Putting on muscle is a pretty straight forward process. You lift heavy weight, take in lots of calories (proportionately high in protein) and you start to grow. The more effort and calories you put into the process, the greater the results. The problem is that in consuming all of these calories, you also end up putting on a good deal of fat. Many bodybuilders sculpt their bodies in cycles. During “gaining” cycles, they take in lots of calories and put on big muscles and then during “cutting” cycles they diet to lose the fat, usually in preparation for competition.
While I’m obviously not a professional, I usually try to lean out before the summer to have more of a ‘cut’ look for the beach, although I’ve never achieved those perfect abs that I dream of having one day. One thing I’ve tried that really sheds pounds quickly is the ECA stack. The ECA stack is a combination of ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin that together create a potent fat burner. Wikipedia has a good article explaining the chemistry behind the stack and recommended dosages. Ephedrine has been linked to heart problems and a few years ago, the FDA banned ephedrine from being sold on the market as a weight-loss drug. It is still legally available though, as long as it’s marketed as something other than a weight loss drug (usually as an asthma drug).
Heart concerns aside, the stack makes you very jittery. Ephedrine alone feels more potent than caffeine, and at the height of the stack, you can be taking up to 600mg of caffeine, which is equivalent to almost 8 redbulls. With all the extra energy, you have plenty to burn at the gym doing cardio, however I’ve found that I can’t lift the same heavy weight. I’m not sure if my lack of strength is directly related to the contents of the stack, or if I’m taking in less calories during a cut cycle and that affects it. In either case, being on the ECA stack feels strange and I’m usually glad when I cycle off of it.
While I’ve always lost weight very quickly with the stack, it seems to take just as much muscle as it does fat and I often end up just looking thin more than cut. It takes me about a month to get back up to my original lifting weight and I ususally gain the majority of fat (and water) that the stack took right back. I can’t really recommend the stack, I just thought I’d share my experiences with anyone who’s thinking about trying it. If you’re particularly overweight, I think it could be effective in bringing your overall size down, but with the heart concerns with the ephedrine it’s still probably not worth it. If you are considering taking the stack, make sure you read up as much as possible on it, there’s lots of information out there.