Black Lion Testosterone Booster – Fat Burner – Detailed Review

Black Lion CapsulesBlack Lion is a capsule supplement with the tagline “Complete Male Optimization”. The products is described as a thermogenic testosterone booster, which essentially means it is supposed to burn fat as well as increasing your testosterone levels.

The description goes on to call it a “natural brain supplement and estrogen blocker” as well. It really is attempting to be the complete male solution.

The company – Raw Synergies – sell Black Lion on Amazon where it costs about $60 (£45) for a month’s worth of capsules.

What is sold on Amazon and what is shown on the RS website, however, have 2 different formulas displayed. We shall review the recipe posted on the company website because we trust Amazon resellers about as far as we can throw them.

Click here to find out which testosterone booster is the best

Black Lion – Advertised Benefits

This supplement is designed to be a kind of all-in-one for men. It has the following benefits, according to the manufacturer:

  • Burns Fat
  • Boosts Testosterone levels
  • Boosts Energy levels
  • Improves Cognitive Function
  • Increases Muscle Gains from Training
  • Heightens Libido
  • Provides Anti-Aging effects

That is a lot of stuff for a couple little pills to accomplish. The recipe has got to be on point for all of those effects to be noticeable.

Of course, a few of the ingredients are doing more than one thing. Thermogenic fat burning ingredients are also energy boosters, and some of the testosterone boosters are actually just libido enhancers.

Raw Synergies make a point of saying they don’t do proprietary blends and they include effective dosages. Let’s see what they have.

Ingredients

Black Lion IngredientsThe following ingredients and inclusion rates are in 2 capsules of Black Lion:

Fenugreek [500mg]: an ingredient that has been around a long time in similar products. It has been hailed as a testosterone booster for many years. And while some studies say it can do this, the results are inconclusive. One effect is that it reduces some testosterone from being converted to DHT. For muscle builders this might actually be counterproductive since DHT is more powerful an anabolic muscle builder than testosterone.

Ashwagandha [300mg]: neuroprotective and enhances libido and virility. It’s even good for anxiety according to research. Not very effective for testosterone boosting, but a great ingredient nonetheless.

Citicoline [150mg]: a nootropic or cognitive function enhancer. Provides an acetycholine boosting effect, which is a major neurotransmitter. This in turn can have multiple benefits from improved mental energy, working memory, and even speed or force of muscle contraction.

Forslean [125mg]: one of the few ingredients that can burn fat while also boosting cholesterol. It’s probably the main player in the formula and the dose is sound.

Caffeine [100mg]: an old favourite in fat burners. It is thermogenic (via cAMP elevation which Forskolin also does). If it makes it to the testicles it can even boost testosterone a little.

Longjack [100mg]: perhaps more famous as Tongkat Ali has reliable evidence that it can boost libido. It has some research in favour of anti-estrogen effects, but not necessarily testosterone boosting.

3,3’-Diindolylmethane [100mg]: testosterone converts to estrogen eventually, or at least some of it does. This awesome molecule that comes from broccoli can block some of that conversion by inhibiting aromatase, the enzyme that mediates it.

Theacrine [50mg]: similar to caffeine and its effects but theacrine might have almost no tolerance ceiling which means your body won’t start to get used to it and it won’t become useless after habitual use like caffeine does.

Side Effects

Doctor ApprovalMen with no health issues or allergies to the ingredients will be fine. If you are sensitive to caffeine or any of the other inclusions then avoid it.

The guidelines tell you to take it slow and try one pill for the first few days. Follow the advice on the packaging.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women should not go anywhere near Black Lion. Neither should kids or elderly people.

Find out from your doctor if you can take it if you have a medical condition and/or are taking prescribed or off-label medication.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Prime Male Testosterone BoosterRaw Synergies are correct when they say that they don’t use pathetic dosages. The doses are way better than 90% of the supplements we test.

The downside is that there won’t be much testosterone boosting here. It’s an okay all-round supplement and has some great inclusions, but your free testosterone levels won’t go much higher than they are. Same goes for fat burning.

The positives: your libido/sex drive will probably increase, your cognitive function also. There will be some fat burning and testosterone boosting but the major advantage to Black Lion is its ability to block estrogen. That in itself might be of use to a lot of guys.
If you want to find out which testosterone booster is the highest rated, follow the link below and read the quick article.

Click here to discover the best testosterone boosters available

Appetite Suppression and Glucomannan – Important Fat Loss Advice

Losing Weight The key to losing fat is calorie control. There are lots of ways to describe different diets and eating habits, and lots of “gurus” out there who will claim to have the definitive answer.

Ultimately, however, losing weight comes down to one simple rule:

Calorie Intake < Calorie Expenditure = Weight Loss

If the amount of calories you eat total less than the amount you use / burn / metabolize in a given period – let’s use a day for simplicity – then you will lose some weight.

Now, the type of weight you use – fat, muscle, a mixture of both – is largely determined by other factors, such as exercise and the sorts of foods you are eating.

We’ll get to muscle retention through food intake soon, but most valuable to you right now is probably the ability to eat less.

Physical and Mental Aspects of Calorie Control

Hunger Junk CravingsDieting is difficult for two main reasons:

Physical – your body is used to a certain way of doing things, food intake included. If you change this, then in simple terms, it will initially protest and feel a little discomfort (hunger), perhaps weakness until it starts to actually feel better from it. The timeline varies between individuals.

