muscle get the things they need when they need them most.

Testo-Max — How to Take It and When to Take It

The day begins with Testo-Max. You need to take three capsules with water 20 minutes before eating your breakfast. Doing so will help set up your circulating testosterone levels up for the day.

DecaDuro — How to Take It and When to Take It

The best time to take DecaDuro is before you start your workout.

You need to three capsules with water 45 minutes before you hit the gym. Doing so will give your strength and endurance an extra boost and help you train with more intensity. It will also prevent your workout intensity from being limited by joint and tendon pain.

Lets’ not forget, DecaDuro is not going it alone here. Thanks to the morning dose of Testo-Max your circulating testosterone levels will already be high.

D-Bal — How to Take It and When to Take It

D-Bal is for after your workout. You take three capsules with water 45 minutes after activity ceases. Taking it at this time maximizes protein synthesis to help you get the best gains in size and strength.

Again, let’s not forget this D-Bal is being used as part of a bulking stack here. That means it’s going to get a lot of help from DecaDuro and Testo-Max.

Trenorol — How to Take It and When to Take It

Trenorol is the wild card of the CrazyBulk Bulking Stack. When you take it and how you take it depends on whether it’s a training day or not.

On your workout days, you take three capsules alongside DecaDuro. Doing so will push up the amount of oxygen in your blood and further improve nitrogen retention and protein synthesis. That will help you to train harder and longer and basically become an animal in the gym.

On non-workout days you need to take one capsule with each of your three meals of the day. The three smaller doses help speed the anabolic process all through the day for maximum muscle growth and strength gains.

Real results from Crazy Bulk — Rea results from Crazy Bulk’s Stack

A Look at What Some Bulking Stack Users Are Saying

“I’ve only been using this stack for two weeks but my strength gains are nothing short of incredible. I never dreamed it was possible to train with such intensity. I’m also amazed at how fast I’m healing. I have next to no next day muscle soreness at all.”
“Crazy Bulk is a good name. The gains are crazy with the steroids in this stack. Damn!”
“Totally love this stack. It makes you look really big and strong. Even my muscles have muscles now!!!!”
“I had my doubts but I gave this stack a shot anyway. Wow! I can’t believe the crazy gains it’s giving me and the ladies love it. I love it as well because it’s giving me the body I always wanted and now the ladies want it too.”

Bulking Stack results from past customers

Where to Buy the CrazyBulk Bulking Stack

You can only buy this stack from the CrazyBulk website. That’s how it goes with all the company’s legal steroids and stacks. However, there are no charges for shipping to addresses anywhere in the world.

The stack comes with a free bulking guide. That’s a nice bonus, but it gets better. If you want to get the craziest deal possible you can get three stacks for the price of two.

The best selling countries that buy the Bulking Stack are the US, Canada, UK and Australia.

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Crazy Bulk Bulking Stack FAQs

Does this stack cause side effects. I’m worried my hair will fall out?

None of the individual products cause side effects and the stack doesn’t either. So you can keep your hair on, there’s nothing to worry about.

What kind of post cycle do I need to do with this?

A post cycle therapy is not necessary with any of the CrazyBulk products or stacks. Legal steroids do not contain chemicals or drugs and they do not retard normal testosterone production. Unlike normal steroids, they improve it.

Does Crazy Bulk stack help with fat loss?

The CrazyBulk Bulking Stack is best for providing maximum muscle growth. If you want to strip fat and retain your muscle mass, that’s what the CrazyBulk Cutting Stack is for.

How do I cycle the bulking stack?

For best results, you need to use a cycle of eight weeks on followed by one-and-a-half weeks off. It’s the same for all CrazyBulk products.

Crazy Bulk Bulking Stack Review Summary

Crazy Bulk makes the most powerful steroid alternatives money can buy and the Bulking Stack provides four of the best. Don’t doubt it. You only have to read what Crazy Bulk customers have to say to see it’s true.

If you are serious about gaining extra bulk and strength as quickly as possible, this stack will do it. In fact, you won’t find a better option.

Anabolic steroids may deliver similar results, but they can’t do it without side effects. Crazy Bulk’s legal steroids can so why settle for anything less.

