How to use use Yohimbine HCL as a fat burner

Overview

This guide will go into Yohimbine, I’ll cover how to use it most effectively, the dosage, side effects you may experience, how it makes you feel when you take it, and most importantly how effective is it actually at burning fat and is it even worth using?

Yohimbine is my personal favourite true “fat burner”. Although it is not as ‘powerful’ as clenbuterol, it has a much better safety profile and if used correctly can be very effective.

It is an indole alkaloid derived from the bark of an african tree named Pausinystalia johimbe (don’t worry, I can’t say it either).

For a while yohimbine was used as an aphrodisiac and in the treatment of erectile dysfunction in men. However, it has since been superseded by the PDE5 inhibitor class of drugs (Viagra, Cialis).

Today it’s mainly used in the forgotten corners of the fitness industry for its overlooked fat burning properties.

Mechanism of action

When taken orally on an empty stomach, yohimbine blocks the alpha-2 adrenergic receptors, increasing the stress hormones – Adrenaline and Norepinephrine.

Adrenaline and Norepinephrine elevate blood pressure and increase the rate of lipolysis (fat burning).

‘Stubborn fat’ found typically around the lower back, love handles and lower abs have more alpha-2 receptors which is why it is speculated that yohimbine is so effective at burning fat in those areas.

How does it feel when you take it?

I can only speak from personal experience, but if it’s good quality yohimbine it will typically give me a nervous energy which can be quite jittery and uncomfortable especially if you’re not used to it.

There was one time I accidentally took double the dose because I thought one of my 10mg tablets was zinc. I felt like I was borderline having an anxiety attack!

Make sure you’re switched on when you take it, do your due diligence and make sure you read the dosing section atleast twice.

How effective is it

Personally, I was able to drop from 10% to 6% bodyfat in about 5 weeks using yohimbine.

I was noticably leaner in the lower abs and saw definition and vascularity there I’d never seen before.

Based on previous cuts I’ve done, without yohimbine and the same variables in place (diet, cardio etc). I would say that it could turn a 12 week cut into a 10 and a half/11 week cut. If used in the way I describe below, so about a 10%~ boost in fat loss rate.

Studies

One study examined the effects of yohimbine in 20 obese females who consumed a 1,000- calorie diet for three weeks. The women taking yohimbine lost significantly more weight than those taking a placebo — 7.8 pounds (3.6 kg) vs. 4.9 pounds (2.2 kg)

It was also studied in elite soccer players and was found to decrease body fat by 1.8 percentage points over the course of three weeks. No significant changes were found in the placebo group.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17214405

The most widely available version is HCL which has a very short half-life of less than an hour – which means there’s a relatively short window of time in which to utilise yohimbine to its full potential.

Based on personal experience I would speculate that yohimbine speeds up the rate of fat loss by about 10%. The rate of fat loss is still overwhelmingly dictated by a controlled caloric deficit

How to use yohimbine to burn fat

The best way I’ve found to use it is before fasted cardio combined with caffeine – I find these work synergistically, the caffeine can actually boost the bioavailability of yohimbine and aid with absorbtion.

It’s important to do your cardio fasted because insulin renders yohimbine almost completely useless, so if you’re planning on eating, taking it then going to do cardio you might aswell be throwing it in the bin.

So typically, dosing yohimbine would look something like this;

08:00am	Wake
08:15am	Yohimbine + Caffeine taken
08:30am – 09:00am	Cardio
09:00am – 11:00am	Extend the fasted state to allow for enhanced fat burning as yohimbine is fully metabolized
11:00am	Break fast with first meal

When to use yohimbine

I’m not going to sit here and gatekeep by saying you can’t use something until X and Y arbitrary criteria are met.

But… if there was a BEST time to use it. It would probably be when you are already lean (<10% bodyfat) and looking to get shredded (~6% bodyfat).

This is because yohimbine shines at burning stuborn fat with high alpha-2 receptor density.

These are typically the last areas of fat to come off anyway, so using yohimbine the final 4-6 weeks of a cut would be an ideal application.

Anecdotally, I store quite a bit of fat on the back of my shoulders, and I notice when I add in yohimbine after a couple of weeks that fat just melts off and I start to see full separation in my delts.

Yohimbine dosing

Dosing can be a little complex, but a good rule of thumb is to aim towards 0.2mg per KG of body weight. For example, for a 80KG man this would mean a MAXIMUM dose of 16mg, for a 50kg woman, 10mg.

However, it is recommended to START AT HALF of the maximum dose to access tolerance to the substance.

Do you need to cycle it?

Some guys will say that you need to take a 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off approach to remain sensitive.

In my experience, there is no need to worry about tolerance – it has an extremely short half life of less than an hour, so the other 23 hours of the day are spent re-sensitising to it anyway.

I’ve run it for up to 6 weeks daily at the same dosage and it’s always been just as effective as day 1.

So I wouldn’t say you need to cycle it, just pick a dosage you can tolerate and run it until your fat loss goals are met.

Yohimbine side effects

While not as severe as clenbuterol, yohimbine has an array of side effects associated with its use. It can elevate blood pressure, cause sweating and a sudden onset of anxiety caused by elevated stress hormones (Adrenaline and Norepinephrine).

There’s also evidence to suggest it has a moderate impact on the kidneys, which is something to consider before deciding upon use.

WARNING: I do not recommend using yohimbine if you have a history of high blood pressure, suffer from moderate to severe anxiety/have a history of panic attack or have suspected poor kidney health.

Also if you are taking other medications do your research and look out for potential interactions between other medications and yohimbine.

In conclusion

I think yohimbine is a great tool that can be used during a cutting phase.

It’s certainly not a ‘magic pill’ and the majority of your fat loss results will come from how strictly you adhere to a consistent caloric deficit.

If you have both diet and cardio dialled in then I believe it can be A great additition but by no means can it be leaned upon, or used as a crutch.

It’s very easy to get into a mindstate whereby you think… because you are taking a fat burner, you can take your foot off the gas in terms of your diet and regular cardio… this is definately not true, and by doing so you may end up gaining weight, not losing it.