AEN Steel Edge and APE Dark Night Log

[jdk01484]

A big thank you to AEN for hooking me up with 2 of their newest products to log. As a long time supporter of presurge, I am especially excited to see what Steel Edge is all about.

The products:






If you have not seen already, these new products now have full transparency in their labels (props to AEN!).


Check out the labels for both products here:

Steel Edge

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/at...teel-edge.html

APE Dark Night

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/at...ark-night.html


I will be taking my first dose of Dark Night tonight before bed, and then will have my first workout with Steel Edge tomorrow. I am just coming off a 2 week break from stims, so I am excited to hit the ground running with Steel Edge fueling my workouts. I will also continue to use Intrabolic during my workouts.

Thanks again to AEN and thanks to anyone following along the way! I would hope for this to be an interactive log, so feel free to ask questions about the products along the way and I will do my best to answer them through my experiences with each.

[jdk01484]

I am officially started! It is hard to go to in-depth this early, but here are some initial thoughts:

I took Dark Night 20 minutes or so before going to bed. I felt relaxed and fell asleep rather easily. I had a solid 8 hours of sleep and felt very refreshed and ready to hit the gym this morning. I am excited to see how this product aids in recovery moving forward.


As for Steel Edge, let me start off by saying the taste is an absolute 10/10. I received the Strawberry Margarita flavor. What distinguishes this flavor, in my opinion, is it actually has a refreshing sweetness to it, and is very accurate in its strawberry flavor. I was a huge fan of the grape bubblegum flavor in presurge, and this looks to be another hit. I have to give major props to AEN for the unique flavors they come up with that are really spot on.

The Steel Edge mixed very easily in about 16 ounces of water (I will try various amounts of water throughout the log, but 16 oz tasted just about perfect to me). Much like with presurge, the drink is light and does not leave you feeling bloated or weighed down at all in the gym. I felt a nice zoned-in level of focus, and a clean and smooth surge of energy that lasted throughout my workout. Being an individual that has a relatively high stim tolerance, I love that I felt the full effects with the recommended 1 scoop. For those more sensitive to stims, you could go to 1/2 or 2/3 of a scoop to find your sweet spot I would imagine, but I can't see the need to go beyond 1 scoop. I worked out shoulders and triceps and felt a good pump in each. At the end of the workout, I did 3 sets of "28s" on tricep pushdowns for a finisher, and the pump in my triceps was ridiculous.

Overall, a very solid start with this stack and I am excited to see where it takes my training in the days ahead!

[jdk01484]

Wednesday update:


I am very impressed with Dark Night so far. I am sometimes an individual that has difficulty falling asleep at night. Last night, I again took Dark Night about 20 minutes before bed, and didn't really feel very tired but when I laid down, I fell asleep rather quickly. It was another deep sleep and I awoke early this morning refreshed and recharged for the day. Today was an off day from lifting, but I am going to be incorporating some cardio on off days, as well as some HIIT sessions after workouts periodically. I decided to take Steel Edge before my run this morning to see how it affected cardio. I got to the gym and after some light stretching, hopped on the treadmill. After loosening up after the first few minutes, the Steel Edge really kicked my focus up considerably and I was able to hammer out a 30 minute run without stopping at all. I am not someone that particularly enjoys running but I was locked in, and in combination with some good music, really enjoying it. Before long 30 minutes had passed, and I was covered in sweat. I felt like I could have kept going, but aimed to stop after 30 and needed to return home to start my day.

For those that are big into running (or maybe not so much but do it anyway like myself), it would seem Steel Edge provides a great effect in this area as well. I will also add that at no point did I feel weighed down or have any stomach discomfort during my run, even taking the Steel Edge just 15-20 minutes beforehand.

Back hitting the weights tomorrow!

[ATHLETIC EDGE NUTRITION]

Great updates on both products so far. Not much can be said from our end besides the fact that people are going crazy for both products and they are going to build i popularity in a big way, as the word continues to spread. Loving the detail so far, keep it coming, its incredibly beneficial to the people reading.

[jdk01484]

Great updates on both products so far. Not much can be said from our end besides the fact that people are going crazy for both products and they are going to build i popularity in a big way, as the word continues to spread. Loving the detail so far, keep it coming, its incredibly beneficial to the people reading.

