C4 Extreme Review

Well it’s time for another supplement review.

This time, a Pre-workout, C4 Extreme by Cellucor to be precise!

I will be trialing a few pre-workouts and other supplements on the market in the coming weeks and months as a gym buddy and co-owner of a pharmacy hooks me up with some samples.

So how am I going to judge these things?

Well there will be my take on some particulars like taste and effect on the body, but I will also be testing the products claims as per its advertising. I’ll also try and breakdown the components and explain why these product do or don’t work.

So let’s start with C4 and review each one as they come!

Taste: Samples were of icy blue razz. Taste wise it is like drinking an energy drink, sweet with little “bad” taste or that, “shot it and chase it” taste that some pre-workout s seem to have.

Effects Pre: Nothing. I did not experience anything between taking it and making it to the gym

Effects Post: No crash experienced, slept well and felt normal through the rest of the day.

Price: Average price of about $60 for 60 serves. So a dollar a pop if one serve is enough, or two dollars per workout, so that’s about a month worth of workouts.

Effect on Workout: Ok so reading the ingredient list, I was pretty aware of what to expect. A flushing or tingle sensation at moments of peak muscle tension, some feel this as itchy. This is the key ingredient doing its thing, check the Sciency stuff a bit further in to find out what that’s all about!

Product Claims!!

BURN THROUGH EACH AND EVERY WORKOUT
WITH EXPLOSIVE ENERGY AND FOCUS* - ok what is “FOCUS” in this case? I’m a lone wolf trainer at most times so between the weights and I, I’m pretty focused. But I don’t think they are talking about getting distracted by booty or a talker, they are talking about the focus on the muscle or exercise that you are training. I did find my focus felt targeted and as always for me, I burned through my workout with explosive energy. Was it the PRE?

Amplified Energy* - Unsure how to measure the Amplification besides gauging max weight or ability to carry out more reps than usual. I did indeed push out an extra set or two AND in some instances pushed into a new max weight level that I was not at before.

Intense Focus* - I feel like we’ve been here before…

Unbelievable Muscle Pumps* - Yes, but you have to be willing to earn this pump. The formula will require you to really push hard to get your pump… but when you do it will be worth it.

Mouthwatering Flavors – Well I only tried one, and I would have to admit that this flavour was exceptionally tasty.

Award Winning Formula – well the award is pretty thin, but I believe it won some award for best pre-workout supplement some year…

Science Stuff!!

CREATINE NITRATE – you can ready sooooo much about creatine online, as this supplement is toted as one of the most proven breakthroughs in supplements since steroids and it scientifically works. (so they say) Gone are the days of needing to load up for a few days then settle down the dose, but just getting your creatine from this preworkout alone will not normally suffice the three amounts that you might need to be taking if you are serious about your fitness regime. It does not however give you instant POWER rather it remains in your body ready to use, so potentially you might have even better effects with this pre-workout after a few days as the creatine levels buffer in your body.

BETA ALANINE – I have blogged about this supplement by itself before. This is the part of the mix that gives the tingle and itch. By increasing the carsonine in the muscles you can flush the lactic acid build up better and therefore prolong how long it takes to get a muscle pump. This means that you can break the threshold of failure. Thus tearing more muscle fibre and thus creating gains. It then also means that your body can go back to repairing quicker due to the fact that it gears the muscle up to balance acidity produced from a workout quicker.

ARGININE AKG – this is the part of the formula that is designed to increase the nitric oxide levels in your blood. Higher NOx levels are supposed to increase blood flow and vascularity ergo, more blood to the muscle. Reaserch is yet to be verified if this is actually a working component in any supplementation. So the presence of it in this PRE is most likely there for the sake of not missing out on what others are doing.

N-ACETYL-L-TYROSINE – this component is for sparking the protein synthisis into play. You can get the main component of tyrosine from dairy products. It is also the portion of the fomula that is supposed to help your “FOCUS”.

VITAMIN B12 – Brain and blood function. Also found in most animal derived food sources.

CAFFEINE – You know, like the stuff you find in coffee, another stimulant for the EVERYTHING.

NIACINAMIDE – could be in the formula to help with anything from acne to reducing swelling…

FOLIC ACID – Folate for helping with cell growth.

SYNEPHRINE HCL – this is for burning fat and cranking up the body furnace. How does it do it? Some studies have shown that it can slightly trigger the adrenaline response in the body. *Advised not to be used by people with heart problems.

Once I’m done reviewing the Pre-workouts I will pass judgement of which ones I would or would not recommend… stay tuned.