Category: Product Reviews

Editors Note: If you are interested in the buying aftershock recovery for the best price, we found the cheapest online source at A1 Supplements – Click here for the link to the Aftershock Recovery.

Quality 5/5

When it comes to a making a high quality, muscle building recovery shake this one takes the cake.  MyoGenix AfterShock Recovery contains all the ingredients needed for making a high quality product including 32 grams of protein, 30 grams of carbs, Kre-Alkalyn (my personal favorite choice of creatine), and a great BCAA profile.

One thing that a lot of protein shakes or post-workout supplements lack are high quality carbs.  Without carbs your body won’t been able to maximize the protein synthesis needed for muscle growth.  Why is that?  Carbohydrates cause an insulin spike in the body and this causes the muscles to essentially absorb the protein needed for repair and growth.  With AfterShock recovery this is all included in every serving while also giving your body other proven supplements like creatine and high quality BCAA’s

 

Taste – 4.5/5

The last thing you want after a long workout it having to chug down protein shake that tastes like garbage. Well AfterShock Recovery is far from it.  This is probably one of the best shakes I’ve had when it comes to taste.  Take note I’ve only had the fruit punch and the chocolate flavors but both we’re actually enjoyable to drink.  If I had to choose I would pick the chocolate over the fruit punch as it tastes a lot like an McDonald’s chocolate shake in my opinion.  However if you aren’t a fan of chocolate shakes the fruit punch is a pretty good alternative.  If you’ve tried any of the other flavors leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Mixability – 5/5

Similar to the taste issue, one of the worst things about protein shakes are clumps in your shake, no one enjoys that. Aftershock recovery passed the mixabilty test with flying colors.  The shake can actually be completely mixed with jump a cup and spoon and come out smooth. Personally I use a blender ball shaker cup and it works like a charm.

Overall 5/5

I used Myogenix AfterShock Recovery for two months during the winter with the goal of putting on as much muscle mass as possible without added too much excess fat (essentially a clean bulk.)  During these two months I gained nearly 16 pounds of mass with very little noticeable fat gain.  Honestly while using AfterShock Recovery I had probably my best ever results with putting on size and strength.  An increase in my one rep Bench Press max from 235 to 275 in only two months is about as good as it gets for me personally.

Obviously I couldn’t keep gaining 2 pounds of muscle mass a week (104 lbs of lean mass a year, I wish) but for these two months it worked wonders.  Due to that I had to give Myogenix AfterShock a perfect 5/5 rating as I couldn’t expect anything better.

If you’re goal is to put on a much lean muscle mass as possible and speed up your workout gains this is definitely one of the best supplements on the market.  To help you out even more you can take a look at the online price comparisons for MyoGenix After Shock below to get it for the best price possible.

Description & Overview

Micro Jack3d by USPLabs is one of the revamped formulas of their very famous Original Jack3d which was taken off the market in mid-2012 for its use of 1.3 dimethylamylamine, or DMAA. The original Jack3d is regarded as being one of the best pwos ever marketed for its energy and focus and many people were excited for it to back onto the market. Micro Jack3d was marked to be just like the original Jack3d with a new “micro-engineered pre-workout technology” that was said to be better for absorption by your body. Micro Jack3d comes in three flavors fruit punch, sour cherry, and lemon-lime. The one I’ll be reviewing is the lemon-lime flavored one. Like most pre workouts, micro Jack3d comes in a small tub (smaller than the average pwo tub) and like other pwos has a few buzzwords on the front with the company logo and supplement information. When compared to other pwos designs, micro Jack3d is much less tacky as it doesn’t have any warnings or pictures you would associate with your typical supplement. It’s a very clean and aesthetically pleasing design.

Taste/Mixability – Is it Any Good?

