Gabe's Molecular Nutrition X-Factor Review!

[gaaaaabe]

Gabe's Molecular Nutrition Anabolic Catalyst X-Factor Review!

Product Info
Active Ingredient:
Archidonic Acid.....250mg per capsule

Dosing protocol
Workout Days: 1 AM/1 PreWorkout/1 6-7pm
Off Days: 1 AM/ 1 w/lunch/1 ~3-4pm/ 1 6-7pm

Introduction
Despite X-Factor being out on the market for some time now, there is still a lot of misinformation and mixed views regarding arachidonic acid in circulation so I thought my review would be beneficial to throw into the proverbial pot.

Experience Summary
As predicted I felt no effects from the X-Factor until about 20 days in. After ~20 days, I really stopped and noticed the effects for the first time on a leg day. I was squatting, and I kept loading the plates on each rep and before I knew it I had squatted 315. I had never really broken 300 for reps before so I had to step back and see that something was different. Strength as well as endurance continued to shoot up in every lift. Bench pressing, for example, was an area my endurance really shot up. I've always had bad muscular endurance in my chest - I've always been able to max out way higher than what I can rep even two or three times. About ~30 days into X-Factor, I found myself repping 205 and then 225 (the latter of which I never really had been able to rep more than two or three times before). The first time I attempted 225 I did it four times...but I noticed I still wasnt tired. So I did it 5 times...but I still wasnt tired. So then I did another set with 4 reps. And finally another set with 4 reps. Then I did 205 six times. This was all in ADDITION to my normal 5 sets on the flat bench. Then I continued on to incline and flat bench, still breaking PR's of endurance and strength!

The vascularity on X-Factor was also very nice. I found myself with bulging veins in my forearms and biceps all day long, even when I wasnt working out. When I worked out my legs, I had veins coming out of my calves that I hadnt seen before. There were other side effects I experienced that were negative in nature, but I will discuss all those in the "negative side effects" section (as well as an interesting turn of events that I am still unsure if arachidonic acid is the culprit for).

Overall, X-Factor provided me with some powerful strength and endurance gains that helped me get over some plateaus.

Positive Effects
-Big increase in strength
-Big increase in endurance
-Lots of vascularity
-DOMS (I like being sore, so this is positive for me)
-Powerful recoming effects (will go over more on this later)

Negative Effects
-Increased acne
-insomnia if last dosage was taken after ~8pm
-joint pain (cleared up by 2g of glucosamine daily)
-local pro-inflammatory (will go over this more in detail later)
-depression (high doses of ArA have been found in the brain of those prone to depression. I am prone to depression and found myself feeling randomly depressed.)
-headaches if not hydrated enough (I drink about 1.5 gallons of water a day and sometimes that wasnt enough to prevent some serious migraines)
-random loss of appetite (very odd but at times I found myself really not wanting to eat. I never feel like this normally.)

Re-Comping Effect
The recomping effect of x-Factor was so powerful that I felt it needed its own category. I am on a bulk and eat about 3,500-4,000 calories on workout days and about 3,200 on off days. After about 30 days on X-factor, I noticed I was getting leaner. I actually specifically noticed more definition in my obliques than I had before (I specifically saw new striations). This generally does not lend itself to a bulk. most days I would wake up feeling leaner, especially in the midsection. This was quite powerful and makes X-Factor a powerful tool in anyone's bulking or cutting arsenal.

