Animal PM!!! You gotta check this out!

[WarMachine000]

I just got my first can of Animal PM in the mail yesterday. I've never really thought about a nighttime recovery product. I take my protein shake. I've taken ZMA and had no noticeable effect. I understand that nighttime ( specifically the sleep cycle) is when the body builds muscle-- but what can you do? You can take protein before bed, wake up in the middle of the night for some more protein, and try to sleep as much as possible. If it's not restful sleep, though, how much does it really help?

As far as inducing sleep goes-- I've taken prescription pills, but they always made me groggy. I've taken valerian, both in pill form and tea form. I never felt any effects on my rest from the valerian, but at least it didn't make me groggy in the morning.

I use whey protein. It promotes recovery immediately after a workout, is highly bio-available, and packed with amino acids and peptides. I can't afford a cabinet full of protein jugs and still eat as many whole foods as I do. Since whey protein is so bio-available and quick-digesting, as many of you know, it is not very good for a nighttime shake.




What's in Universal Animal PM?
30 Paks
Serving Size1Pack
Servings Per Container 30
Amount Per Serving % Daily Value*
Pyridoxine (B6) 10.5mg 525%
Magnesium (As Oxide) 450mg 113%
Zinc (As Oxide) 30mg 200%
GH Boosting Complex: 3,000mg
(Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid [GABA], Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate [AKG], Ornithine HCL, L-Tryptophan, Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine [GPC])
Immune & Recovery Complex: 2,500mg
(Animal Nitro(Tm) EAA Blend [Leucine, Valine, Isoleucine, Lysine, Arginine, Histidine, Threonine, Methionine, Phenylalanine], L-Glutamine, Immunolin, Humanofort(Tm))
Sleep & Relaxation Complex: 1,250mg
(Valerian Root Powder, Chamomile Root Powder, Mucuna Pruriens [Standardized For 15% L-Dopa], Hops [Humulus Lupulus], L-Theanine)
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
Ingredients Notes:
Hummanofort (Tm) Is A Proprietary Embryonic Peptide Matrix Yielding Naturally Occurring IGF-1, IGF-2, FGF (Fibroblast Growth Factors), NGF (Nerve Growth Factors), EGF (Epidermal Growth Factors), CTGF (Connective Tissue Growth Factors), Immunolin Is A Specialized Immunoglubulin Concentrate From Bovine Serum Providing IGF-1, IGF-2, IGM And IGA Factors.
Other Ingredients:
Di-Calcium Phosphate, Maltodextrin, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Gelatin, Stearic Acid, Silicon Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate, Titanium Dioxide, FD&C Blue 1, Lecithin (Soy), FD&C Red 3, Egg.
Made In A GMP Facility That Uses Milk, Soy, Eggs And Peanuts. This Product May Contain Traces Of Nuts.

A you can see, Animal PM contains a respectable dose of amino acids-- and not just any amino acids. Leucine, Valine, Isoleucine, Lysine, Arginine and more!!! These are perfect for feeding the muscles while you sleep and providing an anabolic environment.
If you're like me you usually toss and turn for a little while before you can doze off. The "Sleep & Relaxation Complex" contains the above-mentioned valerian PLUS chamomile, hops, & more. Plus, the "GH Boosting Complex" contains L-Tryptophan. Not only is tryptophan one of the 10 essential amino acids that the body needs to synthesize protein, it is also the one found in turkey that is reported to be responsible for making people sleepy after eating turkey meat!

Tonight I am going to begin taking this product and tomorrow I will begin my log to report the effects of Animal PM over the next 30 days.

I can't wait to try this stuff out!

 

[doingwork30]

I'm interested, ill be following the log

 

[WhatsaRoid?]

I love the product and honestly I might stay on it for a very long time.

