<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" ><channel><title>The Jerk&#039;s Fitness Blog &#187; Workout Supplements</title> <atom:link href="http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/tag/workout-supplements/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><link>http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog</link> <description>&#34;Probably the most useful blog you had the intelligence to find&#34; - Fit Jerk</description> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 24 May 2012 08:11:58 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2</generator> <item><title>Supplement Review: SuperPump250 By Gaspari Nutrition</title><link>http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/supplement-review-superpump250-by-gaspari-nutrition/</link> <comments>http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/supplement-review-superpump250-by-gaspari-nutrition/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:34:07 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>FitJerk</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Supplement Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Lol]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Many Moons]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Msrp]]></category> <category><![CDATA[N O Xplode]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Nick Name]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Nutrition Product]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal Experience]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Pre Workout]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Recession]]></category> <category><![CDATA[review]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Smart Consumers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Superpump 250]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Superpump250]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Taco Bell]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Weights]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Whateve]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Workout Supplement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Workout Supplements]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/?p=816</guid> <description><![CDATA[. Product Name: SuperPump 250 Company: Gaspari Nutrition MSRP: $49.00 Availability: High (Stores &#38; Online) Servings: 40 Ah the &#8220;pump&#8221;&#8230; The single best feeling that drives most men into the gym so they can work their ass off and pound the weights like no man has pounded them before. Truth be told, we would not [...]<br /><div><img src="http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/gd-star-rating/gfx.php?value=0.0" /></div><div>Rating: 0.0/<strong>5</strong> (0 votes cast)</div><br />]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>.</p><p><strong>Product Name:</strong> SuperPump 250<br /> <strong>Company:</strong> <a href="http://gasparinutrition.com/" target="_blank">Gaspari Nutrition<br /> </a><strong>MSRP:</strong> $49.00<br /> <strong>Availability:</strong> High (Stores &amp; Online)<br /> <strong>Servings:</strong> 40</p><p>Ah the &#8220;pump&#8221;&#8230; The single best feeling that drives most men into the gym so they can work their ass off and pound the weights like no man has pounded them before. Truth be told, we would not go around pounding this way if it wasn&#8217;t for that awesome feeling. If at this point you are confused whether I&#8217;m talking about working out or making sweet love then its ok&#8230; So was Arnold. If you recall his famous quote &#8220;It&#8217;s [the pump] as satisfying to me as cumming is&#8230;&#8221;</p><p>So today we have another pre-workout supplement that not only promises a pump&#8230; Oh no&#8230; But a SUPERPUMP, and not just one, 250 of them! Ok so maybe I&#8217;m picking on the marketing name a little, but with a name like that, it&#8217;s got some serious hype to live up to. On top of that SuperPump 250 is becoming just as popular as BSN&#8217;s N.O Xplode&#8230; And so naturally, FJ had to investigate.</p><p>Was this purely because of awesome marketing or does this stuff actually have some merit? That&#8217;s what I wanted to find out. On a side note I will say this&#8230; I&#8217;ve heard that quite a few people had problems stomaching this stuff. Because of this it earned itself the following nick-name: SuperDump 250. lol</p><p>So&#8230; If you&#8217;re considering this stuff, just be forewarned that you might want to go through a couple sample packs to see how your tummy handles it. In my personal experience, there were no super dumps that took place. Those only used to occur when I was in love with Taco Bell many many moons ago.</p><p><strong>First Impressions:</strong></p><p>Packaging seems adequate, and the fact that you get 40 servings out of one jar equates to about $1.22 per serving. This isn&#8217;t bad, but could be better. Were living in a recession and this means budgets are tighter and smart consumers know that pre-workout supplements should be a commodity&#8230; Not a necessity. It&#8217;s the POST workout supplement which should get priority. But whatever, let&#8217;s move on and dissect it&#8217;s guts.</p><p>First up is the Anabolic Signalling Complex<sup>TM</sup> (unknown amount). It contains: A Glucose Polymer (sugar), Creatine Monohydrate (YES! Good stuff&#8230; But we don&#8217;t know exactly HOW much&#8230; Which is a major bummer and a down side if its 3g or less), NO2 complex (basically a bunch of different forms of Arginine&#8230; Which is basically CRAP as far as helping with nitric oxide goes), Guanidinopropionic Acid (Meant to spike insulin levels without having to ingest simple carbohydrates and is supposed to help the body absorb more creatine&#8230; Sounds good but couldn&#8217;t find hard evidence to backup those claims. Needs to be studied more IMO), Salicyclic Acid (basically aspirin&#8230; Guessing its used to reduce pain but truthfully, it&#8217;s not needed here)</p><p>Next is the Xtreme Focus Agent<sup>TM</sup> (unknown amount). It contains: L-Tyrosine ( A non-essential amino acid that is a pre-cursor to neurotransmitters. Basically it&#8217;s supposed to drive up mental alertness and stimulation.  