My Iron Horse Series SHOW TIME Sting V 3.0 Pre Workout Review
My Iron Horse Series SHOW TIME Sting V 3.0 Pre Workout Review First Look:
What do you normally take before a workout?
I used to just have a coffee and Ramen noodles. In Fact, I still have the noodles as I find them very easy to digest and prevent stomach upset.
However, for my weights sessions and indeed when I was playing rugby, I wanted something else.
I wanted an extra kick so I could focus more on the task in hand and feel a surge of energy to get my through the session.
As my weight session happen mainly late at night, I do find it hard to find the motivation in order to head in to my gym beneath my sitting room and put in a new PB.
As a result, I have been trialing lots of different products to see which works the best.
To my surprise, many really do not offer any benefit at all.
It’s merely a flavored powder and lots of ingredients that can help mimic the feelings of power and increased blood flow.
Many ingredients are neither proven nor tested on humans which can be unsafe and a waste of money.
So, looking at this sachet from Iron Horse Series I have a little trepidation wondering if it really will help me with my deadlifts…especially after a long 9 miles, up hill cycle home.
Ingredients: The Science
Arginine-alpha-ketoglutarate (AAKG):
Tests on supplementation draw no real benefit that would not be found from resistance training itself.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21813912
L-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).
https://examine.com/supplements/l-tyrosine/
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
Huperzine A – Some research shows that taking huperzine A by mouth for 4 weeks improves the memory older children and teenagers who complain of memory problems.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-764-huperzine%20a.aspx?activeingredientid=764&activeingredientname=huperzine%20a
Bitter Orange (Citrus Aurantium) – At present, Citrus aurantium may be the best thermogenic substitute for ephedra.
However, more studies are needed to establish this definitively.
Bitter orange is possibly unsafe when taken as a supplement for a medical purpose such as weight loss.
Bitter orange, particularly when taken with stimulants such as caffeine or caffeine-containing herbs, increases the risk for high blood pressure, fainting, heart attack, stroke, and other severe side effects.
There are reports that bitter orange can trigger headaches, including migraine and cluster headaches, in some people.
Bitter orange can cause sensitivity to the sun.
Wear sunblock outside, especially if you are light-skinned.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12939122
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/grp/2011/382852/
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/
Thiamine (Vitamin B1) – Thiamine is required by our bodies to properly use carbohydrates.
Some research suggests that taking thiamine together with pantethine and pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) does not improve muscle strength or endurance in athletes.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-965-thiamine%20vitamin%20b1.aspx?activeingredientid=965&activeingredientname=thiamine%20vitamin%20b1
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
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
Schisandra (Schisandrin) – This is used for increasing both physical and mental performance.
However, no research studies would suggest that it can help physical performance but mental performance can be improved.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-376-SCHISANDRA.aspx?activeIngredientId=376&activeIngredientName=SCHISANDRA
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
L-carnitine – Acetyl-L-carnitine helps the body produce energy. It is important for heart and brain function, muscle movement, and many other body processes.
http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/carnitine-lcarnitine
Magnesium – Research into magnesium supplementation also increased testosterone production in men.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20352370
Vitamin B6 – Using it in its most natural form, pyridoxine, B6 is an essential nutrient to raising the body’s metabolism and aiding the fat burning process.
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/
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
N-methyltyramine (NMT) – This compound is largely unstudied and therefore the limited knowledge is really based on tests from animals and rodents.
Studies do show that it inhibits fat breakdown, but being a stimulant it may just suppress appetite. Not really conclusive though.
Stohs SJ, Hartman MJ. A Review of the Receptor Binding and Pharmacological Effects of N-methyltyramine. Phytother Res. 2015 Jan;29(1):14-6.
Dose:
The sachet is 10g.
However, a serving is only half of that which means we have a lackluster 5g.
This is about a third of what I would really like considering the amounts we get with other pre workouts that have proven to be effective. 
Pros:
Obviously I double dropped and took the full sachet.
Not long after doing so I felt a tingling sensation in my forehead area and I felt like I was ‘zoning’ in a bit more and becoming more focused.
My stomach didn’t feel entirely settled though…
However, with eleven beneficial ingredients included I was looking to let me stomach just deal with it and crack on with my gym session.
There’s a host of B vitamins which will always helps with required, important bodily function. A lack of B vitamins through poor diet or massive fluid loss will not allow your body to operate effectively.
B vitamins also convert food to energy so you can plow through that gym session.
Magnesium also improves testosterone production but this mineral is vital for muscle and cell function.
Tyrosine can also benefit by improving cognitive function and alertness when tired.
Caffeine is a widely popular stimulant used in many pre workouts formulas and fat burners for its thermogenic and energizing effects.
I haven’t really come across Schisandra prior to this supplement but it seems to be able to improve mental performance. Any physical benefits have yet to be proved.
Carnitine is present which is great for producing energy plus vital for other bodily functions.
Guarana is also good for mental performance, this is dosed slightly higher than is deemed optimal at 100mg per serving instead of the 75mg that is suggested.
Huperzine is also seen to improve memory performance, while Yerba Mate is able to stimulate the central nervous system and benefit the cardiovascular system.
READ: Read about our favorite pre workout that turned me in to a beast on the rugby pitch
How did it feel?
I felt the initial tingly sensation as is the case with Beta-Alanine, but this seemed to be focused around my forehead area which I have never experienced before.
I did then feel extremely positive and was eager to go and lift some tin.
Initially when I had got home I felt lackadaisical and quite unmotivated but after drinking this pre workout I was raring to go.
The taste was good too.
Video:
Cons:
There are a number of ingredients that do not actually offer any proven benefits, or at least to hammer through your exercise regime.
The overall daily dose isn’t great either, and remember, I double dropped so had two doses at once for maximum effect.
Plus there is Bitter Orange present which can actually cause cardiovascular problems not to mention high blood pressure and even sensitivity to the sun.
My Iron Horse Series SHOW TIME Sting V 3.0 Pre Workout Review Conclusion:
I actually enjoyed taking this supplement from Iron Horse Series.
This is much better than their previous effort that I had sampled a while ago.
I felt good on the weights, I felt like I could power through and this also raised my encouragement and desire to get in to my damp, dank and cold basement gym which can be quite a challenge in itself after a full day at work and cycling a total of 16 miles.
Sure, this isn’t perfect, there’s still a number of unproven ingredients that seem to not really offer any benefit, it is a smaller dose than I would have liked and there is Bitter Orange included which is a gamble with health.
That said, this performs much better than about 90% of the other pre workout supplements on the market.
This is a nice surprise, but there are still better rated pre workouts, here.
