Trying to shed body fat but not having much luck? A fat burner geared specifically for men might help.
Men’s physiological makeup means that you can generate impressive fat burning results if you can amp up your testosterone and growth hormone levels, since these are natural muscle-building and fat-burning hormones.
A fat burner that’s designed specifically for men can take this physiology into account, combining ingredients that support high levels of androgens with ingredients that increase fat oxidation and suppress appetite.
The synergistic interaction among these three targets means you can get far better weight loss results than if you’d just tried to shed fat by dropping your caloric intake.
Why use a fat burner for men? Here are the key benefits you can gain by taking one.
Research
Fat burner for men benefits
1. For men, weight loss is a good goal, but fat loss is even better
If you can selectively lose fat mass while retaining your muscle mass: they help you focus on your body composition, not just the number on the scale.
2. Fat-burners with caffeine can boost energy expenditure and decrease your appetite
Even at low doses, caffeine can work wonders for fat loss. One study showed that caffeine content equivalent to a single cup of coffee has significant fat burning effects (1).
That’s why you’ll find caffeine in most high-quality fat burning supplements for men. It really does amp up fat oxidation; it’s not just there for a cheap caffeine buzz.
3. Caffeine works even better for men who are overweight
That same study found bigger increases in energy expenditure in obese men, even though the relative dose (per kg of body weight) was lower.
This finding is surprising, since usually you’d expect higher body mass to dilute the effects of caffeine. This is especially good news for men taking a caffeine-containing fat burner, since it means your supplement will pack the biggest punch when you need it – right when you are getting started.
4. Fat burners with green tea extract can accelerate fat oxidation beyond the benefits of caffeine
You might think green tea is included just for its caffeine content–but that’s not all it’s good for.
Green tea extract’s benefits are driven by its active ingredient, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which increases the metabolic activity in fat cells independent of caffeine (2).
5. Green tea in a fat burner magnifies the benefits of caffeine
These synergistic benefits contribute green tea’s ability to maintain fat loss after a diet (3). Green tea’s active ingredients are known to increase intracellular fat metabolism, and on top of that, green tea induces an appetite suppressant effect as well, meaning you’re not only burning more energy, but you’re eating less too.
6. Fat burners with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) encourages your body to rely on its internal fat stores
CLA is a staple in many appetite suppressants, and research in the journal Obesity Reviews recommends it as a long-term weight loss supplement (4). It’s an all-natural compound that’s found in dairy products, and it’s an excellent core ingredient in many fat burners for men.
7. Fat burners with cayenne pepper could help men shed fat faster
Capsaicin, also known as cayenne pepper extract, is one of the most exciting new fat burning compounds you’ll see in our top-rated supplements: research on over 500 people shows that it helps shed fat mass (5).
8. Fat burners can combine reliable, evidence-backed fat burners with newer but less well-studied compounds
A combined fat burner lets you get the benefits of well-studied mainstays and more modern but less well-understood compounds, like chromium, forskolin, and garcinia cambogia (6). The combined effect of all of these ingredients could lead to increased rates of fat loss.
Side effects
The best fat burning supplements have side effect profiles that are pretty mild for most users. That said, there are a few compounds to watch out for.
Caffeine is a common fat burner with well-known side effects. In high doses, caffeine can cause jitters, irritability, nausea, and (as you might guess) an inability to sleep (7).
The best-proven fat burning supplements also tend to be the safest. Green tea extract has very little in the way of common side effects; indeed, it’s often taken for its ability to boost general health and well-being and fend off chronic disease (8).
Likewise, CLA, as a natural food ingredient, has a similarly unremarkable adverse effect profile (9).
Some fat burner ingredients can cause gastrointestinal problems. A good example is capsaicin: a great fat burner, but one that can sometimes cause an upset stomach or indigestion, so pay attention to the capsaicin content of your supplements if you have a sensitive stomach (10).
Recommended dosage
The ideal dose of a fat burning supplement for men is going to vary greatly depending on what the ingredients are. For the most part, reputable manufacturers deliver the ingredients at the appropriate dosages. Here are a few quick guidelines:
Caffeine: aim for 100-150 mg for starters. With caffeine, the thing to be careful about is not taking too much. Even small amounts of caffeine have thermogenic effects, so you don’t need to overdo it with a high dose that’s likely to cause adverse effects (11).
Green tea extract: shoot for 400-800 mg. Based on clinical research, this dosage range seems ideal for fat burning (12).
