MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Be encouraged that whatever you are doing right now and wherever you are, that it's all part of a greater plan and that change, good or bad, is inevitable. Don't resist it or complain, just live in faith that you are a piece of clay on the Potter's wheel, being beaten, molded and shaped into His ideal form." - Jamie Eason
TRAINING
Cardio - Stepper:
a. 10 min @ 10 floors/min
b. 10 min @ 12 floors/min
Full-Body (30 sec recovery between alternate sets):
Alternate Set A -
1. Stiff-Legged BB Deadlifts 6 x 12
2. Alternate Backward DB Lunges 6 x 24
Alternate Set B -
3. Flat BB Bench Press 6 x 12-15
4. Close-Grip V-Bar Seated Rows 6 x 12-15
Alternate Set C -
5. Seated DB Shoulder Press 6 x 12
6. Incline DB Rear Raises 6 x 12
Alternate Set D -
7. Incline Dips 6 x 12
8. Incline DB Bicep Curls 6 x 12
Alternate Set E -
9. Rope Crunches 6 x 12-15
10. Bicycles 6 x 24-30
Post-Weights Cardio - Rollers:
20 min in 39x18 @ 106 rpm
Stretch 29 min.
COMMENTS
Sleep - Time and Quality: ~6 hours. Not quality.
Mood/Aggression: Better than yesterday - aggression hasn't been as rampant.
Energy: Training was done, so there was obviously energy there, but not feeling the best by any means - which is to be expected during the first week back training again after a break.
Endurance: Excellent.
Strength: Again, today was not about strength - which was fine, because I had none.
Quality of Training: Been a while since I've used the Stepper - but it was goo. Legs felt ok, fresh . . . Resistance training was one pain after another, but I set my head and soldiered through it. Several sets actually became failure at 12-15 reps, which was interesting. I didn't walk out of the gym normally, slow and sore . . . I didn't want to do anything after weights, but forced the rollers, listening to music . . .
Recovery: I woke up aching all over this morning, hamstrings the most tender. Fine, though.
Body Composition and Look: Only two days back training and already I can see and feel the difference.
Other Notes: Since the Green Apple Assault does not contain Suma Root, from now on I am going to be using Raspberry Lemonade (or Blue Arctic Raspberry - since I am going to stock up on the formula containing Suma Root) for 2/3 of a serving, and the other 1/3 the Green Apple flavour, so that I get the best of both the formula and flavour. GREAT taste, mixing them together - better than the Green Apple alone!
Showing posts with label Suma Root. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Suma Root. Show all posts
May 3, 2011
January 16, 2011
Review of Muscle Pharm's Assault (Blue Arctic Raspberry flavour)
I wanted to try the Blue Arctic Raspberry Assault flavour, and Drew was great enough to give me some to last a while. I have used Assault on and off (Sean's stash) when I have not had another preworkout available, but never consistently or cumulatively, and this was my first real opportunity to see how it affected me. The conditions under which I used Assault were not typical of me re other supplements and products used with (i.e. no stimulants, not full dosages of the supplements I was using, and using the bare minimum and not even all of my staples), I was VERY pleasantly surprised with my experience, and already have a tub of the Raspberry Lemonade flavour on the way for continued use. The latest addition to my list of STAPLES, Assault is a product I do not want to be without! See why . . .
What is it?
* Allows you to train harder and longer
* Lift more
* Recover faster
* Increase the anabolic environment and response to training
* Increase nutrient delivery to and waste products from working muscles
* Increase oxygen saturation
* Increased blood flow
* Increase energy output
* Improved mental focus without overstimulation or crash
For more information on Assault, review Muscle Pharm :: Hardcore Series :: Assault.
Formula: 11/10. The addition of the Suma Root is what sets Assault apart from other preworkout formulas, and is the reason why Assault works so well for me.
Smell: 9/10. In the tub the Blue Arctic Raspberry Assault smells like bubblegum. When mixed with water, it has a slightly sweeter scent, but still like bubblegum.
Taste: 8/10. The Blue Arctic Raspberry Assault tasted like a Bubble-O-Bill ice-cream (something we have in New Zealand - bubblegum flavoured ice-cream with a bubblegum nose). The taste could also be likened to the flavour of the Mixed Berry Powerade ZERO.
