Designer Supplements ActivaTe Xtreme - A log by xxghostxx

[xxghostxx]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y5/ghostsinthemelody/activatewlabel.jpg

Full product description: http://www.designersupps.com/product_writeups/activatex.pdf
To purchase ActivaTe Xtreme: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/design/activatex.html

About me:
Age: 24
Sex: Male
Height: 5? 8?
Weight: 162 lbs.
* Photos will be available in a subsequent post.
Training: I use a Westside template modified to help strengthen a problem shoulder (osteolysis of the distal clavicle). I have made tremendous progress with this upper/lower body split working out three days a week with cardio after weights. There will be more detail on this throughout the log.
Nutrition: I will be hovering between maintenance to hypercaloric conditions throughout the entirety of this log.
General Information: I would like to first thank the entire Designer Supplements team and company for their vast contributions to this forum and the supplement world. More specifically, I would like to thank Mike for always being a very stand up guy and friend. The reason for logs is to judge the efficacy of a product, observe real world effects, and answer questions/find solutions to problems that may arise. We aim to add to the collective pool of information about the products we log. For this reason, I please ask that you post any question (but ONLY if it relates to these products) in here. If you have any comments or questions for me personally that you do not wish to voice in this thread, feel free to send me a PM. I will do my best to answer any questions in a timely fashion. Please note that I also have commitments to school, work, and my internship so I may not get to questions every day.
Current Supplements:
* Multivitamin - Health Yourself- Optimumn Advantage Formula (iron free)
* Finest Natural - Fish Oil Concentrate
* MAN Sports - Clout
* Scivation - Xtend (training days only)
* Now Nutrition - Ginkgo Biloba
* Bulk L-Leucine (post-training 4-5g)
Past Logs/Reviews:
Designer Supplements - NHA Stack (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=627228&referrerid=30090)
Designer Supplements - Peanut Butter Fudge Sustain Bar (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=884393&referrerid=30090)
Designer Supplements - Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Blend (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=877205&referrerid=30090)
Healthy Cheat Foods - Pancake Review (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=1131321&referrerid=30090)
Scivation - Lemonade Xtend (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=908979&referrerid=30090)
Sheesh Bar (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=736921&referrerid=30090)
PrimaForce - Thermal Rage (original) (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=468140&referrerid=30090)

[Zachattack43]

tis finally here! :D

[40-Yard Dash_2]

What type of internship are you in?

[nni]

in.

[TexAss]

subbed, looking forward to it.

[dinoiii]

No BO Blake?

Looking forward to this log for sure. I see you have done some serious sampling of DS products in the past (which may indirectly say something, of course).

Best of Luck!



D_

[Zachattack43]

No BO Blake?

My thoughts exactly! I got 5 bottles of it:D

[xxghostxx]

tis finally here! :D

I hope it's not a letdown!


What type of internship are you in?

I now wonder if I didn't call it by the wrong name in my initial post. I am working as a physical therapist aide in order to receive clinical hours and experience in order to apply to some of the programs I am interested in out here. In addition I will also be shadowing a surgeon weekly for the next few months.


subbed, looking forward to it.

Thank you. I appreciate your following along sir.


No BO Blake?

Looking forward to this log for sure. I see you have done some serious sampling of DS products in the past (which may indirectly say something, of course).

Best of Luck!



D_

Dana! I know, I need to add some Body Octane, especially considering the ridiculous amount of time I now spend riding thanks to my new found love for fixed-gear bikes. You are correct in my experience with Designer being very extensive. Perhaps now it would be a good time to mention that although I only logged the NHA stack once, I have used the prior version of ActivaTe three times total now. Having had great success with my other experiences using Designer products I was more than happy to jump on board with this product.

[Zachattack43]

I now wonder if I didn't call it by the wrong name in my initial post. I am working as a physical therapist aide in order to receive clinical hours and experience in order to apply to some of the programs I am interested in out here. In addition I will also be shadowing a surgeon weekly for the next few months.

Dana! I know, I need to add some Body Octane

I bet you will want to be hooked up to that Ultra Sound machine all day.

No BodyOctane? No excuses!

[TexAss]

Dana! I know, I need to add some Body Octane, especially considering the ridiculous amount of time I now spend riding thanks to my new found love for fixed-gear bikes.

I hurt myself everytime I try out my buddy's fixed gear. It is a deterrent.
I guess I just need to put together a cheap one and get used to it and go from there.

Friends with bike messengers?

[uhockey]

Ugh......Blake? Who the hell is this guy?? ;)

Good luck buddy, I will follow. Hope the internship is going well. OSU needs more PTs. :D

[Elliptical Envy]

Good luck ghost! :)

[Big_Tom(tk)]

subscribed.. Good Luck!

[xxghostxx]

Ok, first post! So I actually started ActivaTe Xtreme about five days ago, but due to lack of time have been unable to post in the manner I would like. With that said I?ll do a quick review of the first five days, the last two workouts and from here on hopefully have things set to a day by day update basis. I will also try for pictures tonight, if not then, tomorrow afternoon.

Workout One ? Lower Body: Warm-up sets excluded
* Squats ? 2 x 10 ? 185 lbs
1 x 5 ? 245 lbs
- Superset with: Leg-press calf?s ? 4 x 10 ? 425 lbs
* Leg extensions ? 3 x 15 ? 35 lbs
- Superset with: Leg-curls ? 3 x 15 ? 85lbs (work is done with no break between sets going back and forth.)
* Cable front leg raises ? 2 x 10 ? 35 lbs
* Cable hamstring curls ? 2 ? 10 ? 35 lbs
* Shoulder rehab work ? I will write more about this in the future, but for now suffice it to say I end most all workouts with this work that is a mixture of static holds, slow negatives, mixed with elliptical work. I have made significant progress with this routine after having taken bits and pieces from tons of journals and having talked to about eight different orthopedic physicians and physical therapists. If it would be of interest I may write an article on it in the future.
* 20 minutes stationary bike ? Reading material ? Plexus ~ Henry Miller

