Debate: Alcohol and the aspiring fitness buff

I guess most of us regular lads and aspiring fitness buffs from the late teens all the way to the adults face this same common dilemma - alcohol. I mean we all know it kind of screws us over in terms of our fitness progression and gains, but at the same time it is a semi-essential part of socialising and when consumed responsibly can be abit of fun (for some of us at least). 

What prompted me to "pen" (well, not exactly pen per se but yeah) this post was a series of events over the past couple of months. 

My birthday last year was spent with a whole lot of hard liquor. It just so happened that my birthday coincided with the end of the exams. As such, my classmates decided to celebrate both occasions concurrently at a Thai Disco. For those of you not too familiar with Singapore, a Thai Disco is like a night club with sing and dance performances by resident artistes. Being the birthday boy at such venues is never a good thing for your liver, as you might have predicted the sequence of events following. Ended up downing way more alcohol than your average "social drinking" session. Felt like crap over the entire weekend thereafter.

After that session, I decided to go easy on the alcohol. Another event that really got me thinking was another session over at another Thai Disco. This time I tried to avoid the liquor and beer as much as possible without coming off as being rude socially. But as you guys might have guessed, trying to dodge drinks intentionally makes you kind of an "social-outcast" and particularly "unsporting" while also being a wet blanket. The night was plain awkward (for me at least), so I bolted as soon as I got the chance. I mean what was I suppose to do when the boys were playing drinking games with the ladies? 

The point I want to make is that I understand alcohol does has it's upsides and downsides but ultimately it lies within ourselves, how we choose to make use of it. It could be used responsibly to network with others and potentially get you a better job or clinch that multi-million dollar deal with a big client. At the very same time, it could waste the hell out of you, turning you into a puking machine with horrible social etiquette and judgement. That said, it is essential to pick and balance how you consume your alcohol without being the wet blanket of the party. If you're not prepared to drink during a huge party where you know the people around are big time drinkers, it'll probably be a good choice to stay away from that outing. If it's a night out with the homies just chilling and stuff, you could probably go ahead with it and not worry about getting wasted if the boys got your back.

I realised that it's our very own personal responsibility to weigh and prioritise such events in our life. We definitely do not want to neglect our best friends in order to achieve our fitness goals. I personally feel that there's more to life than hitting a 600 pound deadlift PR or running 2.4km under 9 minutes. However, all of us have our own views and perspectives. The point here is to make a informed and deliberate choice and not regretting it in the future.

PS: Drew up this impromptu entry quickly without drafting anything out. Might revisit this issue again in future entries. In the mean time, look out for more product review entries. Cheers!

(Sample) Night Recovery Review: RCSS Resurrect-P.M.

Managed to get my hands on a complementary sachet, so here's a review of the RCSS Resurrect-P.M.!

Decided to use the RCSS Resurrect-P.M. sample after leg day since it's the most taxing workout. I was slightly worried about the magnesium content initially since I have read that it could give weird lucid dreams. After doing abit of research, I finally decided that the magnesium content was low enough for me to give it a go.

Serving Size: 1 Scoop (8g)
Servings per Container: 25
Calories: 4


Effectiveness
Followed the instructions pretty strictly, using the product a good 1 hour after my protein shake and 30 minutes before going off to bed. Managed to squeeze in around 8 hours of sleep as well since the next day was Saturday.

Woke up the next morning feeling totally refreshed and raring to go to the gym again. You know the feeling whereby you have enough good quality sleep for the night and your eyes are wide open about 15 minutes upon waking up? That was the exact feeling I had. Was totally recharged and refreshed mentally from the night's rest. Felt really good to have a good rest after leg day. Not sure if it was a psychological thing but I also felt that I was less sore than usual. A bonus and added relief was that I didn't experience any weird dreams of any sort. In fact, I had such sound sleep that I did not have any dreams at all.

Taste & Mix-ability
Blue Razz Dream. That's the flavour I had for the sample sachet. From the name of it, I was kind of expecting it to taste like blueberry or raspberry. I mean that's a totally valid assumption considering the name right?

