T E S T O S T E R O N E J U N K I E

Athlete Certified Nutrition Pump & Grow Pre Workout Review First Look:

I have loads going on at the moment.

Work, blog, training, training for the Army Reserves, new house which is not new at all and built in 1900 which means lots to sort out around there too.

So I am finding it somewhat difficult manage my time appropriately. As a result, when you are hitting the gym you want less poncing around and more action.

I take these pre workouts at the moment to limit my poncing and maximize my efforts.

However, not all are equal.

Some are absolute dog shit and have no effectiveness whatsoever, and some, on the other hand can blow your head off.

I prefer the more effective latter.

This is called ‘PUMP & GROW’, so I am expecting big things, particularly as it also refers to the product being physician formulated.

That alone hooked me in harder than a prossie in Amsterdam.

Ingredients:

Acacia Catechu – It is thought that catechu may contain chemicals that can decrease inflammation and kill bacteria.

Very little evidence available though.

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-394-catechu.aspx?activeingredientid=394&activeingredientname=catechu

Theobromine – Theobromine can reduce sleepiness and in large quantities produces a jittery sensation.

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/podcast/CIIEcompounds/transcripts/theobromine.asp

L-Arginine – This is found in many pre workout supplements or products designed to make you more vascular.

L-Arginine opens up the blood vessels and arteries to assist with blood flow, nothing really to do with testosterone but may assist with any impotency issues that are not helping you attain that hot chick in the gym who is 15 years your junior.

However, you will require 5g per day alone!

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-875-larginine.aspx?activeingredientid=875&

Betaine (trimethylglycine) – This has been recommended as a compound that will increase athletic performance.

However, results from studies have been quite unreliable thus far of Betaine.

A dose of 12500mg has been linked to increased power output, very minimal increase of workout volume and slight endurance. Then again studies have showed no increase of any of the aforementioned parameters.

https://examine.com/supplements/trimethylglycine/

Vitamin C – Its antioxidant properties mean vitamin C provides neuroprotective effects and benefits for blood flow. By protecting the testes from oxidative stress, vitamin C can also preserve testosterone levels.

https://examine.com/supplements/vitamin-c/

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

L-ornithine-L-aspartate (LOLA) – 1000mg per day in excessive metabolic demand, growth, pregnancy, or urea cycle enzyme deficiencies, these amino acids need to be supplemented with the food.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20642112

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

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/

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

Creatine – A well regarded supplement overall!

Supplementation increases creatine storage and promotes a faster regeneration of adenosine triphosphate between high intensity exercises.

These improved outcomes will increase performance and promote greater training adaptations.

http://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-9-33

http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/creatine.html

N-dimethylphenethylamine (Eria Jarensis Extract) – Touted as the next big thing, however, there are no real supporting studies available to support this claim.

The only information about this plant extract is available on websites whereby they have an interest in making it sound great because that would lead to sales.

http://actachemscand.org/pdf/acta_vol_08_p1599-1606.pdf

Hemerocallis Fulva (Orange Daylily) – Considered to possess anti-depressant, anti-oxidant, and lipolytic properties, although these effects have yet to be confirmed in human studies.

Lin, S., et al. (2013). The Antidepressant-like Effect of Ethanol Extract of Daylily Flowers ( Jīn Zhēn Huā) in Rats. J Tradit Complement Med. 3(1):53-61.

Lin, Y. L., Lu, C. K., Huang, Y. J., & Chen, H. J. (2011). Antioxidative caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoids from Hemerocallis fulva flowers. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 59(16), 8789-8795.

Mori, S., Takizawa, M., Satou, M., Sakasai, M., Kusuoku, H., Nojiri, H., Yoshizuka, N., et al. (2009). Enhancement of lipolytic responsiveness of adipocytes by novel plant extract in rat. Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.), 234(12), 1445-1449.

Naringenin – Naringenin seems to cause minor changes in metabolic processes in the testes of rats.

However, it has no significant impact on the synthesis of androgens.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15638394

Rhodiola rosea – Can protect against cognitive deficits, neuronal injury and oxidative stress, can also be used as a potential agent in treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. This is found in our favorite Nootropic.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19950527_wp_link_placeholder

Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) – Studies have shown that treatment with Ashwagandha root extract resulted in a higher level of testosterone and a concomitant increase in serum levels of LH among infertile men having sub-optimal testosterone levels.

It’s difficult to see if the same result would be found with guys who do not have any fertility issues. So the question is, are you infertile?

If you’ve been banging your missus (or even your mistress, we shouldn’t be even talking if you have smashed your sister) unprotected and have miraculously not had a sprog you probably are infertile…sorry to break that to you, bro.

However, you are probably in look because only 12% of men throughout the whole world are infertile, and even then, that is a generous estimate by the World Health Authority.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3863556/

Isopropylnorsynephrine – This is able to break down fats more effectively than citrus aurantium with little adverse effects.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21336650

Dose:

The sachet I had was blue raspberry.

There’s a total of 9000mg which is about 40% of what we really have come to expect.

It mixed well with water and tasted vile. It was an odd color and I found it hard to drink.

Video:

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.

Creatine is a well renowned supplement which can help improve strength and performance.

Theobromine helps reduce sleepiness when you are tired, perfect for when you have raced home to hit the gym after work.

Arginine, Ornithine and Betaine can be beneficial but only if dosed correctly.

Vitamin C has antioxidant effects and can help preserve testosterone levels.

B12 not only helps with energy but also increases the metabolism which will helps shed fat.

Rhodiola is often found in nootropics for its cognitive function benefits.

Ashwagandha can help increase testosterone levels if you are one of the 12% infertile men in the world.

Isopropylnorsynephrine appears to be a fat burning ingredient that possesses very little negative effects.

READ: Read about our favorite pre workout that turned me in to a beast on the rugby pitch

How did it feel?

Not great. The problem I think is that, as mentioned in the video, there’s too many ingredients and not enough weight.

This means that many ingredients that are dose sensitive do not have an effect in such low doses.

I only felt Caffeine.

Negatives:

From using this, I felt nothing other than Caffeine.

This is definitely due to the low overall dose.

There’s Arginine, Ornithine and Betaine which are all provided below doses required.

Even Creatine is a miserly amount which means you would need to supplement more each day to have a positive effect on performance.

Then there’s ingredients such as:

• Acacia
• B3
• Hordenine
• Beta-alanine
• Eria Jarensis
• Hemerocallis
• Narinjen
• Ashwagandha

All of which are barely, if at all conclusive in their benefits to improve energy and power.

Athlete Certified Nutrition Pump & Grow Pre Workout Review Conclusion:

To summarize, this is dosed too low. It also has too many ingredients.

There’s at least 4 ingredients here that are present but not in values that are effective or offer any benefit.

Then there’s a further 8 ingredients that have no evidence to prove that they will offer any benefit at all.

Plus, I felt barely anything, just the Caffeine when I was working out and that can be replaced with a couple of strong espresso’s quite frankly.

We have listed the top 3 performing pre workout supplements which you can read about further, here.

Score:

1/5