Workout Two ? Upper body:
* Cable rows ? 1 x 10 ? 55 lbs
1 x 8 ? 75 lbs
1 x 6 ? 100 lbs
3 x 6 ? 115lbs
* Triceps Rope Pull down ? 1 x 12 ? 65 lbs
1 x 10 ? 75 lbs
1 x 8 ? 85 lbs
1 x 8 ? 110 lbs
2 x 8 ? 115 lbs
* Machine bench press ? Due to my shoulder this is a huge weakness for me currently. A miserable man this has made of me ;(.
1 x 15 ? 60 lbs
2 x 15 ? 85 lbs
* Machine curl ? 3 x 12 ? 75lbs
* Should rehab work ? followed by 30 minutes stationary bike ? Reading material ? Confederacy of Dunces ~ John Kennedy Toole

Thoughts and feelings: The day before starting ActivaTe Xtreme I had somehow slipped into about three days worth of horrible almost insomnia-like lack of sleep that lasted two days into initial dosing. Suffice it to say the workouts toward the beginning were lackluster and difficult to get through. Work and social life also suffered significantly. I am now back on track with respect to sleep and an ordinary schedule and feeling much better. Strength on these first two workouts is very similar to that which I have experienced in the first week with ActivaTe each of the three times I have used it! Mood has been very good lately and things are going really well right now. Any questions or comments are welcome, thanks for following along.

[xxghostxx]

I bet you will want to be hooked up to that Ultra Sound machine all day.

No BodyOctane? No excuses!

I get to run that silly machine all day, but using it for my own means has yet to occur!

Long live Body Octane?! :D


I hurt myself everytime I try out my buddy's fixed gear. It is a deterrent.
I guess I just need to put together a cheap one and get used to it and go from there.

Friends with bike messengers?

Fixies are a great time once you get yourself used to a particular bike. I got into it through road biking for the last year. If you can put together a cheap fixed-gear made from an old used road bike, I recommend doing so. Just make sure you get a set of forks that don't jut forward or else skids become a huge pain!

I wish I had some friends that were bike messengers! Boise is such a small city that only one of the major firms here employs them, and employs a whopping two ;). I wish there were more though, bike messengers have that really surreal sense of times of the past that Henry Miller paints of the Cosmodemonic Telegraph Company in his The Rosy Crucifixion trilogy. I promise I'm not as big a nerd as I come across :D.


Ugh......Blake? Who the hell is this guy?? ;)

Good luck buddy, I will follow. Hope the internship is going well. OSU needs more PTs. :D

Blake? He's some idiot from Southern Idaho from what I can gather ;).

I would be thrilled to do my graduate coursework at OSU, we'll see how things come together after the GRE and all that good stuff.

[uhockey]

You'll own the GRE.....and good luck with the insomnia......I'm with ya on that one.

Good call on Confederacy, too. :D

[Zachattack43]

I get to run that silly machine all day, but using it for my own means has yet to occur!

Long live Body Octane?! :D


Hey, my PT starts on Tuesday, I am very excited and I want to steal that machine, can I put it under my shirt and walk out? :D

[xxghostxx]

Lower Body workout: Warm-up sets excluded
* Leg press - 3 x 6 - 8 plates
- Superset with: leg press calves - 3 x 6 - 8 plates
* Leg extensions - 3 x 25 - 35 lbs
- Superset with: leg curls - 3 - 15 - 75 lbs
* Seated calf raises - 3 x 6 - 135lbs
* Skipped on the shoulder work today but did 20 minutes at a very high level on the elliptical machine followed by riding my bike home (nice big hill on the way home).

Thoughts and Feelings: The last few days have been crazy and I feel bad for not being more attentive to this log, so my apologies to the DS team and anyone else following. That said the above workout actually occurred Friday afternoon. Yesterday I woke up earlier than I wanted to with my roommate pounding on my door that his parents lent him their boat for the day. I wake-boarded and swam around for like four hours until somehow the hydraulic line on the boat broke and the prop wouldn't function right, so we had to spend hours and hours getting back to the dock. In the process I received a nice sunburn though ;). As for feelings on the product, I have noticed an increase in the frequency of bowel movements. As I am pretty religious with regards to my diet this was surprising. The deep sleep mentioned in my prior log, and with my other experiences with ActivaTe is present, I might say the sleep is even better this time around thus far! Additionally, recovery time has been greatly decreased, perhaps due to better quality/length of sleep. A note on the photos, I took a few three days ago but for some reason my firewire card is jacked and I can't figure it out. I'm hoping to get it going soon, but if not I might have to find another one and do all my photos at the end, sort of a pre-post comparison type thing.

[xxghostxx]

Hey, my PT starts on Tuesday, I am very excited and I want to steal that machine, can I put it under my shirt and walk out? :D

Haha, they are pretty bulky. Maybe if you had a t-shirt that is enormous on you. Like all of my MAN Sports shirts are on me :D.

[ncangey0513]

I'll come along for the ride! :D

[uhockey]

Haha, they are pretty bulky. Maybe if you had a t-shirt that is enormous on you. Like all of my MAN Sports shirts are on me :D.

Shawn couldn't give me one at the Arnold because they were all too big!

Cool news on the sleep....odd on the BMs.

[Zachattack43]

Haha, they are pretty bulky. Maybe if you had a t-shirt that is enormous on you. Like all of my MAN Sports shirts are on me :D.

sounds like a plan

How is your shoulder?

