rchaves
New member
Hey guys,
Big two-parter here on Testofen*:
* Testofen is a concentrated fenugreek (trigonella foenum-greacum) seed extract standardized to 50% "fenusides". This herb has potent test-boosting qualities and should not be confused with standard fenugreek, which is used for insulin control.
1. Zeus
1a. What
I just finished a bottle (1-month supply). The recommended 2-capsule dose of Zeus has 350 mg of Testofen, and you take two doses per day (700 mg ED). The relatively short ingredient list also contains urtica dioica (stinging nettle root) and rhodiola rosea. Bioperine and piper negrum (black pepper) are also included to aid absorption. I won't tell you how much it cost because I live in Germany these days, where buying supps makes you feel like you're getting raped, compared to the sweet deals back in the States.
1b. Why
I grabbed a bottle based on what I thought was a decent ingredient profile, excellent feedback on bb.com (my bad?), and the two Gencor studies on Testofen. I wanted to increase free test levels with the associated (i.e. muscle-building) benefits.
1c. Impression
I'm less than impressed. I doubt whether I experienced the increased free test that is supposed to come from a Testofen-based product. I am still unable to find a doctor willing to do bloodwork, so I couldn't do a proper before/during/after comparison. The following will have to suffice: My strength continued to increase, but had done so before and continues to do so after. I did not increase LBM despite a suitable (heavy) training program, high-protein / high-calorie diet, and 8 h sleep per night. Other effects: Mild irritability, and that's not really the same thing as aggression and could easily be related to work-related stress. Itchy scalp, but I had that before/after anyways. No acne/bacne. No "alpha-male-like" feeling. And only mild or no libido enhancement. In short, it felt like I was taking a really expensive placebo.
1d. Negative side effects
None. It was capped and didn't upset my stomach in the least, so I did not experience any of the GI problems some people reported in the first few days of use nor the taste issues when using bulk powder. It also didn't make my urine smell like maple syrup, which I have experienced before when taking a normal fenugreek extract. No sensitive nipples as reported by some.
1e. Other products taken
Besides the usual (whey, BCAAs, glutamine, creatine, fish oil, glucosamine, EGCGs, multi-vit/min), the only other supps of note which *partially* overlapped the Zeus cycle are RPM, Drive, tribulus, and saw palmetto. Sorry I couldn't evaluate each on their own merit. I am powerless to the temptation of stacking. I often took Zeus at the same time as Drive and saw palmetto. That was the only time I "noticed" anything. But just like when taking Drive solo. I definitely respond well to icarrin. Anyways, that's another thread.
1f. Conclusion
I may be a Testofen "non-responder" or require a higher dose. Let's proceed under the assumption that the latter is true.
2. Other products that contain Testofen
So I just spent a few hours reading literally all of the Testofen-related posts here on AM. I think it's fair to say that the feedback is overall positive (although admittedly many non-responders as well), so I'm not giving up on Testofen yet. But I'd like to give some other similar products a try, perhaps those with a higher Testofen content and/or those with other ingredients stacked. Below I've compiled a near-complete list of all products which contain Testofen, and I note the amount of Testofen per capsule/tablet, if given.
For reference:
The competition (with known Testofen content), ordered by decreasing Testofen content:
The competition (undisclosed Testofen content), in alphabetical order:
Anything missing? Please let me know.
I mentioned already that I think I need to take a stronger product. Most people on the forums suggest starting with 600 mg ED and increase up to 0.8-1 g, e.g. 300 mg morning then 300 mg preworkout or with dinner. Zeus was dosed at 700 mg ED. Guess I've got some room to maneuver considering some people even mega-dose all the way up to 2-3 g.
I'm inclined to try a supplement which discloses its Testofen content. I generally avoid proprietary blends. TestoPro and Phyto-test are hands-down the most recommended Testofen products on AM, but that might be in part due to board reps here. Still, it puts them at the top of my list of next supp to try. TestoPro might be a bit underdosed, so I'm leaning towards Phyto-test, which would get me 800 mg ED. Thoughts?
Have you read this far? Hope you enjoyed the supp report and market research and find it useful. I welcome your advice and constructive criticism as always.
Cheers.
Big two-parter here on Testofen*:
* Testofen is a concentrated fenugreek (trigonella foenum-greacum) seed extract standardized to 50% "fenusides". This herb has potent test-boosting qualities and should not be confused with standard fenugreek, which is used for insulin control.
- Quick review of my experience with Fusion Bodybuilding Zeus
- Round-up of other Testofen-based products and request for advice
1. Zeus
1a. What
I just finished a bottle (1-month supply). The recommended 2-capsule dose of Zeus has 350 mg of Testofen, and you take two doses per day (700 mg ED). The relatively short ingredient list also contains urtica dioica (stinging nettle root) and rhodiola rosea. Bioperine and piper negrum (black pepper) are also included to aid absorption. I won't tell you how much it cost because I live in Germany these days, where buying supps makes you feel like you're getting raped, compared to the sweet deals back in the States.
