The Bodybuilding Doctor: Jim Stoppani
Jim Stoppani claims to use science when giving workout, fitness and weight loss advice. He does, but maybe not in the way you expect.
Jim Stoppani, Ph. D.
If you haven’t heard about Jim Stoppani, sorry, Dr. Jim Stoppani before, you should know that in bodybuilding circles he is an authority. Beside being very fit, he can also point at numerous TV appearances, celebrity clients, articles for fitness magazines and books he co-authored.
Furthermore he even has a real Ph. D. in exercise physiology, which is stressed whenever and wherever he appears or writes fitness articles. Sure enough he also includes long lists of scientific references in those articles.
He Uses Science. But How?
If you read what I said about why bodybuilding needs science you may come to the conclusion that nothing could keep me from applauding his angle. After all it seems that with Stoppani we have a man who properly studied what he is writing about and in his articles makes sure to point at the science that backs his words. The claim at the top his website, “using real science to design real programs for unreal results,” should have me rejoice.
Then again Dr. Oz is a real doctor, too, and that doesn’t keep him from making some, shall we say, questionable statements. It does pay to have a look at how one really uses science to back positions. Especially when those positions come in articles with dozens of references that give them an extra aura of legitimacy.
As an example for how Stoppani operates I picked an article of his I recently came across at bodybuilding.com, where he states that using a mixture of various supplements can help you lose weight. Analyzing it in its entirety would make this article very long and most of his references also aren’t available without charge, so I picked two of his claims where you can read the important papers for free: those about caffeine and capsaicin.
Caffeine
Let’s start with the caffeine, about which Stoppani writes the following:
When you ingest caffeine, it binds to receptors on your fat cells. Normally the nucleotide adenosine binds to these receptors, and when it does, it puts a halt on fat release from the cells. With caffeine sitting on the receptors, adenosine can’t attach, and fat release is maximized. This is particularly effective when taking caffeine before workouts, several studies have confirmed.
Receptors, nucleotide, adenosine – sounds impressive, doesn’t it? What is less impressive is that we have no idea about what “fat release is maximized” really means. Do I suddenly drop all my body fat and sit in a squishy puddle in front of my desk? Just from an extra strong cup of coffee?
We need to know how much fat is really lost thanks to caffeine and the second study in Stoppani’s references, available right here (PDF), can easily clarify this. On its page 4 we find the following figure:
The left table shows energy expenditure after ingesting no caffeine (the placebo control group) and at various different doses. We see that the biggest effect is at 30 minutes, where the 400 mg group burns about 1.28 kcal per minute and the placebo group about 1.12.
So “maximizing” fat release means a difference of 0.16 kcal / minute? That is a measly extra 9.6 kcal per hour. It also doesn’t take into account that over time the body may very well get used to the increased amount of caffeine and the effect could disappear entirely.
Capsaicin
Capsaicin, the stuff that makes hot peppers hot, we find under the heading “fat burners”:
[Capsaicin] increases the amount of calories your body burns, thanks to its ability to raise epinephrine levels. One study from Japanese researchers found that consuming capsaicin with a meal raised calorie expenditure by more than 30 percent. A study from the University of Oklahoma likewise found that subjects who took a supplement containing both capsaicin and caffeine burned more calories during and after exercise than those who didn’t.
Once more Stoppani doesn’t give us any concrete numbers, but here we actually don’t need any. His most reliable reference concerning capsaicin is the meta-study (a review of other studies) he lists as No. 13, which has the following to say and makes things quite clear:
Collectively, the studies reviewed provide supportive evidence for roles of capsaicin and capsiate in weight management. However, the magnitude of these thermogenic and appetitive effects is small and their long-term sustainability is uncertain.
So yes, the effects exist. But that they are “small” and long-term usability “uncertain” we sure we didn’t get to read in Stoppani’s article.
