joe's Animal Pump vs Shock Therapy thread

[joeyamma]

well, here it is... i rec'd my samples of Animal Pump and Shock Therapy last week and decided to jump right into things.

some history:
i'm a long-time Animal Pak and Universal Nutrition products user.
been using both Pump and ST for quite awhile.
used a bunch of other pre-wo supps before i found Universal a few years ago.
(i can even go as far back as Ultimate Orange and products like that back in the mid 90's, haha)

anyway, i'm not going to go into crazy detail about my workouts.
i'm still coming back from shoulder surgery this spring and i'm keeping things pretty simple right now.
i'm not going for any PR's or anything like that right now, just getting in good, solid workouts on a consistent basis.

i'll focus more here on what i felt the product did for me in terms of energy, mental focus, stamina, pumps, etc.

if you have any questions, ask away! :think:

ok, here we go...

 

[joeyamma]

Thurs 9/4, Chest and Back

ok, i know what you're saying: "how can you train those two muscle groups in the same workout???"
well, i'm not going heavy... more of a lighter-weight, higher frequency-type workout.
i compare this to working bi's and tri's together or quads and hams...

anyway, threw back some Animal Pump on my way to the gym...
did a quick 30 mins on the treadmill when i got there (still trying to lose some bodyfat).

energy:
good, smooth energy. not jittery in the least.
i really don't notice it until about 1/2-way through the workout that i'm still going strong.

focus:
from my experience using Pump, i really get into a "zone" while using it.
very focused on the workout and getting the most of of each rep/

stamina:
good, considering i'm 33, i worked a full day, drove an hour home, did 30 mins of cardio and now i'm doing my workout.

pump:
good. not an earth-shattering crazy pump, but a nice solid amount of blood flow
and decent vascularity (which has become more apparent since i've been cutting).

 

[joeyamma]

Sat 9/6, Legs

did a leg workout w/ my homeboy who was 1 week out from his first bb show on sat.

general high volume leg workout to get the legs pumped...
circuit training, leg extension, standing calf raises, leg curls, seated calf raises, leg press, and sissy squats in the smith.

3 giant sets each exercise, consisting of 20 reps right leg + 20 reps left leg+ 10 reps both legs...
this will get the blood flowing w/ the quickness.

energy:
good, nice and smooth. perfect for a lunchtime workout.

focus:
even though we were bs-ing during the workout, again pump had me focused on the task at hand.
every rep counted and burned.

stamina:
did a few days with no or very low carbs, so i decided to have some Gatorade during my workout.
about rep 16 of 20 in the single leg movements, you hit the wall, but i got through it all.
also made it through 30 mins of cardio after the workout.

pump:
quads and hams had a solid pump... could even feel some good separation down the side of my leg.

 

[Inarius]

subbing in!

 

[Hoomgar]

First!

I'm following Joe, Hit it hard like ya always do bro.

Hg

 

[Hoomgar]

subbing in!

Doh! Delete your post immediately or negs!!


LOL! j/k bro My man Joe here will lay it on thick with this stuff. The boy is big already.

Hg

 

[Inarius]

haha. Jumped in a few seconds before! looks like I got first!

 

[King Con]

Getting closer to destroying it this weekend Joe. Be ready.


You know my ass is subbed for your log. :thumbsup: :afro:

 

[Mordecai22]

Subbed and I am a big fan of working back and chest together.

 

[MrDead]

Subbed!!!

 

[joeyamma]

Mon 9/8, Arms & shoulders (Animal Pump)

i have to say that i always focused on chest, back, and legs, and figured that arms would
grow accordingly with my increases in strength with chest and back.

i have broke out arms on a separate day, but usually i worked them in with chest or back
(chest & tri's or back & bi's) which worked well for me.

sometimes it just feels good to hit arms though, haha.
after some significant atrophy from my shoulder surgery, and because i still can't press heavily, i decided to do some arm days again.

i think i have decent tri's (probably one of my strong pts), but my bi's have always lacked.
been trying to increase the training frequency by having an arm day, then hitting a few set's of bi's and tri's to get a pump on other training days...
not enough to overtrain them, but just enough to stimulate them more often.

also, i didn't mean for this to be a shoulder workout, but i was doing some of my PT movements and they felt good,
so i decided to get in a decent shoulder workout too... worked mostly side & rear delts.

