Thoughts on thermogenics?

[williamj92]

How's it going? First time post, so a little background info. I'm 6'3" and 205 lbs. I'm down from 220 because I could see my weight was getting out of hand and I kinda wanted to nip it in the bud. My motivation is high and I'm training 6 days a week (push, pull, legs, push, pull, legs, rest) with 15-20 minutes of cardio all 6 days.

My question is regarding thermogenics. I've decided I want to take fitness seriously and develop a strong and aesthetic physique. Right now, the only supplement I take is whey protein once a day right after my workout. What are your experiences with thermogenics and are they a good fit for me? My short-term goal is to get to 190 and then I can worry about optimizing my gains. If I implemented thermogenics, would this help me achieve this goal or should I just be patient and keep working out the way I am?

Also while I'm at it, I've heard nothing but good things about BCAAs and creatine. Are these supplements I should be researching as well?

If it's helpful, my TDEE is around 3500 and I'm intaking about 2000 calories with medium carb intake. This is a pretty substantial deficit already.

Thanks everyone for your time.

 

[hambone2493]

Use examine

Sent from my Moto E (4) using AnabolicMinds mobile app

 

[hambone2493]

It's a site that compiles studies so you can see exactly what works it's free

Sent from my Moto E (4) using AnabolicMinds mobile app

 

[Swindler]

I like termogenics if I am trying to drop a few pounds but I feel it is a good idea to incorporate some bcaas so to help retain some of the muscle that will possibly be lost also your calories are little low but how long have you been eating a 2000kcal a day

 

[Slimp Shady]

In very similar to you (6'3" 202 lbs on a cut from arpund 215) in my opinion keeping my diet right is the biggest factor in my fat loss. Im on a thermo now and idk about it decreasing fat on its own but the appetite suppression is very noticeable and I sweat profusely during workouts.

In my opinion if you pick a quality thermo it can help but sticking with proper nutrition will get you the same results in the end. I'd say its a personal choice, if you struggle with hunger or if you're at a plateau and cant find a way past it look into thermogenics but they're not miracle pills either.

 

[williamj92]

Thanks for all the replies.

I've been on 2000kcal for about 2 months now so I'm still pretty early into it. I have to admit that it wasn't exactly an honest 2000kcal for the first couple of weeks though. However, now I'm in the routine and it's pretty simple to hang near 2000. I don't struggle with hunger at all. I think that's partially a result of my work schedule not allowing much time to snack outside of lunch. Think I should up it a bit if I want to include thermos?

Also Slimp, that's kinda the response I was expecting. It seems like it'd just be a shortcut to where I want to be.

I'll check out examine when I get home and see what's up. Thanks for that resource!

I'll also be doing some research on bcaa's when I get home today. I don't want to go backwards.

Again, thanks for all the answers. Much appreciated.

 

[john.patterson]

How's it going? First time post, so a little background info. I'm 6'3" and 205 lbs. I'm down from 220 because I could see my weight was getting out of hand and I kinda wanted to nip it in the bud. My motivation is high and I'm training 6 days a week (push, pull, legs, push, pull, legs, rest) with 15-20 minutes of cardio all 6 days.

My question is regarding thermogenics. I've decided I want to take fitness seriously and develop a strong and aesthetic physique. Right now, the only supplement I take is whey protein once a day right after my workout. What are your experiences with thermogenics and are they a good fit for me? My short-term goal is to get to 190 and then I can worry about optimizing my gains. If I implemented thermogenics, would this help me achieve this goal or should I just be patient and keep working out the way I am?

Welcome to the forum. Regarding thermogenics, they can definitely be beneficial if your diet and training is correct. It sounds like you're on a good track and you have a good understanding of the way things work with calories. I like to use thermogenics for the focus and energy components more than for their "fat burning" properties. My go-to's are EC stack and Oxymax XT. EC is a well known staple on the forums, and it can be beneficial for increased energy and lipolysis. Oxymax XT is another favorite because it delivers awesome focus and mental clarity. I often feel foggy and have a hard time focusing and staying alert while dieting, so Oxymax XT helps me a lot.

Is there any reason you started on a 1500kcal deficit? That's a very extreme deficit, and doesn't leave too much wiggle room if you need to bring your calories down lower if you plateu. Interested to hear why you started at such a low number.

Also while I'm at it, I've heard nothing but good things about BCAAs and creatine. Are these supplements I should be researching as well?

BCAA's can be helpful while dieting, but they certainly aren't needed. I enjoy drinking BCAA's during training while dieting, but they won't make or break your progress and success. Creatine should be a staple supplement. For the price, the studied research, and the benefits that have been shown by using it, there's no reason not to add it into your staples. You could also check out Powermax XT, which is an intra workout product that contains both BCAA and creatine, along with a bunch of other solid ingredients to help you during training.

 

[Martyfnemec]

I do intermittent fasting from 10pm to 2pm and since I work a desk job (too much time to think about food), I like a thermo with stimulants and appetite suppressant properties. I have found that thermos like Radiate by RXS and Hell Fire by Innovative Laboratories give me the perfect burst of energy paired with that numbness regarding hunger. I use a second serving as part of my preworkout stack. If they actually burn fat on top of those two things, even better!

