In strength-coaching circles, this method is often called the “ten sets method”, “German volume training” or “10×10”. Olympic athletes and bodybuilders have used it in one form or another since the forties. European countries used the 10×10 method in the off-season to help weightlifters gain lean body mass. It worked so well that lifters routinely moved up a full weight class within 12 weeks. Gains of 7-10lbs are average for a six-week training cycle. No one is sure who actually invented it or what the true name is but everyone agrees that it produces big gains.

        The objective of the program is to do ten sets of ten reps with the same weight for each exercise (sounds easier than it is). While the first two sets might seem easy, most will start falling short of ten reps after about five sets, just think of the ten reps as a goal to shoot for over the six week training cycle. You determine your starting weight by choosing an amount of resistance that you could perform 20 reps with (roughly 60% of your one rep maximum).

        It works by exposing one group of motor units to a high volume of repeated efforts. The body adapts to the incredible amount of stress by growing the targeted fibers at an extremely quick pace. This program mainly uses multi joint lifts and will require an exhaustive amount of work and recovery from large muscle groups so make sure you have proper pre and post workout sups as well as a creatine product like ANS Diesel Fuel to help you get the most out of your hard work. 

 

 

Day 1- Chest and Back

                                        Sets          reps         rest interval

 

A-1 Incline Barbell            10            10            90 sec

        Press

 

A-2   Chin-Ups                  10            10            90 sec

        (Weighted if needed)

 

Day 2 - Legs and Abs

                                        Sets          reps         rest interval

 

A-1 Front Squats              10            10            90 sec

 

A-2 Prone Leg Curl           10            10            90 sec

        Machine

 

Day 3 - off

 

Day 4 - arms and shoulders

                                        Sets          reps         rest interval

 

A-1 Dips (weighted if needed) 10            10            90 sec

 

A-2 Seated Dumbbell        10            10            90 sec

        Curls               

 

B-1 Military Press             10            10            120sec

 

Day 5 - off

 

Repeat

 

                                                                                    Note: “A1” and “A2” indicate that the labeled exercises are to be performed together as a superset with the rest interval between them.

 

Pre and post workout nutrition are crucial especially when taking on a workout with this much volume.  Pre-workout try mixing MSI Lean Revolution with Intek BCAA’s and for Post Workout Recovery mix 2 scoops of Bio Rhythm After Glow with 1 scoop of ANS Diesel Fuel.

One of the most common questions coming from our male customers is how can they get big and lean.  The following is the actual program from our Warwick Manager Steve Bardi.  He maintains a weight of about 200 lbs with visible abs almost all year round.  At his height most people consider him big and lean.  If thats not enough he is permanently tanned and hairless.  Check out the following for a real world program that has helped many of his customer put on muslce and get leaner.

Daily Routine with Supplements for First 3 Months: 

1.       Wake at 6 a.m. and take 1 ADRENA-LEAN capsule to wake up.  I also eat 2 CLA Evolution, 1 Fish-Oil pill, and 4 Met-RX HMB, and 3 TEST REVOLUTION with a Protein shake with 8 frozen strawberries, a banana, and BCAA powder in a blender with water. 

2.      On my way to the gym at 7:15, I am sipping on my pre-workout drink: 1 ½ scoops of BioRhythm Juice, INTEK BCAA powder, and 1 scoop DIESEL FUEL.  I sip on this drink throughout my whole workout in order to stay pumped and anabolic, so I can continue to build muscle and burn calories. 

3.      Immediately after my last set, I start to sip on my post workout shake which consists of 2 scoops of AFTER GLOW, and 1 scoop of INTEK’s ISOLATE RED ICE. 

4.      With two more meals during the day, I will use MET-RX HMB, CLA Evolution and Fish Oil in order to keep body fat to a minimum, especially while increasing calories to build muscle.  This allows me to build muscle while staying lean.

