I was in an unrelated (to liftin) seminar, and the person presenting gave a formula for a metabolic lifter using pretty common vitamins/minerals and herbals. I’m not looking for comments on cost, or comparisons to other products, just an open question to all the scientific types out there who could comment on whether this would actually work, and to what degree. Here’s how it breaks down: 500mg vit C, 210mg calcium, 7500 IU vit A, 400 IU vit E, 50mg phosphorus, 10mcg selenium, 90mg co-enzyme Q-10, 300mg carnitine, 375mg taurine, 200mg siberian ginseng extract, 125mg gingko biloba extract. Take this 20-30 minutes before exercise on an empty stomach. The claim was that it would boost calorie consumption by 300% during exercise, and that one person who used this increased their working weights by `0lb on all lifts. Okay, I’ve got too much experience to believe those claims at face value, but out of curiosity I’ve tried it prior to cardio (first thing in the morning), and I’ve noticed I do sweat more. Any comments from the gallery?
Ooops. Proof reading problem again. The lb increase claim was 10 lb on each exercise. Hope that clears things up a little.
Most of what you listed were antioxidants (C, A, E, selenium, Q10). Those would help to reduce free radicals and possibly help reduce post workout soreness. Ginseng may improve circulation. Ginkgo biloba may improve neural drive slightly. Carnitine is supposed to cause you to burn more fat than muscle glycogen during a workout, but I’m not sure that it would be effective while lifting weights. All of the things you listed may be helpful to some degree in one way or another, but I seriously doubt that they’d cause a 300% increase in calorie consumption.