Brad Murphy

CardaLean Review – Legal Cardarine GW501516 Alternative for Cutting

Updated on January 3, 2022 by Brad Murphy

A Supplements that is comparable to Cardarine GW501516 and alternative available over the counter. Cardalean is a cutting SARM (selective androgen receptor modulator). It is right for you, should you use it and how does it compare to other similar fat loss pills?

Cardalean review — CARDALEAN mimics the fat burning effects of Cardarine, conditioning your muscles to work harder and retain more nitrogen oxide. This results in more intense training sessions and rapid fat loss, with improved endurance and extreme vascularity.

PROS
Legal Cardarine GW501516 alternative
No safety issues
Comparable results to steroids
Orally taken (no injections)
Stimulant free

CONS
Official website exclusively sells
Not available in some countries (check website)

VERDICT – HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
SARMS are big – move over steroids. If you want a cutting supplement that can give you results without sacrificing safety then Cardalean is a must.

CARDALEAN is a natural and legal alternative to Cardarine, a muscle and performance enhancer used by bodybuilders. CARDALEAN targets fat cells, increases endurance and promotes extreme vascularity.

Available from the official BrutalForce website – special offers and promo’s are in effect.

Order Cardalean

The website has been translated into French, German, Italian and Spanish. You can also pay in Canadian $, Australian $ and UK £. There are coupon codes for BrutalForce running from time to time usually displayed at the bottom of the order page

What is CardaLean

CardaLean is a dietary supplement that functions as an extreme fat burner and endurance enhancer. It was developed for people who want a safe alternative to Cardarine (GW501516).

Cardarine is an experimental drug that’s popular with athletes. It’s a bodybuilding favorite that’s often grouped with SARMs (selective androgen receptor modulators).

SARMs are experimental drugs that function in a similar way to steroids.

However, they are generally believed to be less dangerous because they only bind with the androgen receptors in muscle and bone.

Steroids are less “selective.” They bind with all androgen receptors. This is one of the reasons steroids have so many side effects.

Although it is a common addition to SARM cutting stacks, Cardarine is not a SARM. It’s a peroxisome proliferator-activator-receptor delta agonist (PPARo) that was developed during the early 1990s as a treatment for certain types of tumors.

Trials of the drug were stopped in 2007 after several years of study revealed it has too great a potential to cause harm.

The research also reveals Cardarine’s significant abilities as a performance enhancer and fat burner. Its ability to burn fat while also protecting existing muscle mass make it especially attractive to bodybuilders and fighters.

Many athletes including the heavyweight boxer Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller have received sanctions for using Cardarine.

There is a big demand for a safer, more acceptable alternative to Cardarine, and CardaLean is widely acknowledged as being the leading substitute. The combination of plant extracts and amino acids it provides delivers Cardarine-like benefits without presenting the same risks to health.

cutting SARM — A supplement that works like Cardarine (GW501516). Cuts body fat and preserves lean muscle mass safely. Legal steroid.

Who Makes CardaLean?

CardaLean is manufactured and distributed by Muscle Club Limited. It’s part of the company’s Brutal Force range of supplements. It’s one of the most popular bodybuilding brands.

Muscle Club Limited is a British company that produces its supplements in FDA-approved facilities in the USA and ships them worldwide.

Muscle Club Limited is a reputable company that offers a 100-day money-back guarantee, along with an excellent level of customer service via email, telephone, and online chat.

Other SARMs in the range include OstaBulk a substitute version of Ostarine and RadBulk a A legal replacement to RAD 140. Ligabulk is a bulking SARM based on Ligandrol LGD-4033.

Main Benefits and Selling Points

CardaLean provides the following Cardarine-like benefits:

Explosive energy
Enhanced endurance
Extreme fat burning and muscle protection
Improved vascularity

CardaLean Ingredients at a Glance

Each (3-capsule) serving of CardaLean provides:

Wild Yam Root (750 mg)
Panax Ginseng (375 mg)
L-Arginine-Alpha-Ketoglutarate (150mg)
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (75mg)
L-Citrulline (75 mg)
Puncture Vine (37.5 mg)

How Good Is the CardaLean Formulation?

There are only six ingredients in CardaLean and all of them are good. Unlike a great many bodybuilding supplements, this one isn’t carrying any dead weight.

Let’s take a look at the individual ingredients one by one.

Wild Yam Root (750 mg)

In addition to being a food, wild yam is also a popular medicinal herb. Most supplements that provide it contain extracts taken from the roots.

Wild yam is often used as a natural remedy for rheumatoid arthritis and some women find it helps reduce the symptoms of menopause.

Much of wild yam’s medicinal value is due to a plant chemical called diosgenin. It’s a precursor to several important hormones. Testosterone is one of them. An excellent addition to the Cardalean formula.

Testosterone is an important androgen hormone and steroid. It’s as important for muscle growth as it is for healthy sexual function because it’s a key player in protein synthesis.

Many athletes take steroids and SARMs because they act like super-potent versions of testosterone.

Instead of trying to replace testosterone, supplements that provide wild yam enhance protein synthesis by boosting testosterone production.

Rather than messing with nature, they help the body do what it would normally do but do it more efficiently.

In addition to aiding protein synthesis, testosterone also boosts vitality and supports fat loss.

Panax Ginseng (375 mg)

Ginseng is one of the most famous aphrodisiacs in the world. It’s also one of the most important Chinese healing herbs and is associated with so many life-improving capabilities it’s generally considered somewhat of a cure-all.

There are several varieties of ginseng but Panax ginseng has the greatest potency so it’s good to see that’s the form being used in Cardalean.

Ginseng is an adaptogen. Herbs of this nature offer protection from physical and mental stress. Some of them, and ginseng in particular, also boost energy so it’s a good inclusion for a supplement that aims to help you improve the way you train.

