Clenbuterol Fat Burner
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Although Clenbuterol is often mistaken for a steroid it’s not one at all. It’s a powerful fat burning drug that’s popular with bodybuilders, celebrities, and many other people who share the desire to burn fat fast.
Most people probably think the drug is a steroid because of its connection with bodybuilding. There are now legal versions on Clenbuterol available now that give similar results without the potential harm health. Clenbutrol is available without any restrictions as it is formulated naturally.
Competing bodybuilders often train in two main stages. Firstly there is the bulking cycle. This is the period where they concentrate on muscle growth. Body fat accumulation is often not a major consideration during bulking cycles.
The cutting cycle is all about fat loss. The problem is the combination of a low-calorie diet and hard training can often result in muscle loss. Bodybuilders work hard for their gains. Loss of muscle mass during cutting cycles is highly undesirable.
Clenbuterol Cycle – Lose Fat & Muscle Definition
The cutting cycle is for losing fat and improving muscle definition. It helps bodybuilders look their best while competing.
Bodybuilders who do not compete might not use these cycles. Though some may try and get cut for special occasions or holidays when they want to look their best.
Clenbuterol has the ability to accelerate fat burning and protect existing muscle mass at the same time. It works very well in this regard, so it’s little wonder it is so popular.
Additionally, the drug is also known for its ability to provide a significant performance boost. It helps bodybuilders train harder and gives other athletes a winning edge.
However, using Clenbuterol in any of these ways is illegal. The drug also has many nasty side effects and poses the further threat of addiction.
Recommended Clenbuterol Alternative
A Celebrity Favourite
It could be argued that celebrities have to live with a greater pressure to look good than the average person. Then again, it could also be argued that they are more vain. Either way, lots of celebrities use Clenbuterol as a fat burner.
In fact, an article published by CBS News calls the drug “Hollywood’s Dangerous Weight Loss Secret”. Clenbuterol has been linked to many big-name celebs including Britney Spears.
Of course, in the end, the only people who know for sure are the celebrities themselves.
However, one Los Angeles fitness model who admits to using Clenbuterol states it ruined her metabolism and caused her to gain 50 pounds. [SOURCE 1, SOURCE 2]
What Is Clenbuterol?
If you want to get technical about it, Clenbuterol is a beta2-adrenergic agonist. Drugs of this class are stimulants and they affect the body in a lot of different ways.
For one thing, beta2-adrenergic agonists open up the bronchial passages. This makes them to be useful for treating certain lung diseases. Asthma and bronchitis are two examples.
This ability to help get more oxygen into the lungs also gives them value as performance enhancers. This is, of course, on top of the energy-providing abilities that all stimulants share.
Using Clenbuterol has caused a lot of notable athletes to be banned from competing. The German sprinter Katrin Krabbe is just one example. The British weightlifters Andrew Davies and Andrew Saxton are two more. [SOURCE]
However, despite its popularity as an illegal performance-enhancing drug, Clenbuterol is best known for its fat burning capabilities.
The initial results can be very good as well. Some people lose up to 20 lbs per month, but the fat burning ability of the drug diminishes with use.
This causes some people to use higher and higher doses, increasing the potential for side effects and/or Clenbuterol addiction.
A Short Clenbuterol History Lesson
Clenbuterol was first synthesized during the early 1970s. It was originally used as a treatment for racehorses being held back by breathing difficulties.
In later years, the drug also proved to be useful as a fat burner for cattle. The combination of less fat and improved muscle resulted in a higher quality of meat.
However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has since banned its use on any animal being bred for human consumption. Though it can still be used legally on horses.
In some countries of the world, Clenbuterol is available as a prescription medication for asthma, but not in the US. The FDA forbids its use. People who use it, either as a fat burner or a performance enhancer, do so illegally.
Let’s skip back a bit though. The drug was once used as a fat burner for cattle. As is always the case in such situations, bodybuilders soon heard there was a new drug in town.
And let’s not forget, this was the 1970s. Steroids were in their heyday. If I guy went to the gym, there was a good chance he wanted to be “bigger than dad” and look like Arnold or Lou Ferrigno.
If something seemed to work, there was a good chance bodybuilders would use it. It’s pretty much the same situation today, despite the fact that there are safer options available.
Anyway, here was this new drug that was burning fat and increasing muscle. The news got out and the rest, as they say, is history.
Clenbuterol Benefits
Clenbuterol offers three main benefits:
- Rapid fat burning
- Preserves muscle mass
- Increases energy
How Clenbuterol Boosts Performance and Fat Burning
Like other beta2-adrenergic agonist drugs, Clenbuterol stimulates the adrenal glands, thereby increasing adrenaline production.
Adrenaline is an important hormone that plays a significant role in the fight or flight response. This is the body’s inbuilt self-defence mechanism.
How Fight or Flight Fits into the Picture
When fight or flight is initiated, a lot of different things happen throughout the body.
One of the first things that happens is the air passages dilate to increase oxygen flow to the lungs.
