what's the dope pre-workout supplements?

taso42

Last night a friend of mine asked me about pre-workout supplements (e.g., Jack3D, Cellucor C4 Extreme), and it occurred to me that I know nothing about this whole class of product. Do any of these "work"? And if so, what does "work" mean?

GasMasterFlash

joejccva71

I've tried a few. Jack3d, Superpump 250, White Flood, NO-Xplode and they all were ok.

However, I tried this stuff once, and I wanted to throw chairs.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/drivensports/craze.html

I don't take any of them anymore cause I think they are a waste of money. You would do fine with a nice cup of coffee before your training bro.

infamousmk

What do these supplements do? Are they like super-caffeine? Or like, protein and stuff? Are they supposed to make you run faster and jump higher??

joejccva71

What do these supplements do? Are they like super-caffeine? Or like, protein and stuff? Are they supposed to make you run faster and jump higher??

Give you a ton of burst energy before you train, and give great pumps.

taso42

What do these supplements do? Are they like super-caffeine? Or like, protein and stuff? Are they supposed to make you run faster and jump higher??

That's what I plan to find out. But in the meantime, I decided to post the question on MFP and see what happens.

infamousmk

What do these supplements do? Are they like super-caffeine? Or like, protein and stuff? Are they supposed to make you run faster and jump higher??

That's what I plan to find out. But in the meantime, I decided to post the question on MFP and see what happens.

Oh yeah, I was asking MFP in your thread. Helping the cause!

kennethmgreen

What do these supplements do? Are they like super-caffeine? Or like, protein and stuff? Are they supposed to make you run faster and jump higher??

Give you a ton of burst energy before you train, and give great pumps.

joejccva71

What do these supplements do? Are they like super-caffeine? Or like, protein and stuff? Are they supposed to make you run faster and jump higher??

Give you a ton of burst energy before you train, and give great pumps.

Lol i knew that was coming

infamousmk

Oh, well, if I get Louboutins, sign my *kitten* up!



Edited because I always confused Louboutin and Manolo. You know, because it totally matters in a thread about supplements.

k2quiere

I'm thinking 5-hour energy drink

onedayillbeamilf

I've tried a few. Jack3d, Superpump 250, White Flood, NO-Xplode and they all were ok.

However, I tried this stuff once, and I wanted to throw chairs.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/drivensports/craze.html

I don't take any of them anymore cause I think they are a waste of money. You would do fine with a nice cup of coffee before your training bro.

I think you should go with NO-Xplode. That way you can drink milk again and not worry about it.

onedayillbeamilf

What do these supplements do? Are they like super-caffeine? Or like, protein and stuff? Are they supposed to make you run faster and jump higher??

Give you a ton of burst energy before you train, and give great pumps.

I LOVE these!!!

taso42

I've tried a few. Jack3d, Superpump 250, White Flood, NO-Xplode and they all were ok.

However, I tried this stuff once, and I wanted to throw chairs.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/drivensports/craze.html

I don't take any of them anymore cause I think they are a waste of money. You would do fine with a nice cup of coffee before your training bro.

Indeed I do just fine with a cup of coffee and/or a banana. I'm not shopping for pre-workout sups; just trying to learn about them

So that Craze stuff seems to have Creatine as the active ingedient. I more or less understand creatine. Seems like some/most of the others have Nitric Oxide. Just wondering if there's anything to them or if they're simply backed by lots of graphics and Broscience...

SheehyCFC

I'd be curious if anybody else has comments (bump). So far, no glowing recommendations...

BigDaddyBRC

It's called your own motivation. Stop looking for a short cut and MAN UP!

taso42

It's called your own motivation. Stop looking for a short cut and MAN UP!

Please. Read the topic and the thread in between the lulz.

I haven't skipped or skimped on a planned workout in months and I've never been stronger in my life. I am asking for my own edification not for a short cut.

joejccva71

It's called your own motivation. Stop looking for a short cut and MAN UP!

Not sure if serious. Read his topic again.

ajschust23

I'm not sure how much you can trust these supplements. Most of them are designed to affect your body like an amphetamine by hyping you up. Check the label and see if the manufacturer lists any side effects.

GasMasterFlash

It's called your own motivation. Stop looking for a short cut and MAN UP!

recriger

I tried that "N-Sane" stuff a few times. really odd feeling. I didn't get hyper or notice any "extra" energy, (notice being the key word). The first time I used it I lost count of my reps on the bench. I had counted to 10, but felt like I was still on 6 or 7. I was able to get 4 more reps before stopping. It was like that the whole evening. I didn't really lose count, but the muscles were still ready to go without the jitters that one normally associates with extra energy. It's even hard to scratch your neck at the end of arm day, so the pump is noticable.

