TheGilmore

After making the unexpectedly long trek to the Biopulse offices, I got my hands on 3 samples (2 scoops each) of the experimental preworkout ApeSh!t. As of yet, I can't say what's in the version I got, but I will say it's "trimmed down" from Madness, with some differences here and there. Overall, I really, really like the formula. It looks shiny on paper, but how does it work? I will be going over this in the course of the next few days (today, Sunday, Monday). For now, here are my first impressions:

TASTE

It's supposed to be a grape (heh, Grapesh!t). I certainly get that sense from the smell. The taste, however, is more reminiscent of those tiny V8 Fusions (or whatever the fruity berry ones are) you get at the gas station, only not as sweet. I used the word "palatable" (Larry, I will pronounce that however I want to). While I personally like it, I can see where the mass market would want it to be a tad sweeter. Fortunately, it's still in beta mode.

MIXABILITY

Is this ever a problem anymore? Anyway, mixes fine. There's some black dots that sink to the bottom, which I assume is the *CONNECTION FAILING*.

EFFECTS

Today was a Chest/Back/Shoulder workout. I took 2 scoops. Take today's review with a grain of salt, as everything was working against me today.

Energy: I definitely noticed a boost in energy, but not as much as I expected from the profile I saw. As I was coming home, I realized why: I had eaten maybe an hour/hour and a half before taking ApeSh!t. Good job Gil man. On the upside, the energy stayed with me (still is, I think), and I didn't crash. I usually get tired halfway through a work out with similarly high stim blends. On somewhat the same note, I was more motivated to workout than usual today. Y'all will know why when you see the ingredient list (if the ingredient in question is in the final profile..which I hope it will be).

Focus: I never have a problem with focus (while I'm doing a set, anyway), but I appreciate products that toy around with that. I wouldn't say this has a tunnel-like focus like some blends. I would put it more akin to a laser, that I can guide however I want to. Essentially, keeping my ability to focus the same, but stronger than usual.

Recovery: There is another ingredient in there that I've grown to love that greatly helps my recovery between sets, and even my respiration during sets. My back work always takes a lot more breath out of me than any other body part, but it was hardly noticeable today (as is the case every time I have something with said ingredient). I also felt like I could just jump into another set/exercise right away.

Pumps/Vascularity: This is the main aspect where I was hindered by outside circumstances. To start, I will say vascularity was much improved as compared to some other products I've taken. I actually noticed my veins popping more before the workout, which is rare.

As for the pump...my flat bench sets are more strength oriented, so I hardly get a pump there. I move onto cable flyes from there and usually get a great pump. However, all the cables were taken today, so I was forced to use the Matrix brand pec fly, which is clearly not designed with any kind of sense in mind. It took all that was in me to make sure my chest was doing the work, and my rotator cuff wasn't crying. So, I did get a decent pump, but with a huge set back.

Going into my back workout, I was able to do everything business as usual. Unfortunately, I am chronically not able to get a huge back pump. I don't believe it has to do with my form, as I rarely feel it in other body parts, and am typically sore in my back for the next couple of days afterward. I also manage to get my back to fatigue much more effectively than other bodyparts, so it's not for lack of effort. To date, the only things that have set my back on fire have been Fierce and Craze, and each of those only did it once. With that said, I did notice somewhat of an increase in back pumps as opposed to usual.

Moving on to shoulders, I only did lateral raises (as this is not my primary shoulder day). The 20s I am comfortable with (for the sake of form and preventing injury) were taken, so I was forced to use the lat machine designed by...Matrix. Which was also designed for the most awkwardly proportioned people ever. I was able to get a good contraction out of this, but it was just too awkward. Matrix machines are terrible.

So, I did like my first experience with the product. However, my next two workouts should be a far more accurate assessment.

__________________
"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered." Proverbs 17:27

BroSci

Tossing around apeSh!t...

Grapesh!t.. Thought about that for a name but I like these two:

Fuckking Bananas
Dingle Berry punch

TheGilmore

Lol, I think Dingle Berry Punch sounds best.