When it comes to pwo flavors, lemon-lime is always a safe choice. Considering that it’s a very widely used flavoring and already has a very artificial taste, it would be a familiar taste to anyone who is trying it for the first time. This was true with micro jack3d, it was a very sweet lemon-lime flavor with a bit of a bitter after taste but it was definitely easy to drink. Its mixability, however was not that great. Although the micro jacked serving size of 3.65 grams is a very small when compared to other pwos, but also in general, it does not mix well. You end up with a very murky liquid with a slight yellow tinge with lots of floating pieces in it. Even using one scoop with 20+ mL in a shaker cup, it did not dissolve well. When you drink it you can feel the pieces and they cover your mouth and are extremely bitter when you bite into them. This made it a bit annoying to drink as I would have to have an extra cup or bottle of plain water at the same time to wash down the bits and pieces in my mouth. Although the taste was fine, its poor mixability made it a bit of a chore to use.

Ingredient Profile – Is Micro Jack3d Safe?

The ingredient profile in Micro Jack3d is pathetic and very embarrassing when you expect such a great product from a company like USPLabs. The scoop contains 2 proprietary blends, one called Super Performance System™ and another called CNS Contractile Stimulant System™. Proprietary blends are something that I suggest people stay away from. They are gimmicky, as you can tell from their names, but they also contain many useless additives that which means you’re spending money on unnecessary chemicals that will enter your body. The first propriety blend, Super Performance System™ contains L-Citrulline, Arginine and then other useless ingredients that are not even worth mentioning only if to say that they are useless. L-Citrulline is an amino acid which, when processed by your kidneys, becomes L-Arginine. L-Citrulline has been shown to help improve erection hardness in males with mild ED (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21195829) so it helps dilate your blood vessels. The same is true for L-Arginine, the other ingredient in this blend. The next proprietary blend, CNS Contractile System™ contains caffeine, a well-known and studied stimulant as well as Noroclaurine HCL and 3,4-Dihydroxycinnamic Acid. Noroclaurine HCL which is derived from plants appears to have anti-asthmatic properties and fat burning properties like Epherdine, but this is limited evidence to back up these claims. 3.4 Dihydroxycinnamic Acid or Caffeic Acid, which is unrelated to caffeine, has some minor antioxidant properties, but there are no other studies that show any sort of effect during working out.

Effectiveness/Results – Does it work?

Micro Jack3d was an extremely disappointing pwo. Besides the very short burst energy from the miniscule amount of caffeine, which is also unknown due to the fact that it’s in a propriety blend which does not to disclose its mixture, the only energy I got came from the anger when I realize I just wasted $25 on a useless product. Its effectiveness is around 1-2 to the point where I think it made me even more tried than if I would have use nothing at all. There were no results, there was no pump, focus or energy. I did not feel anything when using this product it was a huge waste of money.

Price/Value – Is it Worth it

I paid $25 for the large 146 gram tub of Micro Jack3d. It was a waste of money, and it was nothing more than a fancy tub of underpowered caffeine with fancy packaging and a “repeatable name slapped on it”. There is no value in this product, although it’s cheaper than most other pre workout supplements. I am honestly shocked at any good reviews of this product, maybe I got a bad batch but after using it 3 times I was angry and disappointed. The only thing I could think is that it was the placebo effect that people felt using a pre workout supplement that was coming from such a highly regarded brand which isn’t a bad thing because I believe that if it works, regardless of why, it’s good. But I gave this pwo multiple chances and each use was worse than the last.

Overall Recap + Rating – Is it Banned?

I would this product a 1-2/10 for its lack of effectiveness and poor value. Thankfully I accidentally spilled water in it and was forced to throw it out. Not only was this good because I was able to get rid of it, but because there have been 11, yes 11, different lawsuits against USPLabs nearly all of which included Jack3d or their other popular supplement OxyElite Pro all of which could be found online and include some dealing with DMAA which is no longer used to one that was just settled because of supposed organ damage. Besides being extremely disappointing, Jack3d was also a potentially harmful supplement to use. I would not only not do business with USPLabs, I would stay away and warn others of their products as they aren’t safe and are in the process of being banned.

