It’s something we all seek and something that’s promised by “gurus” and supplement companies.
The truth is that nothing in life is effortless (even being lazy requires some effort to willingly choose not to do that which is necessary).
Losing fat is about maintaining a commitment to proper nutrition, training, and sleep. There will be those “experts” out there who say that supplements or diet pills don’t offer any benefit to those seeking body recomposition.
And that’s just simply not true.
There are several supplements that have been studied and found to help support weight loss through a variety of mechanisms. We’ve cultivated the best of those ingredients and assimilated them into UNLOCK -- our premium, hardcore thermogenic weight loss supplement to help liberate stubborn fat, increase energy expenditure, and help you chisel the physique of a champion!
Fat Burning Basics
Adipocytes (fat cells) are the primary storage site for fatty acids. They are constantly turning over, meaning that fatty acids are consistently entering or exiting the cells based on a variety of factors, including:
- Hormones
- Metabolism
- Nutrition
- Activity level
The combined effect of these various factors determines the amounts of fatty acids that are circulating in your bloodstream as well as how much fat is stored in the body.
Fat is stored in adipocytes in the form of triglycerides.
Triglycerides are released into the bloodstream via the actions of an enzyme called Hormone-Sensitive Lipase (HSL). From here, these molecules can be burned (“oxidized”) for energy.
This process of liberating stored fatty acids and allowing them to enter circulation to be used for energy production is known as lipolysis.
Now, triglycerides are composed of a glycerol “backbone” and three fatty acids.
For your cells to oxidize these fatty acids, they must first be separated from the glycerol molecule. For this to happen, an enzyme called lipase separates the fatty acids from the glycerol via hydrolysis.
Fatty acids can then enter the bloodstream where they circulate bound to a protein known as serum albumin.
Serum albumin acts as a biological “taxi” that helps shuttle the fatty acids to the target cell in need of energy.
The reason albumin is needed is that blood is made up of mostly water. If you’ve ever mixed your own salad dressing, you know all too well that oil (fat) and water don’t mix all that well. They require an emulsifier to create a delicious dressing.
Upon arriving at the cell, the fatty acids enter the cytoplasm where they will remain until another highly important biological taxi arrives in the form of Carnitine.
Carnitine shuttles the fatty acids into the mitochondria of the cell where they are used to produce ATP. This process is called beta-oxidation.
UNLOCK was designed with the specific goal of aiding the fat burning process at each step along the way.
This begins with the foundation of all great weight loss agents:
The Foundation: Caffeine
You know it.
You love.
Caffeine is a potent CNS stimulant that increases motivation, energy, alertness, and focus.
But that’s not all.
Caffeine also supports weight loss in several ways, including:
- Increasing energy expenditure
- Stimulating lipolysis (the “freeing” of stored fatty acids)
- Enhancing fat oxidation (“fat burning”) during exercise
- Reducing appetite
Caffeine also can delay the onset of fatigue, which can help you to push harder for longer during your workouts, ultimately leading to greater calorie burning.
UNLOCK includes two forms of caffeine in caffeine anhydrous and zumXR to provide strong, fast-acting energy with staying power, ensuring you have enough energy to crush your fasted cardio workouts as well as whatever else the day must throw at you!
Boosting Lipolysis
As we mentioned above, lipolysis is the process by which stored fatty acids are “liberated” into circulation and can subsequently be taken up by cells to be burned for ATP.
UNLOCK contains two specific ingredients (in addition to caffeine) that support lipolysis in Cocoabuterol and fucoxanthin.
Cocoabuterol is a natural cocoa extract concentrating the most bioactive compounds, including:
- N-Coumaroyldopamine
- N-Caffeoyldopamine
- EGCG
- Phenethylamines (PEAs)
- Theobromine
N-coumaroyldopamine and N-caffeoyldopamine, in particular, have been found to stimulate β2 adrenoceptors, which increases cAMP levels, thereby supporting fat loss and muscle growth.
Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid found in seaweed that is noted to stimulate beta-3 adrenergic receptors in white fat cells, thereby benefiting lipid metabolism. Additional findings suggest that fucoxanthin may increase fatty acid oxidation, enhance carbohydrate metabolism and GLUT4 expression in skeletal muscle, supporting fat burning and nutrient partitioning which contribute to a leaner, more muscular physique.
To top it off, this powerful compound may also hinder fat storage by inhibiting the absorption of glucose into fat cells.
Fueling Fat Burning
Once fatty acids are in the bloodstream, they need some help getting into the mitochondria where they can be used to produce energy.
Here’s where the next two pieces of the puzzle of UNLOCK come into play in GBB and ALCAR.
GBB (Gamma-butyrobetaine) has been dubbed “super carnitine” as it serves as a carnitine precursor. Carnitine serves as the biological taxi that shuttles fatty acids into the mitochondria. As a precursor, GBB has been shown to significantly increase carnitine levels in humans, which supports the body’s ability to mobilize and burn fatty acids for energy.
ALCAR (acetyl l-carnitine) is an improved form of L-Carnitine that offers high bioavailability and can actually increase the blood-brain barrier. ALCAR
ALCAR doesn’t just offer alluring fat burning benefits, but also performance benefits, too.
Research in older individuals found that supplementing with ALCAR (2g, twice per day) improved:
- fatigue after exercise, by 51%
- muscle pain, by 27%
- sleep disorders, by 28%
Supplementation with 2g ALCAR per day (the same dose in UNLOCK) has been found in research to improve attention and reduce fatigue.
Enhancing Energy Expenditure
In addition to aiding lipolysis and beta-oxidation, UNLOCK also includes agents that have been found to help increase energy expenditure.
First up is Grains of Paradise (Aframomum melegueta) is a plant related to ginger that's commonly used as a spice in African cuisine. The pungent spice contains a bevvy of various compounds, including 6-gingerol and 6-paradol, which are noted to increase metabolic rate by affecting certain receptors on fat cells involved in energy regulation.
In fact, research indicates that supplementation with Grains of Paradise increases energy expenditure up to 100 calories per day and reduces visceral fat levels.
UNLOCK also includes the cutting-edge weight loss ingredient MitoBurn (L-BAIBA).
Derived from the BCAA L-Valine, BAIBA has been shown to kickstart the “browning” of white fat cells (something also noted to occur with Paradoxine.
If you weren’t aware, stimulation of brown adipose tissue has been shown to increase energy expenditure, improve insulin sensitivity, and help regulate weight management.
Bringing It All Together
At the end of the day, fat loss is about reducing calories, increasing physical activity, and maintaining a deficit. No matter how many supplements you take, there will be periods of low energy and motivation along with assorted cravings...it just goes with the territory of dieting.
Realizing this, we included ingredients in UNLOCK to support an upbeat mood and help the body deal with the mental and physical demands of dieting.
UNLOCK includes 500mg of L-Tyrosine to support catecholamine and thyroid hormone synthesis. We’ve also included 300mg of rhodiola rosea extract (as RhodioPrime). Rhodiola is a centuries-old adaptogen that helps combat fatigue, reduce stress, improve exercise performance, and promote a healthy mood.
And last, but not least, we include a full 250mg of InnoSlim.
Composed of Panax notoginseng root and astragalus membranaceus root extracts, the bioactives in InnoSlim have been shown in in vitro studies to inhibit glucose uptake up to 41% within the small intestine. Other studies suggest that InnoSlim may enhance glucose uptake into the muscle cells through increasing GLUT4 activity, supporting stable blood glucose levels and muscle energy production.
