Guys i think i have to stop reading t-nation, i think John should start making his own supplements lol man biotest must make a fortune from the t-nation readers alone.

Anyway, i always was interested in mood enhancers/boosters i guess that's what you call it.

Has anyone tried spike? There's a lot of praise on t-nation but i like to have a unbiased opnion. Not that all those on t-nation are but you never know.

Thanks

Digging up an old thread. :D

I have an unopened bottle sitting on my shelf at the moment. (Spur of the moment purchase after receiving a large amount of excess cash.) I'd also like to know of any other's experiences with it.

I was interested in switching my workouts from 11 PM to about 10 AM, which is a time I really just do not function at and never have no matter when I go to sleep. My power hour for lifting is about 3-5 PM in the afternoon, but I'm not able to lift at that time during school. So, I originally bought the supplement with this early hour in mind.

I personally have no experience with it, but it seems like everyone and their dog over at bodybuilding.com thinks it's a worthless products (read many negative experiences there).

I don't know if you're looking for something that will be a general performance enhancer or endurance booster, or if you're looking for more of an actual stimulant, but here are some products I've had success with:

ALCAR (Acetyl-l-carnitine) -- The acetyl- form of the amino acid l-carnitine has a long list of benefits from enhancing memory and alertness to boosting cellular metabolism and enhancing muscular recovery (something to do with testosterone receptors, can't remember the exact science and it's too early to go searching for it). This is a staple supplement for me. I take two 1.5g doses per day, one when I wake up and one pre-workout.

Citrulline Malate -- The amino acid l-citrulline bonded with malic acid. This is a NO precursor as well as an endurance booster. Great to take before either lifting or cardio. It also aids in recovery (there's a long article on Bulk Nutrition.com that explains its many benefits and I suggest taking a look at it). This won't "perk you up" but it will help you keep on truckin' through your workout. I take 3g before and after lifting, as well as 3g pre-cardio.

Caffeine -- This is a fairly obvious one, but you'll notice that most any of the pre-workout products (like NO-Xplode) include this along with their other "proprietary blend" of ingredients. As far as bang for your buck goes, it's hard to beat a regular 200mg caffeine pill for a boost of energy going into the gym. I got these when I was running the EC stack (I'm cycled off right now), but I still take one every now and then before a workout when I feel like a zombie.

Stimulant-X -- Go look through the Product Reviews forum at Bodybuilding.com and you'll see endless praise for this product. It's made by Anabolic Xtreme (the same guys who put out all those "legal" steroids like Superdrol, well, at least until recently). It's three ingredients are a particular Vitamin B1 analog whose name I can't spell, green coffee been extract (resulting in a very potent form of methyl-caffeine), and geranium extract. This is an EXTREMELY powerful stimulant. It doesn't give you that "wired" feeling but instead results in a very high state of alertness and a noticeable increase in focus. 1 pill lasts for half a day or so. I took two one time before a kung fu test (had to wake up at the asscrack of dawn and drive really far to get there), and I ended up spending the entire time in this completely Zen-like state of focus but with my heart acting like it was going to pound itself out of my chest. I also forgot to breathe several times. 1 pill is quite sufficient. AX does not recommend using this every day, so I keep it around for school days where I have an early lab (like today) or days that I have a major test or something where I have to have my mind fully awake. It's definitely an excellent pre-workout stimulant, although I would never take this past mid-afternoon if I had any actual interest in sleeping.

Some other suggestions:

Ergopharm AMP -- Mix of caffeine, geranium extract, and Chocamine (a chocolate-derived powder). Gives a shorter but more intense burst of energy, at least according to those who've tried it. It's described as being more of a "get shit done" type of energy as opposed to the improved focus and concentration of Stim-X. Effect supposedly only lasts a few hours rather than most of a day.

Nootropics -- This refers to a whole slew of supplements, all of which are basically neurological enhancers ("smart drugs" basically). ALCAR could arguably be included here, but it also includes things like piracetam, aniracetam, oxiracetam, vinpocetine, etc. Some are cheap, some are very expensive. There's a great guide to these posted on bb.com. If you're looking for increased mental function either for workouts or for studying these are great to look into. Most of the -racetam supplements deplete choline levels, so they have to be balanced with some sort of choline source. Lecithin granules are a very cheap and effective one, as well as a healthy fat source in their own right. I take 2g of piracetam twice a day and 10g of lecithin at night with my pre-bed shake. This is considered a "beginner" nootropic stack. I do notice that when taken pre-workout the increased focus and concentration is quite beneficial, and you'll notice that more and more companies are coming out with pre-workout products that contain various types of nootropics (Instone Intensity, Scivation Neurostim, Psychotropin, etc.).