You can buy Micro Jack3d on sale by clicking here if you are still interested.

Description/Overview

Cannibal Ferox, Version 2 or V2 for this review, is a pre workout made by Chaos and Pain. A relatively small company, Chaos and Pain has gained some attention for its lack of proprietary blends and large amounts of different stimulants and nootropics. Cannibal Ferox is known to be a very strong pwo, and many people tend to stay away from it and I don’t blame them. The website and all of Chaos and Pain’s products are dangerous looking, what I mean is they describe their products as “f*cking FIERCE” or that their products contain “maximum legal amounts” of course all this is more of a front to get people interested in the products, personally I find it very tacky and somewhat unprofessional. This does not mean, however, that their products are lackluster. There are in total 3 versions of Cannibal Ferox, v1 which contained AMP-C and is no longer sold, v2 which does not contain AMP-C and is still sold, and Cannibal Ferox Amped which contains AMP-C. This review will focus mainly on v2, with some comparison to v1. When you receive your tub of Cannibal Ferox you get this black tub with a holographic sticker with pictures of what look like demons and a very distorted logo. There are warnings and serving suggestions, which are made to make this tub look like someone that will kill you. Once again, I find it to be very tacky and all just a show. Like other pwos, it’s made into a very fine powder which clumps up but breaks up very easily. It comes with a scoop and silica gel bag to keep it dry. This is the most finely powered pwo and you really have to open it slowly or it will go all over.

Cannibal Ferox V2 Taste/Mixability Ratings

I have tried two flavors of this. Mango v1, Mango v2 and Lemon Lime v2. The mango v1 was absolutely the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted in my life. It tasted like a mix of 1 part mango, 1 part sugar and 98 parts motor oil. It had a very mechanical and chemical taste which made me nauseous and left my mouth very dry. There were times where I could not finish it, or even threw up because of how bad it was. V2, is much better. I found Mango v2 to be tolerable but very very sweet and mildly nauseating but not a big deal. Lemon Lime v2 was even better, and it’s what I would recommend. It didn’t taste great, but I did not make me nauseous or anything, like I stated in other reviews your best bet is to go with lemon lime flavored products. The mixability is great, it’s a very fine power and begins to mix right on contact with water. It does leave some precipitate in the bottom but they are flavorless and break up easily.

Cannibal Ferox Ingredients Profile

The ingredient profile I will talk about will be about the new version or v2, as v1 is no longer in production. V2 contains many different ingredients that all on their own work great. The main ingredients, or what I feel are the most important to highlight are the caffeine, yohimbine HCL, creatine, and citrulline malatate. Caffeine (450 mg/serving) is a huge huge serving, this is more than 2 servings of most caffeine pills/supplements and you really feel it. This large serving will keep you energized for hours, however you should make sure you get a lot of water as you will dehydrate quickly. Yohimbine HCL (3mg/serving) is a bit over 1 serving of Yohimbine HCL at 2.5mg although many people take 5mg+. Yohimbine HCL is commonly known for its treatment of ED, but for bodybuilders it’s known for its fat burning properties, as well as some energy and focus and dilation of blood vessels. The next ingredient, Creatine, has recently become infamous in the eyes of the media and concerned parents who are worried that their kids taking creatine will kill them. Creatine is not a steroid, or an illegal supplement. Creatine simply provides some energy to the replenishment of ATP. This leads to minor boosts in energy, repair and some water retention. Creatine is just a good supplement to take and has almost no side effects. Unfortunately Cannibal Ferox only contains 2000mg, while the recommended daily servings is 5000mg. The final important ingredient is Citrulline Malate has several properties that make it a very useful supplement to take. It increases NO production, reduces lactic acid and replenishes ATP. What does this mean? Increased NO production dilates blood vessels, increases blood and oxygen flow throughout the body. Reduction of lactic acid means you will fatigue less, the buildup lactic acid is what causes pain or that “burn” we feel during our sets. With less production of lactic acid we can work out longer, harder and faster. And just like Creatine is helps replenish ATP which gives a small boost in energy. Citrulline Malate is becoming a very popular supplement, and Cannibal Ferox was one of the first to cash in on this supplement.