Staying asleep increased
Feeling refreshed even after a few hours of sleep has increased
Recover is great
Price makes it a gotta try

 

[xlivefreex]

following

 

[WarMachine000]

Cool- glad to see there are some people interested. I've been happy with every Animal product that I have ever tried, and I'm sure this will be the same. haha- I want to go to bed early just so I can try it sooner. (I wish)


Today was leg day. I'm a big believer in squats- a$$ to the grass for a few, then some heavy parallels. I like limping out of the gym after leg day. Leg workouts are my punishment for enjoying back and traps so much. My penance.
I do back, traps, and forearms on wednesday, legs on friday, chest and shoulders on saturday or sunday, and arms on monday. I've tried a lot of different workouts with a lot of different variations on muscle groups, workout days, and rest days over the last ten years. I've been doing my current setup for a month now, and it's working great for me.

 

[killamac27]

I tried Animal Pm for a week. I didn't really like it. I bought it to help me fall asleep as it is labeled to have a "Potent" relaxation mix that is said to knock you out. When I did end up falling asleep I had great vivid dreams and I did seem to feel relaxed, but I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep on the product. It seemed to keep me up longer. Talked to a board rep and he said I was probably one of the few that have no reaction to the product which in the faqs it states there is a small percentage that have no reaction. My favorite sleep inducer is now Unisom Sleepgels. 50 mg diphenhydramine and im out like a light. Not really much of a groggy feeling in the morning either. If there is its nothing a cold shower hasn't gotten rid of. Only take it when I can't sleep at all though. Just my 2 cents, GL hope it works for you.

 

[Resolve]

I've looked at this a few times now, and a couple of things just don't make sense to me.

Why include insulinogenic EAAs in a formula that includes a GH boosting complex? Insulin is inhibitory of GH and vice versa.

Why only 15% L-Dopa Mucuna?

How can Humanofort have any effect orally? It's composed of peptides, the vast majority of which will just be digested and worthless once ingested. And it's the last ingredient on that Recovery complex, so you're probably not getting enough so that the small amount that MAY escape digestion is enough to do anything.

I'm not meaning to bash the product at all - these are honest questions and if there are legit answers to them, I'd like to know what they are.

 

[WarMachine000]

Thanks for the input, everyone. (Cool avatar, Resolve). This is an open forum, and I'm just logging my experience-- but all are welcome to participate.

I made it to bed around 1 am. (Not unusual for me). I woke up around 830 am, a little groggy, but after I got moving I felt great. I woke up once in the middle of the night, but went right back to sleep. My legs feel alright today, and I torched them pretty good yesterday.

Went to the gym at noon and totally killed my chest and shoulders! My energy was high and my focus was on point.

Just a heads up-- I am also taking GNC whey protein (not my favorite, but I caught a deal on it), Superpump 250, multivitamin, saw palmetto, Animal Flex, and Animal Pump. (I was planning on using Shock Therapy right now, but I'm waiting until after the Superpump is out)

Resolve-- just a thought- if you are taking any other arginine products with the PM, maybe it's reacting with the arginine in the PM to cause you to be restless with it. I don't know.

I took it about an hour before bed and I was fine. I felt a little tingly (almost like a mild niacin feeling), but nothing uncomfortable.


I hope someone will respond to Resolve's comments-- I'd like to hear some input on it if anyone knows anything.

Thanks to everyone for the support.

 

[WarMachine000]

Thanks for the input, everyone. (Cool avatar, Resolve). This is an open forum, and I'm just logging my experience-- but all are welcome to participate.

I made it to bed around 1 am. (Not unusual for me). I woke up around 830 am, a little groggy, but after I got moving I felt great. I woke up once in the middle of the night, but went right back to sleep. My legs feel alright today, and I torched them pretty good yesterday.

Went to the gym at noon and totally killed my chest and shoulders! My energy was high and my focus was on point.

Just a heads up-- I am also taking GNC whey protein (not my favorite, but I caught a deal on it), Superpump 250, multivitamin, saw palmetto, Animal Flex, and Animal Pump. (I was planning on using Shock Therapy right now, but I'm waiting until after the Superpump is out)

Resolve-- just a thought- if you are taking any other arginine products with the PM, maybe it's reacting with the arginine in the PM to cause you to be restless with it. I don't know.

