Best Fat Burner for Men

Fat burners must work safely and not cost you an arm and a leg. We’ve developed a handful of essential criteria to compare these products and ensure you get results.

Winner: Animal Cuts

Animal Cuts is a cut above the competition in terms of effectiveness, thanks to its sheer number of ingredients and their doses. A careful look at the label reveals a supplement with targeted mixes designed to help you cut fat, increase energy, gain focus, shed water weight, and more. Our testers found the pill form to be most effective, as the powder form has a significantly different albeit still effective ingredient profile. EVL ENGN SHRED was a runner-up here with its impressive ingredient list, but Animal Cuts is the way to go if the only thing you care about is getting results.

Winner: EVL ENGN SHRED

For its high efficacy and low cost, EVL ENGN SHRED takes this category easily. Of course, we look at more than just the price of the bottle itself when considering how much it will ultimately cost you. Even the cost per day doesn’t paint a complete picture. Old School Labs Vintage Burn offers the same cost per day as EVL ENGN SHRED, but the latter provides a more complex and effective supplement.

Winners: Hunter Burn and Old School Labs

In evaluating the safety of a given fat burner, we looked first for ingredients with enough clinical studies behind them to support a low side effect profile. We also looked for supplements with shorter ingredient lists overall to minimize the potential for an adverse reaction. Both Old School Labs Vintage Burn and Hunter Burn offer short lists of safe, natural, and effective ingredients. Hunter Burn’s list is shorter compared with Old School Labs, but there are more botanical ingredients in the latter, and Hunter Burn is significantly more expensive.

There were a few options out there that we eliminated from contention — not just to win the safety evaluation but to be included in our guide at all. That’s because they include two controversial ingredients we found too dangerous to recommend in any form: clenbuterol and Bitter orange.

We’ll have more information on these ingredients below, but you can rest assured that none of the supplements we recommend here contain them.

Winners: EVL ENGN SHRED and Old School Labs Vintage Burn

A lot of fat burners out there require you to take large handfuls of enormous pills multiple times per day. That’s particularly inconvenient if you have difficulty swallowing pills. We have a tie in this category because we wanted to give the laurels to the best powder supplement and the easiest pill regimen to take. EVL ENGN SHRED beats out Animal Cuts Powder because you only use it as a pre-workout, so most people will need to take it just once per day. Animal Cuts has you taking their powder before breakfast and lunch.

Among capsule supplements, Old School Labs Vintage Burn has the smallest number of pills at just two per serving. You still need to take them twice per day, but the smaller pill quantity is an undeniable convenience.

The fat burners in our guide are often referred to as thermogenic fat burners, a term that relates to fat cells’ ability to release energy as heat. They work by increasing your body’s natural fat-burning tendencies. Many ingredients achieve this effect in specific ways, with some boasting more clinical evidence than others. Let’s look at some of the most common ingredients in these fat burners to see how they might work.

Our research revealed certain ingredients sometimes present in fat burners that we strongly advise our readers to avoid. These components are particularly hazardous to those with heart or blood pressure issues.

Here’s a quick look at each:

Fat burners are a nice addition to a regimen of diet and exercise for those who struggle to lose weight even when they abide by a specific program. They can help those genetically predisposed to store more fat and those with hormonal imbalances that affect their body composition.

Fat burners are also great for athletes and bodybuilders who want to decrease their body fat percentage. Such users should look for supplements that also contain ingredients designed to help preserve muscle mass.

No matter where you look on the gender spectrum, you’ll find people who want to lose weight. As a result, there are fat burners on the market that are supposed to be gender-neutral and those that target male or female demographics specifically. So what would make one fat burner better for men than women?

The first thing you’ll want to consider is dosage. Fat burners geared toward men tend to have higher doses of their active ingredients because men typically have higher BMIs than women.

Next, there’s muscle-mass-oriented ingredients. There’s nothing to say that women don’t want to gain lean mass and keep it on, but this is generally a target for men in the fitness space.

Finally, there are ingredients that have been shown to affect testosterone levels and that some supplement companies include in their male fat burners. Low levels of testosterone and obesity share a link in many studies, so ensuring higher T levels may help fight fat. This is something that women will want to stay away from, as high T is linked to more abdominal fat in estrogen-based systems.

