Getting Lean the Hormone-Friendly Way

As many of you know, I am not a fan of harsh supplements and relied on them very little for my contest preparations where I would get very lean for bodybuilding.

Rather, I like to use Aceyl L Carnatine Propionate and Green Tea Excellence 2.0.

I typically use 1 capsule of each upon waking and again in the early afternoon.

Cmmercial stimulants / fat burners can come into play as a tool to drop the last 1-2% body fat if you are competing or already very lean and peaking but for most they are more harm than good.

ALC and GTE promote fat loss, energy and other health benefits in a more hormone-friendly manner.

When / if I do get into contest prep and chose to use a commercial "fat burner" I also cycle on and off with Green Tea Extract in the following manner (as an example):

1 to 2 weeks "fat burner"

1 week ALC and GTE

I also use smaller dosages than recommended for "fat burners". If they recommend 2 capsules, I will take 1. I also do not use them for more than a few weeks.

I like to get lean as naturally as possible first to avoid any hormone or metabolism pendulum swing after I peak.

As Brendan Brazier says so brilliantly in his book The Thrive Diet, stimulants are like using credit cards.



“If stimulation is used when it will not help you achieve something of value, it is an uncomplimentary stress. I consider coffee drinking an uncomplimentary stress. I view it as a form of credit, similar to shopping with a credit card. You get energy now that you don’t actually have, but you pay for it later – when the “bill” or fatigue hits. Simply drinking more coffee to put off the inevitable is like paying off one credit card with another: It will catch up with you sooner or later. You’ll most likely pay a high interest rate as well, needing more time to recover than if that energy had not been borrowed in the first place.”

Brendan Brazier, The Thrive Diet

You are borrowing energy and you WILL have to pay it back at some point in time. So I prefer to magnify my own energy or boost is ever so slightly with something like GTE rather than a major overdose of a harsh stimulant.