Shred JYM Analysis: A PhD’s Fat Burner

Get shredded the Jim Stoppani way with Shred JYM

Dr. Jim Stoppani’s JYM supplement line is one of the biggest industry success stories of 2014. The year is coming to an end now, but JYM’s success continues to grow.

So far, we’ve covered a number of their products:

• Alpha JYM – Natural testosterone booster
• Pre JYM – Pre-workout Supplement
• Pro JYM – Protein powder
• Vita JYM – Multivitamin

Today, we’re going to discuss Shred JYM, their flagship fat burner.

Introducing: Shred JYM

Like the rest of the product line, Shred JYM was formulated using ingredients that are backed with an extensive amount of research and clinical data.

It’s categorized as a fat burner, but it actually has three goals:

• Burn fat
• Increase energy
• Improve focus

All three benefits are commonly seen on just about any bottle of fat burner. However, there are some key features which make Shred JYM not just “any bottle of fat burner.”

Update: This has unfortunately been removed from our Top 10 list of fat burners as well as our Best Fat Burner buyer’s guide due Jim Stoppani’s recent marketing tactics.

What sets Shred JYM apart from other fat burners?

The primary thing that separates Shred JYM from its competition is dosing. In some instances, ingredients were dosed higher than any other fat burner on the market.

Lets take a look:

The Shred JYM Ingredients / Nutrition Facts

As always, JYM Supplement Science products are 100% transparently dosed (not including the fillers used), so we know nearly exactly what’s inside:

• Acetyl-L-carnitine

  We’re getting a whopping 1.5 grams of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR).

  According to Stoppani, “there isn’t a fat burner on the market that even comes close to that kind of dosage.”

  We can’t really argue with Jim on that one — in fact, most fat burners don’t contain this form of L-Carnitine at all – and those that use a different type of L-Carnitine definitely don’t have this dosage.

  You can read more about ALCAR on our Acetyl L-Carnitine page to read more for yourself. To put it quickly, this is by far our favorite form of L-Carnitine, and the cognitive and endurance benefits alone make it worthwhile.^[1]

  But the way this boosts mitochondrial health to assist in energy metabolism – especially for those who are carnitine deficient^[2] – is why it’s here. If you haven’t tried a supplement with a legit amount of ALCAR, then be prepared to feel amazing with Shred JYM.

• Green tea (leaf extract)

  You’ll have a hard time finding a fat burner which lists the amount of green tea extract.

  Shred JYM proudly boasts 500mg of a green tea extract that was standardized at 45% EGCG. EGCG is the prominent fat burning compound in green tea.^[3]

• Caffeine anhydrous

  Each serving of Shred JYM contains 200 mg of caffeine anhydrous, which is more then fair considering this isn’t a pre-workout.

  Some fat burners contain more, but Dr. Stoppani wanted to avoid the “cracked out” feeling of too much caffeine.

  This also means that one serving is one serving. While we’re big fans of low-stimulant fat burners, people with high stimulant tolerances who really want to “feel” it can easily go through a month’s supply in 3 weeks. That shouldn’t be a problem with Shred JYM.

• L-Tyrosine

  L-Tyrosine is present at a healthy dose of 500 mg. It’s not the largest dose ever, but will pair extremely well with the ALCAR.

  There are a lot of cognitive benefits to having extra L-Tyrosine^[4], and part of the problem that we have when we’re dieting is that we get way too “foggy” and unmotivated, be it from “low carb brain” or just having a lower amount of calories.

• Synephrine

  

  Jim Stoppani, creator of JYM Supplement Science supplements

  Synephrine is dosed right around its sweet spot, at 20mg per serving. The important thing here is, Shred JYM uses Advantra Z.

  Advantra Z is one of the few standardized forms of synephrine on the market. In other words, there’s no need to worry that it was under dosed or watered down – which can be a problem with synephrine.

