Welcome to our ‘best test boosters’ for the muscle building category.
We’ve pulled together lots of useful information from around the site to give you a one-stop article on buying test boosters. What to look for, what to look out for. Including the products we currently rate as the best of breed.
Rating System Summary
How do we evaluate the products we review? We look at a number of aspects, it’s not just what’s in it (or what’s not).
The following are the areas we look at;
Formula/Ingredients
Price
Availability
Reputation / Trustworthiness
Where it’s made
What others are saying about it
The Company behind the product
We’ve toiled for you for years, reviewing literally hundreds of products. Boy has there been some garbage … but there have also been some diamonds. You don’t have to dig for those diamonds, we’ve summarized them here for you.
Our top 3 are shown below, with shortened versions of the full reviews (the links to the full reviews are there too).
Our Top 3 Test Boosters – 2020
Find out which test boosting powerhouses are currently in the top three podium positions…
Centrapeak has become the #1 testosterone booster of 2020 for guys looking for a natural way to build muscle in the gym. You'll see it recommended on various top bodybuilding sites (especially the ones that favor natural bodybuilding). And for good reason.
Not only does it contain all the test boosting ingredients with the best clinical pedigrees - it combines them with proven nootropics to improve mood, lower stress and boost mental energy.
The result? A product to get you feeling like hitting the gym, and then delivering results when you get there.
The science behind testosterone boosters means that if they are effective then they will be effective whether you are a 30 year old looking to get massive in the gym, or a 60 year old looking to lose belly fat and feel better.
CENTRAPEAK - POSITIVES & NEGATIVES
Positive
Excellent innovative formula
Free shipping on all orders
Available Worldwide
Vegan friendly
GMP manufactured in the USA and UK
Fully disclosed formula, no proprietary blends
Dosages based on clinical research
Available Worldwide
Negative
Premium product == premium price
US and Canada product not suitable for those with extreme soy allergies
Can only be purchased on the manufacturer's website
CENTRAPEAK VERDICT
GOLD MEDAL - If you need both cognitive and physiological boost to get you in the gym and keep you in the gym then this product is the best overall package on the market.
The end result is a product packed with ingredients with extremely strong clinical pedigree in elevated test levels, boosting mood, increasing energy and reducing stress.
Military Muscle arrived on the scene at the of 2019 and has provided a big hit amongst serious lifters and ... you've guessed it, military guys. It's run by a military guy who is actually still serving, and as such gets lots of promotion on military websites and forums.
The do charity work and other good things. In short, this is a good company to purchase from and they'll do their best to look after you. The product is made in the UK and shipped from the UK, so delivery times can be a bit of an issue to US customers.
MILITARY MUSCLE - POSITIVES & NEGATIVES
Positive
No proprietary blend
Free global shipping on every order
No allergens
90-day money-back guarantee
Produced in an FDA and BRC Global Standards facility
Interest-free payment options
Negative
A lot of pills to take daily
Not vegetarian friendly
Only available from the official website
Unavailable in Brazil and Japan
MILITARY MUSCLE VERDICT
SILVER MEDAL If their website was a military operation, it'd be one where the plan went out the window but they accomplished the mission. A bit rough and ready to say the least. Try and look past the website and dont' let that put you off, concentrate on the product.
If Military Muscle was somebody you had to be stuck in the trenches with, then you'd be thanking your stars they had your back.
TestoFuel is the granddaddy of test boosters. It's been around for 7 years and you can't go far when Googling test boosters without bumping into it. It is predominantly used by younger guys who are trying to get more out of their gym sessions.
It has been well researched and formulated, and the company has an excellent reputation. Tons of genuine testimonials from it's army of devoted fans, the ingredients list is fully disclosed and justified.
What's not to like? Well, if you are a vegetarian, that would probably be the gelatin capsule. But apart from that carnivorous clanger this is a solid product.