Mental – food is a comfort when you are feeling crap. Eating is an activity when you are bored. Sweets and junk are basically a drug, and fat just makes things tasty. Let’s not talk even talk about starchy carbs!

There’s a huge psychological factor to consider when you are dieting. Sometimes you’re not even physically hungry, but you still stuff your face with fast food. If that isn’t a mental thing, then we don’t know what is.

There are tricks you can use to defeat both the physical and mental goblins, and we’re going to talk about a very specific one right now.

Glucomannan

Instant Knockout CapsulesThe root of the Konjac plant is home to a type of fibre (/fiber) called Glucomannan. It has an interesting property that not many other natural fibres have.

It can absorb many more times its own volume of water. This interested scientists and supplement companies for the purpose of losing weight.

In the stomach, Glucomannan forms a comfortable mass, which can reduce the physical cravings for food.

Provided at least a tall glass of water (minimum of 250 ml / 8 oz) is taken with the glucomannan product, it works and is completely safe.

Glucomannan products are generally taken half an hour before meals, but never before bed.

Products Containing Glucomannan

A brief internet search will find you a lot of brands that have made a Glucomannan product. This might be a good option if you are going the cheap route and just want to try it out.

The best products we have found are those that combine the glucomannan into a formula with other ingredients: fat-burners, appetite suppressors, carb blockers, energy boosters and so on.

Of course, being the conscientious sorts that we are, we have an excellent product recommendation for you.

Product Recommendation

Instant Knockout Review

Instant Knockout comes highly Recommended

Instant Knockout is the best fat loss product available as far as we are concerned. It contains the perfect blend of fat burners, energy boosters, nootropics and, of course, Glucomannan.

It contains a great formula which gives actual results, and is endorsed by some of the world’s fittest people – including professional fighters who live and die by the weight category they have to make for a competition.

Not only that but it’s available at some great price deals, and can be shipped anywhere in the world.

When we found it, we jumped on it immediately.

Take a look at our review by following the link below.

CLICK HERE to read more about Instant Knockout

LeanMode – from Evlution Nutrition – Stimulant Free Fat Burner Review

Lean Mode BottleLeanMode is the stimulant free fat burner on Evlution Nutrition’s weight management product line.

It is the stim-free option against their stimulant based fat burner TRANS4ORM, which we have reviewed separately (click here to read it).

Generally speaking stim-free fat loss products are designed for people who don’t like the feelings associated with stimulants, nor the crash that can occur afterwards if they are particularly sensitive.

They are also good for people who work out at high intensities and don’t want their heart rate to be increased even further unnecessarily.

CLICK here to read about the TOP fat burner

Advertised Benefits

LeanMode is described as having the following benefits:

  • Metabolism Support
  • 5 Modes of Action
  • Appetite Support
  • Stimulant Free
  • Fat Burner
  • Gluten Free

All of the above are pretty routine for most fat burners. The specifics of the “5 Modes of Action” are to do with the ingredients in the formula; five main ingredients with five different ways of exerting their effects.

How Does It Work Without Stimulants?

MetabolismIt might seem like a non-starter for some little capsules to do any serious damage to body fat without at least some form of stimulant to rev you up.

The truth is, some of the better weight loss ingredients are not stimulants. They work in different ways but can still be effective. Here are some examples of those modes of action:

  1. Appetite Suppression
  2. Mood Improvement
  3. Fat Transportation to cell mitochondria
  4. Conversion of Fat for Fuel during exercise
  5. Non-stimulant Thermogenesis

Of course, the key is the formula, the ingredients within it, and the dosages at which they have been included. These are really the only factors to consider where a product’s efficacy is concerned.

Ingredient Formula

The following ingredients and their associated inclusion rates are in 3 capsules of LeanMode:

500mg – Garcinia Cambogia extract (60% HCA)
500mg – Green Coffee Bean extract
500mg – CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid)
500mg – Acetyl-L-Carnitine
250mg – Green Tea Leaf extract

Green CoffeeIf you’re wondering whether Green Coffee should be included in a stimulant-free formula it can be assumed that it has been decaffeinated, as within most green coffee extracts.

Green Tea leaf is also a point of discussion for us, because it can be stimulatory at times.

So, LeanMode is not completely stim-free if we’re being strict, but it’s as close as possible while containing something of a thermogenic fat burning element.

Our Thoughts on Dosage and Guidelines

The above inclusion rates are for 3 capsules, and 3 caps is the daily serving. Therefore, those are the daily totals.

With that in mind, we’d probably multiply each ingredient’s dose by 3, except for the Green Tea which could be x2.

To be clear: WE ARE NOT advising you to take 3 times the dose. It’s more a case of scientific research studies suggesting that each ingredient is more effective at about the 1500mg per dat mark (with 500mg for green tea).

That said, Evlution Nutrition might have some super extracts which we are not aware of, and we still advise you to FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES on the packaging.

Side Effects

Woman DoctorWe didn’t experience any negative side effects when taking LeanMode.

One of the main reasons for using a stim-free fat burner is basically to eliminate the potential for many of the common side effects associated with fat burners.

Again, however, we reiterate our earlier point that you should follow the usage guidelines on the label.

There are some people who should not use LeanMode, regardless of its stimulant free recipe. Pregnant and nursing women must avoid all supplements which have not been approved by the doctor.