[xxghostxx]

Upper Body workout: Warm-up sets excluded
*** Rows - 2 x 8 - 115lbs
* Machine Bench Press - 2 x 15 - 65 lbs
2 x 15 - 90 lbs
* Machine bicep curl ? 3 x 12 - 60 lbs
- 2 x 10 - 45 lbs
- 1 x 8 - 35lbs
* Tricep rope pull down - 3 x 10 - 115lbs
* Abdominal machine - 2 x 10 - 110 lbs
* Shoulder rehab work
* 10 minutes elliptical followed by 15 minutes stationary bike - reading material - Notes of a Dirty Old Man - Charles Bukowski

Thoughts and feelings: So the above workout occurred yesterday and my very first lift suffered from Saturdays wakeboarding. My back was still very sore from two days before so I hit it quickly and tried to move on. Strength on bicep curls and rest between sets was significantly improved. I was able to jump into each exercise with less rest between each set, which has been nice. As expected, my back is still very sore today and my injured shoulder is slightly sore as well. This is the first time it?s been sore since just before starting this log. Sleep has been paramount when I can convince myself to get to bed at a decent time. Today will not be a cardio day thought not in the standard fashion; I plan to go ride fixed gear bikes with some buddies later on, which will consist of lots of riding up and down through parking garages. This I'm sure will be pretty brutal on the legs (hamstrings in particular) but hopefully this will not detract from the leg day I have slated for tomorrow afternoon. If anyone has any questions please feel free to jump on in with them.

[INGENIUM]

how did i miss this log?

i'm in :)

[nni]

sounds fun.

[xxghostxx]

I'll come along for the ride! :D

Thank you for the support, nc.


Shawn couldn't give me one at the Arnold because they were all too big!

Cool news on the sleep....odd on the BMs.

I am not tall, nor am I very "big" so the three MAN Sports shirts I have practically wear me. My DS shirt fits quite a bit better at least ;).


sounds like a plan

How is your shoulder?

The shoulder is feeling ok. As noted above, today was the first time I've felt any pain for quite awhile, but this is quite different from how it felt initially. It used to feel somewhat piercing even lifting my arms parallel to hold the steering wheel. Today it's just slightly sore and a bit inflamed. I have kind of a free ticket for massage in two different sources so I plan to get this worked on this week or weekend, whichever I can make happen first :D.

[xxghostxx]

You guys are quick!


how did i miss this log?

i'm in :)

Because I post at weird hours typically and haven't been doing as good a job as I should be ;) :D. Thank you for checking it out.


sounds fun.

If you are talking about riding fixed gear bikes, this is one of the most addictive things I've taken up in the last few years.

[40-Yard Dash_2]

Could we get some insight on diet?

[nni]

yeah the riding part, sounds fun.

[xxghostxx]

Could we get some insight on diet?

Certainly. Having spent the majority of my time at bodybuilding.com in the nutrition forum I have read and learned a lot in relation to dieting and tested myself in many different ways. Having also read a lot of stuff on Lyle McDonalds forum, I have changed my meal frequency from upwards of 6x a day down to 3-4 meals a day. I have not noticed any significant change in body composition in doing this and it also decreases work/school/meal timing conflicts. I also seem to do much better energy wise with fewer meals.

I am not currently counting calories but know the amount of protein I get in a day is generally around 220-240g, and in a given day I am floating just about maintenance or slightly above depending on the level of activity going on at work that day. I am a boring dieter relying on the same foods almost every single day. I eat broccoli, cauliflower, green beans with every meal except breakfast. My major carbohydrate sources are split between whole oats, yams/sweet potatoes, and different types of beans. The bulk of protein intake consists of cottage cheese, chicken, turkey, eggs, and steak. If I am in a bind I will use whey, but I try to avoid this as best as possible for a number of reasons.

I used to track my diet religiously with fitday.com but have sinced stopped doing that as I became quite neurotic about it. It started to really take away from my ability to have a "normal" social life and so I have since become more relaxed, although still eating very well. If I were ever to decide to compete this would of course change but I don't plan on ever doing that. Hopefully this answer will suffice in answering your query 40 :D. If you would like a more specific answer, please ask, thanks for the question!

[40-Yard Dash_2]

Certainly. Having spent the majority of my time at bodybuilding.com in the nutrition forum I have read and learned a lot in relation to dieting and tested myself in many different ways. Having also read a lot of stuff on Lyle McDonalds forum, I have changed my meal frequency from upwards of 6x a day down to 3-4 meals a day. I have not noticed any significant change in body composition in doing this and it also decreases work/school/meal timing conflicts. I also seem to do much better energy wise with fewer meals.

I am not currently counting calories but know the amount of protein I get in a day is generally around 220-240g, and in a given day I am floating just about maintenance or slightly above depending on the level of activity going on at work that day. I am a boring dieter relying on the same foods almost every single day. I eat broccoli, cauliflower, green beans with every meal except breakfast. My major carbohydrate sources are split between whole oats, yams/sweet potatoes, and different types of beans. The bulk of protein intake consists of cottage cheese, chicken, turkey, eggs, and steak. If I am in a bind I will use whey, but I try to avoid this as best as possible for a number of reasons.

I used to track my diet religiously with fitday.com but have sinced stopped doing that as I became quite neurotic about it. It started to really take away from my ability to have a "normal" social life and so I have since become more relaxed, although still eating very well. If I were ever to decide to compete this would of course change but I don't plan on ever doing that. Hopefully this answer will suffice in answering your query 40 :D. If you would like a more specific answer, please ask, thanks for the question!


Wow, come to find out that we have very similar approaches. Thanks for taking the time to post.

[uhockey]

Nice info, Blake. Hows the internship going??

I actually can't get enough cals on 4 meals a day unless I eat lower quality foods......it would definitely be a timesaver.

[Sixpack]

I could not help but respond to this cause I am doing the same thing, I have read about the Integrated fasting a tad and eating less often throughout the day, I am at about 4 meals per day sometimes 5, but they are not meals more or less some fruit in the afternoon before I coach practice. I have found stress levels to be down and less worrying, planning etc. I have not noticed any difference in body comp. If anything I am stay less bloated and lean. But like Mike said if I was lean bulking it would be hard to get in all the cals, But i think if I would raise them 2-300 per meal it would not be bad at all. Also ya I quit the fitday think sometime back, social life and not getting OCD are important.


