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Biotest's Hot-Rox
by Hugo Rivera, CFT, BSCE
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With ephedra banned from the market, companies have been scrambling to create the next best thing to replace the highly popular caffeine/ephedrine stack. This task is no easy one as caffeine and ephedrine were very powerful when combined together. They not only suppressed appetite levels successfully but also increased the body's metabolic rate.
In an effort to come up with a substitute most companies have tried to make up for the lack of ephedra by adding less stimulating substances, such as synephrine, but this has proven not to be as effective as the original stack. Other companies have only dramatically increased caffeine levels to over 300 mg per serving in an effort to duplicate the caffeine/ephedra buzz. Again, the fact is that until now, none of the formulas out there have served as a succesful substitute for the C/E stack.
Enter Hot Rox into the market. Now, the first time I heard about it, I was skeptical. I looked at the label however and was surprised to find that the ingredients were not the typical caffeine/synephrine/whatever other herbs companies are using these days. This product contained things like A7-E and Sclaremax, which I had no clue what they were. I looked at the price tag and said forget it. However, one of my good friends who is a manager at a Vitamin store near my house called me up and asked me if I had tried the product as he wanted my opinion/feedback. I told him that I had not tried it as I thought it was another over priced gimmick. To my surprise, he then tells me that he has been on it for 2 weeks, and without any major changes to his diet he had lost 4 pounds and was always sweating profusely when he worked out and was always warm when he did not. He also told me that he felt pretty good on it and that did not felt any cravings. I then told him to save me a couple of bottles as I wanted to try it out.
Next thing you know, I take 2 caps prior to my workout the following morning and noticed that within 30 minutes my body temperature was up. Also noticed a nice surge of energy come through me; not jittery, wired energy but "feel good" energy instead. Now my curiosity was peaked.
At first I thought, "well, maybee it is a placebo", but after a week on them, guess what? 2 lbs were burned off! It was at this time that I started to crave information on how this product worked, so I went to the Hot Rox website: http://www.hot-rox-body.com. Over there I found a technical discussion of what each ingredient was and how it worked. In this review, I will give a summarized and simplified description of each ingredient.
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Hot Rox delivers six compounds that were stacked to increase thyroid levels naturally while maximizing fat mobilization, apetite suppresion and mood enhancement; all things that contribute to the succesful loss of body fat while keeping the energy levels optimal. This super potent fat-burning stack features:
A7-E: This is the lead, and in my opinion, the most important ingredient in Hot Rox. Developed exclusively by Biotest, this compound increases natural thyroid hormone output and will not shutdown or negatively affect the thyroid (this is of major importance folks as this means that if you stop using the product you don't gain the weight back!). The thyroid gland serves as the "control center" for your metabolism, so increasing thyroid output is essential if you want to have a "supercharged" metabolism. A7-E increases natural thyroid hormone secretion by up to 30%; better than any other compound out there. Hot Rox is the only product on the market that contains A7-E so beware of the sure to come knock offs.
Sclaremax: Breaks down body fat and sends it into the blood stream to be burned for energy in the cells' mitochondria by increasing Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate (cAMP) levels. Cyclic AMP is responsible for triggering the cellular processes for fat burning metabolism. Increasing cAMP within fat cells activates protein kinase which in turn activates an enzyme called hormone-sensitive lipase. This enzyme breaks down the fat in adipocytes which causes fatty acids and glycerol to be released into the bloodstream. A high sensitivity to this enzyme depends on the precense of high levels of thyroid hormone, something that A7-E takes care off. As a bonus, increased cAMP and thyroid levels decrease lipoprotein lipase activity which is the enzyme responsible for fat storage! So as you can see, with A7-E and Sclaremax together, you are putting a double whammy on fat storage and firing up all systems towards fat metabolism. As if this would not be enough, Sclaremax also helps increase nitrogen retention (protein synthesis) to preserve (and/or increase) muscle tissue and also helps increase testosterone levels in males.
Guggulsterones: They were added to improve conversion of T4 (inactive thyroid) to T3 (active thyroid), which is great as the A7-E is increasing thyroid output leading to higher levels of the hormone. The Guggulsterones used in this formula are the most potent ones on the market containing a 2:1 ratio of purified guggulsterone Z to purified guggulsterone E. (Note: other formulas may contain a guggul extract in them but if the extract is not active and pure the desired results will not be experienced).
Caffeine (only 25 mg/cap): A bit of caffeine was added to the formula as it inhibits the phosphodiesterase enzyme, which is responsible for the inactivation of cAMP. So in other words, caffeine helps to maximize the Sclaremax function.
Acetyl-L-tyrosine and 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan (5-HTP): Both were included for the properties to:
- Elevate mood and increase feelings of well-being.
- Suppress Appetite.
- Maximize brain levels of norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin (these are key neurotransmitters that decrease while restricting calories)
- Decrease cravings for carbohydrates (especially useful at night time).
- Decrease fat storage.
- Stimulate oxygen consumption.
- Increase resting calorie expenditure.
- Decrease insulin levels.
BENEFITS OBTAINED
I have used the product now for 6 months and went off around 3 times during that period with no adverse effects at all throughout or after its use. The fat loss was really noticeable and you don't get overstimulated while using it since it only has 50 mg of caffeine per 2 caps; however because your thyroid function is enhanced you do get alot of natural energy (not the wired feeling kind). I only take 2 caps in the morning prior to workout and 1 at 3pm. From all of the fat burning formulas that I have ever tried, this one has impressed me the most as no side effects are experienced and it does help for permanent fat loss. Also, unlike the caffeine/ephedrine formulas, there is no need to cycle off this product as it does not exert its benefits through beta receptor stimulation. Therefore, the body does not get used to it; as a matter of fact, the product has a cummulative effect-the longer you stay on it, the better it works. Also, unlike the C/E stack, the results are not dosage dependent, meaning that if you take more, you will not get better results.
One more thing that I should mention is the fact that I have tested the product on seven people that were extremely sensitive to the C/E stack and they have found outstanding results with it. They all report enhanced feelings of well being, no cravings, increased energy and an easier time losing body fat.
Also, don't think that if you are on your bulking up stage this product will not be useful to you. I have found that I can take in a higher level of calories when I use it and because my testosterone levels are optimized, in conjunction with higher T3 levels, most of the extra calories are partitioned towards muscle grow as opposed to fat gain! This product could very well be one of the most amazing breakthroughs for the natural bodybuilder in recent years!
CONCLUSION
Based on the fact that Hot Rox can:
- Mobilize stored body fat.
- Increase body fat burning.
- Increase thyroid hormone secretion.
- Enhance T4 to T3 thyroid conversion.
- Suppress appetite.
- Elevate Mood.
- Preserve and even build muscle.
- Inhibit fat gain.
- Increase metabolism.
- Increase testosterone in males.
without side effects and without stimulating cardiac tissue or increasing blood pressure I have to give this product the two thumbs up. While it retails for $89.95, it last you for 4 weeks at the 3 caps/day dosage. Also, you can get it at a reduced price through various e-tailers, or on Gold Card Week at GNC, the Vitamin Shoppe and other Discount Retailers out there. Think about it. If you have always suffered from a slow metabolism like I have all my life (as a matter of fact, both of my parents and my grandmother are on thyroid medication) then I would gladly pay $4.28 (this is assuming retail price) to get all of the benefits described above. Having said that, always remember though that no supplement works unless you follow a good training/nutrition program so if your program is not ideal yet, then fix it as soon as possible and add Hot Rox; you'll be amazed at the sort of rapid changes that you can achieve.
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