Diet, Nutrition and SupplementationPost here for supplement reviews or nutritional advice. If you're trying to get "ripped abz" THIS is where you should be.
I'm goin off to college in a week and was looking to purchase some supps before I head off. I was looking at the t-nation products at http://www.t-nation.com/category.jsp...eNo=1&s=splash and found a few that interested me and was wondering if anyone had previously used any of them and could give some insight if you saw benefits or not or if there are better products elsewhere.
The supps that caught my eye were Caffeine-Free Spike, Flameout, Rez-V, ZMA, Micronized German Creatine, Power Drive, and Metabolic Drive.
Any info on any or results with any would be great. Thanks.
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I skipped the fish oil syrup this morning, but I used BCAA creamer in my coffee. Hopefully that will compensate enough to prevent muscle loss.-RedLefty
lol
They're all good products (with the possible exception of Rez-V and Caffiene free spike), but biotest supps are quite expensive. You can get protein powder, Creatine, and ZMA much cheaper elsewhere, like bulknutrition.com. Power Drive is the only stuff I get from biotest cause it's the only place you can get it, and it's a good price. Flameout seems like an outstanding product as well, but quite expensive. But you've got to go for quality with fish oil, don't bother with the cheap stuff, so get flameout if you can afford it. As for caffiene free spike, don't bother, stimulants with ephedrine or caffiene are the only way to go.
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I do not workout. I TRAIN.
I do not eat. I FEED.
I do not sleep. I RECHARGE.
My greatest fear in this life is the fear of being ordinary.
Jason's right; they are mostly quality products, and it depends on how much you are really wanting to spend.
Here's what I'm currently using from Biotest:
Surge
Metabolic Drive- Protein
ZMA
Metabolic Drive MRP bars
Spike! (caffeinated version)
Surge is a new staple for me so I'll continue to order that, and I'm planning on ordering some Creatine and some more ZMA since I thought they were bargains. The MD protein is good but I'm planning on using it for pre-bed, so I'll be looking for some bulk whey here in the future and it looks bulknutrition.com has some great prices.
Their creatine and zma are both pretty reasonably priced. Comparable to other places, roughly.
I got a free sample of spike, once, but it did nothing for me, really. I read later that some people (who are heavy coffee drinks (me)) have to take a bit more to feel it.
Their MD Bars are tasty. Don't remember the flavors I had, but they were both good.
Their protein powders are very high quality. I've never tried them, but have heard nothing but good things about them. Taste is supposed to be far better than most other brands. I will not allow myself to buy any, at the moment, lest it ruin the taste of the ones that I like, now.
Metabolic Drive - Some of the best tasting flavors out there
Spike - I like the stuff with caffiene
Biotest Creatine - cheap, high quality
ZMA - Great price, sweet dreams
Flameout - Solid, but I use OmegaRx
Res-V - Can't really comment on yet
Power Drive - Great for preventing CNS burnout from overtraining
Their BCAAs are very reasonably priced and the tabs can be very convenient.
MAKE SURE THAT YOUR NUTRITION IS SOILD FIRST. SUPPLEMENT MONEY SHOULD NOT TAKE AWAY FROM GROCERY MONEY
__________________ Mike Roussell
Nutrition Doctoral Student
Don't forget to listen to the latest episode of Max-Out Radio featuring Zach Even-Esh.
Metabolic Drive - Some of the best tasting flavors out there
Spike - I like the stuff with caffiene
Biotest Creatine - cheap, high quality
ZMA - Great price, sweet dreams
Flameout - Solid, but I use OmegaRx
Res-V - Can't really comment on yet
Power Drive - Great for preventing CNS burnout from overtraining
Their BCAAs are very reasonably priced and the tabs can be very convenient.
MAKE SURE THAT YOUR NUTRITION IS SOILD FIRST. SUPPLEMENT MONEY SHOULD NOT TAKE AWAY FROM GROCERY MONEY
So Rez-V is still something that we should wait on? Is it something that benefits one individual more than another? (i.e. older vs. younger) Also I see that their suggested dose is 3 caps, could one benefit from taking smaller doses of Rez-V or is it just too early to tell.