Pro-Inflammatory Properties
I have no prior conditions of anything that a pro-inflammatory should aggravate. During the day that my bench press endurance completely skyrocketed, I noticed that at the end of my last benching set, my ring and pinky fingers started tingling. They proceeded to tingle all day off and on. I pretty obviously had an ulnar nerve damage. I attributed the initial injury to high levels of prolonged stress at my elbow, specifically the canal at which the peripheral nerve passes, to bench pressing beyond my normal limitations due to increased endurance and strength. The problem was, it kept tingling without the symptoms getting better AT ALL (they actually were getting worse) for the next ~10 days. I was not taking NSAIDS, because I knew they were contradictory toward X-Factor's purpose and I figured it didnt hurt so I would grit my teeth as long as possible. At Day ~40 of X-Factor, my fingers tingling worse than ever, I started to wonder if the pro-inflammatory conditions of X-factor were aggravating my nerve, specifically causing the myelin sheath to be, or stay, inflamed. I discontinued my use of X-Factor, began taking 220mg of Naproxen every 8 hours for the next 3 days and my symptoms rapidly got better. 3 days later, I am typing this, without taking any naproxen, and there is no tingling. What I find confusing about all of this is that if the archidonic acid were inflaming the myelin sheath, I dont think that discontinuing the dosage for 3 days would solve my problems - because there are still high levels of ArA in my system. That means unless the local pro-inflammatory is an effect caused solely by immediate dosage (and I am certain it isnt) then my ulnar simply needed some NSAIDs. Which then in turn leads me to wonder if the naproxen was counter-acting the inflammatory effects of the arachidonic acid. Any knowledgaeable input on this would be appreciated.

Overall Rating
Overall, the questions that need to be asked and answered are:
1) Were the benefits noticeable beyond reason to believe placebo effect? Yes they were.
2) Were the benefits enough to get me over plateaus and give me personal records? Yes they were.
3) Did the positive benefits outweigh the negative effects? For me, they did. For others, maybe not. I experienced a lot of side effects on this product, but I also broke plateaus and that is what I needed. I believe ArA requires a user mature enough to know their limits and monitor their health because the side effects can be quite strong.
4) Is it worth the money? 100 dollars is a lot to spend, but at 4 pills everyday for 50 days thats 50 cents a pill. Plus, the arichidonic acid effects should continue for a couple weeks after you stop taking it, so ultimately it works out to something closer to like 30 cents a pill. I would say that it is worth the money, because it does what it claims to do quite well, and all things considered it isnt that expensive. I just wish that they offered some deals for buying 2 bottles. Like the second bottle was 10 dollars off or something.
5) Would I do it again? Yes, I would. Id be more inclined to use ArA to push past a plateau that I just cant seem to break in the future because it is completely non-hormonal and im 19 years old. i think X-Factor would be a valuable product to the mature user that does not want to touch their hormone levels yet .

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

*NOTE: I'd like to thank Molecular Nutrition for having such good reps and customer service. My ulnar nerve issue was getting a bit mentally taxing and the people that gave me the best suggestions were from Molecular Nutrition both on these boards and on customer service on the phone.

[Surive123]

Amazing review. Wow.

Reps on recharge.

[Hat_Monster]

Noice.

[gaaaaabe]

Amazing review. Wow.

Reps on recharge.

thanks bro.

i was reading some reviews and opinions of ArA in general on various boards and it seemed like everyone had a different thing to say about it (including some serious misinformation). Hope this review can provide some real info and help out some people looking to make a supp purchase.

[gaaaaabe]

bumped for anybody considering this product.

[sdsu28]

Awesome very detailed review

[D@K]

repped, thx for the review

[cal62887]

-headaches if not hydrated enough (I drink about 1.5 gallons of water a day and sometimes that wasnt enough to prevent some serious migraines)
-random loss of appetite (very odd but at times I found myself really not wanting to eat. I never feel like this normally.)

Did the headaches go away within a few weeks of startring the X Factor or did they continue throughout?

Appetite loss? That's weird.. most people eat like a cow on this stuff... hmm

Re-Comping Effect
The recomping effect of x-Factor was so powerful that I felt it needed its own category. I am on a bulk and eat about 3,500-4,000 calories on workout days and about 3,200 on off days. After about 30 days on X-factor, I noticed I was getting leaner. I actually specifically noticed more definition in my obliques than I had before (I specifically saw new striations). This generally does not lend itself to a bulk. most days I would wake up feeling leaner, especially in the midsection. This was quite powerful and makes X-Factor a powerful tool in anyone's bulking or cutting arsenal.

ha... I was talking to someone recently who had to switch to dirty bulking to get the calories....and they still ended up losing weight

Which then in turn leads me to wonder if the naproxen was counter-acting the inflammatory effects of the arachidonic acid. Any knowledgaeable input on this would be appreciated.

