PTC22030'S DORM ROOM

A couple of years ago I was lifting early in the morning before work--like 4:30am. I'd get out of bed, have some orange juice, and hit the nearby gym for 45 minutes before heading to the office.

I was keep track of my workouts pretty seriously back then--using Precision Training and logbooks, where I'd record starting and stopping times of each set, then derive a pounds-per-minute and "Power Factor" number for each exercise and for the workout as a whole. (See Pete Sisco's www.precisiontraining.com).

That way, I knew how I was doing, workout-to-workout, and whether I was gaining strength or not. No question--I was getting better over time.

Then one of the guys at the gym starting talking about using nitric oxide products before lifting. I decided to try NO-Xplode, and was amazed at the boost in power I felt before the workout. My numbers definitely improved, by about 25% over the next 30 days. I was lifting longer and heavier.

But the products I tried--BSN's NO-Xplode, Vitamin Shoppe's knockoffs, Gaspari's SuperPump 250, etc. all were masked by lots of sweetener and caffeine. So, I was never sure whether it was the insulin boost and the coffee jolt or the NO products that were really working.

Next up, I tried Gakic. This product (tablets; the powder was truly nasty) gave me a quantum leap in power that I could feel and measure. My bench jumped by 25%, my overall pounds/minute leaped up. But it was temporary, since after a few doses I hit a plateau.

I made up my mind that these products had to be cycled, not taken continuously. Try a dose--especially on a "down" feeling day or two-- then back off for a week or so.

Lately I've been using Plasmavol with each workout. I think the glycerol in that product is responsible for the expanding properties, because when I take it, about halfway into the workout I get this feeling like I'm bursting out of my t-shirt. Nothing wrong with that, and no side effects either. Not sure yet whether it's making a difference in my weights or growth, but the pumps truly are impressive. Yesterday I had on a grey tank top during my lats workout and halfway into the workout I caught myself in the mirror and couldn't believe it was me.

But, like I said, no evidence yet that it's getting me stronger. So I'll cycle it a few times and check the numbers.

Any other recommendations for pre-workout power-boosters?

Thanks guys.