I took it about an hour before bed and I was fine. I felt a little tingly (almost like a mild niacin feeling), but nothing uncomfortable.


I hope someone will respond to Resolve's comments-- I'd like to hear some input on it if anyone knows anything.

Thanks to everyone for the support.

 

[WarMachine000]

Off yesterday. Groggy on waking. Chest still felt full and thoroughly worked.

Groggy this morning for about half an hour. Fed my babies, had protein shake, oatmeal, and yogurt (a VERY light breakfast for me), showered, then felt a lot better. Slept about 7 hours- almost.

Worked bi's and tri's today from 1215 to 1300. When I left the gym my muscles were the fullest they've felt in a while. In the gym my energy was good, but both yesterday and today, if I sat still for very long, I would begin to feel drowsy.
Overall I feel great, and even when groggy in the morning I feel very well rested.
Chest still a little sore, but I feel like they're ready to train again.
off tomorrow, then back again Wednesday.
Hope to hear some comments.

 

[WarMachine000]

Yesterday (Tuesday)-- same as before. Slept well, woke up groggy.
Today, too. Back and traps felt great today while training (and after). I also noticed that I have been in a little bit of a better mood yesterday and today.Stepped on the scales after training: 252.
Another rest day tomorrow, then legs Friday.

 

[Hoomgar]

I'm in brother. Time to get your grow on!

 

[WarMachine000]

Worked legs very heavy today- and it felt great. Limped out of the gym, but they feel good now. Even though I'm not taking PM alone, I feel like my overall recovery is much better. No grogginess this morning, and to respond to killamac: I read about PM on the animalpak website (GREAT site if you haven't visited) and they said that stimulant effects could be expected for a few days while your body adjusts to the herbs.
So far I really enjoy this product. Every day that I go in the gym I hit it like it owes me money.
I have improved on every lift since last week and look forward to what I'm doing at the end of the month.

 

[Dan 55]

i saw this on bodybuilding.com and thought it looked like really good stuff. i know i enjoyed zma by itself but the one problem i saw was a really high dose of gabba. when you research what doctors prescribe to people with mild neurological disorders it is less than a third of the dose. i'm glad to hear you like it but be careful when you start to mess with the chemistry of your brain, because that is what gabba does.

 

[WarMachine000]

There are 3 grams of combined gaba, akg, ornithine, tryptophan, and gpc. The muscle & fitness 2010 supplement guide recommended 3-5 grams gaba alone- twice daily. I don't see it as much of an issue- and figure it's actually too low a dose of gaba to be very effective. Maybe a gram at most, once daily?

 

[WarMachine000]

No lifting yesterday. Same sleep and body effects. Worked arms today-- I think I busted a blood vessel in my right bicep. haha
My arms felt great in the gym. The whole time I was thinking "More, more (weight)." Out of Animal Flex, but just started back on Animal Pak vitamins.
Almost out of the SuperPump-- can't wait to tear into the Shock Therapy!
My sleep has been better and less disturbed, my focus has been great (I think due to the better rest I get), and every time I walk into the gym I feel like I can tear the walls down-- I've been getting very good effects.
So far I'm loving Animal PM!

 

[Hoomgar]

I've seen a few guys report a sort of cumulative affect with this. Meaning, it builds more and more as you use it. Looks like it's helping you saw the logs already bro. How bad is that busted blood vessel?

 

[WarMachine000]

Just a bruise (that Animal Pump is killer!). I feel better overall, and my muscles always feel primed- especially when I start moving some weight. My rest has been goo and no grogginess today.

 

[WarMachine000]

Training was brutal, back sore-- GREAT day! I know there is a lot of debate about when to do deadlifts. I do them at the beginning of my workouts. It works for me, and I still do great on my other lifts. Nailed deads, tbar, seated cable rows, dumbbell rows, one set of barbell shrugs, then some shrugs using the standing calf raise machine (first time I'd done that, but it worked good and I wasn't limited by forearm fatigue), then high pulls.
All in all, good day. Tried to take a nap a little while after training, but that wasn't happening.

