Pre Workout and Maintenance

NO and C4 are both good but people forget to cycle on and off. Your adrenaline can suffer and you'll find yourself taking more and more to get the initial buzz back. If you've gotten to this point look into some sort of adrenal restore
Personally I use C4 for the nitric oxide (pump element) and a scoop of amino energy for the amino acids and caffeine
Hope this helped

Replies

  • lilbitoftrouble
    lilbitoftrouble Posts: 2,052 Member
    Who are you talking to sweetie?
  • 95savvy
    95savvy Posts: 114 Member
    90% of the poeple on here who ask about pre workouts.
  • upgradeddiddy
    upgradeddiddy Posts: 281 Member
    I actually just started NXT level with my Monster after not using preworkout for 4 months. Not bad and I have a decent caffeine tolerance since I'm a bigger guy
  • lilbitoftrouble
    lilbitoftrouble Posts: 2,052 Member
    Relax I was joking. I meant it to be silly with him because he started off saying no and I was wondering what no was an answer to since I didn't hear a question. NO could stand for something else I wouldn't know again I was only joking.
  • adreal
    adreal Posts: 229 Member
    I was using Cardio Igniter but started to not feel anything off it. So I moved on to black coffee (which I just can't do) and now I am going to try C4 sport. So here's to something new :)
  • greg88rosen
    greg88rosen Posts: 49 Member
    Yeah the time off I'm sure did you some good. I've been looking for something new myself considering the companies reformulate most product after a few months on the shelf. Never as good as the originals haha
  • greg88rosen
    greg88rosen Posts: 49 Member
    Haha the NO stands for Nitric Oxide which is a vascular enhancer. It's in most pre workouts that you'll find. Anyone just starting out should look into amino energy. It's base is small dosages of caffeine and b vitamins which your body breaks down into energy. c4 is much stronger so assess your tolerance
  • djprice_69
    djprice_69 Posts: 115 Member
    Good advice for cycling off of it. Silly for me to never think of that prior to reading your post. Thanks for taking the time to share! Luckily I've forgotten to take it a couple of times last week, and took a week off of lifting from a pulled groin, but I honestly didn't feel much when I took it today. Looks like I'm taking some time off.

    How much time do you recommend for cycling through it, both for using, and for not using?
  • adreal
    adreal Posts: 229 Member
    It is tough to find the right stuff. I tried some regular C4 this morning and I tell you I thought my fingertips were going to itch off! It was crazy. But I have learned that you have to come off of some of this stuff sometimes or just build up a tolerance for it and you don't get anything.
  • greg88rosen
    greg88rosen Posts: 49 Member
    The itch is from another blood thinner called niacin lol and yeah, your adrenal gland and liver take most of the beating from stuff like this..
    Moderation and keep hydrated daily
  • greg88rosen
    greg88rosen Posts: 49 Member
    For cycling purposes:
    1-2 scoops daily
    Take off at least 2 days a week and after 2 months I would take a month or at least 2 weeks off from using anything. Hard to workout with nothing when you're used to taking something to just keep a Gatorade at hand for some extra sugars and eat a piece of fruit (banana) before workouts to help feed the muscle and prevent lactic acid buildup/cramps
  • djprice_69
    djprice_69 Posts: 115 Member
    Greg, thanks again for the advice. I only lift 3-5 times a week, only take one scoop of C4 at a time (was using a knockoff Vitacost brand before that), and I always take weekends off. What got me worried was not feeling much of a kick the few times I took it last week and again today. Already been doing the fruit (sometimes before, sometimes after), and still stick to creatine & protein about any time I can fit it in.

    Keep liftin'!
  • greg88rosen
    greg88rosen Posts: 49 Member
    Creatine:
    1tablespoon immediately after OR right before you lift once a day
    Off days you still need to take one scoop in the morning
    This you will cycle 3 weeks on 1 week off and repeat

    Protein shakes:
    Once before workout with water
    Once after workout with water for fast absorption and once before bed with (milk) to act like a casein for slow absorption while you sleep

    25 grams at a time. Your body won't accept too much more than that and you'll just be wasting protein lol
  • N200lz
    N200lz Posts: 134 Member
    Most of the creatine out there is monohydrate. I use the newer Hydrochloride version.
    The dosage is 20% of what Monohydrate is and it bonds to sodium vs. glucose. No cycling on and off.
    Search for Creatine HCL or ConCret

    Another surprise I ran into was Promera Sports - Peak 400.
    It's 400ui of ATP. I was skeptical but first time out I saw a 30% bump in reps from the previous workout.
    For the price, it's a good experiment to try for yourself.
    The only way I can describe it is when you think you are at your max you'll find a few extra left in the tank.
    No caffeine or other stimulants.
  • barthel2387
    barthel2387 Posts: 15 Member
    Question about cycling.. if I am taking a pre-work out (C4) and taking about 1.5 scoops 2-3 days a week, is it necessary to cycle on and off of it?
  • SunnyPacheco
    SunnyPacheco Posts: 142 Member
    edited July 2015
    This one's marketed toward women, but I use Athena Natural Pre-Workout by Unico Nutrition. No artificial sweeteners or flavors, they tell you everything that's in it, no creatine (I personally don't like the bloat it gives me), and just generally has lots of great stuff in it. Waiting to finish my first jar before I try their new Athena Intense. (This totally sounds like a sales pitch, but I just really really love it lol).
  • greg88rosen
    greg88rosen Posts: 49 Member
    2-3 days a week is fine Without a cycle but no matter what it is, it's always a good idea to take SOME time off, even for just a week or so and make sure you keep up with the amount of water needed daily
    And yeah sunny, sounds like a sales pitch lol but if it works it works