whats the best pre-workout/ best protein?

djames92

im looking into stepping up my pre-workout and protein powder any suggestions?

janten

Don't need PreWO but if you must, White Flood stacked with micronized creatine, no need to load on creatine if you're just starting.

Personally I use Optimum Nutrition Whey, but have used Cytosport/Muscletech, protein is protein, just the taste you have to get used to.

djames92

i know i dont "need" pre workout but i find it helps me stay motivated in the gym and i get a better workout and ive seen optimum nutrition whey i was thinking about that one
do you have any thoughts on jack3d?

janten

In all honesty, Preworkout varies for everyone, YMMV. I didn't feel much w/ jack3d's formula back when they even had 1,3 DMAA (banned substance now, used to be big in preworkouts)

I also got a few free samples of Micro Jack3d, didn't work too well for me either, some people swear by it but most people I've talked to have stayed away from USPLab products.

Cellucor C4 seems to work for a lot of people.
Neurocore and nano vapor from muscletech are actually pretty beast, they've been putting out more quality products.

OptimusWhey

Jack3d Org is currently banned depending on where you due to it containing, 1,3 Dymeth

Currently "Craze" Has been reviewed very well, Jack3d Micro is aswell.

Protein is Protein, just look up the studys done by a couple of people some of do lie about how much protein is Per serving.

djames92

ive tried C4 before and it worked really well but i dont really want to spend 50 dollars on pre workout ya know

Vonwarr

Protein is protein, find one you like the taste of and you're good. Whey protein is one of the best pre/post workout, and casein is one of the best all-day/overnight proteins. A PWO isn't necessary, but if you like to take em (I do) then you have to try a few different ones. They affect people slightly differently... one that works GREAT for one person could be not so great or too powerful for another. Depends on your sensitivity to the various compounds in them. (E.G. caffiene, taurine, beta alanine, to name a few)

I'm currently taking 1.M.R. and it's pretty ridiculous, as much caffeine as 3 cups of coffee and various other things. I normally drink a lot of caffeine though so it doesn't really affect me too much. It started out intense but I've found I've become acclimatized to it quickly.

A friend (ContingencyPlan) on MFP has given me the following reviews of a whole bunch of PWOs:

Optimum Nutrition AmiNO (creatine-free)
BSN HyperFX (creatine-free)
BSN NO Xplode 2.0
Bodybuilding.com Build XS (caffeine-free)
Bodybuilding.com Build NO
GNC Ravage (creatine-free)
GNC Amplified Muscle Igniter 4x (creatine-free)
ProMera Beta-Cret
Cellucor C4 (both before and after the formula change)
MusclePharm Assault
Driven Sports Craze

Beta-Cret was the worst out of all of them as it did absolutely nothing. Felt nothing from it.
MusclePharm Assault worked GREAT (probably one of the best) in the beginning but I built up a tolerance to it at an alarmingly fast rate, faster than any other one I've ever used. I couldn't even get through a whole tub (which is basically a 1 month supply) before it started feeling like it was doing practically nothing at all.
Build NO is decent, not great
Build XS is the single best one I've ever tried and I don't know how considering it's caffeine-free but it still gives you a rush of clean, non-jittery energy.
Craze is . . weird. In a way that I don't know whether to say is good or bad. It doesn't have Beta-Alanine in it so you can't really FEEL it kicking in like you can with others (they left that out because an extremely large number of people have abnormally high sensitivies to it). It gives you 4 hours of good energy and focus but when it wears off you crash and hard. As in it's nap time, whether you want to or not. I highly recommend it for people who work out in the evenings because you can time it right so that it wears off just in time for bed and then you get a GREAT night of sleep after a rough workout. Not for AM exercises, though.
The GNC ones taste just awful. They're the only ones on the list that taste SO bad I feel the need to mention it. It's a struggle just to get them down. As far as how good they work I would say Ravage works a little bit better but also tastes even worse. It tastes like somebody pissed in a glass of fruit punch flavored kool-aid that was made with 4x the amount of kool-aid mix you should use.
C4 is a decent but not great one that I would highly recommend to someone who is looking for just one they can use year-round without having to cycle because like I said, it works good but not great, but you just don't seem to EVER build up a tolerance to it. It tastes good, there's no crash once it wears off, and unlike the others I would say it's also suitable for cardio.
BSN HyperFX is my personal favorite out of all the creatine-free ones. Works great but you build up a tolerance pretty quickly. Not quite as bad as with the Assault but close to it. You more than likely won't get through a whole month's supply before you feel like you need to cycle to something else.
BSN NO Xplode 2.0 was another decent but not great one, but I would rate it below the C4 because it makes you jittery and there's a bit of a crash when it wears off.
AmiNO is another creatine-free one. Works well enough but again, did not impress amazingly well. My biggest complaint with this one is that this is one of those ones where they flat out lie about how much you're getting. Not worth paying money for.

