Product Review: Nutrabolics DecaStack

Now this is interesting... for the uninitiated, 'Deca' is more affectionately known to refer to *ahem* anabolic steroids; but that is a misconception. 'Deca' is actually referring to decanoate, the salt/esterified form of decanoic acid and commonly used as a vehicle of sorts to progressively release a compound in the body. The infamous 'Deca' you may or may not know, uses decanoate but attached to a steroid compound. So when a product by the name of DecaStack comes about... you get people going like... "wah.. this is the hard stuff!"

Can't blame them, with a name like that you can't even tell what it supposed to do. That's why you're reading this. DecaStack from Nutrabolics is a pre-workout formula with its core ingredients being: arginine, creatine and glutamine. Pretty nifty to have this 3 in a dose. What's more is that they're all bound to decanoate for sustained released.

Well, the supplement mixes easily... looks ok, smells ok but the one thing that really got me was the taste. Phew... its like one confused mother of a drink. Fruit Punch says the sachet.. I'm just wondering which fruits. Maybe Nutrabolics used my all time hated honeydew.. I dunno.. Taking my first gulp... I looked like this

ninpou: neck break no jutsu

As for its effects... it definitely kicks ass. I took that serving before my night badminton session and I could noticably feel better endurance and strength. Not to mention clarity but that's surely from the caffeine like all other pre-workout supps. Now if only I could get past the mental barrier of the taste... Or maybe try the orange flavour... hmm

Animality

Universal Nutrition's Animal line... absolutely not for the weak. Like the Bad Touch goes, 'we ain't nothin but mammals'.. it doesn't ring any truer when you think about it. These products are designed to harness the power of the human body's metabolic processes to achieve your fitness goals whether its bulking up or cutting down. And judging by the sheer amount in dosage, you can be damn sure this stuff works. Take Animal Pak for example, the bodybuilder's multivit.

11 tabs a pack. Now how heavy is that? Which other multivitamin product can even come close to that?!? This ain't your UPHA chewables with fancy shapes and stuff. Just big brutal chunks of enzymes and cofactors.

i aint shittin' ya...

Not convinced? How about Animal Cuts... 7 tabs a pack. 2 packs a day. 21 days straight. I dont think there are other thermogenics out there like this. Understandably so.. this is hardcore. Competition grade. Recreational users better stick to something easier to handle or risk letting yourself down.

I could go on about the other stuff like Nitro, Pump, Stak, MStak and Flex but what really gets me going are the Animal articles written by their resident monsters in the iron asylum. Nevermind the sass.. these words of wisdom lifts your spirit and motivates you when once again you begin to dread the pain, the weights and the life that is hardcore.

So which animal will it be for you?

or...

Product Review: Scivation Xtend

Recovery... such a simple word but one that has had many meanings to me. I won't go off a tangent now so recovery in a fitness context would simply mean the process of repairing the body after sustaining stress. It's always been a battle for me due to my frequent badminton sessions and can literally be a pain in the ass, especially for back-to-back sessions.

I decided to try the best glutamine for 2007, AKA Scivation Xtend since it claims to have a precise blend of BCAAs in a 2:1:1 ratio; glutamine, citrulline malate and vitamin B6, thus keeping the body fuelled for endurance while preventing muscle breakdown during a workout. I was advised to sip the product as I workout to give my body a steady supply.

crummy pics yet again..

Flavour of choice: Refresing grape. I'm beginning to like Scivation products cos they taste great. But then again, most recovery drinks are designed to taste great bcos the last thing you'll want is a goddamn shitty-tasting mix to bugger you at the end of a great workout. Anyway, no complaints.

I made a mental note to gauge the effects of this supplement and upon waking the next day... well... I don't feel as bad as I should, but I guess that's fair. It'll be miraculous if I woke up acheless after my usual badminton sessions. Too early to judge this one. I might be updating based on my experience.

In the meanwhile, all I can think of is this

heat knuckle.... extend!

Product Review: Scivation Vasocharge

Pre-workout drinks have always been a fascination of mine. Why? Cuz its effects kick in almost instantaneously, unlike creatine and protein which give results after a couple of months. Having said that, it's doesn't take much to get me to try some new pre-workout drink to gauge its effects.

In the spotlight this time is Scivation's Vasocharge. Little is known about this brand on this side of the world but it should not be sidelined, having had their Xtend declared as the best glutamine product year 2007. But that's a another story for another time.

sorry bout the crummy pics... but this is as good as it gets for now

Vasocharge according to its ingredients is basically a creatine + arginine spiked with a bit of tyrosine and caffeine (like most pre-workout formulas) to induce the following effects:

1. Increased mental clarity and alertness
   
2. Promote bloodflow via nitric oxide vasodilation
3. Decrease fatigue and increase oxidative ATP production (energy lah)

That's just the gist of it. Apparently Vasocharge also incorporates beta-alanine, l-carnitine and vitamin B complexes among other things. Understandably so, since these compounds enhances energy production and have antioxidative qualities.

