Serious Sports Nutrition RAPID FIRE Pre Workout Review
Serious Sports Nutrition RAPID FIRE Pre Workout Review First Look:
I really couldn’t be assed to hit the weights tonight.
I have a house full of shit that I have done nothing with over the past month because I have been hungover every weekend.
I have a office party tomorrow night then a 4 hour drive to a friends wedding for the Saturday and you can bet your bottom dollar I will be hungover to shit on the Sunday so nothing else will get done either.
However, instead of sorting anything out and trying to plan this house renovation I have sat down, went to the grocery store, stroked the cat then though I may as well hit chest, shoulders and back.
So, I just had to try another pre workout supplement.
This time it is in the guise of SSN Rapid Fire. The little blue sachet promised much, as per usual.
Yet the sachet is so small you could almost use it as a postage stamp…which is a legal tender. You could pay for a bus journey with it.
Speaking of bus journeys, I have to be up early tomorrow because I will be catching the bus in to work as I will be drunk AF in the evening and I ain’t cycling home in that state, therefore I need to hurry up with this…
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 not exactly been positive nor entirely conclusive.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1222-beta-alanine.aspx?activeingredientid=1222&activeingredientname=beta-alanine
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&
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
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
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
1,3-Dimethylamylamine (DMAA) – 1,3-DMAA is a neural stimulant with a structure similar to Ephedrine and adrenaline that has been used as a pre-workout stimulant.
Not much information is available on 1,3-DMAA supplementation, and is no longer commonly sold as a supplement.
Because it is structurally similar to amphetamine it can cause false readings for doping tests and should not be used by competitive athletes.
https://examine.com/supplements/1,3-dimethylamylamine/
Theobromine – Theobromine can reduce sleepiness and in large quantities produces a jittery sensation.
http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/podcast/CIIEcompounds/transcripts/theobromine.asp
Schizandrol/Schizandra – This herb appears to improve concentration, speed of thinking and even attention.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-376-SCHISANDRA.aspx?activeIngredientId=376&activeIngredientName=SCHISANDRA
Dose:
One sachet of this peach and mango flavored pre workout consists of just 3520mg which is very low compared to other supplements.
The taste was a little odd although it mixed well and I drank it with no issues.
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.
Citrulline and Arginine dilate the blood vessels which means more nutrients and oxygen can be pumped around your organs quickly and easily feeding your muscles. This also means waste products can abe transported away more quickly too.
Creatine is probably one of the supplement worlds’ most reliable products, to this day it is great to increase muscle strength and size.
Theobromine is able to keep you awake and Schizandrol can improve concentration and focus.
READ: Read about our favorite pre workout that turned me in to a beast on the rugby pitch
How did it feel?
I felt a little bit of the Beta-Alanine, but not for long and not a great deal.
I didn’t feel anymore awake than usual as specially for a late night workout session that I am almost used to by now.
However, much later on I did feel a bit jittery.
I get the impression much of this product and its ingredients have been ruined by the proprietary blend and due to it being woefully underdosed.
Negatives:
This is a proprietary blend, that means while we know there’s 3520mg of combined ingredients we have no idea what the breakdown is per ingredient. We could merely have trace amounts for some and larger quantities for other. It is a gamble and a scam.
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.
Normal daily supplementation of Creatine is 5000 – 10000mg, whereas the total combined ingredients are much less.
This is the same for both Citrulline and Arginine which both require in excess of what we have in total here to be effective and offer any benefit.
This is the main problem with this pre workout, it is far too underdosed. There are some good, proven and effective ingredient but we’re not informed how much of each is included and the total is way too low anyway.
Serious Sports Nutrition RAPID FIRE Pre Workout Review Conclusion:
I always lose trust in a product that consists of a proprietary blend of ingredients.
That’s because we just do not know how much of each ingredient is included. It can literally be just trace amounts but because there is a trace it can be listed on the ingredients panel. This promotes a culture of dishonesty.
However, the included ingredients, trace amounts or not, are actually good and could potentially be effective…but only is dosed appropriately and they just aren’t with this.
I felt very little in my use except for a slight and short tingling sensation plus being a little bit jittery after I had finished my workout.
The basis is correct, the execution is all wrong though.
Take a look at the best rated pre workouts, here.
Score:
2/5
