All right, time for my final review. Sorry it's taken so long, but I've was waiting until I got camera batteries so I could take after pics, but between work, Christmas shopping, and running around for my kids bball practice/games I haven't had a chance yet. I'm going to go ahead and write my review and then add in the pic once I get the batteries.
Before | After stats
Age - 37
Height - 6'0
Weight - 193 | 194 (I was up to 196, but lost 2lbs over the last week from being sick)
BF % - 10.9 | 11.6%
Measurements (took by my wife)
Neck – 15 1/2 | 16
Right Arm – 15 13/16 | 15 3/4
Chest – 39 3/4 | 40
Waist – 34 3/4 | 35
Hips – 35 1/8 | 35 3/8
Right Thigh – 23 1/4 | 24
Pro's
1. Increased Appetite - For me this was the first thing I felt, and it's no joke. My eating routine has been the exact same for the past 5 or 6 years. I eat at 8am, 11:30am, post workout, 3:30pm, 6:30pm and 10:30pm. After about 1.5 weeks in and especially after I upp'ed my dosage to 4x6sprays a day, I was having to eat 30 minutes to an hour earlier on all meals. This wasn't a mental thing where I thought I was hungry, this was my stomach was grouling and I'm going to pass out if I don't get something in my stomach. To get by this I usually kept meals the same but had snacks in between.
2. Libido - 2nd biggest thing I noticed with Sub Sterone was libido increase. Again, effects were really noticed at the 4x6sprays a day dosing scheme. I wanted it all the time. I nagged my wife constantly for sex until she got aggravated/irritated and gave in. There were a few times where I had sex, and was still horny so I went and took care of business myself. I honestly don't remember any supplement having this much of an impact on my libido. A much welcomed surprise.
3. Strength increase - I did notice some strength increase with SubSterone. But due to the increased hunger, I had to up my calories as well, so I'd say 50/50 in correlation to strength increase, with 50% coming from SubSterone and 50% coming from increased calories. Unfortunately I've been sick for the past 2 weeks and haven't hit the weights really hard, trying to keep my immune system on high. So, I feel like if I'd had those 2 weeks back, my numbers would have been better. Also, none of these are PR's, (used to do powerlifting routine years ago) so I'm guessing some muscle-memory is happening as well.
Here's a breakdown of before and after
BB Bench Press - 245 for 5x5 | After - 260
DL - 310 for 5x5 | After 365
Skull Crushers - 110 for 5x5 | After 120
BB Curls - 110 for 5x5 | After 125
4. Recovery - The last thing I noticed on SubSterone is the recovery. Not really referring to recovery after a workout, but really the recovery in between sets. When doing my low reps/strength routine, I usually need to wait around 2 minutes for full recovery in between sets, but I noticed I was ready to go after about 90 seconds. On my higher reps/hypertrophy routine, I usually rest for 90 seconds, but this was reduced to 60 seconds.
Cons
1. Dry Mouth - I would do my last dose at bedtime and I'd wake up around 2 or 3 at night with horrible cotton mouth. It reminded me back in the day when I was in college and had to many. I would wake up with a dry mouth and unquenchable thirst. This was quite that bad, but by the end of the run, I just started putting a bottle of water beside the bed so I can drink when I wake up.
2. Increased Hunger - while this is a pro, it can also be a con. I wanted to run this log as a recomp, but honestly I couldn't because the hunger pains were to great. There is no way I could run this while on a cut, the temptation to cheat is to great.
Overall
If I were giving a rating on a scale from 1 to 10, I'd give SubSterone a 7.5. Overall, I thought it was pretty good for a natural product. Don't expect PH type strength gains on it. Like I mentioned above, it's hard to decipher if the strength increase came from the supplement or the increased calories, but since SubSterone caused the increased cal's I have to give it it's props.
Would I buy this supplement. Yes and No. Yes if I were bulking, No if I were cutting. I think the ideal situation for SubSterone is on a dirty bulk, or for all the skinny guys looking to add some additional calories. With the increased hunger and strength, this stuff would be an awesome addtion to any stack for those looking to bulk/gain weight.
I would also recommend SubSterone to guys on a recomp, but only if you've been in the game for awhile and have your diet dialed down. I'm not kidding with the increased hunger, this stuff is the read deal, and if you can't handle the mental aspect of being hungry between meals then this stuff ain't for you.
I believe LG Science's has a quality product on there hands. It's not often (and I've taken a lot of supp's) that I've taken a natural OTC supplement that I actually felt. I believe a lot of people have the placebo effect for a majority of the supplements out there, but not this. There was no denying the increased appetite and libido.
Again would like to thank LG Sciences for allowing me to run Sub Sterone. I appreciate the opportunity.
