Pre workout stim break vs. non stim pre workout

[SwoleNjacked]

I've been using mesomorph for the last couple months and recently started using ferox amped, and I feel like i'm getting tolerant to the stims. I've read about taking a break from the stims every couple months and now that I feel like its not really doing much for me, I think it's time to either take a break from all pre workouts or start taking a non stim pre workout. What do you guys think? Should I take a break from everything so I'm not dependent on having to use a pre workout or is it ok if I just use a non stim pre workout for like a month?

 

[Parad0x]

It's not about dependence, it's about performance. Whenever I don't take a pre, my endurance and strength diminish slightly, not enough to matter, but enough to piss me off. I'd just go with a non stim, but I'm a glutton for nootropics. Gotta have a mental boost imo lol

 

[Chefdeez]

It's probably more mental than anything. Preworkouts may make you feel stronger because of the energy boost but I highly doubt it's affecting your strength. There are plenty of good non stim options. High Volume is great.

 

[Parad0x]

Taking straight creatine without stim and i was at the same level i normally am, rather than no pre

 

[Mkgain1]

It's always good to take a break imo, just for health reasons with all those stims. Products that I used were very good at keeping intensity high but restoring mg adrenal glands were metabolic nutritional pre workout 'p.s.p' and 1stphorm product 'adrenal restore' worth checking out imo

 

[Adizzle1]

I would take a non stim pre workout during your break for enhanced performance. I would look into CreMax XT, has full dose creatine, betaine and l-alanyl-glutamine. Also contains glycerol, taurine n amentoflavone for pumps and amento is great for strength. Lastly contains COP and electrolytes for enhanced endurance!

 

[Olympus Labs]

Conqu3r unleashed stim free has an adaptogenic aspect to the formula which will help you!

 

[Parad0x]

Or you could go with Nocturnal from M&M. Ive heard nothing but good from it; no experience to go off of though lol

 

[SwoleNjacked]

Thanks for the quick replies. I did order a tub of high volume and I plan on ordering Conqu3r unleashed-both versions. Is a month enough time to be stim free?

MKgain1-I'm curious about the adrenal restore. I may look into that since I drink coffee every morning and use stim heavy pre workouts quite a bit.

 

[Mkgain1]

Thanks for the quick replies. I did order a tub of high volume and I plan on ordering Conqu3r unleashed-both versions. Is a month enough time to be stim free?

MKgain1-I'm curious about the adrenal restore. I may look into that since I drink coffee every morning and use stim heavy pre workouts quite a bit.

Absolutely man 1st phorm is top notch it'll lower your tolerance for stims, I was taking 450mg caffeine pre w/o and now 200mg gets me going

 

[johnnyp]

Adrenal restore doesn't list the actives in their ingredients so I'd be wary of spending the money on that when you can get individual ingredients, dose them higher and be certain you are getting the benefits of them.

 

[ForceOfNature]

I've been using mesomorph for the last couple months and recently started using ferox amped, and I feel like i'm getting tolerant to the stims. I've read about taking a break from the stims every couple months and now that I feel like its not really doing much for me, I think it's time to either take a break from all pre workouts or start taking a non stim pre workout. What do you guys think? Should I take a break from everything so I'm not dependent on having to use a pre workout or is it ok if I just use a non stim pre workout for like a month?

I honestly don't see a point in taking non stimulating pre workouts. The while reason you get pre workout is too stimulate you. I take a 2-4 week break every time I finish a tub of pre workout which is usually about a month then get back on.

 

[NoAddedHmones]

I honestly don't see a point in taking non stimulating pre workouts. The while reason you get pre workout is too stimulate you. I take a 2-4 week break every time I finish a tub of pre workout which is usually about a month then get back on.

LOL do you live in Europe or Australia by any chance?

 

[ForceOfNature]

LOL do you live in Europe or Australia by any chance?

Lol what makes you think that?
I'm in Canada.

 

[NoAddedHmones]

Lol what makes you think that?
I'm in Canada.

The obsession with stims. Frankly stimulation is only one part of an effective PWO.

 

[Driven2lift]

I vote you use a stim-free pre while on your break.
I do this (less often than i should) and use a tub of PEScience High Volume

No stim kick but all the pump and performance you could ask for.
Hefty doses of agmatine, l-citrulline, nitrates, hydromax...

