We are quite excited, as the folks with Gaspari Nutrition sent us some sample product for review. Having never used a preworkout supplement in the two or three years that I have been interested in health and fitness, I was especially excited to try out Gaspari’s newly improved pre-workout formula: Superpump Max (Watermelon Flavor). Being somewhat of a scientific mind, I decided I would wait to try the product until shoulder day. Shoulder day is by far my favorite resistance session in the gym, and knowing this, I would best be able to gauge the impact of the product on my performance. Before getting into the trial, lets first review the claims on the label.
WHAT DOES SUPERPUMP MAX DO?
- Increases Endurance Capacity
- Fights Muscle Soreness and Fatigue
- Enhances Nitric Oxide levels and Vasodilation
- Improves Amino Acid Utilization
- Enhanced with Electrolytes for Increased Hydration
These are some pretty promising claims, and it gives some good criteria to compare against in reviewing the product. With that said, I will share my very first experience with Gaspari’s Superpump Max.
Gaspari recommends taking one to three scoops forty minutes prior to your workout. New customers like myself, are recommended to take a single scoop for their first few trials. Being adventurous, and quite acclimated to high doses of caffeine already, I decided to go with what was just over one and a half scoops for my first go. I followed the label and did this forty minutes before the gym opened. The product mixed very well with water, and I was pleasantly surprised that it tasted quite good, as I’m not usually a fan of watermelon, and moreover, I never expect a workout supplement to taste good.
Within about ten minutes time, I felt what I believed to be the affects of the product. This involved what I would describe as just a slight tingling sensation in my body, although my heart rate remained unchanged (like I said, I’m already quite acclimated to high doses of caffeine). About twenty minutes following there was no denying, I was ready to hit the gym.
The resistance session at the gym was nothing short of fantastic. Immediately I added between five and ten pounds to each resistance set involving a major muscle group. This involved standing overhead barbel presses, and seated and standing overhead dumbbell presses. I performed all of these for at least as many sets as I normally would have using less weight, and in a few instances, was able to slam out another rep or two beyond that of an average day.
On exercises such as lateral raises and front raises that involve more minor muscle groups, I was able to increase my rep counts per set by anywhere between two and four, which is a pretty drastic improvement. What is more impressive, is that as my lifting session started to exceed an hour in length, I started to realize that I still had a ton of energy, whereas on a normal day I would begin to taper off at this point. This is especially true for a day involving just a single muscle group. It was at about this point however, that I needed to start wrapping things up in the weight room, as I had a 10:00am rolling session with a couple buddies from the dojo. I wanted to squeeze in some easy cardio before meeting up with them to train.
It was at this point where I truly realized that this product works. Despite all my expectations and focus being on the resistance part of my day, it was my two mile post workout run that just blew me away. Quickly into the run, I became aware that there was plenty of energy left to burn. My body was able to to push my cardiovascular system to its near maximum for the entire two miles, when it is usually quite the opposite on ordinary post workout runs. This was in fact the most exciting part of reviewing Gaspari’s Superpump Max. Being a bit of a cardio junkie, I am pleasantly surprised that this stuff works for athletic performance in general, not just for lifting heavy objects in the weight room. In fact, I cannot wait until spring so I can give this stuff a go before jumping on my mountain bike, or better yet, trying it immediately before an intense grappling session.
To wrap up on this initial trial, lets revisit the measurable claims on the label.
1:) Increases endurance capacity: At this point I would say that this claim is undeniable. Either my mind is capable of creating a super powerful placebo, or this stuff exceeds my expectations in this area.
2:) Fights Muscle Soreness and Fatigue: In writing this over forty hours after my initial session with Superpump Max I can honestly say... Well I’m really sore... However I would attribute this to a noticeable increase in overall volume and intensity in my resistance session.
For claims three, four and five, it is quite difficult to validate these statements. Would you really believe me if I said “my amino acids were better utilized?” Probably not. I’ll leave these more technical claims to the experts. I can say however, that while being under the influence of this product, I was able to lift more weight, and do so for equal or more reps than I normally could on an average day at the gym. I felt as though I could push my muscles to a deeper level of fatigue per set than my body would have allowed otherwise, and moreover, I think I could have stayed in the gym for another hour before completely fatiguing. To conclude on my initial trial of Gaspari’s Superpump Max, I would say the product far exceeded expectations. In fact, if my trials continue to be as positive as this one has been, I might just be hooked...
