VMI Sports KRUSH IT Black Series Pre Workout Review
VMI Sports KRUSH IT Black Series Pre Workout Review First Look:
I have just sold me pickup truck tonight which will be exported to Zimbabwe.
I was meeting the buyer from the local train station at around 21:45. So that meant I had to rush home after work on my bicycle in to a bastard headwind (the devils own twatting annoying shit) then quickly grab something to eat, neck this pre workout so I had the energy to smash up some bench press, shrugs, cable rows and seated rows.
Everything was rushed, I wanted to do some squats but I planned on cycling back after selling the truck so didn’t want jelly legs.
When I got home I decided to eat 1,1lbs of turkey mince with just mustard. I felt sick after that and quickly went for a shit.
Then I poured the contents of this sachet in to my shaker and realized that it is ecto spunk flavor, whatever that is I am not too sure.
Not sounding, looking or smelling too appetizing especially after the turkey I forced it down my neck.
It wasn’t too bad, still no idea what it was supposed to taste like though.
Anyway, I needed a hit, I needed to to fuck around between sets talking jibberish to my cat then get the truck and meet this guy.
So, is Krush It appealing on a first impression?
I am not too sure. It looks quite mental, a bit like the products from 5% Nutrition do, but they also seem to be associated with big men in vests who also have those big, thick earring type jewelry stuff going on which basically reminds me of a big gay bear club scene.
Yes, it is hardcore, but not in the way I would like personally.
Ingredients:
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
Calcium – Results show that training results in increased testosterone levels in athletes and that the increase is greater if accompanied by calcium supplementation.
However, calcium supplements are also known to increase artery plaque which in the long term can cause cardiovascular problems.
Read more about that, here.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19099204
Salt (sodium) – An essential mineral; its consumption is critical to our health. However, Americans plus a lot of Western countries do consume double the recommended daily intake.
Excess sodium may not raise blood pressure, but it is associated with other health issues, such as kidney damage and an increased risk of cognitive decline.
https://examine.com/nutrition/awful-nutrition-myths/
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
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
Theobromine – Theobromine can reduce sleepiness and in large quantities produces a jittery sensation.
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/podcast/CIIEcompounds/transcripts/theobromine.asp
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.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-979-caffeine.aspx?activeingredientid=979
Choline Bitartrate – Taking Choline orally does not seem to improve athletic performance or reduce the symptoms of fatigue during exercise.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-436-choline.aspx?activeingredientid=436&
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.
Picamilon (nicotinyl-gamma-aminobutyric acid, nicotinyl-GAB, pikatropin, pikamilon) – Picamilon is used as a prescription drug in Russia for a variety of neurological conditions. It is not approved as a drug in the U.S.
https://www.fda.gov/Food/DietarySupplements/ProductsIngredients/ucm472881.htm
It is used for promoting lean muscle growth, burning fat, stabilizing blood pressure, and relieving pain.
No real evidence to prove it does though.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-464-GABA%20GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC%20ACID.aspx?activeIngredientId=464&activeIngredientName=GABA%20GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC%20ACID
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/
Dose:
One sachet of this green citrus tangerine flavored powder amounts to 8600mg which is fairly low and insubstantial amount.
The taste was interesting, that’s all I can say. It wasn’t unpleasant though.
Video Review:
Effects & Benefits:
Caffeine is probably the most well known ingredient found in here and its ability to give you a buzz and some energy is renowned, most used by people who work long hours or are hungover.
Beta-Alanine does nothing other than provide a tingling sensation which makes you think your veins are coursing with energy.
B12 can help give you energy and sodium will replace lost, vital salts which you will have secreted through sweating.
Theobromine can help keep you awake so you do not nod off on the sofa when you get home after work and use your time more usefully.
READ: Read about our favorite pre workout that turned me in to a beast on the rugby pitch
How did it feel?
I didn’t really feel much if I am honest. That is probably due to the low overall dose and the proprietary blend which means we may only get trace amounts of each ingredient listed on the ingredients panel.
I felt a bit of the Beta-Alanine but only momentarily, however, that tingling sensation quickly wore off.
Negatives:
Beta-Alanine offers little more other than a tingling sensation and I didn’t even experience that with this whereas I normally feel a sensation with most other pre workout supplements, that means we obviously get very little with this.
Taurine hasn’t been proven to increase mental performance even though we see it included in lots of supplements.
If supplemented regularly and over a long period of time, Calcium as a supplement can increase artery plaque which narrows the arteries meaning it is harder to pump blood around your body. This also can increase blood pressure and eventually in extreme cases cause cardio vascular problems which may result in death.
Too much Sodium isn’t good for us either and Western diets seem to be laden with sodium so you and I probably consume far too much as it is.
The benefits to Choline BiTartrate and Dicaffeine Malate are yet to be proven in testing.
Picamilon isn’t even approved as a drug by the FDA in the USA and any benefits offered for strength and performance are not proven.
Rauwolfia has shown to help lower blood pressure levels, however, there is a list of potential side effects longer than my short, stumpy 30 inch legs.
This is also a proprietary blend, that means the ingredients are not broken down in to their individual amounts, that means only trace amounts can be included butt hey are allowed to list their presence.
VMI Sports KRUSH IT Black Series Pre Workout Review Conclusion:
So, how is this as a pre workout?
Well, there’s a few beneficial ingredients present such as Caffeine, B12 and Theobromine.
However, we are then showered with many ingredients that either offer no proven benefit or actually can dose us with a host of unwanted side effects that can be quite dangerous.
When I used it, apart from feeling a little bit of the Beta-Alanaine I felt no other sensation or benefit from the Caffeine.
This is not a supplement that I would wish to use before training or playing rugby, it just doesn’t work well enough and I am not too keen on the possible side effects.
The proprietary blend also makes me lose trust in the product before even trying it. It is just a way to conceal how much or as little it contains.
That said, there’s an ingredient shared with the best performing pre workout supplements which you can read about further, here.
Score:
1/5