Adrenaline also causes certain blood vessels, of lesser importance, to contract. This forces extra blood to the muscles, heart and lungs.
These initial reactions to adrenaline prime the body to function at peak physical capacity. This allows you to fight hard. To the death if necessary. Or, of course, to flee at the maximum speed possible.
Adrenaline is doing all it can to ensure your survival.
Additionally, adrenaline also provides a temporary increase in strength and performance.
So the performance enhancing ability of Clenbuterol is largely associated with adrenaline. [SOURCE 1, SOURCE 2]
How Your Muscles Benefit from Additional Oxygen
When oxygen flow to the muscles increases, so does physical performance.
Whether you are pressing weights or sprinting, your muscles are using energy to do it. This energy is fuelled by glucose, but the processes involved require an adequate supply of oxygen.
This is the reason why hard exercise leads to breathlessness. The body is using more oxygen than normal to produce energy and it’s trying to replenish its stores.
This important energy-producing process has a name. It’s called cellular respiration and it can occur with or without oxygen.
When cellular respiration occurs in an environment that has sufficient oxygen (aerobic respiration) it’s possible to keep things going for a long time. Just think of all those marathon runners. They manage to keep things going okay.
However, what if the runners upped their pace and began to sprint. Pretty soon they would need to either slow down or stop. Either way, their lungs would be working hard to keep up.
Now think of lifting heavy weights. Unless you are using less weight than you can handle (a pointless exercise), you won’t be able to keep going indefinitely. You’ll get out of breath, your muscles will start to burn, and you will feel too tired to go on.
Ever wondered why you have to stop? It’s because your muscles have used up all the oxygen available to them. This has caused a shift into anaerobic energy production.
The lack of oxygen causes lactic acid to build up, and this is why intense activity cannot be maintained.
By opening up the airways and improving oxygen flow to the lungs, Clenbuterol helps you maintain aerobic energy production for longer. [SOURCE]
How You Start Burning More Calories
However, adrenaline also boosts the metabolism and pushes up the body temperature. This is why many Clenbuterol users sweat so much.
The metabolism controls how fast you use energy (calories). When it gets faster, you burn more energy.
Calories are actually just the unit that measures energy, but most people use the word “calories” in place of energy when it comes to human energy expenditure. For the purposes of this article, I am going to do the same.
The body also loses calories into the atmosphere. This process is known as thermogenesis. By raising the body temperature in the way that it does, Clenbuterol increases thermogenesis.
So the metabolism is faster and the body is running hotter. Clenbuterol has tinkered with the biological machine we call the body.
It’s become a little like a highly tuned sports car that good for speed but heavy on fuel.
If you are still eating like a horse, that’s not going to make too much difference. The thing is, during cutting cycles, bodybuilders are already eating smart and watching their calorie intake.
All those movie stars and other celebrities who are using Clenbuterol are likely to be doing the same.
In any case, the body is going to be short of calories anyway. Then up comes Clen and starts to make it start using more. The body has no other option than to begin burning fat for energy. Ain’t nature a wonderful thing?
Of course, Clenbuterol is not the only compound that can set the body’s fat burning capabilities into overdrive in this way. Supplements and safe steroid alternatives can do it too. Actually, some of them can do it better and without the risk of side effects, so using a drug like Clenbuterol is not the best way to go.
How Clenbuterol Helps You Retain Muscle Mass
There can be no doubting the drug’s ability to offer protection against muscle loss due to a lack of calories. However, scientists don’t appear to be able to wholly agree on certain aspects of how this is achieved.
Some research suggests Clenbuterol improves protein synthesis. Others suggest it does not.
Protein synthesis is the process the body utilizes to repair muscle tissue and make it grow. It’s what happens when the amino acids provided by the blood are combined to form fresh muscle.
After one study, conducted in Aberdeen, the researchers concluded the drug does not increase protein synthesis.
The researchers speculated it may protect muscle mass by inhibiting protein degradation in a “novel manner” that “circumvents the physiological mechanisms responsible for the control of muscle growth”. [SOURCE]
Meanwhile, other research shows Clenbuterol caused a significant increase in muscle mass. This was accompanied by fat loss
The fact that muscle mass actually increased, suggests the drug may actually improve protein synthesis in some way. [SOURCE]
Through the years, the drug has shown its main value is for cutting rather than bulking so, though it undoubtedly has an anabolic nature, it obviously does not normally boost protein synthesis to the same extent that bulking steroids do.
Clenbuterol Delivery Method and Dosing
When Clenbuterol is being used in the intended way—as a treatment for asthma—the dose is generally 0.02 to 0.03 mg per day.
However, when athletes use the drug as a fat burner or performance booster they often use a higher dose. Typically between 0.06 and 0.12 milligrams per day, used in 12-week cycles.
There are three different forms of Clenbuterol.
The first form is a liquid intended for oral consumption and the second option is an injectable liquid. Clenbuterol is also available as a pill and this is the most popular form.
People who use the liquid complain it’s hard to get the dose right and injecting the drug can cause scarring and bubbles in the blood.