Solubility: 10/10. The The Blue Arctic Raspberry Assault mixed well on shaking, even for only a few seconds, with no residue.
Texture: 10/10. Like flavoured water/Mixed Berry Powerade ZERO.
Energy: 11/10. I am a stimulant junkie and have ti have COPIOUS amounts of caffeine STACKED with several other stimulants/stimulant products to even be functional. However, when I was using Assault, I had actually been without stimulants for a little while and was not using any with it - a very RARE occasion for me. Assault contains little caffeine or stimulants, and if it had been any other preworkout product I would have had to stack it WITH my regular stimulants and INcrease the recommended dosage of that product in order to even see effects re energy, but with Assault ONE SCOOP was enough to give me NOTICEABLE effects re energy - during a time when at any other time, I would be going into serious stimulant withdrawal and be barely alive. The energy from Assault is smooth and focused, and lasted ~12 hours each time - one of the definite highlights of the product.
Mental Focus: 10/10. My focus didn't waver, either in the gym or out of it, and working was definitely easy. As with energy, without stimulants I am non-functional, but I was alert and very productive, with great concentration.
Pumps: 8/10. I got some decent pumps using Assault, even though the bulk of my training re sets/reps was not really optimal for or focused on getting pumps.
Vascularity: 8/10. I actually started seeing veins in my deltoids that I have never seen before when using Assault, which was interesting. Vascularity during training was pretty good, especially through deltoids and arms.
Endurance: 10/10. Definitely had this - my speed endurance just got better and better! The endurance and speed endurance I had using Assault was what I experience when I use Drive, and that's saying something (I will never have to use Drive again)!
Strength: 9/10. I actually adjusted my training programme a week before starting Assault, and was lifting heavier deliberately for most exercises, with strength a focus. I was definitely surprised on a couple of exercises that I was actually able to move a weight I have not used in quite some time, and for pretty much all exercises - except Close-Grip Pull-Ups, which suffered terribly (although there was only a minute rest between sets, and usually I use ~3 minutes for this exercise) - I was able to use weights that I had left off at the end of my last strength-focused training period.
Training Intensity: 10/10. I always train with intensity (aside from the 'off' days, which we all have every now and then, when my body just will not do what I want it to do), and this was no different. However, I was able to even able to keep my intensity high during my post-weights cardio, not something I am often able to do after EVERY resistance session (and usually I will just do this at moderate to high intensity).
Recovery: 9/10. My body only started suffering from training sessions the last few days. Before that, I experienced no DOMS from training, even though I was lifting heavier and doing different things from what I had been doing for the few months prior. And after resistance training, my body most often still felt FRESH, and I was able to make post-weights cardio INTENSE. Sleep was definitely deep and restful. I also want to note that pre, during and now, I have only been using HALF the recommended dosage of IGF-2, dosing only first thing (no pre-bed!) - the only product that has ever really helped me re recovery - and my recovery is as good, if not better than using IGF-2 (recovery being one of the primary reasons why I love IGF-2)!
Nutrient Repartitioner: N/A. I didn't really use Assault for this purpose - in fact, most of the time I was using it, when I ate, I was FORCING the food down because I had NO appetite (which is also rare for me).
Other Effects: 10/10. No Beta-Alanine tingles experienced . . . A lot of sweating during pre-weights cardio (which I don't mind, and could have also been attributed to the fever I was running throughout the first few days of starting Assault) . . . No crash experienced, either physical or mental . . . Assault seems to have a cumulative effect, becoming more noticeable as you use it . . .
Other Comments: I had not used creatine for ~3 weeks before using Assault (another rarity) and my muscle creatine threshold levels had returned to baseline. When using creatine, I dose pre AND post-training, but with Assault it was only pre. Although it takes ~3 weeks at five grams a day for the body's muscle creatine levels to return to reach threshold (meaning I was nowhere close to it), using creatine definitely makes a difference and could have contributed to some of the training effects I experienced.