5.      My final protein shake before bed consists of INTEK’s Whey Protein, ORANGE CREAMSICLE flavor, I use MSI’s SLEEP REVOLUTION and 3 TEST REVOLUTION to help me get a fulfilling night’s sleep.  SLEEP REVOLUTION provides a healthy dose of amino acids as well as a combination of anabolic ingredients to assure that the body gets a full nights rest and recovery so I can train intensely the following day. 

 

My goal with the supplements is to take them when I feel they will benefit me the most.  Although my ideas are somewhat different to what the bottle usually suggests, this is what I have found to be the most beneficial.  My thought is that growth takes place when you are at rest, not when you are actually working, that being said I feel it is in everyone’s best interest to take muscle-building, endurance, and thermogenic supplements around your workouts as a base, along with some supplements for general health throughout the day.   For the most part this is why I take so many different supplements before and during my workouts.  In my opinion this is the most crucial time to be anabolic, or in a (muscle-building) state.  I make sure to eat meals or shakes every 2-3 hours throughout the day, and stay well hydrated by drinking at least 1 gallon of water every day, with the INTEK BCAA Evolution added to it in order to feed my body what it requires to build muscle.  Below I will list what I consider to be the supplements that everyone who is trying to build muscle should take all year-round: 

1.       Protein

2.      Creatine

3.      Amino Acids

4.      Testosterone booster

5.      Glutamine

6.      Essential Fatty acids

7.      Nitric Oxide

8.      Multi-Vitamin

9.      Joint product-depending on time of year

These supplements are on what I call a “Revolving-Basis”, which basically means that I will adjust and change what supplements I use depending on what my goals are at that particular time.  Say for instance it is closer to the spring then I obviously want to cut back the calories I consume, as well as switch what supplements I am using in order to achieve my goal.  Some supplements are better for gaining weight, while some supplements are much better for cutting up or “Shredding”.  I basically never really stop using these supplements listed above, and with good reason; your body cannot and will not have the building blocks necessary to build muscle without these basics incorporated into your regimen.  What I will now give you below is an example of what my diet will consist of while I am going through a “Bulking” phase:

Meal 1:  10 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, 1 cup measured Oatmeal, 1 glass chocolate milk

Meal 2:  6 ounces Sirloin steak, 1 sweet potato, large salad and 1 cup green beans

Meal 3:  Complete MASS 600 protein shake with a few ounces of cashews

Meal 4:  8 ounces Chicken, 2 slices of American cheese, 1 sweet potato, and 1 cup green beans

Meal 5:  Complete MASS 600 protein shake with a few ounces of cashews

Meal 6:  A 10 egg white and 2 whole egg omelette, with vegetables, cheese, and two English muffins with jelly on them with a glass of chocolate milk.

Meal 7:  1 cup of cottage cheese with pineapple mixed into it, or ice-cream depending on my cravings.

I suggest getting a hold of some of OPTIMUM HEALTH’s Complete Digestion when beginning the first phase of the program.  The added calories can, and usually will put some unwanted pressure on your digestive system, and having this supplement handy will help to increase absorption of all the nutrients you are about to flood your body with.

I typically will try to eat the same foods at the same times every day in order to make my body that much more efficient at breaking down the nutrients it needs to grow.  As you can see from my diet listed above, I do not go too crazy in order to put weight on when “Bulking”.  The idea here is to increase my caloric intake slightly so as to avoid gaining too much body-fat over the course of my first 3 months.  I have come to understand my genetics and realize that I do not have the ability to be too heavy without my joints and knees suffering.  Besides, when I take the DIESEL FUEL as part of my supplement regimen, I find that the weight and strength comes pretty quickly on its own.  The next section will cover my workouts, and you will find a list of the exact exercises below.

