I’ve had a love hate relationship with Caffiene for most of my adult life.  When I was younger I wasn’t really a coffee or tea drinker and I got my kick from the various “thermogenic” weight lifting supplements I’d find at my local supplement store.  I affectionately referred to them as my “jack me up pills” because of the jolt of energy I’d get from ’em for my workouts.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) years ago my doctor made me swear off my little jack me up pills for fear that I was at risk for borderline hypertension (high blood pressure), and for the most part I’ve obliged. From time to time however I will try out new products just out of curiosity.  This is my opinion and my 1st Phorm Commander Review.

Thermogenic Weight Lifting Supplements

What are they for?

The fat burning claims can be somewhat substantiated, however it’s not necessarily a byproduct of the supplement itself, but rather the effect of some of it’s ingredients.  Caffeine is one of the most popular ingredients in many of these supplements.   We all know what Caffeine is, what it does to our bodies and how it makes us feel.  It’s one of the few additives in weight lifting / weight loss supplements that has been supported by countless studies and research.  Just this summer a study by the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that caffeine can actually increase the amount of energy (calories) burned during and even after exercise.¹

In theory if your basal metabolic rate is increased (i.e. from a thermogenic supplement), your core body temperature rises and you expend more energy. Expending more energy than you consume results in a caloric deficit or weight loss.  So do they really work, and can’t you just get the same effect from a good cup of strong black coffee?

1st Phorm Commander Review

My concern with any of these “jack me up pills” is simply not knowing what I’m actually ingesting. When I drink a cup of coffee I know I’m getting about 95mg of caffeine, and about half that in a cup of tea.  The problem with a lot of these weight lifting / weight loss supplements is that you’d have to be a frickin’ chemist to know what you’re actually swallowing.  The FDA doesn’t require that they prove effectiveness of their products, just that their products are “generally safe.”²  You can get more info from my other weight lifting supplement reviews.

Hence my 1st Phorm Commander review:  Looking at the above ingredient list you’d think you’re looking at two completely different products.  In fact, the ingredient list on the left was pulled directly from the 1st Phorm website, and the ingredient list on the right was from the actual Commander product itself. So what gives?

Regardless of the differences in labeling or disclosure, one consistency is that the main ingredient is Caffeine And if you’re wondering why you don’t see the word “caffeine” anywhere it’s because supplement companies are allowed to use the chemical nomenclature (name) for ingredients and in this case 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine is displayed instead of “Caffeine.”

I will say that out of all the thermogenic supplements I’ve tried over the years, 1st Phorm Commander was one of the few that didn’t give me that jacked up and jittery feeling all day, however I only took one pill vs., the recommended 2 pill dose.Having said that, I’m sticking to my cup of coffee for the energy boost I need before a workout… and you should consult with your doctor before taking any supplement!

¹http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24901809

²http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/weight-loss/in-depth/metabolism/art-20046508?pg=2

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