1b. Why
I grabbed a bottle based on what I thought was a decent ingredient profile, excellent feedback on bb.com (my bad?), and the two Gencor studies on Testofen. I wanted to increase free test levels with the associated (i.e. muscle-building) benefits.
1c. Impression
I'm less than impressed. I doubt whether I experienced the increased free test that is supposed to come from a Testofen-based product. I am still unable to find a doctor willing to do bloodwork, so I couldn't do a proper before/during/after comparison. The following will have to suffice: My strength continued to increase, but had done so before and continues to do so after. I did not increase LBM despite a suitable (heavy) training program, high-protein / high-calorie diet, and 8 h sleep per night. Other effects: Mild irritability, and that's not really the same thing as aggression and could easily be related to work-related stress. Itchy scalp, but I had that before/after anyways. No acne/bacne. No "alpha-male-like" feeling. And only mild or no libido enhancement. In short, it felt like I was taking a really expensive placebo.
1d. Negative side effects
None. It was capped and didn't upset my stomach in the least, so I did not experience any of the GI problems some people reported in the first few days of use nor the taste issues when using bulk powder. It also didn't make my urine smell like maple syrup, which I have experienced before when taking a normal fenugreek extract. No sensitive nipples as reported by some.
1e. Other products taken
Besides the usual (whey, BCAAs, glutamine, creatine, fish oil, glucosamine, EGCGs, multi-vit/min), the only other supps of note which *partially* overlapped the Zeus cycle are RPM, Drive, tribulus, and saw palmetto. Sorry I couldn't evaluate each on their own merit. I am powerless to the temptation of stacking. I often took Zeus at the same time as Drive and saw palmetto. That was the only time I "noticed" anything. But just like when taking Drive solo. I definitely respond well to icarrin. Anyways, that's another thread.
1f. Conclusion
I may be a Testofen "non-responder" or require a higher dose. Let's proceed under the assumption that the latter is true.
2. Other products that contain Testofen
So I just spent a few hours reading literally all of the Testofen-related posts here on AM. I think it's fair to say that the feedback is overall positive (although admittedly many non-responders as well), so I'm not giving up on Testofen yet. But I'd like to give some other similar products a try, perhaps those with a higher Testofen content and/or those with other ingredients stacked. Below I've compiled a near-complete list of all products which contain Testofen, and I note the amount of Testofen per capsule/tablet, if given.
For reference:
- Fusion Bodybuilding Zeus (175 mg Testofen/cap, also incl. urtica dioica, rhodiola rosea, Bioperine, piper nigrum
The competition (with known Testofen content), ordered by decreasing Testofen content:
- Jarrow Formulas UpDrive -- 500 mg/cap, also incl. epimedium (icariin) and maca
- Primordial Performance Phyto-testosterone -- 200 mg Testofen/cap, also incl. methy
- NTBM HCGenerate -- 200 mg/cap, also incl. fadogia agrestis, DIV, tribulus, vitamin E, Long Jack, Zinc
- NSI TestosteRip Extreme -- 200 mg/cap, also incl. tribulus (min. 63 mg saponins) and 25 mg forskolin
- AI TestoPro -- 150 mg/cap, also incl. Divanil, I3C, Quercetin, Bioperine
- Double-T TestX6 -- 25 mg/cap, also incl. ZMA, DIM, avena sativa
The competition (undisclosed Testofen content), in alphabetical order:
- EP2 Andritest
- IDS Testofen-X -- discontinued?
- iSatori ISA-TEST -- also incl. tribulus, ecdysterone, DIM, L-dopa, Long Jack, melatonin, and more
- Nutrabolics Hemotest -- also incl. fadogia agrestis, cissus, icariin, Long Jack, tribulus, dodder seed, rhodiola rosea, and more
- Peak Performance Fenuplast
- PrimaForce Fuze -- discontinued?
- Scivation bulk powder / Fenotest -- discontinued?
- TapOut Sprawl Test Booster Xtreme
Anything missing? Please let me know.
I mentioned already that I think I need to take a stronger product. Most people on the forums suggest starting with 600 mg ED and increase up to 0.8-1 g, e.g. 300 mg morning then 300 mg preworkout or with dinner. Zeus was dosed at 700 mg ED. Guess I've got some room to maneuver considering some people even mega-dose all the way up to 2-3 g.
I'm inclined to try a supplement which discloses its Testofen content. I generally avoid proprietary blends. TestoPro and Phyto-test are hands-down the most recommended Testofen products on AM, but that might be in part due to board reps here. Still, it puts them at the top of my list of next supp to try. TestoPro might be a bit underdosed, so I'm leaning towards Phyto-test, which would get me 800 mg ED. Thoughts?
Have you read this far? Hope you enjoyed the supp report and market research and find it useful. I welcome your advice and constructive criticism as always.
Cheers.
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