Workout Program for Months 1-3: 

Monday:  Legs

1.       10 minutes on treadmill to warm-up

2.      Squats- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

3.      Leg Presses- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

4.      Leg extensions- 3 sets of 10-12 reps

5.      Lying leg curls- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

6.      Seated leg curls- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

7.      Seated calf raises- 3 sets of 20-25 reps

Tuesday:  Back

1.       10 minutes on bike for warm-up

2.      3 sets of wide-grip chin-ups to failure

3.      3 sets of Underhand- grip chin-ups to failure

4.      Rack Dead-lifts- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

5.      Seated Cable rows- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

6.      One-Arm dumbbell rows- 2 sets of 8-10 reps

7.      Hyper-extensions 3 sets of 15 reps

Wednesday:  Off

Thursday:  Chest

1.       Incline Barbell presses- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

2.      Flat Barbell presses- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

3.      Decline Barbell presses- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

4.      Weighted Dips- 3 sets of 10-12 reps

5.      Dumbbell Flyes- 2 sets flat, 2 sets incline, and 2 sets decline

6.      Abdominals- crunches, leg raises and side twists

Friday:  Arms

1.       Standing dumbbell curls- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

2.      Barbell curls- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

3.      Incline dumbbell curls- 3 sets of 12-15 reps

4.      Rope pushdowns- 2 sets of 15-18 reps

5.      Straight-bar pushdowns- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

6.      Lying skull crushers- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

7.      Weighted Tricep dips- 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Saturday:  Shoulders & Traps

1.       Side dumbbell lateral raises- 3 sets of 12-15 reps (30 seconds rest only)

2.      Barbell push presses- 3 sets of 6-8 reps

3.      Upright rows (barbell)- 3 sets of 12-15 reps

4.      Bent-over lateral raises- 3 sets of 12-15 reps

5.      Barbell shrugs- 3 sets (ascending in weight) of 10-12 reps.  Finish with a strip set on the last set with no rest

6.      Behind-the-back Barbell shrugs- 3 sets of 12-15 reps

As you can see from the workout above, the first phase of my program is pretty basic on nature, but that is because being big and strong requires many compound movements, with much rest in between work-outs.  What I will do after the initial 6 weeks of this program is to switch up the exercises so that my body never gets a chance to become comfortable with the weights and exercises.  The first phase is somewhat plain in nature, but performed well, it will help to slap on some clay that we can later turn into peeled or chiseled muscle that you can show off down at Scarborough Beach. 

In most combat sports, MMA included, there is pressure from the top down to fight in lower weight classes. You have heavyweights weighing in at 270lbs, so the 230lb heavyweights will drop down to 205 to gain an advantage. But now the natural 205 pounders will be at a disadvantage, so they’ll cut to 185 and so on.

Being able to effectively cut weight without diminishing performance will give a fighter an advantage over an opponent who is less skilled at properly cutting weight.  If you are cutting weight the wrong way you will lose strength, endurance and speed, basically dooming yourself to failure.

 

Nutritionally speaking you need to maintain adequate protein in order to maintain muscle.  Muscle is made up of proteins and you need to feed your muscle with protein to maintain it.  Generally speaking you should be taking in about 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass.  Protein shakes are a good way to make sure you are getting adequate amounts of protein as they give you large amounts of high quality protein without excess calories that can store as body fat.  You should be looking for protein shakes that combine both whey and casein like Intek Evolution protein, or Optimum Health Pro Complete 40.

 

Most individuals will have the best success eating small frequent meals which allow you to feed your muscle tissue, recover from training sessions and keep your metabolism moving.  While you are cutting you will want to reduce carbohydrate intake but make sure you are getting carbs pre and post workout which will allow you to maintain intense training sessions and allow you to recover from training.  Fat intake should primarily be coming from healthy fats like flax oil, fish oil and other essential fats.

