Core Nutritional's PUMP: Arnold23's Sponsored Log

[arnold23]

About Me:
I'm 5'5, 167, and 27 years old. I have been lifting on and off for the past 12 years and have competed in 5 shows. I last competed in November 2008 where I won the lightweight class at an NPC drug tested show. I currently work as a division 1 strength & conditioning coach and have spent the past 5 years performing various style of performance and strength based training. Hypertrophy took a back seat as did competing. With a slow summer, I have decided to compete this fall and will likely do 2 or 3 NPC shows. My long term goals are to compete in the Team Universe and eventually compete in the NPC Nationals as a bantam. I currently work with Matt Fleekop for my nutrition/cardio and Todd Bumgardner writes my training programs.

I am big fan of Core Nutritional's and have used a number of their supplements since they started. Knowing Doug Miller's reputation and track record as a drug free bodybuilder, I trust that he is putting out nothing but the best. I have never used a non-stimulant pre-workout and getting back into bodybuilding training, the pump has been an aspect I miss. The fact that there is no proprietary blend is always appreciated.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/co...L-kaAjHS8P8HAQ

Current Macros
Training/Off Days
65 g fat
280 g carb
175 g protein

Re-feed Day
60 g fat
330 g carb
165 g protein

Current Supplements:
Ultra Sport Multi - 2 per day
Triple Strength Fish Oil - 2 per day
Cellucor C4 - 1 scoop pre-workout
Core ABC - 2 scoops intra-workout
Creatine Monohydrate - ~3-4 grams pre-workout
Core Alpha - 2 caps before bed

Training Split:
Day 1 - Upper Strength
Day 2 - Lower Strength (Deadlift focus)
Day 3 - Back/Shoulders Hypertrophy
Day 4 - Lower Hypertrophy (Squat focus)
Day 5 - Chest/Arms Hypertrophy

Bench - 265
DL - 415

I'll begin to track my workouts here and once I get the product will include my thoughts on it.

[AllGenetix]

ABC, ALPHA, annnnnd PUMP up in this log. Crushin It!

[arnold23]

Many gainz to be had in the next few weeks.

Day 1
Weight: 169.4

A1. Bench Press Cluster 225x2,2,1/ 235x2,2,1/ 235x2,2,1

B1. DB Bench w/ 3 second pause @ bottom 65x5, 70x5, 75x5
B2. Barbell Row 135x8, 145x8, 155x8
B3. Face Pulls x12/set

C1. Seated DB Press 60x5,5,5
C2. Chin Ups 20x,8,6,7

D1. 1/2 Kneeling KB Press 20 kg x8,8,8
D2. 1 Arm DB Row 65x8,8,8

E1. Rear Delt Fly 30x10,10,10
E2. Barbell Curls 75x10,10,8
E3. Rope Tricep Pressdown 60x10,10,10

Great workout today. Hit the higher end of my rep range on all but 2 exercises so weights will be increased next week or I'll go for more sets at my last sets weight. Excited to see how PUMP will effect upper body workouts, might need to wear bigger shirts so I don't rip the sleeves at the seams.

[wishiwasdivin]

Great looking training brah.

[dam225]

in!

[arnold23]

Day 2
Weight: 168.4

A1. Deadlift - 295x5, 305x5, 315x5

B1. Front Squat - 185x5, 195x5, 205x5

C1. DB Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat 45x10,10,10
C2. Seated Hamstring Curl 100x12,12,12

D1. Standing Calf Raise 205x12,12,12,12,12,12,

Getting back into contest prep mode has really lit a fire under me that I've missed in my training. Having not been on stage in 7 years, I'm excited to get back on it. Dealt with some knee pain over the past year and this is the first time I've begun to really load myself through front squats and lunges. Pleased with the progress but still looking to crush these numbers next work out.

[blokpost]

Great start. Never tried anything from core nutritionals, but the new pump looks great, but a bit pricey

[arnold23]

Great start. Never tried anything from core nutritionals, but the new pump looks great, but a bit pricey

Thanks for joining. I agree that at 1.42 per serving it is pricier than most non-stimulant pre-workout powders (leading on-stim is 1.00 per serving on here). When I was looking through the non-stim products, it was hard to find a product that matched PUMP's ingridient profile and purpose.

What justifies the price for me is the non-proprietary ingredient blend, the research cited behind each ingredient and their included amount, and the fact that while I don't know Doug on a personal level, I have many friend in bodybuilding who have the utmost respect for him as a person, not just a competitor or company owner. Knowing that an honest an trustworthy individual is behind this company puts me at ease of mind that I know what I am putting in my body.

[blokpost]

Thanks for joining. I agree that at 1.42 per serving it is pricier than most non-stimulant pre-workout powders (leading on-stim is 1.00 per serving on here). When I was looking through the non-stim products, it was hard to find a product that matched PUMP's ingridient profile and purpose.

