Cycling stimulants

Like most fitness enthusiasts this day-and-age, I religiously use a pre-workout. I slam my shaker bottle 30 minutes before I hit a weight, trying to get a good pump, great focus, and a little extra energy to boost my training to another level. Most work relatively well, and we all have our “jam” when it comes to which pre-workout we like best.

But, as with all good things, there IS a drawback to our N.O. boosting powders and pills. Many will notice that regardless of how many times we use the same pre-, our bodies will get used to it. Our bodies are fantastic at adapting, at finding equilibrium. So, most of us add an extra scoop, or pick a pre- with a little more caffeine, or agmatine, or whatever it is we think we need, to fight that pesky tolerance.

This could be detrimental to some. Over stimulation of our adrenal glands could burn them out over time.  The “too much of a good thing” principle comes into effect. To fight my built-up tolerance, I decided to go a different route. Instead of taking 4 scoops, a cup of coffee and a nitric oxide booster, I took a month off.

Now before you stop reading and deem my entry as blasphemous, please understand, I didn’t take a month off from the gym but a month off from stimulus-based pre-workouts. Anything with: caffeine, yohimbe, rauwolfia, xanthine, dimethylamylamine, or anything classified as a stimulant found on a lot of pre-workouts was avoided. This way I could allow my body to reach equilibrium and adapt to not having stimulants before my workout, and allow my body to produce its own energy - its own stimulation.

It was a little difficult at first; I wont lie to you. My more-often-than-I’d-like 6am workouts were almost a chore, and pushing out those last few reps was not as easy as usual. But I slept better, I ate better, and eventually my workouts returned to their usual place in intensity.

And then – after 30 days off – I went back. I swallowed my stimulant-laden bright red liquid about 30 minutes before my lift and was AMPED out of my mind. I got energy, focus, determination and drive that I hadn’t felt since my first trial pack of the original White Flood by Controlled Labs. I raised my leg extensions by 25# and my hamstring leg curl by 15# from the week before for the same rep/set combo. It was invigorating which pushed me to rep out extra in my next two exercises. By the end of my lift: I was beat, which is what we are always looking for.

It may not be for everyone, and I don’t know if you will gain such numbers in poundage if you take a month off too. But I think it’s important to cycle off of stimulants in your workout supplement routine from time to time just to keep your body guessing, and as a recharge for your sensory capacities.