Mountain-Man
Veteran
- Mar 17, 2016
- 726
- 5
Since spring is upon us and the beach and lakes are calling our names ,here are some thermogenics Information to help you with your spring/summer cutting goals.
Clenbuterol: Also known as Dilaterol, Spiropent or Ventipulmin
How Clenbuterol Works
clenbuterol
Clenbuterol, nicknamed "clen," is the generic term for a nonsteroidal drug that was originally designed as a bronchodilator, used to treat chronic breathing disorders like asthma and obstructive pulmonary disease. However, given its powerful fat-burning properties, clenbuterol is also used by bodybuilders and professional athletes as a stimulant and/or weight loss drug.
Most commonly available in its salt form, clenbuterol hydrochloride, and sold under the trade names Dilaterol, Spiropent, Ventipulmin, this drug acts as a beta-2 adrenergic receptor agonist, meaning it stimulates beta-2 receptors. Clenbuterol also relaxes smooth muscles that line airways and helps them dilate (expand) to increase the amount of oxygen people and animals receive from each breath.
Aside from helping clear airways, other effects created by clenbuterol closely mimic adrenaline, a substance that's released in the body when one is feeling strong emotions like excitement or fear. But unlike adrenaline, which causes a multitude of physiologic reactions, clenbuterol is far more selective and mainly interacts with the beta-2 receptor.
This selectivity enables clen to produce specific adrenaline-like effects such as increasing core body temperature and raising metabolic rate, without also increasing heart rate by a substantial amount. Clenbuterol's stimulation of the beta-2 receptors causes the cells' mitochondria to heat up and produce more heat, thereby creating a thermogenic effect where more calories are burned, fat cells are stimulated and weight loss is more likely.
Beyond simple weight loss, clenbuterol leads the body to favor using stored body fat for energy over body protein. A 1987 study performed on rats concluded that the ratio of body protein to fat after clenbuterol treatment increased by over 50% in both normal and protein-deficient rats (1).
Obviously its ability to preserve muscle mass while burning fat makes clen a highly sought-after drug among bodybuilders. But it is also used by celebrities and the general population as well. So for anybody who's interested in this drug, let's move on to discussing clenbuterol's benefits, side effects, usage, dosage, comparisons to ephedrine and legality.
What are the Benefits of Clen?
The most-popular off-label use for clenbuterol is definitely weight loss. However, there are plenty of other benefits that clen can provide for humans and animals. But as you'll see below, humans and animals can experience different results (notably in building muscle) from taking this drug.
Appetite Suppression
While clenbuterol is often identified as a weight-loss drug, one of its lesser-known benefits involves appetite suppression. Research from 1994 concluded that clenbuterol's beta-2 stimulation has an effect on regulating feeding behavior (2).
Body Recomposition
Research has shown that clenbuterol can aid in animals' body recomposition, which is the process of simultaneously burning fat and building muscle. This is a difficult process because it requires precise caloric intake while burning enough calories through workouts. But a 1985 study involving Standardbred mares showed that clenbuterol usage can result in significant body repartitioning (3). After two weeks of being administered clen and undergoing regular exercise, the mares experienced a 15.4% drop in body fat percentage coupled with a 4.3% increase in fat-free mass.
Reducing Exercise-induced Asthma
Given its use as a bronchodilator for treating chronic breathing diseases, it only seems natural that clenbuterol would help reduce exercise-induced asthma. And a 1987 study confirmed this by revealing that clen protects against exercise-induced asthma without causing negative effects on the cardiovascular system (4). However, despite popular belief, this drug does not enhance cardiovascular efficiency in healthy individuals; in fact, a 1987 study showed that clenbuterol can reduce endurance and exercise duration (5).
Muscle Building
clenbuterol muscle building
Clenbuterol has been shown to have a positive anabolic effect in various species of animals. For example, clen increased the size of skeletal muscle fiber in rats in utero (6). Another study involving rats on a protein-restricted diet revealed that clenbuterol can hasten the recovery of muscle mass following malnutrition (7). There has yet to be any published research that links clenbuterol to being directly responsible for muscle enlargement in healthy humans (8). However, human studies do suggest that long-acting systemic beta 2-agonists can increase muscle size in specific muscle fibers. But this long-term effect may be so gradual that it goes unnoticed in healthy users.
