Creatine, Who Should Use It and How?
- 12 Oct 2018
Creatine: a lot of us have heard about it. And yet, many people are wary of supplementing with creatine because they don’t understand how it works or what it does. Should we even be taking it all?
Creatine: a lot of us have heard about it. And yet, many people are wary of supplementing with creatine because they don’t understand how it works or what it does. Should we even be taking it all?
Have you ever found yourself chatting about supplementation with one of the big units at your gym in between sets?
More often than not, they’ll rave about supplements that boost gym performance, enhance recovery, amplify fat loss and give you insane spikes of energy to smash through a killer workout, which you’re then told you absolutely must try out sometime. However, understandably you’re hesitant and reluctant to follow the advice of said gym bro and his army of leg day avoiding bros. Like most people, you naturally want to do your own research prior to diving head first into pre-workout supplementation.
With the festive season well and truely over and the new year, new me resolutions in full swing – we wanted to take a step back and share ASN's best performing products from yesteryear – as voted by you!
Why did I try it twice, you ask?
This ultimately came down to one key, important factor, which if you only take one thing away from reading this article, let it be this:
I ignored the tried and true "assess your tolerance with half a scoop" warning. (Hey, you've done it too!)
Spoiler Alert: This stuff is STRONG
Without any further a-do, here's my experience:
1 Full Scoop of WTF, 30 minutes prior to training.
Warmup: 10 Minute Incline Walk/Jog
Superset 1: (5 Sets)
Barbel Back Squats - 10 Reps
Wide Grip Pull Ups - 10 Reps
Superset 2: (5 Sets)
Weighted Push Ups - 10 reps
Box Jumps - 10 Reps
I was really excited to try WTF? for this workout, as I'd been working on building strength in the squat department for a number of months, and this week my trainer decided to mix things up by going for higher reps to throw a curve ball into the equation. I'd been doing 3-5 rep sets almost exclusively for a while, so I figured WTF? would be the perfect push to help me through the extra volume.
Following my jog, I was feeling UNSTOPPABLE.
I knew it had kicked when the signature Beta Alanine tingles started surging through my arms, and having tried Thermonuke in the past, I was familiar with the euphoria attributed to Ampiberry, plus I figured this stuff must have a decent dose of caffeine in it. Other than that however, the rest of the proprietary blend remained an elusive mystery.
I blasted through the squats and pull ups with ease, and found the 90 second rest window to feel eternal as I was rearing to blast out the next set ASAP. While I was drenched (and I mean drenched, my trainer pointed out that there wasn't a dry spot left on my shirt), I by no means felt fatigued, and if anything, I felt invigorated.
Going into Superset #2, there was no sign of slowing down.
I found the 20kg push ups a little too easy and was finding it difficult to hold tempo, with the temptation to race through all too strong The box jumps were easier than ever, even after the 50 squats which would have usually turned my legs into jelly, and the gym was a distant blur in the background as I was lazer focused in on each jump.
5 sets later, out of nowhere, I collapsed.
My trainer was shocked at how hard and fast I was able to push myself, despite the physical symptoms of fatigue I was displaying (I was a human puddle of sweat at this stage).
WTF? completely removed fatigue from the equation, and allowed me to blindly push through this barrier to perform one of the most intense workouts of my life.
Sounds too good to be true, right?
I figured if I tried half a dose (which, in hindsight, would have made a fantastic starting point), I'd be able to get the strong energy kick I was looking for, while still being able to listen to when my body has had enough...
So for Round #2, I threw half a scoop into my shaker, to get the best of both worlds.
1/2 Scoop WTF? 30 Minutes Prior To Training
Warm Up: 20 Minutes Incline Walk
Circuit: (5 Sets)
Sled Push & Pull
Push Ups - 15 Reps
Box Jumps - 10 Reps
Superset: (5 Sets)
Weighted Dips - 5 Reps
Weighted Chin Ups - 5 Reps
Final Exercise:
20m Bulgarian Bag Walking Lunges (5 Sets)
This workout was perfect.
1/2 a scoop of WTF? was by no means underwhelming in any department, but was clear, focused and concise. A circuit like this would have usually left me drained and gasping for breath, but I tackled each set with ease, keeping a strong focus on breathing and performing each rep with explosive power.
I was originally planning on regular Dips and Chins, as weighted ones would usually have been the last thing on my mind after a circuit like that, but I felt so on-top-of-the-damn-world I thought I might as well whip out the belt and give it a shot.
Honestly, I probably could have added even more weight or kept going for more sets, but I didn't want to over do things like last time, and ended the exercise well short of failure.
Jumping into the Walking Lunges, I could barely even feel the Bulgarian Bag weighing me down.
I could feel the tension in my quads coming up after each rep, sure, (especially since it had only been 2 days since the previous workout), but it wasn't slowing me down by any means. 5 sets came easily, and I honestly could have gone for 8+ if I hadn't run out of time.
WTF? is the perfect gym-junkie stimulant cocktail to ensure you give each session your all.
While I was cranked up to 11 with energy on both 1/2 and a full scoop, I by no means felt jittery or uncomfortable, as I often do with high doses of caffeine or strong thermogenics, I was in the zone.
This can be attributed to the balanced and unique combination of stimulants present in WTF's signature proprietary blend. At a best guess, I'd say there's a decent hit of caffeine in there, as well as a moderate dose of beta alanine, to give you a little bit of tingles so that you know it's working, but nothing uncomfortable or distracting.
I'll be keeping WTF? in my supplement cabinet for those gruelling Monday morning workouts or for when I want to blast through a PB.
This product is NOT for beginners, but is the perfect step up for those who want a kick which will have them climbing mountains and leaving the gym a smouldering pile of rubble after each workout.
You can check out AlphaBreed WTF for yourself here.
By Jayden Brennan