1 HUGE PROBLEM!! If you work out in the evening and don't totally exhaust yourself you will not sleep. Many of those pre-workouts are more forgiving. I added a new exercise during the first week and felt like I strained a muscle. so I stopped the weights that night and went on to the cardio for a half hour. So I lost probably 25-30 minutes of weight time from the normal 1.5 hrs. That was enough that I didn't sleep that night. My alarm goes off at 5 am, and since I was still staring at it at 4 I just said screw it and got up. That was a crappy day. If I work to failure, no problem, I will sleep like a baby. Morning or afternoon workouts are fine, it's gone by bedtime.

So I like the stuff for the most part (except $$), I'm a bad sleeper so I always feel tired and it tastes much better than coffee. It doesn't do me any good on leg day though, but it's good for the rest.

rachmaree

I used Jack3D a few times, but to be honest, I get the same buzz off a strong cup of espresso. Sorry I wasted the American dollars on it, could have found another pair of cool sneakers instead

Cait_Sidhe

All I know about them is they have seriously silly names.

IronmanPanda

It's called your own motivation. Stop looking for a short cut and MAN UP!

Bwahahaha!

Jacwhite22

Ive used the NoXplode and jack3d......IMHO waste of money......The nitric oxide is supposed to be the key "pump" ingredient....Giving you better pump.......It felt different to me but didn't affect my lifts at all...

dusty8907

Op, pre-workouts are basically all caffeine with a rediculous proprietary blend that supposedly helps you focus and get in a mental state to lift, sound familiar? Yes its glorified caffeine. They also say to give a good pump during lifting which would be great and they include vasodiolating ingredients but too bad caffeine is a counter vaso-diolator. Also op, be wary of anything with 3-5-dime in it.

deemh

have you heard of Mesomorph? i think it's pretty impressive, definitely allows you push harder and for longer as they say, the last rep feels like the first!... if you do some reseach on it you can see it has many other pro's other than just giving a boost for workouts like keeping the muscles hydrated post workout

SergeantSunshine_reused

Agree with Joe! I just do coffee now

The NO Explode made me itchy and jittery. I looked like a tweaker at the gym xD

stayxtrue

Okay a lot of people see it as a "buzz" but it goes beyond that for someone who is trying to build muscle

For example I take mesomorph, I was on jacked but they have caffeine and I found Mesomorph a much better rounded option for muscle building.

These are the ingredients and what they do

Citruline Malate :
Although citrulline is not coded for by DNA directly, several proteins are known to contain citrulline as a result of a posttranslational modification. These citrulline residues are generated by a family of enzymes called peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs), which convert arginine into citrulline in a process called citrullination or deimination. Proteins that normally contain citrulline residues include myelin basic protein (MBP), filaggrin, and several histone proteins, whereas other proteins, such as fibrin and vimentin are susceptible to citrullination during cell death and tissue inflammation.

Beta-Alanine;
A useful endurance tool, beta-alanine is commonly consumed in supplement form by athletes and strength trainers. During exercise hydrogen ions are produced in the body, which causes the pH levels in the muscles to drop. When this happens the body will experience a slowing of movement, physical strength and intensity. This prevents the ability to push to the limit during training and achieve optimum results

DiCreatine Malate:
There is so much we can get into on creatine, but effectively it is stored within the muscle tissue

Thats just a few things.... Pre-Supps are more than just some extra energy... They help with muscle growth

Punktorian

I have used Jack3d, Animal rage, and white flood.

Jack3d was pretty good, does what it is supposed to but was kind of meh overall. After 2 weeks I had to use the upper end of the recommended dosage.

Animal rage worked well and is my go to pre-workout now, partially because I have always had good results with Universal. Didn't have much of a falloff in the last 2 weeks like Jack3d.

White flood is alright, quite a bit cheaper but also mild compared to the other two. I like using this occasionally.

Typically I will do 5-6 weeks on rage, 2-4 weeks off, start again with 4-6 weeks on either rage or white flood. (this is a very rough estimate and I will stay on/off it for longer/shorter periods of time and will stay on White Flood longer, this is based on what I'm doing for workouts)
Take the recommended half scoop or whatever to try it out and go from there. You can read reviews of plenty that work but you need to find out what works for you, pre-workouts seems to work to varying degrees for everyone. Some people don't respond to the stuff in them and others are really sensitive, if it doesn't work for you don't bother, if it does try some other ones out.

The typical effects you are looking for in a pre-workout are
-energy
-focus
-pump

Also, I only use them on weight days.

Jersey_Devil

when i started working out i took 5 hour energy shots and these did the trick for my goals at the time.
when i decided to add lifting i started taking Ravage by GNC. It felt amazing to me. much different than 5 hour energy. not just a boost...probably the beta alining in it. When I ran out, I decided to try Jack3d. I don't think it does anything...at least not for me. I am going back to Ravage when i run out.
another thing I've been taking for about 2 weeks now is creatine. its not something you "feel", but its supposed to help you get an extra 1 or 2 reps in there. i DO feel like that is working.
Post workout is the protein shakes for me.