All you would want for pre workout performance enhancement.
And the pump is real lol

 

[The Solution]

I've been using mesomorph for the last couple months and recently started using ferox amped, and I feel like i'm getting tolerant to the stims. I've read about taking a break from the stims every couple months and now that I feel like its not really doing much for me, I think it's time to either take a break from all pre workouts or start taking a non stim pre workout. What do you guys think? Should I take a break from everything so I'm not dependent on having to use a pre workout or is it ok if I just use a non stim pre workout for like a month?

You can do either or
Remember many non-stim pre-workouts have performance and endurnace agents added into their formula's

Things like PES High Volume, Ergonine, CL White Pipes, OL Conq3r Non-Stim would all be great choices. the decision is up to you and what you want to budget if you want to invest in a non-stim pre-workout.

 

[ikeNball]

Subbed, as I'm in the same predicament. About to read and catch up on this thread AND do my home work on nootropics as I hear the term a lot but not sure I have a firm grasp on it

 

[ikeNball]

FWIW:
high volume (PES) + Conqu3r stim free (not the brand new but the OG from Olympus Labs) + Ergonine (Athletix) has given me awesome workouts.

And just add the caffeine as you wish. Mentally, I feel
better when I know my caffeine intake. Even if it's too high. Call me weird!

 

[T-Bone]

Stim breaks- Lmao!. Practically pointless.

 

[K_pem]

Stim breaks- Lmao!. Practically pointless.

Not as much as you would think! Giving the adenosine receptors a break from being competed against can cause a down regulation of receptor sites after some time making the felt "effects" of caffeine more effective come reintroduction.

 

[Mkgain1]

Not as much as you would think! Giving the adenosine receptors a break from being competed against can cause a down regulation of receptor sites after some time making the felt "effects" of caffeine more effective come reintroduction.

Exactly, and just because you aren't feeling the effects of the stims at the dose you used to feel, doesn't mean that your cns isn't being affected or that some of the negative sides of stims aren't still increasing

 

[K_pem]

Exactly, and just because you aren't feeling the effects of the stims at the dose you used to feel, doesn't mean that your cns isn't being affected or that some of the negative sides of stims aren't still increasing

Couldn't have said it better. Give yourself a couple weeks, taper off if you need to, your gonna be really tired the first couple days until down regulation begins because of all the receptor sites you've created via up regulation as a result of the caffeine competiting for receptor sites. Just try to bust through that 3 day mark and it's all uphill from there.

 

[NoAddedHmones]

Exactly, and just because you aren't feeling the effects of the stims at the dose you used to feel, doesn't mean that your cns isn't being affected or that some of the negative sides of stims aren't still increasing

lol wut?

 

[Aleksandar37]

Stim breaks- Lmao!. Practically pointless.

How so? It seems like there are some (possibly a lot) on here that are taking massive amounts of stims every day.

 

[T-Bone]

How so? It seems like there are some (possibly a lot) on here that are taking massive amounts of stims every day.

Whether or not you "feel it" doesn't really matter much, the stimulant is still going to have a positive effect. I could see cutting down on your stimulant use as a positive thing, but just cutting out all stimulants simply to be able to "feel" the side effects from stimulants seems pointless to me. The only time I take a "stimulant break" is when I run out of pre-workout. Either that or if I go on cycle I'll cut down a bit. Maybe people like feeling jittery or something and want that "feeling" back, because they think that without that feeling the stimulant won't have any positive effects. That'd be wrong though.

 

[NoAddedHmones]

How so? It seems like there are some (possibly a lot) on here that are taking massive amounts of stims every day.

Out of curiosity, what do you define as massive amounts of stims each day?

 

[Aleksandar37]

Whether or not you "feel it" doesn't really matter much, the stimulant is still going to have a positive effect. I could see cutting down on your stimulant use as a positive thing, but just cutting out all stimulants simply to be able to "feel" the side effects from stimulants seems pointless to me. The only time I take a "stimulant break" is when I run out of pre-workout. Either that or if I go on cycle I'll cut down a bit. Maybe people like feeling jittery or something and want that "feeling" back, because they think that without that feeling the stimulant won't have any positive effects. That'd be wrong though.

Completely agree with you!

 

[T-Bone]

I always like to link this thread I started 2 years ago when this comes up. It has a lot of good information in it, including some stuff from mr.cooper69.

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/supplements/235613-stimulant-break-necessary.html

 

[T-Bone]

Stim breaks are virtually pointless to me and my lifestyle. The benefits of stimulants (like caffeine) largely outweigh the negatives when used at reasonable doses and there should be no reason for someone to stop using them unless they are experiencing adverse effects.

