MuscleTech Neurocore Review

[killercuts]

Hi again,

This'll be my second review for bodybuilding.com, and this time it's MuscleTech's "Neurocore."

Here goes:

Introduction

In my quest to find the next pre-workout Craze (both the product and the hysteria surrounding pre-workouts), I find myself becoming increasingly frustrated with the industry’s offerings.

Having come to the realization that no pre-workout may ever reach the apex (imo) reached by Driven Sports’ meth- and ********-infused Craze, I’m constantly searching for second-best. If Craze was a Cinderella story (based on a little-known company that rose to the top -- bb.com's best pwo of 2012), then it would’ve been a skewed version because this Cinderella would’ve hulked her way out of abuse and servitude. In other words, Craze was the pwo to beat the moment it hit the shelves (again, imo).

I reviewed Ans Performances’ Ritual sometime ago, and while it served as a solid first offering -- and remains one of my favourite pwos of all time -- it was no juiced-up Cinderella.

So in comes Muscletech’s “Neurocore.” Seeing as this pwo wasn’t named after some kind of explosives material (i.e. N.O. Xplode, C4, Blast Powder), it immediately stood out. MuscleTech is known for its Phase 8 protein, of which I’ve had several tubs. After feeling satisfied with their protein, I placed Muscletech in my “Companies to Watch” list, and made sure to check out its other products.

I picked up Neurocore at my local Popeyes, which labelled the product as a “hot buy” (perhaps so they can clear inventory [cynical view]) and which had a special deal that included Neurocore’s companion drug product, “Nanostim” for free (it’s a stimulant and pump product packaged in pill form). While walking out of the store I, for whatever reason, felt a temporary tinge of buyer’s remorse; after all, I walked in that day aimlessly looking and not having anything in mind.

Product Profile

I'm going to spare you the details, as there are plenty of more knowledgable people on this forum who would be able to separate the good from the unnecessary, but from all the pwos I've taken, this product doesn't seem to have anything special in it.

Purchase overview

I purchased the “50 servings” tub in fruit punch flavour. The reason I put that in quotations is because oftentimes companies recommend — and it’s really often the case whether they recommend or not — that you take more than the traditional one scoop, which is one serving by any reasonable measure. Companies won’t put this on the label, but many products that are under a dollar a scoop more often than not require more than one scoop to get any real effects, which translates into you going through the tub in fewer workouts than you thought. This is no different with this product (more on this later).

Mixability

Like all other pwos I’ve used, the Neurocore mixes well, so no clumps, even without a shaker ball. Unfortunately, and like most pwos, it produces foam at the top.

Taste

With most pwos I’ve tried, bitterness is not flavour-specific. What I mean is that if the pwo is bitter (like Craze and Ritual), it is because of an ingredient in the product that isn’t related to the artificial flavouring.

For Neurocore, I’m happy to report that it tastes great — much better than the aforementioned pwos. The closest thing I can compare it to is sugar-free fruit punch Kool-Aid.

The setup

I am about 5′ 10″ and 175 pounds. I broke my hand eight weeks ago (six of those weeks were spent in a splint), and I’m still getting full feeling back in my hand. This means that I haven’t been able to keep up with my workout regimen. This review will thus be the ultimate test for this particular pwo. Can Neurocore help me short-cut my recovery and boost my energy to levels seen before the fateful break? Could I possibly reach at least 75% of my pre-break max?

How I took/take it

On the day that I brought Neurocore home, I took one level scoop with water, then I took one scoop of protein to keep my body anabolic during the workout. I attacked Chest and Shoulders that day. At other times, I’ve taken two scoops when I planned on attacking legs (makes sense), and another time, two scoops plus four Nanostim pills.

Kick-in time

When it comes to kick-in time, Neurocore is a strange product. You can’t really tangibly determine whether there is a kick-in time with the exception of the beta alanine tingles, which by the way — depending on the doses — may make you feel like you want to deglove yourself for the 10 minutes that it lasts. You have to just go on what the tub says and take it 30-45 minutes before your workout.

Focus

Focus is important. It is the difference between losing interest during the final rep of your five-rep max and being able to bust out an extra rep.

For one scoop of Neurocore, the focus component was OK at best. There were times when I was zoned in, but more often than not I didn’t feel driven. I want to feel driven!

Pumps

I’m not going to concern my self with a small intro here: There are no added pump effects contained in Neurocore; you won’t feel it. On four Nanostim pills, I had a fairly decent pump; but as a standalone, one, two or even three scoops of Neurocore just doesn't give me any noticeable pumps.