Many of ginseng’s virtues are due to compounds called ginsenosides. Research shows one of the things they do is increase plasma, total, and free testosterone. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9063034/)

L-Arginine-Alpha-Ketoglutarate (150mg)

Arginine-alpha-ketoglutarate (AAKG) provides the amino acid L-arginine as an easily absorbable salt.

AAKG boosts nitric oxide (NO). Supplements that do this are known as NO boosters.

AAKG and similar NO boosters enhance vasodilation. This is a process that relaxes the blood vessels, improving circulation.

By improving circulation, AAKG helps the muscles get extra oxygen and nutrients. This enhances training capability by delaying lactic acid build-up. A great inclusion in Cardalean’s cutting SARM pill.

Lactic acid forms in the muscles during exercise. When it builds up it causes the pain that makes further exercise impossible. (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-does-lactic-acid-buil/)

AAKG doesn’t stop the build-up but it does delay it helping you to train harder and get better results.

By getting extra nutrients to the muscles, AAKG can also enhance muscle growth but, needless to say, you need to make sure your diet is sufficiently nutrient-rich.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine (75mg)

Acetyl-L-Carnitine is a popular supplement ingredient that provides the body with extra L-carnitine.

L-carnitine is an amino acid your body uses to build muscle. In addition to being a building block of muscle, L-carnitine also functions as a performance enhancer. It helps your body to burn extra fat too. It’s a busy bee.

Unlike certain other ingredients that help you to burn fat, L-carnitine helps you to lean up without losing muscle. That ability alone makes it a perfect choice for the CardaLean formulation but it gets better.

L-carnitine also supports improvements in testosterone. Research proves its ability to support fat loss while also increasing muscle mass. The same research shows L-carnitine also reduces fatigue. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5872767/)

L-Citrulline (75 mg)

L-Citrulline is another good inclusion. Like AAKG, it’s an NO booster so the two ingredients should work well alongside each other.

Puncture Vine (37.5 mg)

Although you may not be familiar with the name “puncture vine”, if you already have prior experience with bodybuilding supplements you will probably be familiar with this ingredient’s botanical name. It’s Tribulus terrestris.

Tribulus terrestris is a medicinal herb that’s popular in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine.

Herbalists use Tribulus terrestris to treat a variety of ailments including ones relating to sexual function. The herb has a longstanding reputation as an aphrodisiac.

Not surprisingly, Tribulus terrestris is a key ingredient in many male potency boosters and Viagra substitutes. It’s also present in an untold number of bodybuilding formulations.

The herb’s value in both areas is the result of its ability to boost testosterone.

Correct Way to Use CardaLean – Guidelines and Considerations

Cardalean 90 capsules dietary supplement

The dose is three CardaLean capsules, taken once each day. The best time to take CardaLean is 20 minutes before eating breakfast. You take it daily, regardless of whether or not it’s a training day.

As with similar options, including SARMs, you need to use CardaLean alongside a suitable diet and regular training.

To get the maximum benefit, you need to use the supplement for at least two months. You can use it for longer if you wish but it’s best to stick to a cycle of eight weeks on followed by 1 1//2 weeks off.

If you have experience using SARMs you may be used to using them in a stack. You can do this with CardaLean too.

Although there is nothing to stop you from building your own Brutal Force stack, there is no need to do so. CardaLean is one of four supplements included in the Brutal Force Ripped Cutting Stack.

It’s also part of the trio of supplements in the Goliath Strength Stack.

Who Can Use CardaLean – Suitability Precautions

CardaLean is suitable for most people but women who are pregnant or nursing a child should not use it without checking with a doctor first.

People who have existing health issues or would need to use the supplement alongside medication would be wise to seek medical advice too.

CardaLean may also be unsuitable for people who have certain food allergies. A warning on the bottle states the supplement if manufactured using machinery that may also process milk, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish.

CardaLean Side Effects

CardaLean does not have any known side effects.

Buying Options (Where to Get CardaLean and What It Costs)

You can only buy CardaLean from the Brutal Force website. It’s possible to buy it as a standalone product or as part of a stack.

Order Cardalean

At the time of this review, CardaLean cost $59 per bottle. Customers who buy two bottles get a third bottle free.

The site also offers regular flash sales. When one of these is running, it’s generally possible to get a further discount of up to 20%. The Cardalean coupon codes usually are detailed on the bottom on the website.

Does CardaLean Have a Guarantee?

CardaLean has a 100-day money-back guarantee.

Review Conclusion (Is CardaLean Worth the Money?)

CardaLean is a very impressive bodybuilding supplement produced by a reputable supplier. Thanks to the presence of several very credible ingredients, it should be able to do everything the Brutal Force website says it will.

If you are seeking a good Cardarine alternative, we recommend this one 100%. The formulation is first-rate, as is the money-back guarantee.

FAQ’s

Is Cardalean a steroid?

No it is not a steroid or a banned substance. Although It has the ability to cut fat from your body on cutting cycles it contains natural ingredients

Can women use Cardalean?

Yes absolutely.There is nothing in the formula that would prevent a woman from using this SARm for cutting and fat reduction.

Can I stack Cardalean with other SARM’s?

Yes you can use in tandem with other supplemenets.

Buying PrimeShred – A Review of a Great Fat Burner that Does What it Says on the Tin!

Updated on January 3, 2022 by Brad Murphy

A hardcore fat burner that increases thermogenesis, raises the metabolic rate in step with calorie burning – this is PrimeShred. It can also provide extra energy and focus with a nootropic ingredient includes. We like Prime Shred – see what you think.

Prime Shred hardcore fat burner — A fat burning supplement for men and women that is being ordered in vast quantities in the US, Canada, Australia and the UK

PROS
Increase fat loss
Speed up metabolism
Doesn’t reduce lean muscle mass

CONS
Too strong for some
Exclusive to official website
Not available in some countries

VERDICT – STRONG BUY
“It’s a superior option for bodybuilders and other athletes who want to burn fat while also retaining or improving their existing muscle mass.”