Thanks for commenting! AEN is definitely more and more becoming one of my favorite supplement companies with the more products I get the chance to try. Loved presurge, love intrabolic, and in the early stages these sure do look like 2 more to add to the list.

[ATHLETIC EDGE NUTRITION]

Thanks for commenting! AEN is definitely more and more becoming one of my favorite supplement companies with the more products I get the chance to try. Loved presurge, love intrabolic, and in the early stages these sure do look like 2 more to add to the list.

Thank you sir. Check out our company article, which should communicate just how different we are from ANY other supplement company.

Athletic Edge company: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/supp...etic-edge.html

We also just had our preWO article posted
Athletic Edge pre-workout article: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/two-...t-fatigue.html

Hope you enjoy them, while learning a little more about us. Many more articles to come.

[jdk01484]

Thanks for sharing - awesome reads and great to learn more about the history of the company and how it has gotten to this point. I especially like how you guys don't just change and reformulate products for the sake of change. But rather, you have a well thought out and researched plan, and when the time is right, you go for at, such as was the case with Steel Edge over Presurge.


Updates:

Dark Night continues to help me fall asleep rather quickly at night, and sleep soundly through the night. I can tell the sleep is deep because I've woken up each morning from a very clear dream, which wasn't always the case in the past. I am guessing this is an effect of the deep sleep? I have put in some intense workouts the past 2 days, and I continue to wake up recovered and ready to go. I can definitely see Dark Night paying off majorly over the long haul.


As for Steel Edge, one scoop continues to be just right for me. What I am really enjoying is that there is absolutely no crash with this supplement, and the energy is long-lasting. On Thursday, I had a workout that was 2 and a half hours long. This included 15 minutes of cardio to warm-up, a solid 1.5 hour upper body workout, and 45 minutes of low intensity cardio post workout. It was not my plan to workout this long, I just had so much energy and focus going that I kept pushing it. As I mentioned earlier, I am also sipping intrabolic during my workouts. Combined with Steel Edge, it is certainly a very potent 1-2 punch, with Dark Night pushing recovery along the way. I continue to experience no stomach discomfort from Steel Edge - I feel focused, energized, and ready to go.

After reading the article and learning of the core values of AEN about having the very latest research to be the very best in sports nutrition, I have to wonder about whether their may be a protein powder in the future plans for AEN? With the quality of the pre-workouts and intra-workouts I have been fortunate to use, it would be exciting to see what AEN could bring to the table in this area.

[jdk01484]

Still loving Dark Night. Just to try something different, I took Dark Night last night and stayed up watching Sportscenter just to see if I would feel the effects, rather than heading off to bed. After a half hour or so, I started to feel tired, relaxed, and ready to drift off to sleep. I continue to fall asleep, and stay asleep, with Dark Night. The streak of waking up from a very clear dream continues, as well. I am really starting to see the effects in the gym as well in terms of recovery. I have been incorporating a good amount of cardio along with my lifting sessions, and I do not feel bogged down at all as I continue to push it. Great stuff!

I continue to take Steel Edge about 20 minutes before the gym, and that seems to be my sweet spot. It starts kicking in on the way to the gym, and after my usual 10-15 minutes of light warm-up cardio, the blood gets flowing and I am ready to go. Today was the first day in which I experienced a bit of stomach discomfort at the start of my workout, and I think I know why. I typically have at least an hour pass after whatever meal I have before my workouts, before taking Steel Edge. I got home earlier than expected today and wanted to get to the gym to beat the evening rush, so I sipped on Steel Edge along with a protein bar as I was quite hungry and didn't want that to impact performance in the gym. I don't know that the two mixed so well, and I had a slight stomach ache for the first few minutes. However, as I got going on my workout, it gradually faded away and by the middle of my workout to the end, I felt fine.

My workouts have been in the higher rep range (some 8-12, some 12-15) and I am looking forward to testing out some 3 and 5 rep maxes later in the week. I am definitely feeling more endurance and pushing out more reps in the higher ranges, so I'm excited to see what gains in strength I am making. I'll report back later in the week!

