Clen and Aerobic Capacity

[Siznoyton]

Is there a way to reap the thermogenic properties of clen without ruining your aerobic performance?

Also, I'm considering running clen during the first two weeks of PCT to stave off catabolism. Is this going to also negatively effect aerobic performance?

I can't seem to find a consensus on this topic...people either love clen or hate it.

I just need to cycle off ECAs for a while, and clen also is purportedcly anti-catabolic.

 

[SJA]

If you dose according to your tolerance, you should actually increase your aerobic performance.

 

[Brennon]

My aerobic capacity always goes down the crapper when I'm using T3/Clen. My VO2 went from 52 ml/kg/min to 38 ml/kg/min measured via metabolic cart.

 

[milwood]

keep it mellow. Clen works great in PCT for me, and I have a tendency to go catabolic pretty easily. Clen has never been a problem this way for me, however.

 

[SJA]

My aerobic capacity always goes down the crapper when I'm using T3/Clen. My VO2 went from 52 ml/kg/min to 38 ml/kg/min measured via metabolic cart.

Maybe the combo is the problem. Have you ever tried just clen alone?

 

[Brennon]

Maybe the combo is the problem. Have you ever tried just clen alone?

Could be...I've never gone and had it measured on clen alone. The only time I've used clen alone is modestly during PCT...but I usually don't do much cardio during PCT to tell a difference.

 

[Siznoyton]

I've heard from most people that it DECREASES aerobic capacity and might increase anaerobic capacity (sprints), that is why I ask.

As far as "keeping it mellow" during PCT, care to elaborate?

 

[Brennon]

I've heard from most people that it DECREASES aerobic capacity and might increase anaerobic capacity (sprints), that is why I ask.

As far as "keeping it mellow" during PCT, care to elaborate?

I've heard this quite a bit. I wonder why it is then that most of the US olympic cycling team was using it for 'exercise induced asthma'. I'm a Kinesiology major and at my university we had a guest speaker come in to speak about the 'dangers of performance enhancing substances'. He touched on clen and how dramatically it increases aerobic capacity and blah, blah, blah. I'll do a little digging on pubmed to see what I can find.

 

[Siznoyton]

Thanks

 

[Brennon]

Found this, but it was done on horses. Clen is extremely anabolic in a lot of animals (horses being one of them I believe). The added weight might contribute to the decrease in performance.

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Dec;34(12):1976-85.
[size=+1][/size] [size=+1]Clenbuterol diminishes aerobic performance in horses.[/size]

Kearns CF, McKeever KH.

Equine Science Center, Department of Animal Science, Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8525, USA.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this 8-wk study was to examine the effect of therapeutic levels of clenbuterol on aerobic performance and hemodynamics associated with exercise. METHODS: Twenty-three unfit Standardbred mares were divided into four experimental groups, clenbuterol (2.4 microg x kg(-1) body weight twice daily) plus exercise (20 min at 50% O2max; CLENEX; N = 6), clenbuterol only (CLEN; N = 6), exercise only (EX; N = 5), and control (CON; N = 6). All horses performed an incremental exercise test (GXT) to measure maximal oxygen consumption (O2max), blood lactate concentration, total plasma protein concentration, and hematocrit. Plasma volume, heart rate, right ventricular pressure (RVP), and pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) were measured before and after the treatment/training. Each horse also performed an exercise capacity test (ECT) in which they ran at their pretreatment O2max speed until exhausted. RESULTS: There were no significant changes in blood lactate, total protein, or hematocrit for any group during either the GXT or ECT. CLENEX decreased (P < 0.05) O2max (-6.2%) and velocity to O2max (-10.0%), whereas both CLENEX and CLEN decreased (P < 0.05) in time to exhaustion (-20.5+/-4.7 and -20.9 +/- 5.6%). EX alone increased (P < 0.05) O2max (+6.5%), velocity to O2max (+10.0%), velocity to produces lactate concentration of 4 mmol (+13.5%), and time to exhaustion (+32.3 +/- 15.0%). Plasma volume was altered (P < 0.05) in CLENEX (-10%) and EX (+27%) but not in CLEN. Posttest recovery HR was higher (P < 0.05) at 2 min post-GXT in the CLENEX, CLEN, and CON compared with their pretest values; RVP remained elevated at 2 min of recovery in the CLEN and CON groups; however, in the EX, recovery HR and RVP had returned to pre-GXT levels by 2 min of recovery. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the combined effect of therapeutic levels of clenbuterol and training decrease aerobic performance and that the resultant reduction in plasma volume may affect improvements in cardiovascular function during recovery normally seen with exercise training.

 

[Brennon]

I could only find studies on horses and rats, nothing demonstrated increased aerobic capacity. A few studies on humans were done with similar substances, but they only showed improvement in asthmatic patients. However, no reduction in aerobic capacity was noted in those that did not have asthma compared to a control group.

 

[SJA]

As far as "keeping it mellow" during PCT, care to elaborate?

Of course this would depend on your rat's tolerance, but if you keep the dosing low (no shakes and <80-100mcg) and cycle 1 week "on" 1 week "off", you won't be technically "cutting" while in PCT (which is pure evil to new mass). You would use it primarily to stave off the extra cals that are put in during PCT. It seems to give most rats an increase in endurance during cardio and lifting so you would have to be careful that your rat wouldn't be on the exercise wheel for very long