ThermoLife turns up the Heat

It's a new year. With a new year comes a new brand, a new website, new products, and a new awakening for one of the industries most innovative and progressive forces, ThermoLife.

As part of our ongoing mission of truth, we felt it is time for you to meet Ron Kramer, the man behind ThermoLife. Ron however is more than your typical CEO. He is a man bound by passion to deliver excellence. He is a man who views his company not as a platform to get rich, but as a platform to right the wrongs of an industry and to truly develop only the best formulas to help everyday athletes like you. After all, he's one of you. But more importantly, he is a man committed to speaking the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth...whether some insiders like it or not. So strap yourself in for one of the most compelling, behind the scenes interviews with the very driving force behind ThermoLife, Ron Kramer!

Ron, thank you for taking time of your busy schedule to sit down and talk with us today.

You're very welcome! This is something I have wanted to do now for quite some time.

Q: So tell us, who is ThermoLife as a company and what does ThermoLife mean to you?

12 years ago, ThermoLife first launched onto the bodybuilding and sports supplement scene. When we first started out, "Driven by Excellence" was the tag line for our company. And now, 12 years later, "Driven by Excellence" continues to define and drive our passion behind ThermoLife. ThermoLife means everything to me. It has become my passion. Nothing brings me more happiness in life than to deliver real products that work better than expected and help people achieve their goals.

There are thousands of things I could do every day to cut corners, to save money, and to mislead people to make more money...but it is not about me getting rich. It's about making the absolute best products; formulating products that deliver real results. It's about the fans. Like many people, I have spent my own money on products in the past that, to put it kindly, did not work. It is absolutely frustrating, and it has become my goal with ThermoLife to make sure we never release a product that doesn't deliver anything but the BEST. In an industry full of "snake oil salesmen," I have vowed to never become one of them.

Q: You are often called the "Truth Speaker". How did you get that nickname?

I see a lot of dishonesty in the industry today, so I gave myself that nickname and I live up to it every single day. My family is Russian, and I was born and raised in New York. New Yorkers, haha, we tell it like it is and sometimes some people don't always like that. I do not sugar coat my opinions, nor do I try to be "politically correct." A dishonest, sugar coated, or PC answer does not do anybody any good, so I don't bother with any of that. If you ask me a question or if I make a comment online, it is going to be the truth.

Throughout the years I have built many personal relationships with some of the most exclusive manufacturing facilities around the world. They have agreed to do business with ThermoLife exclusively because they know that I am a man of my word. There are always going to be those people who don't like the truth, but I have always believed that honesty is the best policy. So, that is why I have chosen to call myself the Truth Speaker.

Q: Quality control and contamination have been big issues in the industry lately. What does ThermoLife do to always ensure that their products meet label claims and are free from contaminants?

Unlike many companies in this industry, we import all of our own raw materials. This way we know exactly where they are coming from. When a batch arrives, that batch is sent to the lab before it goes into any of our products. Our manufacturing facility is right down the road from our corporate office and I personally over see the blending and manufacturing of each and every product run. Call me a stickler for details if you will, but I want to know first hand that all our ingredients are being provided in the proper amounts in every single product run we make.

Q: Why are you so concerned with proper standard development and 3rd party verification?

This starts with product development and formulation. During our research, if we find a new compound that hasn't been used yet like Tribulus alatus, we order some to start experimenting with. Once we get the material from the supplier, one of the first things we do is send it to an independent, 3rd party lab to be identified. We want to make sure we have the right compound. Every ingredient ordered comes with what is called a Certificate of Analysis (CoA). A CoA is a paper statement from the supplier verifying that the material they sent you IS what they say it is. However, we have found CoA's to be less than reliable, which is why we insist on testing and verifying every ingredient. Unfortunately, many companies (even some very BIG name companies) will rely on that CoA when they should not. In fact, sometimes you will be sent a totally different compound, so it is very, very important to have the material properly verified by an independent 3rd party.

And, if the ingredient is really new, then chances are there will not be a standard for it to test and verify against. If there is no standard then there is no way to test the material and actually know what it is. IF we believe that our customers will indeed receive a benefit from the material, and IF a standard needs to be created to properly verify that material, we will invest the money to have a standard developed for it. We refuse to rely on a paper CoA. We are "Driven by Excellence" and to rely solely on a CoA is anything but excellence.

Q: I noticed that none of your product labels list the ingredients in "proprietary blends". Some companies would argue that proprietary blends are needed to prevent competitors from stealing their formulas. Why have you chosen to list the precise dose of each ingredient on ThermoLife labels?

A "proprietary blend" is a marketing tactic used by many companies. While they will claim it is necessary to prevent their formula from being stolen, the reality is that proprietary blends are used in an attempt to confuse the consumer and make them think they are getting more for their money than what they are paying for. It is a way to add a dozen ingredients on the label without really having any significant amount of them in the product. There are some very big name companies that are infamous for using this tactic. With a proprietary blend, even if the ingredient is provided in an amount too low to be identified in a lab test, the company can still claim it on the label. It looks good on the label, sure, but if that ingredient is provided in such a small dose as to be ineffective, what good is it going to do you? At ThermoLife, we refuse to use proprietary blends. We refuse to use "smoke and mirror" tactics to mislead our customers. We hold every single one of our formulations to the highest standards, and that is one of the many aspects that separates ThermoLife from other companies.

Q: What was the hardest formulation you have come up with to date, and why?