Certainly. Having spent the majority of my time at bodybuilding.com in the nutrition forum I have read and learned a lot in relation to dieting and tested myself in many different ways. Having also read a lot of stuff on Lyle McDonalds forum, I have changed my meal frequency from upwards of 6x a day down to 3-4 meals a day. I have not noticed any significant change in body composition in doing this and it also decreases work/school/meal timing conflicts. I also seem to do much better energy wise with fewer meals.

I am not currently counting calories but know the amount of protein I get in a day is generally around 220-240g, and in a given day I am floating just about maintenance or slightly above depending on the level of activity going on at work that day. I am a boring dieter relying on the same foods almost every single day. I eat broccoli, cauliflower, green beans with every meal except breakfast. My major carbohydrate sources are split between whole oats, yams/sweet potatoes, and different types of beans. The bulk of protein intake consists of cottage cheese, chicken, turkey, eggs, and steak. If I am in a bind I will use whey, but I try to avoid this as best as possible for a number of reasons.

I used to track my diet religiously with fitday.com but have sinced stopped doing that as I became quite neurotic about it. It started to really take away from my ability to have a "normal" social life and so I have since become more relaxed, although still eating very well. If I were ever to decide to compete this would of course change but I don't plan on ever doing that. Hopefully this answer will suffice in answering your query 40 :D. If you would like a more specific answer, please ask, thanks for the question!

[xxghostxx]

Lower body workout Warm-up sets excluded
* Dead lift - 2 x 10 - 245 lbs
- Smith guided calf raises on step - 2 x 15 - 250 lbs
* Leg extension - 3 x 25 - 40 lbs
- Seated hamstring curls - 2 x 15 - 85lbs
* Abdominal machine 3 x 10 - 110 lbs
* 10 minutes elliptical. I cut the time short here because I had practice ten minutes before lifting which meant an hour and a half of playing drums in a super hot room and it really does get your heart going.

Thoughts and feelings: I really need to start getting in bed before midnight. Hell the amount of money I am spending on Monster Low Carb energy drinks alone should be enough to deter my staying up too late for awhile. That said, it is summer and with everything else going on, having any fun comes at a cost and seven hours of sleep isn't THAT terrible ;). As for today, I went from band practice to working out and was surprised at how much energy I had. I am usually a wreck after playing a half hour long show, let alone an hour and a half long practice. Every lift was strong and smooth however. I was also in a really good mood, enough so that I actually said hi to most of the ladies I saw in the gym, which is strange as I am a total coward when it comes to talking to women usually.

As noted from one of my last entries, I had slated some fixed gear riding which usually murders my hamstrings but they were perfectly fine. Granted my volume in the gym isn't nearly as high as others logging this product, my recovery is certainly above ordinary right now and I love that. Sleep is very deep and I can actually sleep in now if the opportunity arises. In the past my working early hours for so many years took over my body clock and ruined my ability to sleep in. Thanks for all the questions and comments yesterday everyone.

[xxghostxx]

Wow, come to find out that we have very similar approaches. Thanks for taking the time to post.

Certainly. Perhaps sometime we could bounce some ideas off each other. I am always interested in hearing what others are doing.


Nice info, Blake. Hows the internship going??

I actually can't get enough cals on 4 meals a day unless I eat lower quality foods......it would definitely be a timesaver.

Thanks, Mike. The intersnship will be a lot better after tomorrow. It's the last day of my orientation/training and I will also be taking the HIPAA exam to see if I am as clear on the details as they would like me to be :D.

4 meals is definitely the way I will choose to go about this as long as I can in the future. When I started I had to really up the number of calories per sitting which wrecked my stomach every time. After utilizing some digestive enzymes I was able to do it well enough, then slowly cut back on the enzymes over time. I still enjoy using them but haven't purchased any for over a month.


I could not help but respond to this cause I am doing the same thing, I have read about the Integrated fasting a tad and eating less often throughout the day, I am at about 4 meals per day sometimes 5, but they are not meals more or less some fruit in the afternoon before I coach practice. I have found stress levels to be down and less worrying, planning etc. I have not noticed any difference in body comp. If anything I am stay less bloated and lean. But like Mike said if I was lean bulking it would be hard to get in all the cals, But i think if I would raise them 2-300 per meal it would not be bad at all. Also ya I quit the fitday think sometime back, social life and not getting OCD are important.

Good to see you still floating around sixer. When did this Optimum business take place?!

[uhockey]

HIPPA. :) I've taken that friggin test 4 times now and aced it every time. I'd not be too worried if I were you.

[Zachattack43]

HIPPA. :) I've taken that friggin test 4 times now and aced it every time. I'd not be too worried if I were you.

why you take it 4 times? other times practice?

[uhockey]

Med school, Cleveland Clinic 4th year sub-I, CWRU 4th year sub-I, Residency.

[xxghostxx]

Upper body workout Warm-up sets excluded
* Bench press - 2 x 12 - 185 lbs ~ this is my first return to bench since injuring my shoulder.
- Superset with - Bent over rows - 2 x 8 - 125lbs
* Rope triceps pull down - 2 x 8 - 150 lbs
* Barbell curls - 3 x 10 - 65 lbs
- 3 x 8 - 45 lbs
- 3 x 6 - 30 lbs
* Machine abdominal crunch - 3 x 10 - 120 lbs - very slow eccentric - 5 second count
* Shoulder rehab work - 10 minutes elliptical - toned it down because I knew later on would be the Boise downtown bike shutdown, and I would be riding quite a bit.

Thoughts and feelings: My apologies for not getting this update to you guys yesterday but timing was an issue all day trying to get things ready. The above upper-body workout was one of the most fun workouts I've had in a long time. Really great energy and strength on all the lifts I tried. I was racing back and forth between movements with little to no rest at times. Recovery from most of the lifts is on par with what I've seen over the last two weeks although my back is a tad sore from yesterday. Sleep has been great the last two days and the irregular BMs have subsided almost entirely. Again, if anyone has any questions, thoughts, or feelings post them up and I will hopefully have an answer for you. Enjoy the rest of your weekends everyone.

