Carbolin 19 Trial

Diet and Nutrition
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I thought others might benefit from the Carbolin 19 trial that I started a few days ago…

The product claims state that with Carbolin 19 I will be able to essentially shift my body composition: Not lose or gain weight, necessarily, but see a dramatic change in relative muscle and fat. In other words, if I’m understanding T-Nation’s sales pitch, my body fat percentage will decrease.

Background: Five years ago, I was at my personal maximum density of about 250 pounds. This was essentially all fat and no muscle. I spent about two years starving myself and doing major cardio to get all the way down to 145. Nice to lose the fat, but suddenly found myself to be a scrawny twerp.

The annoying thing: My flabby spare tire never went away. Several doctors have told me this is because adipose hyperplasia occurred: I increased the number of fat cells in my body, and these cannot go away (without being sucked out; but my wife says “no” to lipo).

In any event, a couple of years ago I decided to put on some muscle. This has been a major uphill battle for a lot of reasons, but every day it seems I’m learning more and achieving better results through proper exercise, rest, supplementation and nutrition. I’m now up to 170 pounds; a lot of this is muscle, but my spare tire has grown, too.

Long story short (I know, too late): As of three months ago, I was at 21.5% body fat. This stinks, of course, as I’d like some hint of abs!! Again, I’m constantly trying to improve my workout, nutrition and other factors, but seem stuck at 21.5%. Some things I’ve tried:

  1. Testosterone supplementation. That’s right, I mean the prescription kind. I get this because my doctor found that I had low free testosterone. I think this has helped with the muscle, but hasn’t touched the fat (and it sure as heck is supposed to help with fat, too!!)…

  2. Thyroid supplementation. Again, prescription kind. Doctor found low thyroid, too. But my body fat % has remained consistent at 21.5.

  3. Every combination of high protein, low carb, high/low cardio, high/low fat, absolutely spotless diet, high/low calorie, major weight lifting at gym, etc., etc. (and long periods experimenting with each combination). Doesn’t matter what I try: The scale always reads around 21 to 21.5% body fat.

Would you be frustrated if you were me?? I know I haven’t described in detail what I’ve done or what I’m doing now, but I THINK I’m an excellent test case for Carbolin 19: The world’s most-stuck-at-high-body -fat-percentage guy ever…

So, again, started the Carbolin 19 a few days ago. As of this morning, of course, I’m still at 21 to 21.5%. I won’t change anything else about my routine, etc., and will post my results over the next few weeks/months of using Carbolin 19…

I’ll either end up as T-Nation’s new best friend, or not… :slight_smile:

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Should be interesting. For what its worth, I ran a 3 month “study” on myself with 3 bottles and saw favorable results. I know what typical results are for myself and like to think I experienced positive changes under the influence of the supplement. Nothing life changing or radical, but positive none the less.

I have since used the supplement again in a 3-bottle-3-month run, and also used HOT-ROX which has the ingredient. I liked what I saw each time. I will most like give the supplement another shot here in the coming future when money is more available, so I guess that means I liked it.

Again - The supplement will not do the work for you, but it sounds like you are motivated and already working hard… but are you really working hard enough? 5 hours of intense physical exercise (cardio + weight lifting… no yoga or walking) is considered the MINIMUM amount of work to do to “get in shape” I personally do about 5 - 7 hours of exercise, and about 5 hours of walking every week and maintain a decent physique (trying to gain mass right now), and use a low carb/high fat approach.

I’ll be checking in on you from time to time, so you better be keeping up with everything, OR ELSE!

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Lonnie123: Glad to see someone is paying attention to my experiment!

As for sticking with everything, not to worry – I’ve been obsessive/compulsive about my physical condition for years and drive everyone around me (especially my wife!) crazy with how “meticulous” I am.

I REALLY appreciate the comment about whether or not I’m working hard enough. That is definitely food for thought. I wonder this myself, but I’ve heard and read so much about the importance of rest and recovery that I just try to avoid “over doing it”. Remember, I’m not just trying to lose fat, I’m trying to gain muscle (which can help keep the fat under control, right?). My concern is that too much cardio will waste any muscle gains I might be making…

Oh, well, I’ll stick with my current plan/routine for the moment, but invite any and all feedback from the group. In the meantime, I’m up to 4 Carbolin 19 capsules per day now (full dose) and am almost a week into this supplement. So far, of course, no change in weight or body fat %, but it’s early!!