May decrease appetite but there needs to be more research done on this), Caffeine (A proven stimulant that drives up focus, energy and also overall power output &amp; strength. Always a good addition), NAC ( NAC is a natural sulfur-containing amino acid derivative found naturally in foods and is a powerful antioxidant), Rhodiola Rosea Root Extract ( Supposed to increase mental performance and reduce fatigue by optimizing serotonin and dopamine levels&#8230; Hard evidence on this is fuzzy but looks promising), Ginko Biloba (Supposed to be a nootropic and a concentration enhancer but studies have found it to be ineffective so far&#8230; therefore as of now, I&#8217;d say its a bust and a waste of space in the 20g scoop).</p><p>Then we have the Myogenic Transcription Factor<sup>TM</sup> (unknown amount). It contains: Taurine (supposed to give you energy, but it hasn&#8217;t been proven. You&#8217;ll find this stuff in energy drinks), L-Leucine (Good stuff, shown to be THE branched chain amino acid responsible for the majority of protein synthesis that takes place in your body. Without it you are limiting your success factors so glad to see it in here but its more of a post workout ingredient IMO), L-Glutamine ( Some people say it&#8217;s useless depending on which studies they have read but I&#8217;m all for it since I use it and have noticed that I recover faster. Bottom line is that I&#8217;m glad to see it in this mixture), L-Valine &amp; L-Isoleucine (BCAA&#8217;s&#8230; Enough said), L-Citruline (Is transformed in the kidneys to L-Arginine which in turn is supposed to help up regulate your nitric oxide levels&#8230; Right? WRONG. This is a waste), Choline Bitartrate (Supposed to increase neurotransmitter levels. In rats it showed an increase in mental performance but this same effect could NOT be duplicated in humans&#8230; Therefore it&#8217;s useless ingredient in a workout supplement)</p><p>Finally we have the Insulin Secretagogue Complex<sup>TM</sup>&#8230; And instead of boring you with details on this one I&#8217;m going to tell you the OBVIOUS reason it exists. To SPIKE your insulin levels in order to shuttle the compounds into your muscles. Plain and simple.</p><p><strong>Real World Results:</strong></p><p>Alright so I cracked open the Raspberry Lemonade packet and give it a slight wiff&#8230; Not bad. Threw it in the shaker cup along with some cold water, gave it a vigorous shake for about 10 seconds and what do you know, it mixed! Not only did it mix, it left zero clumps behind.</p><p>Then came the taste&#8230; Holy FUCK. It tastes SO damn good. I&#8217;m not exaggerating here, this stuff was as close to fruit punch as you can possibly get from a supplement. I&#8217;m not sure if its because I&#8217;ve tried a SHIT load of supplements in my time and I finally found one that tastes good, but this stuff was exceptional. On that same note, the grape flavour is something you might want to avoid though. It&#8217;s not bad, but it&#8217;s no raspberry lemonade.</p><p>Ok so it mixes like a dream and tastes like heaven, so what happens AFTER you take it? Well this is when the happy moonshines, unicorn rainbows and even the slightest glimmer of potential start to disappear.</p><p>10 minutes after taking it&#8230; Nothing.</p><p>20 minutes after taking it&#8230; Still nothing.</p><p>30 minutes in&#8230; I&#8217;m thinking I should have just drank less expensive fruit punch.</p><p>Started working out, had no noticeable gain in pumps, no increase in energy and no noticeable gain in focus either. I was seriously tripping out. What the hell was going on here?</p><p>I mean bad supplements are one thing, but I didn&#8217;t even get a caffeine kick&#8230; My morning coffee does a better job of waking me up than this stuff. NOT impressed!</p><p>But since I had 6 packets I figured what the hell, maybe it&#8217;s just me? Maybe I got a bad batch? I tried the grape flavor and still nothing. But, I was determined to see it produce SOME kind of result in a human being!</p><p>So I told Steven, a good buddy of mine (a retired national level gymnast) to try a serving. Now this guy barely takes supplements, and on top of that he&#8217;s a vegetarian so if there is anyone out there with highly responsive, virgin receptors, it&#8217;s him. I even made sure this substance was anonymous to him. I just mixed the powder in with some water, told him to drink it before we hit up the gym and asked him to jot down or remember anything &#8220;out of the ordinary&#8221; that he feels as a result of taking LamePump 250.</p><p>So what were the shocking results? Well in short&#8230; NOTHING YET AGAIN. Steven was very confused, he asked me if I had just given him some fruit juice and played a prank on his ass because he felt absolutely nothing. If anyone is playing a prank here, it&#8217;s Gaspari Nutrition. I won&#8217;t dis their entire product line based on one crappy supplement but wtf is this? April fools is OVER god damn it!</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong></p><p>At $1.22 per serving I guess it COULD replace Gatorade or some other lame sports drinks as your during-workout cocktail, but that&#8217;s NOT what it&#8217;s been advertised as. Therefore, since SuperPump250 tastes AWESOME but lives up to NONE of it&#8217;s claims, I&#8217;m gona give it 1 star.</p><p>But where I see failure I also see opportunity. Gaspari&#8230; Remove the useless ingredients, put some REAL god damn caffeine in the product &amp; drop the price by about $15 bucks. Then market it as a during-workout drink. It&#8217;s sure to be a winner&#8230; But as for providing SUPER pumps and INCREASED lean mass and all that bullshit, this stuff is pathetic. Please move along.</p><p>Now if you&#8217;ll excuse me, Im going to have my last packet of Raspberry lemonade with a grilled chicken salad.