bi's and tri's (supersetted):
barbell curls & drag curls with skull-crushers
HS preacher curl & cybex preacher curls with tricep machine
tricep pushdowns, cambered bar (front grip, reverse grip) and row handle outer grip with db curls (seated and standing)

delts:
front/side/rear warmups
rear delt machine
db lateral and rear raises
db shoulder press (light)
cable lateral raises (fries them, haha)
db shrugs

energy:
nice & smooth (like the rap group) :afro:

focus:
very focused and intense.
didn't really even stop to notice that i ripped the cable out of my favorite set of headphones :sad:

stamina:
threw a couple of extra sets in there, and wanted to do more,
but decided to end my workout since it was late and i had an excellent pump/

pump:
very good. had a good overall pump in my shoulder and traps.
bi's were pumped and tri's were throbbing, haha.
actually had some vascularity in my traps when i looked in the locker room mirror. :woohoo:

 

[Hoomgar]

LOL! You're such a typical Animal Joe. "I was only going to do arms but I ended also doing... and I also did..." Good stuff man. How is that shoulder? Sounds like you might be making inroads back to it now?

 

[joeyamma]

LOL! You're such a typical Animal Joe. "I was only going to do arms but I ended also doing... and I also did..." Good stuff man. How is that shoulder? Sounds like you might be making inroads back to it now?

haha, thanks Hg, you know how we roll, bro! :hammer:
thanks for asking about the shoulder. to be honest, the shoulder isn't a good subject w/ me right now...
i guess i'll summarize it by saying that i'm not happy with how it feels six months from my surgery,
but the dr doesn't know what else to do at this point (i just saw him monday). :aargh:
i have decided to just get back to training hard and see what happens...
what are you gonna do, right?

 

[joeyamma]

decided to skip legs this week.
they're pretty beat up from hitting them twice last week (hard weds, pump workout on sat) + all of the cardio that i've been doing.
considering i did nothing but legs for several months after my shoulder surgery, i think they'll be ok haha

 

[Hoomgar]

what are you gonna do, right?

Keep workin it bro. Just be nice to it. It will heal up. The mind is an amazingly powerful tool. Always see your shoulder as getting better. Refuse to see it any other way. Sounds dumb I know but I mean this. Convince yourself and know that it is getting better everyday. Work it and don't let it stiffen up. Dealing with my own crap right now too bro so I know how it is. But it ain't going to stop us!

Hg

 

[joeyamma]

Weds 9/10, Chest and Back (Animal Pump)

hit this a little harder to test my shoulder.
did a little pre-fatigue last night after my hour of cardio...
did 3 sets of 20 on both of the pec fly machines (6 sets total) to pre-fatigue my pecs a little for tonight.

went down like this:

back:
dls (light, 4 sets of 20)
bent over rows (light, 4 sets of 15, good form)
HS pulldown, 3x15, moderate weight
pulldowns, 4 sets different handles/grips for each

chest:
2 sets of 20 on both of the pec fly machines (4 sets total)
HS incline chest press (4 sets)
db incline press (4 sets, strict form)
cable x-overs, 3 sets, 2 dropsets

energy:
nice & smooth, like always

focus:
very focused and intense...
felt good to be back at it and actually pressing some weight again
(i felt like a kid in a candy store, haha)

stamina:
after the deads i felt a little flat... i don't think i got enough carbs in my pre-wo meal, oops.
if it wouldn't have been for Animal Pump, i think i would've cut the workout short.

pump:
good pump in my back and decent pump in my chest. again, i think this is because i didn't get enough carbs in my pre-wo meal.
if it wasn't for Animal Pump, i think i would've been flat as f**k!

ok, taking the rest of the week off to go to The House's show this weekend (driving down tomorrow).
my next workout will be the ABC on sunday. :woohoo:

 

[Hoomgar]

Solid looking session Joe. Have a great time this weekend. Ain't no workout like an ABC workout! Especially one this big. Hey, get a map, sound like the guys may need it LOL! :toofunny:

Hg

 

[joeyamma]

Solid looking session Joe. Have a great time this weekend. Ain't no workout like an ABC workout! Especially one this big. Hey, get a map, sound like the guys may need it LOL! :toofunny:
Hg

haha, no doubt!
who knows, i might go crazy use ST and Pump for the ABC :fool2:

 

[Hoomgar]

haha, no doubt!
who knows, i might go crazy use ST and Pump for the ABC :fool2:

:clean::dl::squat::good::bb3:


LOL!

