Benefits From Tribulus

i was in GNC the other day and i was looking at tribulus, i know that it is something like testosterone, but what are the benefits of using it for body building?

Tribulus is an herb that has been shown to increase Testosterone production. What benefit does this have to bodybuilding??

Well, increases levels of T are correlated to increases in stregnth and muscular size! Pro Bodybuilders use steroids, of which Testosterone is included, to acheive those types of gains.

While Tribulus is definitely NOT a steroid, nor can it give you the types of gains steroids can give, it is a valuble herb if you are trying to improve your physique.

They sell one here at the T-Nation store called TRIBEX(contains only tribulus) and also Alpha Male (contains a variety of herbs that boost T levels)

Tribulus wont give you noticable gains, if it does its the placebo effect. To be completley honest you will get more muscular and strength gains from spending that same amount of money on a couple gallons of milk and drinking a extra 4 cups a day spread out.

The only time it would realy be worth getting is if your diet was perfect in every sence of the word. Because if its not then you would make more progress simply by fixing your diet.

I will add tho it would be useful to someone with low testosterone, but to some one with regular levels I doubt it would do anything noticeable past the placebo affect.

Iv been taking TRIBEX and I was skeptical of how well it work at first, but I have noticed a difference.

I feel like this sort of thing is like the icing on the cake. It wont make a difference if you arent eating or resting enough.

Numerous scientific studies have shown that tribulus has no effect on testosterone or muscle gain. Some claim only Bulgarian in higher doses works, but there are no legitimate studies to back this.

Numerous studies have shown it does have an effect on mood and libido.

Buy it if you are over 35 and want it for the later.

Tongkat ali has been proven to increase free testosterone and does not mess with estrogen like the products typically used for PCT. Unfortunately it is not cheap.

http://www.supplementwatch.com/suplib/supplement.asp?DocId=1263&templateId=100

[quote]icecold wrote:
Numerous scientific studies have shown that tribulus has no effect on testosterone or muscle gain. Some claim only Bulgarian in higher doses works, but there are no legitimate studies to back this.
[/quote]

Bullshit. At one point I had low T (tested) due to stress at that time. I took Tribulus, went back to the doc and my T test came back as high/normal.

If your levels are already high/normal, I doubt it would help as much.

I don’t know about studies, but I routinely test 200 points higher in T after using Tribex Gold for several weeks.

Research is great, but it doesn’t always tell the whole story. Tribex Gold definitely works well for me.

I’m not sure where people came up with the line that it only works for those low in T either as it takes me from around 500 mg/dL to 700 mg/dL.

JB wrote two articles looking at the studies behind TRIBEX. Concering endurance athletes i think. Its in the articles section.

I dont think test boosters will add muscle to your frame. But it may be of benefit to runners, cyclists, etc. For mood, recovery, etc.

For most people who are older i would just say try it and after two or so bottles run out and you dont miss it then dont worry about it.

If your just hopeing to gain muscle mass, then id try something else.

[quote]Beatnik wrote:
But it may be of benefit to runners, cyclists, etc. For mood, recovery, etc.[/quote]

Why wouldn’t improving recovery help increase muscle?

Recovery is the number one factor in whether we benefit from our workouts.

[quote]JDK wrote:
Bullshit. At one point I had low T (tested) due to stress at that time. I took Tribulus, went back to the doc and my T test came back as high/normal.
[/quote]

If you bought Alpha Male it also had tongkat ali and other ingedients in it. If you bought only tribulus and feel it worked for you then fine, but science does not support this. I actually like tribulus, though I feel as a testosterone booster it is not that strong.

J Strength Cond Res. 2007 May;21(2):348-53. Links
The effect of five weeks of Tribulus terrestris supplementation on muscle strength and body composition during preseason training in elite rugby league players.

Rogerson S, Riches CJ, Jennings C, Weatherby RP, Meir RA, Marshall-Gradisnik SM.

School of Exercise Science and Sport Management, Southern Cross University Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.

Tribulus terrestris is an herbal nutritional supplement that is promoted to produce large gains in strength and lean muscle mass in 5-28 days (15, 18).

Although some manufacturers claim T. terrestris will not lead to a positive drug test, others have suggested that T. terrestris may increase the urinary testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio, which may place athletes at risk of a positive drug test.

The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of T. terrestris on strength, fat free mass, and the urinary T/E ratio during 5 weeks of preseason training in elite rugby league players.

Twenty-two Australian elite male rugby league players (mean +/- SD; age = 19.8 +/- 2.9 years; weight = 88.0 +/- 9.5 kg) were match-paired and randomly assigned in a double-blind manner to either a T. terrestris (n = 11) or placebo (n = 11) group. All subjects performed structured heavy resistance training as part of the club’s preseason preparations.

A T. terrestris extract (450 mg.d(-1)) or placebo capsules were consumed once daily for 5 weeks. Muscular strength, body composition, and the urinary T/E ratio were monitored prior to and after supplementation. After 5 weeks of training, strength and fat free mass increased significantly without any between-group differences.

No between-group differences were noted in the urinary T/E ratio. It was concluded that T. terrestris did not produce the large gains in strength or lean muscle mass that many manufacturers claim can be experienced within 5-28 days.

