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

Olimp Sport Nutrition KNOCKOUT 2.0 Pre Workout First Look:

Today is a big day. I have not played rugby since Christmas time due to many other things happening in the world of me.

I have done no cardio and baring in mind that a game of rugby is 80 minutes of constant running around this lack of training my sufficiently bite me rudely in the ass. Big time.

I have been trying to squeeze in weightlifting sessions but I stupidly reduced the weight over the same period and increased the volume thinking it may help my battered joints but it did fuck all.

I have now reverted back to the heavier stuff and fewer reps. I feel better for it already and I have only done 1 session.

I have already tried a pre workout by Olimp before and wasn’t impressed.  In fact it was terrible so I am hoping for a better performance today because I will need as much help as I can get.

This also comes in the shape of my new X Blades boots with custom TJ embroidery…poseur.

What seems to differ with this pre workout from Olimp is the far fewer number of ingredients.  This may work in its favor…

Ingredients:

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 been small and not entirely conclusive.

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1222-beta-alanine.aspx?activeingredientid=1222&activeingredientname=beta-alanine

Bet a Alanine does give many users that tingly/itchy feeling. Some love it, others hate it.

I think it is best described at Chillblains – i.e when you go in to a warm room after your hands have been exposed to the cold and they start to feel itchy.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3491570/

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

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

Cayenne Pepper – The hot and spicy taste of cayenne pepper comes from capsaicin, a compound found in many hot peppers. Capsaicin is known to boost metabolism, causing the body to produce extra heat and burn more calories for fuel. This is found in our favorite fat burner Instant Knockout.

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/cayenne

BioPerine – The extract of piperine, called BioPerine®  in the patented form, has been clinically tested in the United States. BioPerine®  significantly enhances the bioavailability of various supplement nutrients through increased absorption.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/961912

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.

https://examine.com/supplements/citrulline/

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.

This may assist with any impotency issues that are not helping you attain that hot chick in the gym who is 15 years your junior, but only if you have 5g a day!

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

Dose:

1 sachet with water which is a medocre 6100mg.

It is Bubble Blow flavor which sounds like something you would find on Porn Hub…

Effects:

Caffeine is found in many supplements, however, not usually in the purest form as found here. Caffeine is probably the most popular and widely used stimulant in the Western world.

Citrulline is good at reducing fatigue and promoting an increase in growth hormone while you are exercising.

Beta-Alanine can help with muscle endurance, although not entirely proven. It does feel a little that the tingly sensation from beta-Alanine does take over and become a diversionary tactic.

Arginine can increase blood flow, but I think you would require to at least double dose to feel the benefits.

I do like the inclusion of Bioperine which helps with processing and absorbing the ingredients.

So how did it feel?

Considering I hadn’t played rugby or done any cardio for over 3 months I managed to sustain the whole 80 minutes.

The taste was nice enough and I gulped it down just before we headed out on to the pitch and I didn’t feel bloated at all which is positive. There’s nothing worse than feeling like you have just eaten a 3 course meal and trying to run full bore in to people.

I did feel energized and tingly. The tingly feeling went on for a long period of time but then again I wasn’t sure if this was the beta alanine of the friction burn from the ground in to my face…

Overall it felt good and was a helpful way back in to the game considering all of my shortcomings.

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

Negatives:

Taurine may not always produce good effects. Nor is Beta Alanine absolutely conclusive  according to some of the studies conducted.

Cayenne is a slightly odd ingredient to have here when it is more commonly found in fat burner supplements. That said, it still has benefits and can help speed up your metabolism due to the thermogenic properties.

It does seem that to experience the most of Arginine a dose of at least 5000mg is required and we are only given 1100mg which is a bit of a shortcoming.

It is missing some key ingredients that are seen in other re workouts such as sodium and coconut water which acts just as well as an isotonic sports drink to re-hydrate, and I didn’t feel particularly hydrated using this.

It is also missing ingredients such as potassium which can help prevent cramp and there’s nothing to increase nitric oxide.

Olimp Sport Nutrition KNOCKOUT 2.0 Pre Workout Review Conclusion:

While this is not the best pre workout available on the market it is not bad. There are some shockers like that from MRI called Black Powder that seemed to have no effect on me whatsoever.

This energized me and had me running around the rugby pitch for what seemed like a lifetime (I was begging for the whistle to blow for full time).

The tingly sensation is nice but it doesn’t actually really mean it is helping you. It just makes you think you are able to perform better…a bit like a fart can on a Civic.

The problem is, compared to some other pre workout this is lacking in further useful ingredients that would offer a more complete formula.

So while it is not useless, it just isn’t as good. However, much better than its brethren.

Score:

3/5