Taste-wise, I would say that Vasocharge is one of the best pre-workouts I've had. The flavour was electric lemonade and it was zesty! Doesn't have that dreadful aftertaste most pre-workouts have and blends quite well I must say.

Efficacy? I'm still uncertain about this one. I took a dose before one of my night badminton sessions and couldn't sleep long after that. Pretty strong. Don't recall increased strength but definitely more alert. I sweated more than usual as well. I'm not typically a sweaty monkey, but the difference was notably there. Must be the arginine methinks.

All in all, a good supplement since it's not too high on the budget and give its blend of ingredients, kinda gives you a bit of everything. I'm thinking that a bit of everything in every supplement ultimately adds up to something substantial. Man.. how chinaman is that..

reminds me of my chinaman bosses.. you mofos need to get smarter

Product Review: CytoSport Muscle Milk

This post marks the beginning of what I hope will become a comprehensive databank of info about supplements. This of course is limited to my budget in my quest to try out all everything under the sun so it may be awhile from one post to another.

What better way to start off than with CytoSport's Muscle Milk... at first glance, I had my doubts about this product since it doesn't really look catchy but a valuable lesson learnt is never to judge (in this case) a product by its looks. With a friend's recommendation, I lugged a 2lbs tub of Mocha Joe home.

man..i need to take better pics

As I was too anxious to try it out, I whipped up a serving right away upon reaching home. The first thing that hit me was the taste of it, simply phenomenal. I've tasted many protein drinks before but this one's a winner by a longshot. Damn, even with just water its texture is rich and creamy. The only problem was I couldn't sleep that night. Caffeine? Yeah, should've guessed since it's Mocha Joe. But strangely though, I didn't have this problem again even after taking it late at night. Acclimatized maybe? I don't usually take caffeine so the first serving must've really had its kick.

In terms of effectiveness I think there's little to doubt here. Muscle Milk's concept is that its designed to mimic mother's milk, the superfood for growth. Heh, imagine that...

good album...

Its proprietary blend is termed EVOPRO, a protein matrix of whey isolates, whey concentrates, whey peptides, caseinates, etc. What this does is that it essentially keeps your body fuelled with protein for an extended amount of time after consumption. At 32 grams of protein a serve, that's damn good news. The downside is that there's only 15 servings in a 2 pounder tub so it might not be the protein of choice for those on a budget.

Well, I'm convinced. But I'll prolly go for it once in a while to break the monotony of just sticking to one particular whey protein (100% whey gold standard anyone?) all the time.

Supplements: Luxury or Necessity?

A random thought came to me one day about supplements, hence the title. I've always had the approach that supplements are more of a luxury; something only reserved for those with the spare buck to spend on improving that one aspect of life which truly matters - health. However, I'm getting more and more convinced that supplements are becoming increasingly important. Especially so in the urban setting, where quality of food is restricted by budget (as is the quality of everything else), pollution levels ever increasing and non-stop work-related stress. Top it off with mooring news of food shortages and how the nutritional value of food these days ain't like they used to be due to soil depletion, poor animal husbandry, diseases, etc; and you know it isn't a pretty picture for the one joy of life: eating. Nevermind the joy, most people these days just eat to be satiated. 3 meals a day. 365 days a year. Just eat to live on not conciously minding the quality of food till one day, all that char koey teow screws them over with cardiac arrest 30 years down the road.

Back to the topic. Having had a go at supplements for awhile now, my opinions are:

Pros

1. Convenient. In so many ways. My stomach's a black hole and I can eat every 3-4 hours. Supplements keep the hunger pangs away till I get to solid food.
   
2. Nutritional facts readily available allows for better diet management. I know this is starting to sound serious but honestly, if you give a damn about supplements, then you need to give a damn about this.
3. Concentrated nutrition. Keeping in mind my earlier rants, how much real food does one need to take to get your daily requirements in both macro and micro nutrients? Supplements (good ones) are engineered and laboratory tested to provide as they should.

Cons

1. Price factor. Supps ain't cheap and any decent gym-goer or sportsperson can attest to that. But it's all about being savvy to manage this.
2. Delusions of grandeur. Gotta be wary of products claiming to do this and that. Rome wasn't built in a day and no amount of supplements will make you Mr/Ms Universe tomorrow. Also, it's a good idea to find out what you're gonna put into your body. Some ingredients are meant to illicit a physiological response and if you have any existing conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, etc then you're heading for an early grave.

Well, not too bad in my books. Cons are manageable and pros are justifiable. I would encourage anyone to take supplements provided that they genuinely want to lead a better lifestyle. A couch potato is just that. Forever damned to a life (if you can call it one) of fitting into every crease of the sofa.