[xxghostxx]

HIPPA. :) I've taken that friggin test 4 times now and aced it every time. I'd not be too worried if I were you.

Well I now understand exactly where you were coming from on this. I do think the clinic I am interning for went through great lengths to make my HIPPA experience as miserable as possible. That said, a 100% on their test wasn't a difficult task when I finally got to take the exam. I will say this too, if I do become a physical therapist, the clerical type work that goes along with running your own practice is going to be the death of me :D.

[uhockey]

Well I now understand exactly where you were coming from on this. I do think the clinic I am interning for went through great lengths to make my HIPPA experience as miserable as possible. That said, a 100% on their test wasn't a difficult task when I finally got to take the exam. I will say this too, if I do become a physical therapist, the clerical type work that goes along with running your own practice is going to be the death of me :D.

No ****. Clinic is killing me.

Good news on the rehabbing shoulder. :)

[xxghostxx]

Lower body workout Warm-up sets excluded
* Leg press 2 x 4 - 500 lbs
- Superset with calf leg press 3 x 6 - 500 lbs
* Leg extensions - 2 x 25 35lbs
- Superset with hamstring curls 3 x 15 - 85lbs
- 35 minutes stationary bike set at 8/10 difficulty - reading material Notes of A Dirty Old Man - Bukowski

Thoughts and feelings: Despite having slept an "ordinary amount" last night, I woke up incredibly tired today and had already made up my mind to skip caffeine today. I feel good right now typing this, but didn?t have much energy during my workout. I decided to go a few days without caffeine after downing a Redline RTD last night and getting nothing at all from it (although the Green Apple flavor was delicious!) I feel that if my tolerance is that high to what usually puts most people through the roof, it?s time to cut back slightly. Once this log is over I am planning to implement the Reset AD sitting on my shelf as well. Thanks for reading along everyone, and as I always mention, please ask any questions you might have either here or via PM :D.

*edit* anyone know why copy/paste from MS word replaces certain punctuation marks with question marks? Do I need a patch of some sort?

[xxghostxx]

No ****. Clinic is killing me.

Good news on the rehabbing shoulder. :)

I can't even imagine what you're going through in clinic nor do I want to :D.

My shoulder is feeling a ton better and I am hoping to avoid the surgery, even if it's small, that was hinted at by the orthopedic physician I have been in to see.

[Zachattack43]

I can't even imagine what you're going through in clinic nor do I want to :D.

My shoulder is feeling a ton better and I am hoping to avoid the surgery, even if it's small, that was hinted at by the orthopedic physician I have been in to see.

that is great to hear. what is your secret?;)

[uhockey]

Good update Blake, and goodluck going stimfree.

[TexAss]

I've been known to have 4 shots of espresso followed with a nap.
I guess I've always just attributed it to my ADD, caffeine is my Ritalin.

What kind of, if any, rehab/prehab stuff are you doing for your shoulders?
I've been battling RC tendinitis for years now.

[xxghostxx]

Upper body workout: Warmup sets excluded

* Cable bar row 3 x 8 - 120 lbs
Superset with bench press - 3 x 10 - 145 lbs
* Machine abdominal crunches - 3 - 15 - 110 lbs
* Straight bar curl - 4 x 10 - 65 lbs
- 2 x 8 - 55 lbs
- 2 x 6 - 35 lbs
* V- hold tricep push downs - 2 x 6 - 120 lbs
- 2 x 10 - 80 lbs
- 2 x 12 - 65 lbs
* Shoulder rehab work with 10 minutes elliptical and 30 minutes stationary bike.

Thoughts and feelings: Huge apologies to everyone with regards to my not updating sooner! I woke up Wednesday to find we were slated for going out of town for work. I am in a small resort town in Northern Idaho, and somehow am staying at the lake-front cabin of the former Ms. Idaho. They have everything else I could think of at our disposal while we work but finding internet has been a gigantic chore! I did just find a small coffee bar in town with internet and am currently finding out the closest place to squeeze in a leg day! Looks like I found my place and will hopefully be there in about 45 minutes and maybe I can sneak back in here to post an update afterward.

In other news, my last leg day had me sore for days but I am ready to slam them again right now. Sleep has been excellent the last few days and yesterday I threw down some cardio via jet skiing for two hours in the evening after work. Today's workout I'm not sure about because I've worked outside in the sun for 11 hours going up and down ladders, but I'm going to do it anyway, and am excited to do so! I will keep you guys posted.

[xxghostxx]

that is great to hear. what is your secret?;)

MAN Sports Body Octane (I wish there was a swirly voodoo eyes emoticon for this comment :))


Good update Blake, and goodluck going stimfree.

Thanks, still going strong, but I am weak, especially with this glorious coffee right here!


I've been known to have 4 shots of espresso followed with a nap.
I guess I've always just attributed it to my ADD, caffeine is my Ritalin.

What kind of, if any, rehab/prehab stuff are you doing for your shoulders?
I've been battling RC tendinitis for years now.

When I get back from working out of town I'll discuss what my issue is and how I went about working it out. I really don't think I could nail 4 shots of espresso and follow it with a nap, nor would I want to get to that point. I was getting there though, and for that I needed to back off a bit. Thanks for keeping up and checking in Moz.

[uhockey]

4 shots of espresso ain't got nothing on me. :)

Idaho has resort towns?? ;)

[xxghostxx]

Lower body workout Warm-up sets excluded
* Real awkward leg press - 4 x 12 - 375 lbs ***
Calf raise on awkward leg press - 5 x 10 - 375 lbs
* Stiff legged dead lift - 3 x 12 - 135lbs
* Seated leg extensions - 3 x 20 - 55 lbs
* Twenty minutes stationary bike cardio reading material ? Jennifer Government ? Max Barry

Thoughts and feelings: As noted from my last post, I was in search for a local gym out of town. On the classic school grading scale, this gym receives a D-. While I realize everyone in the area is probably wealthy enough to own an exceptional gym on their own, this place, which was also outrageously expensive, had a severe lack of even the most basic of equipment. That said I will explain the workout. As noted by the *** above, I had to rely on a really awkward leg press that even at 375 lbs felt exceptionally light. I would have loved a squat rack but the closest thing to it was a smith machine which was occupied the entire time I trained by two dolts performing shoulder presses in very bad form. The workout felt more like a hodgepodge of leftovers mashed together but I got it done and at the bargain of 15$ :(. That said, having worked 11 hours I was feeling pretty good about my time in the gym.