</p><p>-FitJerk</p><p style='text-align:left'>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;</br><i>&copy; 2009 &#8211; 2010, By <i><b>FitJerk</b></i>. <i>FitJerk.com is a division of <a href="http://www.flawlessfitnessmedia.com" target="_blank">Flawless Fitness Media</a> &#8211; All Rights Reserved &#8211; No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.</i></p><p><b>Tired Of Looking Ordinary? <a href="http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/e-training" target="_blank"><u>Click Here</u></a> And Get FJ To Design A Fitness Plan Just For You!</b> <i>FREE Initial Consultation.</i></i></p> <br /><div><img src="http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/gd-star-rating/gfx.php?value=0.0" /></div><div>Rating: 0.0/<strong>5</strong> (0 votes cast)</div><br />]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/supplement-review-superpump250-by-gaspari-nutrition/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>9</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Supplement Review: NO3 Overload By CMi</title><link>http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/supplement-review-no3-overload-by-cmi/</link> <comments>http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/supplement-review-no3-overload-by-cmi/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:57:00 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>FitJerk</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Supplement Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kats]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Keto]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kick Ass]]></category> <category><![CDATA[L Arginine]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Malate]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Matrix 6]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Msrp]]></category> <category><![CDATA[N O Xplode]]></category> <category><![CDATA[No3 Overload]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Popular Products]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Pre Workout]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Proprietary Blend]]></category> <category><![CDATA[review]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Underdog]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Workout Supplements]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Worthy Competitor]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/?p=784</guid> <description><![CDATA[. Product Name: NO3 Overload MMT5 Company: CMi MSRP: $64.99 Click For Cheapest Prices For NO3 Overload Availability: Medium (Online&#8230; Seems discontinued in some places) Servings: 30 Yellow&#8230; The official color that reps Cmi, and a color which instantly grabbed my attention like a hot female body in a bikini. So I figured what the hell, [...]<br /><div><img src="http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/gd-star-rating/gfx.php?value=5.0" /></div><div>Rating: 5.0/<strong>5</strong> (1 vote cast)</div><br />]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>.</p><p><strong>Product Name:</strong> NO3 Overload MMT5<br /> <strong>Company:</strong> <a href="http://www.cminutrition.com" target="_blank">CMi</a><br /> <strong>MSRP:</strong> $64.99 <a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-3475531-10409943?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bodybuilding.com%2Fstore%2Fcmi%2Fmix.html&amp;cjsku=CMI007" target="_top">Click For Cheapest Prices For NO3 Overload</a><br /> <img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-3475531-10409943" border="0" alt="" width="1" height="1" /><br /> <strong>Availability:</strong> Medium (Online&#8230; Seems discontinued in some places)<br /> <strong>Servings:</strong> 30</p><p>Yellow&#8230; The official color that reps Cmi, and a color which instantly grabbed my attention like a hot female body in a bikini. So I figured what the hell, let&#8217;s give these kats at CMI a chance. Their motto is &#8220;forget the math, do the science&#8221;. Ha&#8230; alright I guess we&#8217;ll see about that. Just so you know, when a company says something like this I fully expect them to reference every ingredient and/or product that is on their website, so when I took at look at one of their most popular products.. NO3 Overload&#8230; I found no such documentation anywhere. Fail!</p><p>But let&#8217;s not jump the gun here, we gotta see if NO3 is a worthy competitor to the overly popular N.O Xplode&#8230; Or the kick-ass underdog Musclespeed.</p><p><strong>First Impressions:</strong></p><div class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 317px"><img class=" " src="http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/images/no3_2.jpg" alt="NO3 Overload MMT5 Cmi" width="307" height="230" /><p class="wp-caption-text">no3 overload tabs</p></div><p>Like I said, unlike most pre-workout supplements, this one comes in tablet form. I like pills and tablets because they are easier to take, and more convenient, but in the case of NO3&#8230; Shit gets weird. You see, although the tablets are portable, they are just so damn big &#8212; and the fact that you have to take 4 (or 6 if you&#8217;re hardcore) means you need porn star like swallowing skills&#8230; Bleh!</p><p>Anyways, like a champ I decided to throw them back. Now let&#8217;s take a look at the ingredients and see what type of compounds we will find inside.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>The first proprietary blend is the NO3 OVERLOAD Energy &amp; Volumizing Matrix (6.4g) which contains:</strong></p><ul type="disc"><li>AAKG (L-Arginine Alpha Keto-Gluterate) which we know is pretty useless, especially in such small doses.</li><li>Creatine Ethyl Ester (Still don&#8217;t know why this crap is being used when creatine monohydrate has proven to be better performing and better absorbing. On top of that&#8230; Ethyl Ester costs more, so this is a big thumbs down)</li><li>Citrulline Malate (In theory it&#8217;s supposed to give you more energy and reduce muscle fatigue. Studies done on rats found that it increased their muscle performance when suffering from asthenia. There WAS a human study done where they found that taking 6g of citrulline malate a day reduced some muscle fatigue and increased ATP production by 34%&#8230; But that study had no placebo group, nor was it double-blind. So the bottom line is that it remains unproven and there doesn&#8217;t seem to be enough in this blend to make much of a difference. But I&#8217;m going to be positive and say it&#8217;s worth a shot. Ref: 1. Bendahan, D., Mattei, J.P., Ghattas, B., Confort-Gouny, S., Le Guern, M.E., &amp; Cozzone, P.J. (2002). Citrulline/malate promotes aerobic energy production in human exercising muscle. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 36, 282-289)</li></ul><p><strong>Second blend is the NO3 Vascular Expander &amp; Definition Matrix. Doesn&#8217;t say how much in g&#8217;s but here&#8217;s the break down:</strong></p><ul type="disc"><li>Red Wine Extract 20% (Unlike L-Arginine, I know for a fact that red wine and/or grape juice have been promising in increasing nitric oxide levels and thus increasing blood flow somewhat. Red wine also helps dialate the brachial artery &#8211; the one that runs down your biceps! So this is promising to see. Ref: Folts JD. &#8220;Potential health benefits from the flavonoids in grape products on vascular disease.&#8221; Adv Exp Med Biol 2002;505:95-111.) I also give you an awesome red-wine recipe in my FREE fitness-mini course. If you don&#8217;t have it&#8230; What the hell are you waiting for?</li><li>Grape Skin Extract 95%. (Not sure what the use of this is for, probably the same reason red wine extract was used. But this stuff has been known to have an anti-inflammatory effect)</li><li>Pomegranate Extract 40% ( Protects Nitric Oxide against Oxidation. Ref: Nitric Oxide. 2006 Apr 18; Ignarro LJ, Byrns RE, Sumi D, de Nigris F, Napoli C. Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA.)</li></ul><p><strong>Third blend is the Energy Fuel &amp; Volumizing Matrix. Contains:</strong></p><ul type="disc"><li>Caffeine Anhydrous 199mg (Good stuff, will give you a nice kick in the ass and is proven to increase your muscle strength. No complaints here)</li><li>Thiamine Disulfide (Supposed to enhance nervous system to help you crank out extra reps and increase carbohydrate metabolism. You need to take at least 400mg before your workout to notice any significant results, but since we don&#8217;t know how much is in this blend, we&#8217;ll assume neutral territory)</li><li>Cocoa Extract (supposed to increase serotonin levels which will increase your mood and I presume make you more &#8220;willing&#8221; while working out. The hard evidence isn&#8217;t there so this stuff is yet to be proven in my opinion)</li><li>L-Tyrosine (A non-essential amino acid that is a pre-cursor to neurotransmitters. Basically it&#8217;s supposed to drive up mental alertness and stimulation.  May decrease appetite but there needs to be more research done on this)</li><li>L-Taurine (Supposed to give you energy, is found in energy drinks but is still unproven and not enough hard evidence is available)</li><li>Yerba Mate (The benefits of caffeine without the crash? I&#8217;ll take it)</li></ul><p>Overall, I&#8217;d say that NO3 actually seems pretty promising. CMI have used quite a few ingredients that are known to work, and then there are some which they have taken a bargain on&#8230; So it&#8217;s time to see what happens when we use it in the real world. But before we do that, let&#8217;s hear the claims made for this product straight from the horse&#8217;s mouth&#8230;</p><p><strong>Product Claims:</strong></p><p>A Rapid, Non-Stop, and Total NO3 OVERLOAD of Mind Blowing Vascularity and 100% Energy Release. Each and every serving delivers a non-stop vascular pump of Creatine Ethyl Ester Malate spelling nothing but pure muscle. Energy that hits you like a ton of bricks inside minutes of taking it. Energy and complete clarity that makes every workout your best ever. Every workout your strongest. Every workout worthy of NO3 OVERLOAD.</p><p>At CMI, we rely on science, not rumor. Fact, not fiction. With every NO3 OVERLOAD wake up call, your body will never stop ringing. You will turn one more rep into 3. Rest will no longer be an option. Your vessels will ignite, your muscles will inflate, and your abs will tear. Your body of old will fall, while an entirely new unrecognizable physique will begin to unfold. No more 3 year old products with outdated formulas. Imagine if you will the ability to send your muscles a signal that they are training even when you are not in the gym.</p><p>Never let anyone mislead you again. Genetics were not made to be inherited. They were made to be altered.</p><p><strong>Real World Results:</strong></p><p>Right, time to get down to business and see if it&#8217;s got the chops. Directions said to take 4 tablets with 8oz of water 30 mins prior to exercise if you&#8217;re normal, or 6 if you&#8217;re a hardcore body builder&#8230; 4 tablets it is.</p><p><strong>First dose:</strong> For some reason I didn&#8217;t quite get the kick that I was hoping for from the 199mg of caffeine, but I definitely felt more awake. Standard vascularity was non-existent&#8230; But that all changed when I started to do some back and biceps. After 2 sets, my overall pump was much better then when I train naturally&#8230; Impressive. This was the first time that a product lived up to it&#8217;s &#8220;increase pump&#8221; claims. I guess I should have seen this coming because I know that red wine by itself blended with a certain other ingredient can give you awesome pumps.</p><p>I was also keen to see if I had any &#8220;mood changes&#8221;&#8230; But I didn&#8217;t. Maybe that&#8217;s because I&#8217;m generally a happy mofo, so if you&#8217;re depressed, do me a favor and take some NO3 Overload. Then post in the comments below if the Cocoa Extract  had any effect on you. The only downside to all of it&#8217;s awesomeness was that it went away in 30 minutes. Like&#8230; 30 minutes on the fucking dot! This left me hugely disappointed since a decent workout of mine lasts anywhere between 45-60 mins, and for about $2 per serving, there is no reason for it to pussy out at 30 minutes in. Whatever, maybe it&#8217;ll be better next time.</p><p><strong>Second dose:</strong> Take all the initial effects of the first dose and reduce by 25%. That&#8217;s basically what I went through the second time I took NO3. What a shame.