Weight Loss
This drug can help provide dramatic weight-loss results in a short period of time. Unfortunately, there is a severe lack of human research in the scientific community regarding clenbuterol weight-loss effects. But there are numerous clenbuterol reviews across the internet that boast of this drug's notable fat-burning capabilities. Animal studies, such as the previously mentioned one involving mares, offer concrete proof that clenbuterol results include significant fat loss. Research performed on rabbits provides more evidence that clen can reduce body fat percentage in animals (9).
What Side Effects does Clenbuterol have?
While clenbuterol offers many benefits to users, it also comes with some harsh side effects, especially in certain individuals and when dosage is increased. The easiest way to avoid/lessen side effects is to reduce clenbuterol dosage. Many bodybuilders also choose to supplement their clen dosage to reduce side effects (discussed later). Below you can see some of the commonly reported problems with taking this drug.
Anxiety
Many clenbuterol users have reported terrible anxiety attacks when on the drug. For example, one person in this EliteFitness forum thread reported having such bad anxiety that their doctor prescribed them an anti-anxiety medication called Cipralex.
Cardiac Hypertrophy
One possible side effect of clen is cardiac hypertrophy, or the thickening of the heart muscle and subsequent decrease in size of the left and right ventricles. A study performed on treating left ventricular systolic dysfunction actually showed that clenbuterol aggravated the problem, whereas estrogen had a much-more positive effect (10).
Hypertension (Increased Blood Pressure)
Another dangerous clen side effect is increased blood pressure. Given that hypertension can eventually lead to serious problems, including heart attack, kidney failure and stroke, it's important to monitor blood pressure when using this drug.
Increased Heart Rate
While clenbuterol doesn't increase heart rate as much as adrenaline, the natural substance that it mimics, this is still a side effect that users need to worry about. So it's recommended that users monitor their heart rate to ensure that it stays within a safe range (60-100 resting BPM).
Insomnia
Like many powerful stimulants, clen can keep users up at night, especially when used in the evening. That said, many people take this drug in the morning to avoid insomnia.
Muscle Cramps/Taurine Depletion
In a four-day study involving rats and clenbuterol, urinary and liver taurine were significantly reduced in the mice (11). And a depletion of taurine can lead to severe muscle cramps, especially during workouts. So many bodybuilders who use clenbuterol often supplement it with taurine, magnesium, potassium and heavy water consumption to combat this side effect.
Sweating
Given that clenbuterol raises the body's core temperature, sweating is a very common byproduct of taking this drug. Again, drinking plenty of water throughout the day is a good practice because it regulates body temperature and helps minimize sweating.
Who uses Clenbuterol?
Despite the fact that clenbuterol has not been approved for human usage in many countries (even as an asthma drug), it is widely used across the world as a weight-loss aid. When reviewing two U.S. poison control centers, a 2013 study noted that 11 of the 13 cases involving clenbuterol stemmed from bodybuilding and/or weight-loss use (12). Even in countries where it's illegal, clen remains popular among athletes, bodybuilders, celebrities and for enlarging livestock.
Asthma Medication/Horse Racing
Clenbuterol is approved as a therapeutic drug for treating asthma in Bulgaria, China and Russia. However, despite its usefulness as a bronchodilator, clen has not been approved for treating human breathing disorders in many other countries.
In Australia, most of Europe and the U.S., this drug can legally be used to treat breathing problems in horses. As Dr. Bob Judd from VeterinaryPartner.com points out, though, some trainers have also illegally used clenbuterol as a performance-enhancing drug for race horses under the assumption that it delivers more oxygen. However, Oklahoma State's Dr. Michael Davis studied this subject and determined that clen has no performance-enhancing effect on horses.
Bodybuilding
Clenbuterol has become a very common drug in the bodybuilding community, thanks to its ability to induce fat loss while preserving muscle mass. A 2014 study performed on clenbuterol toxicity concluded that bodybuilding is the most-cited use of the drug among those hospitalized with severe clen side effects (13). But despite the risks and side effects associated with this drug, it still remains popular among bodybuilders.
Considering the lack of legitimate clenbuterol studies performed on humans, the bodybuilding world remains one of the best (though not always credible) sources for information on the subject. Forums, such as the one here at EliteFitness.com, are often referred to for those seeking info on how to effectively use this drug for fat loss.