What justifies the price for me is the non-proprietary ingredient blend, the research cited behind each ingredient and their included amount, and the fact that while I don't know Doug on a personal level, I have many friend in bodybuilding who have the utmost respect for him as a person, not just a competitor or company owner. Knowing that an honest an trustworthy individual is behind this company puts me at ease of mind that I know what I am putting in my body.

Yeah it contains every ingredient for pumps at great doses (glad it's without nitrates), but still not cheap
Actually thinking of running fury/pump when I finish all my pwo supps (lots of them).

[arnold23]

Yeah it contains every ingredient for pumps at great doses (glad it's without nitrates), but still not cheap
Actually thinking of running fury/pump when I finish all my pwo supps (lots of them).

Yeah, I'm going to run pump as a stand alone pre-workout just to really gauge its effectiveness as a non-stim alternative.

Day 3
Weight: 166.5

A1. Pull Ups BWx12,11,9
A2. Alt. DB OH Press 50x12,9,8

B1. Narrow Grip Lat Pull Down 100x15,15
B2. 1 Arm OH Press 35x11,11

C1. 1 Arm DB Row 45x15,15
C2. 3 Way Delt Raise 15x10,10

D1. Farmers Walk 70x:30,:30,:30
D2. Dead Bug Leg Kick x20,20

A little sore from Monday's upper body workout but still felt good today and hit more weight or more reps from last week.

[SupreTwitchTV]

Yeah, I'm going to run pump as a stand alone pre-workout just to really gauge its effectiveness as a non-stim alternative.

Nice! I'm a big fan of using non stim pwo in conjunction with another stim pwo. I'm very curious to know how well this one will perform via solo.

Looking forward it!

subbed

[arnold23]

Nice! I'm a big fan of using non stim pwo in conjunction with another stim pwo. I'm very curious to know how well this one will perform via solo.

Looking forward it!

subbed

Word! Thanks for joining in.

Day 4
Weight: 167.6

A1. Front Squat 205x8, 215x8, 225x8

B1. DB Walking Lunge (all one side first) 40x10,10,10

C1. Leg Extension 80x12, 90x12, 100x12
C2. RDL 165x12, 185x12, 205x12

D1. Seated Leg Curl 100x15,15,10
D2. Standing Calf Raise 210x15,15,15

Really got after it today. Definitely one of my toughest workouts to date. Very pleased with the progress I'm making. I've been squatting to a 24" box and plan to bring it down to 18" and see how I do with 225.

[arnold23]

Day 5
Weight: 166.8

A1. Bench Press 135x15,145x15,155x12
A2. Band Pull Apart 3x15

B1. DB Incline Bench 40x12,12
B2. Keiser Face Pull 35x15,15

C1. Keiser Chest Press 35x10, 30x15
C2. KB Arm Bar 45x2x:20

D1. JM Press 95x12,12
D2. BB Curl 65x12,10

E1. Keiser Tricep Extension 35x15,40x15
E2. Keiser Rope Curl
35x15, 40x15

Haven't done high rep work like this in awhile. Got a good pump and my chest was smoked by the time I got to the keiser chest press.

[arnold23]

Week 2 Day 1
Weight: 166.2

A1. Bench Press Cluster 235x2,2,1/ 235x2,2,1/ 235x2,2,1

B1. DB Bench w/ 3 second pause @ bottom 75x5,5,5
B2. Barbell Row 155x8,8,8
B3. Face Pulls x12/set

C1. Seated DB Press 65x5,5,5
C2. Chin Ups 22x8,8,8

D1. 1/2 Kneeling KB Press 22 kg x8,8,8
D2. 1 Arm DB Row 70x8,8,8

E1. Rear Delt Fly 35x10,10,10
E2. Barbell Curls 75x10,8,8
E3. Keiser Tricep Pressdown 40x10,10,10

Solid upper body lift. I was a little unsure of how today would go because I wasn't feeling 100% but after warning up on bench I was ready to go. Crushed 235 for my 3 cluster sets and was pumped to get that.

I was smoked by the time I got to my last tri-set hence the drop on barbell curls reps from last week. Still waiting on PUMP but as soon as I have it, I'll begin to post my thoughts.

[AllGenetix]

excited to see you start PUMP got a good start with training!

[arnold23]

Week 2 Day 2
Weight: 166.2

A1. Deadlift - 315x5,325x5,335x5

B1. Front Squat - 185x8, 195x8, 205x5

C1. DB Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat 50x10,10,10
C2. Seated Hamstring Curl 110x12,12,8

D1. Standing Calf Raise 225x12,12,12,12,12

Felt really good this AM. Finally back in Buffalo which makes meals and training much easier than when on the road.

Made a few changes to today's workout. Used straps on my last set of deadlift and 335 felt much easier than 325. Since I'm not concerned with competing in powerlifting, I'll likely use the straps to increase the overall load. This could be dangerous for some but I make sure my form stays on point.

I've been using a box for my squat depth and dropped it about 6" so a little decrease there. I think the DL also took more out of me than before since it was closer to a higher RPE.

