[Azaloth]

Hi All,

After some great results from about 2 months of this mega-stack (Osteo-C, Drive, RPM, NeoVar, and IGF-2), and a month off, I am ready to run it again, this time with some additions. I'd appreciate any feedback from the top AN guys, given your extensive knowledge of these supps and the industry in general. Rest assured, I am now a loyal customer and that your honest advice will only keep me coming back for more!

First, my basic stats/goals:

Right now I'm feeling pretty solid at 5'9.5" and 170 lbs at ~6-7% BF.

Diet: Lots or organic beef, bison, and chicken. Tons of fruits/veggies for fiber and nutrients. Carbs from tons of oatmeal, nuts, brown rice, pasta, etc. Overall, a very clean and healthy diet.

Goals:

#1 Increase lean mass and strength. When I last ran this cycle my strength went through the roof and I broke every plateau (including the elusive 300lb bench, which I had been on the cusp of for almost 2 years). That said, the 3-4 pounds of muscle that I packed on seem to have since been burned off due to my changed training schedule (see item #2).

#2 Power/Speed for Mixed Martial Arts. I've recently returned to serious MMA training and combat conditioning. As a result, I'm lifting heavy only 2-3x a week and training MMA for 2-4 hours/day 4-6 days a week. As you can see, on a few especially brutal days, I double up. My overall goal is to improve MMA performance and my overall conditioning, while still packing on lean muscle mass and increasing my lifting strength. I know this sounds utopian but I think it's possible.

Here are some options I'm considering, please let me know your thoughts and any pros/cons to adding these to the AN mega-stack described above.

1. Omega Sports T-Force - I've heard great things about this and am a big fan of Omega Sports. Cre-Ethyl Thunder was without question the most effective dedicated CEE product I ever used and I have a lot of confidence in the stand-up nature of Matpal (the owner). Do you guys see any reason why T-Force might conflict with the AN stuff?

2. A good Creatine Mono supplement - I haven't used Creatine Mono for over 3 years (been using exclusively CEE and occasioanlly Kre-Alk based supplements). While I have seen decent results from them, all the recent discussions about their lack of efficacy when compared to mono, have me wanting to try mono again (despite the water retention side effects - which I dont like).

I am thinking of running MAN Clout and possibly stacking it with MAN Body Octane since I have heard nothing but fantastic things about these two supplements. I've also heard good things about SizeOn, which I'd consider as well. Please let me know your thoughts on these or any other recommendations for a solid creatine mono-based supplement.

3. I'd like to add Beta-Alanine to the mix as well. If I go with the MAN stack above, it should have this covered.

4. I want a top-notch multi-vitamin. I am thinking either the Beverly Multi-V or Controlled Labs Orange Triad. Do you guys have any other recommendations?

5. A new protein? I've been using my staple Beverly Muscle Provider and Mass Maker proteins for a long time now. They are obviously top notch but I'm wondering if there's anything new and exciting out there that might deliver superio results. I know it's not likely but I figured I'd ask anyway.

6. Anything else you think I should add? I have an almost-full bottle of Reset AD that I've been hanging on to but I probably won't use it until after I finish this next round of RPM since I still get insane stimulation from just 2 RPM caps. Is there anything else you guys think I should add to the mix? What are your thoughts on some of the new stuff from Patrick Arnold - 6-OXO Extreme and Reservatrol (in 11-OXO)? What about SyntheSizE from AvantResearch? Both PA and Avant have my respect. Anything else out there of interest?

Huge thanks in advance for any useful replies. I'm pumped to load up my cart with my next order and greatly appreciate any advice you guys can share!

[Lanbane]

Azaloth, seems you have some great ideas already flowing. What all do you already have...? let's start from there. We'll try to figure out how to get the most out of the least amount of cash, and then some more expensive options from there.

[Azaloth]

Hi Lanbane,

Thanks for the speedy reply.

I don't have much beyond about 15 days supply of all the AN stuff. Obviously, I want a lot of bang for my buck but I care more about efficiency than expense. I just want the most badass mass-packing, performance enhancing all-natural stack out there.

Speaking of expense, do you guys have any cool holiday promos coming up that I can take advantage of before I go and drop another $200+ on your supps ?

[EasyEJL]

I've taken t-force with a similar stack, and it worked really well. Also I would likely just go with bulk beta alanine + creatine mono to try and hold costs down. Also look at MVP 365 from Millenium Sport technologies as a multivitamin

[nelix]

xfactor, taa

[Azaloth]

Originally Posted by nelix

xfactor, taa

Hi Nelix,

I did a run of X-Factor and it did absolutely nothing for me. I know many see great results from it but I got zilch. Plus, I'm not a huge fan of taking something that is inflamatory in nature, especially since I put a lot of stress on my joints between powerlifting and martial arts.

What is taa?

[Lanbane]

Aza..... I'll be back in a bit when I get more time to type a bit Will edit this post.