As expected I slept like a rock all night and still managed to wake up tired the next day. I am not sure if eight hours was just not cutting it, or if something else was up but I woke up feeling pretty lousy. My legs weren't sore at all and I was thankful for that considering I had another day of ladders ahead. Anyways, that ends this random and late review. I have a workout slated for later this evening and will report back in then.

[xxghostxx]

4 shots of espresso ain't got nothing on me. :)

Idaho has resort towns?? ;)

Now that I really think of it, I doubt 4 shots of espresso would really make a dent :D.

Hehe, aside from the potatoes and corn Idaho is a surprisingly nice area, and there are a lot of wealthy people that somehow end up here for whatever reason. With the addition of yet another ski resort in the area I was in this week, it's grown even bigger and has made what was once a very small town with one mediocre ski resort into quite the touristy area. There are both goods and bads in that I suppose.

[uhockey]

Sounds like a.....um.......awesome......er........yeah......wo rkout. :)

[xxghostxx]

Lower body workout Warm-up sets excluded
* Cable row - 3 x 6 - 130 lbs
* V-hold tricep push downs - 3 x 4 - 150 lbs
* Machine abdominal crunch - 3 x 25 - 80 lbs
* Bench Press - 3 x 10 - 150 lbs
* Straight bar burl - 3 x 10 - 65 lbs
- 2 x 8 - 45 lbs
- 2 X 6 - 35 lbs
* Shoulder rehab work. 10 Minutes elliptical machine. An additional 20 minutes to get to the gym on my bike.

Thoughts and feelings: This was a very good workout and I felt strong throughout the entire thing. From an aesthetic standpoint, I appear to be even more vascular as of late, but that may be entirely speculation on my part. My mood was great all day and I actually enjoyed a Sunday for a change. Nutrition was spot on all day and sleep was great both the night before and last night.

In accord with my curious nature, I had to shake out the remaining contents of my ActivaTe Extreme to find out that tomorrow will be my last day using the product. I will have to figure out how to get the initial pictures online and then get some post-log comparison photos up along with them. I really don't want this to end so am considering giving this a week or two off, then picking it up again once school starts. If I do this I will also implement Size-On (as I?ve told Zach for sometime that I would ;)) and BluePrint as I have another bottle waiting to cycle through. If anyone has any questions, comments or concerns, again, feel free to voice them.

[xxghostxx]

Sounds like a.....um.......awesome......er........yeah......wo rkout. :)

Heh, I definitely concur with this sentiment; it was a very "blah" workout. :D

[Sldge]

Lower body workout Warm-up sets excluded
* Cable row - 3 x 6 - 130 lbs
* V-hold tricep push downs - 3 x 4 - 150 lbs
* Machine abdominal crunch - 3 x 25 - 80 lbs
* Bench Press - 3 x 10 - 150 lbs
* Straight bar burl - 3 x 10 - 65 lbs
- 2 x 8 - 45 lbs
- 2 X 6 - 35 lbs
* Shoulder rehab work. 10 Minutes elliptical machine. An additional 20 minutes to get to the gym on my bike.

Thoughts and feelings: This was a very good workout and I felt strong throughout the entire thing. From an aesthetic standpoint, I appear to be even more vascular as of late, but that may be entirely speculation on my part. My mood was great all day and I actually enjoyed a Sunday for a change. Nutrition was spot on all day and sleep was great both the night before and last night.

In accord with my curious nature, I had to shake out the remaining contents of my ActivaTe Extreme to find out that tomorrow will be my last day using the product. I will have to figure out how to get the initial pictures online and then get some post-log comparison photos up along with them. I really don't want this to end so am considering giving this a week or two off, then picking it up again once school starts. If I do this I will also implement Size-On (as I?ve told Zach for sometime that I would ;)) and BluePrint as I have another bottle waiting to cycle through. If anyone has any questions, comments or concerns, again, feel free to voice them.

Great feedback. I guess it really says something when the testers are sad to see the end coming and want to pick up another bottle to keep going. I look forward to seeing how it will run with both of those products.

[uhockey]

I'd love to give ActX + Blueprint a go....seems promising....may have to look into it.

[xxghostxx]

Lower body workout Warm-up sets excluded
* Leg press (feed wide) 4 X 12 - 325 lbs
- Superset calf press 4 x 10 - 325 lbs
* Leg extensions 3 x 25 - 35 lbs
* Hamstring curl 3 x 15 - 85 lbs
* Seated calf raise 2 x 10 -135 lbs
* 35 minutes on stationary bike at an 8 out of 10 resistance setting. Reading material Notes of a Dirty Old Man - Bukowski

Thoughts and feelings: This was my last day using ActivaTe X and as I have mentioned above, I am disappointed to see it go. Sleep has remained deep and I generally get about 8 hours unless my body clock gets the better of me (it usually does too:(). Although sleep has remained good, my inability to get to bed on time has caused some conflicts and I've relapsed back to stimulants. This isn?t as big a deal in the mean time, but I still plan to cut back again soon.

The above workout was very good despite my lack of both motivation and energy going into it. I was planning on being at my internship when this workout occurred but they had called to let me know nearly all of the afternoons patients had canceled, so I opted to not come in. There was very little rest between sets and I could tell that the wider foot stance on the leg press had already beaten my legs up pretty badly. When I got to the bike portion of the workout I was feeling a lot better and my energy level shot up. I almost always feel a lot more energetic and lively when I finish up with cardio work of any sort. This is probably a big factor in why I enjoy road bikes so much. So in keeping with the constants of this log, I will take my post log comparison photos in the morning tomorrow as I took the initial photos in the morning as well. If there are any questions or comments, feel free to express them. Thanks for following along.

