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Embracing My Rage
by G Diesel
 In
my day, I’ve tried it all. Whatever I could do to get my edge and make
gains in size and strength on my terms, I was game for. Over time,
through reading, questioning and most importantly, applying a variety
of personal hypotheses, I was able to develop my own little tricks,
theories and systems for optimizing the efficacy of my training, eating
and supplementation. 15 years in the game I’m still learning and honing
every day.
Born from the belief that in every aspect of
our lives we should always strive to add knowledge to our base and
tricks up our sleeve, I see it that we should each have an
ever-expanding tool box to which we add personalized and practical
skills, data and jewels of wisdom. From this premise, theoretically,
the older and more experienced we grow, the bigger and more expansive
our box of tools. I’ve rubbed enough elbows with sage mentors and iron
vets to know this to be true and to set an internalized standard toward
which I can forever aspire.
Being that I’ve been blessed enough to be affiliated with The U and to
be a cog in the great steel Animal wheel for quite a few years now, I
am privileged enough to get the chance to try new products and put them
through their paces. This isn’t exciting just because it is a chance to
cop some new swag and try out something novel. It is a great
opportunity to figure out how I can integrate this new implement to
become better, how I can create the ideal scenario to utilize a new
tool.
With the release of Animal Rage, in the midst of all of its grand hype,
fan fare and rave reviews, I sought to figure out a means of taking
this killer new supplement and not just dumping it on the fire to watch
it burn, but to make it work as ideally as possible for me, based on my
tastes, proclivities and past experiences. Here are a few tips, that I
found to work for me and a few issues I figured I could address. Take
this knowledge and run with it, try out what makes sense and tweak it
to suit your own personal goals.
Bang It Back
Like
I’ve said before Rage is like a fucking shot of Jack, not a wine
cooler. It is meant to be taken back straight, no chaser. It’s got some
kick and a little burn. It doesn’t taste like fucking candy. It is an
experience. It wakes you up just sniffing it, feeling the buzz as it
assails your taste buds. My Pops once noted that I’d “eat the ass off a
rhinoceros if I thought it would get me big”, so maybe I make for a bad
character witness, but I dig potent Orange Juiced jolt of Animal Rage.
I mix mine with even less than the recommended dose of 4 ounces, going
down to around 3 oz. This is one big swig, down the hatch and it is ON.
Takes about a half a second flat. Some guys shake theirs up like the
barbarians that they are, others will mix it with a spoon, noting a
smoother citrus taste with the apple cart less overturned and the more
bitter compounds less activated in the mixture. This ain’t a fuckin’
birthday party, this is hardcore bodybuilding, so I don’t really give
2.5 fucks either way, but if you prefer one method over the other, go
for it. More power (quite literally) to ya.
Make It Count
One
of the keys that I’ve recently been enlightened enough to realize, to
maximizing the efficacy of all preworkout products, is to limit all
other caffeine and stimulant consumption throughout my day. Reducing
stim overload prevents adrenal fatigue and the eventual inevitable
elevation of tolerance that many of us have experienced, where you
could down a couple of ephedrine tabs with a double espresso and go
take a nap. Not so good.
The idea here is to maintain a
sensitivity to the energy compounds of Rage, by limiting their
ingestion otherwise. That way, the only real stimulants in your system
come in concentrated, purposeful doses making their impact on clean
receptors, right when you need them most—before you enter the gym to
put in work. Try this out and you’ll feel the potential for Rage to hit
home and hit hard. Also, using Rage in this manner can prolong the
length of time you can continue to utilize the product without cycling
off or conducting your own forced stimulant detox.
When using Rage in this strategic manner, timing is also crucial—in
terms of meal timing and the time of day. Get your meals lined up
properly before banging back your shot of Rage. Have your larger
pre-training whole food meal eaten and digested a good 90 to 120
minutes out from your workout. If you want to have something light like
a piece of fruit or a whey shake an hour or so before putting in work,
that is fine, as you should never be training with a truly empty
stomach. But ideally, you’re going to want to clear a path for the
runaway Rage train, allowing the potent actives in each pale orange
scoop to quickly flood the bloodstream undiluted and unrestricted about
15 minutes before “go time”. Timing is also a consideration in terms of
allowing for enough hours to pass between taking a serving of Rage and
bedtime. If you find yourself traditionally sensitive to stims in
general, a minimum of 6 hours should be allowed before hitting the
sack. Everybody reacts differently, so experiment for yourself and plan
accordingly.
Pile It Up
This
couldn’t be a real supplement related Animal article if we didn’t
discuss stacking and Rage’s awesome potential to be paired with other
supps in the line. Clearly the sexy supplements you use will only be as
effective as the quality of the whole food you’re taking in, how hard
and consistently you’re training and working from the premise that
you’re covering your ass with the staples—Pak, Omega, and a good
protein powder at the least. With all that said, what follows, for me,
are two obvious combos that just flat out make sense and very well
might strike a chord for those hungry for that elusive edge.
Rage & Pump:
A preworkout wonder stack, Pump gives you the advanced creatine and NO
in pill form, Rage gives you everything else. I just started taking
these two together recently and the hype is legit. To be so pumped,
amped up and locked in, all at the same time is insanity. If your
nutrition and hydration is on point, throw Rage and Pump in the mix and
there is really no other feeling quite like it. For you freaks out
there, play it smart and set aside the red pill in Pump. More than half
a gram of caffeine and stims in one shot will likely do you more harm
than good.
Rage & PM:
I’ve heard it called the “Up and Down Stack” and rightfully so. Nothing
gets you as hyped up and gassed, as focused and on point, as Animal
Rage. Nothing aids in facilitating recovery and tranquil productive
rest in as targeted and concise a fashion as Animal PM. Taking them in
conjunction with one another allows you to be on fire when you need to
be and to chill out when you have to, and allows you to adequately
recover and sleep soundly after what are going to no doubt be some of
your most brutal, intense and rigorous workouts. It is yin and yang,
light and dark, day and night, the supplement version.
“Embracing My Rage”, that’s what I call it, and that is exactly what I
named this article. For me, this coming of the new Animal Rage was
something I welcomed with open arms. With a plate as full and days as
long as mine, sometimes, I’ll take any edge I can get. Knowing that I
have this formidable ally in the knock down drag out fight that is the
daily grind, gives me confidence. Confidence to do an extra set, to
struggle through an extra rep, to get that training session in when I
feel like I’ve got nothing left in the tank. Having that chip on my
shoulder, summoning that anger and fury, is something I’ve found to be
a real asset on my journey. And Rage really helps put me in touch with that dark mojo. Don’t be afraid to push the limits, don’t fear
digging deep for more. Go ahead, tap into your rage. |
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