Dewey99's SNS X-GELS and everything else log

[Dewey99]

This is going to be a little different than the traditional log. The log will center around SNS X-Gels but that will only be part of a large stack of supplements I will be taking. My main purpose for running this log is to document the effects/sides I get from running the X-Gels as well as a place for other users to discuss their experiences with X-Gels and offer each other feedback and advice. I will give an overiew of my workouts, but won't get into excruciating detail. This log is UNSPONSORED.

Let's start with the elephant in the room. SNS marketed X-Gels as a similar option to Molecular Nutrition's X-Factor Original, which is a 250mg ArA per cap supplement. It turns out this wasn't the case and it was discovered that X-Gels only contain 100mg ArA per gel cap. For those of us that planned on dosing ArA at 2g per day, that took us from taking 8 caps to taking 20. Since X-Gels also contain 5mg of zinc in each cap, then taking the full 2g dose of ArA means also taking 100mg of zinc in one shot. Those of us that got in on the X-Gels early ended up getting the short end of the stick. SNS did offer an extra bottle for each bottle we bought, but that still only gives us 80% of the ArA we were promised along with the troublesome dosing issues. Now to safely take enough X-Gels to get 2g of ArA, we have to also take a calcium supplement in conjunction with the X-gels to avoid some of the issues from the high doses of zinc. I'd like to say that I think SNS badly mishandled this issue but at least some of the reps have tried to make the situation better. Enough about that.

Here's a little background on me:

Age: 37
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 236 lbs.
BF%: Estimated 23-25
Training: Lift 4x per week, but going to try going to 5x per week during ArA cycle. Cardio (LISS and HIIT) 3x per week.
Diet: Shoot for 2100-2200 Cals daily - 225g protein, 150 carbs, 70g fat
Goals: Looking to continue recomping as I have come down from 293lbs. in early February to 236lbs. now. Also only been back in the gym for 5 months after a couple years off recovering from 3 knee surgeries.

Planned supplement stack:

Preworkout:
20 X-Gels
1g Calcium (2 Tums)
2g ALCAR
3 scoops GlycerGrow
Hemavol, Clout, or Ultima (on a stim break)
Added Primaforce Agmatine powder - total of 1g including pwo
Citrulline - total of 5g including pwo
TTA-500 - 1 pill

Other times of day:
Cissus - either 5% bulk powder or Cissus XT caps
Fish Oil - 3-4g per day
BCAA supps as desired (Xtend)
DCP

 

[Dewey99]

I am starting this log on Sunday, July 22nd but actually started this stack on Wednesday, July 18th. To save us all some time, I will try to give you the cliffs of my experience thus far.

1st workout:

I took everything in my stack (Ultima as the base for my pwo) but wussed out at the last minute and only took 10 X-Gels since I was a little nervous about all that zinc. Can't say ArA produced any noticeable results as I did a Chest/tri's workout after work. I had great pumps, but that has been the case anyway using Agmatine and GlycerGrow together. No noticeable changes in strength, endurance or energy. I did have some stomach pains and bad diarrhea later that night and into the next morning. None of the DOMS that I heard everybody talking about. No more soreness than usual.

2nd workout:

Took everything in the stack (Clout as the base for my pwo - 1 and 1/3 scoops also gave me my ALCAR for the day) along with 15 X-Gels. I decided to step up my X-Gel dosage because I didn't really feel anything extra during my first workout. I was hesitant because of the sides but really wanted to give the higher ArA dose a shot. This was a back/bi's workout. Everything felt pretty much the same as usual although I really forced myself to push through some pain and get some good negatives in. Pumps were good but not noticeably better than they would be with Agmatine and GlycerGrow. Sides were the same with stomach issues again for about 8 hours after my workout. DOMS did set in the day after this workout and are still pretty bad two days later.