People with medical conditions, or those taking prescribed medication should also avoid products like this unless they have been specifically cleared by their doctor.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Instant Knockout Fist Bottle

You can use LeanMode when you’re not using IKO

As stim-free fat burners go, Lean Mode from Evlution Nutrition is one of the better ones. We’ve seen some howlers though, so that’s not necessarily saying much.

Burning fat is a tricky business with pills. The ingredients really do have to be top notch, and at least some of them have to be included at powerful doses.

LeanMode might be a good support product if you are taking a break from the stimulant-based fat burners for a couple of weeks and still want to take something in the meantime.

Just don’t expect miracles with this one.

CLICK HERE to find out which Fat Burner is MOST RECOMMENDED

TRANS4ORM from Evlution Nutrition – Fat Burner Capsules – Review

Transform Bottle TRANS4ORM is a stimulant based fat burner from the popular supplement EVLUTION Nutrition.

Evlution have a few different weight management products but Trans4orm and LeanMode are the two multi-ingredient formulas (LeanMode is the stimulant-free fat burner).

The company has also released TRANS4ORM in a pre-workout format. This review concerns the capsule fat burner.

Evlution claim that Trans4orm is “scientifically engineered to support” the following benefits:

  • Fat Burning
  • Cravings Contro
  • Boost Metabolism
  • Increase Energy and Focus

These are the basics which most ‘all-in-one’ fat burners hope to cover. It’s good to see the company keeping it simple here; we see far too many huge lists of over-hyped capabilities. The four points above are all you want, and all you need, of a fat burner.

CLICK here to discover which Fat Burner we rate the Highest

How Does It Work?

DB pressFor fat loss, increasing the process called thermogenesis is the basis for adding stimulants to the blend. They also increase metabolism and help you with additional energy and focus.

In fact, stimulants like caffeine and yohimbe / yohimbine are the multi-taskers, checking boxes next to ‘fat burning’, ‘boosting metabolism’ and ‘increasing energy and focus.’

For cravings control, some sort of appetite suppressor is usually employed. However, it can come in the form of a more cognitive approach as it does with Trans4orm. The idea is to trigger some sort of satisfaction response in the hunger and craving centres of the brain.

Further benefits to focus and energy (also mental energy) come from nootropic ingredients; cognitive enhancers that can cross the blood brain barrier and improve brain function in some way. [Ref: collegian.psu.edu]

We can explain more once we dig into the TRANS4ORM formula.

Ingredient Formula

The following inclusions and associated weights (mg/mcg) is equal to 2 capsules of Tras4orm:

  • 15mg     – Niacin (Vit B3)
  • 2mg       – Vitamin B6
  • 400mcg – Folic Acid
  • 6mg       – Vitamin B12
  1. 500mg – Green Tea Leaf extract
  2. 300mg – Choline Bitartrate
  3. 200mg – L-Tyrosine
  4. 175mg – Natural Caffeine
  5. 100mg – Coleus extract
  6. 50mg   – Alpha-GPC
  7. 20mg   – Yohimbe extract
  8. 5mg     – BioPerine (black pepper)
  9. 2mg     – Huperzine Serrata extract (std. min. 1% Huperzine-A)

blood flowAs you can see there is a vitamin base to the formula. This is standard practice and lets the companies call their products supplements.

The main formula contains excellent ingredients on the whole. We don’t like Yohimbe, but we’ll come to that in the Side Effects section.

Green Tea extract and caffeine are the obvious thermogenic inclusions aside from Yohimbe. All 3 are there to make sure your body produces heat energy and uses fat as the main fuel source.

Coleus is also a thermogenic, working much in the same way as caffeine (increasing cAMP – Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate – in cells). The dose of Coleus is quite small though.

L-Tyrosine is another stimulatory compound. It is the second nootropic inclusion as well. It may reduce stress levels and improve subjective well-being. There is some talk that it can reduce fat levels but it’s more important as a mental fatigue reducer.

Choline Bitartrate is the primary nootropic compound. By increasing levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine it may improve cognitive function (focus, mental drive, energy etc) during exercise and the calorie controlled aspect of your diet.

Alpha-GPC is probably our favourite ingredient in the mix, although it is included at quite a low dose. Still, significantly more than most supplement companies do. It is quite expensive to purchase, which is why most supplements don’t contain it at anywhere near its effective dose (about 1000mg).

It is another neurotransmitter booster. It appears to improve muscular power output via increased mind-muscle connection. It also boosts growth hormone quite dramatically initially, although it is more of a quick spike than a prolonged release. Again, however, this may all be pretty much moot considering the dose is not much more than a symbolic gesture.

BioPerine is a patented form of black pepper, used for its ability to increase the bioavailability and absorption of the other ingredients in the blend.

Huperzine Serrata – which confers around 20 to 40mcg of Huperzine A in this case – is another nootropic substance. Tiny doses are effective for its most renowned effect of inhibiting the enzyme which itself inhibits acetylcholine, the aforementioned, and hugely important neurotransmitter.

Side Effects

Doctor ApprovalWe mentioned Yohimbe in the ingredients section. A good fat burner according to current studies (perhaps inconsistent though), it may be a double-edged sword.

Yohimbe is known to cause some unwanted side effects in some people. It can cause feelings of anxiety in young adults, especially those prone to it.

Even at recommended dosages, side effects can occur with yohimbe / yohimbine. Nausea, stomach pain, dizziness and anxiety are all possible.

