When I first saw the advertisements for this supplement I said to myself, "You have to be kidding me!" I am always skeptical of advertising, especially when it comes from a supplement company. Once I began to research GAKIC a little more I did find that there was substance behind the claims. The famous immediate 10.5% increase claims were not based on MuscleTech hype but rather actual published research studies (Buford 2004 & Stevens BR 2000). I personally feel they should have also included the proven fact that this formula also improves resistance to fatigue by an average of 21% (Buford 2004 ).
The reason I mentioned the improved resistance to fatigue is because this is what I most notably experienced throughout my six week review. I was able to push out more reps and noticed huge improvements in my leg workouts with respect to more marginal improvements in other muscle groups, but improvements nonetheless. It took a lot more effort to fully fatigue my legs and sometimes I actually had to stop my workouts in fear of overtraining.
Post workout cardio sessions improved dramitically as well. The typical lactic acid burn almost never interfered with my performance and often I would only experience shortness of breath because I was pushing myself so hard.
To me this was most impressive because so many workout energizers rely on caffeine or caffeine derivatives. I feel a lot of people might have been disappointed with GAKIC samples because they expected a stimulant like feeling which is often misleading. I personally prefer not to take caffeine pre workout because it actually increases cortisol levels more than if not taken (Lovallo WR 2006). Cortisol has shown to have a catabolic effect so I prefer not promote it's release during my workout if controllable (Crewther B 2006). Also, consistent use of caffeine based products will cause the stimulatory effects to diminish over time as your central nervous system becomes accustomed to their presence. I'm not saying I never use them, I just don't rely on them for motivation. That should come from your heart and not a bottle.
What also troubles me is that some immediately say that GAKIC is "garbage" and creatine is "better." To me, this is comparing apples and oranges. During repeated bouts of supramaximal exercise such as weight lifting, creatine has shown to increase total power output (Okudan 2006). This means you are able to exert more energy within a certain time frame such as multiple sets of barbell bench presses during your workout. You can bench more total weight because the amount of force you are able to exert is greater.
GAKIC on the other hand helps decrease the drop in mean power output during repeated bouts of supramaximal exercise (Buford 2004). We will use the same example of barbell bench presses that we used for creatine. When benching GAKIC will not help necessarily help you exert more force, but will help maintain a more consistent applied force. This means that if you normally start dropping reps on you last few sets, GAKIC could potentially assist in pushing out those few extra reps, because it is indeed an anearobic fatigue toxin reducer (Stevens BR 2000).
Most notably I have read many people comparing this to nitric oxide supplements and saying they didn't get a great pump from GAKIC. Frankly, most of the claims of NO2 supplements are merely theory and you are experiencing only an effect. Personally, I get pumped up every workout without using NO2 supplements because my diet is solid. While I do feel they may serve more of a psychological advantage if anything, I would much rather use a product that actually improves the performance of muscles rather than a product that makes me feel as if I did. There is a huge difference and for anyone wishing to compete in the future you will realize this as well.
Cost: 7/10 - GAKIC is expensive without a doubt. However, when compared to other formulations utilizing the same formula it is on par with them. It really comes down to whether or not nutritional based performance enhancement is worth it for you. For me, I am training for a competition so utilizing a formula like this is certainly worth it. Despite this being a sponsored review, I will be buying GAKIC in the future.
Effectiveness: 9/10 - I found the GAKIC pills to be extremely effective when taken properly. The directions in my opinion are a little flawed because I found the supplement to be most effect when taken 90 minutes before my training sessions as opposed to 45 minutes. I often took them before my preworkout meal with a lot of water to ensure they were digested properly. Once I was able to tailor the supplement to my individual nutrition plan I found it to be extremely effective. My performance was improved in every muscle group, especially my legs. Hardcore workouts became easier plain and simple.
More Info: MuscleTech Gakic Caps, 128 Caplets
References
Buford BN, Koch AJ. Glycine-arginine-alpha-ketoisocaproic acid improves performance of repeated cycling sprints. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2004 Apr;36(4):583-7.
Lovallo WR, Farag NH, Vincent AS, Thomas TL, Wilson MF. Cortisol responses to mental stress, exercise, and meals following caffeine intake in men and women. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2006 Apr 20
Crewther B, Keogh J, Cronin J, Cook C. Possible stimuli for strength and power adaptation: acute hormonal responses. Sports Med. 2006;36(3):215-38.
Okudan N, Gokbel H. The effects of creatine supplementation on performance during the repeated bouts of supramaximal exercise. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2005 Dec;45(4):507-11.
Stevens BR, Godfrey MD, Kaminski TW, Braith RW. High-intensity dynamic human muscle performance enhanced by a metabolic intervention. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2000 Dec;32(12):2102-8.
More Info: MuscleTech Gakic Caps, 128 Caplets