 

The two most important aspects of cutting weight will be your total calories and the quality of the calories you are taking in.  In order to drop weight properly you need to create a slight calorie deficit.  This does not mean you should drastically drop calories as this will only get your body to shed muscle and hold onto fat.  Anything more than a SMALL calorie deficit will also cause your performance to take a nose dive.  The first things you will lose are water and glycogen (carbohydrate stores in the muscle and liver).  For many fighters this will be enough weight to allow them to make their weight class.

Keep in mind the quality of the calories you are taking in also makes a difference you need adequate protein to maintain muscle and performance and you need some carbs both pre and post workout.

 

Managing carbohydrate intake will make the cutting process easier.  When you reduce carbohydrate intake the body will look for an alternative fuel source.  As long as the supply of carbohydrates is adequate it is much more difficult to get your body to use fat as fuel source.  Reducing carbohydrates will also reduce calories so you can use the carbohydrate reductions to help create the slight calorie deficit you need to drop weight.

It is a common misconception that drinking less water will help you lose water weight.  The opposite is true; by drinking more water your body will actually excrete more water.  Drinking less water will dehydrate you and cause your body to become very sensitive to water intake.  Any water you do consume will be retained.  Drinking adequate amounts of water and using a potassium sparing herbal diuretic like Optimum Health Deplete is the best way to take off water weight and maintain athletic performance.  Deplete uses several herbs including dandelion and uva ursi to safely shed subcutaneous water (water just under the skins surface) from the body.

 

Supplementation can definitely give combat sport participants an edge in their everyday training as well as helping them cut weight properly leading up to a fight.  Protein shakes are invaluable as they give you an easy way to take in quality calories, especially protein, and keep your metabolism cranking. 

 

The other products which can give you an edge are pre-workout formulas like Muscle Sport Lean Revolution and BioRhythm Juice.  While cutting weight most athletes will lose strength and energy levels will decrease.  The pre-workout formulas mentioned above are excellent for increasing workout intensity and strength and helping to buffer lactic acid which allows you to train longer and more intensely.

 

Post workout nutrition is vitally important you need to take in fast absorbing carbs and protein which is easily digested and absorbed quickly.  We recommend BioRhythm After Glow as it meets these requirements and has added glutamine, BCAA’s and cortisol blockers.  Even while cutting you need to take in some carbs after training.  A good recovery drink while cutting can make all the difference in the world as it is going to allow you to train intensely and recover fully.

 

Any time you reduce calories your body will tend to slow its metabolism.  The body likes to maintain a set weight point and tends to fight changes.  A metabolism booster with 7oxo dhea like BioRhythm Synthrolean will help keep your metabolism from slowing when you start your weight cutting process.  This makes it much easier to drop weight and tends to speed the process up.  This product does not have stimulants in it.  Most fat burners on the market are nothing more than large amounts of stimulants and they do nothing more than provide energy.  People feel the energy from caffeine and other stimulants and assume the product is doing something.  Unfortunately most of these products do nothing to affect metabolism.

 

For more information on this topic or any questions on supplementation we encourage you to stop into any one of our stores.

The best way to use supplements to speed up the muscle building process is by continually rotating your supplement stacks.  For example you could start out using Diesel Fuel Creatine, BioRhythm Juice and Muscle Sport Beta Revolution for forty days and then cycle to Muscle Sport Lean Revolution, Muscle Sport Test Revolution, Mass 600 and Humano Growth.  The idea is to switch product combinations frequently enough to keep your body from adapting to what you are taking but not change too frequently which would result in less than optimal results.  The other consideration especially with any hormonal products is the possibility of setting off a negative feedback loop in the body causing it to diminish natural production of hormones.  This is primarily and issue when using products that elevate hormone levels.

 

If you break down the supplementation of the most successful athletes they typically use a process similar to what I have described above.  This helps them to continually make progress and not get stuck in a rut or plateau.  We usually recommend sticking with a product stack for between 30 and 60 days after which time you should make some changes to your supplementation.  Keep in mind that items like protein, multi vitamin and essential fats should viewed as food.  You need to take these all of the time and they don’t really need to be changed.