But as others said, no thermo will undo a bad diet. They simply supplement your efforts.

 

[fbaig]

I personally am not a huge fan of thermogenics specifically ones loaded with caffeine or other supplements. There are other ingredients in them that could be beneficial but I'd rather take them separately.

Also, there are a number of foods that have thermogenic or fat control properties that might be good to implement such as peppers, green tea, cinnamon, healthy fats etc.

 

[SFreed]

Another vote for Radiate. Plenty of logs here with great results and positive feedback. It is a pretty high stim product, so you'll want to keep that in mind.

 

[TheMyth]

How's it going? First time post, so a little background info. I'm 6'3" and 205 lbs. I'm down from 220 because I could see my weight was getting out of hand and I kinda wanted to nip it in the bud. My motivation is high and I'm training 6 days a week (push, pull, legs, push, pull, legs, rest) with 15-20 minutes of cardio all 6 days.

My question is regarding thermogenics. I've decided I want to take fitness seriously and develop a strong and aesthetic physique. Right now, the only supplement I take is whey protein once a day right after my workout. What are your experiences with thermogenics and are they a good fit for me? My short-term goal is to get to 190 and then I can worry about optimizing my gains. If I implemented thermogenics, would this help me achieve this goal or should I just be patient and keep working out the way I am?

Also while I'm at it, I've heard nothing but good things about BCAAs and creatine. Are these supplements I should be researching as well?

If it's helpful, my TDEE is around 3500 and I'm intaking about 2000 calories with medium carb intake. This is a pretty substantial deficit already.

Thanks everyone for your time.

Before you make your decision, let me send you some Radiate samples. Radiate was designed to curb your appetite, optimize metabolism, transport and burn fat, and give you energy that lasts without getting a crash. There's nothing else like it on the market, it's fully dosed to give results based off of studies! But I'll let the samples do the taking and you make the decisions! Hit me up via PM!

 

[Mowglisml]

Diet will be key and ultimately the top thing to help you cut fat., but so inquire TheMyth about radiate! It makes dieting easier when u can control hunger cravings.

 

[mickc1965]

How's it going? First time post, so a little background info. I'm 6'3" and 205 lbs. I'm down from 220 because I could see my weight was getting out of hand and I kinda wanted to nip it in the bud. My motivation is high and I'm training 6 days a week (push, pull, legs, push, pull, legs, rest) with 15-20 minutes of cardio all 6 days.

My question is regarding thermogenics. I've decided I want to take fitness seriously and develop a strong and aesthetic physique. Right now, the only supplement I take is whey protein once a day right after my workout. What are your experiences with thermogenics and are they a good fit for me? My short-term goal is to get to 190 and then I can worry about optimizing my gains. If I implemented thermogenics, would this help me achieve this goal or should I just be patient and keep working out the way I am?

Also while I'm at it, I've heard nothing but good things about BCAAs and creatine. Are these supplements I should be researching as well?

If it's helpful, my TDEE is around 3500 and I'm intaking about 2000 calories with medium carb intake. This is a pretty substantial deficit already.

Thanks everyone for your time.

TDEE seems a little high unless you are working in Construction or something similar?

You say you are eating 2000kcals a day, are you tracking on an app such as MyFitnessPal?

If your TDEE is 3500 and you are eating 2000kcals a day you should be losing 3lbs per week (that is too much IMO), I f you are not losing ~3lbs a week then either your TDEE or your caloric intake is incorrect.

BCAAs are unnecessary if you are getting sufficient Protein, what is your daily Protein intake?

Creatine is recommended

Now to your question, Thermogenics do not in my opinion raise your metabolism enough to justify their cost, diet and exercise are key to weight loss

 

[The_Old_Guy]

3500 seems high. Calculate your REE using this from Adel at Suppversity:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pO8Nryvez4FYbrWG3SmrzcJXsgCx2VpJjIh31BVm6YI/edit#g****0

**NOTE** this is REE, not TDEE, you need to add your estimated activity kcal burn to get TDEE, and be careful - people tend to waaaaay overestimate how much they are burning through exercise. Ideally, you would eat the exact energy each day, and do the exact activity each day, and track scale weight over a month to see if you are below, at, or above TDEE.

If the link gets massacred, look on this page for spreadsheet: Accuracy of Calculated Metabolic Rate in Athletes: Best and Worst Equations are +3% to -17% Off Measured RMR | Plus: Spreadsheet to Calculate Your RMR With Each Equation - SuppVersity: Nutrition and Exercise Science for Everyone

 

[AntM1564]

Fat burners are good, but depending on one's body fat levels, they do not need to be used right away. If someone has a higher body fat, a proper diet would be good enough. A good fat burner is OxyMax XT. I enjoy it not only for its thermogenic abilities, but also the boost in mood and provides and how well it controls my appetite. OxyMax XT has a full dose of forskolin in it, I enjoy F95 when cutting, and would suggest any supplement with it, due to its ability to increase lean mass while increasing fat loss. If you go with a fat burner without it, I would buy F95 capsules. Here is some information on it.