Furthermore, T. terrestris did not alter the urinary T/E ratio and would not place an athlete at risk of testing positive based on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s urinary T/E ratio limit of 4:1.
PMID: 17530942 [PubMed - in process]

J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Oct 3;101(1-3):319-23. Links
The aphrodisiac herb Tribulus terrestris does not influence the androgen production in young men.

Neychev VK, Mitev VI.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Medical University, 2 Zdrave str., Sofia-1431, Bulgaria.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the current study is to investigate the influence of Tribulus terrestris extract on androgen metabolism in young males.

DESIGN AND METHODS: Twenty-one healthy young 20-36 years old men with body weight ranging from 60 to 125 kg were randomly separated into three groups-two experimental (each n=7) and a control (placebo) one (n=7).

The experimental groups were named TT1 and TT2 and the subjects were assigned to consume 20 and 10 mg/kg body weight per day of Tribulus terrestris extract, respectively, separated into three daily intakes for 4 weeks.

Testosterone, androstenedione and luteinizing hormone levels in the serum were measured 24 h before supplementation (clear probe), and at 24, 72, 240, 408 and 576 h from the beginning of the supplementation.

RESULTS: There was no significant difference between Tribulus terrestris supplemented groups and controls in the serum testosterone (TT1 (mean+/-S.D.: 15.75+/-1.75 nmol/l); TT2 (mean+/-S.D.: 16.32+/-1.57 nmol/l); controls (mean+/-S.D.: 17.74+/-1.09 nmol/l) (p>0.05)), androstenedione (TT1 (mean+/-S.D.: 1.927+/-0.126 ng/ml); TT2 (mean+/-S.D.: 2.026+/-0.256 ng/ml); controls (mean+/-S.D.: 1.952+/-0.236 ng/ml) (p>0.05)) or luteinizing hormone (TT1 (mean+/-S.D.: 4.662+/-0.274U/l); TT2 (mean+/-S.D.: 4.103+/-0.869U/l); controls (mean+/-S.D.: 4.170+/-0.406U/l) (p>0.05)) levels.

All results were within the normal range. The findings in the current study anticipate that Tribulus terrestris steroid saponins possess neither direct nor indirect androgen-increasing properties. The study will be extended in the clarifying the probable mode of action of Tribulus terrestris steroid saponins.
PMID: 15994038 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Research on tongkat ali AKA eurycoma. Alpha Male has this in it.

http://www.source-1-global.com/index.php/cat/LJ100-Home/cat_id/31592

icecold can you fix the quote in your post?

I really like the debate in this room.

The information about the longjack is interesting and may explain my success with TRIBEX Blue if it cant be explained by the tribulus.

GNC still sells the old TRIBEX and a good friend of mine runs the one in our local mall. I get it for $20 a bottle and I have been getting results at half of the recommended dose so the bottle lasts me about 7 weeks. For that price, its hard to say no.

i swear by trib. ive had my best gains on it, strength & size wise, but more important than anything it helps with my allergies.

[quote]ChrisKing wrote:
Why wouldn’t improving recovery help increase muscle?

Recovery is the number one factor in whether we benefit from our workouts.[/quote]

Recovery is a very broad term. What you have to recover from after weightliting is different from what a marathon runner has to recover from. They have all manner of stress reactions occuring and are subjected to them for a longer time then we are. They are more likely to have wildly fluctuating test levels at the lower end of the spectrum then weight lifters. (If you want a doc to prescribe you test then running a marathon the day before might help :wink:

So my statement was intended towards its use in body building rather then the original studies on endurance athletes. Where it probably wont result in more mass but would help prevent a runners testosterone levels from plungeing below normal.

Icecold, do you think it would be more beneficial to take a higher dose of pure longjack extract than it would be to take a tribulus supplement that contained it?

[quote]fightingtiger wrote:
Icecold, do you think it would be more beneficial to take a higher dose of pure longjack extract than it would be to take a tribulus supplement that contained it?

[/quote]

I do not know what your goals are or exactly why you want to take it. If you want to boost your testosterone a little naturally with out worrying about your estrogen levels going down, testosterone crashing after a cycle, then yes I feel tongkat ali is a better option than the estrogen blockers and stronger than tribulus. You should obviously also do your own research on what you put into your body.

As far as the product you linked the 1500 means nothing unfortunately as they do not list potency and the price seems to good to be true. Do not buy a product that does not list potency period. The studies have been done with LJ100 which is a patented 100:1 formula and you know what you are getting. 50:1 is also common and a good potency if you trust the source and comes commonly in 400mg. The highest potency is 200:1, but is too expensive and better just to take more of the lower potency. Sensashi 50:1 is the cheapest I have found.

You get an increasing response with an increasing dose, but beyond 500mg daily of LJ100 or 1200mg of 50:1 it gets really expensive with a diminishing effect from increasing the dose. I would start at a dose of 100mg LJ100 or 400mg 50:1 if you want to try it other than in a combination product. The most common side effect is trouble sleeping, increased irritability, and large balls. You can obviously try a combination product like Alpha Male or testojack by NOW which has 25mg of LJ100 per pill .

http://www.testingtongkatali.com/testosteronelevels.htm

http://www.nyctaoist.com/tongkat_ali_raises_testosterone

Thansk man. I just posted the first product that came up on google as an example, haha. Thanks for the information though.