Supplement Effectiveness & Results

When it comes to effectiveness, I don’t think any other legal supplement will be able to match the power of Cannibal Ferox. One scoop will give you energy, focus and increased strength for up to 6 hours. After taking one scoop every day 15 minutes before my workout, I have not seen any increase in tolerance or decrease in effectiveness. Cannibal Ferox v2 kept me level headed and energized for hours. Unlike other strong pwos which make you want to destroy the gym and flip cars, Cannibal Ferox kept me very goal orientated and confident in myself. This was a feeling I loved, it meant I was able to challenge myself much easier, leading to increase in numbers. This is the only pwo I have taken and felt like this. However, it can be too effective. You have to be very careful when taking cannibal ferox because it’s very easy to take too much. Now, I don’t mean you will overdose, which is possible if you take a very large amount, but you can feel too anxious, restless, your heart will beat quickly and this will last for hours. I would not recommend taking this 4-6 hours before you plan to sleep. That means those people who work out at night would have trouble falling asleep after using this. There have been times when I used it around 8PM and I could not fall asleep until 3AM. It’s a horrible feeling, so you must be smart with your dosing.

Price & Value – Cannibal Ferox V2 Coupon Code

Cannibal ferox is sold on the chaos and pain website for 57.99 but it almost always marked down to 39.99, which seems like it’s on a permanent discount. For what you get, it’s a great deal. Each tub contains 40 servings, so it’s $1 per serving but considering that ½ scoop would be okay for most people it’s more like 80 servings. You get a bunch of great stims in one package and I don’t think there’s anything else like it on the market that’s as good of a deal.

Overall Recap + Rating

Overall, I think this is the best pwo on the market. It’s got a bit of a bad rep being too crazy, but as long as you know what you’re doing you can maximize its effectiveness. This is the only pwo that I have ever purchased more than once, 4 times actually. Although I currently don’t use it as you do feel pretty crappy after 3-4 weeks of use, I always keep it in my bag just in case I need. I would give it a 9.5/10 only taking off .5 for how crappy it makes you feel after several weeks of continuous use, however, this is common with almost all pwos.

Click here to get Cannibal Ferox on Amazon.com with all discounts automatically applied.

 

N.O.-Xplode has become a staple in my supplement stack after purchasing it now for second time and I don’t see that changing any time soon. NO-Xplode has all the energy, focus, and pump that I look for in other pre-workouts without the anxiety, diarrhea, and chest pain some other formulas often cause. Not only did it exceed my expectations, it saved my wallet. The Tub of N.O.-Xplode I purchased lasts me about a month and a half of consistent use and warrants results and consistency more expensive pre-workouts simply haven’t been worth.

The products weakest point is unfortunately one many of you may care about most, Taste. I would give the taste on this product a 3 out of 5. It’s not so awful that you’re going to dread going to the gym and having to take it, but it’s not good enough to crave throughout the work day. It has what I would describe as a carbonated water sort of taste. If you’ve ever had flavored sparkling water, this tastes like the Blue Raspberry version of those drinks. Again, if you are after quality in your supplements and results in your workout, I can recommend no product higher, but for picky eaters and those that workout purely for enjoyment, there are definitely tastier products on the market.