3rd workout:

Took everything in the stack again (Same amount of Clout as my pwo base) plus 20 X-Gels. I planned on dosing at 2g ArA all along and now this means 20 pills. It's a little bit of work counting all those pills out and then taking them. This was leg day. Went through a pretty normal leg workout and did some abs at the end before leaving the gym. No noted in-gym effects from the increased X-Gel dosage. Pumps did seem to last longer into the day this time with my calves feeling really tight almost all day. No real leg DOMS (nothing out of the ordinary at least) 36 hours after my leg workout. My glutes are feeling a tad sensitive, so we'll see if that area gets really sore tomorrow. Some stomach discomfort again and more toilet issues, but not as severe.

4th workout:

Took everything in the stack but used Hemavol as my pwo base this time along with 20 X-Gels. Also added 2 scoops of Xtend intra-workout today. Back to chest/tri's again. Very light shoulder work, but I have a torn labrum in my left shoulder that needs surgery soon so I can't do much overhead work. Workout was good, but I can't say I really feel anything special with the ArA. I'm not saying I am having bad workouts by any means. I'm just pointing out that I don't really feel a big difference from the X-Gels. Sides are there again, but seem to be lessening. Too early to tell about any DOMS from this workout. Tomorrow will give us a better idea.

Sorry to go on for so long, but I wanted to get you caught up. We should be good now. My plan for the week is to work out again Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I will keep updating here and would love to her feedback from other users and reps. That means you Mr. Cooper! I hope this stack starts to produce some results for me. So far the back/biceps DOMS is my only real glimmer of hope.

 

[Randoja]

 

[mr.cooper69]

I'm in. Don't worry about not noticing too much the first few workouts. Unlike your typical preworkout ingredient (i.e. agmatine/citrulline malate/nitrates), ArA is, after all, a fatty acid that needs to build up in skeletal muscle tissue. As your workouts progress, I suspect you will notice a leaning out effect, as well as improved fullness and hypertrophy. This usually manifests after the 3rd week on ArA.

I really like the idea of Clout + ArA btw

 

[Evan666]

I noticed a MAJOR difference adding x-gels in compared to agmatine and gms. Agmatine honestly doesn't do much for me.. and glycerol seems like a soft pump if that makes any sense. The pump with x-gels makes me feel solid like a brick **** house!

 

[Evan666]

Hey Dewey, I've taken anywhere between 1-2g of x-gels and don't feel too much difference. I'm thinking about keeping it at 1g and dosing it daily.. what do you think?

 

[Dewey99]

Hey Dewey, I've taken anywhere between 1-2g of x-gels and don't feel too much difference. I'm thinking about keeping it at 1g and dosing it daily.. what do you think?

I would give it more time. As Coop said, it needs time to build up and the full effects might not be felt until 2-3 weeks in. We are both bigger guys and I am going to stick with 2g per day as long as the sides don't worsen.

I should also add in here that per Coop's advice I am not getting any supplemental zinc at all, even on days I don't take X-Gels. This should prevent any real issues from the extra zinc.

 

[Dewey99]

I'm in. Don't worry about not noticing too much the first few workouts. Unlike your typical preworkout ingredient (i.e. agmatine/citrulline malate/nitrates), ArA is, after all, a fatty acid that needs to build up in skeletal muscle tissue. As your workouts progress, I suspect you will notice a leaning out effect, as well as improved fullness and hypertrophy. This usually manifests after the 3rd week on ArA.

I really like the idea of Clout + ArA btw

Thanks Coop. You have been a tremendous resource in planning this whole stack and educating me on how/when/why to take my supplements.

 

[Dewey99]

I forgot to add that thus far I am not experiencing any join discomfort whatsoever. This is big for me because I have had 3 knee surgeries in the last 3 years and am susceptible to joint pain. I am taking the Cissus but stopped taking OT and fish oil during this run.

 

[mr.cooper69]

I forgot to add that thus far I am not experiencing any join discomfort whatsoever. This is big for me because I have had 3 knee surgeries in the last 3 years and am susceptible to joint pain. I am taking the Cissus but stopped taking OT and fish oil during this run.

I don't want to scare you, but it is also too early for inflammatory side effects too .That said, cissus seems to work wonders for my joints.

 

[Dewey99]

I don't want to scare you, but it is also too early for inflammatory side effects too .That said, cissus seems to work wonders for my joints.