There are special offers and discounts from the official PrimeShred website. There is also free delivery. All order have a 100 day (over 3 months) guarantee!

Visit PrimeShred Website

What is PrimeShred?

PrimeShred is a hardcore fat burner manufactured in the USA for Muscle Club Limited. It’s not intended for general weight loss. PrimeShred is designed for men and women who are trying to build their ideal physique.

As with any other fat-burning product, you need to use PrimeShred alongside a low-energy diet.

Although reduced-calorie diets are good for helping you to burn fat, they are not so great for your muscles. In addition to burning fat for energy, your body can also burn protein.

It typically burns considerably more fat than protein because your stores of fat are your body’s secondary source of fuel. However, when your diet fails to provide enough calories, it’s still normal to burn a little muscle protein too.

When your body burns muscle protein it causes reductions in muscle mass. If you’ve worked hard to get in shape, that’s the last thing that you want.

PrimeShred isn’t a normal fat burner. It’s a specialist product that helps you to burn more fat and do so without losing muscle.

A superior fat loss pill for bodybuilders, athletes who want to burn fat and retain or improve their existing muscle mass.

Gym goers who have serious competitive goals typically use PrimeShred when they are trying to lean up before competitions.

It’s also a good option for those times when you need to drop your extra poundage quickly so you can look good on the beach during a vacation or for weddings or other special occasions.

When you are controlling your energy intake and training hard it can unbalance your hormones and play havoc with your state of mind.

On the one hand, mood issues can affect your training. On the other, they may make you more inclined to comfort eat. That’s why PrimeShred also provides ingredients that regulate mood and help you to maintain a positive state of mind.

Benefits of PrimeShred

Lose pure fat, not muscle
Transform your body
Break through plateaus and strip stubborn fat

How Does PrimeShred Work?

PrimeShred is a thermogenic fat burner that increases your daily calorie expenditure in a couple of ways, forcing your body to burn extra fat.

As with less specialized products, PrimeShred boosts your metabolism, making it faster. When metabolism increases, you burn more calories of energy than normal when you are exercising. You even burn extra calories when you are relaxing or asleep.

If you were eating normally, your body would simply take the calories it needs from your food and then store the excess as fat. During cutting cycles, it cannot do this. Because your energy intake is so low, it has to burn extra fat.

Thermogenic Fat Burner

PrimeShred also increases thermogenesis. It’s an ongoing biological process that generates heat within your body. The heat created via thermogenesis radiates from your body into the atmosphere around you.

If you’ve ever been jogging in sub-zero temperatures and seen steam rising from your skin, you may have an idea how this works. Like some of the ingredients in PrimeShred, exercise increases thermogenesis.

Increases Metabolism

Heat is energy. When you are losing extra energy as heat, while dieting, you have to burn even more fat.

In addition to increasing metabolism and thermogenesis as simpler fat burners do, PrimeShred tweaks the activity of fat-burning hormones and enzymes. This helps you to get even more superior results.

The formulation also boosts energy and mental focus making you less prone to fatigue. The improvements in energy and mental focus also enable you to perform better during training.

What’s the Best Way to Use PrimeShred?

The dose is three PrimeShred capsules per day. You take them 20 minutes before eating your breakfast.

You need to take the capsule daily, not just on your training days.

Ingredient Profile

Each (3-capsule) dose of PrimeShred Provides 12 key ingredients in the following quantities:

Niacin (15 mg)
Vitamin B6 (1.3 mg)
Vitamin B12 (24 mcg)
Green Tea (500 mg)
L-Tyrosine (300 mg)
Rhodiola (250 mg)
L-Theanine (250 mg)
Caffeine Anhydrous (225 mg)
Cayenne Pepper [10:1] (200 mg)
DMAE Bitartrate (150 mg)
Green Coffee Bean Extract [4:1] (100 mg)
BioPerine (5 mg)

The capsule shell contains Hypromellose, not gelatin. PrimeShred is a 100% vegan-friendly fat-burning product.

What Do the Ingredients Do?

Now we reach a very important part of the review. It’s time to look at the ingredients’ abilities and discover what they bring to the table.

B Vitamins

All three of the B vitamins in PrimeShred are present in most energy drinks because they help your body extract energy from food.

B Vitamins are water-soluble. Your body cannot store them so you need to consume them every day. When you are following a low-energy diet, it’s easy to become deficient. If this happens your energy levels will suffer so it’s good that PrimeShred provides a top-up.

Niacin is an especially useful addition because it improves circulation. By doing this, it helps your muscles get extra oxygen and nutrients. This delays lactic acid build-up, enabling you to train your muscles a little longer and harder before the pain forces you to stop.

Research suggests Vitamin B12 and other B vitamins stimulate the production of brain chemicals that prevent depression so these three nutrients add value to the formulation in several ways. (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/vitamin-b12-and-depression/faq-20058077)

Green Tea (500 mg)

Green tea is a popular natural fat burner. It’s popular because it works. There’s a mountain of research to support using green tea in this way and 500 mg is a good dose.

Green tea helps you to burn extra calories and fat by increasing metabolism and thermogenesis. Research shows the green tea catechins that are responsible for this also reduce LDL cholesterol. This makes green tea potentially good for the heart. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17557985/)

L-Tyrosine (300 mg)

L-tyrosine is an amino acid. In addition to being a building block of muscle, L-tyrosine is also a precursor to important neurotransmitters that are necessary for clear-headed thinking and help regulate mood.

So, regardless of whether you need to improve your mood or mental focus, this often undervalued amino acid can help.

Rhodiola (250 mg)

Also known as Arctic root, Rhodiola rosea is a medical plant that’s been exploited by herbal healers for thousands of years.

Rhodiola is an adaptogen. Plants that fall into this group provide natural compounds that help make you less susceptible to physical and mental stress.

People often consume Rhodiola to fight fatigue, anxiety, and depression. It gets a lot of respect for its abilities in these and several other areas.