Real Science, Unreal Distortions
I looked through various of Stoppani’s articles and the included references and the tune almost always is the same: the science is much less positive about the effects than what he makes it sound like. What we have here is a man who apparently had a proper education in the field he writes about, but either misunderstands the science he reads or deliberately exaggerates it.
If I was in a more dire mood I’d say he hopes that his Ph. D. shines bright enough and long lists of references look impressive enough for people to take his words for gospel and not actually bother checking the research he so freely crowns his writings with.
Picture courtesy of Wikimedia. Table courtesy of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
67 Comments
Funny how we, as a whole society, are almost programmed to take someone’s word as gospel when they have initials behind their name.
I think any expert can get into trouble when they get too far out of their actual field of study. Dr. Oz for example, is a Cardiothorazic surgeon (I believe), and I’m quite sure he is very competent in that area.
I do have to agree on one point of his though. I was cutting a chili pepper one time and a seed went into my eye!! I am sure that what I went through until the pain stopped from the capsaicin burned plenty of calories! 🙂
Jim Stoppani “knows more about exercise than anyone you know”. Sadly, he doesn’t know how important frequency is for natural trainees. That should be enough to throw him in the bin right there.
There’s always gonna be people to criticize what someone is doing. Lebron, Obama, Bush, Woods, name whoever you want in a position of large exposure to the general public. A lot of what Jim says actually does make sense scientifically and if you were to try his workout supplement combo, it really works. I don’t agree with or blindly take everything Jim says to heart, but he’s a smart guy that knows a lot about his field. Criticism can always be found when you look hard enough.
I’m sorry, but a lot of what Jim says *doesn’t* make sense scientifically. If he claims the science is there, it is up to him to provide it.
What degree do you have?
I’m a big follower of Jim’s and in every article, there is a link to the study he is referencing. Information is always there.
evilcyber-
It is clear by your article that you know nothing of biology or exercise or even how to compose effective criticism.
Your critique is WEAK. Essentially you say “I’m to lazy/afraid to look at ALL the claims he makes so I’m gonna cherry pick the ones that I think are weak and attack 2% of what he says and call him a fraud (surreptitiously of course).”
You deliberately misstate his recommendations and think if you couch it condescension, it invalidates his point – “Do I suddenly drop all my body fat and sit in a squishy puddle in front of my desk? Just from an extra strong cup of coffee?” HE NEVER SAID THAT. Stop being a troll.
I have followed his program to a T and have added 20 pounds of pure muscle. I have made gains in the last 9 weeks that have surprised me and everyone in my life.
Me thinks you need to take a long hard look in the mirror and do some serious evaluation. I think for you being a hater is easier actually doing something.
I could argue that you are too lazy to point out where I was wrong in the detailed analysis of his claims I did post.
Or, for that matter, to at least read the research Stoppani cited that I linked.
I think Dr. Stoppani is correct on the statements he makes.. If these statements were wrong how would it create drastic changes to people who follow his diet and exercise regime? I was not in a good shape initially. I started following Dr. Stoppani’s shortcut to shred for 3 weeks with proper nutrition but no supplements.I food drastic loss in my body fat and increased strength.. So I personally feel Dr. Stoppani is right in whatever statements he has made so far as far as losing body fat is concerned.
Simple, many of the celebrities that he’s associated with are known to be on gear. As far as others, I’d bet that a large percentage of them are relative beginners or haven’t done any serious work (at least not recently) so they show dramatic results quickly.
That said, I’m not with evilcyber on this. I will agree that many of the things he suggests don’t have as much hard empirical evidence behind them as _I_ would like but that is because the studies haven’t been done (at least done and published). The fact is that for a lot of things, we have to take the best evidence available and run with it till someone does a study giving us more information. If it works great, if it doesn’t tweak it till it does.
The other thing is that, like many things in life, this change might have little effect, that one might have the same, and same with a 3rd, but when you put them all together they add up (and in the case of such complex systems as our bodies, that might not only add up but there could be a synergy there resulting in something greater than it’s parts). We don’t have as many good studies about the basic effects of different nutrients as we’d like, and even fewer involving the synergistic effects of 2 nutrients.
