5 Ways to Stack Halo Elite: What We Learned From Blackstone Labs and How the Formulas Compare

Halo Elite has been around for years, and I still get questions about what kind of product it actually is. The name makes some people think of the older Halo prohormones. Then they see “phytoandrogen” on the label and start wondering if it’s a testosterone booster.

When Billy G from Blackstone Labs joined me on the podcast, I wanted to hear how he explained Halo Elite to someone who only knew the name. We got into the plant extract, and then into pre-workouts. I’ve used Halo Elite before training myself, so I had a few things I wanted to ask him.

Episode 5 of the Same Day Supplements podcast with Billy G. Watch the full conversation on YouTube.

What Is Halo Elite

Halo Elite came out around 2018, back when Blackstone was releasing new products pretty quickly. Billy talked about that period on the podcast. Sometimes a formula arrived before the team had worked out all the ways people would use it, so the staff would spend time trying it and comparing their experiences. Halo Elite ended up being one of those products they kept coming back to.

It also inherited a name with a lot of history. Anyone who remembers Blackstone’s older Halo prohormones can understand why the first question is usually about hormones. The funny thing is that the ingredient panel on Halo Elite is one of the simplest in the lineup. The entire formula centers on a single plant: Eucommia ulmoides.

A three-tablet serving of Blackstone Labs Halo Elite supplies 900 mg of Eucommia ulmoides bark extract, listed at a 100:1 concentration. That’s the source of Blackstone’s phytoandrogen positioning. The “phyto” part means plant, while “androgen” refers to the kind of activity normally associated with hormones such as testosterone.†

To understand the idea, it helps to know what an androgen receptor actually does.

These receptors are found inside cells throughout the body. They respond to androgen signals and take part in processes involving muscle tissue, strength, and other functions affected by those hormones. Blackstone’s approach with Eucommia is based on compounds in the extract being able to interact with that receptor system.†

That’s also where the hormone questions come from. Billy describes Halo Elite as hormone-neutral, with androgen-like activity that doesn’t require increasing someone’s natural testosterone production.†

This is a big part of why he talks about the product for beginners, experienced lifters, and women alike.

Once we got into how that feels during training, the conversation became a lot more familiar. You can spend all day looking at a label, but at some point you want to know what someone actually notices when they take it.

I’ve used Halo Elite before my own workouts, so I was interested in comparing that experience with Billy’s.

How Halo Elite Fits Into Training

Some workouts take a little more convincing than others. Billy saves Halo Elite for those days, especially when he’s training legs, back, or chest. He mentioned wanting to bring up his back and chest, so those sessions are where he likes having that extra push.

I’ve used Halo Elite before training too, and I know the feeling he’s talking about. There’s a noticeable shift in drive once it kicks in. Billy described feeling more focused and aggressive with the weights, especially when he wasn’t looking forward to the workout in the first place.†

Hype Reloaded is his regular pump product. He’ll bring in Halo Elite for certain sessions and take it about 30 to 60 minutes beforehand, depending on how much he’s eaten. He also prefers shorter runs so he can save it for the days he wants it most.†

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Level 1: Halo Elite + EpiSmash

Billy had a pretty simple way of describing Halo Elite and EpiSmash together: “peanut butter and jelly.” He’d used that comparison with some of Blackstone’s stronger combinations before, and he felt it fit the natural pairing just as well.

EpiSmash is the muscle-building part of the pairing. Its epicatechin and 5-alpha-hydroxy laxogenin formula is intended for nitrogen retention, muscle fullness, and recovery support during a gaining phase.†

EpiSmash supplies 150 mg epicatechin and 100 mg 5-alpha-hydroxy laxogenin per tablet. Epicatechin is a compound found in plants, including cocoa, and researchers have looked at its relationship with two proteins called myostatin and follistatin. Myostatin helps regulate how much muscle grows. Follistatin can bind to myostatin, which is why changes in the balance between these proteins have attracted so much attention in muscle-building research.†

One eight-week trial followed 62 older men with sarcopenia, a condition involving age-related muscle loss. The researchers tested resistance training, epicatechin, and the combination of the two. The group training with epicatechin recorded the greatest improvements in leg press and chest press, alongside changes in the follistatin-to-myostatin ratio. (1)

Then there’s laxogenin, a plant-derived compound Blackstone includes for lean muscle, protein-synthesis, and recovery support.† Together with epicatechin, it gives EpiSmash its muscle-focused identity. The human training research on oral laxogenin is still developing, so the larger discussion here is how Blackstone designed these ingredients to fit a consistent lifting routine.