Study data suggests 200 mg to 600 mg per day is a safe and effective dose, so the 250 mg PrimeShred provides is about right.

L-Theanine (250 mg)

L-theanine is an amino acid that’s present in green tea and certain species of mushrooms. It’s often added to nootropic supplements because it supports a very special state of mind people describe as an “alert calm.”

Basically, it helps you to chill out and calm down without slowing you down by causing sedation. That’s a benefit you may appreciate if you are looking for something to help keep your training periods stress-free.

Caffeine Anhydrous (225 mg)

Caffeine is a popular stimulant that’s good for boosting energy levels and clearing the mind. Lots of bodybuilding supplements contain caffeine because its revitalization abilities can help you to train.

Caffeine is also present in many diet pills because countless studies show it supports fat loss by increasing metabolism and thermogenesis.

Unfortunately, caffeine’s abilities are often abused by manufacturers who load their products with stupidly high doses. One of the reasons they do so is because caffeine is cheaper than most of the alternatives.

The dose PrimeShred provides is bang on the mark and should provide maximum benefits without jitters or other unpleasant side effects.

Cayenne Pepper [10:1] (200 mg)

Cayenne pepper provides capsaicin. If you haven’t heard of it, where have you been? It’s one of the most exciting natural fat burners to emerge in recent years.

Although there’s already plenty of research that proves the capsaicin in cayenne can improve fat loss by boosting metabolism and thermogenesis, the benefits don’t end there.

The ingredient can also make your life easier by reducing hunger.

Furthermore, cayenne’s ability to support fat loss also appears to be due to the way it affects brown adipose tissue (BAT).

Cayenne stimulates increases in BAT and, believe it or not, that’s not a bad thing.

Most of your body fat consists of white adipose tissue (WAT). When BAT increases, it causes reductions in WAT. You could say BAT is a fat-burning fat. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780323485593000105)

Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is only swapping one type of fat for another. On a molecular level, BAT is denser. It takes up less room than WAT.

DMAE Bitartrate (150 mg)

DMAE Bitartrate is an organic ingredient that’s often present in supplements. Especially ones that aim to benefit the mind.

DMAE bitartrate is a useful addition here because it improves motivation and mental focus. Let’s not forget PrimeShred is a fat-burning supplement that’s specially designed to work well for people who like to train.

Green Coffee Bean Extract [4:1] (100 mg)

The PrimeShred website says green coffee bean extract increases metabolism and thermogenesis. This may be so, but its ability to do these things is often questioned.

However, regardless of the method of action, research involving overweight men and women suggests green coffee bean extract can reduce body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6683100/)

BioPerine (5 mg)

BioPerine is a superior-strength black pepper extract that’s standardized to be at least 95% piperine.

Piperine is an alkaloid that boosts ingredient absorption, allowing you to obtain the maximum benefits from them.

Some manufacturers put basic black pepper extracts in their products. There’s nothing wrong with that but it’s great to see PrimeShred has BioPerine instead because its greater potency makes it a far superior option.

Does PrimeShred Cause Side Effects?

Muscle Club Limited says there are no side effects. However, the pills contain caffeine. That makes them unsuitable for anyone who does not tolerate the stimulant well.

PrimeShred does not contain an unreasonable amount of caffeine though. You’d get a similar hit from drinking a couple of cups of coffee. You may want to bear that in mind before taking PrimeShred alongside an energy drink or a strong cup of coffee.

PrimeShred Buying Options and Considerations

Visit PrimeShred Website

You can only buy PrimeShred from the official website (Wal Mart, Walgreen CVS and GNS do not sell). At the time of this review, a 30-day supply of pills (90 capsules) cost just under $50 – USA pricing. That’s very reasonable. Many alternative products with less to offer cost considerably more.

Buying Prime Shred in Canada

If you a Canadian customer you cannot purchase Prime Shred in store from Shopper Drug Mart, Costco or any of the big pharmacies and health stores. The price per bottle is $59.99 CAD with price promo codes and discounts available.

PrimeShred Australia Price

Buying PrimeShred in Australia is exclusive to the official website – Australian pharmacies do no stock. If you bought one bottle it is $64.99AUD – there are discounts and promo’s available

PrimeShred in UK Cost Price

British people cannot order from Holland and Barrett, Superdrug or Boots the Chemist. The cost for a single bottle is £34.99 with price breaks for multi bottle orders and purchases.

Unfortunately, when you only order one bottle you get lumbered with a small shipping charge. If you don’t like additional charges (and who does?) it makes sense to order an extra bottle or two. When you do that, the shipping charge is waived.

Even if you don’t mind paying for shipping, it may still be a good idea to order a couple of bottles because Muscle Club Limited will throw in an extra bottle free of charge.

If you go for three bottles, it’s better still. That will get you five bottles for the price of three.

Guarantee

PrimeShred has a 100-day money-back guarantee. That’s very good and you don’t even need to return your empty bottles.

PrimeShred Review Conclusion

Although PrimeShred may not be the ideal option for the average person seeking weight loss, it’s a superior option for bodybuilders and other athletes who want to burn fat while also retaining or improving their existing muscle mass.

Someone clever individual(s) at Muscle Club Limited has put a great deal of thought into developing this product. The ingredients profile is first-rate and all the inclusions are present in effective amounts. There hasn’t been any scrimping at all.

It’s especially good to see Muscle Club Limited hasn’t resorted to overusing caffeine like so many other manufacturers do.

Instead of getting heavy-handed with the caffeine content or including additional stimulants, the company has added B vitamins. That was a smart move and the formulation is all the better for it.

As far as the PrimeShred cots in concerned, it’s priced very competitively . Even if you only buy one bottle and have to pay for the shipping, the overall cost is very reasonable.

And let’s not forget Muscle Club Limited is providing its customers with a surprisingly lengthy money-back guarantee. When it comes to this particular product, Muscle Club Limited gets full marks all around.