I’m not holding my breath for something that gives a definitive “you should take this many mg/kg body weight of a, b, c, x, y, z, and q on this schedule to get maximum results, and if you have this r then double c and if you have g then double b and x.” There are just too many variables out there and we don’t even have all the basics down yet
I am what you call a “hard gainer.” I have never been able to get over 185 pounds, and I have tried many different programs/diet plans over the years. However, I completed Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Size 4 weeks ago. In 12 weeks, I gained 22 pounds and actually got leaner. I went from 172 to 194 simply following the program. I am so confident that it works, I started it over again and have since gained another 4 pounds in 3 weeks (after 1 week off).
The program worked for me well. The FREE S2S ebook was the most comprehensive plan I have ever read. It was an excellent write up. I can say from my own personal experience that Jim’s program works.
Say what you want to say about “the science.” Science is not what I want. I want RESULTS, and that is EXACTLY what I got…
The question is 22 lbs of what and how did you measure that you “got leaner”? Bathroom scale, body fat caliper or a bod pod? You didn’t also go for the GOMAD approach, did you?
Quite frankly, I looked at that program and there is nothing in there that hasn’t been done before.
I can tell you my body fat content on a monthly basis. In fact, I do it every month on an entire company of Soldiers.
I use the taping method to measure body fat. Someone else has to perform the measurements; you cannot measure yourself. Measurements: 74″ tall, Neck 17″, Waist 36″. You can reference AR 600-9 if you are interested. 18% BF to 16% BF in 3 weigh-ins.
I was actually searching the web to find someone who would discredit Jim Stoppani when I found this site. I try to read some reviews before I spend money on supplements, because they are so expensive. He has a new pre-workout product out that I was looking for reviews on.
But, talking down to me like I’m a beginner doesn’t earn you any credibility. Neither does saying that this program has no value to merely support your argument. I simply did not agree with the content of your write up because the program has worked for me so well.
These measurements give no true indication of BFP.
If his program worked for you, fine. But if it really did what you claim it does, the whole world would be using it; 22 lbs of muscle in three months is simply not realistic.
I disagree. Jim’s article on Blox’s Silk Amino Acids states that “while the results are positive on lab animals it does not mean it translates to the human body.” I think that is a rather honest opinion given the data. From your article, one would expect Jim’s conclusion to have been positive, encouraging people to use the product. While there is a lot of “bro” science out there, I think more often than not Jim is on the mark.
I think we can agree that we disagree 🙂
22 pounds in 3 months is possible with steroids. I know many athletes that go from college ball to the pros who put on that kind of weight but naturally,id have to agree
Tell this to the Army that continually states that the tape test is the only authorized way to test for BFP. In general it is accurate to within 1-2% and typically errs on the higher side. What is your scientific evidence that 22LBS in 3 months is unrealistic, he did not give any inoformation on duration or intensity of his actual workouts. Just because it may not have worked for you it may have worked for him.
What does it matter? The guy gained his weight he wanted and if he looked leaner then he did before and is happy with his results, mission accomplished. sounds to me like there is “hate us because you ain’t us” going on with you and your view of Jim. You looked at his program and didn’t see anything you haven’t seen before? You can look at any program and say that. Even the black sheep child known as crossfit. You think they invented the burpee? hard work…that’s what gets results. And as for the two studies you picked out and critiqued. You are not wrong and neither is he. He has a business to run and my opinion is he runs it with more transparency than most supplement companies. I take his pre workout and protein powder. As for the other products I do feel they can be gimmicky because the results are so minimal for me but for someone else they might be huge. The fact that caffeine doesn’t burn fat instantly or as consistently across the spectrum for every person doesn’t take any cedability away from Jim’s knowledge of the sport.
I found this by looking for a follow up program for short cut to size.
