[Champion Performance] Amino Shooter Core - Helping me Re-rack other people's weights

[gesler0811]

So, in addition to the workouts that are kicking my butt, now people in my gym can't seem to figure out how to unrack their weights when they're done lifting, so I'm forever clearing other people's weights on every station I use before I can use it. THIS CAN'T BE WHAT THEY MEAN BY PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD !!!!

What am I gonna do? All this extra lifting, it's..... it's..... too..... much....... I'm........ fainting.........

Somebody save me!!!!

Wait? What's that? Someone must have heard my cries for help! Several packets of a sweet-looking intraworkout beverage just landed in my lap? What can it be? It's...... It's.......

Champion Performance --- Amino Shooter Core



Intro

First of all, a big thanks to the reps at Champion Performance (NoCarbsNoSugar and ajej4780)for another great promo. I have had the privilege of trying several of their products in the past, and have loved them all. Pure Whey Plus, Amino Shooter Edge, and Power Glutamine are all great products. (BTW, I secretly want to be a Champion Performance rep, but they don't know that. Let's keep that between us.)

This time around, I get to try Amino Shooter Core, which is marketed as an amino acid beverage with a little caffeine kick that can be taken as a mild PWO or intraworkout. For the purposes of this log, I will try it both ways and give my thoughts. This will be a mini log (only four workouts will be logged), but I still expect it to be a great time and an awesome opportunity to sample another product that may end up in my list of upcoming purchases.


My Background

In a previous Champion Performance log that I ran, I gave a detailed account of my fitness and training background. I won't retype it here, but you can check it out here if you care to do so:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=171324261

A few things have changed since I posted all of that. Long story short, I have been training now for about two years. Most of that time was spent cutting, as I had a LOT of excess fat to get rid of. I've been attempting to bulk off and on with mixed results for close to a year now, and honestly, I still feel like I have a lot to learn in regards to gaining muscle rather than fat during a bulk. But that's another story for another time.

At the moment, I'm running the intermediate U/L version of Fierce 5, a terrific little program that I would recommend to just about anybody because of its balance, planned progression, and deload/reset protocols that are built right in to help you keep progressing.


Let's Get to It, Then...

I couldn't agree more, let's go.

[gesler0811]

Friday 3/10/2017 - Fierce 5 Intermediate - LOWER B

Morning Weigh In: 188.8

Exercise Name: Goal Reps(Sets x Reps)
Applicable Notes about this lift
Warm Up Sets Weight(lbs) x Reps | Work Sets Weight(lbs) x Reps | Sets w/ missed reps

Front Squats: 3x5
70x5 | 105x5 | 120x2 | 135x5 | 135x5 | 135x5

Romanian Deadlifts: 3x9
100x5 | 150x5 | 175x2 | 195x9 | 195x9 | 195x9

Leg Extensions: 3x11
140x11 | 140x11 | 140x11

Lying Leg Curls: 3x10
40x10 | 40x10 | 40x10

Superset: Decline Bench Situps 3x17 AND Seated Calf Raises 3x12
Situps BWx17 | Calf 100x12 | Situps BWx17 | Calf 100x12 | Situps BWx11 | Calf 100x12

[gesler0811]

Initial Thoughts:

First of all, it's too early in the game to say with certainty how this product may or may not have helped me perform today. What I will say with certainty is that I had a great workout, I really felt like I was dialed in and making every rep count, and I was pleased with my results, particularly the front squats. Overall, I felt energized and ready for every set. How much of that is the Amino Core versus my general beastliness (lol, couldn't help it) will be determined over the next few workouts.

The taste was decent (fruit punch flavor). It wasn't the strongest flavor around, but it was good. I might even add a little less water next time and see how that goes. It can't hurt.

Getting into the sample packet was like cracking into a high security vault. Without really looking closely, I assumed there would be a little perforated tab at the edge or something like that to help rip the packet open. Fast forward to me sitting in my car in front the gym trying to rip the thing open, thinking all my gains have been for naught because I can't even rip this little packet open. I even tried to use my key and couldn't punch through it. Finally I just went into the gym and asked the guy at the front desk if I could borrow his scissors (<--- worth noting)

[NoCarbsNoSugar]

Great start!
Thanks for getting this up right away!

Loved your intro
I also find myself putting weights away after people at the gym - maybe you can count those steps towards a Farmer's Walk total for the day?

That workout looks awesome, by the way!
As for opening the envelope, yes, I would like for it to be easier.
I used scissors every time, and I think I was able to open one of them without scissors, but you make a good point.

Thanks for sharing your feedback so far!