 

If you would like ideas on product combinations or stacks click on the tab on the right that says “Stacks/Product Solutions”. 

 

The other topic I would like to address is why product stacks or combinations are more effective than using individual products.  Sometimes it is nice when first trying a product to use it by itself for the purpose of assessing its effectiveness.  However if you are looking to get maximum results you should be putting products stacks together that are customized to your fitness goal(s).  The logic behind this is to hit multiple muscle building pathways at one time in order to maximize the possibility of strength and growth.  Getting stronger and gaining muscle is difficult and your supplementation needs to be well planned for it to provide benefit.

These product combinations are designed to get you big and lean.  They where put together courtesy of Steve Bardi of our Warwick location.

Big & Lean Stack
What to take:

1 Adrena Lean in the morning when you wake up, with 4 HMB and 2 CLA Evolution
Why it helps:

The Adrena Lean revs up the metabolism first thing in the morning and the CLA gets your body using fat as fuel.  HMB helps protect muscle by keeping your body from using it as a source of energy.

 

What to take:

Pre-workout take 3 Synthro-Lean with 2 Yohimbine, 3 TNT-2, and 1 scoop Juice mixed with 1 scoop Krush,

Why it helps:

Synthro Lean cranks up fat burning enzymes without an added stimulant effect. Yombine is an Alpha 2 antagonist which allows fat to be mobilized especially from the lower body.  TNT 2 naturally elevates test levels for added muscle growth.  The Juice and Krush Combo will fire up the most hardcore energy junky.

 

What to take:

During workout take 1 scoop BCAA Evolution and 4 Kre Alkalyn
Why it helps:

BCAA Evolution keeps the body from going into a catabolic (muscle wasting) state during your workout.  Kre Alkalyn will top off ATP stores keeping you going longer and stronger in the gym.

 

What to take:

Post workout take 2 scoops After Glow, with 1 scoop Intek Red Ice ISOLATE and 3 TNT-2
Why it helps:

Growth is all about recovery.  After Glow is the best recovery product on the market.  The added scoop of Intek Red Ice Isolate will give you extra protein if you are unable to get another meal in within a short period of time of taking the After Glow.  TNT 2 optimizes post workout hormone levels for growth and recovery.

 

What to take:

2 CLA Evolution with 3 HMB with lunch
Why it helps:

CLA keeps your body using fat as an energy source and HMB keeps you from breaking down muscle tissue for energy.

 

What to take:

2 CLA Evolution and 3 HMB with dinner
Why it helps:

See above

 

What to take:

1 rounded scoop Sleep Revolution, with 2 Natural Test and 4 Humano Growth before bed. 

Why it helps:

Sleep Revolution helps you sleep better and gets you into deeper sleep more quickly.  Humano Growth helps optimize hormone levels while you sleep.

Big & Lean Stack #2
What to take:

1 Adrena Lean cap in the morning and 1 scoop of ANS Diesel Fuel with breakfast.

Why it helps:

Adrena Lean will kick start the metabolism first thing in the morning.  Diesel Fuel volumizes the muscle cell and packs it full of glycogen.

 

What to take:

3 Kre Alkalyn with one scoop BCAA Evolution and 1-2 scoops of Arnge Krush 40 minutes before your workout

Why it helps:

Kre Alkalyn ramps up ATP production allowing you to do more work in the gym.  Intek BCAA Evolution increases blood flow to the muscles and keeps you anabolic while working out.  Arnge Krush jacks up intensity and fuels cellular energy.

 

What to take:

Take 2-3 scoops of Mass 600 in the morning and 2-3 scoops at night

Why it helps:

If you want to get big you need to eat big.  Mass 600 supplies your body with lots of high quality calories from protein, complex carbs and healthy fats.

 

What to take:

3 Muscle Sport Test Revolution before going to bed

Why it helps:

Your body produces most of its hormones at night.  Taking Test Rev at night will ensure you produce as much testosterone as is naturally possible.