CLA: more is better. The benefits of CLA seems to be proportional to its dosage. While some studies use doses as high as several grams per day, but most fat burners on the market today use less CLA than this. So, for now leaning towards higher-dose CLA supplements is best (13).
Capsaicin: at least 3-10 mg. While less well-studied than caffeine, green tea, or CLA, this is the dose range that’s most common in the research done so far (though some studies have used much higher doses) (14).
Fat burners for men benefits FAQ
Q: What foods burn fat?
A: Pretty much any lean source of protein, like chicken, salmon, or whey protein, are effective at burning fat.
The complex structure of the amino acids in these foods raises your body’s baseline metabolic rate more than an equivalent amount of calories from carbohydrates or fat (15).
These foods also exert stronger feeling of satiety (i.e. fullness). That means that you are less likely to eat more at a subsequent meal if you’ve had protein-heavy food earlier in the day.
Q: Can coffee and tea burn fat?
A: Some of the most popular caffeinated drinks are great ways to burn fat as well: coffee is a phenomenal way to burn fat, as is tea (particularly green tea or matcha tea).
The reason? Yes, coffee and tea contain caffeine, but these beverages induce fat oxidation that’s beyond merely the effects of caffeine. Ingredients like the EGCGs in green tea and the chlorogenic acids in coffee augment the fat oxidation capabilities of caffeine, leading to superior weight loss. That’s why you’ll find green tea extract and green coffee bean extract (which is even higher in chlorogenic acids than roasted coffee) in many top fat burners for men.
Q: How can you burn abdominal fat?
A: Burning away fat from a specific area of your body is tricky: where your body gains fat is dictated mostly by genetics and your body type, not any particulars of your diet or exercise routine.
So, to drop abdominal fat (whether to lose a beer belly or get a six-pack), you need to do two things:
First, boost your rate of fat oxidation.
Thermogenic supplements, like those you’ll find in a fat burner for men, are a great way to do this.
Second, raise your testosterone levels. Testosterone increases lean body mass and decreases fat storage, so do whatever you can to boost your testosterone: lift weights, sleep more, and take high-quality supplements for men.
All of these will go a long way towards melting off your abdominal fat.
Q: How can men burn more fat?
A: To burn more fat, you need to increase your overall caloric expenditure, shift your body’s metabolism towards more fat oxidation, or both.
Increasing overall caloric expenditure is the end goal of a thermogenic supplement, whether it’s caffeine, chromium, or CLA.
Oxidizing fat from fat cells is something you can accomplish with green tea extract, caffeine (again), or forskolin.
Keeping up a good exercise program can help on both fronts: building muscle mass increases your body’s overall metabolic expenditure (as bigger muscles burn more energy) and doing a cardio workout or HIIT training increases your body’s rate of fat oxidation.
Combining strategies can help you burn more fat and burn it faster.
Q: How do you burn body fat without exercise?
A: If exercise isn’t in the cards and you are trying to drop body fat—or if you are already exercising, but want to accelerate your rate of fat loss—you need to look at your diet and your supplementation routine to find a way to boost your metabolism and increase your rate of fat oxidation.
First, try a good fat burning supplement that increases fat oxidation, like Instant Knockout or PhenQ. These boost both fat oxidation and your overall metabolic rate.
Second, adopt a high protein, low carb diet. This will tamp down on hunger cravings, and to augment its effects, you can add coffee, green tea, or supplements derived from these beverages to your routine.
Even so, you’ll likely have better results if you do exercise, especially if you employ fat-burning workouts like HIIT training.
Q: How much body fat can you lose in a week?
A: One of the things that makes fat loss difficult is the fact that it takes long periods of hard work to see results. You can drop a few pounds of fat in a week with some aggressive dieting and supplementation, but for real benefits you need several weeks (and really, several months) of dedication.
If you need to drop weight, but not necessarily body fat, you can use a diuretic, but you’ll be mostly losing water weight, not body fat.
Related: Our top picks for fat burners for men
Summary
Shedding excess body fat is tough, but a fat burner tuned specifically for men’s physiology can make it easier.
A high-quality fat burning supplement can amp up androgens like testosterone and human growth hormone, while also accelerating your fat oxidation and tamping down on your appetite.
A carefully-formulated supplement really can work, but watch out for low-quality imitation products that are loaded up with caffeine and other stimulants. The best fat burners for men leverage the natural fat-burning capabilities of your body, helping you get leaner and stronger at the same time.