Will keep everyone posted…

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It would really be helpful to other if you use a spreadsheet to track important muscle measurements, body fat percentage, and body weight for the length of your trial and post the whole thing when you finish.

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You sound like a great candidate for the Physique Clinic to me. Did you apply? Those lack of results would certainly frustrate me. Good luck with the experiment. Hope the Carbolin 19 helps.

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Hmmm, I would definitely consider adding HOT-ROX to the Carbolin 19.

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[quote]Abaddon wrote:
Hmmm, I would definitely consider adding HOT-ROX to the Carbolin 19.[/quote]

HOT-ROX already has it in there.

I really do not take Carbolin 19 because I am either taking HOT-ROX, or Alpha Male, and both have Carbolin 19. Although I have thought of getting a bottle just to cover the weekend when I am taking Alpha Male.

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[quote]The Mage wrote:
HOT-ROX already has it in there.

I really do not take Carbolin 19 because I am either taking HOT-ROX, or Alpha Male, and both have Carbolin 19. Although I have thought of getting a bottle just to cover the weekend when I am taking Alpha Male.[/quote]

From what I understand, HOT-ROX only has a small dose of the Carbolin 19 active ingredient, so one would not get the full effect of Carbolin 19 with this product. Assuming that the marketing on Carbolin 19 is accurate, the “full effect” translates as a decrease in body fat percentage (decreased fat mass AND simultaneously increased muscle mass). HOT-ROX, conversely, is reportedly (if I’m understanding correctly) for burning off fat quickly, which presumably means a bit of sacrifice of muscle mass at the same time.

Obviously, if the claims of Carbolin 19 are accurate, it’s a bit of a miracle drug (very anabolic but without steroidal side effects). Huge claim, to say the least! I’ve gone into this experiment with a lot of skepticism, but will be the happiest person on earth if Carbolin 19 lives up to its marketing… This can only be reflected in one way: Decrease in body fat%!

As for adding in HOT-ROX, the Carbolin 19 label warns not to exceed four capsules per day (which I’m currently taking), so wouldn’t the addition of a Carbolin 19-containing product like HOT-ROX and/or Alpha Male be potentially dangerous?

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Hey, quick question - I just started an experiment with Carbolin 19 myself - but I’m not sure when/how to take it - the bottle is not very clear. Cy once said not to take it with Spike or HOT-ROX. Does this mean it has stimulants in it?

Should it be taken with food? Is before bed okay? I usually wake up and have Spike in the morning pre-workout, so should I just take the Carbolin 19 PWO or should I not use Spike AT ALL while trying Carbolin 19?

Thanks!

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I tried it for about 4 weeks about a year ago. seemed to make me feel harder but made me shit like 5 times a day.

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[quote]speakman wrote:
The Mage wrote:
HOT-ROX already has it in there.

I really do not take Carbolin 19 because I am either taking HOT-ROX, or Alpha Male, and both have Carbolin 19. Although I have thought of getting a bottle just to cover the weekend when I am taking Alpha Male.

From what I understand, HOT-ROX only has a small dose of the Carbolin 19 active ingredient, so one would not get the full effect of Carbolin 19 with this product. Assuming that the marketing on Carbolin 19 is accurate, the “full effect” translates as a decrease in body fat percentage (decreased fat mass AND simultaneously increased muscle mass). HOT-ROX, conversely, is reportedly (if I’m understanding correctly) for burning off fat quickly, which presumably means a bit of sacrifice of muscle mass at the same time.

Obviously, if the claims of Carbolin 19 are accurate, it’s a bit of a miracle drug (very anabolic but without steroidal side effects). Huge claim, to say the least! I’ve gone into this experiment with a lot of skepticism, but will be the happiest person on earth if Carbolin 19 lives up to its marketing… This can only be reflected in one way: Decrease in body fat%!

As for adding in HOT-ROX, the Carbolin 19 label warns not to exceed four capsules per day (which I’m currently taking), so wouldn’t the addition of a Carbolin 19-containing product like HOT-ROX and/or Alpha Male be potentially dangerous?[/quote]

I am pretty damn sure HOT-ROX Extreme has a full dose of Carbolin 19 in it.

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[quote]Kalle wrote:
I am pretty damn sure HOT-ROX Extreme has a full dose of Carbolin 19 in it. [/quote]

It doesnt. Cy said it has the perfect dose for HRX’s purpose. He never specified how much exactly was in it, though. Perhaps you were thinking of Alpha Male, which does have a full dose of Carbolin 19.

To the OP, HRX is known for its fat loss properties, but also for its muscle retaining properties while on restricted diets.