I figured that if the full benefits of ArA had not kicked in, then neither had the other stuff like joint pain. It was just one of the markers I was watching for and wanted to establish that I started at a relatively pain-free baseline.

 

[Evan666]

DEWEY! Hows it going man? Any updates?

 

[Dewey99]

DEWEY! Hows it going man? Any updates?

Monday was a rest day, but I will be hitting the gym tonight after work as well as tomorrow night too. I am bummed because I forgot some of my supps at home and will be missing a bunch of stuff from my stack for tonight's workout. I made a couple ziploc bags with scoops of GlycerGrow, Agmatine, and Clout in them but forgot them at home. All I have at the office is X-Gels, Calcium, and TT-500. I also have Ultima and NeuroCore here and wonder if I should add one of those to tonight's stack or just go with the X-Gels and TTA-500.

 

[Evan666]

I'd throw the neurocore in for a kick in the ass. Get the most intensity possible!

 

[Evan666]

I figure.. ArA provides an acute anabolic response.. so if you overload with as much intensity as possible, you should cause enough hypertrophy to really get the best out of x-gels, regardless of agmatine and glycergrow.

 

[bolt10]

Monday was a rest day, but I will be hitting the gym tonight after work as well as tomorrow night too. I am bummed because I forgot some of my supps at home and will be missing a bunch of stuff from my stack for tonight's workout. I made a couple ziploc bags with scoops of GlycerGrow, Agmatine, and Clout in them but forgot them at home. All I have at the office is X-Gels, Calcium, and TT-500. I also have Ultima and NeuroCore here and wonder if I should add one of those to tonight's stack or just go with the X-Gels and TTA-500.

Ultima+Agmatine+GMS+ArA is pretty epic so you should be good to go regardless.

I do also think that the combo you have going right now is incredible. Good luck and I'll be tuned in.

 

[Dewey99]

5th workout:

Tuesday was my 5th workout using X-Gels. As I mentioned above, I forgot some of my supps at home and had to go with a much lighter stack last night. I took 20 X-Gels along with 1200mg of Calcium and 1 TTA-500 pill. I did not have my Agmatine, ALCAR, or GlycerGrow with me. I ended up mixing one scoop of NeuroCore and one scoop of Ultima as my preworkout.

I hit back/bi's again and had a good workout. No issues with endurance or strength, but a little less pumped than normal (lack of Agmatine and GMS). Still ended up with stomach discomfort late in my workout and for most of the night. I am hoping that will pass as my body gets acclimated to the X-Gels. The only other thing worth noting is how hungry I was last night after my workout. My diet was right in line with normal all day, but I was starving last night. I ended up having a shake and two homemade bean burritos after my workout. I don't know if ArA supplementation could have this effect or if was just a fluke.

I will be back in the gym tonight hitting legs. This time I have my normal stack with me.

 

[Evan666]

Dude I've been kind of experiencing the same thing. Once the x-gels kicked in hard, my appetite has kicked up considerably... and I seem to be requiring more carbohydrates.

 

[Dewey99]

Dude I've been kind of experiencing the same thing. Once the x-gels kicked in hard, my appetite has kicked up considerably... and I seem to be requiring more carbohydrates.

Huh. I would be interested to see what Coop has to say. I will eat more food if I need to, just want to keep the recomp headed the right direction if you know what I mean!

 

[Evan666]

Yeah definitely. But since there would be an increase in anabolism, it only makes sense there would be an increase in appetite to keep up.

 

[bolt10]

Many do notice an increase in CHO utilization when on ArA. I know MN (I think SNS recommends it too just not positive) tend to suggest upping calories even more than usual on a bulk.

Based on my own experiences I tend to see a good "recomp" if I don't add additional calories to my typical surplus.

 

[mr.cooper69]

Not really sure that ArA would increase appetite, though it does increase nutrient demands of the muscle which may play a role here. Shouldn't be anything crazy though.

 

[Dewey99]

Not really sure that ArA would increase appetite, though it does increase nutrient demands of the muscle which may play a role here. Shouldn't be anything crazy though.

