Universal Shock Therapy Preworkout Review

I recently got to try the Universal Shock Therapy preworkout I wrote about in my previous blog post. I was pretty excited to try this after reading the information packet that came with the samples. Universal also really promoted the taste as being something exceptional so I was thinking this may take the number one spot in terms of taste.


Taste
The flavor sample they sent me was Clyde's Hard Lemonade. It mixed smoothly and left no floating particles. It had a very good smell like a strong pink lemonade.


As for the actual taste?...It tasted pretty bad with 8 oz of water...very mediciny and bitter. There was also an aftertaste that was bitter too. I thought maybe I just needed to add more water, so I added more water and it pretty much tasted the same, just not as strong. The taste not being great was pretty disappointing. 

Mixed with 8 oz of water. 

Energy
I only felt a slight increase in energy. However I had a great workout this session. It gave me a feeling of restlessness where I just wanted to do my next set and not rest so long. It was a good thing I took this on my "medium" day (sets of 8-14 reps) instead of my heavy day (sets of 3-5 reps).


Strength
I felt strong throughout the workout but there was no noticeable "extra" strength I could speak about.


Endurance
My endurance during this Shock Therapy workout was great. I didn't want to leave the gym when I was done with my workout. I felt like I didn't do enough and wanted to stay and do more!


Pump
I experienced an awesome pump in my biceps and rear delts. But, this was nothing new for me as I have no problems getting pumps in these body parts.


Overall
I really pretty excited to try this preworkout but have to admit...I was let down. From reading the hype on it, I thought it had the chance to be the best tasting preworkout but it wasn't even close and would even say it was the worst, second only to White Flood!


I thought it also had a disappointing initial feel...there was no burst of energy or focus like with C4 or Craze. I did end up having a great workout though but the taste was pretty bad!
I would only use this if I got it for free or a huge 75% discount!..even then I think I would combine it with C4 or Craze.

Free sample!

Let me know what you guys think of the samples you get from Universal :)

Universal Samples!

I'd like to thank Universal Nutrition for the package of samples they just recently sent me!

The package  includes:

-1 Sample of Real Gains (Weight Gainer)

-1 Sample of Atomic 7 (BCAA product with added glutamine and citrulline malate)

-1 Sample of Shock Therapy (Their new re-worked pump/preworkout product)

-1 Sticker that says "Univeral is Numero Uno" 

3 different samples!

If you'd guys like to try some samples from Universal, you can request them at the following link: http://www.universalusa.com/Universal/Products/Try-Samples

Let me know how you like the samples! Oh and don't forget to like the Aesthetic Muscle facebook page as I prefer to post quick updates/supplements deals/samples there instead of writing a blog post!

Driven Sports Craze Preworkout Review

Driven Sports Craze has been the hottest new preworkout supplement on the market in the past few months. Many users on the forums have been raving about it's effects and I finally got the chance to try it. I was seriously considering buying Craze based on the user reviews but wanted to try it first so I emailed Drive Sports and they were kind enough to send me a sample :)

Sample packet from Drive Sports :)

Taste

This was the best tasting preworkout I've tried so far. There's a nice lightly sweet grape flavor with no bad aftertaste. It mixed very well with no floating sediments. It was very pleasant to sip on and I wished I had more :)

Foamy but mixed clean with no floating particles

Shaken in a blender bottle for mixing

Energy

The energy I felt on this was decent...it wasn't crazy hyped up energy or anything but I felt a good steady flow throughout the workout. Nothing high but no lulls in energy either.

Strength

I believe this is the area where Craze excels. It gave me a really strong focus which seemed to help me move more weight. I've seen some users say the feeling craze gives you is different than any other preworkout. I wouldn't say a lot "different" but the focus is definitely awesome with Craze, and is something that no other preworkout I've tried has made me feel.

Endurance

I had some major endurance during this workout. By the end of my workout I felt like I still wanted to do more and could have stayed in the gym for for another 2 hours!

Pump

I didn't notice anything outside of the norm when it came to pumps.  My workout was kept in the 5 rep range so that may have been why. I'd love to try this in the 8-15 rep range and see its effects on pumps.

Overall

I had a great workout with Craze and I would have to say it's my 2nd favorite preworkout only behind Cellucor's C4 Extreme. I recently purchased a bottle of Cellucor C4 Extreme so I'm not immediately looking to buy Craze but if I come across a sale, I'll purchase it to rotate with the C4. 

I'll let you guys know on my facebook page if I find any awesome sales on Driven Sports Craze. 

PS, I've seen users say this makes a great pre-party cocktail if you're into that kind of thing ;)

Cellucor C4 Extreme Review

Cellucor C4 Extreme Preworkout Review

Cellucor C4 Extreme ...pretty cool container!

My recent fishoil order from Bodybuilding.com unexpectedly came with a sample of the popular preworkout product, C4 by Cellucor.

I've heard a lot about the product but never looked into trying it or buying it. I think it was because I had never heard of the company so I never considered it. I have to admit though that this preworkout has been the best I have sampled thus far!

Sample of Cellucor C4 Extreme from Bodybuilding.com

It tasted good, mixed well, and provided me with one of my best workouts ever! So here's my review of the sample product I received:

Taste

The sample I received was a 2 serving packet of their Blue Raspberry flavor. It mixed very well in the blender bottle and left no floating remnants. It also had a great initial taste with a minor mediciny aftertaste that I've come to expect from preworkouts. Despite this aftertaste, I would say it's a pretty good tasting preworkout that I would have no problem sipping on if I chose to.

Energy

The energy I felt on this was awesome. 10-15 minutes after drinking the preworkout, I started getting that amped up feeling and was ready to pump some iron. I also started feeling the beta alanine tingles too...I think I actually like this feeling and it kinda gets me psyched to workout. 