Edit: So far, C4 is my favorite PWO and tastes really good too.

djames92

thank you that was really helpful

mynameiscarrie

The old Jack3d was awesome. I haven't tried the new Jack3d. I'm using 1MR right now and it gives me similar results to the old Jack3d. It tastes like *kitten* but it gets the job done. I'm not sure if I'm going to try the new Jack3ed, to be honest. I've heard good things about White Flood, as someone previously mentioned.

I wrote a review for 1MR in another thread... It was:

The results are similar to Jack3d for me(the old kind--haven't tried the new kind), but it tastes like *kitten*. Like a multivitamin smell/aftertaste.

It does, however, get the job done.

Pros: good energy, no crash (for me at least), my energy lasts my whole workout--i don't get half an hour into it and then get sleepy.

Cons: taste/smell (Cherry Lime flavor)

Depending on who you are, other potential cons are the tingly feeling (i like that, but some don't) and excessive sweating (again, i don't mind that but other may not like it).

I use it for cardio--i've only had it for a couple days and I'm training for a race-- but my husband has lifted after taking 1MR and he says it makes him feel strong and he can feel the pump better than he could with Jack3d.

Muscle Pharm's Assault (i think that's what it's called) was free with the 1MR. I didn't take it, but my husband said that, while it tasted better than the 1MR, it wasn't as strong and it had some bad after effects (tummy issues).

janten

^Tried Assault, same results as your hubby. tastes great, no pump, honestly felt like **** after.

IMO, go hit up the supplement section on BB, sometimes they give out free samples, hit them up ask for some and just buy whichever one works best for you.

SideSteel

I seem to do just fine with a pot of coffee pre workout.

djames92

I seem to do just fine with a pot of coffee pre workout.

ive never tried just drinking coffee ill give that a shot tomorrow

and thanks for all the other info guys its really helpful

tjwoodman

White flood is legit

Protein... whatever you like, doesnt matter too much

Cranktastic

I seem to do just fine with a pot of coffee pre workout.

ive never tried just drinking coffee ill give that a shot tomorrow

and thanks for all the other info guys its really helpful

2! 2 CUPS OF COFFEE! AH HA HA HA HAAAAAAA!

ba5083

If you are looking for energy only in a PWO go with caffeine tabs. If you are looking for a PWO that helps with recovery between sets, along with 2 forms of creatine I would recommend Volatile (not a bug your eyes out with stims but also no crash). I have been dosing at 2 scoops of Volatile for over 3 months and have not built up a tolerance. I use Volatile on days I lift weights and Endurance BCAA Plus when I do cardio or HIIT training.

Good Luck

djames92

where can you buy volatile?

Mighty_Rabite

I have used Jack3d lately on most strength days and have been destroying my personal bests almost every time. I think part of it too, though, is somewhat from nutritional timing - I've been eating some good protein around two hours before working out, so by the time I start to work out, it's already in the bloodstream.

Once my Jack3d supply is gone, I will probably switch to something else. Not sure what yet, but I have heard that it is good to switch up your pre-workout every now and again. On my last legs day, I used some N.O. Fury (cheap Wal-Mart stuff) and still crushed the workout, so the pre-workouts may be a biiiiit more mental, or that stuff may just be decent for the money.