An analysis of many supplements containing Yohimbe found that the doses were often massively inaccurate – from 25 – 150% inaccurate!!

To add to this, it interacts negatively with many prescription drugs, especially anti-depressants. Even its compatibility with some everyday compounds are in question.

Suffice it to say, it is best to take it slow with Yohimbe if you feel you still want to use it. The daily recommended dose is 2 capsules of Trans4orm in the morning and 2 later on. You can easily assess your tolerance of the whole formula by taking one capsule first and going from there.

Pregnant women, breastfeeding women, people on medication and those with medical issues should not use this product.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The inclusion of Yohimbe puts us off using TRANS4ORM. We consistently see it in formulas of fat burners, but it also means that they are limited to the USA market.

Many countries do not allow these Yohimbe / Yohimbine containing supplements, and so if you are not in the US then it’s unlikely you will be able to get it anyway.

Instant Knockout Review

Instant Knockout comes highly Recommended

Aside from that ingredient, TRANS4ORM has excellent inclusions. The only problem then is that the inclusion rates are low for many of the better ones.

Our advice is to get the supplement that will help you really hold back the hunger, while giving you the fat burning and energy boost you need.

That comes in the form of a product with a lot more substance to its formula. Instant Knockout is our recommendation. Follow the link below and check it out…

CLICK here for the full review of the Most Recommended Fat Burner

RSP Quadra Lean – Thermogenic Fat Burner – Review

RSP QuadraLean Fat BurnerQuadraLean is a fat burner supplement manufactured by RSP Nutrition, a company well established in the bodybuilding and sport nutrition business.

This particular product is one of the better selling fat burners on the market, possibly because it is advertised as a 4-in-1 formula – hence, “Quadra”.

The 4 mini-blends within the formula are:

  • Weight Loss
  • Energy
  • Thermogenesis
  • Neuro

It looks good on paper; hitting all those areas with just bottle of pills. So we can understand why so many people might purchase it.

We had a go with QuadraLean to see whether it really does provide “Cutting Edge Thermogenic Fat Loss.”

CLICK to find out WHICH FAT BURNER WE RECOMMEND

How Does QuadraLean Work?

Scientist and MicroscopeQuadraLean has been developed with fat loss as the main objective, using 4 different areas of effect on the body to accomplish it.

The Weight Loss Blend contains ingredients which may influence the storage and transport of fat.

Energy Blend holds no surprises. Stimulants can be found here, included to boost energy and add to the fat burning process.

Thermogenesis is the process by which the body’s cells ‘burn’ fat and release the energy as heat.

The Neuro Blend contains ‘nootropic’ or cognitive enhancers, so called for their activity in the brain. Some improve focus, some heighten mood and others speed up signalling from the brain to the muscles.

We’ll discuss the specifics of each blend in the Ingredients section.

Ingredient Formula

Open Pill Contents SpilledFirst off, the label is completely transparent, meaning none of the ingredients are hidden within proprietary blends.

They are however split into 4 blends within the main formula:

(the following inclusion rates are in 3 capsules)

Weight Loss Blend

500mg – Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) Powder
500mg – Acetyl-L-Carnitine Hydrochloride

Energy Blend

200mg – Natural Caffeine (from green tea)
75mg   – Bitter Orange extract (citrus aurantium)

Thermogenesis Blend

40mg – Yohimbe extract
25mg – Cayenne Pepper Fruit extract (Capsimax)

Neuro Blend

300mg – Choline Bitartrate
50mg   – Alpha GPC

CLA is quite overrated in our opinion. It has never really been reliably proven that it has any significant fat loss effect.

L-Carnitine is however well established. It transports fatty acids to the mitochondria of cells to be used as fuel.

Caffeine is in nearly every fat burner and is extremely well studied and supported for both focus and fat loss. For fat loss it must be said that you should not consume any other sources of caffeine. For maximum effect, it is better if you haven’t had any for two weeks prior to using a fat burner with it in.

Bitter Orange extract contains the active ingredient synephrine, which can work in synergy with caffeine. It is a stimulant itself and can be effective at the dosage here, although it is quite low.

Yohimbe probably makes this a US only formula, as the ingredient is not allowed in many other countries that have tighter regulations. It is another stimulant and can increase the rate of thermogenic fat burning.

Due to the side effects which can occur while using Yohimbe / Yohimbine, it is not always suitable for everyone (we will discuss this further in the Side Effects section).

Cayenne Pepper induces the heat effect of capsaicin / capsicum (hot pepper) and is a reliable fat burner.

Choline Bitartrate and Alpha GPC are both ‘nootropic’ in nature (they improve cognitive function) by increasing neurotransmitter activity. This can have the effect of improving mood, mind-muscle connection and ability to focus.

Side Effects

doctorThe majority of people who have used stimulant based fat burners before will have no problem with QuadraLean.

However, Yohimbe / Yohimbine can cause unwanted side effects in some people. It is known to stimulate anxiety in some people.

Stimulants in general can give people some mild effects like the jitters, nausea, headaches, dizziness etc.

If you are unused to stimulants or have cycled off them then you could start with a partial dose. The maximum recommended serving is 3 capsules, therefore you could split that to 2 or even 1 pill to begin with until you get used to it.

QuadraLean is not suitable for pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with medical conditions or taking prescription medication.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Instant Knockout Review

Instant Knockout comes highly Recommended

We’ve said it before on this site, but we are not big fans of Yohimbe. There are too many questions about its side effects, and not enough answers.

Yohimbe also makes QuadraLean only really available in the US, due to most other countries not allowing it to get across their borders.

So, what are you to do? Well, there is a fairly popular stimulant-free version of QuadraLean, but then that won’t have enough teeth for some people.

We recommend a fat burner that is used by professional athletes. One that cuts the fat quickly, provides an excellent appetite suppression effect, and won’t give you anxiety. Find out more about it by following the link below…

CLICK here to read more about the Best fat burner

Hydroxycut Hardcore Next Gen – International Formula (non-US version)

Hydroxycut Hardcore Next Gen has two formulas. This is our review of the International formula.

We have also reviewed the USA version of the product – click here for the Hydroxycut Hardcore Next Gen USA Formula review.

Difference Between International and USA Versions?

HydroxyCut Hardcore InternationalIngredients, mainly, plus some different tests and regulations each product is subjected to.

Wait…the ingredients are different!?

Yes. MuscleTech’s Hydroxycut product line is popular all over the world, but the product you’re reading about in a magazine might not be the one you can buy in your local supplement store, despite it having exactly the same name.

In the case of Hydroxycut Hardcore Next Gen, like many other products, its USA formula contains ingredients that are either controversial or outright banned in most other countries.

Yohimbe is the main one singled out here. You can see why in the USA HydroxyCut Hardcore Next Gen review by reading in the Side Effects section.

We’ll get on with the Internationally (non-US) available product.

CLICK here to view the product we Recommend the Most

How Does it Work?

Hydroxycut promise the following benefits from their fat burner:

  • Advanced, Scientifically Tested Weight Management
  • Extreme Energy and Mental Focus

push upsThe first one there refers to the scientific studies that have been carried out with Green Coffee extract, the main ingredients of Hardcore Next Gen.

Green coffee contains chlorogenic acid, which – amongst other things – might block some carbs from being absorbed when you eat them. Hence, the “weight management” aspect.

The studies do support this to some degree but green coffee is far from powerful, especially compared to some other ingredients available.

The second point about extreme energy and mental focus is in relation to the caffeine, skullcap, huperzine and coleus inclusions, all of which are known as nootropic (cognitive enhancing) or energy boosting.

The combination of the 2 effects is pretty much what 99.99% of fat burners are designed and marketed for. So, no shocking revelations there.

Ingredient Formula

The following ingredients make up the formula:

  1. 400mg – Green Coffee extract
  2. 377mg – “Unparalleled Sensory Complex” including:
    – caffeine
    – coleus
    – skullcap
    – huperzine
  3. 100mg – Choline Bitartrate
  4. 60mg – Coleus extract
  5. 25mg – Blue Skullcap

Green CoffeeGreen coffee extract is reported to reduce obesity by preventing the absorption of a portion of the carbohydrates consumed.

Realistically, it might do this, but not as powerfully as other ingredients.

The Unparalleled Sensory Complex is a group of ‘nootropic’ compounds – those which enhance cognitive function in some way. Focus and mental energy are the main benefits. The majority of this proprietary blend will be caffeine.

Choline Bitartrate is another cognitive booster. It increases levels of acetylcholine – a principal neurotransmitter, responsible for muscle signalling amongst other things.

Coleus has been found to act as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. This means it acts as a blocker for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, keeping it active in the system for longer.

Blue Skullcap might be useful in preventing anxiety along with a host of other problems but it is early days yet and research is lacking.

Side Effects

DoctorWe can quite confidently assume there is more than 200mg of caffeine in the “Unparalleled Sensory Complex” so there is potential for a few mild side effects there, especially if you are unused or unsuited to caffeine.

The irony is that you must be ‘off’ caffeine for a couple of weeks – i.e. not habitually drinking coffee – before using it for it to work as a fat burner.

Basically, don’t consume any other source of caffeine while using these pills, and take half the recommended dose for the first couple of days to get used to it.

The other ingredients are generally well tolerated by most people. The Blue Skullcap is an unknown to be honest. There isn’t much information on its effects, however, it is unlikely to cause problems from preliminary evidence.

Pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, people with medical conditions and those using medication should avoid this product and other like it.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Instant Knockout CapsulesThis is the internationally available Hydroxycut Hardcore Next Gen. We wouldn’t use either again, given the choice.

Green coffee is not good enough in our opinion to be used as a main ingredient. After that you are left with caffeine and some small doses of nootropic ingredients.

We’d rather stick to what we know works for us and has strong doses of the right ingredients.

If you want to see the review of our favourite fat burner, follow the link below…

CLICK here to read more about the TOP Fat Burner

Hydroxycut Hardcore Next Gen – USA Formula – MuscleTech Fat Burner Review

Hydroxycut Hardcore Next Gen BottleHydroxyCut Hardcore Next Gen is one of the many weight loss supplements in MuscleTech’s HydroxyCut product line.

It’s tagline reads “Next Generation Weight Loss and Extreme Sensory!”

The weight loss part is obviously the main idea with a fat burner like this, but the sensory comment refers to the cognitive and mood related element.

Most supplement companies are making the combined fat burner and mood / focus lifter now, given that the latter appears to complement the former. Losing weight is tough for anybody, so we can do with all the support we can get.

HydroxyCut break down the product’s benefits into 2 categories:

  • Enhanced Mental Focus
  • Ultra-Amplified Thermogenesis

The company also pushes the importance of a scientific study that has been carried out with green coffee – one of the main ingredients of HydroxyCut Hardcore Next Gen.They say that most thermogenic fat burners don’t have studies supporting them.

Perhaps they haven’t noticed that most fat burners contain caffeine…and that caffeine is the most scientifically researched and supported ingredient in the business.

So to some extent, most thermogenic fat burners have some level of scientific backing!

CLICK to read about the Highest Rated fat burner

How Does It Work?

Hydroxycut Hardcore Next Gen has a couple of main advertised benefits.

  • Thermogenic Fat Burning
  • Enhanced Cognitive Function

man and dumbbellHydroxyCut Hardcore Next Gen is a stimulant based fat burner. This means that some of active ingredients are included to cause a thermogenic or metabolism boosting effect.

It also contains nootropic ingredients for their benefits to focus and mood.

The main ingredient, however, is Green Coffee; a source of Chlorogenic Acid. This also happens to be the ingredient which the Hydroxycut people talk about at length in their marketing material and videos.

There are a couple of scientific studies which support the theory that Chlorogenic Acid reduces obesity by preventing some carbohydrates from being absorbed by the body.

This is of course something the green coffee supplement manufacturers will exaggerate. There are in fact better supplements for reducing body fat (see recommendations section at the end of this article).

Ingredient Formula

The ingredients in Hydroxycut Hardcore Next Gen are all named on the formula, including their inclusion rates.

  1. 400mg – Green Coffee
  2. 290mg – Caffeine
  3. 100mg – Coleus Extract
  4. 75mg   – Blue Skullcap (scutelleria lateriflora)
  5. 40mg   – Yohimbe extract (pausinystalia yohimbe)
  6. 25mg   – Ophiopogonis
  7. 20mg   – Guayusa (ilex guayusa)

Coffee Caffeine HeartThe main ingredient – green coffee – is the focus of Hydroxycut’s marketing. They like reminding us all of two studies which showed chlorogenic acid (the active compound in green coffee) can somehow reduce the weight of test subjects.

Can it do this well enough at 400mg? Not really, not in our opinion, and not in the opinion of objective experts. It might reduce the uptake of carbohydrates, a little.

Caffeine is present at 290mg. That’s a fairly big dose, considering 500mg a day is enough to cause health problems. Caffeine sensitive people will need to take it slowly to begin with.

Yohimbe is probably the third dedicated weight loss ingredient. We won’t lie: we do not like yohimbe.

It might be the most effective ingredient in this formula for weight loss, but there is also a shadow that follows it around. Yohimbine can cause some unwanted side effects, especially in young adults. Anxiety can be increases, and over-stimulation can occur in some people.

Together with the caffeine dose, there is the potential for some dizziness, anxiety, nausea, headaches and heart palpitations.

The rest of the ingredients: coleus, skullcap etc. are for the “extreme sensory” effect (Hydroxycut’s words, not ours). The biggest sensory effect will come from 290mg of caffeine if you are unused to this much caffeine.

The cognitive ingredients lack a little substance here.

Side Effects

Female DoctorThere are a few potential side effects from the ingredients chosen for Hydroxycut Hardcore Next Gen.

They mainly concern the Caffeine and Yohimbe.

Caffeine works for fat loss if the user is caffeine “naive”. This means they are not habitually consuming caffeine in the form of coffee or other means.

So, to take 290mg a day on a caffeine “naive” stomach is likely to cause at least some mild effects like nausea, dizziness and so on.

People especially sensitive might even get heart palpitations and the jitters.

Yohimbe might compound the caffeine issues, and add some more. It can cause anxiety and more over-stimulation (the shakes, heart racing etc.).

This is the case with all fat burners that are going for the “hardcore” effect. It’s up to the user to decide for themselves whether they are up to it.

Needless to say, this is not a supplement for pregnant or breastfeeding women. Nor is it advised if you have a medical condition or taking medication.

Don’t consume any other source of caffeine or yohimbine while you are taking these pills. Don’t take them within 5-6 hours of bed time.

If you are concerned but still interested, ask your doctor what they think of the formula.

And when taking them for the first time, take less than the recommended dose for the first couple of days to see how you feel.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Hydroxycut Hardcore Next Gen is not something we would use again. It probably works for some people, but we get better results from different supplements that don’t leave us feeling washed out afterwards.

The side effects weren’t bad for us, but we can imagine trying to take it on an empty stomach in the morning, and it wouldn’t be pretty.

Instant Knockout Review

Instant Knockout comes highly Recommended

We mentioned that we think there are better fat burners, with better ingredients.

That’s because green coffee is not that effective. And what you’re left with after that is a massive caffeine dose, some iffy yohimbe and a bunch of fancy sounding plants that may or may not improve your focus. Coleus is a good ingredient but it’s a small dose here.

If you want to see an example of what we think is a great fat burner with epic appetite control, follow the link below to read about it.

CLICK here to read about the Most Recommended product

Instant Knockout – Fat Burner used by Professional Athletes – Our Complete Review

Instant KnockoutInstant Knockout is a fat burner and weight management supplement developed and manufactured by Roar Ambition Ltd.

It is manufactured in labs both in the UK and USA. The formula of ingredients is the same one which was designed for professional Boxers and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Fighters – like Diego Sanchez and John Dodson III – to help them lose fat efficiently, while retaining muscle mass.

Weight category competition sports are amongst the toughest to prepare for and get right, because after a hard season of training and bulking up, the athlete must lose weight quickly in order to make the competition weight, and not lose the muscle they worked so hard to put on.

If a product can help a pro do that, then it can help you with your goals, surely.

We ordered some of the fist shaped bottles and conducted a complete test cycle and review to find out.

Instant Success

Instant Knockout ResultsWe have gotten really good results from using Instant Knockout in combination with our regular weight training routine and a controlled diet.

It’s easier to push through a plateau or just increase your power output when you have a quality supplement like this.

IKO is also very convenient to get hold of. The website has several special offers at the moment, and the product can be delivered to most places worldwide, including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Europe and more.

Continue reading for the full review, OR follow the link below to check out the product page….

CLICK to view discounted prices and packages now

What Is Instant Knockout and How Does It Work?

Instant Knockout CapsulesInstant Knockout (IKO fro short) is a capsule – pill – based dietary supplement which contains a blend of ingredients which have been chosen to help you lose weight, in particular, fat.

The company, Roar Ambition, claims that IKO comes with the following benefits:

  • Thermogenic Fat Burning
  • Strong Appetite Suppression
  • Retention of Muscle Mass
  • Increased Energy Levels
  • Heightened Focus
  • Improved Absorption and Metabolism of Nutrients

That looks like some big promises from a few little red capsules.

As we have said many times before, it all comes down to the ingredients used and the dosages at which they are included.

So let’s look at the ingredients next…

Ingredient Formula

The following ingredients and inclusion rates (mg/mcg) can be found in 4 capsules of IKO:

  1. Glucomannan (konjac root) – 1800 mg
  2. Green Tea Extract – 500 mg
  3. Caffeine Anhydrous – 300 mg
  4. Cayenne Powder – 100 mg
  5. Green Coffee Extract – 100 mg
  6. Zinc (as zinc oxide) – 10 mg
  7. Black Pepper – 10 mg
  8. Vitamin B6 – 5 mg
  9. GTF Chromium – 100 mcg
  10. Vitamin B12 – 10 mcg

Key Points on the Formula

Diet Supplement PillsGlucomannan is a natural fibre sourced from the tropical Konjac plant’s root. It expands as it absorbs water in the stomach and has the effect of making you feel comfortably full.

For this reason, it is an excellent appetite suppressor.

Green Tea Extract is one of the most proven thermogenic fat burners and antioxidant weight loss ingredients currently available. The dosage in IKO – 500mg – is excellent.

You probably won’t find a better dose of GTE than this.

Cayenne Powder is a non-stimulant thermogenic fat burner. It stimulates the process of fat burning by increasing the heat output of cells.

It also activates Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) which itself burns unwanted fat.

Zinc helps optimize free testosterone levels in the body, helping to retain and grow muscle mass through resistance training.

Caffeine improves the fat burning effect of the whole formula, as well as providing effects such as energy and mental focus.

Green Coffee contains Chlorogenic Acid which can inhibit calories being absorbed from carbohydrates.

Chromium helps normalize blood sugar levels and improves the metabolism of the macro-nutrients, carbohydrates, fat and protein.

Black Pepper boosts the bioavailability and absorption of ingredients within the formula. A small but very valuable addition to the supplement.

Vitamin B6 and B12 have very important roles, too many to explain individually, with respect to metabolism. They are the first vitamins people in western cultures can start to be deficient in due to their lacking diet.

Usage Guidelines

Diego Sanchez and John DodsonInstant Knockout is a powerful supplement. Thankfully, the maximum recommended daily dose comes in 4 pills.

This means you can start with a smaller dose – one or two pills – in the first few days and build up to the recommended dose.

It should be taken with a large glass of water, and to take full advantage of the glucomannan effect, drinking 2 to 3 litres of water a day is a good rule of thumb.

You should not consume any other caffeine source during your IKO cycle as it can impede the effectiveness of the anhydrous caffeine in the supplement. Too much total caffeine can cause side effects like nausea and insomnia also.

Use IKO for a 12 to 16 week cycle followed by 2 weeks off (completely off caffeine as well) before repeating the process.

Are There any Side Effects

Doctor ApprovalWe took Instant Knockout without a problem. The average user will experience no side effects either.

Caffeine sensitive people might have a small period of adjustment as the dose is quite powerful. However, we advise you to take a half or quarter dose for the first few days and build up to the maximum recommended 4 capsules (as recommended above).

Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid supplements like this, as should people with medical conditions that may be affected.

People taking prescription medication should ask their doctor.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Instant Knockout Fist BottleAfter using Instant Knockout for an 8 weeks cycle (so far) we can tell it’s going to be our fat burner of choice for a while.

We’ve never found anything that can adequately suppress cravings while offering a significant boost to our fat loss rate, so this has to be a first.

Not only that but we’ve been using it before working out, with a creatine and protein shake afterwards we are starting to cut fat and show some sharper definition. And that’s difficult to achieve at a certain point.

Instant Knockout is an instant success.

CLICK HERE to view the product website

SHREDEX from Sci-Tec Nutrition – Synephrine Free Fat Burner – Our Review

Shredex Fat Burner PackageSHREDEX is a stimulant based weight and bodyfat management complex from Sci-Tec, with one exception to their usual formulas:

Shredex is Synephrine-free!