[nelix]

Originally Posted by Azaloth

Hi Nelix,

I did a run of X-Factor and it did absolutely nothing for me. I know many see great results from it but I got zilch. Plus, I'm not a huge fan of taking something that is inflamatory in nature, especially since I put a lot of stress on my joints between powerlifting and martial arts.

What is taa?

Sorry. TTA. Tetradecylthioacetic Acid which should be synergistic well with any cAMP related supplements.

I hear you on the joint stress, although if you don't respond I can't see how it would be causing you any stress :P When I run xfactor next year, I am changing to a 1RM/6RM/1RM/6RM/12RM to be able to get good fibre activation while not doing too much heavy weight on my joints.

You're body uses AA when it needs it, I theorise that your body want to cause inflammation, I do not think inflammation is always a bad thing, especially in response to exercise.

Still, if it causes you pain and ruins your workout, you would be crazy to do it.

I like Osteo, although I think there are better and cheaper forms of Cissus (Sorry AN, I love you guys).

Otherwise the AN stack is awesome, I don't know how much else you need, besides some EFA, protein, maybe some Leucine/BCAA/EAA for cardio.

[nelix]

Man Clout and Bodyoctane are awesome, if you add up the raws and compare to the cost of buying them bulk, it is actually cheaper to buy the MAN products... And they are effective. Premium stuff.

T-Force has some awesome feedback and some terrible feedback... It just depends if you are a responder.

Now Adam Multi Vit, effective premium versions of most of its ingredients. Cheap.

Now brand relora is awesome.
A forsalean product is always good.
rant rant.

[Azaloth]

Thanks for the very helpful replies Nelix. I appreciate the clarification about Tetradecylthioacetic Acid (is that the stuff in 5-Tetra by any chance - just a bro-tastic guess because the name sounds similar)?

I agree that inflamation may not always be bad but in the case of X-Factor it didn't really do me any good either.

I definitely think I'm going to check out MAN products, I've been putting off too long.

I'm thinking a Clout/BO/BluePrint stack, a month off, and then the AN stack. I'd like to add T-Force to one of the two but I'm not sure which would benefit most, probably the MAN stack since there isn't anything else in there thay would be affecting test (to my knowledge). What do you think?

[nelix]

Originally Posted by Azaloth

Thanks for the very helpful replies Nelix. I appreciate the clarification about Tetradecylthioacetic Acid (is that the stuff in 5-Tetra by any chance - just a bro-tastic guess because the name sounds similar)?

I agree that inflamation may not always be bad but in the case of X-Factor it didn't really do me any good either.

I definitely think I'm going to check out MAN products, I've been putting off too long.

I'm thinking a Clout/BO/BluePrint stack, a month off, and then the AN stack. I'd like to add T-Force to one of the two but I'm not sure which would benefit most, probably the MAN stack since there isn't anything else in there thay would be affecting test (to my knowledge). What do you think?

I think t-force fills a bigger hole in the MAN stack.

[EasyEJL]

Originally Posted by nelix

I think t-force fills a bigger hole in the MAN stack.

i'd agree with that

[Lanbane]

Hey Aza... sorry it took me so long to get back on here.
Taking into account the discussion above and some other threads you posted in, I think you could see some awesome results going with Drive/RPM/IGF-2/Neovar as a stack followed by the MAN stack plus T-Force. Expensive to buy all that, but if I could afford it I'd go a similar route. This plan is at the top of what is possible when safety/legality is a major concern. if possible, you could run neovar the whole time, even into the MAN stack.

If you wanted to condense.... I'd consider Drive/RPM/Blueprint/Clout/Neovar/T-Force. Still expensive, but notably cheaper.

[Azaloth]

Thanks for the excellent reply, Lanbane. I'm heavily leaning towards running the two seperate cycles, first the MAN stack + Test Booster (either T-Force or ActivatE Extreme + Rebound Reloaded) then a month off and then the AN stack. Perhaps I will add in NeoVar half-way through the MAN stack (once I get a sense of how effective it is on its own).

I guess the only real decision left for me is if I should go with T-Force or the DS NHA stack or something else as my test booster.

Again, I'm not into wasting money but I also believe in paying for the best when it comes to my body. After all, what better way to spend cash than on one's fitness.

Originally Posted by Lanbane

Hey Aza... sorry it took me so long to get back on here.
Taking into account the discussion above and some other threads you posted in, I think you could see some awesome results going with Drive/RPM/IGF-2/Neovar as a stack followed by the MAN stack plus T-Force. Expensive to buy all that, but if I could afford it I'd go a similar route. This plan is at the top of what is possible when safety/legality is a major concern. if possible, you could run neovar the whole time, even into the MAN stack.

If you wanted to condense.... I'd consider Drive/RPM/Blueprint/Clout/Neovar/T-Force. Still expensive, but notably cheaper.

[nelix]

Rebound Reloaded... not needed with Activate Xtreme.