 

[MrDead]

haha, no doubt!
who knows, i might go crazy use ST and Pump for the ABC :fool2:

Now, THAT'S the spirit!!!

 

[joeyamma]

Sunday 9/14, Back (and Bi's) Pump & ST
ABC @ The Body Shop, Yorkville, WV (The House's home gym)

actually, i did double-up and used both Pump (minus the red pill) and Shock Therapy for the ABC this past weekend.
:woohoo:
i was beat from running around the show all weekend and staying up late the two nights before and this really got me thru...
hit up back with The House, Al, Shaffer, and a guy from NC that competed in the show the night before.

went down like this:
lat pulldowns
low rows
straight-arm pulldowns
reverse-grip pulldowns

i also threw in a few giants sets to finish of my Bi's at the end by myself:
drag curls
bb curls
preacher curl machine
cable curls

i was breaking House's balls about not doing bb rows or dl's or something like that on this back day.
we were all tired from the show and i know The House was exhausted promoting his first show and playing host to everyone.
i'll tell you what... thank goodness we didn't do anything else because my lats are sore as hell!!! :clap2: shaffer can confirm this.
considering how tired i was, the focus, pump, and stamina that i had were damn good.
the extra "kick in the ass" from ST was a life-saver this day.
i had a good pump in my lats and that was awesome considering the circumstances.

kids, don't try this at home! :hammer:

i gotta say that i was impressed with the way that the whole ABC hit it that day...
Enforcer, yohead, Broc, Tom, Brent, Shaffer, everybody did it right.

 

[joeyamma]

Tues 9/16, Chest, Shock Therapy

i made the switch to ST for this week's workouts.
the show and the ABC this weekend, as well as the day off yesterday really had me ready to smash my chest today.

decided to try that FST-7 training style...
really pretty simple and it makes a lot of sense.

incline db presses, 3 working sets
flat HS presses, 3 working sets
chest press machine, 3 working sets
cable x-overs, 7 sets, only 30sec of rest between sets

wow, had a great pump from this session...
i forgot how great ST kicks in too! :hammer:
energy:
nice kick in the ass!
not as smooth as Pump, but really had me in the mood to crush ****.

focus:
not quite as focused as usual, but i just wanted to grab weight and push and push

stamina:
excellent.
the last compound exercise (chest press machine) and the 7 set was tough,
but i found myself rest-pausing a little and getting an extra rep or two

pump:
ST coupled with this style of training gave me a serious chest pump
:bb3:

 

[Inarius]

looking good bud. Keep up the good work!

 

[joeyamma]

Thurs 9/18, Legs, Shock Therapy +
1st time using Intra-Aid!:woohoo:

mixed up Intra-Aid about 1.5 scoops in 25oz of water (added a little extra water throughout my workout)

using FST-7 training method
squats
front squats
leg press
7 set: leg ext + leg curls

i haven't been able to squat for quite some time becasue of my shoulder inury & surgery,
but saw that my gym has one of those cambered bars...
actually allowed me to squat without opening my shoulder too much.
decided to go with 2 exercises for the "7 set" and damn, it was brutal. :gore:
my legs were extremely pumped, especially my quads
(they disappeared doing all that cardio and i'm trying to get them to come back! haha)

definitely felt the BA "tingles" aka "face-itchiness" while drinking Intra-aid.

my legs were fried at the end of the workout, but i was able to do the 7 sets and muster an extra rep or 2 at the end.

energy:
again, a kick in the arse. i notice that w/ ST i'm kind of in a daze until i get under the weight, then it's all business.

focus:
not quite focused, but ready to rock :hammer:

stamina:
again excellent.
the 7 set was tough, but i found myself rest-pausing a little and getting an extra rep or two

pump:
wow. i could barely walk. seriously.
even today:
walking up stairs: shaky
walking down stairs: very dificult, sketchy at best.

thank goodness for Torrent! :clap2:

first time runing the "big picture stack" was good.

 

[MrDead]

Great stuff up in here, bro!!!

 

[Hoomgar]

Good killin it on the ST Joe!

 

[Inarius]

still looking good bud!

 

[joeyamma]

believe it or not, my legs (quads mostly) are still sore from last thursday :fool2:

hitting up chest tonight,
ST + IA + Torrent (Big Picture Stack) again...
i will update you guys tomorrow. :hammer:

 

[King Con]

Doing big things with that big picture stack... its a great feeling when your legs are still sore... means you are definitely putting in that work... great job Joe. :hammer:

 

[Hoomgar]

believe it or not, my legs (quads mostly) are still sore from last thursday :fool2:

hitting up chest tonight,
ST + IA + Torrent (Big Picture Stack) again...
i will update you guys tomorrow. :hammer:

Really curious to see how you did bro. If your shoulder is still not where you want it to be, PM me, I want to run something past you and see what you think.

