Laxogenin - The Complete Guide
We've discussed several supplements that can help us build muscle but one area that is frequently overlooked is the ingredients that can help us reach our goals. To kick things off, we want to introduce something few know about, despite it being a major ingredient in some of the bestselling supplements here at Predator Nutrition - Laxogenin.
- FAQ:
Laxogenin FAQ
What is Laxogenin?
Also known as 5 alpha hydroxy Laxogenin or 5a hydroxy Laxogenin, Laxogenin is a plant compound and the best known member of a group of compounds collectively referred to as brassinosteroids, which also includes mustard to name just one.
Laxogenin is essentially a plant steroid that is similar in structure to the better known plant extract ecdysterone. Research has shown that it exhibits similar anabolic properties to anabolic steroids such as Anavar, one of the most popular oral anabolic steroids of all time.
Does this mean it’s a prohormone?
The short answer is no. Prohormones work by providing the body with a compound that is closely related to testosterone. When you take a prohormone, your body senses a rise in androgen levels (the collective term for prohormones and testosterone) and shuts down its own production of testosterone to compensate.
Unlike prohormones, Laxogenin does not interfere with your body's endocrine system. In other words, it neither increases nor decreases hormones such as testosterone and estrogen.
How does Laxogenin work then?
The study of Laxogenin has mainly been conducted in the old Soviet Union. While its mechanism of effect has yet to be fully elucidated, given its status as a brassinosteroid, the prevailing conclusion from studies to date is that it directly increases protein synthesis whilst decreasing protein breakdown.
This appears to be a consistent theme across the entire class of brassinosteroids or at least those that have been studied in any detail. Laxogenin is also believed to enhance muscle recovery and growth by inhibiting the stress hormone cortisol. Excessive cortisol levels can make it almost impossible to gain muscle, not to mention strength.
Who can use Laxogenin?
Given the fact that Laxogenin is not a prohormone and does not affect your HPTA (hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis), it can be used by virtually anyone including women.
Because Laxogenin enhances muscle mass and recovery by increasing protein synthesis and reducing protein breakdown, it is highly beneficial for anyone who wants to improve their physique.
How long can Laxogenin be used for?
Since it won’t affect your hormone levels, there is no real need to restrict Laxogenin use to a short period of time. It is not like testosterone boosters, to which the body eventually adapts by reducing its own natural test levels in response.
We often see people using laxogenin supplements for 3-4 months at a time and experiencing excellent progress throughout that period, regardless of whether their goal is to build muscle, increase performance or reduce body fat.
Laxogenin usage
Dosage
- Serving size: 25mg
- How to use it: Take 3-6 doses a day for a total daily consumption of 75mg-150mg
- When to take it: Ideally Laxogenin should be taken with food to maximise absorption
Benefits
Effective alternative to prohormones. Consider the types of muscle building supplement. If you disregard those that impact hormone levels such as prohormones, SARMS, testosterone boosters and estrogen blockers, the list of ingredients that can help users improve performance and recover faster become relatively limited. Laxogenin is one such ingredient.
Complements the use of protein supplements. If you also disregard those supplements that are based around protein or protein breakdown products such as BCAAs, the list becomes shorter still. Laxogenin sits in this camp alongside other ingredients we will be reviewing in this series, such as epicatechin, phosphatidic acid, arachidonic acid and creatine.
Fast-acting. With Laxogenin supplements tending to kick in very quickly, they are ideal for anyone looking to build muscle and strength quickly.
Can be stacked with prohormones. Laxogenin can be stacked with other supplements such as testosterone boosters and estrogen blockers to amplify muscle building and recovery across two distinct pathways. This makes a lot more sense than the more common approach of stacking 2 or 3 different testosterone boosters that all target the exact same pathway.
Can be used for PCT (post cycle therapy). This also makes Laxogenin products a wise choice following a prohormone cycle as they help promote anabolism via a different pathway to the likes of testosterone boosters.
Reported results
- Accelerated recovery
- Reduction in post workout muscle soreness
- Faster gains in strength
- Improved resistance to physical and mental fatigue
Side Effects
- No common side effects
Brands and reviews
There are several natural muscle building supplements on the market that count Laxogenin amongst their list of ingredients as well as a handful of supplements that contain Laxogenin as the main ingredient. At Predator Nutrition, some of our most popular Laxogenin products include Progenadrex from Fusion Supplements, Adamantine from Hydrapharm, Massacr3 from Olympus Labs and Anogenin from Blackstone Labs.
Fusion Supplements Progenadrex
Progenadrex is a non-hormonal muscle builder formulated to stimulate muscle growth naturally by leveraging the benefits of food. By optimising the absorption of glycogen, amino acids, water and other energy compounds into the muscle, it boosts the body's natural testosterone levels, accelerating lean body mass gains and improving recovery.
Review from Killahertz, one of our customers:
“Laxogenin is a bit of an in-thing at the moment, but it's actually been around for many years. Done right it is a pretty potent natural anabolic, and Progenadrex is Laxogenin done right.