Again, all of my lifts are improving every workout. It's hard to say what is doing what when one is on a few different supplements, but I do know that my rest has been good, I wake up feeling good, and I continually experience strength gains.

 

[naturalguy]

Training was brutal, back sore-- GREAT day! I know there is a lot of debate about when to do deadlifts. I do them at the beginning of my workouts. It works for me, and I still do great on my other lifts. Nailed deads, tbar, seated cable rows, dumbbell rows, one set of barbell shrugs, then some shrugs using the standing calf raise machine (first time I'd done that, but it worked good and I wasn't limited by forearm fatigue), then high pulls.
All in all, good day. Tried to take a nap a little while after training, but that wasn't happening.

Again, all of my lifts are improving every workout. It's hard to say what is doing what when one is on a few different supplements, but I do know that my rest has been good, I wake up feeling good, and I continually experience strength gains.

I do deads first most of the time as well.

Thanks for the feedback so far.

 

[WarMachine000]

Thanks for checking out the log.
Yesterday- Slept past my alarm, but I had a late night before that.
$h!t happens.
Other than that, good day and good rest. Traps got hit really good. If someone is looking for a new trap exercise I would suggest the shrugs on the standing calf machine- I liked them a lot.
Today was legs. I did a pyramid up in weight with my highest weight for 6 reps (any more weight and I couldn't go parallel) on the squats. Leg presses next- dizzy on last couple of sets. Leg curls- one leg at a time. Leg extensions- one leg at a time. Standing calf raises. I haven't done any isolated leg work in a while so the change should be good.
Strength and energy were great through duration of workout, which lasted an hour. Arms tomorrow, and I'll do abs after bis and tris.

Anybody have any questions about Animal PM or anything specific about my experience with it so far?

 

[WarMachine000]

Great bi and tri work today! I do three exercises for each (last sets drop multiple times- killer pump!)
Slept good last night. Had to get up kinda early - no grogginess. I'm thinking PM just takes some getting used to. Now that I've been taking it for a little while I'm not having any negative effects at all.
I feel rested and energetic, and feel like I'm growing every day! It's crazy. Again - whether it's the Pump or the PM I don't know, but every workout shows improvement over the last and I swear I look bigger.
In the gym I feel like an animal- when I get the taste of iron I just want more and more.

 

[WarMachine000]

Chest and shoulders yesterday. I used to have shoulder problems but they haven't been hurting lately. Decline db, flat db, cable crossovers, side raises, rear delt flyes, and some rear delt cable work. Not horribly intensive (not even shoulder presses) but plan on blasting them next time.
No training today, and not much sleep. Groggy on the way to class this morning and kinda "blah" all day. Gotta get more sleep tonight!

 

[naturalguy]

Chest and shoulders yesterday. I used to have shoulder problems but they haven't been hurting lately. Decline db, flat db, cable crossovers, side raises, rear delt flyes, and some rear delt cable work. Not horribly intensive (not even shoulder presses) but plan on blasting them next time.
No training today, and not much sleep. Groggy on the way to class this morning and kinda "blah" all day. Gotta get more sleep tonight!

I've had a few shoulder injuries and I have to be careful when I train chest plus I go to see a chiro that specializes in ART and it has helped a lot.

 

[Hoomgar]

I've had a few shoulder injuries and I have to be careful when I train chest plus I go to see a chiro that specializes in ART and it has helped a lot.

I need to find someone who specializes in ART around here. This elbow is 8 months now...

 

[AntonG42O]

i dont know how id feel about valerian root every single day. its quite a powerful herb. there have been some dependancy issues reported and a strong withdrawal. we dont know the exact amounts of it in this supp but its toxicity hasnt been fully researched yet. for me this supp has too many ingredients to take every night.

 

[MrDead]

What's up, in here...???

 

[Hoomgar]

i dont know how id feel about valerian root every single day. its quite a powerful herb. there have been some dependancy issues reported and a strong withdrawal. we dont know the exact amounts of it in this supp but its toxicity hasnt been fully researched yet. for me this supp has too many ingredients to take every night.