I followed the program to the word except the diet. I followed the diet mostly but I wasn’t always able to keep it completely strict.
All I can say is tho… It worked. I’ve gained a stone in weight since I started. It’s mostly muscle and some fat that I’m going to deal with on my next program. Probably shortcut to shred.
The fat maybe from lack of discipline on my part but I look a lot better than I did before.
As a beginner it has exceeded my expectations.
Just saying.
I have tried only two of Stoppani’s routines, both worked extremely well for me. His workouts single-handedly pushed me from ‘skinny runt’ to a fairly good build. I’m not in any way super buff, but you cant expect that in a matter of months. But his workouts work. And if you look at all the reviews of his workouts, its easy to see I’m not alone.
We aren’t talking about his workouts, but his ideas about supplements. His workouts work, but not better than any other.
And fyi, those measurements may not give a perfect indication of BFP, but they are good enough to figure out whether or not someone would have a significant change in BFP. Im pretty sure you know that.
I cannot believe that someone with no education or degrees in this field of study like yourself (non claimed or proven) would possibly question someone who has not only a PhD, but was an award winning Scientist at Yale, for his work on how exercise diet AND supplements affect muscle tissue at the cellular level. Then the same individual was recruited by non the less Joe Weider personally and wrote as the Senior Science Editor for 3 Weider publications for over 10 years, wrote numerous published (and that’s not himself publishing his own work either) books, trained thousands of individuals has hundreds of thousands of people whom he has helped and proven his work and programs including results from the thousands (most who actually have taken his supp advice) would actually question the good Doc. Seriously you sound overly jealous or obsessed with Jim. I have seen you many times as a follower of his who true to harass and or discredit someone who has helped so many. Do you have a crush on him or something? You are not even a critic or someone who can be taken seriously. You have zero background for even a fraction of what Jim has accomplished and your physique is not much to warrant any knowledge that your own advice works. Two things come to mind when someone takes as much effort as you have I try and Dis-credit someone like Jim, jealousy and or hidden crush. And if you really want to he into a debate over exercise physiology, I’m your huckleberry.
What fascinates me about comments like these that they tend to attack me, but never manage to discredit the evidence against Stoppani I posted.
What evidence?!? So the benifits aren’t huge, big freakin whoop. I don’t see him as an idol, just someone who has a lot more experience. Mike has a good point, and he’s not attacking you personally, just your motives. We’re here to work and be healthy. He provides a good plan to do so, and gives great pointers on diet and supps, that is all. It’s starting to look like you have a personal vendetta or something.
Did i read that right that u said the caffeine burns 10 calories an hour? Do u not realize how much that adds up over 12 weeks. U just sold me on it silly, thats 2 more lbs of weight gone or an extra 1% bf.
butthurt because someone outed the crap ur idol posts?? 😛
You say you aren’t talking abt his workout routines, but his supplement advice? No, actually you took two examples of his supplement advice to discredit him in general. Nowhere do you day that the only science you are speaking abt is the supplement science.
Science is never considered ‘definite’ and is always open to discussion and/or change if new evidence is provided. For example, look up scientific articles on egg yolk or coffee and you’ll find an array of different theories and ideas on how good/bad/indifferent they’re for you. Some will support that egg yolk is great for you, other research shows its not, it flip flops all the time because the body is so complex and can be affected in different ways by the same chemical compounds. The point is the ideas or hypotheses Jim provides are based off his own studies, readings, and opinions. He does not claim them to be gospel. At least he has a passion for his field and provides some evidence and support for his workout (pre/post) blends. That’s a lot more than we can say about many other proprietary companies that sell competing blends. Many chemicals in popular commercial blends show up on pro athletic urine/blood tests, or are provided with doses that are either unrealistic for the body to consume or is not enough to make a difference. Should Jim’s ideas be taken as gospel, absolutely not. Should his ideas be questioned, yes, all science should. As having a Masters degree in Cell and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, I can tell you many of his insights are up to date with the scientific community and he provides solid research to back his claims up.