Instant Knockout Cut Review – Fat Burner for Men and Women Who Want to Lose Body Fat

Updated on January 1, 2022 by Brad Murphy

The iconic fist shaped fat burner, Instant Knockout is for anyone who wants to lose body fat. It pretty much sets the bar as fat loss supplements are concerned. Read our honest, impartial review

PROS
Science backed ingredient profile.
Very effective fat burner.
First class testimonials and endorsements.
Brilliant marketing.
Long money back guarantee.

CONS
Green tea dose a tad low.
Single bottle orders can be pricey (less so when ordered in bulk).

VERDICT – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Instant Knockout is one of the most copied fat burning supplements in the world. Why? Because it has set the bar.

If you in need of a fat loss supplement – either for weight loss to reduce your body fat or a an athlete / sportsman / bodybuilder that need a fat cutting product anything other than this is a compromise.

Orders are via the official website only. You can buy in your local currency ($, €, £ and AUD$). Buy 3 and get 1 FREE special offer is now available. There is free shipping to anywhere in the world

VISIT OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Instant Knockout Cut Fat Burner Review

Instant Knockout is a powerful fat burner for both men and women that has its roots in the fighting sports but has since grown to be one of the most respected weight loss, fat loss and fitness supplements on the market.

We have includes some real results and real before and after pictures (scroll down)

Instant Knockout is ideal for:

Competition bodybuilders to cut fat – cutting cycles
Anyone who trains looking to reduce body fat
Anyone who wants to lose weight permanently
Men and women of all ages

The capsules are red and the bottle they come in is shaped like a fist. Everything about the way the product is presented screams raw power.

Although a powerful marketing strategy doesn’t guarantee a powerful product, Instant Knockout appears to be the real deal. Customer reviews are incredibly good.

High impact muscle definition – the iconic fist shaped fat burner

Instant Knockout was unleashed into the fat-fighting arena by a Roar Ambition. The company originally developed the formulation to support the unique needs of professional boxers and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters.

However, levels of obesity are increasing all over the world and the company realized their product has a greater potential. So Instant Knockout is now available to any man or woman who has some fat-fighting to do.

Unfortunately, the product’s hardcore appearance scares a lot of women away.

That’s a great pity because Roar Ambitions punchy fat burning formulation works equally well for members of both sexes. Furthermore, there are plenty of customer reviews and Instagram photos that prove it.

Apart from being a powerful unisex fat burner, Instant Knockout also offers a lot of value as a pre-workout supplement. Past and present users report experiencing a massive energy boost.

Don’t let the product’s history mislead you. It’s not just for people involved in fighting sports. Lots of bodybuilders use it for cutting or providing a pre-training energy boost. There are also many Instant Knockout users who never go near a gym.

Let’s face it, people want to burn their fat for different reasons. It does not matter why this product was created. The important thing is that it works.

Instant Knockout Features

High-quality natural ingredients
Manufactured in FDA and GMP certified facilities
Celebrity endorsements
Excellent customer reviews
Money back guarantee

What Makes Instant Knockout Such a Good Fat Burner?

Instant Knockout is a quality product. It has to be. The FDA and other bodies that inspect GMP certified facilities would not accept anything less.

However, this alone is not enough to guarantee an effective product. The reason the product has succeeded in clocking-up such an impressive amount of good customer reviews lies elsewhere.

It’s because the formulation contains a strong blend of ingredients included in effective doses.

Instant Knockout Benefits

Cutting edge formulation
Suppresses hunger
Provides powerful fat burning ingredients
Erases fat from your most stubborn areas
Gives you sustainable energy throughout the day
Helps you to burn your fat like the professionals

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So, What Does All This Mean?

The power of the Instant Knockout formulation actually boils down to three things.

It suppresses hunger, boosts fat burning ability in two ways, and increases energy levels.

Let’s take a look at this in more detail.

1. Hunger Suppression

For some reason, Roar Ambition plays down the formulation’s hunger suppressing ability. The marketing material mentions it, but there is no real focus on this ability.

Whether you are a professional fighter, an amateur bodybuilder, or a stay-at-home mom, successful fat burning requires calorie control. If you eat too much and get more calories than you burn off, you will gain weight.