Best overall and best for boosting testosterone

Animal offers a slew of supplements intended to help men achieve their ideal physique. Their Cuts products are among the most effective fat burners on the market, with comprehensive ingredient lists and high doses. The difficult part is deciding whether to go with the powder or the capsules. We found the best prices for Animal Cuts through bodybuilding.com.

Here’s a look at the highlights of each side-by-side:

In some cases, despite sharing some ingredients, each supplement’s doses are markedly different. This is sometimes due to the greater bioavailability of a powder over a capsule, but that’s not always the case.

We reached out to Animal to discuss the differences between the two formulas, and the answer we received was rather interesting. Apparently, an attempt to render the capsules in powder form went so poorly that they had to build their powdered Cuts supplement from the ground up. Supposedly it tasted terrible and barely mixed with water. Our testers can attest to the pleasant taste of Animal Cuts Powder’s Blue Ice Pop flavor, so we’re grateful for that.

One thing that’s a little frustrating about Animal Cuts is that you have to cycle the products for three weeks on and one week off. Not only does this make the product more expensive per dose, but it also makes it a little harder to stick with the routine consistently. At least it makes sense for the powder, as carnitine studies show a decrease in efficacy over time, so a week off every month can help keep it active.

Animal Cuts capsules make their exact ingredient doses hard to figure, as many components are part of complexes, and the company only provides dosing information on the complexes as a whole. Here’s a look at how they list their ingredients:

• Stimulant Complex (750mg): Caffeine Anhydrous, Kola Nut, Guarana, Yerba Mate, Raspberry Ketones, Coleus Forskohlii, Evodiamine
• Metabolic Complex (750mg): Green Tea Extract (polyphenols/EGCG), Oolong Tea Extract (polyphenols), Black Tea Extract (polyphenols), Coffee Bean Extract (polyphenols), White Tea Extract (polyphenols)
• Thyroid Complex (350mg): L-Tyrosine, Olive Leaf Extract, Salvia Officinalis (leaf)
• Water Shedding Complex (800mg): Dandelion Root (taraxol, taraxerol), Uva Ursi Leaf (arbutin, methyl-arbutin), Hydrangea Root, Buchu Leaf, Juniper Berry Fruit, Celery Seed
• Nootropic Complex (500mg): DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol), Bacopa Monniera (bacopasides A & B) (leaf), Huperzine A
• Universal Animal Cuts Cortisol Inhibiting Complex (300mg): Ashwagandha Root Extract (withanolides), Eleutherococcus Senticosus (root), Phosphatidylserine, Magnolia Bark Extract
• CCK Boosting Complex (300mg): Cha-De-Bugre (aerial parts), Apple Pectin (fruit), Cinnamon (bark)
• Bioavailability Complex (500mg): Ginger Root (gingerols, shogaols), Cayenne (fruit), Grapefruit (6,7-Dihydroxybergamottin) (peel), Quercetin, Naringin (citrus), Piper Nigrum Extract (fruit)

By contrast, the ingredients and doses in Animal Cuts Powder are much clearer:

• Choline: 685mg
• Acetyl-L-carnitine: 750mg
• L-carnitine tartrate: 750mg
• Caffeine: 200mg
• Herbal extract blend*: 150mg
• N-acetyl-L-tyrosine: 500mg
• L-tyrosine: 500mg
• L-taurine: 1,000mg
• Phosphatidylserine: 50mg
• Huperzine A: 100mcg
• Dandelion root powder: 100mg
• Uva Ursi leaf powder: 100mg

*Herbal extract blend contains:

• Green tea leaf extract
• Oolong tea leaf extract
• Black tea leaf extract
• Coffee bean extract
• White tea leaf extract
• Coleus forskohlii root extract

Animal Cuts powder is available in three flavors:

• Blue ice pop
• Strawberry watermelon
• Orange mango

Best budget pick and best pre-workout

EVL offers an impressive amount of supplements, including fat burners, protein powders, and workout aids. Their most effective fat burner — ENGN SHRED — comes in a powder form you mix into water. It’s technically a pre-workout, so in addition to helping you burn fat, it contains ingredients in doses designed to improve performance in the gym immediately after consuming it. This is distinct from many other fat burners that require you to take them more than once daily and often just before meals.