Unfortunately, it did not taste anything like either of the two. It had medicinal taste despite being pretty sweet, kind of like a cough syrup. The SensaCool flavour technology used in the product can be tasted both during and after that drink. The novelty of the minty and cooling sensation distracts you abit from the medicinal taste but not by much. I particularly liked the sensation after the drink where it feels as if you have brushed your teeth when you exhale through your mouth. Just found it pretty interesting for a supplement to have this feature. But come to think of it, most of us are going to brush our teeth for real after slugging the drink before retiring to bed anyway.

Mix-abilty was not the best and leaves much to be desired. The white powder did not mix up too good in the 5oz of cold water that I used while shaken in a shaker bottle. Sediments settled at the bottom of the bottle and suspended particles were present in the shake. The problems I encountered with mix-ability might have been fault on my part as I did not shake up the drink properly since I am used to shakes having near perfect solubility. So yeah, maybe if I shake it up good enough, there would be fewer issues with the mix-ability.

Anti-clockwise from top: Sample sachet, unshaken powder with added water, shaken product.

Value
Got the sample for free so I guess it's good value for a awesome night's sleep!

On a more serious note, a tub of RCSS Resurrect-P.M. costs about SGD$45 for 25 servings. That works out to be exactly SGD$1.80 per serving. Can't really comment on the value considering I have only used a single dose of the product. But it seems slightly on the steep side. If I do buy this in the future, I'll probably only use it on workout days or on really heavy days only.

8x Mr Olympia Mr Coleman looking absolutely SWOLE!

Overall
Besides the magnesium content concern, the RCSS Resurrect-P.M. gave me a pretty good vibe from the start as it's endorsed by the 8-time Mr Olympia (Yes, I'm swayed easily by good marketing.) Come on, who doesn't want to believe that using what Mr Coleman himself uses will get you results right?

Opening the sachet, there was a pretty pleasant smell from the white powder. Upon mixing, the bright neon blue solution (picture on top was slightly darker than in real life) got me feeling slightly perplexed. On one hand, it was interesting to have a workout supplement with this sort of colour but then again on the other hand it did not look like something that anyone would drink. The colour was unnatural and looked like in belonged in the  sign boards that lit the streets of Las Vegas. The taste was questionable as well. The results and efficacy of the product however, was a whole different story. I enjoyed a good night's rest and woke up with good energy and a bounce in my step. Felt really good upon waking up.

The results far outweigh the solubility and taste issue since most of us are more concerned with the results of the product. Also, the RCSS Resurrect-P.M.is recommended to be taken "5 days on and 2 days off" at night and mixes in a small amount of water so the taste and solubility is not that big a issue as with whey supplements which many of us consume multiple times daily.

This being said, I am now more open to overnight supplements and I would not rule out purchasing a tub of RCSS Resurrect-P.M. in the near future. Then again, I think I would probably try out some slightly cheaper supplements first before coming back for a full review.

Whey Review: Dymatize Elite Whey 5.04lbs (Cafe Mocha)

Was kind of hesitant about trying Dymatize initially, due to some reviews online noting the bloating and artifical flavour of the shake. But I decided to switch things up slightly as I was getting kind of bored with the usually chocolate flavours of the protein shakes. So I took a tiny weeny step outside my comfort-zone and went for the Cafe Mocha flavour.

Serving Size: 1 Scoop (~32.65g)
Servings per Container: 70
Calories: 117
Protein: 24g


Effectiveness
I guess with whey proteins it is kind of hard to gauge effectiveness objectively since it is subject to so many other variables such as rest, diet, training etc. After about 2 weeks of use, I must say that I haven't felt much of a difference as compared to ON's 100% Gold Standard or Mutant Whey performance-wise.



Taste & Mix-abilitys
Decided to try the Cafe Mocha flavour as it seems to be right up there in the online ratings with Chocolate Mint and Butter Cream Toffee.

I usually go with one scoop added to 5 ounces of water which gives a nice coffee flavour with hints of chocolate. However, sometimes when I feel I need a cold beverage just to kill the craving or when I need a double dose of protein, 8 ounces of water with 2 scoops and a couple of ice cubes do the trick. The shake foams up alittle bit to give it a slightly creamy texture which is thicker. Kind of like a cappuccino, but chock full of protein. No signs of artificial taste here at all to me, no bloating or unwanted gas either.This has got to be the best protein shake I've tasted up til' now. Nuff' said.

