Yohimbine is a very popular supplement that has gained some traction recently in the fitness industry and is mostly used as a weight loss aid. People are always looking to target their hard-to-burn fat areas such as their stomach, lower back, hips, thighs, and those all elusive love handles.

There is one substance named It that has been shown to inhibit your alpha receptors to help you burn these stubborn fats. The extract is harvested from trees grown in central and western Africa. It is used as a supplement for fat loss and male sexuality.

The male sexuality comes from its known ability to increase blood flow, thus aiding in erectile dysfunction. Yohimbine is a component of Yohimbe and is the main active component that produces the desired effects of fat loss and erectile function. This does not imply that women cannot use it. The vasodilation effects or the blood flow simply enhance the sexual function in males.

It affects the body by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for activating the body’s fight or flight response. When this happens, chemicals called catecholamines are released into your bloodstream which will then speed up your heart rate and breathing, raise your body temperature and blood pressure and tighten your muscles up.

These chemicals which are mainly adrenalin and noradrenalin can bind with fat cells via receptors known as adrenergic receptors. Think of receptors like a lock and key mechanism, the cells contain the lock and certain molecules are the keys. That key then fits into the lock and causes certain reactions to happen in the cells. When this happens and these catecholamines bind with fat cells, this will usually initiate fat burning.

Many people assume that it works by speeding up your basal metabolic rate and suppresses your appetite but there is a bit more to its fat-burning mechanisms. It works on the alpha receptors that are responsible for inhibiting fat breakdown, meaning wherever these receptors are in abundance, you will have a hard time losing fat in those areas.

What alpha receptors do is inhibit the way your body burns the fat by inhibiting or constricting blood flow. For example, alpha receptors are in abundance in areas such as the lower back and abdominal muscle tissue of men and the hips and thighs of women.

Yohimbine can then effectively block these alpha receptors, since alpha receptors blocks fat breakdown and blocks alpha receptors, the net result will be an increase in fat breakdown in that area. You can thus get a significant increase in fat breakdown directly from those stubborn areas. This is the reason It is very popular with bodybuilders especially the weeks leading up to competitions during the weight cut phase of the training cycle.

However, it is important to note that this, like most weight loss supplements, is not a substitute for a healthy diet. Bodybuilders make sure they follow a proper meal plan and usually keep their bodies in a caloric deficit. In other words, you will still need to diet and exercise both cardiovascular and strength training in addition to taking Yohimbine.

You must burn and lose fat for this to work, you cannot just take Yohimbine and expect results. Yohimbine helps to liberate fatty acids from those hard-to-reach places which are usually the last to go, but you still have to metabolize and burn that fat. Being in a caloric deficit and taking Yohimbine will not make you magically lose the fat from those stubborn unwanted areas; this will simply provide the vasodilation effects and might increase sexual function.

There is also evidence that Yohimbine can improve exercise performance by staving off physical fatigue which is also a welcome effect when we are in a caloric deficit because that generally means reduced workout performance.

When is the best time to take yohimbine?

The only precursor to bear in mind with Yohimbine is being aware of the insulin levels in your body. Elevated levels of insulin can negate Yohimbine’s weight loss effects meaning that if you want to use it to lose fat faster you should always try and use it in a fasted state and in combination with exercise.

If you are doing morning fasted cardiovascular exercise, this will be the best time to take your Yohimbine because your body is in a lack of insulin. However, insulin is not black and white. You can have a small acute insulin spike from a little bit of protein because amino acids have been known to cause a spike in insulin, or you can have a biphasic spike from a large bowl of carbohydrates (< 50 grams).

Biphasic means the insulin will spike twice, whereas an amino acid influx will cause an acute minor spike. So, an insulin spike is not predictable and can fall in a grey area of being either a minor spike or a major spike. For this reason, I recommend taking Yohimbine at any time throughout the day, with the best time being in-between meals when your insulin levels have leveled off or following a low carbohydrate meal.

Another good time to take Yohimbine would be to take a full dose before doing cardiovascular work in the morning before strength training. Doing cardiovascular work post strength training or post-workout try to take your Yohimbine 15 minutes prior to the cardiovascular exercise.

On your off days you should still be taking Yohimbine, try to take it in 2 doses, one in the morning before breakfast when your insulin is stable and later in the day with a lower carbohydrate meal. If you are doing cardiovascular exercise twice a day, split the dosage.

Yohimbine is not going to magically transform your physique, it is not going to get you absolutely shredded but it will aid you in getting the body that you desire a little faster, especially combined with the correct nutrition and exercise. If you are looking for a weight loss aid, I highly recommend Yohimbine, it is affordable, extremely effective, and a great addition to your supplement plan.