In many cases, bodybuilders cycle other drugs like Cytomel (T3) with clenbuterol to enhance fat-burning effects. These are commonly called "cutting" cycles, and they are sometimes run before a competition to promote a lean, vascular onstage look. Bodybuilders also add clenbuterol into anabolic steroid cycles to keep their weight down while trying to increase muscle mass/strength. This is another area where little scientific research has been done on humans. However, a 2010 study performed on paraplegic mice revealed that clenbuterol and testosterone propionate used together are more effective at reducing muscle atrophy than testosterone alone (14).
Knowledgeable bodybuilders also use ancillaries during a clenbuterol cycle to minimize the previously discussed side effects. Magnesium, potassium and/or taurine are often used for on-cycle support to prevent painful muscle cramps. It's also suggested that clen users drink more water than usual to counteract the excessive sweating that can occur on a clen cycle.
Most suggestions on how to use clenbuterol for weight loss come through anecdotal evidence from bodybuilders who've used the drug. So, referencing threads from the EliteFitness forums, let's examine some different aspects of human clenbuterol use, including dosage, a sample cycle, post-cycle therapy, expected results and common forms of this drug.
Clenbuterol Dosage
Dosing is largely dependent on a user's clenbuterol experience, sex and how well their body tolerates the drug. An oft-recommended starting clen dosage for male beginners is 20mcg per day. And, as discussed in this forum thread, men can increase their daily dosage to 60-80mcg if the side effects aren't too unbearable. Experienced users will dose anywhere from 100-140mcg per day. As for female users, 10mcg is a commonly recommended starting dose, while many women will go up to 40-60mcg daily with experience.
Clenbuterol Half Life
Clenbuterol's half life, or the amount of time it takes for the drug's effectiveness to fall to half of its beginning value, is around 26 hours. Clenbuterol is detectable in the blood for 48 hours after being taken (15). Both of these points are highly important to bodybuilders because they base dosage frequency on much of a drug is still active in their system. The key is to keep a steady stream of clen running in the body to experience enhanced fat-burning effects.
Clenbuterol Cycle
When running a clenbuterol cycle, a typical recommendation is to take this drug for two weeks, followed by a two-week break. The reason why is, due to clenbuterol saturating beta-2 receptors, the drug loses its fat-burning benefits over time. Taking a break allows these receptors to clear out and move closer to their "clean" pre-drug state. So a standard clen cycle sees bodybuilders use a 2-week-on, 2-week-off format for 6-10 weeks. Below you can see a sample clenbuterol cycle in this format, where the user tapers at the end to reduce their body's post-cycle shock:
Clenbuterol: Also known as Dilaterol, Spiropent or Ventipulmin
How Clenbuterol Works
clenbuterol
Clenbuterol, nicknamed "clen," is the generic term for a nonsteroidal drug that was originally designed as a bronchodilator, used to treat chronic breathing disorders like asthma and obstructive pulmonary disease. However, given its powerful fat-burning properties, clenbuterol is also used by bodybuilders and professional athletes as a stimulant and/or weight loss drug.
Most commonly available in its salt form, clenbuterol hydrochloride, and sold under the trade names Dilaterol, Spiropent, Ventipulmin, this drug acts as a beta-2 adrenergic receptor agonist, meaning it stimulates beta-2 receptors. Clenbuterol also relaxes smooth muscles that line airways and helps them dilate (expand) to increase the amount of oxygen people and animals receive from each breath.
Aside from helping clear airways, other effects created by clenbuterol closely mimic adrenaline, a substance that's released in the body when one is feeling strong emotions like excitement or fear. But unlike adrenaline, which causes a multitude of physiologic reactions, clenbuterol is far more selective and mainly interacts with the beta-2 receptor.
This selectivity enables clen to produce specific adrenaline-like effects such as increasing core body temperature and raising metabolic rate, without also increasing heart rate by a substantial amount. Clenbuterol's stimulation of the beta-2 receptors causes the cells' mitochondria to heat up and produce more heat, thereby creating a thermogenic effect where more calories are burned, fat cells are stimulated and weight loss is more likely.
Beyond simple weight loss, clenbuterol leads the body to favor using stored body fat for energy over body protein. A 1987 study performed on rats concluded that the ratio of body protein to fat after clenbuterol treatment increased by over 50% in both normal and protein-deficient rats (1).
Obviously its ability to preserve muscle mass while burning fat makes clen a highly sought-after drug among bodybuilders. But it is also used by celebrities and the general population as well. So for anybody who's interested in this drug, let's move on to discussing clenbuterol's benefits, side effects, usage, dosage, comparisons to ephedrine and legality.
What are the Benefits of Clen?
