Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Hey Ridley, Got Any Beemans?

I’m not a real test pilot but I play one on TV. Yesterday, in the line of duty as Beachbody’s lab rat, I tried something called Jet Fuel. But instead of me chasin’ that demon that lives out in the thin air I think it was chasing me. Now I feel like Spam in a can.

In our quest to create great supplements I pretty much take everything on the market out for a spin in one form or another. This generally means, well, pretty much nothing as most supplement do just that: nothing. This is not the case with Jet Fuel. It does something, for sure, but I’m not sure it’s what I’d call the right stuff.

why does everything sound so much better in spanish?

I’m mainly over messing with pre-workout caffeinated nonsense. I’ve tested plenty of the jillion or so available and they’re pretty much all variations on a theme that can be cured with a cup of coffee. Jet Fuel caught my eye because of a few ingredients not normally seen in this realm, primarily the neurotransmitter phosphatidylserine which increases brain function and mental focus. I’ve used it before and found it effective and wondered how it might work if it was transported by an explosive cocktail. And, shoot, this stuff was on closeout. Seemed like a good time to take her up and wring her out a little bit.



Granted, it was a little late in the day to be testing a stimulant but I had a two-hour workout planned and, heck, I could even finish her off with a little yoga if this stuff wasn’t burned off by then. So I took a third of a “dose” and hit the gym.
"is that your crash helmet? oh, i hope not."

I did an hour on the trainer and felt good. Then I test drove a prospective workout for a new Beachbody program tentatively called “The Beast”(but that’s another story). After the workout I felt great. I then had something to eat, did some work, some yoga, then got ready for bed and started reading. Hmmm…
“Y’all want a drink of whiskey?”

Sure, Fred, maybe it’ll help me sleep. I’d been off the sauce since the martini challenge but needed rest. A glass of bourbon and reading about the haematocrit levels of Marco Pantani during his career did the trick, but the night was young.
In my dreams I was out of control in a hurdlin’ piece of machinery. It was not restful. I was in and out of consciousness and might have gotten a couple of hours, which I’m only sure of because I was dreaming. In the final segment I found myself in a flat spin, totally out of control, where I kept almost swallowing gum (in reality I never chew gum), which finally woke me it. I’d better go find Ridley and pay him back.
fireflies? that's ridiculous.

A test pilot’s review of Jet Fuel: The stuff is powerful, and probably easily dangerous, but I won’t say that it’s without merit in the right situation. Most of the ingredients are healthy. It’s the megadose of caffeine in combination with other stimulants, and it’s got the kitchen—or lab—sink, that will account for this. But I think it might have a place in a rigorous training program if you take it early on a hard training day and stay hydrated. My mental focus and clarity was great, and I was super amped, which if controlled can be put to good use. I would never use it during a phase where I’m only doing an hour or so of exercise, no matter how intense, and I’d always start with a low dose. It should be saved for those days when you’re pushing the envelope. Otherwise, you might augur in.


Now, who’s the best pilot you ever saw?

19 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey Steve

Great post. Just a question, have you ever tried the product "Ripped Freak"? Long story short, I got a bunch of free samples from a local supplement store and gave a few of the pre-workout ones a shot but none of them really seemed to do a whole heck of a lot...except of course this one called Ripped Freak. Man oh man, I felt like I could go jump off a cliff and go flying.

-Tyler

Steve Edwards said...

Jet Fuel looks like Shakeology compared to that stuff. Here's a short thread calling it junk. A lot of fancy ways to say caffeine though, which is why it amped you up so much:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=116908481

Anonymous said...

Put the spurs to her Chuck.

-Ridley

Dave said...

The title is the best line in any movie. Ever.

Anonymous said...

How does Jet Fuel compare to Jack3d?

Steve Edwards said...

I would guess JF would be more effective but J3D is sort of interesting. I've been wanting to experiment with Geranium and it's pretty much impossible to find in its whole form except as a skin tonic. J3D uses its active ingredients, along with tried and true pre-wo staples, caffeine and creatine. It's other big ingredient, schizandra, has never done much for me. I'd say this is worth playing with a bit.

ace said...

vs NO-Xplode?

San said...

I am curious about No-Explode and 1MR. Are they bad for you taken as directed? I was using No-Explode and found I had to increase the amount to get anything out of it. I am concerned about creatine and the reviews say No-Explode is bad for your liver. I do endurance training - 2 to 3 hours of a workout. Can you help?