Despite their popularity, it’s not all moonlight and roses with the pills either. Using them can damage your liver.
So, when you hear all those stories about how good Clenbuterol is for fat burning, bear in mind it’s not so good for your health. You may also do well to remember it’s illegal to use it for bodybuilding or performance enhancement.
Finally, it’s also important to be aware the drug is not suitable for women who are pregnant or for anyone with heart problems or other serious health issues. Got a BMI of 25 percent or more? Then it’s totally unsuitable for you too.
Popular Stacking Options
Although many people use it alone, plenty of others stack Clenbuterol with steroids. Though it has to be remembered doing so will increase the potential for negative issues.
Despite the dangers, people stack Clenbuterol in a mind-boggling array of combinations. However, many people like to stack it with T3. This is not a steroid. It’s a thyroid hormone.
Those who opt to go this way often use Cytomel. This is another illegal option because Cytomel is a prescription-only drug that’s used for treating thyroid disorders.
Thyroid hormones help govern the metabolism, so people who stack Clenbuterol with Cytomel hope to attain further fat burning benefits by boosting their metabolism still further.
The wisdom of using this combination is highly questionable but people still do it. However, it can be a particularly risky option for women because when they stop using Cytomel they may find it has crippled normal thyroid hormone production.
Other people like to stack Clenbuterol with testosterone or Trenbolone but, cut it any way you want, when you’re using drugs and steroids, you’re always taking unnecessary chances with your health.
Clenbuterol Side Effects and Dangers
The big problem with Clenbuterol is too many people just focus on its more redeeming features. It enhances performance, burns fat, and protects muscle mass—so! There are other options that can do these things too.
The dangers the drug presents are all too often ignored. Let’s take a voyage to the dark side and look at the drug’s side effects too.
First of all, like a lot of other stimulants, Clenbuterol can cause the shakes. in fact, it can be very good for giving you trembling, old people hands.
It may not happen but, if it does, a thing like that can take all the pleasure out of a bench press. Depending on your career, it can also interfere with your ability to work in a productive way.
Headaches can also be a problem with this drug. No surprise there though. Clenbuterol can send your blood pressure up crazy high.
High blood pressure can be a lot worse than it sounds as well. Granted, it may just cause a few nose bleeds. Then again, high blood pressure puts a helluva strain on the cardiovascular system, so things could get a lot worse.
In fact, using Clenbuterol can cause atrial fibrillation. You absolutely don’t want that because it interferes with the heart’s ability to pump blood.
The drug can also cause cardiac hypertrophy. You don’t want that either. It makes the heart grow bigger. Needless to say, that’s not something that’s good for the health.
Other Clenbuterol side effects may include:
- Depression
- Anxiety/stress
- Diarrhea
- Dry mouth
- Excess sweating/dehydration
- Problems sleeping
- Nausea/vomiting
- Liver damage
One additional worry you don’t want to ignore: Clenbuterol can also be addictive.
A Look at the Clenbuterol Pros and Cons
Reasons to Use Clenbuterol | Reasons Not to Use Clenbuterol |
Enhances performance | Illegal to use |
Rapid fat burning | Risk of side effects |
Protects existing muscle mass | Can be addictive |
Competition bans | |
May lose potency as you get used to it | |
Safer alternatives available |
Clenbuterol: Is It Worth the Risks?
The simple answer is no, Clenbuterol is not worth the risks it presents. Using the drug involves a degree of gambling with the health that is both unwise and unnecessary.
Granted, if you are a competitor trying to get as lean as possible, it may do the trick, but there could be some dangerous black magic involved.
People who use the drug primarily do so with the aim of getting lean and cut or boosting their athletic capabilities. There are safer alternatives that can fulfill both these needs.
Clenbuterol FAQ
Why does Clenbuterol stop you from sleeping?
It’s a stimulant. Using any form of stimulant has the potential to interfere with sleep. That’s why it’s unwise to drink coffee or energy drinks within a few hours of trying to go to sleep.
Is the injectable form the same as the liquid taken by mouth?
No, they are different and should never be used interchangeably.
Is a post cycle therapy necessary when I finish my cycle?
No. Clenbuterol is not a steroid. It does not suppress natural testosterone production in any way, though if it’s being stacked with steroids they will present this problem and a PCT will be needed.
Actually, some people use Clenbuterol as part of their PCT to help prevent muscle loss while they are trying to get normal testosterone production back on track.
Why do some people say Clenbuterol causes cramping?
Although not all users have a problem with cramping, there is evidence to suggest the cramping is because the drug robs the body of taurine and potassium.
Clenbuterol users who are hit with this reaction sometimes try to alleviate the side effect by topping-up with supplements.
Are Clenbuterol and Dilaterol the same?
Yes. Clenbuterol is the generic name for the drug and Dilaterol is a brand. Spiropent and Ventipulmin are also Clenbuterol brand names.
Is it still necessary to diet?
Some people say a diet is not necessary with Clenbuterol, but this is bad advice. If you are eating too many calories it will always retard your progress.