The most-popular off-label use for clenbuterol is definitely weight loss. However, there are plenty of other benefits that clen can provide for humans and animals. But as you'll see below, humans and animals can experience different results (notably in building muscle) from taking this drug.
Appetite Suppression
While clenbuterol is often identified as a weight-loss drug, one of its lesser-known benefits involves appetite suppression. Research from 1994 concluded that clenbuterol's beta-2 stimulation has an effect on regulating feeding behavior (2).
Body Recomposition
Research has shown that clenbuterol can aid in animals' body recomposition, which is the process of simultaneously burning fat and building muscle. This is a difficult process because it requires precise caloric intake while burning enough calories through workouts. But a 1985 study involving Standardbred mares showed that clenbuterol usage can result in significant body repartitioning (3). After two weeks of being administered clen and undergoing regular exercise, the mares experienced a 15.4% drop in body fat percentage coupled with a 4.3% increase in fat-free mass.
Reducing Exercise-induced Asthma
Given its use as a bronchodilator for treating chronic breathing diseases, it only seems natural that clenbuterol would help reduce exercise-induced asthma. And a 1987 study confirmed this by revealing that clen protects against exercise-induced asthma without causing negative effects on the cardiovascular system (4). However, despite popular belief, this drug does not enhance cardiovascular efficiency in healthy individuals; in fact, a 1987 study showed that clenbuterol can reduce endurance and exercise duration (5).
Muscle Building
clenbuterol muscle building
Clenbuterol has been shown to have a positive anabolic effect in various species of animals. For example, clen increased the size of skeletal muscle fiber in rats in utero (6). Another study involving rats on a protein-restricted diet revealed that clenbuterol can hasten the recovery of muscle mass following malnutrition (7). There has yet to be any published research that links clenbuterol to being directly responsible for muscle enlargement in healthy humans (8). However, human studies do suggest that long-acting systemic beta 2-agonists can increase muscle size in specific muscle fibers. But this long-term effect may be so gradual that it goes unnoticed in healthy users.
Weight Loss
This drug can help provide dramatic weight-loss results in a short period of time. Unfortunately, there is a severe lack of human research in the scientific community regarding clenbuterol weight-loss effects. But there are numerous clenbuterol reviews across the internet that boast of this drug's notable fat-burning capabilities. Animal studies, such as the previously mentioned one involving mares, offer concrete proof that clenbuterol results include significant fat loss. Research performed on rabbits provides more evidence that clen can reduce body fat percentage in animals (9).
What Side Effects does Clenbuterol have?
While clenbuterol offers many benefits to users, it also comes with some harsh side effects, especially in certain individuals and when dosage is increased. The easiest way to avoid/lessen side effects is to reduce clenbuterol dosage. Many bodybuilders also choose to supplement their clen dosage to reduce side effects (discussed later). Below you can see some of the commonly reported problems with taking this drug.
Anxiety
Many clenbuterol users have reported terrible anxiety attacks when on the drug. For example, one person in this EliteFitness forum thread reported having such bad anxiety that their doctor prescribed them an anti-anxiety medication called Cipralex.
Cardiac Hypertrophy
One possible side effect of clen is cardiac hypertrophy, or the thickening of the heart muscle and subsequent decrease in size of the left and right ventricles. A study performed on treating left ventricular systolic dysfunction actually showed that clenbuterol aggravated the problem, whereas estrogen had a much-more positive effect (10).
Hypertension (Increased Blood Pressure)
Another dangerous clen side effect is increased blood pressure. Given that hypertension can eventually lead to serious problems, including heart attack, kidney failure and stroke, it's important to monitor blood pressure when using this drug.
Increased Heart Rate
While clenbuterol doesn't increase heart rate as much as adrenaline, the natural substance that it mimics, this is still a side effect that users need to worry about. So it's recommended that users monitor their heart rate to ensure that it stays within a safe range (60-100 resting BPM).
Insomnia
Like many powerful stimulants, clen can keep users up at night, especially when used in the evening. That said, many people take this drug in the morning to avoid insomnia.
Muscle Cramps/Taurine Depletion
In a four-day study involving rats and clenbuterol, urinary and liver taurine were significantly reduced in the mice (11). And a depletion of taurine can lead to severe muscle cramps, especially during workouts. So many bodybuilders who use clenbuterol often supplement it with taurine, magnesium, potassium and heavy water consumption to combat this side effect.
