The History Of Clenbuterol

Though there is little information in regards to the precise origins of clenbuterol, the name was originally used some times in the 1970’s, therefore we can only conclude that the original formula for this product was discovered either during or before this decade.

It has also been marketed as dilaterol, spiropent and ventipulmin in conjunction with being affectionately nicknamed “clen”. Should you hear any of these names being mentioned, they all refer directly to the use of clenbuterol.

Interestingly, whilst clenbuterol is used in a widespread fashion for the treatment of various breathing disorders in patients (including asthma) it is not officially sanctioned for human use by the FDA in America.

However; it has and still does enjoy widespread human administration across Europe where it is condoned by the relevant governing bodies for each respective country.

Interestingly, there is one “official” FDA condoned avenue for application in the US that you’ll also see taking place all over the world; as a medication for horses.

One of the most harmful elements of horse racing is that as the horse runs, it can ingest dirt by means of kick back from the horses in front of it, which can then clog the airways and lead to breathing difficulties / ruptures.

The Other Use Of Clenbuterol

Administering clenbuterol post race means that the airways become clear again and this excess dirt can be removed from the respiratory system with relative ease.

Sometimes, clenbuterol is also used in cattle and other livestock as a means of accelerating / sustaining muscle tissue and reducing body fat. The theory behind this is that it’ll help to produce better meat.

It has also been used with horses in an attempt to achieve this same end result for performance purposes (as a result of an increase in lean tissue and conjunctive reduction in body fat) though as of yet, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that it can positively affect athletic performance for horses or have a dramatic effect on lean tissue development when administered to them either.

As previously mentioned, clenbuterol through its stimulation of the SNS can theoretically enhance anabolism (hence the experimentation with horses and livestock…though only the latter scenario yielded positive results.) What we didn’t previously specify however was that this is only in animals as opposed to humans.

The same body fat reduction / vasodilation of the respiratory system and blood vessels still occurs in animals, but the anabolic properties of clenbuterol are (until proven otherwise) exclusive to them only.

It was actually as a result of clenbuterol integration into livestock for the purpose of improving meat than an enormous contamination scandal erupted – this was due to the substance surviving in the tissue of dead animals and posing a toxic threat to humans.

It was this scandal that lead to a fairly substantial series of guidelines being put in place in regards to competitive cyclists consuming meat in China and Mexico – but more on that shortly.

All of this “anabolism” in animals is what ultimately led to an enormous debate within the bodybuilding community that has never quite been laid to rest.

Whilst it’s important to state that there are convincing analyses on both sides of the argument in regards to whether or not clen does actually show any anabolic capacity in humans; we must stick purely with the proven facts.

To date, the proven facts state that clenbuterol is effective for reducing body fat and treating breathing disorders, and whilst it shows some degree of anabolic “evolution” in animals – it does not show any in humans (at least not that we can measure.)

In fact, it has zero proven benefit in regards to athletic performance in a human being. So widely accepted amongst the medical community is this that it’s not uncommon for cyclists and other endurance athletes to get treated with beta-2 stimulation compounds like clenbuterol when they suffer from exercise induced asthma.

If any of the governing sports bodies had even the slightest concern (based on real world results from test subjects) that clenbuterol could:

 

● Lead to lean tissue acceleration
● Lead to unfairly advanced recovery
● Lead to improved strength or endurance

There would simply be no conceivable means of them accepting its integration (or the integration of similar products) into any performance-based setting.

There are currently no test results or conclusive evidence of any kind to hint that clenbuterol may positively impact protein synthesis in human beings, and only to a marginal degree (when compared to other products) in livestock.

This will undoubtedly lead to contention with some readers of this profile as this has become such a widespread concept amongst the bodybuilding community, but one needs to consider whether or not they have any scientific evidence to support their claims.

If they have none, then that is almost always because there is none. As such, the claim simply can’t be supported.

How and why this notion originated is almost exclusively as a result of a now fairly infamous study performed on rats that showed a positive effect in regards to (at least) lean tissue preservation whilst using clenbuterol.

The results of this study are almost entirely what led to the assumption by bodybuilders that the same effects would be replicated in humans, and as such, clen has been a prominent feature as part of some individual’s PCT (Post Cycle Therapy) plans as a means of sustaining lean muscle mass ever since.

When you pause for thought in regards to the rationale behind this concept, it is actually somewhat ludicrous that anyone would associate their internal biochemistry with that of a rat’s in an unproven fashion, then make a conclusive statement about the two being in any way similar; but that’s exactly what happened.

Ever since, the debate has carried on.

This concept isn’t “helped” by those who claim to have “experienced” muscle growth whilst on clenbuterol either across countless internet forums. This is admittedly a tremendously gray area but it’s safe to say that on the whole the users in question will likely have experienced what they perceived to be lean tissue gain purely because of a reduction in body fat percentage allowing them to see their existing muscle more effectively.

