PTAaron's 2007 Olympia Expo Sample Testing Thread!

[PTAaron]

Thanks Jake. Tracy had that one yesterday and loved it. We tried an Apple one, it has horrifyingly bad, I don't remember the brand.

[PTAaron]

Turns out the apple one that was horrible - was also from Nectar. Their stuff is usually really good, but it is pretty pricey.

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My new product review for the day:

Product: naNO Vapor by MuscleTech. I know you have seen the ads for this one - it is supposed to be the ULTIMATE pre-workout supplement and it is supposed to make you look like Ronnie Coleman in 2 uses.
Okay - here is the deal with pre-workout supplements: I wake up at 8am, take my pre-workout supp at 8:10, pre-workout shake at 8:20, and hit the gym about 8:35 or 8:45... most of these supplements recommend taking them on an "empty" stomach, but my stomach is never empty before I go to the gym!
Okay on to the naNO Vapor review: I could barely wake up this morning when the alarm went off... so I needed a major boost to get to the gym. I took this product in the timeline I mentioned... and by the time I got to the gym I was still having trouble keeping my eyes open. I almost fell asleep in the parking lot before I got out of my car! Clearly the "stimulant" part of this product is a little overrated. The workout I did today was biceps/forearms/calves/hams/quads... during my bicep and workout (preacher curls and hammer curls) I didn't notice much. Walking over to the leg press to do my calves my arms suddenly blew up - it felt like they were going to explode! Same thing with calves - after the exercise they felt like they exploded as I walked to the leg curl machine. My hamstrings got a major pump from that as well - which is a strange feeling!
I didn't notice any major temperature changes like they advertise in the magazine ads, I also didn't notice any improvement in my focus or energy levels AT ALL. In fact I had a hard time getting motivated to push myself on squats at all.
Now the package I had was a 3 serving package, and they recommended 1/3 of it for your first time - but for a really amazing workout you should have all 3 servings. I had half of the packet today... tomorrow I will try using a whole packet and see if it does anything more.
In comparison to Buzz Saw from TrueProtein.com (my gold standard) I would say this one rates about a 2.5 out of 5 so far, and that is only because it really gets the blood flowing to the muscles. If I did higher volume training, I am sure I would have noticed that more... but we are all educated enough to know that just because you get a pump, it doesn't mean you got a good workout!

If anyone else tries this one, please post up a review.

[PTAaron]

Product: Oh Yeah! bar by ISS.
AWESOME tasting bar!! Not sure what the stats are on it... but damn is it good!

[mouth]

Turns out the apple one that was horrible - was also from Nectar. Their stuff is usually really good, but it is pretty pricey.

====

My new product review for the day:

Product: naNO Vapor by MuscleTech. I know you have seen the ads for this one - it is supposed to be the ULTIMATE pre-workout supplement and it is supposed to make you look like Ronnie Coleman in 2 uses.
Okay - here is the deal with pre-workout supplements: I wake up at 8am, take my pre-workout supp at 8:10, pre-workout shake at 8:20, and hit the gym about 8:35 or 8:45... most of these supplements recommend taking them on an "empty" stomach, but my stomach is never empty before I go to the gym!
Okay on to the naNO Vapor review: I could barely wake up this morning when the alarm went off... so I needed a major boost to get to the gym. I took this product in the timeline I mentioned... and by the time I got to the gym I was still having trouble keeping my eyes open. I almost fell asleep in the parking lot before I got out of my car! Clearly the "stimulant" part of this product is a little overrated. The workout I did today was biceps/forearms/calves/hams/quads... during my bicep and workout (preacher curls and hammer curls) I didn't notice much. Walking over to the leg press to do my calves my arms suddenly blew up - it felt like they were going to explode! Same thing with calves - after the exercise they felt like they exploded as I walked to the leg curl machine. My hamstrings got a major pump from that as well - which is a strange feeling!
I didn't notice any major temperature changes like they advertise in the magazine ads, I also didn't notice any improvement in my focus or energy levels AT ALL. In fact I had a hard time getting motivated to push myself on squats at all.
Now the package I had was a 3 serving package, and they recommended 1/3 of it for your first time - but for a really amazing workout you should have all 3 servings. I had half of the packet today... tomorrow I will try using a whole packet and see if it does anything more.
In comparison to Buzz Saw from TrueProtein.com (my gold standard) I would say this one rates about a 2.5 out of 5 so far, and that is only because it really gets the blood flowing to the muscles. If I did higher volume training, I am sure I would have noticed that more... but we are all educated enough to know that just because you get a pump, it doesn't mean you got a good workout!

If anyone else tries this one, please post up a review.

i've used it before. i thought the product was "alright" but i didn't get a lot of the effects i was told about. didn't get the mental focus, the energy boost or the itchy skin (i was kinda hoping for that one lol). however, my work outs did improve a fair bit from week to week.

when you first use it they, like most similar products, advise you to do a test of the product. 1/3 dose...if i remember right. i did that and i felt a bit jittery. however, that might have been the combination of the 3 coffees i had before hand. while i was using it, i got the jitters a few times but not nearly with every drink....not even 1/3 of the time, actually.

looking back on my results, i did like nanovapor and i plan on doing it again. like i said, i noticed the strength gains. i just didn't get everything out of it that they advertise.

i hope that made sense....