*One final note, I want to continue to emphasize just how good the strawberry margarita flavor is. I find myself wanting to sip it slowly rather than drinking it down as it is that enjoyable, and sometimes I need to tell myself to finish it up and get going and remind myself it is a pre-workout! I highly, highly recommend this flavor to anyone looking into trying out Steel Edge.

[jdk01484]

I had a conference out of town today and as a result opted for some morning cardio this morning. I have had good results using Steel Edge before cardio and the same was true today. I started at 6.0 mph and every 5 minutes, bumped up 0.5 mph. This had me finishing a 30 minute run at 8.5 mph. Along with some great music, I was absolutely zoned in and enjoyed this run. After a brief cool down, I still had energy in the tank, so I put in 15 minutes of HIIT, alternating 1 minute walks with 1 minute sprints. It was a great way to start the day and my energy boost continued into my day as I got on the road. I definitely see Steel Edge as a product that can be used before cardio as well as lifting - the benefits seem clear for both purposes.

[ATHLETIC EDGE NUTRITION]

Awesome detailed updates.

[jdk01484]

Awesome detailed updates.

Thanks for stopping in!

As for Dark Night, I continue to have consistent and deep sleep, and am seeing the effects of it more and more in the gym as time goes on. I have put myself through some high intensity training and really upped the cardio along with the weights, and I have been coming back stronger each and every session. I also discovered a new little trick to try. I am sometimes guilty of getting the late night sweet tooth cravings, and when this has happened, I take my Dark Night a bit early with a big glass of water. This has helped a great deal in keeping me from wanting to snack at night. I love this product!


As for my workout today, I took my Steel Edge as usual about 20 minutes before the workout and was good to go. Did I mention before that the taste of the strawberry margarita is amazing? Anyway, after a 10 minute warm-up jog, I headed to the bench. Today I wanted to go heavy and work up to a 3 rep max. As I progressed up, I was pleased with how easily I was hammering out the 3 reps and with very strict form. I worked all the way up and got 245 for 3 reps, which I was very pleased with, and stopped there as I did not have a spot and I was the only morning gym goer today. I am very psyched with my progress. I followed this up with 4 sets of higher reps (12-15) on incline db press, cable flies, some triceps work, and pushups as a finisher. After some ab work, I hit 15 minutes of sprint/walk intervals on the treadmill. Another awesome workout and I am seeing gains both in my strength and in my endurance. This stack is legit, and if you've been following you know I am using intrabolic during workouts as well. Really helps support some intense workouts and great recovery.


One question for AEN reps - are there any plans to make any other flavors for Steel Edge? I am loving Strawberry Margarita, but wondered if there were any talks of bringing the grape bubblegum flavor from presurge over to Steel Edge. That would be my recommendation as it is such an awesome and unique flavor that you don't see very often if at all.

[Anthony21]

Damn sorry I missed this bro.

Great stuff thus far and in for the remaining of the log.

[jdk01484]

Damn sorry I missed this bro.

Great stuff thus far and in for the remaining of the log.

Thanks for popping in bro!

Hit legs hard this morning after another great night of sleep. What has been working really well for me timing wise with morning workouts is to have my breakfast upon waking, wait about an hour, and then take Steel Edge 20 minutes before the gym. This has really helped me be fully fueled for my workouts. On off days from lifting I have experimented with taking Steel Edge on an empty stomach before some fasted morning cardio, and that has been very effective as well.

Today was evidence of the strength gains I am making with legs as well. After 10 minutes of warming up on the bike and some stretching, I went right to barbell squats. Just like with bench the other day, I wanted to work up to a 3 rep max and see where I am at strength-wise. I have stayed in the 8-12 rep range with squat for quite awhile now so I was not sure what to expect. I was very pleased to keep hammering out sets of 3 with good explosiveness and I hit 2 reps at 275 but did not have a 3rd in me. Regardless, I am happy with where I am at and will keep working from here.

I love the effect Steel Edge has on focus and endurance in the higher rep ranges, but on days like today, I was extremely locked in and jacked up to hit these heavier sets of 3. After squat, I had plenty in the tank to go back to higher rep ranges with leg press, split squats, and calf raises. Another great workout in the bank!