</p><p><strong>Third dose:</strong> Similar to the second time I took NO3.</p><p>Fourth dose: I decided to step it up and take all 6 this time since 4 tabs weren&#8217;t doing what they initially did. The results were almost the same as the first time I took NO3. Kinda nice&#8230; But at 6 tabs, the price per serving shoots up to $3.24 &#8211; and that&#8217;s just ridiculous.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong></p><p>There&#8217;s no need to beat around the bush when it comes to NO3 Overload. I&#8217;ll give props to CMI for using partially effective ingredients but the fact at a 140lbs male at 6% body fat needs to take 6 tabs to MAINTAIN effectiveness is just stupid. You also have to remember that I only had 4 doses to deal with&#8230; I presume that by the 10th or the 20th you won&#8217;t feel much accept the 199mg of caffeine. This is a shame really because it means you need to take 6 tabs after the first couple doses&#8230; And at $3.24 a serving it&#8217;s just not worth it.</p><p>So, if you have cash to burn then buy a bottle and give it a try&#8230; But my suggestion? Drink a strong ass cup of coffee, throw back an espresso shot, or even take my REAL red-wine mixture that I recommend in the fitness mini course. You&#8217;ll be better off as far as results &amp; the cash in your wallet are concerned.</p><p>To Being Fit &amp; Sexy 4 Life</p><p>- Fit Jerk</p><p style='text-align:left'>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;</br><i>&copy; 2009 &#8211; 2010, By <i><b>FitJerk</b></i>. <i>FitJerk.com is a division of <a href="http://www.flawlessfitnessmedia.com" target="_blank">Flawless Fitness Media</a> &#8211; All Rights Reserved &#8211; No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.</i></p><p><b>Tired Of Looking Ordinary? <a href="http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/e-training" target="_blank"><u>Click Here</u></a> And Get FJ To Design A Fitness Plan Just For You!</b> <i>FREE Initial Consultation.</i></i></p> <br /><div><img src="http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/gd-star-rating/gfx.php?value=5.0" /></div><div>Rating: 5.0/<strong>5</strong> (1 vote cast)</div><br />]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/supplement-review-no3-overload-by-cmi/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Supplement Review: Musclespeed From Accelerative Nutraceuticals</title><link>http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/musclespeed-supplement-reivew-from-accelerative-nutraceuticals/</link> <comments>http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/musclespeed-supplement-reivew-from-accelerative-nutraceuticals/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2009 02:07:14 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>FitJerk</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Supplement Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hype]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Lowest Prices]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Msrp]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Paces]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Passionate Vision]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Pills]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Pre Workout]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Rabbit]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Rabbit Hole]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Redbull]]></category> <category><![CDATA[review]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Right Foot]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shitter]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Workout Supplements]]></category><guid isPermaLink="false">http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/?p=631</guid> <description><![CDATA[Pre-workout supplements... There is always a lot of hype surrounding them and most of the time they are a complete waste of cash. The reason is simple, all they give you is a big caffeine rush which you could haven gotten from a cup of coffee or even a can of RedBull. But I have hope; enter Musclespeed from Accelerative Nutraceuticals.<br /><div><img src="http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/gd-star-rating/gfx.php?value=4.8" /></div><div>Rating: 4.8/<strong>5</strong> (5 votes cast)</div><br />]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>.</p><p><strong>Product Name:</strong> Musclespeed<br /> <strong>Company:</strong> <a href="http://www.musclespeed.net" target="_blank">Accelerative Nutraceuticals</a><br /> <strong>MSRP:</strong> $49.99 [<a href="http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/Order_Musclespeed.html" target="_blank">Click For Great Prices On MuscleSpeed!</a>]<br /> <strong>Availability:</strong> Medium (Online)<br /> <strong>Servings:</strong> 45</p><p>Pre-workout supplements&#8230; There is always a lot of hype surrounding them and most of the time they are a complete waste of cash. The reason is simple, all they give you is a big caffeine rush which you could haven gotten from a cup of coffee or even a can of RedBull. But I have hope; enter Musclespeed from Accelerative Nutraceuticals. Let me start off by saying that I was very reluctant on reviewing this product for two main reasons:</p><ul><li>It&#8217;s made by a relatively new company and therefore I      have no clue as to what their credibility is like. This can be a good or      bad thing; they have the chance to start off on the right foot, but could      also fail miserably. Oh the excitement!</li></ul><ul><li>Which brings me to my second point&#8230; Because it&#8217;s so      new, I&#8217;m sure that one man&#8217;s passionate vision led him to invest his life      savings into something he believes in, and his credibility is now put on      the line. See, if BSN releases a shitty product&#8230; No big deal, they can      release another one next month because they got the capital. But if I      don&#8217;t like Musclespeed, most people won&#8217;t buy it, the company will go to      the shitter and I&#8217;ve just tanked one man&#8217;s future. Luckily I don&#8217;t really      care about that&#8230; And therefore It&#8217;s time to put this supplement through      it&#8217;s paces and see what we have on our hands.