Mood

As discussed in the energy section above, I did not feel a positive mood swing like I did with Ritual or Craze. I was looking forward to getting that boost, but it simply did not show up. Like I said in my Ritual review, mood is, to me, one of the most important benefits a pwo can have. I’m sad to report, this product flops in this department, and in fact had a negative impact on my mood. Remember, I was feeling anxious when I took it — never a good feeling before a tough workout.

Energy before workout

I personally believe that any tangible feeling of energy in any pwo is straight from caffeine. The “clean energy” that many consumers talk about is one that is generally low on stimulants. As mentioned above, Neurocore contains 1.2 grams of caffeine per scoop, which isn’t terrible — but did it give me the energy that I needed to push through a workout like Chest and Shoulders?

Well, first, let’s talk about the 45 minutes immediately after I took the one scoop: I felt terrible. There was no noticeable increase in energy, and in fact I felt worse than when I took it. I was feeling anxious and even a bit tired. (And just to kill any argument that says it’s because I took a protein shake after: I always take a protein shake just before or after I take my pwo, sometimes with it — I have not experienced this with any other pwo.) I shrugged it off, thinking it was because it was my first time. However, the experience was the same for each of the five times I’ve taken it — and I’ve taken two scoops for the 3/5 times…that’s 3.4 grams of caffeine!

Needless to say, this is not a pwo that I would characterize as one that will make you bounce off walls. I also caution people not to take extra caffeine with this. Anything over 4 grams + a high cardio workout (weights or running) can be dangerous.

With all that said, energy before a workout may not matter entirely for how successful your workout turns out to be.

Energy during workout: stamina

I left stamina for the end for one reason: it is what Neurocore did well with this product. Finally, something I can peg my endorsement on — and it just happens to be one of the most elementary requirements for a pwo.

There simply wasn’t a time during my 1 and 1/2 hour workouts when I said, “well, that’s all I have in the tank.” Nope. Unfortunately, however, once my 1 and 1/2 hour workouts were up (that is, heavy sets of 10-12 reps), I was in fact done. My average workout time is 2 and 1/2 hours (on Ritual, and 4 hours on Craze); this doesn't compare.

Simply put, if you can get over all the negatives this product has — and I base a lot of my verdict on one and two scoop workouts — you will be satisfied with the stamina if you aren't in the gym for longer than 2 hours.

The (brief and obligatory) Craze comparison

I want to make the pwo head-to-head with Craze standard for my pwo reviews, but for Neurocore there is no point. It’s not in the same arena. With that said — and like I said above — Craze is off the market for a reason, which means it isn’t a fair comparison anyway. Though I do like to compare it with other pwos from time-to-time. Consider Craze my barometer for pwo success.

Conclusion (and important edit)

MuscleTech’s Nanostim supplementary product rounds out Neurocore well, but as a standalone, Neurocore isn't exceptional.

I’m not sure what MuscleTech was trying to do with this product. C4, by comparison, is a superior product in every manner (imo).

If you are looking for a well-rounded pwo, look elsewhere. I don't think this is it.

EDIT: After completing this review, I decided to take 3 scoops with whey on an empty stomach. After completing chest, shoulders and arms, I think this product requires 3 full scoops to experience its "full effects." I felt that it gave me a little more push. However, keep in mind that it's been 3 weeks since being back on my creatine cycle, so it could just be that. It's really unfortunate that I have to take 3 scoops of a product to get its full effects, but that may just be me.

Thanks for reading.

[emergency]

thanks for your honest and detailed review. Since you are in Canada pretty safe to say this is the Canadian version that does not contain yohimbine.

[killercuts]

thanks for your honest and detailed review. Since you are in Canada pretty safe to say this is the Canadian version that does not contain yohimbine.

Ahhh thanks for letting me know. Health Canada is super conservative with everything. I'm taking 3 scoops of it now and it is getting me through my workouts.

[furyhockey]

Ahhh thanks for letting me know. Health Canada is super conservative with everything. I'm taking 3 scoops of it now and it is getting me through my workouts.

Thanks for the honesty. 3 scoops is way too much for me but it sounds like your much more stim tolerant than myself.

[emergency]

Ahhh thanks for letting me know. Health Canada is super conservative with everything. I'm taking 3 scoops of it now and it is getting me through my workouts.

great to hear 3 scoops is working well for you.

[killercuts]

Thanks for the honesty. 3 scoops is way too much for me but it sounds like your much more stim tolerant than myself.

Yep, definitely stim tolerant (probably more than normal). I have a messed up system, but it serves as a good test for pwos for sure.

[killercuts]

great to hear 3 scoops is working well for you.

Thanks.