Atrafen Review – Thrermogenic Weight Loss Aid

Updated on October 14, 2021 by Brad Murphy

Atrafen make several weight loss supplements for both men and women. This review is for Atrafen Elite a professional strength thermogenic fat burning supplement.

PROS
Reputable brand
Some good ingredients
Some positive feedback from customers

CONS
Some weak ingredients
Some bad customer reviews

VERDICT – LOOK ELSEWHERE
Atrafen contains ingredients that should help it achieve the desired aims, but the amounts involved are not stated and it is possible the pills may not contain enough.

Atrafen could be worth a shot, but the 30-day guarantee does not allow customers much time to test the pills, and customers who buy direct from the official site won’t be able to pull their money back at all, so Atrafen will never get a place at the top of our list of best diet pills.

Recommended Alternative
We recommend PhenQ – a multi action fat burning supplement with a good level of weight loss success for both men and women

What is Atrafen?

Atrafen is a diet pill brought to market by Nutratech Health LLC. The company state they were so sick of seeing so many hyped up products, being sold with unrealistic claims, they wanted to create something better.

Atrafen was the result and they say it is “a breath of fresh air in the most hyped up and downright dirty market around.” What a great idea! The only problem is PhenELITE contains the exact same formula. It’s a cheaper option and is marketed by an entirely different company.

This suggests Atrafen is white label product that will likely be found hiding behind many other companies’ labels. If that is so, Nutratech appear to be pretty good with hype themselves.

Nutratech Health also produces a diet drop version of the formulation (Atrafen Thermodrops), a companion product for night time use (Atrafen PM), and a carb and fat blocker (Orlistol). So far none of the products have set the dieting world alight.

How Does Atrafen Work?

Atrafen is designed to provide several benefits that may help people to lose weight:

Appetite suppression
Faster “revving” metabolism
Significant fat burning
Greatly enhanced energy and focus

If the formulation can do the things it is intended to do, dieters using Atrafen should find it easier to forgo the hunger pangs that could make it hard to stick to a calorie-controlled diet.

They should also find their reduced calorie intake does not leave them feeling overly tired. If the pills are capable of “revving” up the metabolism, the body will burn calories faster and will be more likely to need to start burning fat as an alternative source of fuel.

Key Ingredients

Each capsule provides 600mg of a proprietary blend.

The Atrafen Proprietary Formula contains unspecified amounts of the following nine ingredients:

Raspberry ketone: Further study is needed, but research conducted by scientists in Korea suggests raspberry ketone is a fat burner that “holds great promise”.
African mango extract: Research suggests supplementation with African mango (Irvingia gabonensis) may “favorably impact body weight” and be a “useful tool” in the fight against obesity.
Acai fruit extract: A super-nutritious fruit extract that has has an excellent reputation as an appetite suppressant and is equally favored as a fat burner.
Green tea extract: A proven fat burner. Green tea is also rich in antioxidants that can boost the health.
Resveratrol: A phenol that is naturally-occurring in grapes. Research suggests it can help support weight loss, but it is not one of the more popular ingredients.
Caffeine anhydrous: Caffeine is a stimulant that is good for boosting mental focus and increasing energy levels. It’s also a thermogenic fat burner. Caffeine anhydrous is one of the most popular caffeine providers because it’s believed to have a higher potency.
Kelp: The iodine provided by kelp may encourage the thyroid to produce extra amounts of (metabolism-enhancing) T-hormones.
Grapefruit powder + Apple cider vinegar: In the recommendations set out for his Swimsuit Slimdown Plan, the weight loss expert, Dr Oz suggests drinking one cup of grapefruit juice (with two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar), before meals, to accelerate fat burning.

Usage Instructions

Neither the official website or the Amazon sales page provide any information about the amount of pills that are required each day, the frequency of the doses, or any other usage considerations that may apply.

Atrafen Customer Feedback

The Amazon sales page has many positive reviews. Some of them are unusually long. This usually occurs when people have been given free bottles of pills to coerce them into leaving a review.

Most of the reviewers don’t admit this, but one reviewer states he originally awarded the product five stars to “get my free bottle” then reduced the rating to three stars because it was “so-so” and failed to live up to his expectations.

A few other reviews read:

“Piece of junk. Did nothing at all.””

I’ve not weighed myself yet, but these are good diet pills that work, so I am giving them 5 stars.””

Pills did zero to suppress my appetite or help me lose weight, I do not recommend.”

Atrafen Side Effects & Health Issues

The possibility of side effects is not mentioned, but the pills are unlikely to be suitable for women who are pregnant or nursing a child. Anyone who has existing health problems should always consult a doctor prior to commencing a weight loss regimen or using any brand of supplement for the first time.

The same advice is offered to people who are taking medication or planning to use two or more supplements together.

Atrafen Purchasing Options & Considerations

There are 60 capsules in each bottle. Customers who purchase directly from the manufacturer’s site can expect to pay $41.99 per bottle (or £GBP equivalent). Shipping is extra. Customers who purchase via Amazon generally save a couple of dollars and do not need to pay any shipping charges at all.

Guarantee

The Atrafen sales page on the official website states there is a “100% money back guarantee”. The returns policy shows this is not so.

It states returns will only be accepted if the product has not be used and is still in the original packaging. The returns policy is only good for 30 days. Amazon customers need have no worries though. If the company fails to honour its guarantee it should be possible to claim via the Amazon Returns Policy.

Atrafen Summary – The Bottom Line

What does it do: Atrafen is designed to provide several benefits that may help people to lose weight including fat burning and appetite suppression

Pros: Contains some good ingredients

Cons: Appears to be rebrand of an existing cheaper product. Customer comments and feedback not great

Atrafen contains ingredients that should help it achieve the desired aims, but the amounts involved are not stated and it is possible the pills may not contain enough.

Many customers say the pills worked well for them though, and that’s a good sign. However, the fact that the manufacturer may have been fishing for feedback by dishing out free pills takes away a lot of the shine. Especially when there are so many other customers who say the pills are a fail.