How to run Level 1: Halo Elite’s label calls for three tablets 30-60 minutes before training, or after lunch on rest days. EpiSmash is taken with a meal. Its listed directions are one tablet daily for women and one to three daily for men. Keep each product on its labeled schedule.

Shop Natty Stack Level 1

Level 2: Adding SST-1 IGF-1

If you’re committed to a heavy gaining phase, you eventually want to attack muscle growth from every possible angle. That’s where Level 2 comes in. By adding SST-1 IGF-1 to the Halo Elite and EpiSmash foundation, you’re bringing a dedicated growth-factor catalyst into the mix.†

IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) is a natural signaling molecule that dictates how your muscle tissue repairs and adapts to heavy resistance training. Each serving of SST-1 delivers 22.5 mcg of IGF-1 from NPX-GF whey protein isolate. While EpiSmash handles nitrogen retention and muscle fullness, SST-1 acts on an entirely different pathway to maximize the hypertrophy process.†

How to run Level 2: SST-1 adds four tablets to your daily routine. Because the label doesn’t require a specific time of day, you can easily slot it in whenever it’s most convenient. Just keep Halo Elite and EpiSmash on their standard schedules.

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Level 3: Adding Myo Stack

The final addition is Myo Stack, which Blackstone positions around myostatin-related muscle-growth support.† It brings Rhaponticum carthamoides, Ajuga turkestanica, and a spirostanol compound into the four-bottle Level 3 stack. The two botanicals are associated with ecdysteroids, a family that includes 20-hydroxyecdysone and turkesterone.†

Ecdysteroids have been studied for their possible effects on muscle protein synthesis and strength. In a ten-week resistance-training study published in 2019, young men taking an ecdysterone preparation recorded greater gains in muscle mass and bench-press strength. (2)

A 2026 review then looked across four resistance-training trials involving 113 men and 37 women. The authors found a small positive effect on lower-body strength, while changes in muscle mass and upper-body strength varied between studies. (3)

How to run Level 3: Myo Stack adds one tablet with food two or three times daily. Spread those servings across meals, and follow the directions for the other products in the combination.

Shop Natty Stack Level 3

Beyond the Three Natural Stacks

Halo Elite is also included in two other combinations we’ve carried for a while. One is built around workout nutrition and the other around cutting.

Halo Elite + GlycoLog: Training Around Your Meals

Some people can train after a small snack. Others want a proper meal before a longer session, especially when they’re lifting heavy or doing a lot of sets. If you already plan carbs around training, you’ve probably noticed how much the timing of that meal can affect the session.

If you’re pushing through a long, high-volume session, your body is burning through its glycogen stores fast. Once those carbohydrate reserves drop, your performance usually follows.†

A 2022 review on resistance training backed this up, finding that having carbohydrates readily available noticeably improves performance when your training is highly demanding and your muscles are running out of fuel.(4)

That’s exactly why our Natty Anabolic Pre-Workout Stack combines Halo Elite with GlycoLog. GlycoLog is a nutrient-partitioning formula designed to help your body handle that heavy pre-workout meal. Rather than letting those carbs make you feel sluggish, ingredients like berberine, bitter melon, and chromium work to optimize insulin signaling and drive glucose directly into your muscles for fuel.†

Berberine is the heavy hitter here. A massive meta-analysis of 20 trials and over 1,700 participants showed it significantly improves insulin sensitivity. (5)

In bodybuilding terms: it helps your body utilize carbohydrates highly efficiently. The rest of the botanical blend gives the formula multiple pathways to ensure your body handles that carb load.†

The logic behind the stack is simple: GlycoLog goes to work on your pre-workout meal to maximize your physical fuel and muscle fullness, while Halo Elite provides the mental drive and aggression to actually execute the heavy sets.†

Shop Natty Anabolic Pre-Workout Stack

Summer Body: Keeping Up With Training During a Cut

A few weeks into a cut, getting through heavy sessions can take more effort. Calories are lower, cardio may be higher, and you’re trying to keep as much strength as possible.