[xxghostxx]

Great feedback. I guess it really says something when the testers are sad to see the end coming and want to pick up another bottle to keep going. I look forward to seeing how it will run with both of those products.

Of course, as mentioned in my introductory post, I'm no stranger to ActivaTe and was really anxious to give this a shot in comparison with the original. I haven't been dissapointed.


I'd love to give ActX + Blueprint a go....seems promising....may have to look into it.

Did Joey ever get a bottle of Blueprint sent out your way? I think this would be a very solid stack and am excited to get it underway when school starts and my next bottle of ActivaTe arrives.

[40-Yard Dash_2]

Blakester, you got AIM?

Got a question to ask you.

[xxghostxx]

Blakester, you got AIM?

Got a question to ask you.

I do but am not on too much anymore. I added you to my list though. Maybe hit me up via PM if possible?

[uhockey]

Got nothin Blake. :(

Stay strong and good luck with the stims.

And be on AIM more. :D

[40-Yard Dash_2]

I do but am not on too much anymore. I added you to my list though. Maybe hit me up via PM if possible?

Yeah, wanted to ask of your professional advice. :D

[xxghostxx]

Got nothin Blake. :(

Stay strong and good luck with the stims.

And be on AIM more. :D

I will try. Probably be on aim a lot more during my genetics lecture this semester ;).


Yeah, wanted to ask of your professional advice. :D

Heh. I will help if I can. Like I said, I added your aim name to my list and hope I can catch you on sometime soon.

[xxghostxx]

Final review forthcoming! I am trying to get the pre-log photos for it but am battling my camera/firewire card to no avail. Please bear with me a bit longer!

[Robboe]

If you will, please fill in this form upon completion of your log. This can be in addition to any normal summary you may do at the end of a log. A standard example is featured in italic. Remove these and fill in your own words. Thank you.

Trial length (weeks): 4 weeks

Beginning body weight: 205lbs
Beginning body fat % (approx): 10%

End body weight: 210lbs
End body fat % (approx): 10%

Weight difference: +5lbs
Body fat % difference: No change

Give a basic description of your training and dietary approach:

Body parts training once per week, high intensity, moderate volume. Diet is high protein, moderate fat and moderate carbohydrates. Calories were 3575kcals per day - approximately 500kcals above maintenance. Six meals spaced out per day.

Please note any effects the product had on:

Strength

Strength progress on every exercise was significant, with several PRs set during the course of the trial.

Rating (1-10): 9

Energy

Energy was much improved throughout, as was endurance and stamina for cardiovascular work.

Rating (1-10): 9

Mood

Most days I was in a very positive mood.

Rating (1-10): 7

Sex drive

Sex drive was increased by the second week, and maintained for the remainder of the trial.

Rating (1-10): 8

Erection strength

Erection strength seemed better for the majority of the trial.

Rating (1-10): 7

Add anything miscellaneous here

Recovery between workouts was significantly reduced, and I had high anticipation for the next days workout for the entire trial.

Overall product rating (1-10): 9

[40-Yard Dash_2]

Final review forthcoming! I am trying to get the pre-log photos for it but am battling my camera/firewire card to no avail. Please bear with me a bit longer!

We are still here Blake!

:)

[uhockey]

BLAKE!!! Don't let Rob's erection questions ruin your log. :)

[40-Yard Dash_2]

BLAKE!!! Don't let Rob's erection questions ruin your log. :)

Or run you off! :mad: @ Rob


:D

[uhockey]

I talked to Blake about this....he's pretty sure Rob is only asking this questions so he has some "sure thing" options when he comes to the states. :gross:

I told the ghost he needn't answer the question, since he is a sensitive fella.

[xxghostxx]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y5/ghostsinthemelody/activatewlabel.jpg

First I'd like to apologize for the time lapse between my last post and my final review. I had my first draft of a scientific publication due yesterday at 5 PM and have been busting my ass to get it researched and written on top of preparing for school, working, and training - the grind as it were. Onto the review!

If you refer to my first post you will note that I am certainly not new to the world of Designer Supplements and their formulations utilizing Divanil. The strengths of this lignan from the root of the stinging nettle plant were easily realized by those who've used the previous version of ActivaTe sans the Xtreme moniker and ingredients (namely, everything on the ingredient panel that's not Divanil). The claims for the original product include an increase in bioavailable testosterone levels, insulin and ultimately blood sugar stabilization, as well as improved sleep patterns. The Extreme version through the addition of other synergistic compounds builds on this platform while also helping with mood improvements, sex drive, and improvements in recovery.

With these claims in hand I would like to explore my first and hopefully not last experience using ActivaTe Xtreme. Throughout my short trip with this new product I experienced many of the same things I did on my first round with ActivaTe. This time I went from 162 lbs. to 165 lbs. on a maintenance-semi hypercaloric diet with a pretty physically demanding job. Sleep was one of the first things I picked up on during this short trial. During my first experience with the original NHA stack I had a very inconsistent sleep pattern; I'd sleep incredibly well for a week then have a few days of deplorable sleep. With the Xtreme version I was sleeping soundly almost all of the time and in turn woke up feeling very rested through almost the entirety of the log. The other really dramatic improvement was in regards to recovery. Granted I don?t train nearly as often as many around here, I do inflict enough abuse on my muscles to create some significant microtrauma which leaves me hurting a few days after a training bout. During this log however, this type of thing was next to null and on my next round with ActivaTe Xtreme I'm going to increase training frequency and test the waters a bit.

