CFI by Achievements Through Science Labs (ATS Labs) – Review (B+)

CFI by Achievements Through Science Labs (ATS Labs) – Review (B+)

INTRODUCTION- I decided to try this product primarily as a result of the other products I have tried from ATS Labs.  If you look through the other posts you will see that for a build cycle I did a stack of products from ATS Labs and I really enjoyed them.  They seemed to be aggressive and productive at the same time.  

So I started to do some research, and even though I couldn’t find any Cutting or fat burners from ATS in the stores I found some on their online store.  So I figured I would do a fat burning cycle with them and try them out.

CFI (which I assume stands for something, but I don’t know) some with 90 capsules which is proported to be a 45 day supply.    “It is designed to give the consumer a fat burning experience that is second to none,” so says the label.  Simple enough.

The price on this was around $49.99 which was a good value I felt.

And in true ATS style – besides the Bitter Orange Extract – there is not a single ingredient that I fully understand or know anything about… which is unusual for me and my background in supplements – but seems to be typical of ATS.  This can cause some to be suspicious.

The instructions are to take one capsule two times a day – and go five days on and two days off.  When I started, I knew that I wasn’t going to take the two days off… that is just not my style and I only wanted to do a 30 day cycle.  Only wanting to do a 30 day cycle I also decided not to listen to the “do not consume more than 2 capsules a day” and I figured I would just do three a day and get rid of the 90 pills in 30 days.  (PLEASE READ BELOW)

Because I just wanted to lose fat – I also was only going to do weight loss level cardio for an hour a day.

RESULTS – I lost fat – and it worked… but not without consequences.

As I stated, I thought I would be more aggressive than the label asked – and I would take three pills a day (spaced out throughout the day). 

Day one I took one before my work out – and it help the workout be freakin awesome.  I loved the work out.  The second pill came before lunch, and the third pill came right before I left work (thinking it would help my activity with the family for the rest of the night).

Day 2 – same routine, but the minute I took the third pill – my NOSE STARTED TO BLEED!  This was my very first nose bleed in my life – and it wouldn’t stop – took me about thirty minutes and a couple of people to help from work.  I thought this was kind of funny and not connected to the supplement.

Day 3 – same routine, and again… the moment I took the third pill my nose started to BLEED AGAIN!  This time it again took about thirty minutes to stop.

With that – I decided to STOP the third pill – and for the rest of the cycle I never had another nose bleed again.  I am not sure why – but I learned my lesson.  I know that writing this probably makes me sound stupid – and looking back I knew better – but I am trying to be completely honest in these reviews.

With that being said, after I got through the first three days and just going back to two pills a day – I quickly shed all the excess fat I gained in my last bulk cycle and another 5 pound in the second two weeks.  By the time I was ending the fourth week I was will averaging about a 2.2 lbs of loss a week – and I still had another 2 and a half weeks of supply – so I extended the supplementation for another two weeks.  I didn’t start to plateau in my weight loss until the third week of the extension – which was seven weeks total.

With that being said I am giving this a B+ for weight loss.  I lost weight really well and consistently – and for those who are working out they will enjoy this supplement.  I never got the sweats to felt uncomfortable from the stimulants throughout the day – I just felt the energy.  I would recommend this product. 

I probably would have given this an A if I didn’t get the nose bleed – which although was my fault probably shows something about the ingredients, safety, and I am sure there are people out there who this would be too strong for.

SYNEGREX by Metabolic Nutrition – Review (C)

SYNEGREX by Metabolic Nutrition – Review (C)

So this supplement was highly recommended, but you might notice that I am combining the introduction and the review together.  The reason for this is that I didn’t stay on this product long enough to space the two out – it is probably just better that I put them together.

INTRODUCTION – This product come highly recommended.  When I say highly recommended, I mean by everyone who has ever taken it.  To the extent that for any store to make a quick sale of this product all it requires is the sales person whispering that they might take it off the shelves, and if the customer has used it before they will stock up right there on as many bottles as they can get.  Seriously, this was what I witnessed that peaked my interest.

This product is available at a number of Nutritional Stores.  I was first introduced to the product a Complete Nutrition, but when I can find the same product at other stores (which is RARE) I usually try and buy it somewhere else (as it will be cheaper).  I purchased this one at my local whole good store Good Earth for $39.99 – but I have seen this retail for as much as $59.99.

INGREDIENTS –Hypothetically one of the selling points of this supplement is that there are not hard core stimulants like eccessive amounts of caffeine.  Ironically, the real selling point that I have heard again and again, is that this will give you insane energy all day!  I was actually warned not to take more than one pill a day, even if you think you can tolerate it.  So somehow it is supposed to JACK you UP, but not with anything dangerous…

The typical ingredients include: a selection of B Vitamins (3,6,12) and Chromium .  These are typical in any wieghtloss/energy combo, and they are not in excessive doses.  Then their prorpietory blen carries with it a number of other ingredients that is fairly common: Alpha Lipoic Acid, Yohimbine and Sandalwood extract,  etc.  Then there are a few weird ingredients that I have no idea what they are Methylanthine and the such.