Although Ara is built up, inflammation can still be brought down by and NSAID like naproxen. NSAIDs directly effect the effects of X Factor for this very reason.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

*NOTE: I'd like to thank Molecular Nutrition for having such good reps and customer service. My ulnar nerve issue was getting a bit mentally taxing and the people that gave me the best suggestions were from Molecular Nutrition both on these boards and on customer service on the phone.

Thank you for the great review.

I'm glad your nerve problems are getting better. I know you were worried about long-term damage when I spoke to you.

I was happy to help.

[gaaaaabe]

Did the headaches go away within a few weeks of startring the X Factor or did they continue throughout?

Appetite loss? That's weird.. most people eat like a cow on this stuff... hmm



ha... I was talking to someone recently who had to switch to dirty bulking to get the calories....and they still ended up losing weight



Although Ara is built up, inflammation can still be brought down by and NSAID like naproxen. NSAIDs directly effect the effects of X Factor for this very reason.





Thank you for the great review.

I'm glad your nerve problems are getting better. I know you were worried about long-term damage when I spoke to you.

I was happy to help.

the headaches lasted throughout but their frequency toned down for sure. They only really occurred when I was not hydrated, so it wasnt a big deal as I drink a lot of water anyway. As for the appetite loss, idk what the deal was with that. I wouldnt 100 percent attribute it to the ArA because no one else seems to experience that, but my appetite did star to return once I stopped taking it. Honestly, if i were to guess why it happened, I would think its because I upped my calories considerably on X-Factor. A lot of my calories come from whey and oats and pb and such similar things so I probably just started to feel sick of eating so much of the same things.

Yeah, the recomping effect of X-Factor was really amazing. Honestly, it was stronger than anything I had expected from it. Really shocked me when I woke up those mornings and kept seeing my abs more cut up.

As for the whole inflammation of the myelin sheath of the ulnar nerve at the bony canal of the elbow,cessation of the ArA and 220-440mg of naproxen for 5 days cleared everything up.

rep you back when the board lets me (on spread)

[ChiseledLikeIce]

How many lbs did you gain during your X-Factor cycle? Anybody know when X-Factor 2.0 is coming out?

[gaaaaabe]

How many lbs did you gain during your X-Factor cycle? Anybody know when X-Factor 2.0 is coming out?

poundwise i put on a solid 8-12bs (average depending on scale fluctuation). At 12.5 weeks in an X-Factor cycle and the maximum average rate of muscle development being 0.5lbs/1 week that would mean that the maximum expected muscle to put on would be about 6.25lbs of dry muscle. With water weight and such, I feel that means I was able to put on optimal lean muscle mass with minimized fat gain.

if i recall, the MN reps said that XF 2.0 would be out in January i think.

[pu12en12g]

Wow, eerily similar to my own experience ! Nice detail !

[gaaaaabe]

definitely looking forward to XF 2.0! will be looking to log that when it comes out

[ChiseledLikeIce]

definitely looking forward to XF 2.0! will be looking to log that when it comes out

I'm wondering if it's going to be better or worse, I hope they don't use some inferior ingredients or take away anything that is good in it and make it weaker.

[kylemeyer]

the headaches lasted throughout but their frequency toned down for sure. They only really occurred when I was not hydrated, so it wasnt a big deal as I drink a lot of water anyway. As for the appetite loss, idk what the deal was with that. I wouldnt 100 percent attribute it to the ArA because no one else seems to experience that, but my appetite did star to return once I stopped taking it. Honestly, if i were to guess why it happened, I would think its because I upped my calories considerably on X-Factor. A lot of my calories come from whey and oats and pb and such similar things so I probably just started to feel sick of eating so much of the same things.