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They do not give the exact dose, but it is not the same as Carbolin 19. But I believe it is significant enough that you do not need to add in any Carbolin 19. Not sure if its really dangerous to add in any, but it may not be beneficial.

As far as what they say about the product, that was the result of research into a purified forskolin supplement. (I don’t think Biotest backed this research, but I could be wrong.) So I would believe their hype.

Still I think these “experiments” are great for everyone to see a test outside the lab. Taking actual measurements is a lot more significant then just remembering if it worked or not.

Having a few people do this can also give a more accurate picture, as some people may do something to change the results, while a few will normalize the results.

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speakman - In general I think the whole over training thing bets blown way out of proportion. Think about athletes that train for HOURS every single day and they do fine.

I would definitely add in cardio if I were you. Read the G-Flux article Berardi wrote a while back and you will see that, in general, more exercise = more results. Hell, doing a fair amount of cardio + weight training might be the key to losing fat while gaining muscle. I used to fear doing cardio too, but since I’ve added it in I stay leaner, am more “fit” (couldnt really jog or run when I just weight lifting), and feel better in general. I would highly recommend it.

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It does work as advertised, but make sure your diet is correct, your training is good, etc. It is not a miracle drug - such a thing does not exist. But yes, it does help. If you take two steps in the right direction Carbolin 19 will take one more step for you. If you take no steps however, it too will stand still.

Be careful to not exceed the maximum dosage if you’re taking other products that may contain Carbolin 19.

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Are you using one of those bio-impedence scales?
I’ve heard that they aren’t very accurate and can be affected by skin moisture and a bunch of other stuff.
Try calipers, or even better have a body comp done by an experienced professional.

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[quote]sarah1 wrote:
Hey, quick question - I just started an experiment with Carbolin 19 myself - but I’m not sure when/how to take it - the bottle is not very clear. Cy once said not to take it with Spike or HOT-ROX. Does this mean it has stimulants in it?

Should it be taken with food? Is before bed okay? I usually wake up and have Spike in the morning pre-workout, so should I just take the Carbolin 19 PWO or should I not use Spike AT ALL while trying Carbolin 19?

Thanks![/quote]

The possible bad interaction with Spike was more like a hunch. Cy said it may trigger some unpleasant effects, but I don’t remember hearing anything but theoretical suppositions. Myself, I stacked them several times, each at the minimum dosage, with no ill effects.

But of course, everyone’s different (especially when it comes to stimulants) so my experience may not be relevant in your case - what’s ambrosia for me might be someone else’s cyanide.

As for the usage protocol - man, I don’t get it, so many people ask “how should I take the supplement XYZ”, and yet the fucking “Recommended Use” cheat sheet is always on the website. Just click on it, OK? See this page, scroll to the bottom, click on Recommended Use:

http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=608834

I think the protocol is to take it in the morning, and then several hours after that (6 to 8 hours if I remember right, now I see they say it’s 6 hours), in the afternoon. I used to take it with breakfast and with the afternoon meal or with the pre-workout shake and it worked just fine.

Taking it before bed is not recommended.

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one of the Mods told me that a full dose of Carbolin 19 is in HOT-ROX so there is no need to take both. Also HOT-ROX does not sacrifice muscle while dieting it is supposed to retain muscle while dieting, actually.

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[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
speakman - In general I think the whole over training thing bets blown way out of proportion. Think about athletes that train for HOURS every single day and they do fine.[/quote]

Okay, you win… Seriously, your earlier post to me really got me thinking about the question, am I really working hard enough? So about a week ago I changed my workout routine from doing a full-body workout once every four days to doing a split routine, which puts me in the gym twice as often. I’m also trying to do my 3 to 4 mile run on each alternating day, which means I’ll be exercising every single day.

So, with this change, I guess my Carbolin 19 experiment has been tainted a bit: If my body fat percentage does indeed drop (which as of this morning it has not; not even by quarter of a percent), it will be hard to attribute the improvement entirely to Carbolin 19.

If I do get some improvement, I’m sure I’ll be compelled to give Carbolin 19 at least some of the credit… Either way, at this point I’m going to be absolutely shocked to see any improvement at all…

One more note about about “tainting” my experiment: Recall also that just a couple of weeks before I started the Carbolin 19 I started taking thyroid medicine. I mentioned this earlier but bring it up again because any drop in body fat % might also be attributed to this… So, sorry, this is not a perfect test of Carbolin 19!

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I’m also very interested in this - please keep updating! =)