5% Nutrition Rich Piana 51 50 Pre Workout Review
5% Nutrition Rich Piana 51 50 Pre Workout Review First Look:
I hadn’t played rugby for about 6 months.
The last time I had played it was on a rugby tour to Newcastle and I was constantly drunk from the start to the finish.
I was always dressed in women’s clothes too, so the last time I had touched a rugby ball was when I was wearing a dress, holding a can of beer and running around a pitch unsure of who I was.
Needless to say the thought of playing again filled me with nerves.
Obviously then, the thing to do would be hit the weights as hard as possible the night before and hope to some sort of rugby God that I wouldn’t feel to destroyed the next day when on the pitch.
That didn’t really workout for me.
I didn’t feel up to my physical peak on match day and I barely even touched the ball again.
I did manage to put some solid tackles in though reminiscent of the WWF which got me in to a bit of trouble with the referee.
However, the night before I was feeling tired after a week of work but had a free Friday evening so my plan was to hit the weights then pick up my girlfriend who was out with friends for dinner and drinks.
That meant I had a fairly small window of opportunity to get the weights done.
I was not feeling too confident about lifting a great deal but I mixed the sachet with water and necked it in the hope it would help…and it did.
The taste and mix-ability was superb and I loved every last drop.
However, pre workout supplements cannot be rated on taste alone so, read on and discover my inner most thoughts…
Ingredients:
RELATED: We’ve tried and tested the best pre-workout supplement HERE!
Choline BiTartrate – Choline is mostly used for either its cognitive boosting properties or as a liver health agent, able to reduce fatty liver buildup.
It may also be a stimulant although this is based on anecdote. Requires around 250-500mg per day for cognitive benefits.
Choline does not offer any significant benefits for aerobic capacity, fatigue or training capacity.
https://examine.com/supplements/choline/
Synephrine – This increases fat oxidation rate whilst reducing carbohydrate oxidation rate during low to moderate exercise.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27038225
Tyrosine – Tyrosine is taken for depression, attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the inability to stay awake (narcolepsy), and improving alertness following sleep deprivation.
It is also used for stress, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS).
Acetyl Tyrosine is a more soluble form of tyrosine.
https://examine.com/supplements/l-tyrosine/
Taurine – It has been touted that Taurine can help mental performance.
Early clinical research suggested that taurine, in combination with caffeine, glucuronolactone, and B vitamins, can improve attention and reasoning in adolescents, but does not improve memory.
However, there is insufficient evidence to prove this is always the case.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1024-taurine.aspx?activeingredientid=1024
L-Citrulline – This is used as a sports performance and cardiovascular health supplement. L-Citrulline supplementation results in reduced fatigue and improved endurance for both aerobic and anaerobic prolonged exercise.
An increase in growth hormone has been noted with exercise, but not at rest.
L-citrulline boosts nitric oxide production in the body. Nitric oxide helps your arteries relax and work better, which improves blood flow throughout your body.
Supplementing can help lower blood pressure in people with pre-hypertension.
This is often found in the best pre workouts.
To supplement L-citrulline to enhance sports performance, take 6,000 – 8,000 mg of citrulline malate about an hour before exercise.
https://examine.com/supplements/citrulline/
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/l-citrulline-uses-and-risks#1
Niacin (B3) – Higher amounts of niacin can improve cholesterol levels and lower cardiovascular risks. However, the jury is out on these real benefits.
https://examine.com/supplements/vitamin-b3/
Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) – Gives you more energy and boost your metabolism, helping you shed unwanted pounds. Ensure you are not deficient in Vitamin B12 so you can do that quick 10 miler at 5am…
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/vitamin-b12-cobalamin
Beta-alanine – Supplementation of this non essential amino acid aids the production of carnosine. That’s a compound that plays a role in muscle endurance in high-intensity exercise.
That said, studies have not exactly been positive nor entirely conclusive.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1222-beta-alanine.aspx?activeingredientid=1222&activeingredientname=beta-alanine
Caffeine – It stimulates the central nervous system (CNS), heart, muscles, and the centers that control blood pressure to give you an extra boost and hit that PB.
Caffeine Anhydrous is the purest form of caffeine so always look out for it.
This is found in 4 Gauge which is the best pre-workout.
It is also found in Instant Knockout which is the best fat burner available at present.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-979-caffeine.aspx?activeingredientid=979
Higenamine – Data shows an increase in energy expenditure and kilocalorie expenditure. It also results in a moderate increase in heart rate and systolic blood pressure similar to caffeine.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24139127
Yohimbe – Related to Yohimbine, Yohimbe is a powerful stimulant and used to increase fat loss as well as assist with erectile dysfunction. Can cause a host of other problems though, this is in our supplements to avoid list.
Supplementation with yohimbine combined with resistance training does not significantly alter the body mass, muscle mass, or performance indicators.
https://examine.com/supplements/yohimbine/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17214405
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-759-YOHIMBE.aspx?activeIngredientId=759&activeIngredientName=YOHIMBE&source=2
Hordenine – Technically Hordenine can be used as a stimulant and fat burner due to its associated with tyramine and noradrenaline, but not enough evidence exists currently to support its usage as nutritional supplementation.
https://examine.com/supplements/hordenine/
Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) – Shown to be hypocholesterolemic, hepatoprotective, central nervous system stimulant, diuretic, and to benefit the cardiovascular system.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18034743
Dicaffeine Malate – Caffeine and Malic Acid bonded. Malic acid is found in apples and the two combined help prevent the crash once the caffeine has worn off.
This is found in Mr. Hyde Cutz but very little in terms of scientific studies to be found.