P.s. – to say it is ‘impossible’ to gain 22 lbs in 3 months? Says who? Where is the research to back that claim up? Just saying.
When Stoppani claims “a happens when b” it’s his job to provide the evidence. At least here it is severly lacking.
nboy15 is spot on. With each reply, evilcyber is proving that he lacks understanding of how scientific studies work.
Then point out where I got it wrong. As I said before, those personal attacks aren’t arguments.
This article, as well as all the people bashing on Jim are pretty dumb. He claims no miracle supps or cures for anything. He simply gives suggestions for things that may help, and even though they may be small, that is what supplementing is for. Small bits of assistance for your workout regimen. For those of us who bust our asses with his intense workouts and eat healthy, his program works very well. There’s really no reason to bash him unless you’re just an insecure ankle biter.
the truth is u believe anything that guy puts out!! ur just idol worshippers!!
Calling people dumb is pretty dumb.
Wow ive never heard of Jim, but the comments are certainly entertaining! 🙂
Yes. I think I ruffled the right feathers 😉
Whether Dr. Stoppani or Evilcyber are right or wrong in their competing analysis on the benefits of supplements, I can tell you one positive – both have sparked my interest in gaining a better understanding of supplementation and nutrition.
That is excellent!
This author just affirms what Stoppani says in a negative way. He agreed with everything in the articles but scrutinizes it because it only helps a “little”. Jim Stoppani is not a 24 hour fitness personal trainer, he is posting on bodybuilding.com and other serious fitness magazines where you need that extra “little” boost to push you over your last plat ow. Other have said “its nothing that has not been done before”. He never claims to to invented something (at least not in his major posts) He is simply helping people to maximize the results they will get with the time put in. I do not subscribe to his website because i’m unfortunately not as committed to my fitness as i should be. But i will say that i have done pretty much every free program he posts on bodybuilding.com and it has helped me be int he best shape of my life while still working a full time job and only allowing myself an hour a day to lift. Seams to me that their are many “fitness” scams and lies; or harmful drug promoting articles and trainers out there to focus on before we start condescending someone who is actually doing at least better than average job.
Then you don’t take issue with Stoppani defending heavy metals in protein powders?
https://evilcyber.com/supplements/contaminants-in-protein-supplements/
What a fun! Facebook has 0,5M people who just build his JYM army (of customers).
I noticed that something goes wrong a while ago (I have access to his site), there were headers in html regarding his protein, vitamin, so I understood where he is going to with all that “hunt for bad supplement companies”.
Whatever… Supplement is only supplement. The most important is what I eat and daily physical activity.
Any undeveloped body (either fat or skinny) with proper nutrition and physical activity will show results within first three months. You’ll be changed in year or so. That will be easy.
Hello! Before anything, I’d just like to establish that I am a 42 year old Puerto Rican man. My diet basically consisted of white rice and fried foods for the better part of all my meals. As I aged, I transformed from a 98 pound 20 year old man to a 172 pound, over 25% body fat 40 year old. It was to be expected. My degree is in computer programming and I sit at a desk 12 hours a day. The wonder is really how it took so long, I guess. So I started exercising and dieting, going to the gym every day if possible as a complete beginner, with no prior exercise experience to my name. I tried a variety of systems to try and lose weight and gain muscle, mainly the famous ones that I had heard about on TV or from friends. I stumbled upon the Jim Stoppani program, and I can personally say that I have never found anything that worked so fast and so well. I am 160 pounds, and 15% body fat. Even my kids have started to tell me that I’m really “losing the gut,” as my son puts it. I used the ingredients that he suggested and I can go for longer time, with more weight, and at a faster speed than I ever could have done before. I am beginning to see the outline of a six pack, something I couldn’t even do when I weighed 98 pounds. If the science is true, if there is any proof that it is, I don’t know for sure. All I know is that it works.