[jdk01484]

Another day, another strong workout. Mixed shoulders and back today. One note I want to make today is that I think I would be ready to give the full thumbs up to Dark Night as now I am really seeing the recovery aspect of it. Between lifting and cardio, I have had very few off days and continue to feel very strong in the gym, even with very intense workouts on consecutive days. I stuck in the 6-12 rep range today for most lifts, and felt especially strong on db shoulders presses, working up in sets from 35s, 45s, 55s, 65s, and 70s, all staying in that rep range. I maintained very strict form and just continue to feel my strength going up on this stack. I worked up to 185 in underhand barbell rows staying in this rep range as well.

After another great workout, I still felt like I had enough left in the tank for some cardio, but gave myself the day off as the amount I have been doing has my ankles hurting a bit. Tomorrow will be a cardio only day so I will bring it then.

On a side note, my tub of intrabolic ran out today, so it will be Steel Edge and Dark Night from here out. No worries though, AEN - intrabolic has become a staple and will be a part of my next purchase.

[jdk01484]

Today I woke up, drank my Steel Edge, and headed straight to the gym to start the day with some fasted cardio. I was able to hit 30 minutes at 6.3 mph, working up a great sweat. I followed that up by walking at an incline for 20 minutes, increasing the incline every couple minutes. It was a great way to start the day, but unfortunately my ankles are still bothering me. I have flat feet so I know that is likely contributing to the pain, but I think also I just have been doing a lot more cardio than usual since I started this stack, so my body is probably adjusting as well. I am going to take a few days off from doing any cardio, and just stick to weights, and see if that helps.

I know some would not use a pre-workout before cardio-only sessions, but I want to try to give as much feedback as I can for those interested in the product. I have consistently seen a great effect on focus and endurance when using Steel Edge before a longer run. Just another benefit to think about with this product!

[jdk01484]

I mentioned this before but I want to repeat it - I am really loving how Dark Night has helped reduce late night food cravings. On top of all the benefits in the gym with recovery and the deep sleep, this is a huge bonus for me. Rather than taking it immediately before bed, I've started to consistently take it later in the evening, probably within an hour or so before bed, but when I am still up relaxing or finishing up work. It eventually brings the yawns on for me and gets me in a relaxed mode for bed, but also really does reduce the cravings to grab a snack.

My strength continues to rise steadily from this stack. I hit 225 on 5x5 on bench today with relative ease, with plenty in the tank for higher rep incline DB press, cable flies, and some triceps work. Between the intense workouts, great recovery, and reduced late night food cravings, I am seeing improvements in terms of looking leaner. I am so impressed with both products and this will no doubt not be the only time I use these products!

[jdk01484]

Sadly I am nearing the end of my tub of Steel Edge...can't believe how fast it went, especially sticking to one scoop. I have been training at a much higher frequency with this stack though, due to the great recovery I have been having. It looks like I have enough left for one more workout. I still have at least a few days worth of Dark Night left. While I have seen some go with more than 1 scoop, it continues to work very well for me. With most other preworkouts, I tended to need 2 scoops. So, this is a nice factor to consider with this product.

After about an hour long upper body workout today, I had a KILLER 30 minute HIIT session on the treadmill. I set intervals of walking for one minute at 4.0 mph, and then sprinting for 1 minute at 10 mph. Even after lifting, I had plenty of focus and energy still raring to go, and I really got in the zone on the sprints. Not only have I had absolutely no issues doing cardio after taking Steel Edge, it has enhanced my endurance and focus while running tremendously, both with longer steady-state cardio and with high intensity intervals. I was still sweating for probably 30 or more minutes after the workout was over. I will definitely need the good night's sleep and recovery from Dark Night tonight!

[ATHLETIC EDGE NUTRITION]

Thanks for stopping in!

As for Dark Night, I continue to have consistent and deep sleep, and am seeing the effects of it more and more in the gym as time goes on. I have put myself through some high intensity training and really upped the cardio along with the weights, and I have been coming back stronger each and every session. I also discovered a new little trick to try. I am sometimes guilty of getting the late night sweet tooth cravings, and when this has happened, I take my Dark Night a bit early with a big glass of water. This has helped a great deal in keeping me from wanting to snack at night. I love this product!


