“Fat Burners” (aka thermogenics) come in all shapes and sizes. Oxy Elite Pro. Lipo 6. Hydroxycut. Etc.
Do they work? Are they dangerous? What are my thoughts on thermogenics?
Well, first off, I never used them during Round 1, 2 or 3. It’s not that I thought they were dangerous or harmful – it’s just that I was already spending my supplement budget on other things that I felt were helping me more than a thermogenic fat burner would. But then when I got the The Next P90X call midway through my mass“>bulking round 4 (when my body fat was higher than it had been in months), I decided to use a thermogenic as I set out to cut body fat in less than a month for the filming.
I used one of the most popular thermogenics, Oxy Elite Pro (by USP labs, the same folks who make Jack3d). The recommended dose is 2 pills in the morning, and then one more in the afternoon. The concept is that it will keep your resting metabolism higher, thus causing you to burn more calories during the day than you would without the thermogenic.
Thermogenics have all sorts of different ingredients, but the most common is caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant, which will definitely give your resting heart rate a bump and cause you to burn more calories. There are also lots of other ingredients (herbs and other items) depending on the thermogenic, which each manufacturer will claim makes their thermogenic better than the rest at boosting metabolism.
But the bottom line is that anything that revs up your heart rate WILL cause you to burn more calories, and thus will make it an effective “fat burner”.
One other aspect of most thermogenics is that they contain ingredients that suppress your appetite, which will cause you to feel less hungry and thus eat less. This increases the caloric deficit and can aid in fat loss.
With all of that said, what’s my conclusion about thermogenics? Do they work? Yes, I’d say they do. Are they magic pills that make fat melt away? No! They are definitely not. But will they help some. I say yes.
When I was taking Oxy Elite Pro this past month, I did notice that my appetite was reduced a bit, which is nice if you are trying to cut back on your cravings or on your sensation of hunger. This makes it easier to do that. I didn’t notice a big change in resting heart rate though, or in a feeling of being warm (as some report with thermogenics). So I wouldn’t call it very potent in that regard.
I still believe the best way to boost resting metabolism is some great High Intensity Interval Training in the morning! That will, without a doubt, melt fat all day! See my post from a couple days ago for more about HIIT.
Will I keep using thermogenics now that I’m done with the The Next P90X filming? No. I won’t. Again, it comes down to weighing the costs vs. the benefits of my supplements, and I would rather use my supplement budget on things like Shakeology, whey protein, recovery drink, and creatine. But that’s not to say that thermogenics are a waste of money. I think they really do work, but again, don’t expect them to be a little magic fat melting pill! Because they aren’t.
I hope this helps answer some of the most common questions about thermogenics and fat burners. Feel free to ask if you have more questions though! And keep melting fat by BRINGING IT and EATING RIGHT!!
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