Overall: 11/10. Assault is the FIRST preworkout product that I have ever used that I used the RECOMMENDED dosage and saw results. It is also the ONLY preworkout product that I have ever used STANDALONE and NOT stacked with multiple stimulant products. The fact that I was FUNCTIONAL on ALL levels withOUT having ANY additional stimulants aside from the minimal caffeine in Assault is the primary reason why Assault fast became my #1 preworkout product of choice and the only one I will use, and my FIRST EQUAL FAVOURITE PRODUCT EVER! For the first time I am NOT using stimulants and I am NOT going into withdrawal, training intensity is awesome and I can breathe well without 'help', my fitness re endurance and speed endurance and strength are on the rise, and my recovery has been awesome using only HALF my regular dosage of IGF-2 - the results speak for themselves! Definitely the inclusion of Suma Root in Assault makes the difference, working synergistically with the Rhodiola Rosea in IGF-2 (I dose these products 60-90 minutes apart), and cumulative effects make for constant progress and improvement on all fronts.
Would I use again? Yes! After using Assault, even for a week, there is nothing else I would choose or want to use pre-training any more - it gives me what I want and need. I can FINALLY stop abusing stimulants and give my body an INdefinite break from them without it being detrimental to my functionality!
Would I recommend? Definitely - I already am! I cannot say enough about Assault!
What is it?
* Allows you to train harder and longer
* Lift more
* Recover faster
* Increase the anabolic environment and response to training
* Increase nutrient delivery to and waste products from working muscles
* Increase oxygen saturation
* Increased blood flow
* Increase energy output
* Improved mental focus without overstimulation or crash
For more information on Assault, review Muscle Pharm :: Hardcore Series :: Assault.
Formula: 11/10. The addition of the Suma Root is what sets Assault apart from other preworkout formulas, and is the reason why Assault works so well for me.
Smell: 9/10. In the tub the Blue Arctic Raspberry Assault smells like bubblegum. When mixed with water, it has a slightly sweeter scent, but still like bubblegum.
Taste: 8/10. The Blue Arctic Raspberry Assault tasted like a Bubble-O-Bill ice-cream (something we have in New Zealand - bubblegum flavoured ice-cream with a bubblegum nose). The taste could also be likened to the flavour of the Mixed Berry Powerade ZERO.
Solubility: 10/10. The The Blue Arctic Raspberry Assault mixed well on shaking, even for only a few seconds, with no residue.
Texture: 10/10. Like flavoured water/Mixed Berry Powerade ZERO.
Energy: 11/10. I am a stimulant junkie and have ti have COPIOUS amounts of caffeine STACKED with several other stimulants/stimulant products to even be functional. However, when I was using Assault, I had actually been without stimulants for a little while and was not using any with it - a very RARE occasion for me. Assault contains little caffeine or stimulants, and if it had been any other preworkout product I would have had to stack it WITH my regular stimulants and INcrease the recommended dosage of that product in order to even see effects re energy, but with Assault ONE SCOOP was enough to give me NOTICEABLE effects re energy - during a time when at any other time, I would be going into serious stimulant withdrawal and be barely alive. The energy from Assault is smooth and focused, and lasted ~12 hours each time - one of the definite highlights of the product.
Mental Focus: 10/10. My focus didn't waver, either in the gym or out of it, and working was definitely easy. As with energy, without stimulants I am non-functional, but I was alert and very productive, with great concentration.
Pumps: 8/10. I got some decent pumps using Assault, even though the bulk of my training re sets/reps was not really optimal for or focused on getting pumps.
Vascularity: 8/10. I actually started seeing veins in my deltoids that I have never seen before when using Assault, which was interesting. Vascularity during training was pretty good, especially through deltoids and arms.
Endurance: 10/10. Definitely had this - my speed endurance just got better and better! The endurance and speed endurance I had using Assault was what I experience when I use Drive, and that's saying something (I will never have to use Drive again)!
Strength: 9/10. I actually adjusted my training programme a week before starting Assault, and was lifting heavier deliberately for most exercises, with strength a focus. I was definitely surprised on a couple of exercises that I was actually able to move a weight I have not used in quite some time, and for pretty much all exercises - except Close-Grip Pull-Ups, which suffered terribly (although there was only a minute rest between sets, and usually I use ~3 minutes for this exercise) - I was able to use weights that I had left off at the end of my last strength-focused training period.