Strength

I was stronger in every lift during this particular workout! This was unexpected but a very motivating feeling. I used more weight and did more reps during this workout than any other I've had with other preworkouts!

Endurance

My endurance was very good during this workout. I never felt tired or exhausted and was able to put full energy and focus into my sets at the beginning of the work as well as towards the end of my workout.

Pump

The pumps were pretty amazing on this as well. If you've read my previous preworkout reviews, you know I don't have a difficult time getting a pump. But with this preworkout, I noticed my pump was even greater than normal and it felt fantastic!

Overall

I am very impressed with Cellucor C4 and would definitely buy it if I find a good sale on it. The effects in the gym were awesome with no negative side effects (unless you dislike the beta alanine tingles). I'll be keeping my eye out for any sales on this product and will let you guys know if I find any :)


Nutritional information:

30 Servings Blue Raspberry Serving Size:1Scoop(5.7g) Servings Per Container:30 Amount Per Serving % DV Calories 5 Total Carbohydrates 1g <1%** Vitamin C 250mg 417% Niacin (As Niacinamide) 30mg 150% Folate 250mcg 62% Vitamin B12 35mcg 588% Beta Alanine 1500mg † Creatine Nitrate 1000mg † Arginine AKG 1000mg † Explosive Energy Blend 718mg † Vitamin C (As Ascorbic Acid), N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine, Caffeine Anhydrous (135mg), Mucuna Pruriens, Niacinamide, Synephrine HCL, Folate (As Folic Acid), Pyridoxine Phosphate, Vitamin B12 (As Methylcobalamin) ** Percent Daily Values (% DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. † Daily Value not established.

Other Ingredients: Natural And Artificial Flavors, (Contains: FD&C Blue #1), Citric Acid, Silicon Dioxide, Malic Acid, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K)

Velocity Shot Preworkout review

It may seem like the only products I've been reviewing are preworkouts. There's a good reason for this. They are one of the few supplements that show an immediate effect, and these are the samples that I've been receiving :)


So this brings me to the latest sample preworkout I received, Neogenix Velocity Shots  This is the first "shot" type of preworkout that I've tried. It was nice to not have to drink so much additional liquid before working out.  So onto the review...


Taste

Being that this was a shot, it's really not meant to be drunken slowly and held in your mouth but this is what I did for the sake of the review. It tasted like a diluted orange flavored cough medicine, which wasn't exactly delicious. But again this wasn't meant to savored so I'd think I had just took the shot, I barely would have noticed the taste.

Energy

Good thing about this preworkout was I didn't feel any jitters. But I also didn't feel a boost in energy so I thought this stuff wasn't going to do anything. However, once I got to the gym and started warming up, I was hyped and ready to lift! 

Strength

I was able to achieve a new personal best during this workout, getting 160 lbs for 5 reps on weighted dips. I felt very strong during this exercise and for rest of my workout as well.

Endurance

I had great energy throughout the workout and all the way to the end. I never felt tired and felt like I could rest minimally especially during the weighted dips.

Pump

I don't normally have an issue getting a pump and would have to say there was no noticeable additional effects in this area.

Overall

I felt this was a effective for a preworkout and would do the job of making sure I get a good workout in. I would use this product again if I get more samples or can get it on sale :)

Beast Mode Preworkout Review

I recently posted about the free Beast Sports supplements samples that were being given away by BEAST Sports Nutrition. In that sample package was their preworkout supplement called Beast Mode. With such an awesome name for a preworkout, I was hoping it would really turn me into a Beast in the gym :)

Taste

The Beast Mode preworkout came in a common flavor, fruit punch. I had mixed the sample packet with 10 ounces of water as directed. When I sipped the drink, my first impression was that the taste was not very strong. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing or a good thing, I just didn't expect it to be so light due to my experience with other preworkouts. 


Along with the light taste, it wasn't very sweet or sour either. It was almost like drinking a very light sugar water. Because of its light flavor, it was very easy to drink down. Another good thing was that it had no aftertaste.


The texture was a little chalky but otherwise it did mix smoothly in my blender bottle.

Energy

Once I finished the drink, I actually started to get a stomach-ache and feel light headed. The light headedness is common for me when I take a preworkout but the stomachache is not. Because of this I thought I was not going to have a very good workout. 


Despite the stomachache and light headedness, once I got into the gym I felt great! My stomachache was gone and so was the light headed feeling. I didn't feel cracked out but it almost felt like I didn't want to rest between sets! My energy lasted well past the duration of my workout. 

Strength

My strength has slowly been increasing since I started bulking and has been really noticeable lately. Because of this it's hard for me to say whether the strength increases I saw this workout were due to the Beast Mode or if I would have gotten the same weight and reps without it.


What I can say is that it didn't hurt and I did reach a new personal best in this particular workout...so maybe it was the Beast mode?

Beast Mode Activated!

Endurance

I felt great throughout the workout session. My strength was able to be sustained until the end and I never felt drained or exhausted.

Pump

I've mentioned before that I don't normally pay too much attention to pumps as I've never had trouble feeling the pump. But for the sake of the reviews I do try to see if there's any difference. I can honestly say that I did feel more pumped this workout than I normally do. Whether this was because of the beast mode or the increased weight and reps is hard to say as well...so I'll just say it was a combination of both :)

Overall

I thought the effects of this preworkout were pretty good. I reached new personal bests and I had good energy and endurance past the duration of the workout.


However, the stomach-ache was a major point of concern. I don't know which of the ingredients gave me a stomachache but whatever it was, it sure didn't feel good. But I also haven't read about any other reports of this either so it could have just been a one time occurrence or maybe just me.


I'd like to think the stomach-ache and lightheadedness was all a part of getting into Beast Mode! :)