Mix-ability was great as well. Absolutely no complains here. There was no clumping whatsoever despite simply using a shaker bottle with 5 ounces of water. As mentioned earlier, downing the ratio will give a good thick texture as well with no compromise in the mix-ability.


Value
At SGD$65 this is almost $15 cheaper than ON's 100% Gold Standard. The ingredient profile is about the same as well. Mix-ability is on-par with ON too.


Overall
Great economical protein that is comparable to ON 100% Gold Standard. Those on a tight budget but still need a protein with a good profile and no extra unwanted gas will appreciate this product quite abit. Also, good for those who need a shake that doesn't need too much water to mix up.

I'm thoroughly impressed by Dymatize and sold on them. Will probably try the Butter Toffee flavour the next time round.

Pre-Workout Review: Mutant Mayhem (Green Apple Crush)

Here's the first proper post of the blog and I'll be starting with a review of the pre-workout supplement that I'm using at the moment.

Ok, so I admit it. I bought into the whole Mutant Mayhem hype after watching Big Rich on the Mutant YouTube Channel. Was super excited to see the product being sold by a local online vendor and did not hesistate to switch from ON's Amino Energy to Mutant Mayhem. Here's the breakdown of my thoughts of the product after going through half the bottle.

Serving Size: 1 Scoop (18g)
Servings per Container: 40
Calories: 30


Effectiveness
Considering that I have only used ON's Amino Energy before this as a pre-workout supplement, Mayhem was abit of a disappointment. It does give good clean energy without any banned substances such as DMAA but the focus, energy level and endurance provided with 1 or even 1.5 scoops was just not as intense as when I used 4 scoops of  Amino Energy. An upside though was that despite the warning on the label about tingling sensations due to the Beta-Alanine content, I did not experience any even when using up to 1.5 scoops. No stomach upset or bloating either.

Another thing I noticed was the caffeine content in the product. According to the label, each scoop of Mayhem contains the caffeine content equivalent to 3 strong coffees. This said, CNN quotes the American Dietetic Association in this article that each 8 ounce plain brewed coffee has a caffeine content of 135mg, which works out to be approximately 405mg of caffeine per scoop of Mayhem.

The label advises a "8 weeks on, 4 weeks off" cycle. I, myself follow a "4 weeks on, 4 weeks off" cycle while only using it when I need the extra boost on heavy days.



Taste & Mix-ability
First impression of the Green Apple Crush was that it was way too sweet. It is recommended that 8-12 ounces of water be added per scoop of Mayhem, so I went with the average value of 10 ounces. Switched it up to 12 ounces and the problem was solved rather easily. It might still be too sweet for some of you guys out there who do not have a sweet tooth like me, but nothing alittle extra water can't solve. 12 ounces of cold pre-workout drink that tastes just like a certain convenience store's green apple slushie is just awesome. Thumbs up here.

My only gripe was that occasionally I get tiny grains left at the bottom of the bottle. Not much of a deal breaker but I'm just nitpicking since there's not much to say here. The consistency and taste is good (It should be, considering it's Big Rich's favourite flavour.)


Value
Got this off a local website at SGD$54. One of the cheaper pre-workout supplements in the market available locally. So I would say yeah it's a pretty good deal if you need a little nudge to kickstart your workout if you haven't got enough eye shut the night before.


Overall
At it's price point and amount of servings per container, there's not much to complain about. Will be a suitable product for those on a budget or those who haven't tried pre-workouts and need a cheap alternative first. It would be good if the caffeine content could be lowered with added BCAA's if newer versions of Mayhem were to be formulated.

For a new company in the supplement scene, my guess is that they can only can only get better with new products. Love their marketing effort, especially the YouTube videos. Will definitely be looking forward to new products from Mutant if the prices do not increase too much.

First Post!

Finally, decided to start a blog to share with peeps on this sunny island as well as anyone who happen to trip along this site my thoughts and news I find interesting.

Will probably be looking at more sports and wellness stuff and events along way with random doses of other stuff.