That is a hard question. None of them were easy. For E-BOL we had to develop a standard for Turkesterone and deal with the Uzbekistani Government to get the exclusive for Turkesterone. Believe me, that was no easy task. We worked with them for almost 7 years and it took nearly 4 years of negotiations to get an exclusive from them. For T-BOL we had to do some identification work and develop the extraction technique for Tribulus alatus. For that ingredient we actually purchase the raw plant material and then do our own extraction before we add the end product to the T-BOL blend. For C-BOL, we actually had to discover a new compound and file patents for Creatine nitrate before we had a creatine product good enough to release. But I think the hardest was VASOLATE. It took us 11 years to develop and release a protein powder. Sure, we could have followed suit and just purchased whey protein and then hyped it up. But that's not how we do things at ThermoLife. Vasolate had to be new, novel, and unique, and could not be like any other protein powder on the market. And most importantly, it had to taste phenomenal! That was a huge challenge, but we believe we've created the absolute best.

Q: Do you use your own products, and if so, do you have a favorite?

I use all of our products depending on what my goals are at the time. But I have to confess, I drink Strawberry flavored Vasolate on a regular basis just because the taste is sooo damn good! BUT I am looking forward to the release of PUMP-BOL and using that on a regular basis too. It tastes so good that I was drinking the samples even when I wasn't going to work out!!

Q: You obviously have built a great physique. What's your routine like and do you have any secrets?

Thanks for the compliment. For my routine, at this point in my life, I just hit what feels like it is lagging, get a good pump, and call it a day. I am not looking to break any records these days. But when I was looking to set new personal records left and right, the one thing I always kept in mind was that if I wanted to be bigger and stronger tomorrow, I had better do more weight or more reps that day. Prior to a set, I would psyche myself up and tell myself, "you already did this weight, is this where you want to stop your progress?" "Come on, you know you can do this. Now, how bad do you want to be better?" "Now is the time, DO THIS," and that was how I did it every day, every set, for 20 years. More weight and more intensity but that is not really a secret! A good diet is key too.

Q: Are ThermoLife products only for bodybuilders?

No, our products can be used by bodybuilders, power lifters, and athletes from all walks of life. All of our products have physiological effects and those will take place whether you are an athlete of not. Of course, every product is developed to benefit the athlete, but there are certainly crossovers even for those who are not. For example, T-BOL will benefit most middle aged men whether they work out or not. E-BOL is sure to improve mood and immune function whether you work out or not, and I have had dozens of people who don't work out buy Vasolate simply because they love the taste. Of course, you will achieve better results from the product if you are working out. However, our products will still provide huge benefits even for those who do not.

Q: It seems like no matter what forum we visit, both E-BOL and T-BOL are all the rage, and have been for close to a year now. Why is that?

The products work as advertised. Most companies will create a concept with a very clever story behind it. Only after that will they design a product to suit their marketing needs. At ThermoLife, we formulate every product to address the specific needs of athletes. Then, we tell people what it is going to do. The people who try them know they work and that we don't hype the products. That is why they are all the rage!

Q: Tell us something about Ron Kramer that people would be shocked to know.

I had a sex change operation and I used to be a woman. LOL! Just kidding!

A lot of people don't know that I was once an IFBB promoter. When I was living in the Bay Area, I ran the first pro bodybuilding show ever in San Francisco. I had 31 pros from 13 different countries. To this day I still hold the attendance record for the most paid attendances to any IFBB show in the USA (excluding the Mr. Olympia, The Arnold Classic, and the Night of Champions.)

Another thing people will be surprised to know is I use to own a Gold's Gym in Santa Cruz, California. I built it from the ground up and ran it for 3 years prior to starting ThermoLife. But for me it was more than owning and growing a gym. It was truly a ground-level learning experience that provided a lot of insight into what real people are truly looking for. Like me, many of them had been lifting for a number of years. They faced numerous obstacles along the way, from gaining more size, to losing body fat and bringing up lagging body parts. But more importantly, I would hear every day about how they were frustrated with over inflated marketing claims from supplement advertisers. That, if anything, added to their frustration even more. And I could relate. There were numerous times when I had purchased a product, only to be let down.

So when somebody comes to me and says, "Man, I'm so frustrated with my chest development. I've tried this routine and that routine. I've used supplement and that supplement. I've increased my calories by this much, and I still can't grow," I totally get it! I have been there myself many times!

I took my personal experiences from training along with the personal experiences of hundred of gym members, and I have used that as a driving force behind ThermoLife. The last thing I want to do is put out a product that people are disappointed with. And that's why many of our products take years to research, formulate, develop, test, and retest. It's the very reason why we go to such lengths to develop such highly standardized extracts; to test and verify for purity. Knowing what every day bodybuilders and athletes go through has transformed the approach we take at ThermoLife. After all, part of me is an every day bodybuilder too.

Q: What can we look forward to from ThermoLife in the future?

Well, PUMP-BOL is on the cusp of being released, and once that is released our product line will be nearly complete. We will have the best product in each category, providing users with a pre-workout formula, a high quality protein, a testosterone booster, a non-stimulating fat burner, a non-hormonal anabolic, a novel and new approach to creatine, and so forth. But we do have several new products that are in the research and development phase as we speak. One is an innovative new stimulant that not only feels incredible, but also offers many benefits that traditional stimulants do not. And there are a few others right now that I can't quite talk about yet, but I guarantee they will make a HUGE impact once they are released.

Q: Ron, thank you for setting aside a few moments to chat with us!

No problemo'!