  Synephrine is a molecule that works like a weaker form of ephedrine. Research shows that it works as a beta-agonist, which puts your body into a slight “fight or flight” response, mobilizing bodyfat for energy (your body is programmed to save that fat for these situations!)^[5]

  Meanwhile, it may also work slightly similarly to yohimbe but without the side effects — this is because it’s a minor alpha-1 and alpha-2 antagonist, and it slows down fat storage. This is to a small degree, however.

  Women may also get an extra kick here – synephrine was implicated in creasing the thermic effect of food, meaning that it took more energy to actually burn off food, thereby boosting metabolism and burning more calories (when eating the same amount of food).

• Cayenne pepper (fruit extract)

  

  Capsimax is an encapsulated cayenne pepper extract that prevents the side effects of taking capsaicin directly (like heartburn)

  Shred JYM contains 50 mg of a standardized cayenne pepper extract, Capsimax.

  If you are familiar with cayenne and how it’s used in fat burners, 50 mg probably doesn’t seem like a whole lot.

  After all, most fat burners that include cayenne dose it at around 500 mg. What you need to know though, is not all cayenne extracts are created equal.

  The average cayenne extract provides about 40,000 scoville heat units. The brand used in JYM, Capsimax, provides around 300,000 scoville heat units.

  Why does that matter?

  Scoville heat units are a way of measuring the amount of capsaicin present in the cayenne extract. Capsaicin is cayennes number one fat burning component.

  When you eat hot food, you get heated – that’s thermogenesis. The capsaicin in cayenne pepper is responsible, and it is linked to more fat oxidation.^[6]

The other side of the coin – What’s not in Shred JYM

In short, we seriously like this formula, the ingredients are uniquely blended, and the dosing is on point.

In general, this is going to be a fat burner that will help those of you that get a bit hazy during your diets, and need some mental clarity to go along with your fat burning support.

Dr. Jim Stoppani has been using the ingredients in Shred JYM to stay lean and shredded for many years.

That said, it’s not always all about what’s in the formula.

On the other side of the coin, sometimes, what isn’t in it is of just as much importance. Dr. Stoppani put a lot of emphasis on keeping certain ingredients out of Shred JYM.

Here is his breakdown on why he specifically chose not to include certain ingredients:

• No Niacin

  Stoppani probably made a few people angry when he gave away an industry secret. What secret?

  Well, we know niacin causes flushing. What’s flushing? Flushing is when you get warm, red, and itchy.

  Often times niacin gets included in fat burners in order to trick people into thinking that they “feel” the thermogenic effect. In reality though, it’s just the flushing effect of the niacin.

• No CLA

  Dr. Stoppani talks about the fat burning benefits of CLA a lot. It came as somewhat of a surprise that he chose not to include it in the Shred JYM formula.

  When we heard is explanation though, it made sense.

  According to the doctor, you need a large dose of CLA for it to provide just a little bit of fat burning support — 0around three to four grams. And even then, the research is still mixed, and most people don’t likely need it.

  One serving of Shred JYM is already 4 capsules, the addition of another 3-4 capsules would make it rather obnoxious to take.

  Instead, he recommends that you take your CLA separate (if you believe it will help you and you are not getting enough healthy fats), preferably with a meal.

• No Yohimbe

  Much like CLA, yohimbe is another ingredient which Stoppani often recommends for fat loss.

  The reason that it doesn’t make an appearance in Shred JYM is simple:

  Too many people are overly sensitive to it.

  • Lightheadedness
  • Dizziness
  • Nauseousness

  Those are all negative side effects which many people seem to experience from yohimbe.

  When putting Shred JYM together, Stoppani wanted this product to work for as many people as possible. Yohimbe would make a few customers avoid it, and that’s not the JYM way – so it was left out. You can always add your own yohimbe-based products.

• Questionable stimulants

  Finally, but importantly – you don’t have to worry about any understudied, “grey area” stimulants with Shred JYM. You know what I’m talking about. The hottest one right now is AMP Citrate.

  There are a lot of hardcore stimulants that show up in fat burners, many of them aren’t studied for safety at all.

  Everything in Shred JYM is safe, and well studied. You don’t have to be concerned about experiencing the ramifications of any sketchy ingredients.

How does it work?

Shred JYM is a three stage fat burner.

