Top 3 Supplements For Super Veiny Arms

 

For those not into Bodybuilding and Fitness, many think veins are "gross". Among fitness enthusiasts however veiny arms is something many of us seek out and are often viewed as a sign of peak fitness as having veiny arms, beyond genetics, also comes down to having low body fat and large muscles. 

While a large part of having veiny arms comes down to genetics, there's a lot of skinny unmuscular dudes who are super veiny, there's also steps we can do to achieve that roadmap look and that vascuality. These things include reducing ones bodyfat, doing more cardio, building more muscle, eating N.O. Boosting Foods and of course supplementation as well. 

Supplementation can really help making you vascular and making your veins really pop. Unfortunately much of this effect is somewhat short lived, however it's still both fun and motivating seeing your veins pop while your working hard in the gym. With that in mind we wanted to share our Top 3 Supplements for Veiny Arms that will have your arms looking like roadmaps. Here they are...

Merica Labz Stars and Pipes is a fantastic pump supplement. While it's got an incredibly simple 3 ingredient profile, it's one of the most effective pump supplements or stim free preworkouts I've ever taken. The formula consists of 6000mg L-Citrulline, 5,000mg Hydromax branded Glyerol, and 5,000mg of Betaine Anhydrous. 

Glaxon is a newer supplement company that's quickly grown in popularity and their non-stim pump preworkout Plasm Surge which delivers amazing results. Now Plasm Surge isn't going to win any taste contests, I found the Americanade tasted a bit like burnt fireworks, I'd recommend going with the unflavored option and mixing it with your pre or intraworkout supplement. Plasm Surge features a decked out blend of ingredients for pumps as well as electrolytes for muscle hydration. Plasm Surge is a few bucks more than Stars N Pipes but you honestly can't go wrong with either. 

Last but not least Apollon Nutritin's Hooligan Bare Knuckle version, Apollon also has a super high stim pre-workout called Hooligan, the Bare Knuckle version being the stim free pump pre. Hooligan is insanely dosed with pump inducing ingredients like 8000mg of L-Citurlline, 2500mg of Betaine Anhydrous, 1500mg of Agmatine, and 250mg of Himalayan Pink Salt which really gives amazing pumps. Added tip, if you're preworkout doesn't contain Himalayan Pink Salt add some too it for pumps like you've neve experienced before. Hooligan comes in a bit pricier than than the above options but it's one of my favorite new preworkouts for insane muscle pumps. 

First Day Back at the Gyms Post Quarantine

Today's post is going to be a bit different than our typical post announcing a new supplement or energy drink hitting the market, but seeing as how we're all fitness enthusiasts here, we thought it would be an interesting post you guys would like to see. Here in our home state of Illinois, gyms re-opened this past Friday June 26, 2020. We we're at a local Planet Fitness in the Chicagoland area and wanted to share our experience for those planning on heading back into the gyms as their states gyms open up.

This year thus far has been a crazy one, with the Covid-19 Pandemic really affecting Fitness Enthusiasts and Gym Buffs. While some states have remained open, the vast majority of states have shutdown restaurants, bars, and even gyms.

Having spent the past three plus months out of the gym and working out at home as well as running, we were anxious to get back into the gym. When we heard gyms were allowed to reopen this past Friday we decided to head in for a workout, however were unsure what crowds as well as gym policies would look like, and this was our experience.

While gyms like Planet Fitness and Anytime Fitness put out press releases and information on their websites about opening up, other gyms like LA Fitness and XSport among others were mum not stating whether they would be open or not, nor what policies if any would like look.

We headed into Planet Fitness this past Friday just a couple days ago. The crowds were small, this was somewhat to be expected as gyms tend to be a bit slow on Friday evenings with many people taking Friday off or getting workouts done earlier in the day to free up Friday night. At the Planet Fitness we checked out there were probably a dozen people in the gym.

As far as policies, upon walking in we asked the front door staff whether we needed to wear a mask and were told not unless you want to. As far as the crowd, all be it a smaller one, only about 20% or 30% were wearing masks.

As far as social distancing goes, pretty much all of the equipment was available to use, though every other machine was out of commission with a sign stating it was a social distancing machine. So on treadmills for example there would be an empty treadmill between each two people running, same with stair machines and ellipticals.

As far as the weight machines and benches for dumbbells went, there was nothing was any different, everything was available per usual.

If you're thinking about heading back into the gym but are on the fence, wondering what the crowds will be like, or potentially deterred worrying you may be required to wear a mask while working out, that wasn't the case, at least at the gym we visited. All gyms will obviously have their own policies, from what we're hearing LA Fitness is requiring patrons wear masks while working out. Feel free to drop a comment down below and let us know the state of the gyms in your area.