Forskolin increases metabolism, burns fat, breaks down triglycerides, and increases lean-body mass
The thyroid stimulating strength of forskolin has been compared to TSH (thyrotropin). Thyroid hormone levels are important for leanness.
Forskolin has increased total testosterone by 16% in male subjects during a 12-week trial.

https://www.t-nation.com/supplements/burn-fat-pile-on-muscle-with-forskolin

Fat Mass:  The colforsin group lost 4.52 kilograms (9,94 pounds) of fat, plus or minus 5.74 kilograms, while the placebo group lost only 0.51 kilograms (1.12 pounds), plus or minus 1.91 kilograms.
Lean Body Mass:  The colforsin group gained 3.71 kilograms of lean body mass (8.162 pounds), plus or minus 4.07 kilograms, while the placebo group gained 1.57 kilograms (3.45 pounds), plus or minus 2.56 kilograms.
Testosterone:  The Testosterone of the colforsin group rose 33.7 percent, while it decreased 18.35 percent in the placebo group.

https://www.t-nation.com/supplements/dont-kill-the-messenger

The total body weight of a mixed group of men and women in a 12-week study decreased from 74.7 kilograms to 73.5 kilograms while experiencing increases in lean body mass (without weight training).

https://www.t-nation.com/supplements/tip-the-t-boosting-capsule-you-need-to-take

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16129715

https://legionathletics.com/forskolin/

http://www.infinitelabs.com/forskolin-reviews/

 

[cheftepesh1]

I've used a few over the years and had varied results. During my several runs on level II by formutech. The basics of it is the way it increases my sweating during the entire day.

 

[KwayZee]

I've used many in the past and have had some great results - though you need to make sure your diet is dialed in first. They won't help much if you haven't got them done first.

 

[MARK_]

I like Level II by Formutech Nutrition. It’s an amazingly small scoop, but works pretty powerfully. It also provides great energy and works well to suppress appetite

 

[warbird01]

1. Diet
2. Cardio
3. Supplements

I personally like running a stim+non stim combo like EC+TTA-500.

EC is the king of thermos.

 

[williamj92]

I started at 2k because, to be quite honest, that kept me more than satisfied during the day. I honestly think it would take more mental effort for me to eat more than that. I could definitely do it but I didn't think it would be too bad of a deal if I was cutting that hard. Especially since I am getting married in 4 months and I wanted to feel pretty good there. I am concerned now based on what everyone is saying that I should increase my intake. I have read mixed research on whether or not it's good to snack occasionally or to incorporate more calories into my meals. Any input on the snacking situation? Should I try to snack more instead of just having 3 600-700 kcal meals a day like I currently do? Would it be detrimental if I just upped the meal intake and dodged snacking? It can be hard to snack at work.

Also it seems like EC and Radiate are gathering some hype so I think I will take up the sample and figure it out from there. I'll definitely incorporate creatine too since it seems unanimously a good idea.

One more question. How many reps should I be aiming to complete each day? It seems like 8-10 per set is good but right now I'm only getting about 50 reps per day. I've heard that number should go up with experience and 50 is fine for now though. Just curious and wanted a second opinion.

God bless y'all. You're all so helpful and I'm grateful for all the input.

 

[TheMyth]

I started at 2k because, to be quite honest, that kept me more than satisfied during the day. I honestly think it would take more mental effort for me to eat more than that. I could definitely do it but I didn't think it would be too bad of a deal if I was cutting that hard. Especially since I am getting married in 4 months and I wanted to feel pretty good there. I am concerned now based on what everyone is saying that I should increase my intake. I have read mixed research on whether or not it's good to snack occasionally or to incorporate more calories into my meals. Any input on the snacking situation? Should I try to snack more instead of just having 3 600-700 kcal meals a day like I currently do? Would it be detrimental if I just upped the meal intake and dodged snacking? It can be hard to snack at work.

Also it seems like EC and Radiate are gathering some hype so I think I will take up the sample and figure it out from there. I'll definitely incorporate creatine too since it seems unanimously a good idea.

One more question. How many reps should I be aiming to complete each day? It seems like 8-10 per set is good but right now I'm only getting about 50 reps per day. I've heard that number should go up with experience and 50 is fine for now though. Just curious and wanted a second opinion.

God bless y'all. You're all so helpful and I'm grateful for all the input.

PM and I'll get some samples of Radiate sent your way brotha!

 

[Slims]

PM and I'll get some samples of Radiate sent your way brotha!

Not to sound cheeky, but is there any chance you could send me some samples too? I'm currently in a lean bulk/recomp and the reviews on Radiate have really sparked my interest.

 

[Rk6187]

Thanks TheMyth for sending free sample. The product does provide a good appetite suppression if you plan on working ou fasted. Following my fasting window of 16 hours, I do use radiate for 2-3 more hours of suppression. But since it's sucralose it will break your fast due to insulin just an FYI

PM and I'll get some samples of Radiate sent your way brotha!

 

[Slims]

Whilst I'm in here...
What are peoples thoughts/experiences with the thermogenic effects of Capsaicin and green tea extracts?