[PTAaron]

Thanks for the feedback mouth.

I tried it again today, and used a full 3 serving pouch... I still had no increase in energy or focus, and this time the 'pump effect' was barely noticeable. I did start sweating like crazy, but I'm not sure I would call that a benefit! I'm calling this one a no go for me. I get better short term results from Buzz Saw, and beta alanine alone is cheaper and gives great results. I will say that it mixes very well and tastes pretty good though.

[PTAaron]

I tried a few things today in addition to the naNO Vapor...

Product: Freak Fix from Muscle Asylum... Chocolate blackout flavor.
I had this as part of my "protein and high GI carb" shake today... so I added 2 scoops of dextrose/maltodextrin blend to it... but I have to say this was AWESOME! It looked like dirt when I poured it into my shaker because it was so dark - they aren't kidding about "chocolate blackout!" It mixed very quickly considering the small amount of water I put into it for the large amount of powder. Tasted really good. I would definitely consider this one if I were to stop buying in bulk from trueprotein.com
Here is a link: http://bodybuilding.com/store/map/freakfix.html
Definitely try this one if you get a chance!! I'm looking forward to trying out their other products - I think they have a pre-workout product and a fat burner that I have samples of as well.

==

Product: R3 from Hard Nutrition. This is an amino acid/recovery product.
I took this one right after my workout mixed in with my Waxy Maize and tri-creatine malate. The flavor was good when I drank it down - helped cancel out the creatine malate flavor... but the aftertaste was really nasty. I don't know if it was because of the mix it was in, or the product itself. Next time I will have it on its own. In this mix the aftertaste made me nauseous and took a long time to go away. I drank it right before hopping in the shower - actually I drank it in the shower... and I thought I was going to throw up the whole time I was taking my shower! I'll have to try this one on its own and see what it is really like.

Here is this product: http://bodybuilding.com/store/hard/rev.html

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Product: Redline Mini shot thing This is a little mini bottle... serving size is half of the tiny little bottle...
I tried this one at work tonight because I was drained... tasted pretty good, and within 10-15 minutes I felt more alert and started sweating like crazy. I'm pretty impressed with this little shot.

[eVolution]

Hey Aaron, I've been hearing some good stuff on 17-HD. Have you tried it out yet?

[PTAaron]

Hey Aaron, I've been hearing some good stuff on 17-HD. Have you tried it out yet?

Not yet. I don't think i have enough of it to make a real judgement on the effectiveness though... I believe I only have 2 doses of it.
I can give that a try next though.

Got a couple more to add tomorrow... no time tonight.

[KajedAnimal]

I tried the supp called Atro-Phex by BSN. It's supposed to be for energy and weight management. The directions said to just start out with one pill. Well I did the other day and pretty much didn't feel anything. So the next day I tried it again...same results. So today I took 2 of the pills. I felt slightly more alert but nothing too dramatic. I did recently start on new blood pressure meds so that could have something to do with the results. So if you do try them start with 2 pills and go from there.

[PTAaron]

Thanks Jake! I was curious about that one... I know Endorush from them is REALLY strong, so I wasn't sure about that one. I tried Arson yesterday... I will be trying more of it today before I make a judgement.

[KajedAnimal]

Product: Garbage Performance Beverage.
This is another one (like the one I posted earlier today) that I forgot to put on my list... oops! This is supposed to be an energy booster of some sort that you mix in a bottle of water and drink through the day. It tastes good... but I can't really say that I noticed any kind of a boost from it. I actually fell asleep while writing notes at work today after drinking it!!! I'm pretty sure it didn't work for me!

Here is info on the product: http://bodybuilding.com/store/gar/garbage.html

I took this supp yesterday and didn't feel anything either.

[PTAaron]

Been trying a bunch of things, but I haven't had a chance to type anything up...

The one that sticks out is Arson from Muscle Asylum Project. Definitely amps up the metabolism!
I'll be trying their "Altered State" pre-workout supplement Monday...

[KajedAnimal]

I tried something earlier and can't remember what it was now. It came in a light green packet that you are supposed to mix with water before a workout. It's not Garbage... I mixed it with my preworkout whey protein shake.

Whatever it was it worked great! I was really going for a while...but did a lot of sweating too.

[PTAaron]

Product: Altered State ... pre-workout product. This one is in pill form, so it is quick and easy to take.
I'll be honest - with this one I took the pills, then didn't get to the gym for almost 45 minutes because something I ate last night was giving me some serious trouble. It did help wake me up, but I only noticed a minor "pump" with it... of course that isn't what maters.

[PTAaron]

I also tried Arson again today... this stuff is awesome! I took it when I got to work... and I felt like I was on fire most of the morning! I kept having to get paper towels to wipe the sweat from my face and my arms!