</li></ul><p><strong>First Impression:</strong></p><p>First off, the black bottle with the chrome lettering is very sexy indeed. I had a few people look at it and instantly say &#8220;oooh what&#8217;s that?&#8221; And I also love the bright red-pills. It&#8217;s a nice touch. (For those of you who&#8217;ve been living under a rock&#8230; The red pill is what Neo took in The Matrix to find out &#8220;how deep the rabbit hole really went&#8221;) Love it!</p><p>Another thing I should mention is that the product website is VERY well referenced. Just check this out: <a href="http://www.musclespeed.net/Speed-Supplement-Science.htm">http://www.musclespeed.net/Speed-Supplement-Science.htm</a>. Every ingredient is backed by referencing adequate and real-world studies. BIG points go to Accelerative Nutraceuticals for this. You won&#8217;t believe how many of the &#8220;big guys&#8221; will avoid you if you say &#8220;Hey, can you provide me with some studies to prove that your product or the ingredient in your product actually works&#8221;.</p><p>So far so good, now before getting down to the nitty gritty, it&#8217;s time to hear what the company has to say about it&#8217;s own product. Marketing info always sounds so exciting doesn&#8217;t it?</p><p><strong>Product Claims:</strong></p><p>What Is MUSCLESPEED<sup>TM</sup>?</p><p>MUSCLESPEED<sup>TM</sup> is a cognitive and neuromuscular accelerator, taken pre-workout, by fighters and extreme sport athletes. It&#8217;s the only natural source supplement that helps you activate the most muscle fiber with a single dose. Take MUSCLESPEED<sup>TM</sup> 30min before training or competition and unleash unprecedented power and speed. Experience a smooth rush of energy, and mental focus, coming on 15 minutes of the first dose and up to 4-5 hours at a time!</p><p>By facilitating the production and release of two &#8216;wonder&#8217; neurotransmitters known as Adrenaline and Acetylcholine, your muscles respond with more contractile intensity.</p><p>Everyone, at one time or another, has experienced a physical &#8216;rush&#8217; when norepinephrine (adrenaline) has been secreted into the blood stream. This action taps into our bodies own evolutionary defense mechanism to &#8220;fight or flight&#8221; producing a sudden rise in power and strength. The effects of norepinephrine, as released naturally or through the influence of Methylxanthines, are well-established and have been the focus of numerous studies:</p><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td></td><td><ul><li>This neurotransmitter and hormone causes CNS        (Central Nervous System) stimulation and produces high energy and        strength when administered in the right dosages;</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><ul><li>One particular study of trained runners showed        a 44% increase in &#8220;race-pace&#8221; endurance, as well as a 51%        increase in cycling endurance[3].</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><ul><li>Caffeine [Anhydrous] which is proven to        elevate levels of norepinephrine also exerts some direct physical        effects on muscle that may also help explain its ergogenic effects. As        long ago as 1910, scientists discovered that caffeine administration        increased the contractile ability of isolated muscle[5].</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><ul><li>A study on intermittent cycle sprinting (2        sets of eighteen 4-second sprints with 2 minutes of active rest in        between sprints) resulted in an 8.5% increase in the total amount of        sprinting work performed and a 7% increase in mean sprint power when        caffeine was consumed[10].</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><ul><li>It creates a rise in the cAMP cycle to assist        in lipolysis (fat loss) and will help you burn fat via a raise in your        metabolism;</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><ul><li>It is a widely accepted, and known fact, that        Methylxanthines delay the onset of muscle fatigue and allow for more        continuous physical effort;</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><ul><li>There is also a pronounced effect on mood,        cognition, focus, and awareness resulting in a heightened mental state;</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><ul><li>Releases glucose from energy stores, and        increases blood flow to skeletal muscles. This response gets your        muscles ready to perform work.</li></ul></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td></td><td><ul><li>Studies have confirmed that exercise causes a        decline in acetylcholine, which may reduce the ability of nerves to        transmit impulses to exercising muscles[15]. Supplementing with MUSCLESPEED<sup>TM</sup> elevates acetylcholine which aids in the        transmission of these nerve impulses;</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><ul><li>Assists in producing contractile intensity in        muscles which can translate to measurable power (speed + strength)        increases. This condition is also thought to create an anabolic state in        which the body by triggers an adaptive response to work intensity;</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><ul><li>Effective and rapid transmission of neural        signals. Scientific studies keep confirming the same thing: FASTER        REACTION TIMES are being achieved in both trained and untrained human test subjects;</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><ul><li>Phosphatidylcholine, a key ingredient in MUSCLESPEED<sup>TM</sup>, can elevate choline levels before, during, or after        exercise. This is important to athletes because a reduction in free        choline during intense physical activity can reduce acetylcholine        release, and thereby affect endurance and performance. Phosphatidylcholine        is 12 times more effective than inorganic choline salts at raising human        blood choline levels after 24 hours [17,18].