EXPERIENCE – Again, the big selling point really got me excited about this supplement.  But I think there is something unique about me (doesn’t everyont think that) – because this supplement did virtually nothing for me on any level.

Again, everyone before I bought this, and after I stopped using it SWEARS by this.  But my plan was to continue to do the gym every day, use one pill in the morning, and if I felt like I could “handle” it – jump up to two pills (one in the morning and one in the afternoon).  I really wanted to get as much out of it as possible.

When I started the Supplement I noticed… NOTHING.  I actually didn’t even really get a boost of energy to get me to the gym…. AT ALL.  I was so disappointed.  I stuck with one pill for a week – got nothing out of it, and saw nothing on the scale change at all.  Then the second week I added a second pill in the afternoon – possible according to direction but against everyone elses warning, and saw… NOTHING!

By the middle of the second week, I started to us a pre-workout just to get me up and going to the gym.  In addition to that I think I actually felt more tired.  Before I had taken this I had done a ten day cleanse to remove any remaining stimulants from my system so that I could make sure it was okay.

After the second week I gave up on it… I was miserable… not because the supplement made me miserable, but because I started to notice that I no longer wanted to go the gym and it wasn’t fun anymore not seeing any results in energy or on the scale. 

I am giving this a C – I would normally give it an F for me, and I will never use this again; however, I have seen people who love this – and I can’t help but think that maybe it is something about my that is not making this function as it should.

PLEASE NOTE: This review was written after the two week cycle that took place in MARCH 2016 but wasn’t edited and posted until near the end of that year.

BUCKED UP – Pre-Workout – Review (B+)

So this review is a little outside of the norm.  I usually pick a supplement, take my body measures, test it, and then evaluate my results.  This is different because this supplement is for a different purpose.  Sometimes I may be on a build cycle, testing a supplement without any actually stimulants in it, or anything that would help be get up and go to the gym and get my best out of my workout.  In these situations the supplements actually recommend finding a pre-workout to take in conjunction with it.

Bucked-Up is a pre-workout powder.  It is intended to take one scoop mixed with water thirty minutes before the workout.  It contains a couple sources of caffeine, and Deer Antler Velvet – which I believe is a little gimmicky, but seems to be okay.

What I have to say about this product is it is my favorite pre-workout.  I have taken a number of different ones in the past, and found them effective, in that they give me energy and tingles to motivate me to move.  But it wasn’t until this supplement that I realized how smooth a pre-workout can be. 

When talking with a few people at the gym, they did criticize it a little bit for the lack of caffeine in each serving. They felt it needed to exceed 200 mg a dose, which I believe this is closer to 150.  But I found this to be perfect.  I would take this, it would get me up and going, and minimize the soreness afterward regardless of what supplement I was taking.  It was a perfect “supplement” to whatever I was doing. 

In all honesty, I am not sure how to quantitatively review a pre-workout, with the exception that I felt great, I got the energy I needed, I wasn’t jittery, and I was felt great after.  I give this a clean B+!

This is something that is going to go right into my regular routine, when a pre-workout is needed.

AdrenN.O.lyn Cuts by Black Market – Pre-work our REVIEW (F – Epic F) – DANGEROUS!

AdrenN.O.lyn Cuts by Black Market – Pre-work our REVIEW (F – Epic F) – DANGEROUS!

As many of you have noticed I primarily review only supplements I try on various cycles for specific purposes- mostly in order to lose weight or gain muscle, etc.  During the course of these experiments I have found it helpful to use various pre-workouts to help get up and get going to the gym to help give the supplements the exercise needed to give them the best results.  This is usually the case when trying to build muscle.  Many of the supplements I test for a bulk cycle have no stimulants, so a little something at 5am in the morning in the way of a pre-workout can be helpful.

This time, I found myself in weight loss cycle and halfway through, realizing that the supplement I was taking was plateauing fairly prematurely.  I still wanted to finish out the entire regimen, and I felt like I still wanted to give it a chance at the gym.  So I always wanted to try a pre-workout focused a little more heavily on cutting or weight loss to give it a try.  When I went to my local health food store, the supplement section has a sale on all of the Black Market pre-workouts. 

I loved the branding, and seemed pretty extreme looking, and the fact that they had one focused on cutting was exactly what I was looking for.  I was pretty pumped (no pun intended).  I purchased it on sale, and took it home. 

I should take a note here, that throughout my entire life I have been pretty physically tolerant of anything I put into my body.  I have never really “gotten jitters” or had any extreme reaction to stimulants.  I also never workout to the point of nausea… it just isn’t something I do, nor do I think it is something I can physically capable of.

The first morning I took a full scoop of it (recommendations was one to two scoops), and went to the gym.  I didn’t really notice anything, but had a normal workout.  I didn’t feel bad, no jitters, but I also didn’t notice much of a lift in push – which can be good.  I do think my performance was better, not because I felt like I did more, but the speed on the treadmill was better (so the machine said I did more).