Here are the three stages:

1. Release the fat – In this stage, fat is released within the cell so that it can be transported to the mitochondria.
2. Transport the fat – In the second step, the fat is transported to the mitochondria, so that it can be utilized as fuel.
3. Burn the fat – The final step is burning the fat, a few of the ingredients help with this, but you in order to be successful, you have to be in caloric deficit.

Certain ingredients are responsible for each process, here’s how it breaks down:

• Acetyl-L-carnitine

  ALCAR is responsible for the second stage, transporting the fat.

  Basically, after the fat gets released in the first step, ALCAR transports it to the mitochondria where it gets burned in stage three.

• Green tea (leaf extract)

  

  EGCG improved glycemic control in mice. Shown are fasting blood glucose levels (A), fasting plasma insulin levels (B), blood glucose concentrations (C, D) and plasma insulin concentrations (E, F) during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

  It’s been proven that green tea offers a laundry list of benefits. The reason it’s in Shred JYM though, is because of it’s ability to help with the third stage, burning fat.

  Green tea leaf extract contains an active compound called EGCG. EGCG is a potent thermogenic, it helps you burn calories even when you are in a resting state.

  Another benefit is blood sugar support, as shown in the image to the right.

• Caffeine

  Caffeine is a major player in the first step. It helps the body release fat from the fat cells, so that they can get transported to the mitochondria, where they’ll be burned as fuel.

• Cayenne

  Cayenne helps with the third step, burning fat. Much like green tea contains the thermogenic compound, EGCG, cayenne is rich in capsaicin – another intense thermogenic.

  Additionally, cayenne is often used as an appetite suppressant.

• Synephrine

  Synephrine works hand in hand with caffeine (but through different mechanisms,) to release fat from the fat cells.

  Also, like cayenne, synephrine has been shown to act as an appetite suppressant.

• L-Tyrosine

  L-Tyrosine doesn’t have a role in the fat burning process, it was included for its positive effects on energy, mood, and mental performance.

Does it actually work? The Shred JYM Reviews

The reviews are off the charts for this stuff, not to mention there’s a ton of science backing it up.

On average, users are giving it a 9 out of 10.

Of course, it’s your diet and fitness program that’s most important – this is just a supplement. But the great thing is that Jim Stoppani offers so much free content, that his followers usually don’t have much of a problem with their diets and workouts when they actually follow his programs! You can see them from his page on Bodybuilding.com.

Who should use it?

Man, woman, young, old – If you’re trying to lose weight, you can use Shred JYM.

Obviously though, you want to keep it away from children. Also, talk to your healthcare provider first if there’s any reason you think you shouldn’t take it.

Don’t take shred JYM if you’re looking for a “miracle supplement,” you still have to work your butt off in the gym!

How do you take it? The dosage.

The directions say to take it in between meals. We typically like our first dosage of a fat burner to be on an empty stomach before breakfast, and the second dosage to be pre-workout (if you work out in the afternoon).

That doesn’t mean that you can’t take it with food though. It doesn’t matter whether you take it on an empty stomach, or with food. Either way – it’s going to be effective.

The only reason JYM recommends that people take Shred JYM between meals, is because it suppresses hunger. This is especially helpful for people who tend to overeat, it’s also very useful for avoiding junk food in between meals.

Dr. Stoppani gives a more complete explanation in his short video below:

Check out Jim Stoppani’s Shred JYM video

If you’d like additional information, you can watch Dr. Stoppanis video on Shred JYM, he goes a little more in depth.

The bottom line

If you’re looking for a way to burn fat, it’s going to start with managing your diet properly, and exercising adequately.

That being said, Shred JYM is an elite fat burner, and it will work, just don’t confuse it for a miracle pill.

In many ways, it outperforms every other fat burner on the market. The bottom line… this is an extremely safe and effective option for anyone who’s new to fat burners and enjoys Jim’s workouts and diet plans. You can’t go wrong with Shred JYM.

Whenever you’re ready to give it a try, see our official JYM Shred JYM page to make sure you’re getting the best deal.