</li></ul></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><ul><li>Boosts brain function, concentration, and        memory by increasing circulation and brain choline/acetylcholine levels.        Many supplements are failing to address this important requirement.        Without proper brain function nothing is possible.</li></ul></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong>Real World Results:</strong></p><p>So Musclespeed has got quite a few claims to live up to then? Let&#8217;s begin. I tested this product out for a FULL 8 days (technically 7 because of one off day), and tested it out against three of my top activities: weight lifting, power tumbling and heavy bag training. This pretty much encompasses it&#8217;s target market.</p><p>The bottle recommends two servings daily, and says that over a period of time the effects will actually be enhanced. But because each dose (2 capsules) contains 200mg of caffeine, I took one serving for days: 1-3, then jumped to 2 servings for day 4 &amp; 5, followed by a break on day 6, then back to 2 servings for day 7 &amp; 8.</p><p><strong>Day 1:</strong> I took my first dose 40 minutes prior to weight training and boy&#8230; Did it KICK me in the face. Started off by feeling more alert, everything seemed more &#8220;crisp&#8221;. After another 5-10 minutes I got this &#8220;warm&#8221; feeling. This high lasted about 15 minutes in total&#8230; After which I experienced a steady stream of energy. I would be lying if I told you my workouts weren&#8217;t in high gear, because they rocked! However, the effects only lasted 2 hours (unlike the 3-4 claimed) and I did experience a slight &#8220;crash&#8221; after. It may have been because I pushed myself or because it was my first dose, I wasn&#8217;t sure at this point.</p><p><strong>Day 2:</strong> Took one dose 40 minutes prior to power tumbling. This time it didn&#8217;t come on so fast, but I could definitely feel the intense &#8220;crisp&#8221; sensation. It&#8217;s  hard to describe this feeling&#8230; It&#8217;s as if the contrast ratio is increased and all the colours you see are sharper. Powertumbling is done on an 84 feet long, bright blue power rod floor and the colour just JUMPS. This was good because while throwing a double twisting back layout, I felt more confident and could clearly see the landing. This training took place after a intense 3 hour coaching session with my athletes and my usual dip in energy was nonexistent. Felt it working for a total of 2.5 hours but this time with no crash after. So far so good.</p><p><strong>Day 3:</strong> Took one dose in the morning on an empty stomach 40 minutes prior to letting loose on my heavy bag. I quickly realized that taking this supplement on an empty stomach SUCKS. At first I thought &#8220;this was it&#8230; Just like other stimulants it pussied out after the 3rd dose!&#8221; &#8230; Not so. Take it with a bowl of oatmeal and you&#8217;re in for a wild ride&#8230; As I soon fond out.</p><p><strong>Day 4:</strong> Disappointed with the day 3 results, I yet again took a dose in the morning for another heavy bag kicking session (this time with a bowl of oatmeal with flax seeds, crushed almonds &amp; some brown sugar) and was in happy land again. Great rush after 35 minutes, the warm feeling was back and was better than ever (Musclespeed is said to be mildly thermogenic so this makes sense&#8230; ).</p><p>The colour sharpness wasn&#8217;t as intense as before, but it was still there. This was the first time I felt the energy last for 3 hours and then slowly taper off. No crash. Ballin&#8217;! I also tested to see if I could kick any faster than before: Clearly with the extra energy, my kicks made quite an indent in the 100lbs vinyl heavy bag, but as for raw speed, it only made a slight difference. Took another dose in the evening before body-weight training and it was as intense as ever. No crash, but this time I felt as if it tapered off after about 2.5 hours. Again, not a huge deal since I only need about an hour in the gym, but the claim was said to be 3-4 hours, so that&#8217;s the benchmark I&#8217;m looking for.</p><p><strong>Day 5:</strong> I had another power tumbling/coaching session coming up and the total time that I&#8217;d be actively doing physically demanding work was 4.5 hours. I decided to see how long one dose would truly last this time. Overall&#8230; The exact time that I felt Musclespeed work was 3 hours and 16 minutes. So it fell short of my 4.5 hour session, but I couldn&#8217;t complain. I still managed to get through my training because of the absence of a &#8220;crash&#8221;. I was also going out that evening, so I decided to take one dose before heading off to a friends birthday party. No complaints here, I had a good time and partied all night long. No one in their right might is going to take this as a pre-party supplement but I figured what the hell&#8230; I&#8217;ll be thorough.</p><p><strong>Day 6:</strong> Took the day off. Reason was simple&#8230; I wanted to see if taking a small break would result in me feeling the RUSH that I got when I took my very first dose. It really doesn&#8217;t matter which stimulant you take, if it has caffeine in it, you are bound to become resistant to it at one point or another.</p><p><strong>Day 7: </strong>I was excited to start off my day with a bang, would taking a &#8220;break&#8221; really help? Well as I found out, not really. Took a morning dose, felt great, but couldn&#8217;t recreate the feeling that I got on the very first dose. This isn&#8217;t exactly a bad thing since edging towards &#8220;jittery&#8221; territory can hinder performance rather than help it. My punches and kicks were crisp, sharp and powerful. For those that train kick boxing, you know very well that once exhaustion hits you can&#8217;t aim as well, but I could still put the kick where I wanted it. Bravo. Evening workout session was also a pleasure.