[gesler0811]

Monday 3/13/17 - Fierce 5 Intermediate - UPPER A

Morning Weigh In: 190.0

Exercise Name: Goal Reps(Sets x Reps)
Applicable Notes about this lift
Warm Up Sets Weight(lbs) x Reps | Work Sets Weight(lbs) x Reps | Sets w/ missed reps

Bench Press: 3x6
90x5 | 135x5 | 155x2 | 175x6 | 175x6 | 175x6

Incline Bench Press: 3x8
120x8 | 120x8 | 120x8

Cable Lat Pulldowns: 3x9
75x5 | 110x5 | 130x2 | 145x9 | 145x9 | 145x9

Bent Over Row: 3x9
90x9 | 90x9 | 90x9

I was also supposed to do a Bicep Curl/Reverse DB Fly superset, but got to the gym late and had to leave for work, so the isolation lifts got skipped

Oh well. Overall, though, the other lifts went well. I'm pleased to be progressing on BOR again.

[gesler0811]

So I forgot to reduce the amount of water today for the Amino Shooter Core. The instructions on the package to add 16 ounces of water results in too much of a watered down taste for my liking, though it's not bad. 12 ounces would surely result in a stronger taste, if I ever remember to only add 12 ounces.

Again, I felt energized throughout my workout, and I hit all of my assigned reps. I don't think I could use this as a PWO, however. I think the BCAAs and mild hit of caffeine is very well suited as an intraworkout beverage, though. This is a perfectly reasonable choice if you want to reach for something during your workout to hydrate and re-energize you with a little more kick than just plain water or even just plain BCAAs. For that purpose I would have no trouble recommending this to anybody. I might even go as far as to say if you're reaching for this as a PWO, and you're not somebody who usually takes a PWO, I'm sure this would do a decent job of packing a little extra punch into that workout. However, if you're like me, and you often take a strong PWO for heavy leg day or heavy chest day I just don't see this cutting it as a PWO on its own.

That being said, I am going to take it as a PWO on Thursday when I do my other upper body workout, consisting of Overhead Press, Dumbbell Flies, Cable Pulldowns, Pendlay Rows, Reverse Dumbbell Flies, and Skullcrushers. If I can get my butt in gear and get to the gym early, I might even try to thrown in the Bicep Curls that I missed out on today.

[NoCarbsNoSugar]

Great workout this morning!

I was just looking at that program and some variations of it, just yesterday.
I will have to keep going with my homemade program for now though.

I am recovering from a pretty bad knee injury, and unfortunately skipping everything that involves legs in any way.

Good for you!

[gesler0811]

Great workout this morning!

I was just looking at that program and some variations of it, just yesterday.
I will have to keep going with my homemade program for now though.

I am recovering from a pretty bad knee injury, and unfortunately skipping everything that involves legs in any way.

Good for you!

Sorry about the knees. That really sucks. Was it a gym-related injury? Just wondering, not trying to get all up in your business

And yes, Fierce 5 is awesome. I wish I would have run this first when I started lifting. I feel like I could have either made much faster initial gains if not better gains. I love the balance, rep ranges, progression, and resets that are built right in. I had to shift my thinking a bit, and my focus is now on getting stronger at what I consider my main lifts, like bench, squat, pendlays, and thinking of the toher lifts as just ways of adding volume to get stronger on those main lifts. I feel like in 2017 my primary goal should be on increasing those three lifts as much as possible, without cheating to do it

[NoCarbsNoSugar]

'bout the knee...

actually, I am not even sure what caused it
I did lots of stationary cardio that week, and worked legs, went to bed Friday night, slept on the couch (had a cold) and woke up with my knee all gone - could barely put my foot down

it's possible I twisted it while sleeping
it is much better now, and I can walk with no pain, but no way I can work legs for a while
not stupid enough to risk a worse injury

'bout the Amino...

you are right, I wouldn't use it for a PWO either
I do like the little kick that it comes with though, for sipping on it as an Intra or just throughout the day

[ajej4780]

Initial Thoughts:

First of all, it's too early in the game to say with certainty how this product may or may not have helped me perform today. What I will say with certainty is that I had a great workout, I really felt like I was dialed in and making every rep count, and I was pleased with my results, particularly the front squats. Overall, I felt energized and ready for every set. How much of that is the Amino Core versus my general beastliness (lol, couldn't help it) will be determined over the next few workouts.

The taste was decent (fruit punch flavor). It wasn't the strongest flavor around, but it was good. I might even add a little less water next time and see how that goes. It can't hurt.

