This tip is not for people with a lot of fat to lose. This is an advanced tip for those who may have a 4 pack already but can’t get that 6 pack.
Tip from Lyle McDonald ~ Author The Stubborn Fat Solution
Question: Lyle, I am starting to use yohimbe with my ephedra in order to hit the “stubborn fat.” What do YOU suggest for a protocol?
Answer: The best way to use yohimbe and ephedrine together is as follows:
- 30-60 minutes prior to morning fasted cardio: yohimbe (0.2 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight) with caffeine (100-200 milligrams).
- Do your morning cardio (45-60 minutes at a low-moderate intensity).
- 3-4 hours following the yohimbe, you can take your first ephedrine/caffeine dose.
- Four hours later, you can take another dose (the last dose should be at least 4 hours before you intend to go to sleep).
Please do not try this tip unless you are an experienced lifter with an already fairly low bodyfat. Look in the mirror and be realistic… Oh and consult your doctor before you ever try anything like this!
More info
What about yohimbe? Yohimbe approaches fat mobilization from the opposite end. It is an alpha-antagonist (meaning that it blocks the effects of the alpha receptors). Since alpha receptors inhibit fat breakdown, and yohimbe inhibits alpha receptors, the end result is that yohimbe increases fat breakdown (got that, it’s basically a double negative, inhibiting an inhibitor means that you get an increase). One observation in the research is that women’s lower bodyfat has much higher levels of alpha receptors than it does beta receptors. This is probably a big part of why a lot of women will get very lean in their upper bodies but still carry a lot of fat on their legs. Women probably have more to gain from using yohimbe than men do. The standard dose of yohimbe is 8-24 mg per day but the problem is that most yohimbe products are poorly standardized and there’s no way to know how much of the active ingredient is present. The problem is that yohimbe plus the ECA stack *can* be relatively more dangerous than either one used separately. Here’s why. Recall from above that the beta receptors are analogous to the accelerator on your car while alpha receptors are kind of like the brakes. Taking ECA is like stomping on the accelerator, taking yohimbe is like taking your foot off the brake. Meaning that ECA + yohimbe will have an overall greater effect on metabolism than either one taken alone. This is a good thing from the standpoint of fat loss since you are both stimulating fat breakdown and inhibiting the inhibition of fat breakdown. But the heart also has both alpha and beta receptors. Stimulating beta receptors in the heart raises heart rate. So does inhibiting the alpha receptors. Doing both means that the heart rate and blood pressure response to ECA + yohimbe will be greater than with either one taken alone. For some people this is a non-issue. Others report a racing heart rate and vastly increased blood pressure when they take ECA + yohimbe and there is no way to know in advance if you’ll be susceptible or not. If you do choose to experiment with both, at least show some common sense and monitor your heart rate and blood pressure response. Normal heart rate for most individuals is 60-80 beats per minute and a resting heart rate over 100 is considered dangerous. Normal blood pressure is about 120/80 and anything over 140/100 should be a major danger sign. Blood pressure cuffs are cheap (or use the free ones at the grocery store). A trip to the emergency room is most definitely not cheap. This isn’t mean to be a scare tactic. Just be smart about what you put into your body and do the most you can do avoid having any problems.