Just curious/interested as I'm 24 and obviously have no need for their test boosting products and see that they list a lot of other benefits. I realize that they are claiming the benefits, I'd just like to hear your opinion. . . especially after reading the interview w/ John Williams.
So Rez-V is still something that we should wait on? Is it something that benefits one individual more than another? (i.e. older vs. younger) Also I see that their suggested dose is 3 caps, could one benefit from taking smaller doses of Rez-V or is it just too early to tell.
Just curious/interested as I'm 24 and obviously have no need for their test boosting products and see that they list a lot of other benefits. I realize that they are claiming the benefits, I'd just like to hear your opinion. . . especially after reading the interview w/ John Williams.
-Matt
I would...I just took 1 bottle and really didnt notice anything. Then again, they say the main benefits (health) arent noticible, but for $40+ dollars after tax, Ill pass on re-ordering. Their metabolic drive is good and I buy the ZMA from there. $9 plus $9 shipping comes to $18...not bad for ZMA.
I actually talk about Res-V in an upcoming episode of the fitcast. The active ingredient is resveratrol. This is a powerful phytonutrient that is thought to be the nutritional powerhouse behind red wine. It have been shown to have neuronal and vascular protective effects (amoung others). I said that I can't comment on it yet because I not investigated resveratrol as an aromatase inhibitor. Would your body and health benefit from taking resveratrol, yes. Will it boost your testosterone levels - according to the boys at biotest it does and I'm sure there is evidence that it does (they aren't blatant liars like most of the industry). But this isn't an area that i have reseached and examined so I didn't feel comfortable saying "yes it will boost your testosterone" or "no it won't boost your testosterone".
Do you want to know the best way to inhibit the aromatase enzyme? Lose bodyfat. Body fat is where most of the aromatase enzymes in your body are found.
__________________ Mike Roussell
Nutrition Doctoral Student
Don't forget to listen to the latest episode of Max-Out Radio featuring Zach Even-Esh.
I actually talk about Res-V in an upcoming episode of the fitcast. The active ingredient is resveratrol. This is a powerful phytonutrient that is thought to be the nutritional powerhouse behind red wine. It have been shown to have neuronal and vascular protective effects (amoung others). I said that I can't comment on it yet because I not investigated resveratrol as an aromatase inhibitor. Would your body and health benefit from taking resveratrol, yes. Will it boost your testosterone levels - according to the boys at biotest it does and I'm sure there is evidence that it does (they aren't blatant liars like most of the industry). But this isn't an area that i have reseached and examined so I didn't feel comfortable saying "yes it will boost your testosterone" or "no it won't boost your testosterone".
Do you want to know the best way to inhibit the aromatase enzyme? Lose bodyfat. Body fat is where most of the aromatase enzymes in your body are found.
Thanks for the reply Michael, I look forward to listening to your FitCast.
I actually talk about Res-V in an upcoming episode of the fitcast. The active ingredient is resveratrol. This is a powerful phytonutrient that is thought to be the nutritional powerhouse behind red wine. It have been shown to have neuronal and vascular protective effects (amoung others). I said that I can't comment on it yet because I not investigated resveratrol as an aromatase inhibitor. Would your body and health benefit from taking resveratrol, yes. Will it boost your testosterone levels - according to the boys at biotest it does and I'm sure there is evidence that it does (they aren't blatant liars like most of the industry). But this isn't an area that i have reseached and examined so I didn't feel comfortable saying "yes it will boost your testosterone" or "no it won't boost your testosterone".
Do you want to know the best way to inhibit the aromatase enzyme? Lose bodyfat. Body fat is where most of the aromatase enzymes in your body are found.
I think the biggest question is will enough get through the liver, guts, etc. I know they say over on t-nation that with enough saturation it can, but that could also be marketing as we all know. I took it for almost a month at full dosage and didnt notice any increased test. I saw on t-nation another poster that said the same. My evaluation on it is that it's too pricey and Ill just stick to drinking red wine, which is alot cheaper plus I get a buzz
Also- not sure if this is coincidential or not, but I had sleeping issues while taking it. I would fall asleep and when I got up to take a piss, I couldnt go back to sleep. I had finals in school and few other situations going on, so again not 100% is was REZ-V. I can say though that I never have had issues with sleep and since I dropped it, my sleep has been back to normal. Could have been coincidential, but Im not for sure.