Training Intensity: 10/10. I always train with intensity (aside from the 'off' days, which we all have every now and then, when my body just will not do what I want it to do), and this was no different. However, I was able to even able to keep my intensity high during my post-weights cardio, not something I am often able to do after EVERY resistance session (and usually I will just do this at moderate to high intensity).
Recovery: 9/10. My body only started suffering from training sessions the last few days. Before that, I experienced no DOMS from training, even though I was lifting heavier and doing different things from what I had been doing for the few months prior. And after resistance training, my body most often still felt FRESH, and I was able to make post-weights cardio INTENSE. Sleep was definitely deep and restful. I also want to note that pre, during and now, I have only been using HALF the recommended dosage of IGF-2, dosing only first thing (no pre-bed!) - the only product that has ever really helped me re recovery - and my recovery is as good, if not better than using IGF-2 (recovery being one of the primary reasons why I love IGF-2)!
Nutrient Repartitioner: N/A. I didn't really use Assault for this purpose - in fact, most of the time I was using it, when I ate, I was FORCING the food down because I had NO appetite (which is also rare for me).
Other Effects: 10/10. No Beta-Alanine tingles experienced . . . A lot of sweating during pre-weights cardio (which I don't mind, and could have also been attributed to the fever I was running throughout the first few days of starting Assault) . . . No crash experienced, either physical or mental . . . Assault seems to have a cumulative effect, becoming more noticeable as you use it . . .
Other Comments: I had not used creatine for ~3 weeks before using Assault (another rarity) and my muscle creatine threshold levels had returned to baseline. When using creatine, I dose pre AND post-training, but with Assault it was only pre. Although it takes ~3 weeks at five grams a day for the body's muscle creatine levels to return to reach threshold (meaning I was nowhere close to it), using creatine definitely makes a difference and could have contributed to some of the training effects I experienced.
Overall: 11/10. Assault is the FIRST preworkout product that I have ever used that I used the RECOMMENDED dosage and saw results. It is also the ONLY preworkout product that I have ever used STANDALONE and NOT stacked with multiple stimulant products. The fact that I was FUNCTIONAL on ALL levels withOUT having ANY additional stimulants aside from the minimal caffeine in Assault is the primary reason why Assault fast became my #1 preworkout product of choice and the only one I will use, and my FIRST EQUAL FAVOURITE PRODUCT EVER! For the first time I am NOT using stimulants and I am NOT going into withdrawal, training intensity is awesome and I can breathe well without 'help', my fitness re endurance and speed endurance and strength are on the rise, and my recovery has been awesome using only HALF my regular dosage of IGF-2 - the results speak for themselves! Definitely the inclusion of Suma Root in Assault makes the difference, working synergistically with the Rhodiola Rosea in IGF-2 (I dose these products 60-90 minutes apart), and cumulative effects make for constant progress and improvement on all fronts.
Would I use again? Yes! After using Assault, even for a week, there is nothing else I would choose or want to use pre-training any more - it gives me what I want and need. I can FINALLY stop abusing stimulants and give my body an INdefinite break from them without it being detrimental to my functionality!
Would I recommend? Definitely - I already am! I cannot say enough about Assault!
January 12, 2011
Day 12: Velocity Training
Quote of the Day
"I'd rather attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt to do nothing and succeed." - Robert H. Schuller
Music Video of the Day
Three Doors Down - It's The Only One You've Got
DON'T be afraid to fight or try!!! LIVE!!!
Training
HIIT Cardio:
a. 4 min jogging
b. 8 x 20 sec effort/10 sec easy
c. 4 min jogging
Stretch 10 min.
Full-Body (30 sec recovery between sets):
1. Supinated BB Bent Over Row 4 x 5
2. Overhead BB Squat 4 x 5
3. Dips 4 x 5
4. Ab Rollout 4 x 5
Post-Weights Cardio - Treadmill:
a. 90 sec @ 14.4 km/hr
b. 90 sec @ 16 km/hr
c. 4 x 30 sec rest / 30 sec @ 17.6 km/hr
d. 1 x 30 sec rest / 30 sec @ 19.2 km/hr
e. 1 x 30 sec rest / 30 sec @ 18.4 km/hr
f. 1 x 30 sec rest / 30 sec @ 17.6 km/hr
Post-Weights Cardio - Stepper:
10 min @ 11 floors/min
Stretch 10 min.