If you’re interested in ENGN SHRED, but you aren’t sure you want to start out with something as strong, EVL also sells a product called LeanMode, which is a much milder formula intended to help you lose weight. LeanMode is available as a powder or a capsule, and it’s less expensive than ENGN SHRED. It may also be less effective, though.

Here’s a look at ENGN SHRED’s full ingredients list:

• Niacin: 35mg
• Vitamin B6: 2mg
• Folic acid: 800mcg
• Vitamin B12: 25mcg
• Choline: 200mg
• Betaine anhydrous: 750mg
• Choline bitartrate: 500mg
• L-tyrosine: 500mg
• Agmatine sulfate: 200mg
• Alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine: 60mg
• Huperzia serrata extract: 6mg
• Beta-alanine: 1,600mg
• Conjugated linoleic acid powder: 500mg
• L-carnitine L-tartrate: 500mg
• Coleus extract: 100mg
• Red pepper fruit extract: 25mg
• Yohimbe extract: 40mg
• Natural caffeine: 260mg
• Green tea extract*

*The 260mg caffeine dose includes green tea extract, but the exact quantities of the natural caffeine and green tea extract are unknown.

The ingredients in LeanMode powder and capsules are nearly identical, but the quantities are noticeably different. Here’s a look at them side-by-side.

We found the best prices for EVL products came from bodybuilding.com. Here’s what you can expect:

Best high-end

Hunter Burn is part of a three-prong approach to male wellness that Hunter promotes. In addition to Burn, the company offers Test and Focus supplements to boost testosterone and cognitive performance, respectively.

We appreciate Hunter’s commitment to simple ingredient lists, as their supplements don’t have the same potential for adverse effects as many others. But their prices are counterintuitive to this; their supplements contain less but cost more.

Here’s a look at Hunter Burn’s full ingredients list:

• Vitamin D3: 3,000IU
• Konjac root extract: 3,000mg
• White kidney bean extract: 500mg
• L-theanine: 200mg
• Matcha green tea: 200mg
• Cayenne pepper: 125mg

Hunter Burn utilizes green tea as a caffeine source and a 200mg dose of theanine to smooth out any of its potentially jittery effects. As such, it’s a good option if you don’t need to go stimulant-free but you still want to take it easy.

All of Hunters supplements follow the same pricing system, allowing you to purchase any for the following:

• One-month supply: $80
• Two-month supply: $160
• Four-month supply: $240

Hunter charges shipping on all orders regardless of size as if those prices weren’t already high enough. You’ll pay a flare rate of $7.95 for shipping. The company will accept returns but only for unopened products.

Best money-back guarantee

PrimeShred gets lost in the mix a little bit because there isn’t a lot about it that makes it stand out. But it offers an impressive ingredient list for a reasonable price on a product that contains none of the following:

• Soy
• Gluten
• Dairy
• GMOs
• Artificial colors or flavors

It’s also made in the U.S. and boasts one of the highest doses of cayenne in its class. Here’s a closer look at the ingredients in PrimeShred:

• Vitamin B3: 15mg
• Vitamin B6: 1.3mg
• Vitamin B12: 24mcg
• Green tea leaf: 500mg
• L-tyrosine: 300mg
• Rhodiola root: 250mg
• L-theanine: 250mg
• Caffeine anhydrous: 225mg
• Cayenne pepper extract: 200mg
• Dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE): 150mg
• Green coffee: 100mg
• BioPerine: 5mg

The fact that PrimeShred contains DMAE isn’t a dealbreaker, but it’s worth noting. DMAE can be an effective nootropic, but fat loss isn’t its primary benefit. And with a side effect profile that includes a fair risk of headaches, high blood pressure, and mental confusion, it might preclude some people from taking the supplement.

PrimeShred is available in the following quantities:

Best non-stimulant

Burn Lab Pro designs their product with a result-first mindset that admits fewer botanical ingredients and more lab-derived components than some of their competitors. At the same time, they take pains to produce their supplements safely and with no unnecessary additives. That’s why you’ll see complex chemical names like HMB ß-hydroxy ß-methylbutyrate on an otherwise short ingredients list.