San said...

Is No-Explode or 1MR bad for your body in anyway if taken as directed? I heard it was bad on the liver. I am interested in something for endurance running training.

Coach Tommy said...

I generally stay away from all the energy boosters. I'm very insulin resistant, and the caffeine causes a big spike in insulin production. I generally use music to get me pumped. Crank up the Joe Satriani!

Steve Edwards said...

1MR and NoX are both piggybacking the NO science of the late 90s in combination with creatine and the standard jacking agents. They are different than what we've been discussing. Not bad, necessarily, but here are a few considerations.

Creatine is pretty tried and true for what it does, to increase anaerobic endurance via the Kreb's Cycle. While fairly effective it's down side is water retention. Guys are usually cool with this, women less so. I've yet to see a credible study that it's hard on your liver but, I suppose, might be in massive dosages.

The NO science has a massive flaw. It was done with injected argenine and never replicated with oral arginine. This has blossomed into a billion dollar industry. I've tested NO supps like crazy and I concur, nothing worthwhile other than what you get from the other ingredients, which are generally some forms of caffeine.

I also hate all the artificial stuff in both of these. You just shoot it down anyway. It's not a shake or meal replacement. Why does it have to taste like anything? And the artificial sweeteners make no sense because using sugar as a transport vehicle for creatine is state-of-the art for nutrient delivery. So that is purely for marketing hype.

Anyway, they are ok supplements that probably won't hurt you but you're paying for some junk, as well. I'd go by the "if you like it go ahead and take it" philosophy on them. I would not recommend them.

Dawson A. Ransome said...

Steve I am curious to get your take on the best Creatine supplement and your thoughts on its use in general.

Steve Edwards said...

I've written so much about creatine over the years I can't beleive there's not a blog on it. I guess maybe because it's been around since the early 90s and this blog began in 2006.

It's tried and true and in all of these years and been proven very safe. But it's only useful if you are interested in anaerobic endurance and already pushing your workouts to the maximum. Downside is that it causes water retention and you should drink a ton of water with it. For this reason I find cycling most effective for pretty much everyone.

Also, it seems much more effective for vegetarians who lack creatine in their actual diet.

Don't know if there's a best. A lot of claims are flying around but no substantial science behind any of them. There is a best way to take it, either pre or post workout (only) on slightly depleted glycogen stores and with some sugar for transport.

Steve Edwards said...

I've written so much about creatine over the years I can't beleive there's not a blog on it. I guess maybe because it's been around since the early 90s and this blog began in 2006.

It's tried and true and in all of these years and been proven very safe. But it's only useful if you are interested in anaerobic endurance and already pushing your workouts to the maximum. Downside is that it causes water retention and you should drink a ton of water with it. For this reason I find cycling most effective for pretty much everyone.

Also, it seems much more effective for vegetarians who lack creatine in their actual diet.

Don't know if there's a best. A lot of claims are flying around but no substantial science behind any of them. There is a best way to take it, either pre or post workout (only) on slightly depleted glycogen stores and with some sugar for transport.

mumbojumbo22 said...

Steve, very interesting post. I have been a long time follower of your blog. I will have to give jet fuel a shot! Also, what is "the beast" program you speak of? I am curious.

Steve Edwards said...

Ah, wondered when someone was going to pick up on that. The Beast is something we're doing with:

sagikalev.com

Perfect training for Duathlon Nationals. Ok, maybe not, but at least I won't look small.

Steve Edwards said...

And if you finish the program we give you a tiger to pose with.

http://sagikalev.com/

mumbojumbo22 said...

Ah, it must be the mass building program for MC2? I'll even settle for a wild cheetah....

Steve Edwards said...

Test Flight #2: it's 4am. I'm awake after sleeping about 4-5 hrs. Went right to sleep. Think I slept well. Took 1/3 "dose" AM after morning tea Had coffee post first workout. Hour on the trainer with 2 hard 15 minutes AT intervals, one-hour Beast workout. 1.5 hour hike in the snow. Dinner w/ 2 glasses of wine and a trappist ale for dessert. Drank a ton of water. Ate normal and felt normal all day. Now wide awake. Heart is not racing though, which is often effect of amp supps/drugs.

Next test on harder day without coffee.

Doesn't feel dangerous but use caution.