When looking on the Fat Burner market we always consider the big three: Ingredients, Dosage and Company. If there’s something sketchy about any of them – steer clear.
Cellucor are a renowned company on the market, and have been successful for making all kinds of products. That said however, I’ve always found them to be hit and miss in the past, with their products always ranging anywhere from a 4 star rating right down to a 2.
One of the latest products added to their growing brand is D4 Thermal Shock.
Before we get into it, what does it claim to do?
Cellucor describes D4 as a fat burner that provides:
- Fat Loss and Explosive Energy
- Unparalleled Adrenaline
- No ‘Crash’
- Simple One Pill Dose
- Ultra Concentrated Formula
Some of those comments are definitely questionable, and all are not regulated by the FDA, however we’ll get to that later. Let’s see more on Cellucor.
About the Company
Having won many awards for their work in the industry, Cellucor describe themselves to “strive to be the elite difference makers in the world of sports nutrition and dietary supplements”.
It’s definitely a promising impression we get from them, and many of these awards are from bodybuilding.com.
They offer a 30 day money-back guarantee and sell supplements that cater to essentially every element of a fitness-orientated lifestyle.
The Ingredients and how they work
D4’s dosing requirements are vague and poorly worded. It states to take 1 capsule in the morning and another in the afternoon all with plenty of water throughout the day. However, it also says that if you have a high tolerance you can take 2 capsules at a time, but they advise against it.
Recommending something, while advising against something a really bad thing to put on the instructions of your product.
That aside, let’s look at the ingredients:
Yes, unfortunately “Ultra Concentrated Formula” translates to proprietary blend.
Amla Fruit – Amla has been looked into for lowering blood glucose and cardiac health. Unfortunately, no concrete evidence has come forward to prove this.
Caffeine (150mg Anydrous) – I’m not sure if that means there’s multiple caffeine types in this product or if there’s just 150mg Anhyrdous. Regardless, caffeine is great for boosting energy levels and metabolism to help with losing weight.
White Willow Bark Extract – A traditional pain reliever, thought to improve the effectiveness of other ingredients in the product. I’ve heard this a lot but I’ve never seen a research paper that proves it.
Octopamine HCL – Named after being found in the salivary glands of the octopus (seriously), it a nootropic which is banned from competitive competitions as it allows intense focus for extended levels of time along with an energy boost. It only has an effect from 100-200mg dosages and upwards. I’m unsure how likely this will be in the blend.
Yohimbe Bark Extract – A nutrient that is very effective at stimulating fat loss and suppressing further fat metabolism. However, side effects can happen with product when dosages rise above 0.2mg/kg of bodyweight. Again with the proprietary blend masking it, there’s no way to distinguish the danger.
Evodiamine Sclareolide – Believed to promote thermogenesis, but actually has been proven otherwise. In fact, Evodiamine has been seen to interfere with caffeine, and stimulants in general and lessen their effects – it’s also hard for the body to absorb orally.
Passion Flower Extract – Contains sedative-like qualities that reduces anxiety. This is most likely to combat any negative side effects that may come out of the caffeine used here. However, a dose that is effective ranges anywhere from 3-10mg/kg so it’s unsure whether enough of it has made a way into D4.
N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine – A more soluble version of L-Tyrosine and is an amino acid that aids the production of noradrenaline and dopamine. This amino helps reduce stress and may aid the side effects of the caffeine. However, an effective dosage needs to be around 500 – 2000mg.
Check out which ingredients work and which don’t in our
– Fat burner ingredients guide –
Side Effects
As always with a proprietary blend, nothing is set in stone. Although as this is our health, it’s best to aware ourselves of every precaution.
The Yohimbe, although having an unknown quantity in this blend could lead to hypertension, anxiety and gastrointestinal distress – this however, is if it goes over the dosage of 0.2mg/kg.
Aside from that, there doesn’t seem to be any side effects – although you won’t be able to compete in any tested competition due to Octopamine being a banned substance.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Contains Caffeine and Yohimbe (however, it’s a side effect risk)
- Has a 30 day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Proprietary blend
- Too fewer servings
- A lot of ingredients unlikely to be at their effective dosage
- Octopamine is a banned substance
D4 Thermal Shock Review Conclusion
Amazingly the one product specifically touted to be thermogenic in this product has be clinically proven not to.
D4 is a bit of a disaster. Mainly due to it’s proprietary blends – a lot of the ingredients in these products seem to be far away from their effective potential (L-Tyrosine needs around 500 – 2000mg to for proper use).
The dosing for this product needs to be spaced out and occur numerous times with a more calculated and clearer dosage throughout the day (with a weaker stimulant dosage, of course).
At least Cellucor offer a 30 day money-back guarantee – but to be honest, I don’t think you’ll need it, because if you want to burn fat you shouldn’t buy this product.