The Summer Body Stack combines Halo Elite with Paraburn and Eradicate. Halo Elite is used for workout drive, Paraburn adds stimulant and thermogenic ingredients, and Eradicate is aimed at the physique side of a cutting phase.†

Paraburn acts as your energy and metabolic engine. Each capsule delivers 250 mg of caffeine and 50 mg of theobromine. When you are deep in a calorie deficit, that caffeine is crucial to keep your strength, power, and muscular endurance from crashing; a benefit heavily backed by the International Society of Sports Nutrition. (6)

For the thermogenic side, capsaicin and 6-paradol help turn up the heat (7), while T2 rounds out the metabolic support.†

Eradicate shifts the focus from the weights to the mirror. Its flagship ingredient is 25 mg of Arimistane, which is highly sought after for its aromatase-related effects to help you achieve that hard, dry, “shrink-wrapped” look at the end of a cut.†

But heavy cutting also places massive oxidative stress on your body. That’s why Eradicate includes 250 mg of NAC to support antioxidant defenses and protect your exercise recovery (8), alongside Safed Musli, which has been shown to support overall physical performance and vitality. (9)

One quick programming note: Since Paraburn packs 250 mg of caffeine per capsule, you will absolutely want to factor that in before scooping your usual high-stimulant pre-workout powder.

Shop Summer Body Stack

Can Women Use Halo Elite and These Stacks

Can women take Halo Elite? Billy’s answer was yes. He’s heard from women who use it before training, including some who notice its aggressive, driven feeling quite strongly. He even joked about a customer who described it as getting a taste of what it feels like to be a guy. Blackstone recommends that women assess their response carefully, and Billy discussed starting lower than the full serving.†

Beyond Halo Elite itself, the other formulas matter too. EpiSmash has a specific women’s serving direction of one tablet daily with a meal. The Summer Body stack is the combination I’d treat separately because Paraburn contains T2 and Eradicate contains Arimistane, which act on thyroid- and hormone-related pathways. Read the full labels, especially if you use medication or have a hormone-related condition.†

Is It Cheaper to Buy the Stack

Buying the bottles together costs less than purchasing each product separately at its regular price. Here’s how the five stack prices compare.

Individual totals use one regular-price bottle of each included product; bundle totals use the listed configured price. Figures exclude coupons, shipping, and tax. Prices and availability may change.

Bottle duration is another thing I’d check before planning a full cycle. Halo Elite contains 90 tablets, giving you 30 labeled servings at three tablets daily. SST-1 has 180 tablets, or 45 servings at four tablets a day. EpiSmash and Myo Stack each contain 60 tablets, with durations based on their own labels. If you’re planning eight or twelve weeks, you may need more than one bottle of a particular product.

The bundle gives you one of each included product, so it’s worth deciding how long you’re planning to run the combination and what you already have on hand. That can change which purchase makes the most sense.

Where to Buy

You can shop Halo Elite and all five combinations at Same Day Supplements: Natty Stack Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, the Natty Anabolic Pre-Workout Stack, and the Summer Body Stack. 

• Same-day shipping: In-stock orders placed Monday through Friday before 3 PM EST ship the same day.†
• Real customer feedback: Verified customer reviews help you compare products with more confidence.†

Wrapping Up!

Halo Elite has been out for years, so I’m interested in how people are using it now. Have you tried it on its own before training, or paired it with EpiSmash or one of the bigger stacks? You can watch the full episode with Billy and tell us in the YouTube comments what you’ve tried.

Warnings and Side Effects

Read the current directions for every product you’re taking.

• Do not exceed the recommended dose.
• Not for use by individuals under 18 years of age.
• Do not use if you are pregnant or nursing.
• Avoid use if you are at risk for, or currently being treated for, diabetes or high blood pressure.
• Consult your healthcare professional before using this or any dietary supplement.
• Do not take if you have any current or pre-existing medical conditions.
• Keep out of reach of children.
• Like any dietary supplement, some users may experience potential side effects. Few users may experience gastrointestinal discomfort (Digestive Issues) such as a upset stomach.

Products in this post may contains ingredients that specific sports organizations may ban and could increase the risk of a false positive on a drug test. Check with your organization or physician before use.