Tribulus Terrestris, aka “Trib”, is one of the most popular nutritional supplements being sold to bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts looking to raise their body’s own testosterone levels to gain weight naturally.

Trib is an herb that manufacturers claim will boost luteinizing hormone (LH), which then stimulates the testes to release testosterone naturally.

So this bodybuilding supplement is being sold under the claim that you’ll be able to naturally raise your body’s own testosterone production which, in turn, will allow you to experience large gains in muscle mass and weight gain.

Makes sense…..if you can find a legal supplement / substance that will raise your own testosterone levels you’ll obviously gain weight and build muscle at a much quicker rate.

Hey, testosterone is the big daddy of all anabolic hormones.

Make no mistake about it;  testosterone is the number one hormone in the body responsible for muscular development (without getting into all of the details in this particular article).

And if there is a supplement out there that will achieve this, which you could buy legally at the local nutrition store or website, without having to worry about any of the legal or health implications that come with using illegal anabolic steroids……awesome!!!

However, there’s a big difference between claiming an herb can do something and whether it actually does.

Huge difference.

Lately there have been three unbiased studies (meaning they weren’t performed by the actual supplement manufacturer themselves) that have been conducted to find out the truth about tribulus terrestris……to see if it works or not.

The findings were very interesting…..

One study was conducted in the United States.  The other in Bulgaria.  The third in Australia.

In the Australian study they took 22 Australian elite rugby league players, placed them on 450 mgs per day of trib for 5 weeks.

What did they find?

There was absolutely no difference whatsoever in the amount of strength or muscle mass they gained, fat free mass gained, or urinary T/E ratio (“testosterone-to-epitestosterone” ratio….which measures the amount of raised testosterone levels in your body).

The other two studies found the exact same thing:


Think about it….what’s the purpose of shelling out your hard earned money to take a bodybuilding supplement like trib?

Obviously to gain more muscle weight fast and lose fat to improve your body composition.

But if tribulus terrestris has been proven to not do any of this, then what’s the use?!

Yet, supplement companies all around have jumped on the trib bandwagon and claiming that it’s the “legal” and “safe” way of raising your body’s natural testosterone levels.

This is just one more reason why I have a real problem with the bodybuilding / fitness supplement industry and why I write so much about it on my main site, http://www.FromSkinnyToMuscular.com.

So, my recommendation to you is don’t waste your money on worthless supplements, like trib.

You’d be better off spending it on good food to gain weight naturally.

By the way, if you were interested in knowing the references to the 3 studies I mentioned in this article, here they are:

1.    Journal Strength Conditioning Research, 21:348-353, 2007
2.    J Ethnopharm, August 2005
3.    Int J Sports Nut Ex Metab, 10:208, 2000

Sincerely,

Jonathan Perez
Cleveland Firefighter
Certified ACE / IAFF / IAFC Firefighter Peer Fitness Trainer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jonathan Perez has written many articles exposing the many weight training and diet myths being spread about in the bodybuilding industry and on the internet.

His eBook, "From Skinny To Muscular!", has helped many naturally skinny individuals gain muscle size and weight by detailing the training strategies and eating techniques that actually work at building muscle, instead of strength.

Many of Jonathan's other articles are located at www.FromSkinnyToMuscular.com/articles.html.

Learn how to gain weight with FromSkinnytoMuscular.com