I thought this month i'd dedicate myself to trying as many pre workout sups that are available on the market right now so that you could make an informed choice as to which one you'd like to give a go (if any).
I thought i'd write a short piece about each rather than mark them according to taste etc; as all have different effects and feel that reducing them to a narrow scoring system doesn't really do them justice.
Pro Gf - produced by CNP-
consumed 45 mins before training. On the first time this gave me a really good intense workout and got the tingling feeling from the beta alanine inside it. It was definately easier to get set after set out without getting that mental or physical exhaustion. The feeling it gives you is a warm hazy feeling but with a rush like a caffein hit- although it doesn't contain any caffein. After the workout I felt chatty and still felt like I could have gone on.
On the second time of taking it before a workout the 'high' like effects were greatly reduced although still got a great workout on it. I tried on other occassions as CNP suggest taking the pro gf 45 mins before the workout followed by a pro slam right before training- I found this combo to work really well and got really intense workouts from this time after time and helping to fulfil my protein hit with both the GF and Slam containing a large whack of protein.
The taste I find is great although others have strongly disagreed - but as pre workout drinks go the taste I still think is excellent.It also doesnt have the caffein come down many of the other pre workout shakes have.
BSN NO Xplode-
I've taken this on several workouts now and have had excellent results each time. Again like the pro gf I really like the taste although I think this has to be an aquired taste over many doses! It contains quite a caffein kick so I find the intensity on this to be greater than the pro gf- however though I really don't like to take this when hitting circuits or cardio hard when Im looking to get up to my max heart rate as it made me feel a bit sick and took a long time for my pulse to come down. However with a weights only session it hit the spot. Got an excellent pump with this one too which is one of the ideas of this product which was great. One down side is that I did get a slight caffein slump later in the day but found this reduced with each dose. It does say on the tub to take even on non training days but I wouldnt bother.
NOX pump Dorian Yates-
This was the strongest formula I tried. You can feel yoursefl almost rushing as soon as you down this one. You don't want to rest between sets and just want to lift lift and lift again. The first hour was mental- I added 4 exercises on top of an already hard routine and pushed myself really hard- for the first hour. After that hour was up I encountered a colossal slump and felt completely spaced out but managed to grind through the rest of the workout- although my vision had gone slightly purple by now!? Got a great pump from it more so than the NO Xplode by BSN felt as if my biceps were going to tear open- Great. Two big draw backs- the taste and the slump. The taste is possibly the worst thing I have ever tasted in my entire life and felt sick having to drink it. It tasted exactly and I mean Exactly like sick- the sicky liquid that sometimes that you might burp up after a meal- but half a pint of it. The second was the slump- not so much even during the second half of my workout but during the rest of the day- I really was completely ruined and could barely stand up for lack of energy- no word of a lie.
Ast Anabolic Rush-
Taste on this one I thought was ok- not bad at all really. The colour I thought was the funniest thing- bright blue- a kind of Georges Marvellous Medicine! I kind of liked this for novelty value but I know some people wont. I really didnt want to do legs before I treied this one- but it did get me through my workout. The pump was average with this one - a bit less than the BSN product but ok. Didn't really get much intensity from it but had enough energy to get through workout. Id say biggest draw back with this one is that it just doesnt feel strong enough or give you enough of that pump.
Home made Formula!
I tried making my own homemade formula to see if there was much difference. I took 100mg of caffein, 3 grams of Arginine, 20 grams of protein and 3 grams of creatine and took 30 mins before the workout. The caffein high was too short and didnt really get any extra pump. I think one of the best feature os the above pre workout shakes is that they rely on the combination of effects to keep you going along with the beta alanine and carnosine that most contain.
I definately think they are worth the money - but I wouldnt take them regulary but save it for those off days when your really not feeling up to it and they'll give you the kick you need.
Sam