Naaa, recheck the web on that one again bro. None of that is true about v-root. Been using it as needed for years to treat anxiety related symptoms. No issues or worries with that one.

 

[WarMachine000]

These classes are killing me! Finals in 2 weeks.
Class today.
Back and traps yesterday. Deadlifts first, barbell rows, dumbbell rows, shrugs, and high pulls.
Slept good the night before training.
Worked on school stuff until early morning then off to class.
As far as the Valerian goes- everyone has different bodies. Some people take pure Valerian, some drink it in tea- the exact amounts aren't provided for PM but by looking at effective dosage charts and the amounts in each blend, one can estimate.
personally I've only noticed positive effects on my sleep and crazy gains in the gym.
Natural gains anyways.
;-)

 

[WarMachine000]

Long time since last post. Time flies and school is hitting crunch time- finals next week!
Still hitting the gym hard.
Legs Friday, heavy chest and shoulders yesterday.
My sleep has been great. A couple of nights with weird dreams lately.
I haven't dreamt much for about a year until just recently, or maybe just haven't remembered them when I woke up until recently.
Recovery is good. Still making gains. Weight at 160 yesterday.
I'm happy with the PM.

 

[Cooky32]

I've looked at this a few times now, and a couple of things just don't make sense to me.

Why include insulinogenic EAAs in a formula that includes a GH boosting complex? Insulin is inhibitory of GH and vice versa.

Why only 15% L-Dopa Mucuna?

How can Humanofort have any effect orally? It's composed of peptides, the vast majority of which will just be digested and worthless once ingested. And it's the last ingredient on that Recovery complex, so you're probably not getting enough so that the small amount that MAY escape digestion is enough to do anything.

I'm not meaning to bash the product at all - these are honest questions and if there are legit answers to them, I'd like to know what they are.

The amounts are minimal. I would take 5-10 gm BCAA, 5 GM Glutamine, Melatonin, valerian, chamomile, and the effective dose for GABA is 3-5 gm. ZMA is in it, but can be taken seperately. Humanofort like resolve said is peptide based, and will be nearly worthless. I see L-dopa in there, but probably not much. Its a proprietary blend, and I dont like that. I would rather make my own night time ****tail. Sorry. Looks decent though. Typical Animal. I like the PAK, the animal flex, and animal pump.

 

[WarMachine000]

The Pump is a great product. Pak too. Instead of taking 2 Pak a day though, I take one and also a regular multi with low selenium.
Thanks for posting some insight, Cooky.

 

[Cooky32]

I mean no offense. Just an outside set of eyes. Have you ever tried BIG by CMI? It tasted nasty, but was a pretty good product. It was great to have if you trained in the evening.

 

[Hoomgar]

Dreams have been reported by several people already. Seems it is a by-product of deeper sleep? I dunno, I know ZMA alone does that to me at times.

Life is busy sometimes bro, stay the course my man

Hg

 

[WarMachine000]

Cooky- no offense taken my man! Haven't heard of that product before. Might look into it.
Hoomgar- Thanks for the support! Yeah- busy busy. Training is my break from everything, where I blow off steam, collect my thoughts, and push myself to the breaking point so I know I'm still alive.
up late last night but slept in q little bit. Trained legs today and felt great. Rest was good.
Thanks again guys.

 

[WarMachine000]

Had finals in German class. Wow! Much respect to anyone who speaks it fluently!
also- finished can of PM. I will keep posting for a while to log my reaction to being off of it.
Overall I am pleased with the product. I slept better, rested better l, and started dreaming again (though there were some crazy ones!)
Can't say I would add this as a staple, but do believe if someone has their diet and training down and are hitting a plateau then this may spurt new growth.
Thanks to Universal for letting me sample a can, and all of the Animal reps for answering any and all questions I've had.

 

[Hoomgar]

Jammin. So are you all done with your can now bro of you have some packs left yet?

 

[Cooky32]

Sounds good man. I might have to try it.