Atrafen could be worth a shot, but the 30-day guarantee does not allow customers much time to test the pills, and customers who buy direct from the official site won’t be able to pull their money back at all, so Atrafen will never get a place at the top of our list of best diet pills.

Recommended Alternative to Atrafen

Our preference is for PhenQ – a multi faceted diet pill that has a good level of customer feedback from both experts within the industry and customers alike.

PhenQ is a fat burner, fat blocker and appetite suppressant – it is suitable for just about anyone.

Read our impartial assessment of PhenQ here

DMAA Pre Workout – Is It The Best Supplement Choice Prior to Working Out?

Updated on November 24, 2021 by Brad Murphy

What is a DMAA pre workout and should you be using this kind of supplement to help with your workout? We review what it actually is, how to take them, when to take them and what the dangers are. We will also list some DMAA alternatives.

Please Note: to re-iterate the site’s policy, this article is for information and education only. In no way do we endorse the use of harmful stimulants or substances which are banned by any drug agency, or that are on their watchlist. If you are looking for a legal pre workout that is formulated legally and correctly look at CrazyNutrition Pre-Train

Although there is some degree of controversy regarding its use, DMAA (1,3 dimethylamylamine) continues to be a very popular supplement ingredient – especially in the pre-workout supplement market.

The FDA is in the process of restricting the sale and distribution of products containing the stimulant, though that has never stopped a substance’s circulation before.

People should know, however, that using DMAA comes with risks of side effects, and caution must, absolutely must, be top priority.

The present controversy surrounding the use of DMAA began after some users began abusing it and taking overly high doses and experienced severe side effects. In some cases it has even been linked to fatalities.

Armed with this knowledge it is all too easy to put total blame on DMAA for being a dangerous ingredient. We would advise against using it. yes. However, in cases where serious side effects have occurred, the most common denominator is the user’s carelessness.

Numerous studies also show DMAA is a safe ingredient when it is used in the recommended way. Having said that, it always makes good sense to advice from a medical professional prior to taking any new form of supplement of embarking on a weight loss/bodybuilding regimen.

What is DMAA?

DMAA is an organic compound that is traditionally sourced from geraniums. For this reason supplement manufacturers often call it geranium oil or geranium extract, but it is also known by a number of other names including methylhaxaneamine and geranamine.

It has a powerful stimulant effect that can make it particularly valuable to bodybuilders and its ability to function as a thermogenic fat burner makes it equally favoured by people who are searching for an effective weight loss supplement.

Although naturally-sourced DMAA is usually considered to be the preferable option, it is also possible to synthesize the ingredient under laboratory conditions. It has been speculated that synthetic DMAA is now more prevalent than the natural form.

A couple of supplement companies (who now no longer operate) added synthetic DMAA to a product, claiming it was sourced naturally from geraniums. This has been studied by the scientific community and shown to be false. There is no way the levels of DMAA in the products could have come from natural sources.

REF: Di Lorenzo C(1), Moro E, Dos Santos A, Uberti F, Restani P – Could 1,3 dimethylamylamine (DMAA) in food supplements have a natural origin? – Drug Test Anal. 2013 Feb;5(2):116-21. doi: 10.1002/dta.1391. Epub 2012 Sep 3

DMAA and Fat Burning

Although DMAA is known to function as a fat burner its powers can be greatly increased when it is combined with other ingredients, such as caffeine, and some studies indicate the combined powers of DMAA and caffeine may increase the metabolic rate by 35% and improve fat burning abilities by over 169% (compared to the placebo group).

Fat burning can be triggered in a number of ways. In fact, the body can trigger it without the need for supplementation and does so any time a shortage of calories occurs. This is, of course, the reason why a calorie controlled diet is so important for dieting success.

Fat burning supplements provide a means of triggering fat burning sooner than normal or in situation where fat burning would not normally be initiated. In the case of DMAA, the effect is achieved by stimulating the central nervous system in a way that sets off an internal chain reaction that achieves the desired effect.

DMAA and Bodybuilding

Like any stimulant, DMAA can be useful when taken prior to a workout session because the extra energy it provides can enable the user to achieve a higher degree of training intensity.

However it can also provide another benefit that may seem to be counterproductive.

Many bodybuilding formulations – NO (nitric oxide) boosters in particular – are designed to provide vasodilation. This is a process that causes a slight increase in the diameter of the blood vessels that allows the muscles to receive extra oxygen and nutrients.

DMAA is a vasoconstrictor, so it does just the opposite. Slightly narrower blood vessels may reduce the amount of nutrients available to the muscles, but it also encourages muscle hypertrophy with a lower intensity and some bodybuilders report favourable results.

Possible Side Effects

Despite the ongoing controversy regarding its use, numerous scientific studies show DMAA can be used in a controlled and safe manner.

REF1: Bloomer RJ1, Farney TM, Harvey IC, Alleman RJ – Safety profile of caffeine and 1,3-dimethylamylamine supplementation in healthy men – Hum Exp Toxicol. 2013 Nov;32(11):1126-36. doi: 10.1177/0960327113475680. Epub 2013 Feb 19.

REF2: Schilling BK(1), Hammond KG, Bloomer RJ, Presley CS, Yates CR. – Physiological and pharmacokinetic effects of oral 1,3-dimethylamylamine administration in men – BMC Pharmacol Toxicol. 2013 Oct 4;14:52. doi: 10.1186/2050-6511-14-52.

As with any substance, problems are more likely to arise when abused. DMAA is occasionally used as a party pill, for instance, and people who use it in this way have reported side effect such as nausea and headaches. In one case a potent mix of alcohol and DMAA resulted in a cerebral haemorrhage, but DMAA was never intended to be used in such a manner.

Should You Use a DMAA Pre Workout – Recommendations

From the scientific studies we have researched (some of which are linked out to on this page) we can draw some conclusions with respect to the use of DMAA.