This was the only time in 5 workouts that I had the appetite issue, so it was probably just a coincidence.

 

[Dewey99]

Workout #6:

Back to my full stack with 20 X-Gels, 2g bulk ALCAR, 1g bulk Agmatine, 1 TTA-500 and 3 scoops of GlycerGrow. I also had one scoop of Ultima mixed with one scoop of Xtend (mostly to mask Ultima's terrible flavor) pwo.

I hit legs for last night's workout. I was a bit tired from not sleeping much Tuesday night and I felt it on my heavy lifts. I did front squats, hack squats, leg presses, leg extensions, hamstring curls, and seated calf-raises. I also got in some ab work at the end of my workout. I was in the gym for about 75 minutes and besides feeling tired, it went pretty well. Good pumps and seemed to recover quickly between sets.

Today will be an off day followed by days of lifting in a row on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I'm expecting big things over the weekend as the ArA continues to build up in my system.

 

[Evan666]

Workout #6:

Back to my full stack with 20 X-Gels, 2g bulk ALCAR, 1g bulk Agmatine, 1 TTA-500 and 3 scoops of GlycerGrow. I also had one scoop of Ultima mixed with one scoop of Xtend (mostly to mask Ultima's terrible flavor) pwo.

I hit legs for last night's workout. I was a bit tired from not sleeping much Tuesday night and I felt it on my heavy lifts. I did front squats, hack squats, leg presses, leg extensions, hamstring curls, and seated calf-raises. I also got in some ab work at the end of my workout. I was in the gym for about 75 minutes and besides feeling tired, it went pretty well. Good pumps and seemed to recover quickly between sets.

Today will be an off day followed by days of lifting in a row on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I'm expecting big things over the weekend as the ArA continues to build up in my system.

Good lift bro!

 

[Evan666]

Have you experienced any added sweating or body heat during your lift?

 

[Dewey99]

Have you experienced any added sweating or body heat during your lift?

I was actually sweating like a dog last night. Didn't even think it might have something to do with the supps. Have you had sweating issues?

 

[Evan666]

I was actually sweating like a dog last night. Didn't even think it might have something to do with the supps. Have you had sweating issues?

Yeah man! The body heat/sweating is INSANE.

Have noticed any change in muscle hardness/pump during the workout or throughout the day?

 

[Dewey99]

Yeah man! The body heat/sweating is INSANE.

Have noticed any change in muscle hardness/pump during the workout or throughout the day?

I feel like I am noticing better muscle hardness and definition, but that could just be what I am hoping to see. I think that by the end of next weekend I will know for sure. I took some pics before I started so I will know for sure.

You noticing anything?

 

[Jaredudch]

My girlfriend was gone for my first 10 days taking it, I'm doing 10 gels 1g agmatine 2g LCLT 6g GMS 4g creatine all pre. And she said that with the 10 days she has been gone my muscles are feeling really firm and hard. Felt pretty good for only 10 days in

 

[Dewey99]

My girlfriend was gone for my first 10 days taking it, I'm doing 10 gels 1g agmatine 2g LCLT 6g GMS 4g creatine all pre. And she said that with the 10 days she has been gone my muscles are feeling really firm and hard. Felt pretty good for only 10 days in

His girlfriend said his muscle was feeling really firm and hard.....:hump:

 

[mr.cooper69]

I feel like I am noticing better muscle hardness and definition, but that could just be what I am hoping to see. I think that by the end of next weekend I will know for sure. I took some pics before I started so I will know for sure.

You noticing anything?

I know this will be viewed as biased, but this is my feedback thus far anyway.

3 days use:

Day 1: Felt hypoglycemic, could be coincidence
Day 2: Increased fullness/hardness
Day 3: Best pumps I've had in ages

 

[Evan666]

I know this will be viewed as biased, but this is my feedback thus far anyway.

3 days use:

Day 1: Felt hypoglycemic, could be coincidence
Day 2: Increased fullness/hardness
Day 3: Best pumps I've had in ages

My muscle hardness is off the charts man... I definitely am a fan of X-Gels!