Rauwolfia – Studies show that it appears to be a safe and effective treatment for hypertension when used in appropriate low doses.
However, some adverse side effects such as lethargy, sedation, psychiatric depression, hypotension, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, gastric ulceration, nightmares, bradycardia, angina-like symptoms, bronchospasm, skin rash, itching, galactorrhea, breast enlargement, sexual dysfunction, and withdrawal psychosis are not uncommon.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4566472/
Theobromine – Theobromine can reduce sleepiness and in large quantities produces a jittery sensation.
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/podcast/CIIEcompounds/transcripts/theobromine.asp
Paullinia Cupana (AKA Guarana) – Studies note that 75mg guarana (9mg caffeine) was able to enhance cognitive scores related to memory and reaction time with a subsequent dose-response study noting that 75mg was more effective than higher (150-300mg) and lower (37.5mg) doses.
https://examine.com/supplements/paullinia-cupana/
Green Coffee Bean – Green coffee beans are coffee beans that have not yet been roasted. These coffee beans contain a higher amount of the chemical chlorogenic acid.
For weight loss, chlorogenic acid in green coffee is thought to affect how the body handles blood sugar and metabolism. This is found in our favorite fat burner, Instant Knockout.
https://examine.com/supplements/Green+Coffee+Extract/
Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) – A legendary plant in China and Indonesia that as been used for many ailments, and may be good for syphilis, however, nothing to do with reducing fat.
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/gotu-kola
N-methylphenylethanolamine (Halostachine) – Stimulates the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline into the bloodstream. This help increase alertness, focus, and energy.
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Halostachine#section=3D-Conformer
Dose:
1 sachet before training.
This is a combined amount of 10,560.1mg.
This isn’t much at all and is quite a bit less than some pre workouts which offer up to and over 20g.
It did taste very nice though and I didn’t feel too bloated.
Benefits & Effects:
Caffeine is a great stimulant that can effect the CNS which controls muscle and heart stimulation.
Higenamine offers similar stimulatory effects as caffeine.
Yerba Mate is a cardiovascular system protector.
Choline BiTartrate offers cognitive boosting abilities but does not effect athletic performance at all.
Synephrine is used as a fat burner and found in like for like supplements.
Tyrosine can help you stay more alert, particularly if you are deprived of sleep.
Citrulline has a number of great benefits and is found in products such as 4GAUGE which we rate as the best pre workout, however, you need at least 6,000mg for it to be effective and this falls short by 2,000mg.
B12 is great for energy production as well as boosting your metabolism. Often found in fat burners such as Instant Knockout.
Yohimbe is a powerful stimulant, that said it does not offer any benefit to physical performance. It is also quite a risky ingredient which can cause a number of potential health issues such as high blood pressure and even a stroke.
On an initial glance, Rauwolfia may seem beneficial but it also can cause some unwanted side effects which can range from a skin rash to psychosis in extreme circumstances.
Theobromine is able to reduce sleepiness which is beneficial.
Guarana can be beneficial in the correct dose of around 75mg but this falls within the proprietary blend which means we do not know how much is included.
Green Coffee bean is another great fat burning ingredients and is found in Instant Knockout which is the best fat burner.
Halostachine is able to increase alertness, levels of energy and focus.
How Did It Feel?
The initial hit was good and strong.
I felt charged and ready to hit the gym and go mental.
However, it didn’t seem to last long and my first 15 minutes of glory weren’t replicated thereafter and I felt a bit flat during the second half of my workout.
Video:
Negatives:
Part of this supplement consists of a proprietary blend.
This means we have no idea of how much of each ingredient is included in that blend. This is important because some ingredients such as Guarana are dose sensitive.
This is also a bit under dosed compared to the best pre workout supplements.
While Yohimbe is a powerful stimulant and fat burning ingredient, it can cause such a lot of health issues I am always wary of trying a supplement which contains it.
Beta-Alanine is yet to offer any proof that it can be of any benefit.
Niacin doesn’t seem to be able to offer the cardiovascular benefits it is renowned for.
Citrulline is too under dosed to be of any use and offer the benefits it can at levels of 6000-8000mg.
Horedenine doesn’t seem to offer any evidence that it is effective as a stimulant nor fat burner ingredient.
DiCaffeine Malate is supposed to help prevent a crash after Caffeine has worn off, yet no evidence can prove this.
Rauwolfia while it seems to be great for us can cause some horrendous complications.
Theobromine can cause jitters if too much is taken.
Unfortunately the benefits associated with Gotu appear to be from ye old folk lore of years gone by, not by science.
5% Nutrition Rich Piana 51 50 Pre Workout Review Conclusion:
This pre workout from 5% Nutrition offers a large number of different ingredients, quite a lot of which can offer some great benefits.
However, there’s a few issues which then limit its effectiveness.
This is down to insufficient doses which then renders some of the ingredients useless.
To include such a beneficial ingredient such as Citrulline and then dose it 2,000mg too little for it to offer any benefit seems like a rather large and important oversight.
To then include a coupe of ingredients that can potentially cause health problems is also too much of a risk.
Then there are ingredients that have no scientific proof that they can be of benefit to us.
To top it all off, half of the ingredients fall within a secretive proprietary blend which conceals exactly how much of each ingredient has been included, this is no good when there are dose sensitive ingredients in there.
My experience was not the best either with any effects I had felt wearing off after about 25 minutes and half way through my gym session leaving me feeling flat and lackadaisical.
There is a better product than this that will get you fired up and cause hell in your chosen sport.
Score:
2/5