Getting into the sample packet was like cracking into a high security vault. Without really looking closely, I assumed there would be a little perforated tab at the edge or something like that to help rip the packet open. Fast forward to me sitting in my car in front the gym trying to rip the thing open, thinking all my gains have been for naught because I can't even rip this little packet open. I even tried to use my key and couldn't punch through it. Finally I just went into the gym and asked the guy at the front desk if I could borrow his scissors (<--- worth noting)

LOL! I use a knife to open mine.

[bbowsh54]

Monday 3/13/17 - Fierce 5 Intermediate - UPPER A

Morning Weigh In: 190.0

Exercise Name: Goal Reps(Sets x Reps)
Applicable Notes about this lift
Warm Up Sets Weight(lbs) x Reps | Work Sets Weight(lbs) x Reps | Sets w/ missed reps

Bench Press: 3x6
90x5 | 135x5 | 155x2 | 175x6 | 175x6 | 175x6

Incline Bench Press: 3x8
120x8 | 120x8 | 120x8

Cable Lat Pulldowns: 3x9
75x5 | 110x5 | 130x2 | 145x9 | 145x9 | 145x9

Bent Over Row: 3x9
90x9 | 90x9 | 90x9

I was also supposed to do a Bicep Curl/Reverse DB Fly superset, but got to the gym late and had to leave for work, so the isolation lifts got skipped

Oh well. Overall, though, the other lifts went well. I'm pleased to be progressing on BOR again.

Excellent workout, sir! Congrats on the bent over row progress!! Great job, man

[gesler0811]

Today was cardio day. I took a serving of ASC before I headed over to the gym (I used scissors to open it). I did remember to reduce the amount of water this time. Using 12 ounces of water instead of the package-directed 16 ounces made a lot of difference, taste-wise. With 16 ounces of water, it just tasted too watered down. 12 ounces was awesome, the fruit punch flavor was much more pronounced. I had a great 35-minute treadmill session, got into a nice little rhythm early on and then just sort of zoned out and watched "Supernatural" on Netflix (I'm only on Season 3) while I sweated. I did feel like I was nicely energized and in a decent groove beyond the norm, so I'm sure the ASC contributed to that. I now have one packet left, which I plan to use as a PWO tomorrow morning for my upper body workout.

I set the treadmill for 5.3MPH and just got to it. I think I did something like 2.75 miles or something like that, I wasn't really paying a lot of attention to the distance.

[NoCarbsNoSugar]

Saw your weight there at the top of your post, and I forgot to ask... do you weigh yourself every morning? I usually do, but when on a cut, like now, I like to only weight myself once a week. Kind of keeps me motivated to stick with my cut throughout the week, and avoid the possible disappointment caused by possible daily water-level changes.

Just wonderin'

[gesler0811]

Excellent workout, sir! Congrats on the bent over row progress!! Great job, man

Thanks so much. I've always struggled a bit with that lift. Chest-supported rows and Pendlay rows, not so much, but bent-over Rows have always been a bit tough for me. But, I will also say, since switching to Fierce 5 I feel like my back is getting a much better training stimulus than I've given it in the past.

[gesler0811]

Saw your weight there at the top of your post, and I forgot to ask... do you weigh yourself every morning? I usually do, but when on a cut, like now, I like to only weight myself once a week. Kind of keeps me motivated to stick with my cut throughout the week, and avoid the possible disappointment caused by possible daily water-level changes.

Just wonderin'

Other than a few exceptions, like when I've traveled out of town, I have weighed myself every morning for over two years now. I log my actual weight, plus a 2-Week moving average of my weight, and I use both in determining how I'm progressing. I give more "weight" (pun intended) to the moving average because it smooths out the little spikes and valleys caused by day to day fluctutations, but I also look at the actual weight to make sure I'm not getting too far ahead of myself. I tend to gain weight a little too fast when I'm not careful, and not in the places where I would like it to go

[gesler0811]

Just to add a little more to my last post, I'm currently looking for that "sweet spot" for ideal weight gain. I was recomping for close to eight weeks, just eating 2800 calories/day, and perfectly maintained my weight during that time. Deciding to resume a slow bulk, I bumped it up to 2900 calories and lost 2-3 pounds over the next couple of weeks. Bumped it up to 3000 and still seem like I'm staying about even. After two weeks of that, bumped it up to 3100 calories/day yesterday. We'll see if that gets the weight moving again.

[NoCarbsNoSugar]

I do the same most of the time.
On a more disciplined cut right now, so it sort of creates a bit of suspense, as I wait for the weekly weigh-in.

I like to do it both ways.
Good for you being consistent with this!