 

What to take:

Take 1 cap of Intek CLA Evolution and 2-3 caps of Deplete with 3 separate meals.

Why it helps:

CLA keeps your body using fat as energy and helps keep excess calories from being stored as body fat.  Deplete helps minimize subcutaneous water retention; in essence shrink wrapping your skin to your body.

Hard Gainers Growth Recipe

If you want to break a plateau and make some sizeable gains this supplement regimen is for you.  This recipe for results includes effective supplements for the most important parts of the day.  It matters when you take your supplements so this regimen keeps your body anabolic when it matters most.

Breakfast of Champions:
Forget about Wheaties, if you want to be big and strong take the following before your breakfast.

2 Test Rev in the morning with a serving of BCAA and 1/2 scoop Diesel Fuel

Intensity Matters:
You need to have the energy and work capacity to stress the muscle properly during your workout.

Pre-workout take 2-3 scoops of Juice with 5 caps of Beta Revolution

Recovery = Results:
Give you body the raw material to grow or you are wasting your time in the gym.

Post Workout Mix Vanilla Intek Evolution with 1/2 scoop of Diesel Fuel

Vitamin “T” for maximum Muscle:
Higher hormone levels fuels greater gains in strength and muscle.  This combo will naturally optimize hormone levels.  It is effective yet safe.

Before Bed take 2 Test Rev with 4-6 caps of Labrada Humano Growth

This combination is potent and will help anyone make some quick gains.  In fact if you can’t make gains on this you might as well quit working out!!  We are so confident in this regimen that we’ll take 10% off the price if you mention this blog when purchasing the entire combination of products mentioned above.

Muscle Building Supplements

 

We have put together some of the more effective combinations of muscle building supplements in the paragraphs below.  You can take these products individually but if you are looking for maximum results we recommend stacking them together for best results.

What to Take:  BioRhythm Juice mixed with ANS Diesel Fuel, and ECS Natural Test

How to Take It: Take 1-3 scoops of Juice about 40 minutes before your workout.  1 scoop of Diesel Fuel can be mixed in with the Juice pre-workout or it can be taken with your post workout.  Take 2 Natural Test in the morning and 2 before going to bed.

Why it Works: Juice increases workout intensity and fuels cellular energy levels helping you to work out harder and longer.  Diesel Fuel will volumize the muscle cell, increase ATP production and boost glycogen stores and protein synthesis.  Natural Test will boost testosterone levels naturally and increase the rate of protein synthesis.

 

What to Take:  ANS Diesel Fuel, BioRhythm Big Blue, Muscle Sport Test Revolution

How to Take It: Take 1 scoop of Diesel Fuel with 4-6 Big Blue about 40 minutes before training.  Take 3 Test Revolution about 1 hour before your workout, or for increased results take 3 before your workout and 3 before bed.

Why it Works: Diesel Fuel will volumize the muscle cell, increase ATP production and boost glycogen stores and protein synthesis.  Big Blue increases nitric oxide production increasing blood and oxygen flow to the muscles while reducing lactic acid and allowing the muscle to be under tension for a greater period of time.  Test Revolution naturally boosts testosterone levels which turn on the cellular machinery that builds muscle.

 

What to Take: Beta Revolution, BioRhythm Juice, Creatine CXS

How to Take It: Take 3-6 Beta Revolution 40 minutes before training with 1-3 scoops of BioRhythm Juice.  Take 2-3 caps of Creatine CXS immediately before training and 2 caps immediately after training.

Why it Works: Beta Revolution allows you to recruit more muscle fibers, while BioRhythm Juice increases workout intensity and cellular energy substrates.  Creatine CXS increases muscle pumps and boosts ATP production.

Which Protein Should You be Using?