Guys i think i have to stop reading t-nation
A truer statement has never been made...:lol: I can't give you too much of a hard time though...or maybe I should? :confused: Because of you and Glaive, I'm researching pricing on Greens+ :mad: :lol:

I know people who really get significant mood-enhancement and energy boosts for Spike. For me personally, it has about the impact of a cup of cofee. No more, no less. Different people respond differently.

Thanks Glaive! I'll keep that list in mind. :tu:

I may just end up keeping my late night workouts. I just had a strong urge to follow a more conventional schedule the day I bought the Spike. I'm not really too keen on the idea of mood enhancement when I think about it, straight stimulation was more what I would be after. I can search the forums if I need more information on that as it's been discussed in depth.

A quick bit of Nose Torsk (http://www.inzernet.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=AMNTORK) would wake me right up. :D

A truer statement has never been made...:lol: I can't give you too much of a hard time though...or maybe I should? :confused: Because of you and Glaive, I'm researching pricing on Greens+ :mad: :lol:

Hey man i posted that 5months ago. I've gotten over my t-nation obession. :mad: :lol:

Hey man i posted that 5months ago. I've gotten over my t-nation obession. :mad: :lol:
I'm still blaming you for my interest in Greens+ The stuff's even more expensive than the Perfect Food I use now. :lol:

The 'active' ingredient in Spike is Sulbutamine, which is considered a nootropic. I don't believe the substance is yet controlled by the FDA, and there are a few articles/studies about it at pubmed. Also check the avant labs forum for more discussion.


Guys i think i have to stop reading t-nation, i think John should start making his own supplements lol man biotest must make a fortune from the t-nation readers alone.

Anyway, i always was interested in mood enhancers/boosters i guess that's what you call it.

Has anyone tried spike? There's a lot of praise on t-nation but i like to have a unbiased opnion. Not that all those on t-nation are but you never know.

Thanks

Chic - go with Ready 4 War if you can deal with bad taste.

Also, I'll have an AMP review up here within the next couple of weeks.

You can do XPlode if you have not tried it yet, it's a good product (effects just diminish after a few weeks).

Overall no supplement makes me go as crazy as some people say in their reviews and logs. They act like they're hyped and jumping around, bouncing off the walls. That's never happened to me. But R4W should wake you up.

Other than that go with coffee. When I used to work out in the morning I'd have at least a couple cups before heading to the gym.

Or pick up some Nose Tork. :eek:

Overall no supplement makes me go as crazy as some people say in their reviews and logs. They act like they're hyped and jumping around, bouncing off the walls. That's never happened to me.Same here. Anyone remember Ultimate Orange? I think Dan Duchaine had something to do with it. A guy I worked with bought some and told me it was making him bounce of the walls and he had to stop taking it. He let me try some and I took more than the standard dose and it didn't do anything to me, but it's always been like that with me too.

Same here. Anyone remember Ultimate Orange? I think Dan Duchaine had something to do with it. A guy I worked with bought some and told me it was making him bounce of the walls and he had to stop taking it. He let me try some and I took more than the standard dose and it didn't do anything to me, but it's always been like that with me too.
Dude, I am surprised Ultimate Orange didn't do more for you. I think it was in a totally separate category than anything out there today (much stronger), but yeah it didn't make me bounce off walls either. :lol:

Thermadrine (a fat burner) was also very strong. As was the original Up Your Gas.

Man...I've been around the block, lol.

I'd guess that anything I take would have a good effect on me, simply because I consume almost no caffeine or stimulants throughout the day and very little sugars.

No coffee, no soda, no chocolate bars, very little fruit, etc.

I have half of a small slice of cake with my lunch most days, some dextrose PWO, and an apple PRWO (the last two only 2x per week at the moment).

I'm still blaming you for my interest in Greens+ The stuff's even more expensive than the Perfect Food I use now. :lol:

That reminds me, Kino. You asked me about how Perfect Food compares to Greens+ in the other thread and I forgot to respond. I don't have much personal experience with Perfect Food, so I asked my girlfriend (who works in the supplement section of Whole Foods). She said that they're overall pretty comparable products and couldn't say she directly recommends one over the other. She does believe that as a whole Garden of Life products are overpriced, though.