TESTOFUEL - POSITIVES & NEGATIVES
Positive
Fully disclosed, no proprietary blends
Excellent formula and customer service reputation
Manufactured in USA & UK in cGMP Facilities
Established name, been around for 5 years
3 month money back guarantee
Masses of detailed positive reviews and testimonials
Very solid company reputation
The market leader
Ships from USA and UK, fast courier delivery available
Negative
Not the cheapest product on the market
Can take up to 15 days free delivery to Australia and Canada
Only available on the TestoFuel website
Never any discounting / black Friday type deals
Not suitable for vegetarians
TESTOFUEL VERDICT
BRONZE MEDAL - 'Quality' is the word to sum up TestoFuel. There is a wealth of up to date research backing up each individual all-natural component.
Unlike many manufacturers, they have not tried to cram in as many ingredients as humanly possible in tiny doses just so that the ingredients label is impressive. They have picked the right blend for their market, and ensured that the doses are sufficiently high for it to actually work. An enduring classic
The best 3 testosterone boosters for guys looking to build muscle in the gym have been shown above, if you want to look through the ones that never made the podium you can look through them below;
Even guys that have used supplements for years are unaware of aspects of the industry.
We’ve put together a short buyer’s guide to help you navigate the choppy waters.
Where is it made?
A question that a worrying number of buyers fail to ask. The manufacturers that are doing it right will not be shy about telling you so – look out for mentions of cGMP facilities.
cGMP is an abbreviation for ‘current good manufacturing practice’. It applies to pharmaceutical and food manufacturing plants in the US, UK and EU. The facility will have to have proven that it can deliver supplements which;
Are consistently high quality, and use the best raw ingredients
Ensure safety and accuracy by using the modern manufacturing methodology
Be appropriate for their intended use
Guarantee the ingredients and specification on the packaging
The facilities are inspected to make sure they comply.
Without this you are risking your health and money. At best products may be inconsistent, with dosages varying between capsule or batches. At worst they could be contaminated, or contain off-label ingredients. The mainstream media is full of tragic incidents where this has been the case – Look for cGMP!
Proprietary Blends
On this site we don’t hide our dislike of proprietary blends.
Many companies (sadly) use these, often the US based ones manufacturing solely in the US. The ‘proprietary blend’ is an FDA conceived loophole to prevent the manufacturers actually telling you what is in the product. The are allowed to give the ingredient list … but don’t have to give the dosages.
So you therefore have no idea what you are taking.
They take a number of the ingredients and wrap them up in some fancy sounding quasi-futuristic package – “Hydro-release Muscle Response Matrix”™, “Estro-control Free Test Synergy System”™.
They are a nonsense. The manufacturer only has to include the total weight, so they can include the expensive ingredients in tiny trace dosages and use the cheap filler ingredients to make up the rest.
There is nothing fancy, scientific or advanced about them – it is pure marketing. Avoid.
Free Trials
This is a classic supplement industry scam. We quite often get confused readers writing to us (accidentally thinking because we’ve written a review of the product that we are in charge of selling it).
Here is a typical message we got as a comment on one of the products;
“I want you people to STOP sending me your product (& please quit tapping my bank account). I have asked you people before – and now, I’m dead serious! quit tapping my bank account!”
Of course, we can’t do anything for them. They have been scammed.
Here’s another. It was left on our Facebook page but a reader who had been caught out. This is the type of small print they want you to miss;
“You have no obligation to buy anything in the future as long as you call to cancel the autoship program within 18 days after you place your order. If you do not cancel before then, you will be enrolled in our autoship program and, as part of the program, we will automatically send you a fresh one-month supply beginning in 18 days and every 30 days thereafter for just $69.99 plus $4.99 shipping and processing and any applicable tax per supply, charged each month to the card you provide today.”
Ouch!!
The Free Trial will ask for your bank details for ‘verification purposes’. In the extensive (and cleverly worded) small print you will find that you are actually signing a contract for a subscription of these pills.
You will find it extremely hard to cancel it. Think you can just call your credit card company and issue a chargeback? Think again, that clever small print gets them out of that too. You will end up paying very dearly for your Free Trial.