 

[Dewey99]

Workout #7:

This one was an evening workout, after work on Friday. I took my 20 X-Gels, 1g of Calcium, 1g Agmatine, 2g ALCAR, 3 scoops of GlycerGrow, 1 TTA-500 cap and one scoop of Ultima mixed with one scoop of Xtend.

I hit chest/tri's and had a solid workout. I am finally starting to notice some effects of ArA in the gym. I had crazy pumps just after stretching and doing some light warmups. Usually I have to get a few sets in before I notice anything major. Strength seems to be improving too. I'm hoping to see continuous improvement in the strength department as I get deeper into my 5 week X-Gel cycle.

Happy to report that no sides from the heavy X-Gel dosage this time around.

 

[Evan666]

Workout #7:

This one was an evening workout, after work on Friday. I took my 20 X-Gels, 1g of Calcium, 1g Agmatine, 2g ALCAR, 3 scoops of GlycerGrow, 1 TTA-500 cap and one scoop of Ultima mixed with one scoop of Xtend.

I hit chest/tri's and had a solid workout. I am finally starting to notice some effects of ArA in the gym. I had crazy pumps just after stretching and doing some light warmups. Usually I have to get a few sets in before I notice anything major. Strength seems to be improving too. I'm hoping to see continuous improvement in the strength department as I get deeper into my 5 week X-Gel cycle.

Happy to report that no sides from the heavy X-Gel dosage this time around.

Good stuff!

Get ready for explosive power to go up too!

 

[mr.cooper69]

Workout #7:

This one was an evening workout, after work on Friday. I took my 20 X-Gels, 1g of Calcium, 1g Agmatine, 2g ALCAR, 3 scoops of GlycerGrow, 1 TTA-500 cap and one scoop of Ultima mixed with one scoop of Xtend.

I hit chest/tri's and had a solid workout. I am finally starting to notice some effects of ArA in the gym. I had crazy pumps just after stretching and doing some light warmups. Usually I have to get a few sets in before I notice anything major. Strength seems to be improving too. I'm hoping to see continuous improvement in the strength department as I get deeper into my 5 week X-Gel cycle.

Happy to report that no sides from the heavy X-Gel dosage this time around.

Great to see you're responding to the ArA! I'm also running 20 caps preworkout now...the pumps and vascularity are unparalleled thus far. Superior to agmatine IMO

 

[RecompMan]

Great to see you're responding to the ArA! I'm also running 20 caps preworkout now...the pumps and vascularity are unparalleled thus far. Superior to agmatine IMO

Sounds fun. May pick me up some

I already get ridiculous pumps. Chest Charlie horses. Weird. Lol. Wonder if this will make it worse

 

[Dewey99]

Workout #8:

I worked out first thing in the morning Saturday morning as usual. Took 20 X-Gels, 1.5 scoops of Clout (this is over 2g ALCAR), 1g calcium, 1g Agmatine, 3 scoops of GlycerGrow, and 1 TTA-500 cap.

Saturday was back/bi's again. Luckily I haven't had any real increased DOMS as I was worried about that when I added an extra lifting day to my schedule. So far recovery hasn't been an issue thankfully. Pumps were amazing Saturday and my forearms felt like they were going to explode. I actually had to cut my dedicated forearm work short because they were painfully tight. That's a good problem to have. Strength was improved as I noted the previous workout too. I like the directions things are headed here.

I do have one new possible side to report. My elbows have ached since Saturday morning. Not injury pain, but just a dull achy feeling. I assume this could be the beginning of the joint pain issues that were mentioned prior to starting the stack. Nothing I can't live with right now. I would be interested to see what other users are experiencing joint-wise.

 

[Dewey99]

Workout #9:

Sunday was leg day and I worked out first thing in the morning like I always do. I took 20 X-Gels along with 1g Calcium, 1g Agmatine, 3 scoops of GlycerGrow, 1 TTA-500 and 1.5 scoops of Clout.

I hit my legs really hard during this workouts. I felt strong and seemed to be recovering quickly between sets so I went a little longer and harder than usual. I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be paying for that over the next few day when I'm super sore. Pumps were great again and like yesterday with my forearms, my calves were so tight that they felt like the skin could split. I am very encouraged with the increased quality of my workouts as I progress further into my 5 week X-Gel run.