Congrats on achieving that, Luis! However, the parts of Stoppani’s program that work are based on the same basic principles all reliable workout and diet programs are based on. He didn’t come up with anything new.
Evilcyber. Perhaps take time out of dicking around on the internet and being a troll and try what he preaches first huh? I be tried and tested most of his workouts and products and they have worked for me! not to mention If you actually were big in the “know” of the bodybuilding industry you would also be attacking the likes of Strength Sensai , Ben Pakulski and many others that preach about the same supplements and workouts that Jim does.
What’s your problem with what he wrote? Point me at where he was wrong about what he wrote!
Evilcyber,
Thank you for this article. Glad to see people question those “figures of authority” and their methods. I’m disappointed by the amount of backlash you have received however as an evidence based fitness professional, this is expected. When you “attack” a prophet, the followers will defend wholeheartedly. I applaud you for your bravery in fighting for the evidence based. Please continue the good work.
A note to everyone else, glad to hear your exercise and adherence to a diet has worked. I do have some questions for you all though.
How much have you spent on Stoppani’s supplements? If you could have spent less to see similar results would you? If you could have worked out fewer days/hours a week, would you? Just would love to hear your thoughts on those instead of criticism of evilcyber. Anyways, keep it up and we’re all on the same side fighting heart diseases, diabetes and obesity together.
Stay fit and have fun.
Many people believing in Jim Stoppani have invested a lot of money in his products. Telling themselves that that money wasn’t spent in vain is a strong incentive to be protective of him.
funny how some rally in opposition to those who win with science. I don’t do tattoos but his look expensive.
Alf
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0067786
http://www.advancedmolecularlabs.com/fat-loss/capsaicinoids-miracle-powers-for-fat-loss-health/#more-434
As you’ve stated in every comment where someone questions your credibility providing facts here are 2 supporting Jim Stoppani PhD with credits to a dozen or more studies in each article to support it’s data.
Yes I hope his PhD shines through. I hope his research shines through, I simply put in about 30 minutes of reading and came through. Not discrediting what you’re saying or doing out at least put in the effort to more support your claims. If you really want I can pay for the Harvard studies and Cambridge studies that also support his use of capsaicin. Where exactly is your degree from and in exactly? I find it funny that over half of the comment aren’t “attacking” you just asking for what point your trying to prove with your laziness in research. I enjoy opposing views and opposing beliefs but to use research to support your claim and facts to back your claims would be extremely beneficial to argument. In his articles he clearly states proper diet and exercise along with proper dosages in supplements will help aid in fat loss or muscle growth. In his exercise programs he states he’s combined methods used for years to help people reach their goals. How exactly is that him taking credit for being an end all in diet and nutrition. After my research I’d take his word over yours any day. And if need be I’ll post more links to provide more studies suggesting your argument invalid.
Have a great day
Hm, I did use research to “back my claims.” In fact, I linked to the exact research Stoppani used. What was wrong with my interpretation of it?
Anyhow, table 2 from the study behind your first link notes a difference of 0.11 millijoules per in daily energy expenditure between the two groups on a caloric deficit and receiving and not receiving capsaicin.
0.11 millijoules are 0.000000026 kcal.
The difference in daily fat oxidation was 0.21 millijoules, or 0.00000005 kcal.
Which is what I said. The effect exists, but is very unlikely to make any meaningful difference in weight management.
So the difference is there, but at a miniscule level, but still conclusively there? So, was he wrong?
Funny that those attacking EvilCyber never attack his arguments……
Listen folks, there will always be new innovative ways to explain away the obvious. Folks are gullible in their quest to be extraordinary! The fact that supplements aren’t necessary escape cognitive reasoning. Everyone wants that quick fix. They compare their reflection in the mirror to the pictures in the magazines.