</p><p><strong>Day 8:</strong> No workout took place on this day, but just wanted to see how it performs as a normal &#8220;pick me up&#8221;&#8230; And if it can compete with my beloved cup of coffee. As far as the &#8220;kick&#8221; goes, it was obviously superior, and a heck of a lot more convenient, but I still don&#8217;t see the red pill replacing my cup of Joe.  Took one dose at lunch-time and one dose at 10pm to see if Musclespeed would keep me up while I researched and wrote about it. It&#8217;s weird, because if you take it without doing any physical activity, it only tends to last a hair under 2 hours.</p><p>I also gave a dose to a friend of mine who is a competitive gymnast&#8230; Just to see if the results were consistent across the board. Here&#8217;s a summary of her experience:</p><ul type="disc"><li>Kicked in 30 minutes after taking one dose</li><li>Gave great energy, and      improved her focus</li><li>Lasted throughout her 4 hour      training session</li><li>Experienced no crash</li></ul><p>As you can see it fared slightly better for her, but keep in mind that although she is an elite athlete and trains ridiculous hours every week, she is not a regular supplement user. So your results may vary but I have no doubt it will work for you.</p><p><strong>Finally, a review wouldn&#8217;t be complete without listing the cons</strong>. Here are some of the issues I have:</p><ul type="disc"><li>The lasting of the energy      isn&#8217;t consistent. At times you will feel it working for beyond 3 hours,      and other times it will underperform by lasting for only 1.5 &#8211; 2. It seems      there are certain factors which need to be present for Musclespeed to      really shine.</li></ul><ul type="disc"><li>I strongly believe that this      supplement can benefit from proper cycling. Taking it constantly will      surely decrease it&#8217;s effectiveness, and instead of trail and error, I&#8217;d      like to see the dosage instructions on the bottle be more specific.</li></ul><ul type="disc"><li>I&#8217;m not sure if it was just      me, but another thing I&#8217;d like to see is the mention of taking this WITH      food. On the label it just tells you how much to take. Taking it on an      empty stomach barely did anything for me, so this needs to be addressed. I      doubt every Musclespeed user will be able to find this review.</li></ul><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong></p><p>So overall, I was actually pretty friggin&#8217; impressed. It has already managed to out-last most other stimulants that I&#8217;ve tested and for about $1.11 per serving, I believe MuscleSpeed would be a great addition to a martial artist&#8217;s or weight trainer&#8217;s supplement arsenal. Gymnasts and Power tumblers are also in for a real treat because your aerial awareness is heightened. On top of this, if you stack it with creatine&#8230; you will be a gym machine.</p><p>As you&#8217;ve noticed, I haven&#8217;t bothered to list the ingredient research and theory behind them because frankly&#8230; You can find everything you need on their science page. This gave me more time to put the product where their mouth is.</p><p>Another thing you need to remember is that this supplement is new and so is the company, it is common sense that their blend will only improve and become more potent over time (if it doesn&#8217;t&#8230; you can bet I&#8217;ll be all over their ass!)</p><p><strong>Totally recommended!</strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/Order_Musclespeed.html" target="_blank">Order MuscleSpeed at 23% OFF! (Limited Time Offer For FJ&#8217;s Readers)</a></span><br /> </strong></p><p><strong>[UPDATE: 06/01/09] </strong>So the CEO of Accelerative Nutraceuticals got back to me about the review and we talked about a few of the concerns which I had&#8230; here&#8217;s what he had to say:</p><p><strong>On The Issue of labeling &amp; product cycling:</strong> &#8220;There are certain label requirements by the FDA and only so much verbiage we can fit onto the label. We tried to cram as much as possible of the most important information. Cycling the product is mentioned on the website:  http://www.musclespeed.net/FAQ.htm#Product_Use&#8221;</p><p><strong>On The Issue Of Empty Vs Full Stomach:</strong>&#8220;Most people respond better on an empty stomach. However, for most first time users I typically recommend they have some light to eat before. Some people have insulin sensitivity problems and MS contains ALA. It can lower blood sugar for these type of individuals. Low blood sugar can lead to low energy. There is not enough ALA to be a any real concern, but for liability reasons, it&#8217;s best to err on the side of caution.&#8221;</p><p>&gt; Kudos to Accelerative for clearing things up. This is how you communicate with customers &amp; the community!</p><p>To Being Fit &amp; Sexy 4 Life!</p><p>-Fit Jerk</p><p style='text-align:left'>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;</br><i>&copy; 2009 &#8211; 2010, By <i><b>FitJerk</b></i>. <i>FitJerk.com is a division of <a href="http://www.flawlessfitnessmedia.com" target="_blank">Flawless Fitness Media</a> &#8211; All Rights Reserved &#8211; No part of this post is to be republished without author consent under any forms of media (including print, internet, video or audio transcription). Doing so is a violation against copyright law and should be punishable by a punch to the face. All images are copyright of their respective owners.</i></p><p><b>Tired Of Looking Ordinary? <a href="http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/e-training" target="_blank"><u>Click Here</u></a> And Get FJ To Design A Fitness Plan Just For You!</b> <i>FREE Initial Consultation.</i></i></p> <br /><div><img src="http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/gd-star-rating/gfx.php?value=4.8" /></div><div>Rating: 4.8/<strong>5</strong> (5 votes cast)</div><br />]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>http://flawlessfitnessbook.com/blog/musclespeed-supplement-reivew-from-accelerative-nutraceuticals/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>15</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>
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