For those of you focused on optimizing your workouts while minimizing caloric intake, this product is perfect for you. At only 40 calories there’s no reason this can’t fit your diet, macros, or meal plan. Besides the large amounts of Vitamin B present in most preworkouts, this product, like many others in the supplement market, uses a proprietary blend of ingredients in their formula. It’s difficult to gauge exactly how much of each ingredient is present in the product but you can definitely feel them working. The first time I tried it my hands tingled like crazy from the Beta Alanine, I suspect there’s a lot. If you’re the type of person who needs fire ants crawling over you to work up a sweat, this product is definitely for you. If you’re someone who sweats excessively already, this product tends to make me sweat more than usual, but certainly not profusely. Finally, the most important ingredient in any preworkout: caffeine. This pre-workout has caffeine dosed exactly where I want it, 250 mg. I like this dose for several reasons, its high enough that single scoop will get you pumped and going, but low enough that a second won’t kill you. It makes it easier not only to conserve preworkout, but to get in an extra boost when you need it.

The results from this product are best measured in the gym and not necessarily in the mirror. Pre-workouts are not a wonder drug that make muscle grow any faster or fat slide right off, they’re a tool, and N.O.-Xplode is a good one. I find that I not only have more energy during my workouts but that I’m focused enough to make every workout more optimal. If you want to go in the gym everyday knowing you can do what you set out to, NOXplode is great. This product has given me a confidence in my approach to my gym that I hadn’t had in a while.

Overall there are few supplements let alien pre-workouts I would recommend as highly. While the taste is tiring and hardly enjoyable, I think the performance I experience using it is more than worth it. Overall I would give this product a 4.5 out of 5 and recommend it to anyone that asked me what pre-workout they should get.

To take advantage of the current discounts available at Amazon.com click here.

Description/Overview

C4 Extreme by Cellucor is one of the most popular and highly recommended Pre-Workout (PWO) supplements on the market and is commonly known as the “gateway” pwo that is recommended to those who are looking to start taking pre-workout supplements. At first glance it comes in a tub with a silver tub with yellow and black detailing to give it a “dangerous” look, which is very common for pre-workout supplements. The tub have a few buzzwords written on it like explosive, pump technology, rapid absorption, once again this is very common for pwo supplements. The flavor I tried was Icy Blue Razz, the blue raspberry flavored option of this pre-workout which was suggested by a friend. Upon opening it up a small cloud of blue power rose up, the C4 power is very fine and you should be careful when opening and handling the powder as it can spill or enter the air from the slightest mishap or nudge. The powder itself is bright blue and comes with a 6.5 gram scoop which considered 1 serving as well as a silica get bag to keep the power dry which I recommend keeping in the jar.

Taste/Mixability

Although I have only tried the Icy Blue Razz version of C4 Extreme, it is the best tasting pwo in my opinion. When it comes to pre-workouts they tend to be over sweet to mask the taste of the chemicals, or they are extremely bitter and nauseating due to the lack of flavoring. C4 has the right might of both, it’s sweet but still has a little bit of bitterness which makes it easy to drink. As described before, it’s a very find power and mixes easily.

C4 Ingredient Profile

Like all pwos, C4 extreme falls into the category of pwos that contain caffeine and Beta Alanine which gives you a very distinct type of energy compared to other pre-workout supplements which may contain other ingredients. C4 Extreme contains Vitamin B6, B12, C as well as Niacin, Folic Acid and Calcium but what is most important are the Beta Alanine, Arginine and their proprietary blend called NO3-T which contains Caffeine as well as N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine. These are what you should focus on when looking at the pwo. Beta Alanine is an amino acid that is popular in the bodybuilding world for its energy and “pump” which helps to temporarily increase the size of blood vessels giving you a more vascular look. Beta Alanine is known to make people very jittery and anxious and itchy, so anyone prone to anxiety or panic attacks should stay away from anything containing beta alanine as it can make symptoms worse. Arginine, another amino acid is known for dilating arteries. Caffeine, a stimulant, is another very common ingredient in C4. Each serving contains 150mg, to compare a Tall (12 oz) Starbucks Dark Roast contains around 260mg of caffeine, so this isn’t a lot. Caffeine gives the user temporary energy which can last from 15 minutes to over 3 hours depending on how much is used and the tolerance level of the user. Caffeine, besides providing energy, raises blood pressure and can cause dehydration.

