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Fat Loss Supplements Part I
So, you’ve got your diet, cardio, and training regimens dialed in, but what supplements can actually give that last push towards fat loss? I’ll be covering thyroid hormones and clenbuterol in part I. Check my YouTube for info on DNP, a different kind of beast. All information that I’ll be covering is for entertainment purposes only. Be sure to check your country’s laws and comply with them accordingly. I am not a medical professional and I suggest seeking help from one for medical issues and prescription medications.
These are all serious and useful supplements to a dialed in diet, cardio, and training regimen for fat loss. Plan out your diet with titrating down the calories over time, cardio with titrating up the minutes >120bpm HR over time, training with maintaining strength, then think “what supplements can I add at the last 4-8 weeks of my cutting phase or contest prep to really dry me out?” As a rule of thumb, none of these should be taken if you’re over 15% body fat. If you are over 15% body fat, work on the diet, cardio, and training parts until you’re under that.
Thyroid hormones have long been used to help with fat loss among physique competitors. Basically, T4 is the prohormone of T3. This means that TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone released by the anterior pituitary gland of the brain) tells your thyroid to make T4 or you ingest T4 and a deiodinase converts the T4 to T3. T3 is the active hormone that is responsible for increasing metabolic rate via temperature regulation (sweating), lipolysis (fat breakdown), protein synthesis, and glycogen breakdown. T4 and T3 are peptide hormones (tyrosine based) so they have a very short half-life.
This all sounds great, right? But, this is a closed loop negative feedback system. That means that more T3 equals less TSH which equals less T4 made and less T3 available. So, just take more T3, right? Wrong. This could shut down your TSH from your brain, T4 from your thyroid, or at the least downregulate it for the rest of your life (bold for emphasis). T3 can be very effective with dosages as low as 10-20mcg per day. The idea is to use the minimum effective dosage over a minimum amount of time to reach your goals within a 4-6 week period.
A T3 sample protocol might be:
Week 1-2: 20mcg per day
Week 3-4: 40mcg per day
Week 5-6: 60mcg per day
This can be very productive assisting in dropping from 10% body fat to 5% body fat. T4 at 100-200mcg per day on the other hand can go along perfectly with or without HGH (human growth hormone) to allow for more prohormone available for TSH to convert to T3 and, in turn, metabolic rate. The caveat with supplementing with T4 is that you need sufficient deiodinase to convert that T4 to T3, which your body won’t do at very supraphysiological rates.
Clenbuterol and albuterol are beta-2 adrenergic receptor agonists. This means they expand your lungs allowing you to take better breaths, which is why they’re used for asthma, and also expand blood vessels, induce fat loss, muscle growth, and even stimulate insulin. So, what’s the difference? Clenbuterol has a half-life of ~40 hours and albuterol has a half-life of 6 hours. Clenbuterol can be a great tool for the end of a cutting phase or contest prep just like any of the supplements mentioned above, but can also downregulate and even inhibit the intended results if abused.
A clenbuterol sample protocol might be:
Week 1: 50mcg per day
Week 2: 80mcg per day
Week 3: 100mcg per day
Week 4: 120mcg per day
Week 5: 100mcg per day
Week 6: 80mcg per day
By following a conservative, minimum effective dosage protocol with these supplements, you can maximize the results and minimize side effects and lasting damage to your metabolism. I cannot stress enough that diet, training, and cardio come before the supplement aspect, literally and mentally. If you approach it that way, you’ll be much safer.
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Nick Trigili is a respected IFBB Pro bodybuilder and trainer. Check him out on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more informative content. Also make sure to visit his official personal training website – World Class Trainers.
