Ephedra free Speed Stack still a winner in the gym

July 11, 2:51 PMCaffeine ExaminerBig Red Boots  

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Speed Stack is another very serious energy drink/workout drink from Advanced Bodybuilding Products - so serious that these are usually found presented next to pictures of dudes with 54 inch arms and their veins popping out - looking like the traffic map of downtown San Francisco. Just by the gray and no-nonsense packaging I could tell right off that this was not going to be an energy drink to be taken lightly, something to give me that boost in the mid-afternoon but a product I should really read the directions and put through the paces. Coming in at 250mg of caffeine for the 18ounce bottle, and packed with all sorts of things I have never even heard of (1.5 years of reviewing energy drinks, and I have not seen any others which contain Octopamine). From what I read, this used to be one of those drinks that had ephedra in them, but were pulled from the market and reformulated to not be so deadly. So that being said - I tried Speed Stack under three different scenarios.

1. As a pre-gm workout drink, something before a strenuous hour on high-intensity cardio
2. Instead of lunch as a diet drink - to see if I had a decreased appetite and how long it lasted
3. As my morning caffeine fix at work.

First, though, about the drinks.
Taste:8, 4 and 3, respectively.
There are three flavors, going from drinkable to cough-suppressant bad. All have the same energy blend and the same packaging, except for the secondary color on the package. The Tea flavor is definitely the best tasting, as their chalkiness and harshness fit tea well,as there are already so many harsh and chalky teas ( I heard somewhere that American tea is so strong it is almost undrinkable to Europeans) this comes across as just another strong flavored tea. It was easily drinkable and was consumed in about 4 seconds flat.If I were to buy one of these, the Tea is definitely the way to go.
The second flavor is the Lemon Lime, a sort of Diet Sprite Syrup flavor that was a bit of a pain to drink. It tasted a bit more like an 18 ounce energy shot - and while I still managed to drink it down in one go, it was much more unpleasant. The sweetener turned bitter after a few seconds (like a mouthful of Sweet & Low) and the aftertaste was just plain scary. The last flavor, Grape, tasted like a mix between cough medicine and grape kool aid using splenda. Not even a little good.

Packaging:9
The packaging for all of them is very nice - using their specially designed bottle with a resealable lid (just having a cap on an energy drink and having a reusable container scores it higher in my book). It lists all the ingredients including a total caffeine value - which I really like. They even have a little panel off to the side to help you figure out if this is the energy drink that fits your particular need. Speed Stack lists it is for helping with energy, alertness thermogenisis and low calories. This is a great way to help fit the consumer to the product if you have quite a lot of similar products.

Now to their effectiveness...
I drank one about 20 minutes before hitting the cardio machines. Good move there - as I left my stamina definitely increase and I was able to power through a particularly grueling workout without too much problem. As a pre-workout drink this one is a complete success. The thermogenic properties in this drink are truly awesome. About half an hour in, I could really feel myself heating up - and although I am sure I turned off EVERYONE in the gym, I sweated so much it was like I just left the pool. While I am sure that the effect was effective, I know I left the gym feeling energized, as well as feeling like I had a super-intense workout.

As a diet drink - it left me a jittery mess. While haing it instead of my coffee worked well with the 200mg of caffeine, the thermogenics left me sweating in my office chair, feeling a bit like I just dropped a hit of very weak LSD. I was left feeling very jittery until I was able to get some food into me. So word to the wise, don't drink on an empty stomach.
Overall, Speed Stack is great for workouts and physical activity, but stick to coffee if you are couch jockeying it.