It’s also worth noting that should their nutrition habits have changed whilst using clenbuterol (in a positive fashion), they may actually have been able to develop lean tissue whilst using it as a result. In either scenario; it would not be the clenbuterol that led to the development of lean tissue. It’s on the subject of human use that we must also focus on the “true” intended purpose of clenbuterol in regards to its application as a means of alleviating “pressure” in the airways.

 

Clenbuterol For Weight Loss

It has proven to be incredibly effective for this purpose; it is in fact one of the most popular bronchodilator products being administered around the world today. Why is it then that the FDA has never officially condoned clenbuterol for human use in the United States?

There are a couple of theories in regards to why, and both of them make complete sense (they’re probably both as true as each other.) The first is that there are simply so many other effective bronchodilator drugs out there that clenbuterol isn’t needed within this capacity in the United States. Considering the potential adverse issues that can arise from using clen (as we’ll later outline), it’s fair to say that there is no need to “overcomplicate” the market and release a drug that frankly may prove to be more harmful than others already in effective circulation.

The second is that the FDA doesn’t particularly want to needlessly expose athletes to the potentially adverse symptoms on offer by the drug considering (as previously stated) other effective beta-2 stimulators are in circulation.

In this instance, it’s a simple case of “why try to fix something that isn’t broken?” especially when the risk of using this item is fairly high. So high is it in fact that (as previously stated) professional cyclists have a very strict series of guidelines which must be adhered to when consuming meat in Mexico and China. This is to ensure that they do not face any potential toxicity on offer by “second hand” clenbuterol digestion when consuming meat prepared in these areas.

As such, both scenarios are closely related albeit for slightly different reasons, though they ultimately follow the same rationale. Clenbuterol seemingly poses an unnecessary risk to both the athletic community and the general public in the U.S.A that outweighs its benefits. These explanations as to why clen isn’t seeing widespread use both make sense and likely form at least part of the thought process behind the FDA’s stance on human use of the drug.

In regards to clenbuterols “unofficial” use – it has been used amongst bodybuilding circles for decades now, primarily as an effective means of reducing body fat. This wasn’t the only “intended” use for clenbuterol though, as prior to our (now) fairly in-depth understanding of the drug – bodybuilders had observed the effects taking place in rats and livestock, and decided that this “new” type of steroid could be the answer to all their prayers. It seemingly offered fat reduction in conjunction with lean tissue development and came with a comparatively low risk of side effects when placed against most of the other anabolic steroids available on the market.

Another (at the time) amazing element was the fact that it was during these early years that the aesthetic community first started to face drug tests at bodybuilding shows. This largely revolved around an infamous doping scandal regarding turinabol whereas a state of “emergency” was instilled across all sports, including bodybuilding, to make the respective disciplines appear as “clean” as possible to the public.

 

Clenbuterol Health Review

Though many substances were actively being pursued over the course of these tests, clenbuterol was not one of them. As such, it was thought that this new drug was going to be the perfect means of continuing to accelerate muscle growth in conjunction with the other benefits on offer without being detectable.

As time later told, this turned out to be completely false; clen is useful (within a bodybuilding capacity) for little more than accelerating fat loss and possibly enhancing nutrient uptake due to an increase in circulatory functionality. Other than that though, there is no scientifically proven reason to get one’s hopes up whilst using it. Some say that ever since the discovery that clenbuterol couldn’t do even half of what it was perceived to be capable of, it is actually not one of the best options out there anymore even in regards to fat burning.

This thought process is largely unfounded though, being that it is truly a very effective means of laying waste to body fat when used appropriately. It would however be rather accurate to state that all of the initial “hysteria” served as the perfect launch pad for clenbuterol from a marketing perspective.

Without the erroneous assumptions people made at the time in regards to its anabolic capabilities, the product would probably not have been anywhere near as successful as it has been and continues to be to this day. Its success is perhaps largely down to an oppositely charged variant of the Streisand Effect – one of the main reasons why clen is so useful and widely administered in the modern day is that it stacks very effectively with other compounds, thus making it an excellent “base” ingredient. When it comes to cutting, you can combine it with thyroid hormones (such as T3 and T4 – see their separate profiles for more information) as well as injectable steroids / other oral steroids owing to the fact that clen isn’t liver toxic (as per a C-17 AA oral steroid.)

This makes it wholly versatile and as such, and highly effective for body fat reduction when integrated into a cutting phase. It should be noted too that whilst we’ve extensively discussed performance benefit / fat loss as part of a cut, clenbuterol is one of the few products used by the general public for “standard” weight loss purposes too. So popular in fact is this substance that it has even seen widespread use amongst celebrities to achieve their demanding weight loss goals.