Comments
Sleep - Time and Quality: Got up a little later than I have been today, but all good - woke bright and perky, like the world was another world or something.
Mood/Aggression: It's weird - I feel like the world has changed, even when I know that it hasn't, but for some reason, everything looks and feels brighter, and my spirits are really high.
Energy: Fifth day using the Blue Arctic Raspberry Assault - results are definitely cumulative, and the combination of the Suma Root (a definite blessing for someone with my blood disorder) with my morning dose of Rhodiola Rosea (my Assault dose timing is close enough to it that they beneficially affect each other - and me) is probably what is making the biggest difference (for an individual like me, Adaptogens can make or break how my body physically feels, especially when I have NO stimulants)! So far, every day on Assault has been better than the last - there's no energy crashes and I actually get through the day from wake to bed without going through any crazy stimulant withdrawal or crashing energy.
Mental Focus and Clarity: Assault is definitely helping here as well - and I've started to be able to turn my mind 'off' when I go to bed, so that I CAN sleep, instead of lying there for ages with racing thoughts.
Stress: I feel less stressed - not completely stress-free, because life is never stress-free (no matter how much we would like to think it is, or want it to be), but the stress is enough that it is not detrimental to anything.
Libido: It's been a long time since I did anything about this - being able to hammer everything out in training is helping.
Joints: My wrists were fine today - surprise, surprise.
Endurance: My speed endurance is picking up - I'm having to actually STOP myself, finding that when I reach 20 seconds sprinting, that it feels as if barely a few seconds has passed. This is a GOOD thing - I feel like my fitness is really coming back!
Strength: This session - in fact, ALL Velocity Training sessions are - was about strength and intensity. As with any 'new" programme (because, even though I have done my own modification of this before, I am modifying it yet again to suit my needs better for this time around), the 'first' time doing it is to really assess where you are at and get 'baseline' numbers, and that was what today was - good numbers, though (I will keep adding weekly to all of them - except with the squats, where I DELIBERATELY use a LIGHT weight, since heavy weights mean more mass in my lower body, and that is NOT wanted!)
Pump: Sets/reps not really 'pump' orientated.
Vascularity: Strong.
Quality of Training: HIIT was awesome - I'm getting back! Making the sessions shorter (like they were when I first started doing Guerilla Cardio seven years ago) means I can REALLY make them INTENSE (not saying that if I do 24 sprints that they are not intense, because each one is as intense as I can make it - you know what I mean) . . . Resistance training was the first session of my remodified Velocity Training. It will take some getting used to - three of my five resistance sessions being 10-120 minutes only, but there's no playing around, all business, and I'm not actually going to mind doing ~45 minutes of ACTIVE training (stretching is more 'recovery' training and not 'active' per se) daily . . . Made Post-Weights Cardio INTENSE. The 19.2 km/hr effort was actually almost a bit TOO intense for me, and I dropped the pace back a bit, but it was good to see what I could do after resistance training (and a true testament to my recovery ability and the Assault, because sometimes willpower alone is not enough to help keep the intensity going). Definitely adding 10 minutes of efforts on the treadmill post-weights is making a difference to my fitness (the HIGHER the intensity with training - ANY training - makes my fitness better and improve faster). Finished off with the Stepper . . .
Recovery: Honestly, I feel FRESH - as if I haven't done anything. I love it!
Appetite: Still no appetite, so I forced more food down last night - two meals in ~4 hours, and even though my body might disagree with me, my mind knows that I am better for them. Once upon a time I wished I was one of those people that was 'blah' about food and could just eat because they had to - now it seems I am becoming like that, and it's a good thing, but the fact that I can look at and think about food and NOT want to eat anything is just disturbing.
Body Composition and Look: I actually hope that I DO add some more mass to my delts and arms over the coming weeks. I will be ~8% bodyfat by the end of January, so there is PLENTY of time to drop to 7-8% bodyfat before competition - means there is also PLENTY of time to attempt to cap my delts more.
Other Notes: All of the supplements that I AM using right now are working synergistically together (perfect), and for the first time I am not stressing about NOT using stimulants 
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