Forskolin has been one of the rising stars in the supplement world lately. Not only is it completely natural, but it’s also a very potent fat burner and testosterone booster, with a few other health benefits. So if you’re looking for a way to get multiple benefits with one supplement, you’ve found your answer!
The interesting thing about forskolin is that it wasn’t researched for its fat burning or testosterone raising capabilities. Lab researchers were more interested in its ability to lower blood pressure, help with digestive problems and improve heart health. Forskolin has a long tradition in Ayurveda, the Indian traditional medicine due to these capabilities. But what they also found is that its uses as a fitness supplement far outweigh even the amazing health-related results. For this reason, it has been used by many celebrity actors to get prepared for the roles in which they had to be shredded. The most notable example is Matthew McConaughey in the movie „Magic Mike“.
What Is Forskolin Exactly?
Forskolin is a substance derived from a plant „Coleus Forskolin“, which is found mostly in subtropical parts of Asia and Africa, mainly India, Thailand, and Uganda. It’s had a huge role in their traditional medicine, and cuisine as well. The forskolin is derived from the tuberous roots of this plant, and it’s the most potent part of the plant.
The reason why forskolin is effective at improving many bodily functions is due to its effect on cAMP, an important cellular messenger compound, also known as cyclic adenosine monophosphate. Forskolin increases the amount of cAMP our body is able to produce, thus improving many functions of the body on a cellular level.
There has been quite a few studies that have shown just how powerful forskolin truly is. The main one was conducted by the University of Kansas a few years back. Forskolin was given to a group of obese men, and placebo was given to the other group. The group that used real forskolin lost 7.8 times more body fat, and their testosterone levels increased a whopping 34%. They were taking 250 mg of forskolin twice per day, and their training regime and diet remained the same throughout the period. This was the main study that put forskolin on the map as a potent fat loss agent and testosterone booster.
Is Forskolin Better Than Ephedrine?
Forskolin is often compared to ephedrine as they produce similar fat burning effects. They both attack fat cell through the increase of cAMP levels. However, there are a few differences that make forskolin a better choice. Ephedrine can cause heart-related problems and increased blood pressure, while forskolin does exactly the opposite. Forskolin also increases cAMP but the action is reversible, whereas ephedrine causes a long-term increase which can lead to cellular damage. This is the main reason why forskolin can be used long term without experiencing any negative side effects, while ephedrine had to be pulled off the market and is now classified as an illegal performance enhancing drug.
Forskolin For Getting Shredded
Forskolin is a great supplement to take when cutting down to a low body fat percentage for a great number of reasons. First of all, it improves metabolism, and also reduces the size of fat cells, thus causing a burning effect without having to do a lot of cardio or dieting.
The truth is that forskolin is not only powerful on the cellular level, but also as a practical aid with lowering calories. As you probably already know, caloric intake is an important factor of weight loss. You need to consume less calories than your body needs to maintain it’s current weight. This requires some sacrifices, either in the gym or in the kitchen. Forskolin makes this decision easy, because it reduces appetite. This is another reason why it was so frequently used in Indian medicine to tackle digestive issues. Most of the digestive issues according to Ayurveda are caused by an overburdened digestive tract, which gets stuffed with mucus and undigested particles. This buildup results in water retention, as the body tries to get rid of the particles. Forskolin basically flushes the system, getting rid of the water retention and also improving motility of the digestive tract by increasing its contractions.
You might think that this has very little to do with weight loss, but it makes a significant difference, especially for aesthetic reasons. Water retention makes the midsection look blocky, and the muscle looks like it’s pumped, but without any hardness or vascularity. Once these obstructions are dealt with, the mid section loses in size, revealing a V-shaped physique, while the muscles look more dense and powerful as well.
Another, more obvious reason why forskolin is remarkable for cutting, but also for gaining weight is the testosterone boosting effect. Testosterone is the most important hormone for building muscle and strength. It’s not only directly responsible for increased hypertrophy, but also for the amount of protein, fats and carbohydrates we can eat without gaining fat. It allows the body to utilize these macronutrients to a greater degree, thus allowing us to eat more calories and using them as a fuel for muscle, rather than storing them as fat reserves.
By combining appetite reduction, reducing fat cells on a cellular level, getting rid of water retention, and increasing testosterone, forskolin is arguably the most powerful and complete natural supplement for performance enchancing and physique changing results.
The Types of Forskolin
As you already know, forskolin is derived from the Coleus herb. This herb can be found across sub-tropical regions, and how effective it is can depend on many factors. Some research conducted shows that the concentration of forskolin in Coleus plants across India varied significantly from one region to another. There are also some supplements in which forskolin is not derived from Coleus, but from C. Blumei and C. Purnilus, which are similar plants, but don’t produce the high quality forskolin we’re after. Due to these reasons it’s important to get the best quality forskolin supplements. I’ve put a list of 5 forskolin supplements that are actually derived from Coleus and are high quality.
How To Take Forskolin
To get the optimal fat loss and testosterone boosting benefits, taking 250 mg of a 10% forskolin supplement daily is the proper dose. It should be split into two even doses and taken twice per day. The concentration can vary from 10% to 20% so you should adjust the dosage accordingly, with higher concentration requiring smaller doses to produce the same effect.
Forskolin should be taken about 30 minutes before meals, as it helps to curb appetite especially well when taken before eating. It can also be taken before workouts, as it improves muscle contractions, and improves the effectiveness of heavy lifting on the breakdown of muscle tissue.
Stacking Forskolin
Many new Forskolin users wonder whether they should use it alone or stack it with other fat burners or testosterone boosters. The answer might surprise you – since Forskolin increases cAMP, it amplifies cellular response to similar ingredients as well. So stacking Forskolin with other fat burners and test boosters will improve their effectiveness as well. Some good stacking options to use with forskolin are tribulus terrestris, DHEA, SARMs, green tea extract and vitamin D3.
Cycling Forskolin
From the information currently available, there doesn’t seem to be any reason to cycle forskolin. It doesn’t produce any side effects such as lowered testosterone, that would warrant doing so. Cycling it also doesn’t improve results. The effects don’t vanish after some time of use either, as forskolin acts on changing the cAMP, instead of just being an ingredient to which the body becomes immune. Therefore forskolin can be used on a longterm basis, and when it suits you.
Side Effects
Forskolin has very little side effects that can occur. One that might happen with larger doses is diarrhea. It can happen because cAMP increase also improves contractions within the gastrointestinal tract, so things will move through it at a faster rate.
Another one is reduced blood pressure, which is why forskolin was used in Ayurveda for treating high blood pressure. However, within the suggested doses it should have a positive effect, reducing blood pressure to the optimal level.
Top Forskolin Supplement
The best forskolin supplement on the market is Forslean. It is made by AFI supplements. The quality is the best.
Conclusion
Whether trying to lose weight, gain muscle or improve workouts in general, forskolin is the latest breakthrough in the supplement industry. It is definitely worth trying out and experiencing the physique changing results. Hopefully this knowledge will help you in picking out the best supplement for reaching your fitness goals.
Alex Rogers is a supplement manufacturing expert. He has been formulating, consulting, & manufacturing dietary supplements since 1998. Alex invented protein customization in 1998 & was the first company to allow consumers to create their own protein blends. He helped create the first supplement to contain natural follistatin, invented whey protein with egg lecithin, & recently imported the world’s first 100% hydrolyzed whey.