Note that if you want to know more we’ve gone into this in detail in the article Silence of the Scams
cGMP – Why is it important?
As this is just a short buyer’s guide we’ve not gone into the full details here, we have a more in-depth article on cGMP on it’s way.
In summary though, cGMP stands for Current Good Manufacturing Practice, it refers to the standards in place at various agencies throughout the world on the manufacture of food and pharmaceutical products.
So in the USA this falls under the remit of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) but in other countries it would be in the jurisdiction of the following agencies;
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency – The UK
Health Canada – Canada
Therapeutic Goods Administration – Australia
Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits de Santé – France
In short – It is something you should always look for in relation to a supplement.
It is your reassurance that the products have been made in a properly regulated and controlled, professional facility. That the ingredients have been properly sourced, handled and stored. That the manufacturing process and facilities, are clean, organized and fit for purpose. That the batch of product you are swallowing has been properly tested.
This is so important. Don’t think some of the products you see online have not been homemade, mixed together in somebody’s garage and then stored in their spare bedroom while they sell them on eBay, Amazon etc.
It’s not difficult to do, the ingredients are officially classed as food stuffs so you don’t require any kind of license to purchase them in any of the above named countries. Bottles can be bought cheaply, packaging printed and applied.
Beware, whenever there is money to be made, crooks will be attracted. Stay safe out there people.
Test Boosting Questions Answered
1. Do these need to be cycled?
It depends, but in the main – No. There’s a good reason why many test boosting manufacturers claim their product needs to be cycled. And it’s not for health reasons, it’s driven by the marketing department.
They like to infer that, by saying their product needs to be cycled, you will assume it is as powerful and effective as steroids or prohormones.
Of course it isn’t. Natural testosterone boosters work by;
Stimulating your body to produce more of it’s own testosterone.
Limiting the production and effects of estrogen
Enabling more test to be available as ‘free’ testosterone
Sure, there are often many other beneficial effects from these ingredients. And many products add other ingredients depending on their targeted aims (ie fat burning or nootropic ingredients).
But let’s get one thing very VERY clear here. They will not be as powerful or as effective as injecting synthetic testosterone directly into your body.
Thankfully though, natural test boosters are much cheaper, much safer and do not have the same terrible side effects.
However, there are some supplements that should be cycled. Bad ones. If the manufacturer has created a poor formula which contains ingredients in dosages large enough to cause side effects then we wouldn’t recommend taking that long term.
We wouldn’t recommend taking it at all of course.
For example, we did a review recently which contained a very high level of vitamin B6. In this instance you would do well to cycle the booster because prolonged continuous exposure to the levels in the formula could lead to neurological impairment (Dalton and Dalton (1987)).
2. Can I stack test boosters with creatine and protein?
Yes. In a word.
Creatine in particular is a very common stack addition for lifters buying test boosting supplements. It’s perfectly safe using the two in combination if you are wanting to build mass.
If you are looking to boost test and cut fat you might want to augment your test booster with fish oil tablets.
In a nutshell : the only thing you should avoid stacking with a test booster is another test booster or ZMA. There is likely to be an overlap on the ingredients, which may mean that you are taking more than your tolerance and therefore side effects may ensue.
But this will not be the case for creatine or protein, it is safe to stack them with a safe test booster
3. I suffer from XXX – is it safe to take a test boosting supplement?
Another popular one we get a lot. Reader is researching a supplement and asks us if it’s safe to take it when they are suffering from some obscure medical condition.
Guys – this doesn’t just apply to our website, this applies anywhere on the internet. Consult your doctor. Doesn’t matter how experienced or knowledgeable that guy you are chatting to on that body building forum sounds. He is a guy on a forum. He might be 14. He might be a dog.
OK, admittedly … you can’t say for certain he isn’t a doctor. He may well have spent 7 years in med school (hmmmm). What he definitely doesn’t have is access to your medical records. He cannot know the full extent of your medical history. Your doctor does. Ask them.
#1 Centrapeak