Hg

 

[joeyamma]

Really curious to see how you did bro. If your shoulder is still not where you want it to be, PM me, I want to run something past you and see what you think.
Hg

thanks for following along bro!

 

[joeyamma]

Tues 9/23, Chest, Shock Therapy (and Intra-Aid)

used FST-7 and decided to hit the db's to see how my shoulder held up...
shoulder/rot cuff warm-up exercises
machine chest press
inc db presses
inc HS chest press
pec deck (1st time i could use this machine since about a year ago)
7-set: fly machine, 15 reps per set, really focusing on squeezing my pecs at the end.

energy & focus:
i took a few extra days off from the gym and i was itching to get in there...
i had that kind of unfocused energy that i have come to expect from ST.
i'm kind of in a daze from all fo the energy, until i have some iron in my hand, that is, then it's game-on.

stamina:
excellent. my shoulder was giving me problems and popping on the db's presses, so i did an extra set.
also, on the HS press, my shoulder gave on my last set, so i dropped the weight and did 2 more sets of slow, concentrated reps.
even on my "7-set" i got all of my reps and increased the weight a little.

pump:
very good. i didn't think i was that pumped until i tried to flex my pecs and realized they were about as pumped as they could get... whoa.

overall thoughts:
i'm starting to really see the difference between Pump and ST now that i'm paying attention to it.

stamina is good and i like the effect of Intra-aid even though i've only used it twice so far.
mixed 1.5 scoops Intra-Aid with 0.5 scoop of grape Gatorade and a full shaker of cold water.... yum! :head:

 

[joeyamma]

Thurs 9/25, Back (and Traps), Shock Therapy (and Intra-Aid)

been feeling a bit run-down and tired this week...
so i decided to mix 1/2 scoop of ST with a scoop of IA for intra-wo in addition to my pre-wo serving of ST.

didn't use the FST-7 on my back as i'm trying to do some overal width movements and i really didn't feel like it, haha

went down like this:
assisted pullups (warm-up and stretching)
lat pulldowns (several different grips, good warmups)
bb bent over rows
HS high pulldown (several single arm sets and dropsets)
low cable rows
jailhouse bb rows (used 25's for more range of motion a la BigAnt and Vinny G)

had a good pump in my back, and i decided to do some shrugs...
bb shrugs a la The House (normal grip + wide grip + reverse in the rack)
db shrugs (elbows bent, high contraction, just to finish them off)

energy & focus:
that unfocused ST "rage" that i've come to know and love :hammer:
ST gives me a whole lot of energy and i'm kind of in a daze until i grab the weight.

stamina:
very good - as you can see, i was beat before i went into the gym, but once i got going, i didn't want to leave.

pump:
good. i was really focusing on mind-muscle connection with my back.
i think i have thickness, but my width is severly lacking...
i'm going to try to "will" some width back there, haha.
my back was pumped pretty much the rest of the night.

overall thoughts:
IA + grape ST is TASTY.
also, i really think IA helps my workout stamina, but i'll use it a little longer before i make that statement.

i really think that using IA intra-wo makes me hungrier post-wo...
usually Torrent satisfies me and i don;t really want to eat until about 45 mins after it.
since using IA, i need to eat ASAP after downing my Torrent (i still try to wait 20 - 30 mins).
maybe IA is keeping/making me more anabolic? :think:
i will continue to monitor. :hammer:

 

[joeyamma]

that was my last "official" log post regarding the Animal Pump/Shock Therapy comparo.
i plan to place my vote and comments in the official poll thread. :study:

 

[Inarius]

sooo... AP or ST?

 

[MrDead]

Great review/log!!!

