Your advice has been the most valuable and useful information I have found while researching fitness and fat loss. I realize you are unable to answer all of your e-mails, but I would really appreciate some advice on fat loss for non-bodybuilding women. For the past 4 weeks I have been using an “herbal” E/C/A stack, 40-30-30 diet, cardio and light weight training (not trying to gain a lot of muscle). I am trimming down quickly and seeing improvement in all parts of my body — except for my thighs. I am petite to begin with and only have about 10 or 15 pounds to lose, but I just don’t see this lower body fat going anywhere. I know the thighs tend to be the “last place to go” for women, but I am getting really frustrated. A few questions: Does the body become accustomed to E/C/A after a certain period of time? Should I cycle off then back on to get better results?
A: There’s some debate over this one. For most individuals, the central nervous system (CNS) effects tend to go away fairly quickly, within 1-2 weeks. But according to at least one paper, the ECA stack maintain it’s thermogenic effects for much longer, up to 1 year if I recall. However other authorities feel that the beta-receptors (which ECA targets) will downregulate an ECA will lose it’s thermogenic effect. I don’t see how cycling off of it and then going back on can possibly hurt though, it’s worth a try.
I read that adding L-tyrosine to E/C/A can improve results. Is this true, and if so, what exactly does it do?
In rats, l-tyrosine was shown to enhance the anorectic (appetite supressing) effect. In humans, everyone I know of that has added l-tyrosine to the ECA stack (including my training partner who has been on ECA for 3.5 years without a break) notices an additional kick from it. In all liklihood, the tyrosine is acting as a precursor to adrenaline/noradrenaline and ensuring adequate amounts of these substances.
Is there any point in stopping E/C/A and trying yohimbe supplements (I read that since there is little or no circulation in fat tissue, the yohimbe can’t actually get to the fat areas)? I am using topical yohimbe cream and really can’t tell if it’s doing anything (obviously). Is there anything else you would suggest (except for, I have a feeling, “patience”)?
Patience is good of course but I think herbal yohimbe is worth trying. A female bodybuilder I prepped for a contest last year used yohimbe and it did seem to help with her lower bodyfat. Since that time, she has spent an inordinate amount of time reading the research on adrenoreceptors, yohimbe, and thinks it is worth using and that it definitely stimulates lipolysis despite the reduced blood flow. She had a male bodybuilder at her gym try it and it helped him get rid of the stubborn fat on his low back. We’re still trying different ways to increase blood flow including heat packs, sauna, etc. No conclusions yet.
There are at least 2 keys to maximizing the effects of yohimbe:
1. Adequate dose. Most people recommend far too low of a dose. In the studies, the minimum amount of oral yohimbe is 0.2 mg/kg (divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get kg). So a 200 lb person (90 kg) will need 18 mg of yohimbe at once to get an effect. Caution: some people get really freaky heart rate/blood pressure responses from yohimbe. To asess your tolerance, start with about 1/3rd your optimal dose (so our 200 lb person would start with 6 mg) and build up over a period of a few days. If your HR or BP goes haywire, stop using it. Being cut isn’t worth having a stroke.
2. It must be taken without food. This is critical as even a small insulin response will negate any effect of the yohimbe. In fact, taking yohimbe with food will give you a greater insulin response than if you’d eaten that food by itself (has to do with alpha receptors in the pancreas). Based on this rule, this makes the best time to take yohimbe prior to morning cardio. If you just can’t do morning cardio, I would imagine the best time to try yohimbe would be 30′ before evening aerobics but wait at least 3-4 hours after eating so insulin will have gone down a bit. I think morning is the best time though. The bodybuilder in question would take her yohimbe with some caffeine about 30′ prior to getting on the treadmill. Actually, she used the ECA stack as well. However she never took the two together. The combination of ECA + yohimbe is potentially dangerous (moreso than either one by itself) because of the interaction on heart rate and blood pressue. So she would use yohimbe before her morning cardio, wait about 4 hours after her yohimbe dose to take her first dose of ECA. Hope this helps!
About the author
Lyle McDonald+ is the author of the Ketogenic Diet as well as the Rapid Fat Loss Handbook and the Guide to Flexible Dieting. He has been interested in all aspects of human performance physiology since becoming involved in competitive sports as a teenager. Pursuing a degree in Physiological Sciences from UCLA, he has devoted nearly 20 years of his life to studying human physiology and the science, art and practice of human performance, muscle gain, fat loss and body recomposition.