While his son doesn’t have an ounce of fat on him, David has a different problem. Once a 222-pound physical specimen, he now considers himself a 225-pound lump and isn’t happy about it. “I can now pinch three-and-a-half inches!” he shouts. While he doesn’t use the scale as an indicator of progress, David considers it vitally important in determining the direction on diet (increase or decrease in protein calories, etc.) and with training (reduce or increase intensity).

He doesn’t want to lose more than two pounds per week, as that may result in loss of muscle. And he doesn’t expect these changes to happen overnight. “I’m an endomorph, with a larger bone structure and slower metabolism, so fat loss is more difficult,” David admits. But at the same time, that means he can put on muscle more quickly, so he’ll accept the tradeoff. He’s not about to use any excuses.

Morning represents the best time for fat burning. “If you have a lot of fat to take off, you want to make sure you do some cardio before your first meal.. You’re burning more calories and fat because you’re actually burning your reserves, versus what’s in your system,” David explains. You’ve digested all your food overnight, so once you go through the glycogen in your muscles, you begin to use the subcutaneous fat for energy.

But with an empty stomach, climbing on his exercise bike at 6 a.m. isn’t exactly an exciting idea. David needs energy from somewhere and since he doesn’t want to use food for fuel here—and instead seeks to access fat soon in the aerobic session—he takes two capsules of Xenadrine. A diet supplement from Cytodyne, it’s the number one selling fat burner in the country.. And it didn’t get that way via hype.

In the January issue of The North American Association for the Study of Obesity, subjects who used Xenadrine experienced 1700% greater fat-loss than subjects using placebo. In addition, they lowered their total body weight by 9 percent. Lastly, lean body composition analysis showed that Xenadrine yielded 377% greater muscle-sparing effects.

“It’s categorized as a diet product but many bodybuilders and athletes use Xenadrine prior to their workouts, as it gives one heck of an energy boost. It actually enhances any type of athletic exercise, and you’ll lose some fat as well,” says Micheal Bengiveng, a researcher and new product developer at Cytodyne. A thermogenic, Xenadrine works by stimulating your metabolism and overall heat production through its combination of ma huang and guarana. Consequently, you burn more calories throughout the day.

The other significant benefit of Xenadrine involves your ability to create an anticatabolic effect and hold onto existing muscle, a key need for anyone. “We found in the research that people were able to maintain higher concentrations of muscle compared to others who were simply dieting. And both groups were eating the same amount of calories and working out the same,” asserts Bengiveng. Of course, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn.

David considers Xenadrine a great way to start the day, as it not only powers him through his workout but all the way to lunch time. “Believe me, when I haven’t taken it, I miss it. Then my cardio workouts just drag,” he confesses. In fact, his cardio performance has gone up by 50 percent over the month. He takes it again after his third meal to set him up for his later workout.

David does warn that you can’t just pop these things, as it could make your heart race or make you lightheaded. “People think that just a little more will make you better. No, train harder. Use the supplement as directed, then go to work,” says David, who’s also careful not to take it after 2 p.m. so the caffeine ingredient doesn’t disrupt his sleep. In fact, Bengiveng recommends that go off it once in a while so your receptors are more ready when you put it back in. If you use it for energy, you don’t need to take it every day anyway.

For the first week, he started biking for 20 minutes and by the fourth week was at 40. “Burning fat is really based on cardio and high-energy movements,” says David. That’s why he often does cardio twice a day, the second time after his weight workout at night. By that time, he’s eaten a lot of calories over the day that are just begging to be used up on the treadmill, stairclimber or stationary bike.

And burning calories are the name of the cardio game, not training in the mythic “fat-burning zone.” David gets his heart rate to about 145—or 80% of his maximum heart rate and smack dab in the cardio zone—and keeps it there. He recommends that if you’re feeling good and your adrenaline is pumping, take advantage and go past your time target. “You’ll know when you’re spent,” he says.

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