JLab Audio J Buds Air | The Best Bang For Your Buck Gym Headphones

Have you been wanting to get yourself a pair of earbuds for running, at the gym, or working out, but didn't want to shell out hundreds of dollars for Apple Earpods or Samsung Earbuds? But you also knew it was pointless buying a $15 pair of no brand "Earbuds" from the gas station counter or Amazon. Then you're in luck as we've found the best high quality earbuds with a price tag under $40, and in some cases even less than $30.

Meet the J Lab Audio J Buds Air true wireless earbuds. When I saw these on a shelf at MicroCenter I figured they had to be crap quality after having tried some cheap Amazon and Ali Express earbuds. I decided to roll the dice however and picked up a pair for $49.99, though today on Amazon you can sometimes find them even under $30.

I didn't have super high expectations, but the J Lab Audio J Buds soared past my expectations. So these are true wireless ear buds with a carrying case and a built in charger. Now the J Buds Air in some areas aren't going to match up to your $150 Apple Earbuds, but many have said the sound actually rivals them.

The J Lab J Bud Air's 14+ hour playtime, auto connect feature, IP55 water resistance meaning you can't swim in these things, but you can job in the rain or seat on them. I actually regularly wear mine while in the shower and have never had issues with them. 

The 14 hour playtime may be a little exagerated, it's a couple hours on the actual pods, and then another say 8-10 hours from the charging carrying case. One feature that's really great about these is the USB charging cable is built into the case which eliminates the need to carry around a charging cable that may or may not be the same as your actual phone.

The kit also comes with three different sized rubber tips for your ears and an optional rubber sleeve that goes around the pods for a tighter fit.

The J Bud Air's are quite a bit bulkier than Apple Earpods or even the Samsung counterparts, some people do report "fatigue" from wearing them longer than a half hour or hour, I find them to be quite comfortable however. 

The rigth earpod is the master pod and has the microphone meaning you cannot wear the left while the right charges, however you can wear the right alone while the left charges. There are features to change songs and answer calls as well as to raise and lower volume on the actual pods, it's an actual button and requires you to jam the pod in your ear in the process of pressing the button so I don't use them often. 

Oh, yeah there's a microphone so you can also use your Google Assistant or Siri, or can have phone calls as well. Despite the microphone not being super close to your mouth, the sound is surprisingly decent even while driving in a car with the window open or running, though on a windy day it can be less than idea.

The music or audio sound is actually very good quality as well. These are the types of pods that jam into your ear blocking out outside sound as opposed to some others where you can still somewhat hear your surroundings. This is a nice feature to have at times and others makes you feel somewhat disconnected from everything else going on around you. I have heard many users say they prefer the sound of these over Apple Earpods.

So what's the verdict though, are they worth buying? Like I said, I picked up a set for $49.99 and thought it was a steal and an amazing bang for the buck. These days I see them on Amazon for $34.95 to $39.99 and occasionally will catch a listing for some at under $30. 

Mesomorph Pre-Workout Review

Mesomorph Pre-Workout Review

Mesomorph Pre-Workout Supplement

One of the most popular pre-workout supplements on the market is Mesomorph by APS Nutrition. Mesomorph has been around for a number of years, however it recently blew up in popularity when the company decided to include DMAA in their product. Flash forward DMAA has since been banned and is no longer included in Mesomorph. 

Mesomorph has however been chasing to offer that same effect, just without the use of DMAA. So how does the new Mesomorph stack up? 

What is Taking Mesomorph Like?

The new Mesomorph is loaded with good vibes and plenty of energy, it's not however quite as powerful as the previous DMAA version for those of you who are huge stim heads. The mind muscle connection and the warm body feeling is there, but not quite as intense as with the former formulation. 

If You've Never Tried Mesomorph

If you've never tried Mesomorph and aren't comparing it to the old formulation you'll likely find it to be an amazing pre-workout. It provides a rush of energy with increased endurance to make your workouts last longer. It's a competitive preworkout in a market with lots of options.