Our advice: Don’t use it. There are plenty of alternative options that are safer and effective.

There may be one or two studies which show that DMAA can be used safely. The same can be said for most steroids and other drugs. However, the exact knowledge of how your body will react, or how much of the substance is in any specific supplement is something you may not have.

Alternative Pre Workout Supplements – Instead of DMAA

A majority of pre workout supplements are made for men or made to be loosely unisex. There are very few that are made exclusively for women. Powher pre workout is refreshingly different – it has a formula that contains ingredients that have been formulated for a woman’s body.

If you are looking for a pre-workout, a muscle building supplement or legal steroid alternative D-Bal Max should be given some serious consideration. Take 3 tablets a day and turn your body into an anabolic environment to train harder, build bigger muscle and recover faster.

1-Androsterone (1-DHEA) for 1-Testosterone Supplement

Updated on April 18, 2022 by Brad Murphy

1-androsterone is a chemical that is found in the body and may be changed to other chemicals, such as testosterone. It’s not known how safe or unsafe 1-androsterone is for your health. There are concerns it may cause side effects similar to those caused by other “muscle-building” hormones.

The US is the most fluid market for this type of product and they will likely not be available anywhere else, legally or not.

This article is intended for people looking to get some information and perhaps a direction to go thereafter.

Introduction to 1-Andro

Also Known as 1-Andro, this is a precursor to 1-Testosterone. It is currently being sold on the US market as a preprohormone due to its 2-step conversion to 1-Testosterone.

1-Testosterone is the prohormone to Testosterone.

The idea behind the preprohormone is to get around the sticky legal problem of manufacturing a prohormone (made illegal now under the 2004 Anabolic Steroid Control Act) by creating something which is itself removed.

It’s currently legal in 2016, we will have to wait and see whether its status changes!

NOTE: when we talk about the US market and FDA, the information can still be used by people from many different countries.

Who Is 1-Andro Intended For?

The people who will use 1-Andro (1-DHEA) is the INTERMEDIATE group. Not beginners, but not hardcore yet.

Serious amateurs and professionals use steroids and other hormone like products. If you’re already into ‘roids, SARMs and/or prohormones then a preprohormone like this is not going to light your fire. Personally I would use OstaBulk instead!

(…unless you are in an off-season light cycle or otherwise taking a break from steroids)

The beginner, on the other hand, needs to get through a whole bunch of excellent supplements and more serious workouts before their gains will plateau.

Noobs out there…start with Creatine, Protein, Beta Alanine, Betaine, Phosphatidic acid, Natural GH and Test Boosters etc. and go from there.

Intermediates may have reached their first or second plateau and want something other than a training boost or diet change to kick things back into gear.

1 Andro is what some of them will be looking at…

Some background on the matter

A steroid known as Boldenone converts to dihydroboldenone (aka 1-Testosterone) when it reacts with the enzyme 5AR (5 Alpha Reductase).

This is a lot like the way Testosterone converts to DHT (dihydrotestoterone).

The big difference is that 1-Testosterone does not aromatize (convert) to estrogen, where Testosterone does.

Estrogenic side effects like gynecomastia and water retention are examples of the major drawback of testosterone and other similar structured steroids.

Even our own natural testosterone converts a little to estrogen.

That’s the advantage of the prohormone 1-Testosterone: minimal estrogenic feedback effects.

Also, with less conversion to DHT, acne and baldness are less of a concern, though it is still highly androgenic so there will be some of those side effects for the predispose individual.

1-Testosterone had benefits but also side effects, such as extreme tiredness and potential loss of sex drive.

All of this is moot in a way as it was banned alongside most other primary prohormones.

Then came 1-Testosterone’s Precursor 1-AD (1Androstenediol)

We’re not quite on to 1-Andro yet so hang in there.

Confusingly the 1-AD in the product 1-AD from Hi Tech Pharmaceuticals is indeed 1-Andro…NOT, 1-Androstenediol.

The latter is a 1-step conversion to 1-Testosterone (the prohormone discussed above). In this way it was one of the earlier preprohormones.

1-Androstenediol suffered the same fate as the prohormone group by way of the 2004 Anabolic Steroids Control Act courtesy of the FDA.

Enter 1-Andro

Finally, we get to the point.

With 1-Testosterone and 1-Androstenediol out of the picture (in a legal sense), the next logical step is, in fact, what has materialized.

It seems the closer you are to a full bore anabolic steroid – in terms of biochemical steps in the body – the shakier the legal ground.

That’s why the newest preprohormone to be flogged on the market is 2 steps away from 1-Testosterone.

Remembering of course that 1-Testosterone is itself the precursor to Testosterone, that’s quite a few steps.

Nonetheless, the only study (as of 2016) involving men using 1-Andro, is highly promising.

The Major Problem

The US legal status of anabolic steroids means they are very under-studied for the purposes of bodybuilding in particular.

The same can be said for prohormones. And any product like 1-Andro – a pre-prohormone – is likely to be taken off the market before it can get any real scientific traction.

This is problematic for potential users because they won’t get a proper perspective on the benefits or the negatives without controlled human studies.

Furthermore, optimal dosage is only really discovered through repetitive trials (that’s why we know pretty darn well how much creatine, caffeine and protein should be taken).

This is an issue pervasive across the supplement industry. Lack of sports-applied research means that we may have a promising ingredient, but not enough knowledge of how to apply it.

1-Androsterone – Bottom Line

The chemical form of the hormone is known as a prohormone, which are converted to other chemicals in your body. These types of hormones include testosterone and estrogen.

There are Potential Side Effects

There are concerns that this steroid may cause serious side effects similar to those caused by other “muscle-building” hormones such as decreased sperm count, problems with fertility, enlarged prostate, bladder cancer or liver damage.

There’s also concern it might increase cholesterol levels leading to heart disease (heart attack). Some men who use steroids become violent or aggressive.

They can even develop mania where they feel like they have superhuman strength or are invincible. This has led them into dangerous situations involving fights or car accidents while driving under the influence of these drugs!

