 Introduction Test boosters have increased tremendously in popularity lately. Between the decrease of masculinity in men, the ban of pharmaceuticals, and the media push for "more manly men", the demand for increasing testosterone levels through natural supplementation has soared. The only problem is supplement company marketing. With all the claims these companies give, do they really live up to the hype? Curious myself, I decided to buy and try a bottle of EVLNutrition's testosterone booster "EVLTest". In this article I will be discussing the ingredients in the product, how/when I took it, and my overall impression of testosterone boosters. Ingredients When it comes to testosterone boosters, you typically get a small amount of a lot of ingredients. Something I noticed with EVLTest is that each ingredient was at a recommended dose, and each ingredient was labeled. This isn't to know products with blends (I know many that are blends, yet are amazing products), but rather to know exactly what is in the supplement. EVLTest's ingredient list is as follows: 160 mg of Magnesium, 30mg of Zinc, 11mg Vitamin B6, 1000IU of Vitamin D3, 3120mg of D-Aspartic Acid, 750mg of Tribulus Terretis, 500mg Fenugreek Extract, and 250mg of Diindolylmethane (DIM). All I can say is, talk about a full list of powerful ingredients! For those unfamiliar with the non-vitamin ingredients, let's discuss the benefits of each ingredient. D-Aspartic Acid (DAA): D-Aspartic acid is the most popular ingredient in the supplement industry when it comes to natural testosterone boosting. D-Aspartic acid has been shown to enhance testosterone release in both humans and animals. Tribulus Terretis: Tribulus has been sold as a stand-alone ingredient in many testosterone boosters. Tribulus has the ability to promote testosterone boostering in older individuals, but it is more so clinically proven to help increase sex-drive for both men and women. Tribulus compliments the D-Aspartic acid very well. Fenugreek: Fenugreek is very misunderstood, as it is popularly used as a milk-production enhancing supplement for women. Fenugreek has been shown to increase testosterone and free-testosterone in men. For those of you worried about Fenugreek in the product, this next ingredient on the list will help your mind remain at ease when taking EVLTest. Diindolylmethane (DIM): Diindolylmethane is a natural estrogen metabolizing ingredient (gets rid of bad estrogen in the body). Popularized by bodybuilding, wanting to keep their estrogen down during their cycles, Diindolulmethane has proven to be a useful estrogen blocker in your arsenal of testosterone boosting. Why suppress estrogen? Increased estrogen results in fat gain, water retention, mood swings, low energy, low aggression, and a lower testosterone-to-estrogen ration. How/When To Take
Now, there is a lot of different opinions when it comes to when you should take any supplement. For testosterone boosters I have heard to take half in the morning and half at night, take the full serving in the morning or night, even take the testosterone booster 30 minutes before or after your work out. What I personally did was take the full serving before bed. Your body naturally produces the most human growth hormone while you sleep and your body recovers when you sleep, so with knowing how important maximizing my sleep recovery is I decided to take the full serving when I was ready to go to bed. My Experience A few things I noticed while taking this product were: increased recovery, lowered abdominal fat/water retention, better sleep, and more energy. Now, the product did not have a direct effect on my muscle gains, but all those benefits indirectly did. I had more energy to hit the gym harder, better sleep gave me better daily recovery/energy, and my increased recovery allowed me to gain more muscle and hit the gym hard more frequently. For $24.99 a month, that's an amazing deal! My absolute only dislike about the product was the size of the pills and the stomach discomfort when taking the product. Not only are the pills HUGE, but there is also four per serving! After a week or so, it becomes more and more troublesome to make yourself take them. The stomach discomfort is something you get used to, but the first week expect to feel like you need a restroom 30-60 minutes are taking a full serving. Conclusion So, with taking testosterone boosters on and off in the past, and now paying close attention to how the products works, I can say I have a better understanding on these types of products. Testosterone boosters can increase testosterone when testosterone levels are not optimal (decreased due to age, fatigue, hormonal imbalance, extreme dieting, etc). Testosterone boosters shine by providing indirect muscle gains, not merely muscle growth itself. Those who take testosterone boosters have to still hit the gym as hard as without the boosters, but recovery and energy output is increased. You cannot compare testosterone boosters to the real thing (steroids), but they can be useful in your supplement stack in order to maximize your progress. I personally found use in taking the product, though I am aware an older individual would have found MUCH more use out of it than I would. I will be taking the product (or another like it) in the future, as I was pleased with the effects. If you are looking for a magically testosterone pill to make you 20 again, this is not what you are looking for. If you are looking for something to slightly maximize your recovery and energy, I highly recommend this product. Give this product (or any other testosterone booster) a try and let me know how it worked for you and your opinion on testosterone boosters in the comment section below. |