As far as cumulative effects go after nine workouts, my elbows are still aching quite a bit. I am taking Cissus dosed away from my workouts, but perhaps it isn't quite enough to hold off the joint pain. It's just an annoyance at this point, nothing that will keep me from having quality workouts. I am also liking what I am seeing in the mirror. My muscles seem fuller and more pronounced along with increased hardness. At the end of the cycle, this is where the results will mostly be measured so it's good to see some early returns.

 

[Evan666]

Hows it going Dewey?

 

[Dewey99]

Hows it going Dewey?

It's actually going really well. I have just been bombarded and haven't been in to update my log. I will post up details from my last few workouts tomorrow.

I just started a new rep position and have been busy on the forums. Updates tomorrow though - I promise!

 

[Evan666]

That's awesome man! Who are you Rrepping and where?

 

[Dewey99]

That's awesome man! Who are you Rrepping and where?

Thanks Evan! I was fortunate enough to join the AppNut team. It was just announced but it has been busy! Anyway, I will be concentrating on another forum but will stay active here too.

 

[Dewey99]

Cliffs - catching up!

Sorry to say that things have been super busy this week and I have fallen behind on my log. The good news is that I have made time to hit the gym still and now find myself over to weeks into my X-Gels stack and am really staring to see results. Here are the cliffs:

Workouts 10-13:

I took the normal stack preworkout - 20 X-Gels, 2g ALCAR (from Clout), 1g Agamtine, 1 TTA-500, 1g of Calcium, 3 scoops GlycerGrow and whatever other pwo that floats my boat as I am off of my stim break.

Strength is improving steadily. Pumps are insane on this stack. I have been taking Slin Sane V2 for the last week too and the combo has my veins popping out when I just look at weights! It's actually crazy how fast I get incredible pumps and just how strong they are. No complaining here though.

No sides to report as of now, other than dull, aching pain in my elbows. This is probably a combo of the X-Gels and using heavier weights. I don't think it's weights only though as they hurt even day after working Chest/tris. No increased DOMS that I heard so much about. Perhaps it won't really be an issue or maybe the ArA hasn't fully kicked in yet.

I will stay on top of this log from here on out and would love to hear what other X-Gel users are experiencing!

 

[Randoja]

Big congrats Dewey, glad to see you on board with AppNut!

 

[Evan666]

Thanks Evan! I was fortunate enough to join the AppNut team. It was just announced but it has been busy! Anyway, I will be concentrating on another forum but will stay active here too.

Nice man! Appnut rocks. RPM and Drive are awesome, and osteosport was one of the best joint supps I've used. Solid products

 

[Dewey99]

Nice man! Appnut rocks. RPM and Drive are awesome, and osteosport was one of the best joint supps I've used. Solid products

I agree 100% or I wouldn't have come on board.

 

[howwedo107]

Good rep right here and nice to see they are working well for you I may give these a try some time

 

[Dewey99]

Good rep right here and nice to see they are working well for you I may give these a try some time

Thanks bro! I was hoping for a nice bump from this stack, but didn't expect this much only 13 workouts into the stack. Pretty good for legal supps!

 

[Dewey99]

Workout #14

I took the usual stack of 20 X-Gels, 1.5 scoops of Clout, 1g Agmatine, 1 TTA-500, 2 scoops of GlycerGrow and 1g of Calcium. I also added a pwo sample I had received from Side Effect Sports. I know the name is a little cooky, but it tasted good and gave me a nice jolt of energy in the gym.

I would have normally done back and bi's, but instead decided to really hit my back hard and save the biceps for another time. I am looking for real results and that means extra stimulus on my large muscle groups. I am sore today though!

Great pumps and just a real "Alpha" feeling in the gym lately. I think it's the combo of looking better and lifting heavier weights. Whatever it is, I like it. No sides to report so everything is smooth sailing right now. I am bummed that I am just about through my 3rd bottle of X-Gels already, but at least I am seeing results.