B4 Thermogenic Review – Caffeine+Exotics = ???

Why do we train?

To be healthy, feel strong, and to look hot naked.

And honestly, we don’t really care about the first two. Well, not as much as the last one.

To make sure we uh, “document” our success, we take “before & after” shots. Nothing makes us feel better than showing people how big our asses were before we thought about lifting anything besides a food into our mouth.

These “before and after” photos inspired BPI Sports’ fat burner called…drum roll please…B4. Yes, we kid you not ladies and gents, it’s really called B4 because “YOU NEED B4 IF YOU WANT THE AFTER!” Let’s check it:

About B4 Thermogenic

BPI Sports’ B4 claims to give you energy, stamina, a mind-muscle connection, increased performance, and of course, weight loss. They also say it can suppress appetite. Well, we only really know two to three ingredients based on what they’re packing as the other ones look like questionable additions. Let’s hope they put a lot of thought in those choices. Formula notes:

• Wacky weeds: B4 has some crazy botanicals we’ve never heard of before. Could be the best fat-burners ever, could do nothing, could make you spontaneously combust… who knows?
• Prop Blend: 680 total mg, 7 ingredients, no standardizations, no dosages shown… not looking too good here for potency, brosephs.
• Three cups of coffee: Caffeine is the #1 biggest ingredient in the prop blend, so this is definitely a stimulant-driven fat burner.

B4 = a caffeine pill with some exotic herbs mixed in

One look at B4’s formulation and we immediately wonder if this is BPI Sports’ “market experiment.”

We only really know two great ingredients (three if you count the vitamin) and the rest are unusual herbs rarely seen in fat burner supplements.

We actually see B4 as one big caffeine supplement disguised as a uniquely formulated fat burner.  Let’s break down the ingredients in this formula:

• Niacin. Basic B-vitamin for general metabolic health. Not particularly exciting as a fat burner.
• Caffeine: Definitely a staple and ranks high in our list of fat burners. It’s the first in the blend so it has the most room in the capsule but we only know it’s equivalent to “three cups of coffee.” The USDA says that’s equivalent to 285 mg which is a pretty fat dose of stimulation.
• Dendrobium. This orchid extract comes in a branded form called DendroMax^TM and is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties. Many also claim it to be a stimulant but the only study about that is when it was used as part of a PWO. One of its active compounds, dendrobine, was suggested to be a convulsant which could promote seizures.
• Sword bean. Conan the Barbarian’s favorite vegetable. Contains L-Dopa at 4.22%. It’s a precursor to dopamine a.k.a. the motivation chemical which can act as a nootropic. L-Dopa is also an awesome T-booster but Mucuna pruriens has more. It may help fat burning via T-boosts.

“Oh YAHHHHH, gimme some Swoahd Bean!” ~ Conan

Moving on with B4’s ingredients…

• Psoralea. A plant usually taken as a treatment for stress and depression which sounds great but can potentially reduce T which NO bro wants, bro.
• Japanese sophora. Supplies quercetin which may reduce stress and inflammation while supporting performance. The problem is they didn’t add quercetin directly and opted for a plant that’s not standardized: We have no idea how much quercetin is in here.
• Red Wine Concentrate. Its active resveratrol reduces exercise-induced oxidation while improving blood flow but it also dampens the positive effects of training on cardiovascular health. As a nootropic, it serves to improve cerebral blood flow. A dosage of at least 250 mg has been effective for this but we are fairly certain B4 doses a lot lower than that.
• Yohimbe. Not being standardized probably = weak, and since it’s listed last we know it’s the smallest dosage of the blend. This sucks because even though it’s way intense, yohimbe is a balls-out fat-burner & performance-enhancer that works. So we got one thing to say about B4’s yohimbe…

Formula Analysis

B4 looks like it’s trying to ride the “exotic herbal” trend, featuring some unusual whole-plant botanicals.

But make no mistake, caffeine is the main driving force of the formula. This works ’cause caffeine is a great fat-burner. B4 = 3 cups of coffee, bro. If this doesn’t help you power through lifts & burn loads of fat, then nothing will. BUT, you might get three cups worth of jitters and headaches too.

• Some L-theanine would have been nice to smooth out those raving man-beast caffeine effects. Maybe stack B4 with a separate nootropic supplement; the best of them include a nice dose of L-Theanine in their formulas.

Dendrobium in the branded form B4 uses suggests quality. But this is one of those exotics that has hardly any evidence, and that includes evidence of safety. The thing with seizures is hardly PROOF, but it just makes us want to avoid it. Risks & rewards, Bro. Not enough of a reward here.

Sword bean’s OK, but Mucuna Pruriens is better. Psoralea’s anti-stress effects are documented but so is the T-killing side effect. Don’t mess with our T, bro. Japanese Sophora is sexy, but why not just give us Quercetin? That’s all we want. We don’t need fancy fancy. Especially if quercetin is cheaper. Yohimbe is a good choice, but looks like B4’s dose might be on the puny side.

And finally, my friends call me crazy when I try to lift weights drunk, but here is a supplement with Red Wine Concentrate in it. Red wine? What the F is this, freakin’ ladies night? I will lose my man card with a red wine fat burner. Hey B4, switch to Cheap Beer Concentrate and you’ll be closer to my mark.

B4 Thermogenic Benefits

B4 will burn the crap out of fat by virtue of its 285 mg caffeine alone. You’ll have so damn energy, you’ll have to spend extra time inside the gym just to wear it off. With a formula like this, featuring so many unknown exotics, you can never guess what the other benefits may be. If they exist at all.

Who Takes It?

Definitely for stim-crazed fanatics who have become so tolerant to caffeine they need them in heaping doses. Also there’s a certain type of Hipster Bro who wants the herbs nobody else has heard about, so he can enlighten you at the gym with the latest and greatest trends and fads. FIRST!

Any Side Effects?

With that much caffeine, it’s hard not to get the jitters, high heart rate/palpitations, sleeplessness, and a possible crash specially without a decent nootropic to counteract the effect. In general, we are of the opinion that combining a bunch of weird exotic herbs is not the best strategy for tolerability and safety. A lot of unknowns in B4.

B4 Thermogenic Summary

Pros

• High energy. It’s mostly a caffeine pill.
• Burn lots of fat. Again, caffeine pill.
• One-cap per day. One bottle is good for one solid month.

Cons

• Caffeine overload. Even caffeine junkies may say no.
• Side effects. Expect all kinds of stim-related drawbacks.
• Seizures. Dendrobium is really just useless.
• Weak herbs. Herbs are meant to be standardized.
• Price tag. It’s cheap but caffeine pills are way cheaper.

Pricing & Buying Info

• 1 bottle (1 month): $32.99
• Available online and in retail stores