Muscle growth is dependent on the balance between protein synthesis and protein breakdown. The goal is to increase protein synthesis and decrease protein breakdown. Casein protein is considered to be a muscle-sparing protein. Since casein protein slowly enters the blood stream, it has a moderate impact on protein synthesis, but it has a powerful effect on reducing protein breakdown.

 

Current research has shown that in terms of overall muscle tissue increases and decreases of body fat, casein reigns superior. It’s been shown to accomplish this by increasing anabolism to a moderate extent, but more importantly, decreasing catabolism to a large degree. It seems that the reason behind this is simply because of its slow digestion and consequently, absorption rates. It provides a steady, slower paced release of amino acids into the blood stream.

 

We all know that we need to take whey protein after workouts–but that doesn’t mean that whey can’t be better. Slow-digesting casein protein was once believed to have no place around workout time, but newer research suggests otherwise. In fact, a study from Baylor University (Waco, Texas) reported that men who consumed a whey/casein blend of protein after workouts for 10 weeks gained significantly more muscle than the subjects who consumed a whey protein shake without casein.  These subjects also lost more fat than the ones using only whey.

 

Current research is showing that the optimal protein for fat loss and muscle building is a mixture of whey and casein protein.  Try Intek Evolution Protein or Optimum Health Pro Complete 40 for the ideal blend of whey and casein proteins.

Time to get back to the basics.  In order to build strength and muscle one must first understand what weightlifting is actually doing to the body to produce growth.  With this knowledge making the right choice in supplementation is easy.  When we lift weights and push ourselves pass our limits we are actually inducing microscopic tears in the muscle fiber.  That’s why after a good work out we are sore.  The human body evolved in such a way that we adapt to caused trauma (microscopic muscle tears, broken bones, etc.) by recovering the affected area stronger than its original state.  This is called progressive overload when having to do with weightlifting and muscle growth.  The idea is that the harder we train, the more trauma we cause to the muscle fiber, the bigger and stronger the muscle will grow.  This is where supplementation can come in handy.  Certain supplements allow us to train harder and longer and ultimately cause more trauma to the muscle fiber which translates to greater muscle growth.  Creatines are great for this.  ANS Diesel Fuel is a customer favorite.  MSI CXS Revolution is also excellent for those trying to keep water retention to a minimum.  Pre-workout powders are also another good choice for increasing workout overload.  BioRhythm’s SSIN Juice is one of the craziest pre-workout powders I’ve ever tried.  Another aspect of muscle growth is recovery from those intense training sessions.  If the muscle is not completely recovered by the time you work it out again it will not grow and performance will be diminished.  The faster you recover the sooner you can get back in the gym to stimulate more muscle growth.  Supplements that promote a faster, fuller recovery include but are not limited to protein, glutamine and BCAAs.  Intek makes an excellent protein and BCAA powder.  BioRhythm makes a product called AfterGlow to be consumed right after a workout; this is the best stuff Performance Nutrition sells for recovery.  Stress the muscle, recover the muscle and rule the gym!

Geranium oil extract, or 1, 3-dimethylamylamine, is the hot new ingredient in many pre-workout powders and fat burners.  Geranium extract mimics the body’s own chemical messanger, epinephrine (adrenaline).  If you couldn’t guess it has a strong central nervous system stmulating effect, i.e. incrased energy, mental clarity and physical performance.  This stuff is ultra potent and is even great for fat loss.  Geranium works through a similar pathway as ephedrine causing an increase in cAMP, the chemical messanger that triggers fat release, appetite suppression and thermogenisis.  I personally think geranium extract will eventually replace ephedrine.  I feel its a better alternative with less of a crashing effect and no jitters.  If you haven’t tried any products containing this wonder herb you are in for a treat.  Supplements containing geranium extract include Intek’s Thermogenic Revolution (strongest fat burner post ephedrine ban), USP Lab’s Jack3d, BioRhythm’s SSIN Juice, MSI’s Lean PreWorkout Revolution.