__________________
"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered." Proverbs 17:27

TheGilmore

TASTE

I normally would not make a second thought on this, but it tasted much better to me today. I used cold, filtered water this time, as opposed to sink water.

EFFECTS

I again took 2 scoops, but 2 1/2 hours after eating this time. Today's workout was legs (squats, leg press, leg curls), followed by tris (close grip bench and skulls) and bis (cable and preacher curls).

Energy/Motivation: The energy was far more noticeable today, due to the empty stomach. The stim blend looks heavy, but the energy was a bit less cracked out than I expected. I think I would personally like more energy, but I have DMAA caps for that. For other people, the energy should be perfect. I also experienced zero crash. Most preworkouts (even with less energy) will find me getting tired partway through the workout.

The motivation was also more noticeable than Friday. I was able to get very aggressive far easier than usually in the gym today. My typical calm demeanor makes this difficult, but I was able to break through that today. This translated into pushing out more reps when I thought I was at failure.

Focus: Just like yesterday, the focus was laser like. No more, no less. Me gusta.

Recovery: This wasn't as apparent as last time, as even my leg routine doesn't "wear me down" the same way as back day. The leg routine certainly takes more out of me in general, but back work has a way of making me breathe hard. With that said, I was starting my sets earlier than usual today.

Pumps/Vascularity: Pumps were odd today, so I'll go into the vascularity first. My most visible bicep vein runs horizontal across my right bicep. When I started to get into my squats (first exercise), the vein was much more visible than usual. I still have too high of a body fat percentage for it to really pop without bicep work, but it was nice to see in general. My forearms always get some nice vascularity (even on off days), but it was ridiculous today.

Now for pumps. I guess I'll break it down by bodypart to organize my thoughts better.

Quads: I rarely feel a pump here, and today was no different.

Hamstrings: After all the squatting and leg pressing, my hams wanted to kill themselves going into leg curls. I actually lost ROM. Hemavol and running PCT Assist have been the only other items to do this to me in the past (that I can remember).

Triceps: I barely felt a thing. Looking in the mirror, however, it was very apparent that my triceps were pumped. The lack of feeling was odd, though.

Biceps: I felt the same tightness that I usually do for the biceps. While the feeling was the same, the size of them was noticeably larger today.

So, as far as arms are concerned, it was an odd experience.

Endurance: I was not going into my workout expecting an improvement here. I noticed this mostly when it came time to do leg curls. On days where I squat/leg press, I typically only have it in me to do sets of 125x12, 125x8-10, 125x6-8 for leg curls. But my first set today of leg curls found me hitting 125x20, and I probably could have pushed out a few more. So, I went up to 135 and hit somewhere around 8-12 for each of those sets (I don't have my journal with me). I'm very impressed with this.

Tomorrow I will be finishing up the last sample scoops with Shoulder/Back/Chest work.

__________________
"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered." Proverbs 17:27

TheGilmore

Okay, I did my shoulder, back, and chest routine today and it was fantastic. Everything worked out pretty much the same as yesterday, with the only "difference" being that the effects were all more noticeable today. For endurance, as an example, I do lat raises after my shoulder press. My first set is typically 20x15, and the next two are in the 13-15 range. Today I was able to keep pushing that first set to 25 reps. So, I moved up to 25x12 for the next two sets. Near the end of this routine, I tend to finish up with incline bench followed by flyes. My endurance is usually shot here, so I typically get out 145x10-12, then 6-8, then 4-5. Today it went 145x8, then 9, then 7. Big improvement.

I will also note that my energy is still up high right now, even 90 minutes after my workout.

So, as my final impressions, I will note the pros and cons:

PROS:

Great, sustained energy.
Endurance for days.
Increased mood/motivation/aggressiveness.
High level of focus that can be directed wherever.
Sick vascularity.
Good pumps.

CONS:

I would like the energy to level off higher. But other people will likely have a different experience.
The taste could be sweeter (for the mass market).
I can't feel the pumps as well, although they are visually much more apparent.
I want the aggression/mood boost to be stronger.

Overall, I really like this product in its current form, and it could be even better with some tweaks. Even so, I had a greater experience than with Madness (which also provided great workouts).

__________________
"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered." Proverbs 17:27