 

[joeyamma]

sooo... AP or ST?

well, it has been fun comparing these two products...
i have used them both regularly in the past, but never stopped to actually compare them.

first thing is that both of these products worked for me, each with different advantages.
here's my take on them both:

Animal Pump
- convenient: i like just slamming down a pack
- energy: smooth and sustained
- focus: excellent mental focus during workout
- flexibility: ability to remove stims
- pumps: good solid pumps

Shock Therapy
- powder mixes quickly and easily and tastes decent.
- energy: kick in the ass! if you're feeling rundown or tired, ST will get you through your workout.
- intensity: the energy in ST really gets me going
- pumps: very "full" pumps and vascularity

Winner: Animal Pump.
overall, i prefer the smooth, sustained energy and focus from the red pill.
when you combine that with the convenience of the pack, ability to remove the stims, and good pumps, it's tough to beat this combo.

that being said, i pretty much always have a tub of ST and Storm in my cupboard.
these are two products that work, are cheap, and a tub lasts for a long time.

 

[joeyamma]

Great review/log!!!

thanks bro, glad you like it!

 

[Hoomgar]

Deff was an interesting way to keep this log rolling Joe. Great review!

 

[Inarius]

great stuff bud!

 

[joeyamma]

chest workout from sat 9/27 and leg workout from 9/29 to be added soon...
:hammer:

 

[Hoomgar]

chest workout from sat 9/27 and leg workout from 9/29 to be added soon...
:hammer:

Watching... :yawn:


:hammer:

 

[King Con]

chest workout from sat 9/27 and leg workout from 9/29 to be added soon...
:hammer:

Lookin forward to some major work! :duel:

 

[joeyamma]

Sat 9/27, Chest

back to Animal Pump.
hit up my boy "broken"'s gym in wexford, pa...
tried benching for the first time since surgery.
went down like this:

flat bb bench, worked up to about 205 or so, nice controlled reps, focusing on form and feeling it in my chest.

inc db press (about 35 degrees not 45 degrees like i see guys using - too much front delt!!!)...
worked up to 90lb dbs.
shoulder was cracking and popping and pretty much gave out on my last set around rep 7, but i made it through.

at this point we went over to the water fountain to water down the Intra-Aid in our shakers
and ended up shooting hoops for a little while... don't ask me why, but it was funny as hell.

pec deck (went heavier than i have in awhile)

decline HS press
1 pie, 2 pies, 3 pies (ouch), then
1 pie: 10 each arm, 10 alt, 10 both arms
threw in some cable x-overs to stretch and burn things up.

hit up some Torrent (CBB) and then headed over to Brighton Hot Dog Shop for some good eats...
(the western PA guys know what i'm talkin bout)

 

[joeyamma]

Mon 9/29, Leg day

Animal Pump (pre)
Intra-Aid + Fruit punch Storm (intra-wo)
Torrent (CBB) (post)

warm-up on eliptical

bb squats, lighter weight, atg

smith front squats, same weight + a little more...
allowed me to focus on my quads

leg press
2 pies each side x 50 reps, added pies to each side and did 15-20 reps...
went up to 6 pies on each side, then drop-set back to 2 pies per side to pump.... that burned :aargh:

super-setted, leg extensions w/ lying leg curl...
no rest between sets, go thru 4 sets, drop-setted on the last set.

limped to my car. :gore:

 

[joeyamma]

Weds 10/1, Chest

out-of-town for work...
went to the gym in downtown harrisburg for a quick session...
i felt pretty decent for eating my first two meals at my office
and then protein bars and almonds during the drive out, haha.

Animal Pump (pre)
Intra-Aid + Fruit punch Storm (intra-wo)
EAA's + protein shake (post)

shoulder/rot cuff warmup

inc db presses, nothing too exciting here

decline bb smith press
went in the smith so that i wouldn't have to worry about the shoulder or balancing.
really focus on flexing my chest and feeling every rep.

machine chest press, 4 solid sets

flat db flies (threw this in just to get a stretch and see how the shoulder felt with it)

pec deck ss w/ cable x-unders, 4 sets
threw in a 21 set of cable x-overs at the end.

i had about 20 mins before the gym closed, so i decided to hit shoulders too...

db shoulder press, 5 sets
very slow and controlled, focused on form

seated db side raises + rear raises, 3 sets

cable front raises + cable side raises, 3 sets, 2 drop-sets at the end.

hit the sandwich shop on the walk back to the hotel...
roast beef grinder w/ extra roast beef... yum! :run:

 

[King Con]

Looked like a solid ass workout Joe... Great work! :clap2:

 

[Inarius]

still looking good bud!

 

[Hoomgar]

Hey, whats goin on in this thread?


HELLO!!!??? :stick:

 

[joeyamma]

Hey, whats goin on in this thread?
HELLO!!!??? :stick:

Hg, keeping me in line! :whip: