Cutting calories and increasing exercise are two important components in your quest to get ripped. A third, but sometimes confusing, element is fat-burning supplementation. For 20 years, fat burners have come and gone, with few holding any merit in fat-burning research. However, times have changed. There are some effective fat-burning supplements on the market today.
Green Tea Extract
Green tea extract, which is found in many fat-burning products, contains the catechin epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is responsible for green tea's fat-burning effects. According to the January 2008 edition of Flex, green tea extract burns fat by inhibiting the breakdown of norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that regulates fat burning. As a result, higher norepinephrine levels equal higher levels of fat burning. Although drinking green tea is beneficial, Muscle and Fitness states that supplementing with green tea extract is best, since catechins are absorbed more efficiently by the body through the extract. In addition, green tea also contains caffeine, which is the next top supplement for getting ripped. Flex recommends taking 500 to 1,000 mg of green tea extract three times a day before meals for best results.
Caffeine
The world's favorite legal drug also helps shed unwanted body fat. Although caffeine comes in many different forms, such as guarana and caffeine anhydrous (pill), it still burns fat through the following mechanism: it enhances the removal of fat from cells, which allows it to be burned for energy and prevents it from being stored inside fat cells. Furthermore, Muscle and Fitness reports caffeine increases both strength and fat burning during exercise. Ingesting 100 to 300 mg of caffeine in the morning and an hour before workouts is best.
Forskolin
According to Muscle and Fitness, forskolin is extracted from Coleus forskohlii and has been shown to be beneficial for shedding body fat and for increasing free testosterone levels. It decreases body fat by starting a series of reactions that eventually trigger the stimulation of enzyme hormone-sensitive lipoprotein lipase (HSL), which breaks down fat and allows other tissues to use it for fuel. Also, research has shown that men taking forskolin lose more body fat then those who don't. To reap forskolin benefits, Flex recommends supplementing with 20 to 50 mg two or three times a day before meals.
Carnitine
Carnitine plays an important part in fat burning, and Muscle and Fitness highlights that its main role is to transport fat released from the fat cells to the mitochondria, where it is burned for energy. In addition, studies have shown that supplementing with carnitine not only increases muscle cell receptors for testosterone, but it also enhances fat loss during low-carbohydrate dieting. Flex advocates supplementing with 1 to 3 g at the following important times: breakfast, preworkout, postworkout and the evening.
Synephrine
Synephrine is derived from the plant Citrus aurantium and is chemically similar to ephedrine. Unlike ephedrine, synephrine doesn't increase heart rate or blood pressure while elevating the metabolism. In addition, Muscle and Fitness asserts that it increases fat burning by stimulating fat cells to break down and release fat, which is then burned for fuel. Flex advises a dosage of 200 to 600 mg of C. aurantium standardized for 5 to 20 mg of synephrine two or three times per day before meals.
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