Stop Tweaking and Start Growing!

This is an advertisement in FLEX magazine for Hany's Evogen Nutrition supplements.

Hany Rambod - evogennutrition.com

Q&A with Hany Rambod

Hany I've read that you don't believe in using stimulants pre-workout.  Why is that when most all companies today are using high doses of powerful stimulants in their pre-workout products?

"Stimulants themselves aren't necesarily "bad"--in fact, numerous studies show they boost performance as well as assist in the fat-burning process.  however when it comes to their use in pre-workout products, I believe stimulants are counter productive to what should be the goal.  If you're familiar with any of the hundreds of articles I've published in the various industry magazines on training and nutrition, you understand that the foundation of my muscle-building philosophy is "maximum anabolism means maximizing blood flow".  With my elite-level clients, every component of their program is manipulated to maximize the flow of nutrient rich, growth enhancing blood deep into the muscles.  Stimulants like 1,3 dimethlyamylamine, and even caffeine can function as vasoconstriction restricting blood flow and inhibiting maximum pump.  Stimulants can also cause dehydration, appetite suppression, and tax your adrenals, all of which further complicates nutrient delivery and performance.  Some of these ingredients make great fat burners, and I do recommend them for that purpose, but not for a pre workout formula.  If the goal is maximum blood flow to drive more muscle-building nutrients into your muscles, you're simply counteracting those efforts when using products that contain stimulants, especially with some of the new "concentrated" formulas.  With "concentrated" formulas you're pretty much getting one thing and one thing only--over stimulation.  These products are mega-dosed with potent stimulants like 1,3 dimethylamyamine to make you feel like they are working, when in fact they are hindering you.  many of them contain proven ingredients such as arginine and creatine which a have the ability to augment muscle growth.  But in most cases, these new hyper-loaded stimulant formulas work antagonistically preventing the majority of the "active" ingredients from maximizing blood flow, and many completely omit other nutrients needed to prime you body to train hard and re-cover.  although you may feel "tweaked out", good luck building muscle.  Without adequate and effective muscle-building ingredients working in synergy, in the right amounts and ratios, it is impossible to promote muscle growth.  the next time you're checking labels on pre-workout formulas, steer clear of those that contain a "vasoconstriction complex" of over-hyped stimulants." - Hany Rambod