Do bodybuilders use fat burners?
Bodybuilders usually have chiseled physiques with maximum muscle and very little fat. But how do they get rid of this fat? Many people think that bodybuilders use fat burners.
But, is this something that they actually do? Is this the reason that they have optimum muscle with little to no fat? What are fat burners in the first place and what are they even made of? Are they safe? This article explores each of these questions so that you can have a better understanding of all the controversy surrounding this topic.
What are fat burners and are they safe?
Fat burners are those special little magic pills that promise to make all the fat on your body disappear. But do they really make the fat vanish? Not necessarily. Fat burners act as supplements, meaning that you can’t think that you can begin taking a fat burner and wake up the next day and have no fat left on your body. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.
Pay Attention to Your Diet
Instead, fat burners are meant to be used as supplements to give your body the energy it needs to burn fat by boosting your metabolic activity. So, this means that fat burners should be combined with a healthy, balanced diet and regular exercise for any results to be seen.
That’s not all though, you’ll need to ensure that you’re in a caloric deficit too. If you’re not sure what one is, then it’s essentially consuming fewer calories than your body needs to maintain your current weight. This is called your ‘basal metabolic rate’, or your BMR. There are plenty of calculators available online to work this out.
Once you’ve got the exact number of calories you need per day, then simply take off around 100-200 calories and eat this amount per day instead. You don’t want to cut down too much as your body still needs to get in nutrients so that you can maintain muscle mass.
It also pays to track your calories each day. This can seem somewhat tedious, but when you get the hang of it it’s not all that bad. Plus, if you’re serious about improving your physique, then you’ll be able to get better results this way. This is because you’ll know for sure you’re eating the right number of calories and sticking to your protein, fat, and carbohydrate goals – otherwise known as macronutrients.
There is a lot of debate around whether fat burners are safe. However, taken in the right way and at the proper dosage, they can actually be beneficial in many ways. You can refer to this article written by fitday for information about the safety of fat burners.
What are fat burners made of and how do they work?
Fat burners work by causing the body to release natural hormones into the bloodstream that are responsible for moving the fat that is stored in your body, into the bloodstream.
If you do not exercise, this fat will just return back to where it came from. So, fat burners act like shovels that dig up the sand (fat) from the ground (your body). But, if this sand isn’t constructively moved elsewhere, this pile of sand will just fall back into the hole that was dug up.
The main ingredients in fat burners include:
- Green tea extract
- Black pepper
- Caffeine Anhydrous
- Garcinia Cambogia Extract
- Conjugated Linoleic Acid
Each of these ingredients can be beneficial for fat burning when dosed effectively. Take green tea extract for instance. It contains natural antioxidants called ‘catechins’ which are responsible for increasing your metabolism amongst other things. This essentially means that the body will process calories more efficiently. In turn, this improves your fat burning potential considerably (1).
Caffeine Anhydrous is another hugely beneficial ingredient which is contained within many fat burners. An ideal dosage is around 150-200mg per serving. This ensures that you’ll be able to feel energized even while you’re in a calorie deficit. Feeling lethargic is something which can happen often when you’re consuming fewer calories than your BMR. Luckily, caffeine helps to combat this feeling.
But, be sure you’re not consuming too much caffeine per day. Otherwise, you might just experience jitters and energy crashes, and you won’t be able to make the most out of this particular ingredient. As well as this, your body will build up a tolerance to caffeine.
Ultimately, the ingredients listed above can be used as natural alternatives to fat burners. All these natural ingredients have their own branch of expertise (2).
Conclusion – Do bodybuilders use fat burners?
If you’re serious about your diet and you eat a diet made up mostly of proteins with little or no carbohydrates, plus you’re at the gym routinely, then sure, fat burners will help you lose all that fat. So, it’s no surprise that bodybuilders do use fat burners supplemented with a healthy, protein-rich diet and constant exercise.
It helps them to reach their fitness goals far more efficiently, provided their diet is in check. Which, more often than not, it is – especially if they have a bodybuilding competition to prepare for.
However, there are different types of fat burners that work in different ways and are made for specific types of people. For that reason, it definitely pays to do your research. When purchasing a fat burner, you’ll no doubt be looking for something which gets results and gives you value for money.
Ultimately, it’s the ingredients themselves which make a great fat burner, as well as the dosages of each compound which is contained within the product. More definitely isn’t better, especially when it comes to ingredients such as caffeine. A high dosage of this particular ingredient might seem like a good idea. But, if you’re wanting to avoid unwanted side effects such as energy crashes, then stick to our recommended dosage of between 150-200mg per serving.
Overall, if you want to get an idea of which fat burners are the best for you, then you can check out our Top 5 Fat Burners list.