Do whatever gets you over your own sense of self worth but by all means at the very least do your own research! Think about your genetic make up, your work ethic, your actual diet and rest cycles. Jim Stoppani’s will come and go. New supplement companies will arise with bold claims. Past body builders didn’t have as much yesterday add we gave today and look what they accomplished through hard work and dedication sans illegal drugs.
CRITICISMS WILL ALSO COME AND GO.
Do what you need to do but again do your research!
Here is my two cents I’ve been buying his stack of supplements for over a year now.
Jym Alpha – waste of money!
Jym Shred – absolute waste of money!
Jym Preworkout – not bad but too damn expensive for 20 servings!
Jym Postworkout – I cannot say I’m conclusive of any benefit
Jym Pro – I find the price just ridiculous and a max of 4pds quantity is not enough need a bigger quantity size
Jym Vita – I read Jim’s rationale but again why is your CT so small as oppose to ON having a 180CT bottle? Sounds like greed to me!
Jym ZMA – straight up ZMA I’m concluding is a scam!
On IG I asked Jim about offering discounts on his stacks and he said BB site you can get when I did the math you save $3? What BS is that?
I’m really starting to question this whole dependence on supplements as nothing more that a cash grab and starting to get on the bandwagon of putting your hard earned dollars on buying healthy meals hitting major food groups!
Thanks for this article and calling out some of Jim’s advice. Whilst I do not doubt his knowledge of exercise physiology, I do know you don’t need a PhD to display logic and analytical, unbiased fact as you have done here.
Jim’s career and business depends on selling you products. He seems to either be really good at marketing, or pays good people to do it for him. Many of the p*ssed off people commenting here seem to be too eager to buy into the marketing rather than the hard science.
Actually it appears as if most of the pissed off people are arguing FOR the science. The authors article even states Jim’s use of hard science. He only argues against how much Jim over inflates the results. The fact that Jim Stoppani uses hard science in his MARKETING is what makes it so effective. I for one am annoyed by his commercialism, but his methods and science are impeccable and so I endure the in your face marketing.
I am glad we have an expert like you to set things right.
Reading s article, I had a few concerns:
From my understanding, it was the authors intent to criticize
Jim Stoppani’s marketing approach. However, I have a few problems with is methodology of doing so.
The author cites research articles and claims little reported efficacy. Well, this is where actual science differs from a profit driven tv show or website, scientific peer reviewed articles will give you objective results. So yes, accurately describing the effects of caffeine or any other thermogenic aid (besides ephedra, which since reportedly causing premature death has since been rendered illegal) will provide you with the established consensus that the “magic pill” does not exist.
At this point, you could commend Stoppani for laying this research out there for the potential customer to see. Unlike a previously mentioned Dr Oz, he doesn’t make false efficacy claims. At no point do I recall Stoppani defining a supplement as the “end all be all”.
I think what people most get upset about however is his aggressive marketing approach which aligns with is other competitors in terms of aggressiveness. While other body building figures are backed by supplement companies and highly promoting their sells, Stoppani lists his own involvement in the design and production of the products he sells.
At the end of the day, we are living in a capitalist country, and we are all trying to bring home money.
Jim Stoppani went through a thorough academic career earning degree from the top ranked Exercise Science Orogram at Connecticut which allowed him to beat out the competition to finish his post doctoral campaign at the Pierce Laboratory in Yale. To discredit his scienctific background, is therefore highly inappropriate. He turned away from academic research to enter the private sector. He lists peer reviewed articles to provide an objective understanding of how things work what you can’t do is claim a conflict of interest in terms of efficacy statements.
I agree that as members of society we need to think more critically and ask questions. But let’s try to raise awareness in a more prolific way that doesnt cause people to miss the message entirely and instead, leads to insults and silly comments in a public comment section.