Many people find it very hard to control their appetites and their attempts at fat burning fail accordingly.

Likewise, a lot of people succumb to carb-cravings that scupper their fat burning attempts.

Unlike normal hunger cravings that occur due to the body perceiving a need for food, carb cravings occur after eating.

When you’ve just eaten a meal your blood glucose can rise at a rapid rate. It spikes. Your pancreas gland responds to this by pumping out extra insulin. This brings your blood glucose back down.

Unfortunately, it often drops lower than it was before eating your meal. Your body reacts to this by hitting you with cravings for carbs and other high-calorie foods.

The fact that the Instant Knockout formulation contains ingredients that suppress hunger and prevent cravings gives it extra value. Roar Ambition should be “roaring” this from the rooftops but they are not.

2. Fat Burning

Fat burning is what Instant Knockout is all about. Your body burns fat when it perceives an energy shortage. If you are burning more calories than your food provides such a shortage will occur.

However, fat burners provide ingredients that speed up the metabolism, cause thermogenic fat burning, or do both these things. Instant Knockout does both.

When the metabolic rate increases the body burns calories faster than usual. Not surprisingly, this increases the likelihood of the calorie shortage that forces the need for fat burning.

Thermogenic fat burners work by causing a slight rise in body temperature. The extra heat that radiates into the atmosphere is energy being lost from the body.

3. Extra Energy

Bearing in mind the fact the formulation was originally for professional fighters, it’s not surprising that it boosts energy. If you want to swing a good punch you need to have the energy to do it.

Fighters also have to train hard and do so on a regular basis. This requires energy too. It also requires a lot of dedication and mental focus. The same can be said for bodybuilding and most other sports.

Let’s face it though, most of us have times when we could do with some extra energy.

The need can increase while dieting. Diet-related fatigue is one of the things that make the process of losing weight such hard work.

So, although Instant Knockout is a product that’s good for fighters, it’s equally good for other people too.

Instant Knockout Ingredients at a Glance

The recommended dose of four capsules per day provides:

Glucomannan (1800mg)
Green Tea Extract (500mg)
Caffeine Anhydrous (300mg)
Green Coffee Extract (100mg)
Cayenne Powder (100mg)
Zinc (10mg)
Vitamin B6 (5mg)
Vitamin B12 (10mcg)
Chromium Picolinate (100mcg)
Piperine (10mg)

IKO Formula

It’s nice to see Roar Ambition is not using any proprietary blends and hasn’t tried to cram in too many ingredients. It’s a good formulation and all the inclusion rates are there.

Glucomannan

Glucomannan is a water-soluble fiber taken from the roots of the konjac plant. It’s one of the best natural appetite suppressants in the world.

The ingredient works by absorbing the water it’s consumed with and expanding in the stomach to form an indigestible gel.

Glucomannan is so absorbent it soaks up around 50 times its own weight in water. Hence, once activated by water, it can produce a considerable volume of gel.

Additionally, clinical trials show glucomannan also lowers cholesterol. [SOURCE]

Green Tea Extract

Green tea is a popular fat burning ingredient that works in two ways.

First of all, the catechin antioxidants it provides increase the metabolism, causing the body to burn extra calories.

Secondly, green tea catechins are thermogenic fat burners that cause the body to dispense extra calories into the air as heat.

Not only do numerous studies prove the ingredient works, it’s also been shown to be capable of doing so for up to 24 hours. Instant Knockout fat loss capsules contains a generous dose of green tea.

Caffeine Anhydrous

Caffeine anhydrous is one of the faster-working caffeine-providing ingredients.

People often make the mistake of thinking caffeine is only added to supplements because it’s good for providing energy. It does have this ability, of course, but caffeine also fights fatigue and improves mental focus.

However, although both the aforementioned abilities alone give it value in a formulation such as this, it does more.

Caffeine is also a metabolism booster and thermogenic fat burner. [SOURCE]

Green Coffee Extract

Green coffee bean provides the fat burning chemical chlorogenic acid. Normal coffee beans, not so much so because the roasting process destroys it.

The ingredient became popular after a recommendation from the American TV weight-loss guru Dr. Oz.

However, chlorogenic acid also offers a second benefit that makes green coffee extract a doubly interesting ingredient. It helps prevent the fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin that trigger carb cravings and desires for sweet food.