VolcaNO Extreme Review – by Force Factor, Nitric Oxide Booster

Updated on October 3, 2021 by Brad Murphy

Will VolcaNO Extreme give you the pump. Read the review and find out what’s in it, how it works and what its user say.

Force Factor VolcaNO Extreme helps you achieve your maximum strength and power potential, it triggers a potent mind-muscle connection and unlocks relentless pumps and endurance…

…according to Force Factor, the manufacturers.

Nitric oxide boosters that come in capsule form have never gotten past me without getting completely ripped apart.

Capsules simply don’t have the space to fit the mass of powdered ingredients required to give you a good muscle pump.

For starters, the current scientifically proven dose of Citrulline-Malate (the most effective NO booster known) is between 6000 mg and 10000 mg, i.e. 6 to 10 grams.

And that’s just the first ingredient. Muscle pump, NO boosting, vasodilation pre-workout drink powders usually go on to include some other pump ingredients, plus the usual energizers and muscle nutrients.

Try and take that as a pill and you’d be swallowing something the size of one of King Kong’s nuts.

With that said, I’m willing to give anything a chance. After all, there could be some kind of new ingredient that I haven’t yet tried.

Why Use Force Factor VolcaNO Extreme?

I don’t know about you, but for me the pump is extremely important.

I’ve been studying supplements and muscle building for years, and ever since the start I’ve been tinkering around with individual ingredients and formulations trying to get swole AF on a daily basis in the gym.

Dietary nitrates are my first stop: lots of leafy greens and foods like beetroot. But a well stacked pre-workout supplement puts ingredients together that would otherwise be tricky to acquire.

Force Factor make some other products that I’ve been pretty impressed with, for example LeanFire Ultimate, which is a good fat-burner, albeit a pricey one.

So, putting my misgivings about capsule NO boosters aside, Force Factor say Volcano Extreme is legit, and it does contain a decent spread of ingredients.

I’ll open up the formula next and have a look at what it can actually do for you.

What Are the Ingredients and Dosages?

Each bottle of VolcaNO Extreme contains 90 pills, which equates to 30 servings at 3 capsules each.

Force Factor advise you to take it on workout and rest days so that’s a 30 day supply.

There is two blends within the formula. Bother are completely open-label, i.e. we know the precise inclusion rates of the ingredients.

Nitric Oxide Strength Matrix – 3150 mg

1500 mg – Inositol-Stabilized Arginine Silicate (Nitrosigine ®)
750 mg – L-Citrulline
750 mg – Creatine HCl (CON-CRET ®)
150 mg – Grape Seed Extract

Mind-Muscle Optimization Blend – 105 mg

100 mg – Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine (AlphaSize ®)
5 mg – Toothed Clubmoss

Nitrosigine is a stabilized arginine silicate which lasts a lot longer than regular arginine in the human body. According to the research [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4603712/] it is fast acting, elevating serum (blood) arginine levels within 30 minutes.

It also keeps them elevated for more than 1.5 hours. The study used a 1500 mg dose and so does VolcaNO Extreme. Arginine is the principal NO booster in the body.

Citrulline is considered better than basic l-arginine as an oral supplement because it survives the initial break-down process and makes it to the kidneys where it is converted to arginine.

Usually, L-Citrulline is taken at doses of 4 to 6 grams and when combined with malic acid to form Citrulline-Malate it is often taken in 6 to 10 gram doses for maximum effect.

VolcaNO Extreme contains only 750 mg of L-Citrulline. This may have some positive effect due to the presence of Nitrosigine.

Creatine HCl included at 750 mg is not altogether that useful. Creatine accumulates in your cells, forming a phosphocreatine reservoir. Creatine monohydrate is still the cheapest and best, and is my recommendation for creatine supplementation.

The small inclusion of creatine here feels like an afterthought.

Grape Seed Extract studies have shown an impressive increase in blood flow as a result of supplementation. However, they employed much higher dosages of 2 grams and 400 mg (from the two most relevant studies so far).

AlphaSize is a patented form of Alpha-GPC, which is one of my favourite ingredients of all time.

The mind-muscle connection is a weird, undefined, almost pseudoscientific phenomenon, but to anyone who lifts, it’s as real as it gets.

Alpha-GPC boosts neurotransmitter acetyl-choline which has a major influence on the neural triggering of muscle contraction force…ergo, the actual mind and muscle connection.

It’s a good ingredient, and one that is expensive to get hold of in any meaningful amount.
Ideally you’d want 500 mg of the stuff but you won’t find that much in a multi-ingredient product because it would cost so much.

Toothed Clubmoss is in for its Huperzia serrata, or Huperzine-A, content. It works in concert with Alpha-GPC because it inhibits the enzyme – acetylcholinesterase – that breaks down the acetylcholine that Alpha-GPC boosts.

Will The Force Factor VolcaNO Extreme Work for You?

When I first looked through the ingredients on the label of VolcaNO Extreme I was unimpressed.

That’s mostly because when I have an “NO booster” in my hand, I look for some key NO boosting ingredients and their inclusion dose.

Citrulline is often the first one I look for, and it’s in at 750 mg which is about 15% of the dose you ordinarily take.

Creatine is almost pointless in this product. You can buy 6 months worth of creatine monohydrate for half the price of Volcano Extreme.

The Nitrosigine, Alpha-GPC, and Huperzine-A sort of neutralize my urge to be wholly negative though. They are great ingredients, but they wouldn’t make me spend another pile of cash on this product.

My opinion: stick with your heavily dosed pre-workouts for getting swole.

Recommended Alternative to Force Factor VolcaNO Extreme

There are hundreds of pre workout supplements on the market with a hundred different ingredient profiles.

We consider D Bal Max to be a premier supplement as it contains high dosages of the ingredients to get the most from your workout.

D Bal Max is suitable for men and women and for people of all levels from the beginner to the competitive trainer