As for my workout today, I took my Steel Edge as usual about 20 minutes before the workout and was good to go. Did I mention before that the taste of the strawberry margarita is amazing? Anyway, after a 10 minute warm-up jog, I headed to the bench. Today I wanted to go heavy and work up to a 3 rep max. As I progressed up, I was pleased with how easily I was hammering out the 3 reps and with very strict form. I worked all the way up and got 245 for 3 reps, which I was very pleased with, and stopped there as I did not have a spot and I was the only morning gym goer today. I am very psyched with my progress. I followed this up with 4 sets of higher reps (12-15) on incline db press, cable flies, some triceps work, and pushups as a finisher. After some ab work, I hit 15 minutes of sprint/walk intervals on the treadmill. Another awesome workout and I am seeing gains both in my strength and in my endurance. This stack is legit, and if you've been following you know I am using intrabolic during workouts as well. Really helps support some intense workouts and great recovery.


One question for AEN reps - are there any plans to make any other flavors for Steel Edge? I am loving Strawberry Margarita, but wondered if there were any talks of bringing the grape bubblegum flavor from presurge over to Steel Edge. That would be my recommendation as it is such an awesome and unique flavor that you don't see very often if at all.

Right now, no other plans for more flavors of SteelEdge, it just launched a couple months ago, so we need to build it up for a while before anymore flavors

[Mickfootie]

Nice log you have going here mate. Athletic Edge are definately producing some great products and the new rebrand looks great too.
I have just started my log starting with the Steel Edge and APE then incorporating the APE Darknight into the mix after 4 weeks.

[jdk01484]

Nice log you have going here mate. Athletic Edge are definately producing some great products and the new rebrand looks great too.
I have just started my log starting with the Steel Edge and APE then incorporating the APE Darknight into the mix after 4 weeks.

Thanks for popping in Mick! And that is awesome to see - I will sub to your log once I come across it. Really curious to see your thoughts on Steel Edge and eventually Dark Night!

[jdk01484]

Right now, no other plans for more flavors of SteelEdge, it just launched a couple months ago, so we need to build it up for a while before anymore flavors

Makes sense. When the time comes, my vote is grape bubblegum!

[jdk01484]

Sorry for going MIA for a couple days, we visited family out of town so time on here was hard to come by. I ended my tub of Steel Edge with a bang. My strength has really shot up throughout the course of this stack, and it has really exceeded my expectations. I started with DB incline press (one of my favorites) and worked up in sets of 10. After warming up, I hit 60s x 10, and 70s x 10 fairly easily, which was to be expected. Where I really saw the significant increase was in how easily I was able to push 80s for 10. 90s were the real breaking point for me though. I have struggled once I hit 90s getting the first rep up without a spot. I am now able to push 90s up on my own fairly easily, and was able to hammer out 8 solid reps with strict form. On to 100s next!

Although I wouldn't say I was necessarily at a "plateau" in my gains, my strength gains have really accelerated as I worked into the second half of this stack. I will be working on a final review in the coming days here, but for now, if anyone following has any questions on either product that I may be able to answer from my experience, please post them and I will do my best to answer.

[Athletic Edge]

Sorry for going MIA for a couple days, we visited family out of town so time on here was hard to come by. I ended my tub of Steel Edge with a bang. My strength has really shot up throughout the course of this stack, and it has really exceeded my expectations. I started with DB incline press (one of my favorites) and worked up in sets of 10. After warming up, I hit 60s x 10, and 70s x 10 fairly easily, which was to be expected. Where I really saw the significant increase was in how easily I was able to push 80s for 10. 90s were the real breaking point for me though. I have struggled once I hit 90s getting the first rep up without a spot. I am now able to push 90s up on my own fairly easily, and was able to hammer out 8 solid reps with strict form. On to 100s next!

Although I wouldn't say I was necessarily at a "plateau" in my gains, my strength gains have really accelerated as I worked into the second half of this stack. I will be working on a final review in the coming days here, but for now, if anyone following has any questions on either product that I may be able to answer from my experience, please post them and I will do my best to answer.

Understood and looking forward to your final review. Always gratifying to read our products exceeded a users expectations. That's the goal when we design any Athletic Edge product.

[jdk01484]

Final review for both products can be found below - I thought doing a combined review was best, to highlight how they can be used together.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...post1386287363

Thanks again AEN, and looking forward to more big things from you in the future!