Here’s a look at Burn Lab Pros ingredients in total:

• GFT chromium: 90mcg
• Calcium: 262.5mg
• HMB ß-hydroxy ß-methylbutyrate: 1,500mg
• Forskohlii root: 375mg
• Cayenne pepper extract: 75mg
• BioPerine: 3.75mg

HMB ß-hydroxy ß-methylbutyrate (HMB) has been shown to increase performance in the gym by reducing muscle fatigue, letting you work harder for longer. That means it’s not the best ingredient for someone hoping their fat burner will do all the work for them. Studies also show no adverse effects at this point, but further research is needed to verify HMB’s safety.

Chromium is another of Burn Lab Pro’s ingredients that you don’t often see in competitors’ blends. Much of the available research into chromium’s potential role in weight loss remains inconclusive, with studies showing statistically insignificant differences between intervention and control groups.

Here’s how Burn Lab Pro’s pricing works:

Best all-natural and best for keto dieters

Old School Labs has several outstanding supplements for men looking to shed fat, build muscle, and maintain overall wellness. Those include two excellent fat burners in their Vintage Burn capsules and powder and their Real Keto Fat Burner. They also boast one of the best money-back guarantees, allowing you to recoup your investment without even having to send back your remaining product.

In addition to their fat burners, Old School Labs offers the following:

• Sleep support
• Vitamins
• Joint and bone support
• Protein shake mix
• BCAAs
• Workout recovery
• Testosterone support
• Nootropics

Here are the prices for their three fat burners:

Here are the ingredients for Old School Labs Vintage Burn:

• Green tea leaf extract: 330mg
• Green coffee bean extract: 270mg
• Raspberry ketones: 200mg
• Olive leaf extract: 160mg
• Caffeine: 150mg
• Bacopa leaf extract: 130mg
• Garcinia fruit extract: 100mg
• Chrysin: 100mg
• Forskohlii root extract: 60mg

An important ingredient in Vintage Burn that you don’t see in many competitors’ products is chrysin, which studies show helps burn fat while preserving muscle. Chrysin is in both the Vintage Burn powder and capsules, but like Animal Cuts, the capsules and powder have notably different formulas.

Here are the ingredients for Vintage Burn powder:

• Vitamin C: 90mg
• Niacin: 5mg
• Vitamin B6: 2mg
• L-taurine: 500mg
• L-leucine: 500mg
• Olive Leaf Extract: 160mg
• Caffeine: 150mg
• L-carnitine tartrate: 150mg
• L-carnitine HCL: 150 mg
• Green tea leaf extract: 100mg
• Chrysin: 100mg
• Garcinia cambogia extract: 100mg
• Green coffee bean extract: 75mg

In addition to these active ingredients, Vintage Burn powder contains a few extras to add flavor and color. Unfortunately, one of these is sucralose, which can leave a bitter taste in some people’s mouths. You can get Vintage Burn powder in strawberry kiwi and peach mango flavors.

The other fat burner that you can get from Old School Labs is their Real Keto Fat Burner, which is significantly different than the Vintage Burn formulas. Specifically, it contains ingredients designed to support fat loss through ketogenesis, a process related to but unlike normal thermogenesis.

The Real Keto Fat Burner includes the following:

• Pantothenic acid: 100mg
• Iodine: 50mcg
• Choline: 160mg
• L-methionine: 125mg
• Trimethylglycine: 100mg
• Inositol: 100mg
• Guggul gum extract: 200mg
• Tyrosine: 200mg
• Caffeine anhydrous: 150mg
• Organic kelp: 17mg
• DL-phenylalanine: 160mg
• 5-HTP: 35mg

Shipping from Old School Labs is only free if you spend over $70. If you don’t, you’ll pay the following rates:

• Standard (3-5 days): $6.83
• Expedited (1-3 days): $9.41

Instant Knockout has been around since 2014, and they’ve accumulated some interesting success stories from within the MMA world. Their two central offerings are their fat burner and a meal replacement system. You can purchase these separately or together, but combining them adds more convenience than it does savings.

The company’s fat burner, Instant Knockout Cut, has a pretty simple ingredient profile with a healthy dose of glucomannan to help curb your appetite. The caffeine-to-theanine ratio is a little off in our opinion, so you might still feel a few of the jitters from its stimulants.

