Does Optimum Nutrition Tribulus Really Work?

Testosterone boosters like Optimum Nutrition Tribulus have been getting more attention lately as low levels of testosterone have been featured more in mass media. As the baby boomer generation gets older, more and more men will experience decreasing levels of testosterone. We should be seeing both pharmaceutical remedies, as well as naturally based formulas like Tribulus being marketed as the answer.

Overview
The bodybuilding world has also embraced testosterone boosters as a way to increase performance in the gym. One of the symptoms of low testosterone is a general feeling of malaise, and a lack of being able to push the weights as hard as you once could. By boosting your testosterone, you’re not only supposed to experience an increase in libido, but also in muscle gain as you lift more weights, and your body builds muscle like it used it.

The Claim
They say that Optimum Nutrition Tribulus is made with the finest tribulus terrestris available. If you go with the 625 variation, you’ll get 625 milligrams of it in each pill, and each bottle will come with 100 pills. They categorize it as a strength builder and recovery aid. Most guys will be taking it for an increase in their libido as well, as sluggish sex drive is one of the symptoms of low testosterone.

It’s important to clarify that this is just a brand of Tribulus terrestris, and it’s not like Optimum Nutrition has a patent on it. They are simply trying to bring it to you in it’s most natural form. It’s up to you to do the due diligence on the plant itself and weigh the pros and cons to see if it’s something you should take.

The Hype
The hype comes from the bodybuilding community, that seems willing to introduce just about anything into their bodies, in hopes of a slight edge in the gym. They like to stack different products together, and will take supplements first and ask questions later. It’s alarming just how much stuff they’ll ingest in hopes of building just a little more muscle.

The Cost
You can get a bottle of Optimum Nutrition Tribulus 625 capsules for much less than $20. This makes it a rather inexpensive supplement, but many users say you have to take a larger dose, and have recommended taking two pills at once, effectively doubling the dose and the cost.

The Commitment
Since Optimum Nutrition Tribulus comes in pill form, it’s pretty easy to take, but the commitment kicks in because you have to make it to the gym, or lift weights at home if you want to get the full effect of building more muscle.

What People Are Really Saying
The overall consensus is that Optimum Nutrition Tribulus will give you some results, but is not a real game changer. You should see an increase in your sex drive, more so than an increase in your ability to push it harder in the gym. Most people said that they saw some results, but had to up the dosage. Others said that they did not see any results, even after extended use.

Still others said that it worked, but that you have to take it for a long period of time before it starts showing real results. Others admitted that they were taking so many different supplements at one time that they couldn’t be sure if it was the Optimum Nutrition Tribulus that was working, or something else. This is called stacking, when people take a mix of different products to try to produce a synergistic effect between them.

This is interesting because they haven’t been able to prove that tribulus works in controlled studies. This means that when it is isolated and nothing else is going on in the trial, they can’t prove that it is having any sort of desired effect. One interesting thing to note is that if you do notice a stronger sex drive, and you take advantage of that either with your partner or by yourself, you won’t have as much driving force when you make it into the gym. It has been suggested to conserve some of that sexual energy and transmute it into more aggressiveness at teh gym.

Side Effects
It has even been documented that one of the potential side effects of using products that contain Tribulus is developing the medical condition colloquially known as “moobs”. This is definitely not a risk you’d want to take, especially if your chest is already headed in that direction. In addition to that, some users have said that they experienced upset stomach from using it.

Final Optimum Nutrition Tribulus Review

The question is not whether Optimum Nutrition Tribulus works, but whether or not Tribulus works. It’s clear that the ON corporation is putting out a high quality product, as they do with most of their supplements like whey protein, but in regards to tribulus terrestris actually producing verifiable results, that’s another matter.

Our Recommendation
While the idea of boosting your testosterone makes sense, there is little evidence that introducing Tribulus into your body actually produces the results that you want. One of our favorite testosterone products is Ageless Male. The ingredients it uses does not include Tribulus and it doesn’t come with the risk of side effects as mentioned above. When compared to other all natural cures, and weighed against the inherent problem of using prescription drugs, it seems to stand apart from the other options.

What do you think? Does Optimum Nutrition Tribulus work or not?