Love to hate RFESS and consistently making strides in that exercise.

[arnold23]

Week 2 Day 3
Weight: 165.5

A1. Pull Ups BWx13,12,10
A2. Alt. DB OH Press 50x12,10,9

B1. Narrow Grip Lat Pull Down 120x10,10
B2. 1 Arm OH Press 35x12,11

C1. Seated Cable Row 85x15, 100x15
C2. 3 Way Delt Raise 15x10,10

D1. Farmers Walk 75x:30,:30,:30
D2. Dead Bug Leg Kick x20,20,20

Definitely a challenging workout for the rep range. Hit more reps and felt good at the end.

[arnold23]

Week 2 Day 4
Weight: 165.7

A1. Front Squat 205x5,5,5

B1. DB Walking Lunge (all one side first) 45x10,10,10

C1. Leg Extension 100x12 (Switched to single leg) 40x12, 45x12
C2. RDL 205x12,10,10

D1. Seated Single Leg Curl 50x10,10,10
D2. Standing Calf Raise 225x17,20,20

Got my lifting shoes in so moved my depth on front squat down to a 12" box, definitely more challenging but felt good to hit below parallel and not worry about my heel lifting or knee pain.

Changed up accessory work to single leg, just want to make sure I maintain balance and don't allow one side to compensate for another during bilateral movements.

Day 5
Weight: 165.7

A1. Bench Press 155x15,12,10
A2. Band Pull Apart 3x15

B1. DB Incline Bench 40x15,15
B2. Face Pull x15,15

C1. Pec Deck 100x15,15
C2. Reverse Pec Deck 70x15,15

D1. JM Press 105x12,11
D2. Alt. DB Curl 30x12,12

E1. Tricep Pressdown 50x15,60x15
E2. BB Curl 55x15,15

Felt really good today. More of a pump day and looking forward to using PUMP during this workout.

[arnold23]

Week 3 Day 1
Weight: 166.8

A1. Bench Press Cluster 240x2,2,1 3x

B1. DB Bench w/ 3 second pause @ bottom 80x5,5,5
B2. Barbell Row 165x8,8,8
B3. Face Pulls 40x12/set

C1. Seated DB Press 70x3,5,5
C2. Chin Ups 25x7,7,5

D1. 1/2 Kneeling KB Press 24 kg x5,5,5
D2. 1 Arm DB Row 75x8,8,8

E1. Rear Delt Fly 40x10,10,10
E2. Barbell Curls 75x10,10,10
E3. Tricep Pressdown 70x10,10,10

Had a nice relaxing weekend which showed in this workout. 240 felt pretty good, always struggle on the second 2 in the third set.

Good to see the numbers and reps still going up as the weeks go on.

[arnold23]

Week 2 Day 2
Weight: 165.4

A1. Deadlift - 335x5,5,5

B1. Front Squat - 205x5,5,5

C1. DB Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat 60x6,6,6
C2. Seated Hamstring Curl 110x12,12,12

D1. Standing Calf Raise 245x12,12,12

Felt really good today despite getting 4.5 hours of sleep. Not sure what it was but just wasn't tired so I stayed up playing video games most the night.

Definitely enjoying using straps on DL and lifting shoes on Front Squat.

[AllGenetix]

any update, have you received the product yet!?

[arnold23]

Sorry for the delay everyone. Was on vacation visiting family in Canada the past 2 weeks and then wasn't feeling too great when I got back so I took the week off.

Began a new program this week and also got my PUMP to go along with it.

Phase 2 Week 1 Day 1
Weight: 168

A1. Bench Press Cluster 230x3,2,2 (3 sets)

B1. DB Bench w/ 5 second eccentric 75x5,5,5
B2. Barbell Row 155x10,10,10
B3. Face Pulls x12/set

C1. KB Push Press 53x6 (3 sets)
C2. Lat Pulldown Narrow Grip 140x8,9,7

D1. KB See-Saw Press 40x10 (3 sets)
D2. 1 Arm DB Row 75x8 (3 sets)

E1. Rear Delt Fly 20x10 (3 sets)
E2. DB Curls 30x10 (3 sets)
E3. Tricep Pressdown 70x10 (3 sets)

Core PUMP First Impression
Mixability: 9/10, Dissolved very easily in 6 ounces of water within 30 seconds of shaking
Taste: 8/10, definitely nailed the candy apple aspect. Tasted like a green jolly rancher but I didn't find much of a sour taste. A little chalky but not extremely noticeable
Performance: 10/10, surpassed numbers I had hit before with ease, felt as though I was recovering quicker and not nearly as thirsty as I usually am during workouts (could be the hydromax at play here)
Pump: 10/10, with this workout being a strength focus it usually takes me well into my C's to get a pump. By my 2nd set of bench press clusters I had a fullness and vascularity similar to what takes a high rep workout to accomplish.

I am definitely seeing promise with this product and even though leg day isn't much of a pump focus, I'm excited to use this for the performance enhancing effect it will have.