Progenadrex is well beyond simple Laxogenin thanks to Rob (the formulator), who has the knowledge of natural anabolics to leverage the most from them. Both in terms of actual formulation but also the quality of raw ingredients that go into them.
In use Progenadrex kicks in within a day or two, with a general sense of mental wellbeing and a marked increase in pump factor and vascularity. As the cycle settles, energy availability and mental drive seriously improve. But the stand out improvement for me was recovery, which was off-the-charts good. 4-6lb gain, and retained post cycle. Energy availability and drive are holding too, which suggests a possible regenerative effect beyond simple recovery. Either way, this is potent natural product, and one I'll be running again very soon.”
View our Progenadrex product page for more reviews including one from Rob Regish, creator of the highly acclaimed Mass Pro Synthagen.
Hydrapharm Adamantine
Adamantine is another natural testosterone booster that contains a stack of innovative ingredients - Laxogenin, epicatechin, creatine nitrate and vitamin D3 - that work together to trigger anabolism through multiple pathways, improving strength, size, recovery, performance and endurance.
Adamantine Laxogenin Review from Craig, one of our customers:
“I was a bit doubtful that Adamantine could live up to the reviews but if anything it's actually better than I imagined. I'm not normally someone who leaves reviews but after such am experience I felt I had to. Gains in just three weeks so far of use:
- Added 10kg on bench going from 120kg for 6 to 130kg for 6. That's pretty amazing given i had been stuck for months and nothing else changed.
- Squat - Increased by 10kg and added two reps to my best effort.
- Pull-ups - Added weight and reps going from 40kg for 4 sets of 4 to 42.5kg for 6,6, 5, and 5 reps.
Other things worth mentioning: Great recovery, increase in sex drive, seem to have less joint aches, feel better in terms of mood
Overall, if you're on the fence with this one ask yourself if when you get a protein shake, intra workout, test booster etc. if you can get the kind of results I've gotten. If the answer is no, get this and even at the price the fact it's a 30 day supply and you don't need to take anything with it IME means Adamantine will be a lot cheaper than most supplement stacks and unlike them it actually works.”
Visit the Adamantine product page for a full write up and more reviews from real users.
Olympus Labs Massacr3
Massacr3 is a one of a kind natural anabolic which includes three different ingredients which have extensive clinical support indicating their ability to boost muscle recovery, endurance, vascularity, enhance oxygenation of working muscles, reduce catabolism, and increase muscle fibre size and differentiation. For anyone looking for the next great natural muscle builder, Massacr3 offers a lot of promise.
Massacr3 is touted as the highest dosed laxogenin supplement on the market at 300mg per serving. However, upon closer inspection it actually contains 300mg of Phytofuse™, a blend of laxogenin, an ingredient we have covered extensively, and soy phosphatidylcholine which is standardised to 90% laxogenin. Regardless of the terminology used though, there is little doubt that Massacr3 contains a very high laxogenin dosage and with it users of Massacr3 can expect to experience an improvement in muscle recovery and less muscle soreness after a workout, two traits that have seen laxogenin becoming used widely in the sports nutrition world. We'd love to hear your thoughts if you've tried this product please let us know how you found it by leaving a review on the Massacr3 product page. (You’ll receive 100 loyalty points once your review has been approved.)
Blackstone Labs Anogenin
Anogenin contains a full 25mg pure Laxogenin per serving to drive dramatic increases in protein synthesis, promoting lean muscle mass gains, significantly increasing strength and minimising muscle soreness post workout. Since it does not affect testosterone levels, there are no negative side effects and can be used by both male and female athletes.
The product is praised for its surprising efficacy for building lean mass without the side effects associated with prohormones. Find Blackstone Labs results and reviews on the product page!
So, to summarise…
- Laxogenin is a plant compound that exhibits anabolic properties.
- It is thought to directly increase protein synthesis whilst decreasing protein breakdown.
- It is also believed to inhibit cortisol levels, enhancing muscle recovery and growth.
- The main reported benefits include accelerated recovery, reduction in post-workout muscle soreness, faster strength gains and improved resistance to physical and mental fatigue.
- It can be used as a natural alternative to prohormones to mimic their effects without the endocrine side effects, stacked with prohormones to amplify their effects OR used for PCT to continue to help you make gains post-cycle.
- It's suitable for men and women and has no reported side effects when dosed correctly.
- There's no need to restrict use to a short period of time.
- Users report it to be beneficial for a wide range of goals, including building muscle, increasing performance and reducing body fat.
Watch this space for more mystery sports nutrition ingredients
In this series of articles we want to focus our attention on some of the innovative ingredients out there that have been shown to deliver significant improvements in performance or body composition. The difference here is that we will be covering ingredients that are less well known so don't expect a lengthy article on whey protein or BCAAs!
Next we cover epicatechin, another ingredient that has been getting a lot of interest in the industry lately but about which little is known in mainstream circles.
Did you enjoy this article? Was there anything in particular that resonated with you (or riled you)? Do you have any further information that we've missed? Please let us know via our Facebook page. Alternatively, if you would like to try one of the products mentioned above and/or browse our exclusive range of sports supplements, you can do so here.
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