I have followed Jim Stoppani in the past but not much recently. I haven’t used much of his advice on exercise many because I already have the knowledge or it concerned an area in which he is not familiar with such as Kettlebells. His followers are very loyal and get very upset when you criticise something of his, which I did. Simply a Kettlebell Swing or an alternate with a dumbbell is not a squat(video on YouTube), wow they got butthurt. I wasn’t the only one on youtube pointing out the problems but somehow the comments disappeared. Anyway if you you want as little body fat as possible and are more concerned with aesthetics than you are with strength or real fitness than DR.Jim is for you. But make sure you have a strong bank account for all the supplements (his of course) he pushes.
I totally agree. I used to buy the Jym products and then realized it’s all BS! All of them! Shredz is the worse!
Jim Stoppani is a literal joke. He is fit, yes. But he uses his PhD to peddle his supplement brand. That’s all he really cares about.
A friend of mine subbed to his site and everything is geared towards his supplements that are incredibly overpriced that you can buy nowhere else but the supplement pushing site, bodybuilding.com.
If you follow his plans as instructed you will spend upwards of $200 – $225 a MONTH on supplements. Absurd. And people do it and get no better results than all the natural bodybuilders out there who truly have their diet and workout programs down.
Also, his Shortcut to Shred program is just bad. It has you busting out cardio between every set during your rest period. Nonsense. Proven to not burn fat any faster than just lifting 3-4 days a week with 2 days of cardio. You will get so worn out, and dread your workouts so much that you will quit.
Working out should be an enjoyable experience. You should look forward to it. It’s health and wellness. NO ONE looks forward to KILLING themselves and hurting for 45 minutes. It’s just not conducive to long term viability and it is why so many people drop out of his programs. It’s only sustainable for very few people.
I thought he was the shit until I really looked at what he says and recommends and I slowly realized this guy is a greedy piece of shit giving people really bad advice, like using Smith machines, and then when you burn out and don’t get the results he will ALWAYS give you one more supplement to take at $20 a bottle.
Unless you are rich and don’t have to work ignore this clown because you will be popping 30 pills a day and eating all day long plus dreading the workouts. Just follow him on Twitter to get some insight into the advice he gives people there all day. He makes losing weight and getting fit sound like rocket science when it is anything but. Eat 4 times day or so. Eat clean. Workout hard 4 days a week. Cardio 2 days a week. Done. You don’t need to worry about supplements or when to HIIT or fasting or any of that other bullshit.
A PhD does not make you a generalist, your dissertation is on a very narrow research project. Thus, many claims on how to optimize supplement and diet he makes might make minor or statistically insignificant differences, e.g. caffeine or betaine.
Do we really need to worry about zinc after exercise? It is not clear what difference that makes to protein synthesis, but in the case of another claim he makes about vitamin A in his vitamin pills Consumer Labs corroborates what he says about Vitamin A in large doses needing to be beta-carotene.
But my concern is that he uses sucralose in his protein and pre-workout powders. It may not be perfectly established that this is not good for you, but FDA claims that it is harmless have to be taken with a grain of salt because the FDA serves the food and drug industries and not the public: they require it to be said that growth hormones in cows from which dairy products are made cannot be detected in the milk, implying them harmless, but these hormones are outlawed in Europe and throughout the rest of the developed world.
With artificial ingredients and hormone treatments I would rather play it safe rather than sorry.
As someone who was, laughably enough, “perma banned” from the Jym Army page, I can vouch for your interpretation. In fact, that’s why I was banned; for respectfully questioning the interpretation on 1.5g of protein, weightlifting belts, and soy protein. My greatest sin was citing my sources.
Dr. Stoppani says that certain minerals taken near the time of a workout decreases MPS. An article published by T-Nation last week said that vitamin C and vitamin E have the same disadvantage. Thus, according to these two claims, if the science has anything to it, it should be a simple matter of taking vitamins and minerals at a different time of the day from working out. Also, some multivitamin formulas are more expensive than individual vitamins of equally good quality. With some homework, including looking up the vitamins and minerals in your diet to exclude the ones that you get more of than what is required will make it possible to have a few pills you take at supper (if you workout in the morning.)