On the way home I started to feel nauseous.  When I got home I laid down, and then within an hour started vomiting.  I initially thought I had overworked myself at the gym, but I eventually needed to call into work, and I started to get the flu.  I was violently ill for over two days, until I could finally return to work.  At this point I realized that it had nothing to do with the pre-workout, or my workout at all but I had gotten the flu.

Another two days after I had recovered, I was feeling pretty good and felt like I could make it back to the gym for the first time in five days.  I work up after a little late sleep (it was  Saturday), and too another scoop and headed to the gym.  Again, I worked out okay – and on the way home got nauseous again!  Then for the next two days got violently ill.  I couldn’t return to work until Tuesday.  

At this point I was pretty suspicious, and convinced that it was the pre-workout. It made me freakin miserable!

This time, I didn’t take it again – and started to ask a few questions about it.  About two weeks later – I had completed the cycle I was on, and on a detox.  I really wanted to see one more time if it was the pre-workout.  This time before a run, I only had maybe 1/3 of a scoop – and within 15 minutes vomited.

Luckily this time it wasn’t days – just half a day of sleeping that got it out of my system.

This was the single worst experience I had had with any supplement!  This is an EPIC FAILURE, and I believe that AdreN.O.Lyn Cuts by Black Market is DANGEROUS.  I have never said that about any supplement, and I have no other reason to WARN PEOPLE on this.

A week later, I was having lunch with someone that I had worked with in the past that formulates products for companies.  I asked him about that – and he said, he had a competitor to Black Market come to him to develop “the same type” of product.  After looking at the ingredient deck, and the scoop size he said – “it’s impossible that this ingredient deck is in that scoop – the laws of physics will not allow it.” He alluded to the fact that in order for anyone to have any types of “popular” results from a scoop of that size it has to have something in it that isn’t on the label.

STAY AWAY – EPIC F

ANABOLIC KING & ALPHA MASS X – by ATS Labs – RESULTS (B-)

ANABOLIC KING & ALPHA MASS X – by ATS Labs – RESULTS (B-)

Starting BODY Numbers – 237.8 lbs; 32.3 Body Fat

Ending BODY Numbers – 235.4 lbs; 31.9 Body Fat

2.4 lbs DECREASE and .4% Body Fat Decrease

Results Summary:

This is a more complicated review to give on this product.  Anabolic King and Alpha Mass X by ATS Labs (Achievements Through Science Labs) are a different type of product then I have taken before.  Up to this point the focus has been more on thermogenic and weight loss.  However, these products are for bulking and building muscle.  The idea was that I would take a cycle and build as much muscle as possible in order be able to lose more weight using that increased muscle when I went back on a cut cycle.

So as I started to apply this – I noticed a few things.  I gained a butt load of weight really quick.  Within the first week I went from 237 pounds to 243.  To be honest for some this is a great… for me I wasn’t emotionally prepared for this.  Having struggled with my weight, even though I could logically see that it was GOOD weight increase, I wasn’t ready to actually address the numbers.  This was surprise to me, and I learned a lot about myself – a lot of things that I didn’t really know. 

I immediately panicked and I shouldn’t have.  My wife pointed out how obvious this increase in weight was actually a good thing – the body composition indicated a lot of it was muscle.  This was still hard. 

As a result I started to change my behavior.  I still hit the gym every day and did weights… heavy weights and low reps.  I kept this up because I really started to love the improvement I could see everything single time I revisited a exercise.  I was able to increase my lift by 5 to 10 pounds on nearly EVERY exercise EVERY TIME I repeated an exercise during the week.  In this light it was FREAKIN AWESOME. 

But because of those numbers I started to watch more of my diet, and not in the way I should have.  I knew that if I wanted to build muscle I needed to eat more and focus on protein.  I still focused on protein, but I pulled back the amount – and in hindsight I didn’t’ do my muscles any justice.  By the second week I was still up from my starting weight, and I started to do cardio every other day rather than weights every day.  From there I was able to shred some more weight.  This helped me emotionally recover.  But again, I didn’t do the actual objective of gaining muscle any favors.

With that being said, even without doing what I wanted right. I was very happy with this – and it wasn’t because of the numbers.  It was because I could see and feel a HUGE different in my body.  My composition changed.  I didn’t see tons in the numbers, but in my posture, and in the shape and form of my body – it was incredible. 

I gave this a B- because I didn’t get the numbers I wanted (even though it was primarily my fault and I was unprepared for actual weight gain) – but I gave it a B because I was pretty surprised as a result of what I did do.  Despite myself, my body still changed pretty phenomenally.  I felt like if I actually did what I was supposed to do it would have been remarkable.

So I loved it, I loved the way I felt, I loved the results – I honestly just wasn’t ready for them!

This was definitely more on me than it was on ATS Labs.  I was impressed enough with how I felt that I was eager to try there other products.