Click on 'let it burn' commercial......oh, oh, oh, oh.....
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Robert dos Remedios, MA, CSCS,
HCC (Hartman-Cosgrove Certified)
Director of Speed, Strength & Conditioning
College of the Canyons, CA http://www.canyons.edu/departments/pe/strength
"NO CHAMPION HAS EVER ACHIEVED HIS OR HER GOAL WITHOUT SHOWING MORE DEDICATION THAN THE NEXT PERSON; MAKING MORE SACRIFICES THAN THE NEXT PERSON; WORKING HARDER, TRAINING, AND CONDITIONING HIM / HERSELF MORE THAN THE NEXT PERSON; ENJOYING HIS / HER FINAL GOAL MORE THAN THE NEXT PERSON"
Here it is. Near the bottom. I'd have to redo the math for Rev-V. I used a resveratrol supp that I saw on the web, which equalled ONLY 5 bottles of red wine. That's to equal a serving of resveratrol. One.
I initially avoided Biotest because I just couldn't justify the cost of most of their stuff, and regular old Costco supplements suit my needs.
Now, though, I've observed that people who purchase one Biotest product end up going for the whole line of them! Seems like everyine is getting drawn in to an overhyped line of products, IMO. That reason alone will keep me away now, unless of course they are the lone provider of some amazing supplement.
Again, no disrespect intended. I just don't want anyone to waste their hard-earned money. We all need a reality check from time to time.
__________________ You're not the only one improving yourself... I worked out with a dumbbell today -- I feel vigorous!!!
Being Canadian the import fees just make it too damn expensive. Their protien tastes great and surge is good but both can be obtained in Canada for cheaper.
Also, I AM willing to, and do, pay extra for certain things when it comes to supplements. I pay extra for a multivitamin, fish oil, and mental health supplement because each batch is quality checked by an independent lab w/ certificates of analysis available online. I am willing to pay money for extra insurance of quality and purity as long as their is proof; This is something that biotest does not do.
I initially avoided Biotest because I just couldn't justify the cost of most of their stuff, and regular old Costco supplements suit my needs.
Now, though, I've observed that people who purchase one Biotest product end up going for the whole line of them! Seems like everyine is getting drawn in to an overhyped line of products, IMO. That reason alone will keep me away now, unless of course they are the lone provider of some amazing supplement.
Again, no disrespect intended. I just don't want anyone to waste their hard-earned money. We all need a reality check from time to time.
I agree with ya Milk; and I fully fit the type of person that you have described. Someone who has tried one or two Biotest products and ended up ordering quite a bit from them. The bulk of my last order was the protein bars and 3 tubs of MD. The thing is that I really like the stuff that I have used from them, and if you saw in my first post I really only bought some of the "essential" products, I'm not buying any of their so-called specialty supps.
But now that school is about to be starting here I've got to be the crafty consumer again. Costco is looking like a good option actually, but I will continue to order some Biotest stuff (ZMA, Surge, Metabolic Drive purely for pre-bed use, and creatine).
Just presenting my situation, but in the long run we all need to realize that the bulk of our focus needs to be on good hard training and solid nutritional principles. *But nothing wrong with giving something a shot once in a while, just to see.
For sure, Slim. I can respect that, and believe me I want to try those metabolic drive bars!
I've just conceded to myself that there are better things to be spending my money on, and by avoiding one Biotest supplement I can effectively avoid them all. In your case, as a Biotest loyal customer, I think it is worthwhile to hear the opinion of a non-Biotest guy once in a while... and that's all I hoped to provide here.
__________________ You're not the only one improving yourself... I worked out with a dumbbell today -- I feel vigorous!!!
For sure, Slim. I can respect that, and believe me I want to try those metabolic drive bars!
I've just conceded to myself that there are better things to be spending my money on, and by avoiding one Biotest supplement I can effectively avoid them all. In your case, as a Biotest loyal customer, I think it is worthwhile to hear the opinion of a non-Biotest guy once in a while... and that's all I hoped to provide here.
Oh no doubt man; in fact I'm going to my local Costco to get a membership just to stock on some stuff that I'll definitely run through fairly quick, namely fish oil, whey, multivitamins. . .etc.
Biotest Supps
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