Mesomorph Pre-Workout Ingredients

Mesomorph Pre-Workout Old Formula vs. New Formula

Synthenox-Carnosine / Nitric Oxide Complex [6,500 mg]
Beta-Alanine: 3,200 mg
Beta-alanine is the supplemental precursor of carnosine, the lactic acid buffer of your muscles. Much like creatine, your body can hold a pool of beta-alanine for carnosine conversion during exercise. To create the ideal conditions, you will want to supplement with at least 3,200 mg of beta-alanine per day. Any less, and your not getting an effective dose.
Citrulline-DL-Malate 2:1 and Arginine Alpha Ketoglutarate: 3,300 mg TTL (6,500 complex – 3,200 beta-alanine)
Mesomorph also contains Citrulline malate and arginine AAKG, at approximately 3,300 mg combined. This may result in higher nitric oxide levels in the body, but doesn’t meet the 6 gram clinical dose we discuss in our l-citrulline malate review.
Mesoswell-Cell Volumizing ATP Matrix [4,500 mg]
Di-Creatine Malate, L-Taurine, Creatine Nitrate, Ascorbic Acid (300 mg), Creatinol-O-Phosphate, Agmatine Sulfate
Approximated Dosages: Since we know that Ascorbic Acid is at 300 mg, we can partially deduce the rest of this matrix, since, in proprietary blends ingredients are listed by largest components first.
Around 250 mg or less Creatinol-O-Phospate and Agmatine Sulfate (each)
This sets the stage for Agmatine Sulfate to be under dosed by 50%, at best. The ideal Agmatine Sulfate dose is 750 mg (1).
Around 1,200 mg of Di-Creatine Malate, Taurine, and Creatine Nitrate (each).
Most likely, the dosages look more like 2,000 mg Di-creatine malate, 1,000 mg taurine, and 600 mg Creatine Nitrate.
Taurine is the only ingredient here in a sure-thing effective dose for increasing energy and performance (2).
The creatines on the other hand are pretty low-dosed. So much so, that creatine lovers are going to want to stack a creatine supplement on top of Mesomorph, while creatine haters really don’t need to worry about the creatine content in this product.
Neuromorph-Neuro Energized Stimulant Complex [1,870 mg]
Glucuronolactone: 1,300 mg
Glucuronolactone is a useful stimulant with little research available on it. Apparently, this compound is a derivative of glucose metabolism (3). You can find it in quite a few supplements, just not at such a high dosage.
Methylxanthine anhydrous (Caffeine), 3,7-Dihydro-3,7-Dimethyl-1H-Purine-2,6-Dione (theobromine), Naringin: 505 mg (1,810 mg prop blend – 1,300 mg Glucuronolactone)
APS Nutrition wanted to make Mesomorph look different and more hardcore by using the chemical names of common stimulants to make users think they are getting a way different product. It’s nothing to brow-beat too much, as many supplement companies have been doing it for a long time like GAT supplements.
Based on what we know for this formula, we can deduce that there is around 150 mg of each ingredient. Most likely, 300 mg caffeine, 100 mg theobromine, 105 mg Naringin.
Senegalia berlandieri: 200 mg new ingredient
The new addition to the reformulated Mesomorph is this ingredient, Senegalia berlandieri (4). What makes it unique, is that it is packed with the compound Phenylethylamine also known as PEA (5).
Phenylethylamine raises brain serotonin levels, making you feel happy. The only downside, is that over time this builds a dependency, and upon stopping supplementation you may experience headaches and withdrawal if you had been taking too much (6).

How Long Does a Pre-Workout Last?

How Long Does a Pre-Workout Last?

So how long does a Pre Workout supplement last? The answer to that can be a little bit tricky, because as with anything, it depends on each persons body and their body's sensitivity to various stimulants, as well as other ingredients cointained in these pre-workout supplements. 

Most pre-workout powders, as well as ready to drink (RTD) preworkouts last anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 hours in healthy adults who aren't particularly sensitive to stimulants. That's also the average amount of time for those who haven't built up abnormally high tolerances to caffeine. 

Most experts recommend cycling on and off their pre-workout supplement every 8 weeks to avoid developing a tolerance and having the preworkout no longer work, and no longer have an effect on their body. 

There are however a number of factors which can effect both how long a preworkout lasts for as well as how effective it is for you.

These Factors Are...

Dehydration - Water is the substance that drives nutrients through your body. If you're not properly hydrated a pre-workout won't be as effective in behind delivered through your entire system. 

Malnutrition - If you don't eat enough to fuel your body and power your body no amount of pre-workout is going to give you the energy you need to get in a solid workout.

Over-Eating - If you're body already is working incredibly hard just to digest your food you've recently eaten, it won't be able to properly absorb the preworkout supplement efficiently. 

Fatigue - Make sure you're getting enough sleep. If your not getting enough sleep or are overworking yourself a preworkout can help energize you a bit, but you don't have the fuel you need to properly make it through a tough workout. 

Tolerance - Many people who take pre-workouts eventually build up a tolerance to the pre-workout and the supplement is no longer as effective as it once was. Most experts recommend using a pre-workout for eight weeks and then taking some time off to wean your body off. Some people who struggle with energy to workout will opt for a stim free preworkout during the time they are cycling off. 

Everyone who takes a preworkout or other pretraining supplements developes a tolerance to it at some point. The only way to avoid that is like we discussed to cycle off of the supplements they are taking periodically so that your body has some time to reset.