What to look for in a pre-workout
| ENERGY | |
| PUMP | |
| TASTE | |
| INGREDIENTS | |
| VALUE | |
| OVERALL | |
Getting great workouts where you push yourself to near failure on every set is tough. Yet this is what it takes to get your body to really transform. It takes putting in massive amounts of effort day-in day-out. Let’s be real for a second though, no one is 100% motivated to kick their own ass day-in day-out 100% of the time. We all have off days, we all have off weeks even. To me, that’s what pre-workout formulas are for: to give you a boost where you get intense workouts when you are lacking the mental focus and motivation naturally. After all, if your workouts suck, if you lack focus and motivation, you can forget about making killer progress anytime soon.
People like to over-complicate workouts. “Do this exercise this way and do 10 reps only” I’ll overhear people saying in the gym. The truth is, intensity and going til failure is what matters. There are no magic set amounts, no magic rep amounts. There’s just progressively overloading your body through intensity and personal focus. Obviously this is painful, and your body doesn’t really want to go through this stress. It takes mental toughness, willpower, and a deeply rooted desire to overcome your body’s instincts of maintaining homeostasis through laziness.
USPLabs Jack3d helps promote the desire to lift weight, pump out more reps and generally get riled up and focused to kick your own ass even on days when you’re not feeling like it. Obviously, we want to get this kind of focus and energy naturally from the foods we eat and the way we live life. But like I stated above, we all have those ‘down’ days and that’s when a hit of Jack3d can be the perfect prescription.
Energy
Energy is exactly what jack3d is known for. Hour long workouts can seem like a warm-up when on this stuff. The first time I tried Jacked I couldn’t believe the amount of energy and focus that was produced. I felt like an unstoppable beast with unlimited amounts of endurance and explosiveness.
Jack3d provides a stream of energy all the way through your lifts and really makes you want to go move something. Jack3d will definitely deliver the energy boost you want and need.
Pump
Obviously we all want to feel the best muscle pump in the gym possible. Arnold describes it in an animated way here. Personally, I didn’t feel a pump from Jacked that I had hoped for. Energy, yes. Pump, not really. It seems to me that the pump I experience while on Jack3d isn’t increased due the the supplement. In fact, USPlabs created an additional product supposedly designed for maximizing the pump people experience. Obviously, many people have said the same things as me and now the company seems to be responding with an additional product.
Taste
Jack3d is one of the better tasting pre-workout drinks I have tried. I’ve tried all flavors, and they are all really good. Lemon Lime might be my favorite flavor though. Some pre-workout drinks are so horrible tasting it’s hard to stomach them. Not Jacked. It’s almost enjoyable to drink (and still calorie free). Obviously artificial sweeteners are used in this product, so keep this in mind (another reason to limit how much of it you use, see below).
Ingredients
USPlabs focuses on using quality ingredients. In fact that is a big part of their sales pitch. However, keep in mind Jack3d is a product that focuses of providing energy and focus. Amino acids like L-Arginine, L-Citrulline, and L-Histidine, which all aid in the synthesizing of nitric oxide and increase in blood flow are left out. Other ingredients that aren’t included is branch chain amino acids, or BCAAs (L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, and L-Valine).
Value
Jack3d is a very reasonably priced drink. $27.99 for 45 servings is definitely doable. When you compare the price with the type of results you get from Jack3d, you can’t help but rate the value highly.
Overall
Overall I find Jack3d to be a solid product. However it isn’t for everyone. If you’re sensitive to stimulants, you won’t be having a good time with Jack3d as it will probably send you through the roof. It is also very easy to get addicted to this stuff. I highly recommend not using it consistently. Instead, use it on days when you’re dragging. Set a limit on the amount of times per week you’ll allow yourself to use it as well (I would recommend 1-2 at the very max). This way your body won’t get acclimated to the stuff, and you won’t end up taking more and more and more to feel the same effect. Stimulating your nervous system too much can be very detrimental. Keep this in mind when messing around with pre-workout formulas and all stimulants for that matter.
The final downfall to Jack3d is that over time it becomes less effective. People end up taking more and more of it to get the same results. I’ve found my strategy of capping my weekly usage and only using it on down days to be the best solution. Some people use it for a month, and then take a month off. Either way, know this; the more you use it, the less effective it becomes.
Ultimately, you can only know through personal experience whether this is for you or not. You can try it out, or restock your supply by clicking below:
Hmm? I’m a fan of your intermittent fasting blog, which I’ve easily incorporated into my life. Awesome! But my question is…..what is the best refuel after a workout? That is the most important.
And by the way….you’re gorgeous and I want you;)
Are you single?
Sure am.
I’ve read this blog a few times. It’s not always that reps need to done to failure but with variations. There’s so many things to do to tweak each rep. I advise your female followers to watch Erin Stern. She’s a great inspiration and provides you tube vids on how to tweak stale workouts.
Awesome review, Jack3d is one of my favorite preworkouts, doesn’t have all the filler like Superpump or N.O. Explode, minimal ingredients and gets down to business.