Yeah, the recomping effect of X-Factor was really amazing. Honestly, it was stronger than anything I had expected from it. Really shocked me when I woke up those mornings and kept seeing my abs more cut up.

As for the whole inflammation of the myelin sheath of the ulnar nerve at the bony canal of the elbow,cessation of the ArA and 220-440mg of naproxen for 5 days cleared everything up.

rep you back when the board lets me (on spread)

I thought in a typical inflammatory response, such as doms, AA is released by the muscle cell membranes and mediates the COX pathways and that is why NSAIDS work so well with that type of inflammation. I find it hard to believe that an increase in AA, via supplement or intense workout or musculoskeletal damage, would support enough inflammatory response to not only affect the muscle cells but also inflame the myelin sufficiently to cause noticeable irritation. Especially since the Ulnar nerve's cell bodies are located in the spinal cord and if inflammation of the myelin of that nerve is the case, did it cause both motor and sensory issues? Did you consult a GP about the issue?

Not trying to make light of the issue just confused as to why you were given the information you were. If it did cause nerve issues, one could conclude that it may not be very safe.

[gabegage]

i was wondering if you would have any advice on stacking this with kre-alkalan. i been taking it for a month and taking a week off to work in the x factor.

[cal62887]

i was wondering if you would have any advice on stacking this with kre-alkalan. i been taking it for a month and taking a week off to work in the x factor.

Creatine and X Factor is a fine combination.

[ukswimfanman]

This looks awesome. Just ordered my first bottle.

[Illadelphia]

This looks awesome. Just ordered my first bottle.

Did you get the Advanced(GNC) or the original version?

[DRCzz]

[Size=12][color=red]

Pro-Inflammatory Properties
I have no prior conditions of anything that a pro-inflammatory should aggravate. During the day that my bench press endurance completely skyrocketed, I noticed that at the end of my last benching set, my ring and pinky fingers started tingling. They proceeded to tingle all day off and on. I pretty obviously had an ulnar nerve damage. I attributed the initial injury to high levels of prolonged stress at my elbow, specifically the canal at which the peripheral nerve passes, to bench pressing beyond my normal limitations due to increased endurance and strength. The problem was, it kept tingling without the symptoms getting better AT ALL (they actually were getting worse) for the next ~10 days. I was not taking NSAIDS, because I knew they were contradictory toward X-Factor's purpose and I figured it didnt hurt so I would grit my teeth as long as possible. At Day ~40 of X-Factor, my fingers tingling worse than ever, I started to wonder if the pro-inflammatory conditions of X-factor were aggravating my nerve, specifically causing the myelin sheath to be, or stay, inflamed. I discontinued my use of X-Factor, began taking 220mg of Naproxen every 8 hours for the next 3 days and my symptoms rapidly got better. 3 days later, I am typing this, without taking any naproxen, and there is no tingling. What I find confusing about all of this is that if the archidonic acid were inflaming the myelin sheath, I dont think that discontinuing the dosage for 3 days would solve my problems - because there are still high levels of ArA in my system. That means unless the local pro-inflammatory is an effect caused solely by immediate dosage (and I am certain it isnt) then my ulnar simply needed some NSAIDs. Which then in turn leads me to wonder if the naproxen was counter-acting the inflammatory effects of the arachidonic acid. Any knowledgaeable input on this would be appreciated.

From what I gather, X-Factor induces production of Prostaglandins (F2 and E). NSAIDs work as well by inhibiting Prostaglandin synthetase. So yeah, the NSAIDs will counteract the effects of X-factor. Probs best to avoid taking the two or you might end up with side effects with no gains

[SwolenONE]

From what I gather, X-Factor induces production of Prostaglandins (F2 and E). NSAIDs work as well by inhibiting Prostaglandin synthetase. So yeah, the NSAIDs will counteract the effects of X-factor. Probs best to avoid taking the two or you might end up with side effects with no gains

Absolutely, avoid NSAIDS.

Regarding the OP, it is always great to look back and see the decade of overwhelmingly positive reviews for X-Factor!