Effectiveness/Results

C4 is a solid pre-workout supplement, I would give it an 8-9 for the effectiveness but it would go down as the user builds up a tolerance for the pre-workouts. Your numbers may go up, as well as how much and how quick you can workout. Also the beta alanine, which can makes the user feel tingly or itchy, is a great way indicator that your body has absorbed the C4 and that you’re ready to go. I also experienced a noticeable amount of sweating compared to working out with C4. Although it is good, tolerance can be built up quickly. After 4-5 days of using 1 scoop its effectiveness went from an 8-9 to somewhere around a 4-5 to the point that I was not sure if it was even helping me. This lead me, like many other users, to use 2 scoops before working out which raised the effectiveness back to around a 7, which dipped as tolerance kept building. At the same time I began to experience very minor breathing and heart issues like loss of breath, rapid heartbeat and a very strong heartbeat which I could feel. I would feel very nauseous during and after my use of C4 and I would crash after it wore off.

Price/Value

The price of C4 is $60 for 60 servings as suggested by its manufacturer, which makes it quite pricey. However you can usually get it for a discount at Amazon HERE. I don’t believe it’s a very good value. The main ingredients in C4, or at least the ones that are the most useful, are the Caffeine and the Beta Alanine which can be bought separately for much less.

Cellucor C4 Product Recap

C4 Extreme is arguably one of the most popular pre-workouts on the market and is a great way to get into using pre-workout supplements. Unfortunately, its effects are short lasting and its tendency to build up a quick tolerance leading to increased dosing makes it very expensive. It is one of the best tasting pre-workouts you can buy, but it is certainly not the most effective or affordable pre-workout supplements on the market at the moment.

 

Program Overview

Note: This is a review of the truth about abs program by our staff. Click here to visit the official website.

The truth about abs workout program is just that, a complete workout program. A lot of people who ask us about the program think it’s just going to be a simple 10 minute workout but rather it’s a complete system for developing a ripped physique with emphasis on building a defined set of six pack abs.

The program is about as sound of a workout program as you can find. It breaks down everything with detailed exercise explanations and comprehensive diet tips and strategies that help maximize your overall results without making you go crazy. Trust me this is important if you’ve ever tried to count calories or macro’s, these guidelines are a piece are cake while still being extremely effective.

Is it a Scam? Is it Worth It?

For some reason a lot of people wonder if the Truth About Abs program is a scam. I can tell you with 100% certainty that it is not a scam. Rather it is one of the most well rounded and proven workout programs for someone whose goal is to get that defined six pack.

Not only is Mike Geary, the author of Truth about abs, a well respected and certified personal trainer, he makes sure you get way more than you bargained for with his program. Not only do you get the workout program but you also get all of the following at no additional cost.

• The complete workout manual with easy to follow diet and exercise guidelines.
• The fast track meal planner
• The metabolic calculator
• The 8 Week fusion workout guide
• The 5 Simple Keys to Guaranteed Fat Loss DVD
• Free Subscription to the Lean Body Fitness Secret’s Newsletter
• And more which you can read about here

 

Pro’s:

100% Money Back Guarantee. It’s really that good. Mike is that confident you will be happy with your purchase and for good reason.
Based on Sound and Proven Principles.
Quick & Easy to Follow Workouts
It Works – Just read some of these user reviews

Con’s:

No video’s included. If you prefer video over pictures and text this might be an issue.
You need to be dedicated. As with any workout program.

Overall Rating:

Overall the truth about abs program is probably one of, if not the best workout program for someone whose goal is to get that chiseled mid-section. It’s not only an extremely effective program but all of the bonus’s included in the package make it a no brainer for anyone who is serious about getting in shape.

Our team gives the truth about abs workout program a 5/5.

To get your copy of truth about abs or to find out even more about the program click here!