Cayenne Powder

Cayenne Chili peppers are red peppers from the capsicum annum family. As with other members of the family, cayenne is a source of capsaicin.

Capsaicin is a proven fat fighting ingredient that increases calorie expenditure by revving up the metabolism. It’s also a thermogenic fat burner, but that’s not all.

Although the ingredient gets the most attention for its fat burning capabilities, research shows it suppresses the appetite as well. Instant Knockout capsules contain a good quantity.

Zinc

Zinc is a mineral that offers numerous health benefits. For instance, it’s a good for the memory and it improves wound healing as well.

However, it probably offers the most value here because it’s a proven testosterone booster.

Testosterone is an important anabolic hormone that encourages muscle growth. It also boosts energy levels and supports the fat burning process.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 helps the body make the most of the energy provided by food.

If you doubt its credentials as an energy provider, go pick up a can of Red Bull. Look at the ingredients and you’ll see Vitamin B6 is listed there.

Apart from providing energy, Vitamin B6 also aids thyroid gland function. This is interesting because the thyroid produces hormones that are needed for an efficient metabolism. Instant Knockout’s formula has a goo helping of Vitamin B6

You may also be interested to learn Vitamin B6 can prevent muscle weakness. [SOURCE]

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 has similar energy-boosting capabilities to those of Vitamin B6 and shares can space with it in Red Bull. In fact, you’ll find both in just about any brand of energy drink you buy.

The other good thing about Vitamin B12 is it supports red blood cell production.

Red blood cells have the responsibility of carrying oxygen around the body. Your muscles need oxygen to function correctly. Especially during exercise.

Boosting oxygen delivery to the muscles and major organs can increase stamina and endurance as well. [SOURCE]

Chromium Picolinate

Like chlorogenic acid, chromium has the ability to regulate insulin and blood glucose levels.

It’s generally accepted that chromium picolinate is superior to alternative chromium-providing ingredients, so it’s good to see Roar Nutrition is using this form in their Instant Knockout pills. [SOURCE]

Piperine (10mg)

Piperine is an alkaloid that comes from black pepper. It’s a very common supplement addition.

However, piperine could be better seen as a helper ingredient rather than one that serves an active role.

The value of piperine stems from its ability to boost the absorption of other ingredients.

Usage Guidelines and Recommendations

The correct dose is one capsule, taken four times per day. This dose should not be exceeded and each dose will need to be taken with sufficient water.

Roar Ambition says it’s best to take one Instant Knockout capsule first thing in the morning and another before lunch. The third capsule is required during the afternoon and the final one is taken before dinner.

The recommended dosing schedule is:

8 am — 1 x capsule
11 am — 1x capsule
2 pm — 1 x capsule
5 pm — 1 x capsule

A lot of supplements are taken three times per day. If you are used to these kinds of supplements you may be wondering why Instant Knockout needs an extra dose.

There is a reason and it’s a good one.

When you swallow a supplement or medication, the ingredients are digested and enter the blood.

The levels in the blood gradually rise, peak, and then diminish. Roar Ambition chose to provide four doses instead of three to enable the levels to remain consistently high.

Please be aware, the formulation is not intended for women who are pregnant or nursing a child.

If you have existing health problems it’s wise to get medical advice before adding Instant Knockout to your daily routine.

The same goes if you are planning on using the product alongside other supplements or medications.

Instant Knockout Customer Reviews

A lot of men and women from all walks of life are heaping praise on the product. Is Instant Knockout legit? You bet it is!

A few typical Instant Knockout customer reviews read:

“Eat a low calorie diet, workout four times per week and take IK four times per day. That’s my recipe for success and it works like a charm. My chest is out, the pythons are pumping up nicely, and my abs have never been so lean and defined.”

“Instant K is doing wonders for my energy levels. I feel like superwoman these days. I can train harder and no longer feel so tired. My waist is smaller and my tush is looking really sexy and pert. As for side effects, there has been none at all. Other than getting a lot of extra attention from guys, that is ;)”

“Yeah, it’s good stuff. Does what it says on the tin. Helps me to work up a good sweat in the gym and helps me keep my workouts going. Im burning fat and looking lean and mean.”