-from the thread I linked.

 

[Aleksandar37]

Out of curiosity, what do you define as massive amounts of stims each day?

The people pushing 1000 mg for a dose would be one group. I'm not judging what anybody wants to do. It just seems like no matter how strong the stim is, there is somebody asking if it is safe to take 2x or 3x the suggested dose.

 

[T-Bone]

The people pushing 1000 mg for a dose would be one group. I'm not judging what anybody wants to do. It just seems like no matter how strong the stim is, there is somebody asking if it is safe to take 2x or 3x the suggested dose.

That is just the nature of most of the bodybuilder types or supplement hoarders. They always think more is better, doesn't matter if it's a stimulant or whatever, they always want to take more. That's a bit of a dangerous mentality in my mind though. A stimulant break won't help them, because it's in their head that more is always better. No offense to these people, I know they can't help it.

 

[Mkgain1]

The people pushing 1000 mg for a dose would be one group. I'm not judging what anybody wants to do. It just seems like no matter how strong the stim is, there is somebody asking if it is safe to take 2x or 3x the suggested dose.

Agreed. Know too many people that abuse the stims, as if their workout will not be possible without being cracked out. Always younger people I see doing 600mg of caffeine with 150mg of dmaa and natural stims/noortropics on top of it. 1g+ of caffeine along with amp citrate for months on end..in my eyes that just isn't healthy

 

[Driven2lift]

The people pushing 1000 mg for a dose would be one group. I'm not judging what anybody wants to do. It just seems like no matter how strong the stim is, there is somebody asking if it is safe to take 2x or 3x the suggested dose.

Me in summer, and a break does help after a long stim-packed cut.

The drowsiness gets unreal and eventually out-powers my stims lol.
ECA + burners with at least 1g caffeine ED

Thankfully I did not cut this hard this year, I only felt the need to dose that high so I could prep for a photoshoot on a deadline (before life intervened)

If I stayed at 10-12% I would probably never feel a need for a break

 

[T-Bone]

Agreed. Know too many people that abuse the stims, as if their workout will not be possible without being cracked out. Always younger people I see doing 600mg of caffeine with 150mg of dmaa and natural stims/noortropics on top of it. 1g+ of caffeine along with amp citrate for months on end..in my eyes that just isn't healthy

Yes, but these people are chasing a feeling or a high from the stimulants and not performance benefits. Sure they could say that they are chasing the performance benefits, but they'd be lying to themselves and to you.

 

[NoAddedHmones]

The people pushing 1000 mg for a dose would be one group. I'm not judging what anybody wants to do. It just seems like no matter how strong the stim is, there is somebody asking if it is safe to take 2x or 3x the suggested dose.

Yeah agreed for sure, crazy numbers, but its not unusual these days especially with the ever increasing caff dosages in pwo's each year. I think t-bones on the money though, restricting caff intake rather than stopping is the way to go imo. Why re-sensitize yourself to HR and blood pressure increases for a few days of feeling razzed?

 

[Aleksandar37]

Yeah agreed for sure, crazy numbers, but its not unusual these days especially with the ever increasing caff dosages in pwo's each year. I think t-bones on the money though, restricting caff intake rather than stopping is the way to go imo. Why re-sensitize yourself to HR and blood pressure increases for a few days of feeling razzed?

I agree. I misunderstood where he was going with his post.

 

[NoAddedHmones]

Me in summer, and a break does help after a long stim-packed cut.

The drowsiness gets unreal and eventually out-powers my stims lol.
ECA + burners with at least 1g caffeine ED

Thankfully I did not cut this hard this year, I only felt the need to dose that high so I could prep for a photoshoot on a deadline (before life intervened)

If I stayed at 10-12% I would probably never feel a need for a break

Dayum if you don't get Driven2Lift with those doses then I dunno what to say

 

[Driven2lift]

Dayum if you don't get Driven2Lift with those doses then I dunno what to say

Lol just as driven2lift with a single coffee now

But im miserable and sluggish as hell while low BF%

 

[K_pem]

From a performance standpoint there is zero evidence to support a stim break would increase the actual effect, it could actually be less effective or detrimental to performance to take a break. But as far as what he was describing, taking a break from stims and then reintroducing them will increase the felt effect via up and down regulation of receptor sites.

I look at stims like an ergogenic aid or a tool to be used when needed, not necessarily what I would consider a staple supp.

Just my 2cents