The formula provides 16 ingredients, including cafffeine, l-carnitine, hydroxycitric acid. green tea extract and garcinia cambogia.

Sci-Tec are a massive supplement company in Europe, known for their large scale, in-house protein production, but they are becoming more and more established in the US, Canada, Australia and elsewhere.

With Shredex they have more than 12 weight loss capsule / pill supplements.

Let’s find out if this one is any good.

CLICK HERE to see which Fat Burner we Recommend

What Is Shredex and Who Is It For?

Sci-Tec ModelShredex is a fat burner, appetite suppressor and general weight loss supplement. It has the important distinction of being Sci-Tec’s specifically Synephrine-free product.

We’ll explain the synephrine discrimination in a bit, but first, Shredex isn’t marketed to your average dieter, or is it?

Sci-Tec tend to go after the hardcore customer base with their product names, descriptions and…strategic placement of pictures of women like the one on the right there —–>>>

Bodybuilders, gym goers and other active people are the intended targets, but that doesn’t mean anyone should feel like Shredex is too much for them.

It’s got many of the same ingredients as a lot of other diet pills, they’ve just given it an intense facelift.

SHREDEX is designed to:

  • Burn Fat
  • Reduce Hunger / Appetite Levels
  • Increase Energy and Focus
  • Boost Metabolism
  • Regulate Blood Sugar and Macro Uptake

Stimulants are the famous category of fat burner ingredients, but it takes a lot more than that to do anything meaningful with respect to losing weight.

In fact, ingredients are the key to an effective product. And not only that, but the DOSAGE at which they are included. Dosage is vital.

We’ll look at the formula after this brief message on synephrine, and why they have made a particular point of leaving it out of this formula.

Why Go Synephrine Free?

Citrus Aurantium Synephrine

Synephrine comes from the Bitter Orange (Citrus Aurantium)

There’s a couple of main reasons why a company might make a synephrine-free formula. In fact, Shredex is basically identical to their product Revex-16, but where the former has L-Carnitine L-Tartrate, the latter has Synephrine (in Citrus Aurantium).

Synephrine is viewed by some as being potentially harmful. There have been (very very few) cases of people using synephrine and having heart problems as a result.

Yes, it is a potent stimulant. Yes, it could, in certain dosages, give someone real problems……but so could many other ingredients. The problem was not necessarily the ingredient itself but the state if the person’s health who was using it and/or the amount of pills they took. Combine heart health issues with over-training plus too much synephrine and you’re asking for trouble.

It’s best to avoid any supplement like this if you have a pre-existing health condition. Caffeine, Green Tea extract and many other inclusions can be a problem for people with cardio vascular diseases or other medical issues.

Another reason to exclude synephrine is so that the supplement can be sold everywhere and used by everyone. Synephrine has been reported to cause false positives in drug screening, and might be blocked by certain countries at the customs level.

So that’s it. Whatever the reason, Synephrine is out of Shredex.

Shredex Ingredient Formula

The following ingredients and their inclusion rates (in mg/mcg) are in 3 capsules of Shredex:

  1. L-Carnitine L-Tartrate – 500 mg
  2. L-Phenylalanine – 300 mg
  3. L-Tyrosine – 300 mg
  4. Caffeine Anhydrous – 200 mg
  5. Garcinia Cambogia – 200 mg
  6. Green Tea extract – 200 mg
  7. Bitter Melon extract – 100 mg
  8. Dandelion extract – 100 mg
  9. Hesperidin 93% – 50 mg
  10. Inositol – 50 mg
  11. Naringin 93% – 50 mg
  12. Quercetin Dihydrate 84% – 50 mg
  13. Resveratrol extract 8% – 50 mg
  14. Alpha Lipoic Acid – 10 mg
  15. Bioperine – 5 mg
  16. Chromium Picolinate – 120 mcg

CaffeineSixteen ingredients is a lot, especially for a capsule supplement. It’s a lot for a pre-workout supplement and they have much more space to work with.

Can they all be effective if there is so many of them packed into so little room?

Our opinion is that they cannot. The caffeine is at reasonably strong doses but the Garcinia Cambogia, L-Carnitine L-Tartrate (LCLT), Green Tea extract are all moderately under-dosed.

The Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) inclusion goes one step further to being almost pointless. 10 mg is nothing but a means to get the name of the ingredient in the formula.

Shredex Side Effects

Doctor ApprovalPeople sensitive to caffeine should realize that there is a 200 mg dose in this plus the small amount that can be found in Green Tea extract.

This might cause a little dizziness, nausea and possibly even heart palpitations, but the average person won’t have much to worry about.

People with a medical condition or those taking prescription medication should avoid taking any supplements, especially off-the-shelf fat burners.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women should not take it either.

If you have any doubts, consult a doctor.

Shredex can also be taken with gradually increasing servings, from 1 pill per day to the recommended 3 pills per day. You can take as many days to ramp it up as you need.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Instant Knockout Review

Instant Knockout comes highly Recommended

We are not going to recommend that you go out and buy Shredex, or order it online. It is too busy with ingredients to be extremely good at any one thing.

We prefer our fat loss supplements to have a little more focus and some decent inclusion rates to achieve some results.

Having said that, Sci-Tec are a good company in general and do offer some excellent supplements. This just happens to be one that we would pass over.

Follow the link below to read our review of the most recommended fat burner at the moment.

CLICK here to find out which Fat Burner we Recommend