Here’s a look at the ingredients in Instant Knockout Cut:

• Green tea extract: 500mg
• Cayenne pepper seeds: 100mg
• Glucomannan: 1,800mg
• Caffeine anhydrous: 300mg
• Vitamin B6: 5mg
• Vitamin B12: 10mcg
• Vitamin D3: 45mcg
• L-Theanine: 100mg
• Piperine: 10mg

Instant Knockout Cut comes in 1-, 2-, and 4-month supplies you can get for the following prices:

• One-month supply: $65
• Two-month supply: $130
• Four-month supply: $195

Instant Knockout Complete is the company’s meal replacer. It’s essentially a 400-calorie shake you consume once daily instead of a regular meal. In theory, it will provide you with most of the nutrients you’d get from that meal but with fewer calories and ingredients that should help with fat loss.

Note that one bag only contains 14 servings, so you’ll have to buy two bags to get a month’s worth. Also, it only comes in one flavor: vanilla.

Here are the main ingredients in Instant Knockout Complete:

• Pea and soy protein
• Golden flaxseed
• MCT oil
• Oat flour
• Chia seed
• Organic brown rice

Instant Knockout Complete’s nutritional profile:

Instant Knockout Complete is available in 1-, 2-, and 3-month supplies:

• One-month supply: $65
• Two-month supply: $130
• Three-month supply: $195

Unfortunately, Instant Knockout does not provide free shipping, no matter how much you spend. Shipping is $8.95, and delivery usually takes just 2-4 days.

Do fat burners for men really work?

Fat burners can increase your body’s utilization of fat stores for energy, especially when you combine them with diet and exercise. Multiple studies support many of the most commonly used ingredients in fat burners, like cayenne, choline, and caffeine. Fat burners for men take things a step further by potentially supporting things like muscle mass and healthy testosterone levels.

Are fat burners for men safe?

Just as many of the most commonly used ingredients have clinical evidence supporting their efficacy, they also have plenty of evidence supporting their safety. Most men will feel few to no side effects, and the ones that crop up are usually rather mild. They might include stomach upset, nausea, or headaches.

That said, some fat burners contain ingredients that are either more dangerous or less well-researched than others. It’s wise to talk to your doctor or at least a nutritionist before beginning any fat-burning regimen.

What’s in fat burners for men?

Most fat burners contain things like caffeine, cayenne pepper, green tea extract, and other ingredients that studies show can mobilize fat stores in the body. Fat burners for men might also contain ingredients like beta-alanine or chrysin, which can also help preserve lean muscle mass. You might also find ingredients like ashwagandha, which supports testosterone production.

Will fat burners give me the jitters?

Many fat burners contain caffeine, and that can make you feel a bit jittery. But the best fat burners out there also contain theanine, which rounds off the caffeine’s sharp edge and tames the jitters. There are also several options out there that are low-stimulant or completely stim-free if you’re worried about caffeine side effects.

Can I drink coffee with a fat burner?

Fat burners that contain caffeine usually have a few cups worth in their servings, so you might want to switch to decaf if you still require the coffee-drinking experience in the morning. It’s wise to start out by removing coffee from the equation until you get to know how a given fat burner makes you feel. You can then introduce it back in small portions to make sure you don’t have any negative reactions.

Can fat burners curb my appetite?

Several ingredients in fat burners can stave off feelings of hunger. These include caffeine and glucomannan, a fiber that helps your stomach feel full. That said, one of the best ways to curb your appetite is to stay hydrated, which is an instruction you’ll find on many fat burner labels.

How long do fat burners take to work?

Depending on ingredients and dosing, you might notice the effects of a fat burner within the first several days. More commonly, it will take a few weeks for you to notice weight loss. Combined with a cutting diet, you should aim to lose no more than two pounds per week. Otherwise, you might begin to suffer from certain deficiencies, or your body may target muscle mass instead of fat.

At Innerbody Research, we extensively test each health service we review, including thermogenic fat burners. All told, our team has collectively spent hundreds of hours testing and researching fat burners to provide an accurate, unbiased analysis of how they compare, free of marketing jargon and gimmicks.

Over the past two decades, Innerbody Research has helped tens of millions of readers make more informed decisions to live healthier lifestyles. We evaluate the service based on adherence to quality, the latest medical evidence and health standards, and a simple question: would we buy the product or service ourselves if it weren’t part of our job, and would we recommend it to family and friends?

Additionally, like all health-related content on this website, this guide was thoroughly vetted by one or more members of our Medical Review Board for accuracy.