“I’ve been using this for two months now. My boyfriend is on it too. It’s got us both looking great. Good for energy too. Just the thing if you want to push yourself harder but normally run out of steam.”

Celebrity Endorsements

A number of professional athletes use Instant Knockout and give it their recommendation. Greg Jackson is one of them.

Jackson is one of the top MMA coaches in the world and he recommends the product to all his trainees.

Diego Sanchez uses Instant Knockout too. If you don’t know the name, Sanchez was the Middleweight Champion of The Ultimate Fighter TV series (Season 1).

He initially used it to drop 45lbs and hit his target in just a few months. Sanchez continues to use Instant Knockout to maintain his lean physique.

Alexia Clark is also a fan of the product. If you don’t recognize the name, you may be familiar with her curves. Clark is one of the hottest fitness models on Instagram. With more than 1.5 million followers, she’s also one of the most popular.

On top of this, Clark is also a certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist. She knows her stuff, so her belief in the product says a lot.

Potential Side Effects and Interaction Issues

No side effects or interaction issues have been reported. However, the Instant Knockout fat burning formulation does contain a small amount of caffeine.

So, if you are unusually sensitive to caffeine or other stimulants, this may not be a good option. But if you can handle a cup of coffee, you and Instant Knockout should get along just fine.

Unlike a lot of other fat burners, Instant Knockout is not a stimulant-driven product.

Each one-capsule dose only provides 75mg of caffeine anhydrous. The green tea and green coffee bean will add a smidge more.

To make a quick comparison, each capsule provides a similar amount of caffeine to that in a small Starbucks cappuccino. A Starbucks venti cappuccino provides 150mg of caffeine. That’s twice as much as an Instant Knockout capsule.

A 75mg dose of caffeine is unlikely to make the average person jittery or have anyone bouncing off the walls.

However, Roar Ambition advises against using Instant Knockout alongside other sources of caffeine or stimulants. So, if you are an energy drink fanatic, you may want to bear this in mind.

Money Back Guarantee

Roar Ambition provides a 90-day money back guarantee. That’s very generous. Most of the top weight management products come with a 60-day guarantee. It’s becoming more and more the industry norm.

However, although all the leading diet pill manufacturers offer a money back guarantee, the manufacturers operating at the other end of the scale often offer no guarantees at all.

Instant Knockout Review Summary

Instant Knockout is more than just an intense fat burner for professional boxers and MMA fighters. Though, it’s a perfect option if that’s what you do.

It’s an equally good option for anyone else though. If you have some fat you need to burn, the formulation is strong enough to do it. No matter what your sex.

The formulation also contains ingredients to help you “fight” hunger urges and see your fat-loss battle through to the end.

It also provides extra energy and although the formulation contains caffeine to help, this is not a stimulant-driven supplement.

The two B vitamins increase energy in a natural way. And let’s not forget the formulation contains some zinc to boost testosterone levels. Ultimately, this will help increase energy too.

It’s hard to fault this product. It contains ingredients that will get the job done and it’s reasonably priced. It also comes with an extremely good money back guarantee.

Ask us if you should buy this fat burner and we’d have to say go ahead, knock yourself out.

Where to Buy Instant Knockout

Where is Instant Knockout sold? This is the question potential customers from USA, Canada, UK and Australia ask.

If you want to buy Instant Knockout you will need to do so via the official website. Roar Ambition doesn’t market the product via Amazon, eBay, or any third-party online stores.

So if it does appear to be available elsewhere, it’s a case of buyer beware. The product will probably be fake, will not work, and could have the potential to make you ill.

Restricting all sales to the official site is one of the ways Roar Ambition keeps the price so low. It’s not unusual. Most of the top supplement manufacturers adopt a similar stance.

VISIT INSTANT KNOCKOUT WEBSITE

Instant Knockout Buying Info

The official Instant Knockout website offers multiple currency options and orders are generally dispatched within 24 hours.

Each bottle provides a 30-day supply of capsules the site often offers customers some wicked deals.

At the time of this review, it was possible to get four bottles for the price of three. Roar Ambition calls this their Ultimate Shredding Stack and it comes with free worldwide shipping.