[gesler0811]

Thursday 3/16/17 - Fierce 5 Intermediate - UPPER B

Morning Weigh In: 190.0

Exercise Name: Goal Reps(Sets x Reps)
Applicable Notes about this lift
Warm Up Sets Weight(lbs) x Reps | Work Sets Weight(lbs) x Reps | Sets w/ missed reps

Seated Overhead Press: 3x6
55x5 | 80x5 | 95x2 | 105x6 | 105x6 | 105x6

Dumbbell Flies: 3x11
65x11 | 65x11 | 65x11

Cable Lat Pulldowns: 3x9
75x5 | 110x5 | 130x2 | 145x9 | 145x9 | 145x9

Pendlay Rows: 3x9
65x5 | 100x5 | 115x2 | 130x9 | 130x9 | 130x9

Kind of becoming a recurring theme at this point, I had to skip my isolation lifts AGAIN due to not getting started on time. I missed out on reverse dumbbell flies and skullcrushers (superset)

Oh well.

I took my last serving of ASC as a PWO just to get a feel for it. Like I said before, I am used to some more heavy duty PWOs, but this was fine for the workout I detailed above. Overall, I think the ASC was awesome as an intraworkout and also as a pre-cardio drink. The taste was really good (once I modified from the directions, and used 12oz water instead of 16), and it does give a nice little boost moreso than regular BCAAs or plain water. I liked it quite a bit. I think I preferred the Amino Shooter Edge, if I'm being honest, but this is a good product too.

Final review to follow. I'll link to it once it's done.

[gesler0811]

Final Store Review:
http://reviews.bodybuilding.com/Cham...276577d202ab0/

This product delivers a nice dose of nine different Amino Acids in every serving, including about 3g of the BCAAs, but it also packs a small amount of caffeine for a nice additional kick. This results in a quality intraworkout beverage that will help you with overall training performance. I also find that taking a serving before doing cardio increased my energy level during cardio. Taking it as a PWO right before weight training didn't have quite as much of an impact on me, for starters because I'm used to more heavy duty PWOs and I don't get the sense this product was intended to compete with those products on that level anyway. But if you're a believer in the power of an energized Amino Acid beverage as an intraworkout or even pre-cardio drink, this won't disappoint. The flavor's pretty good too, even though the package says to mix with 16oz. of water. I found this to result in too much of a watered down taste, but when mixed with 12oz. water, the Fruit Punch flavor was pretty solid. The price could perhaps be a little lower, but since you're getting individual serving packets, there's a convenience factor there that perhaps is worth a few extra cents per serving. All in all, a solid product that I would recommend if you're looking for a little extra intraworkout kick.

Overall Rating: 8/10
Fruit Punch Flavor: 9/10

[NoCarbsNoSugar]

Awesome, awesome, awesome!

Thank you for running this log for us.
Lots of detail in here, and fun to follow along with.
We appreciate it very much!

Also, thank you for the honest reviews, both in here and the store.
I certainly hope you can log again for us in the near future!

Take care!
Flo

[ajej4780]

Love the name of your log lol. Great work in here. Thanks for doing this for us.

[bbowsh54]

Final Store Review:
http://reviews.bodybuilding.com/Cham...276577d202ab0/

This product delivers a nice dose of nine different Amino Acids in every serving, including about 3g of the BCAAs, but it also packs a small amount of caffeine for a nice additional kick. This results in a quality intraworkout beverage that will help you with overall training performance. I also find that taking a serving before doing cardio increased my energy level during cardio. Taking it as a PWO right before weight training didn't have quite as much of an impact on me, for starters because I'm used to more heavy duty PWOs and I don't get the sense this product was intended to compete with those products on that level anyway. But if you're a believer in the power of an energized Amino Acid beverage as an intraworkout or even pre-cardio drink, this won't disappoint. The flavor's pretty good too, even though the package says to mix with 16oz. of water. I found this to result in too much of a watered down taste, but when mixed with 12oz. water, the Fruit Punch flavor was pretty solid. The price could perhaps be a little lower, but since you're getting individual serving packets, there's a convenience factor there that perhaps is worth a few extra cents per serving. All in all, a solid product that I would recommend if you're looking for a little extra intraworkout kick.

Overall Rating: 8/10
Fruit Punch Flavor: 9/10

Just dropping by a bit late to say... Great review!! Thank you so much for participating.

[Fiction2Fitness]

Great log. I also loved the title. Very funny and oh so true.

[gesler0811]

Just dropping by a bit late to say... Great review!! Thank you so much for participating.

Much appreciated! You guys have some great products. I was just considering a whey purchase of banana cream pie and maybe another tub of amino shooter edge. That stuff rocked!

[gesler0811]

Great log. I also loved the title. Very funny and oh so true.

Indeed. We all need that extra edge in the gym to lift not only our own weights, but also the last person's weights as well