The good doesn't end there! With higher gas prices and the glorious weather abound I took to the road-bike quite a bit this summer. After about a week and a half I was able to note a pretty decent improvement in my endurance just riding around. Normally I don't think this effect would be as pronounced but with the amount of time I spent riding this summer, I could tell something was different - better. This boost in endurance probably owing much of its effect to the inclusion of rhodiola rosea. This is not to say the whole of the formula didn't have a cumulative effect, but I?m sure this had more to do with it than the other pieces. Having played around with bulk rhodiola rosea in the past, I noticed similar feelings in mood improvement but my past experience didn't elicit any benefit on endurance. As for vascularity, improvements of this sort are hard for me to note as I generally stay very lean (and vascular) but I can attest to noticing an increase in muscular "fullness", something I definitely noticed while using the original. Additionally I was much stronger throughout the duration of this log and this helped facilitate the recovery of my shoulder during my rehab process. Something that?s been giving me grief for quite some time! I suppose the only real trouble I had in using ActivaTe Xtreme was a short-lived (maybe a week and a half) increase in bowel frequency that was definitely beyond the norm for me. That said, I'm uncertain if other loggers experienced it but it subsided eventually.

So what's the bottom line? The bottom line is that this formula has a great ingredient profile, has additional benefits not realized with the original version in my experience, and about everywhere I look seems to cost only a few dollars more than the original. How D.S. did this with such a minimal increase in price I will never know, but as a consumer I can?t complain about getting such good value for my money.

Before I end this I'd like to thank everyone for following along, the D.S. crew for being a fantastic bunch, and allowing me to test this updated product for them! Rob, I will get to your survey shortly and do my best to answer any and all questions, irrespective of their awkwardness :D.

[uhockey]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y5/ghostsinthemelody/activatewlabel.jpg

First I'd like to apologize for the time lapse between my last post and my final review. I had my first draft of a scientific publication due yesterday at 5 PM and have been busting my ass to get it researched and written on top of preparing for school, working, and training - the grind as it were. Onto the review!

If you refer to my first post you will note that I am certainly not new to the world of Designer Supplements and their formulations utilizing Divanil. The strengths of this lignan from the root of the stinging nettle plant were easily realized by those who've used the previous version of ActivaTe sans the Xtreme moniker and ingredients (namely, everything on the ingredient panel that's not Divanil). The claims for the original product include an increase in bioavailable testosterone levels, insulin and ultimately blood sugar stabilization, as well as improved sleep patterns. The Extreme version through the addition of other synergistic compounds builds on this platform while also helping with mood improvements, sex drive, and improvements in recovery.

With these claims in hand I would like to explore my first and hopefully not last experience using ActivaTe Xtreme. Throughout my short trip with this new product I experienced many of the same things I did on my first round with ActivaTe. This time I went from 162 lbs. to 165 lbs. on a maintenance-semi hypercaloric diet with a pretty physically demanding job. Sleep was one of the first things I picked up on during this short trial. During my first experience with the original NHA stack I had a very inconsistent sleep pattern; I'd sleep incredibly well for a week then have a few days of deplorable sleep. With the Xtreme version I was sleeping soundly almost all of the time and in turn woke up feeling very rested through almost the entirety of the log. The other really dramatic improvement was in regards to recovery. Granted I don?t train nearly as often as many around here, I do inflict enough abuse on my muscles to create some significant microtrauma which leaves me hurting a few days after a training bout. During this log however, this type of thing was next to null and on my next round with ActivaTe Xtreme I'm going to increase training frequency and test the waters a bit.

The good doesn't end there! With higher gas prices and the glorious weather abound I took to the road-bike quite a bit this summer. After about a week and a half I was able to note a pretty decent improvement in my endurance just riding around. Normally I don't think this effect would be as pronounced but with the amount of time I spent riding this summer, I could tell something was different - better. This boost in endurance probably owing much of its effect to the inclusion of rhodiola rosea. This is not to say the whole of the formula didn't have a cumulative effect, but I?m sure this had more to do with it than the other pieces. Having played around with bulk rhodiola rosea in the past, I noticed similar feelings in mood improvement but my past experience didn't elicit any benefit on endurance. As for vascularity, improvements of this sort are hard for me to note as I generally stay very lean (and vascular) but I can attest to noticing an increase in muscular "fullness", something I definitely noticed while using the original. Additionally I was much stronger throughout the duration of this log and this helped facilitate the recovery of my shoulder during my rehab process. Something that?s been giving me grief for quite some time! I suppose the only real trouble I had in using ActivaTe Xtreme was a short-lived (maybe a week and a half) increase in bowel frequency that was definitely beyond the norm for me. That said, I'm uncertain if other loggers experienced it but it subsided eventually.

So what's the bottom line? The bottom line is that this formula has a great ingredient profile, has additional benefits not realized with the original version in my experience, and about everywhere I look seems to cost only a few dollars more than the original. How D.S. did this with such a minimal increase in price I will never know, but as a consumer I can?t complain about getting such good value for my money.

Before I end this I'd like to thank everyone for following along, the D.S. crew for being a fantastic bunch, and allowing me to test this updated product for them! Rob, I will get to your survey shortly and do my best to answer any and all questions, irrespective of their awkwardness :D.

Fantastic Blake, thanks a ton for the review and log.

[xxghostxx]

We are still here Blake!

:)



Or run you off! :mad: @ Rob


:D

Thanks for being patient 40! :)


BLAKE!!! Don't let Rob's erection questions ruin your log. :)


I talked to Blake about this....he's pretty sure Rob is only asking this questions so he has some "sure thing" options when he comes to the states. :gross:

I told the ghost he needn't answer the question, since he is a sensitive fella.

Maybe he's genuinely curious about PDE-5 inhibition for future product reference? Or maybe it's something else.... I do recall him being quite thrilled about a Prince ring-tone he had in the past ;).

[nni]

i dont know about rob, but i was really curious about the erection results.


hooga!!!!

[Robboe]

I talked to Blake about this....he's pretty sure Rob is only asking this questions so he has some "sure thing" options when he comes to the states. :gross:

I told the ghost he needn't answer the question, since he is a sensitive fella.

As long as Chuck is stateside, i'm always on a promise.

Anyhoo, Blake, if you could fill the form in that'd be awesome for our stats. Thanks.