Sweating
Given that clenbuterol raises the body's core temperature, sweating is a very common byproduct of taking this drug. Again, drinking plenty of water throughout the day is a good practice because it regulates body temperature and helps minimize sweating.
Who uses Clenbuterol?
Despite the fact that clenbuterol has not been approved for human usage in many countries (even as an asthma drug), it is widely used across the world as a weight-loss aid. When reviewing two U.S. poison control centers, a 2013 study noted that 11 of the 13 cases involving clenbuterol stemmed from bodybuilding and/or weight-loss use (12). Even in countries where it's illegal, clen remains popular among athletes, bodybuilders, celebrities and for enlarging livestock.
Asthma Medication/Horse Racing
Clenbuterol is approved as a therapeutic drug for treating asthma in Bulgaria, China and Russia. However, despite its usefulness as a bronchodilator, clen has not been approved for treating human breathing disorders in many other countries.
In Australia, most of Europe and the U.S., this drug can legally be used to treat breathing problems in horses. As Dr. Bob Judd from VeterinaryPartner.com points out, though, some trainers have also illegally used clenbuterol as a performance-enhancing drug for race horses under the assumption that it delivers more oxygen. However, Oklahoma State's Dr. Michael Davis studied this subject and determined that clen has no performance-enhancing effect on horses.
Bodybuilding
Clenbuterol has become a very common drug in the bodybuilding community, thanks to its ability to induce fat loss while preserving muscle mass. A 2014 study performed on clenbuterol toxicity concluded that bodybuilding is the most-cited use of the drug among those hospitalized with severe clen side effects (13). But despite the risks and side effects associated with this drug, it still remains popular among bodybuilders.
Considering the lack of legitimate clenbuterol studies performed on humans, the bodybuilding world remains one of the best (though not always credible) sources for information on the subject. Forums, such as the one here at EliteFitness.com, are often referred to for those seeking info on how to effectively use this drug for fat loss.
In many cases, bodybuilders cycle other drugs like Cytomel (T3) with clenbuterol to enhance fat-burning effects. These are commonly called "cutting" cycles, and they are sometimes run before a competition to promote a lean, vascular onstage look. Bodybuilders also add clenbuterol into anabolic steroid cycles to keep their weight down while trying to increase muscle mass/strength. This is another area where little scientific research has been done on humans. However, a 2010 study performed on paraplegic mice revealed that clenbuterol and testosterone propionate used together are more effective at reducing muscle atrophy than testosterone alone (14).
Knowledgeable bodybuilders also use ancillaries during a clenbuterol cycle to minimize the previously discussed side effects. Magnesium, potassium and/or taurine are often used for on-cycle support to prevent painful muscle cramps. It's also suggested that clen users drink more water than usual to counteract the excessive sweating that can occur on a clen cycle.
Most suggestions on how to use clenbuterol for weight loss come through anecdotal evidence from bodybuilders who've used the drug. So, referencing threads from the EliteFitness forums, let's examine some different aspects of human clenbuterol use, including dosage, a sample cycle, post-cycle therapy, expected results and common forms of this drug.
Clenbuterol Dosage
Dosing is largely dependent on a user's clenbuterol experience, sex and how well their body tolerates the drug. An oft-recommended starting clen dosage for male beginners is 20mcg per day. And, as discussed in this forum thread, men can increase their daily dosage to 60-80mcg if the side effects aren't too unbearable. Experienced users will dose anywhere from 100-140mcg per day. As for female users, 10mcg is a commonly recommended starting dose, while many women will go up to 40-60mcg daily with experience.
Clenbuterol Half Life
Clenbuterol's half life, or the amount of time it takes for the drug's effectiveness to fall to half of its beginning value, is around 26 hours. Clenbuterol is detectable in the blood for 48 hours after being taken (15). Both of these points are highly important to bodybuilders because they base dosage frequency on much of a drug is still active in their system. The key is to keep a steady stream of clen running in the body to experience enhanced fat-burning effects.
Clenbuterol Cycle
When running a clenbuterol cycle, a typical recommendation is to take this drug for two weeks, followed by a two-week break. The reason why is, due to clenbuterol saturating beta-2 receptors, the drug loses its fat-burning benefits over time. Taking a break allows these receptors to clear out and move closer to their "clean" pre-drug state. So a standard clen cycle sees bodybuilders use a 2-week-on, 2-week-off format for 6-10 weeks. Below you can see a sample clenbuterol cycle in this format, where the user tapers at the end to reduce their body's post-cycle shock:
