Testing MTN OPS Enduro Pre-Workout

[robby denning]

We just finished our Yeti test and are now expanding that one to 5 new members. See that thread as I had room for one more as I typed this.

We want to do a similar test on the Enduro, which is the non-caffeinated version of Yeti. Because mtnrunner260 and I just completed phase I of the Yeti test, we're going to also do this Enduro for comparison. However, MTN OPS is kicking in three more tubs so I can pick three more members.

Same rules as the Yeti:

"So...
if you're not a flake who doesn't follow through with projects, AND working out 4-6 days per week for the next two weeks, AND are willing to post your daily workouts (short version) and your daily results along with a few pics, I'll have MTN OPS send you a canister ($40 value).

We prefer to pick people who haven't tried Yeti.

Research the product here- you're responsible to make sure you're healthy enough to do this test.
https://getmtnops.com/product/enduro/

In no way do you have to like this stuff and we expect you to share your real experiences. I want this totally transparent so please don't PM the other testers behind the scenes , just post your thoughts on this thread. I want this thread to be as independent as possible.

If there are questions other members can't answer, MTN OPS can chime in and answer them.

Post below a short response on what your workouts consist of starting the week of 3/14-3/25. Don't write me a book! I'd really like to pick a few people who will either be in the hills some or have a physical job. I would love it if at least one woman applied.

Hopefully we can have everyone's product to them by 3/14."

 

[les welch]

C'mon guys, nobody wants to give this a try??

 

[Graindrain]

I have used some MTN OPS products in the past few months, AMMO, BLAZE, RENU, ENDURO.

I work out in a local cross fit box 4-5 times a week, unfortunately I live in the desert and no hills, and I work a desk job.

Not sure what my work outs are as the Box gives us the WOD daily.

I work out at night and don't want to use Yeti so close to bed time. I have used Enduro just a handful of times.

I will do your test, but if my "qualifications" are not what you are looking for I understand.

 

[COlineman78]

I have yet to try any MtnOps products, but am ready and have been looking to give them a shot. I have been trying to decide what would fit me best. Caffeine really doesn't effect me due to the tolerance I have built up with daily energy drinks over the past 10 years. I let myself get complacent over the winter and put on some pounds and got out of shape and recently started scrambling to make up for it. I have a desk job and am far from a gym rat, but try to spend an hour a day doing cardio. I also play competitive flag football twice a week.

I am an engineer and take a very by the numbers analytical approach to working out and weight loss. I got a heart rate monitor (Scosche Rhythm+) yesterday to begin tracking my workouts: http://www.sportstracklive.com/user/lineman78. I am currently taking a thermogenic (MX-LS7, discontinued and on my last bottle) that I am willing to cut out for the sake of the test and isolation of results. I am an ex-fat kid and used to weigh over 350, currently 250 and was 200 at my lowest about 4 years ago when I dropped over 100lbs in about 5 months.

As I said, I'm not in the best shape right now and am not going to impress anyone with my workouts or physique, but I'm willing and able to give an impartial and isolated review with respect to someone who is trying to get back into shape after a long and lazy winter.

 

[Pig_Pen]

I have only used the blaze and that was for my elk hunt last year. My driving force to stay fit is to lead by example for my three kids, 10 y/o twin boys and a 7 y/o daughter.
I don't spend hours in a "typical" gym everyday as my family is very active in martial arts. My workouts consists of a crossfit/high cardio workout geared for our blackbelt training class. It runs for 90 minutes, 60 second buzzers, 3 days a week and I run 2-4 miles twice a week, all with my kiddos.
My 6th day workouts consist of climbing the Mississippi River bluffs for four hours every Saturday on my own. This is the best I have to simulate the mountains of the west here in Illinois.
Part of my daily job consists of building and tracking training results so I am more than willing to record any aspect that you may need to help with your grand master plan.

 

[dmjojump]

I do use some mtn ops products, I have never used enduro though. I
do the train to hunt workouts 4-5 days a week. I am a diesel mechanic for large off-road machinery at a mine. I do work 12 hour shifts, but make time for a good workout.

 

[Bramk]

Robby I'm interested in testing the enduro or yeti.. I have never taken any supplements and have been tossing the idea around, especially a pre workout..so you would get a fresh perspective.

I avg 4-5 workouts a week doing a good blend of lifting and cardio in each session. Quick ex: heavy squats and lunges, pistol squats, hamstring curls, and finish with a back lift. I will then either run a few miles, sprint series, or hike 1000 ft on treadmill. Somedays I feel flat and that's what sparked my interest. Hopefully I can contribute.

And I spend my days in clinic working on people with NMS disorders.

 

[robby denning]

Colineman78, you're in. your plan sounds good and dropping the other product during the test would be required.

PM me your flavor pref and address and we'll get you a tub coming

 

[robby denning]

Pig_Pen, you're in. Love the sounds of the martial arts workout.

PM me your flavor and shipping address.

 

[robby denning]

dmjojump,
with 4-5 workouts a week and 12 hour shifts, I think you'd be a good match. You'll just have to make sure it's ok to take concurrently with the other MTN OPS products you're taking.

Send me your flavor and shipping address in a PM and I'll get it coming.

Everyone else, thanks for offering up. I just had room for three on this go around.

Stay tuned to this thread as this is where we'll all post our results. Hopefully can start on 3/14 but it just depends on when everyone receives their products.

Thanks

 

[robby denning]

We've already picked our three members. I'm locking this thread until testing starts as people keep applying and it's gonna get messy.

 

[robby denning]

Update,
still a few people waiting on their Enduro so we're pushing this test to start on Monday 3/21.

Remember, you can start testing and journaling your results now. That is how I did the Yeti test and the advantage is that if you pre-write your posts in a word doc or similar, you you can just copy/paste it to the this thread on the day it's due- saves some time.

Fire me a PM if you have any questions as I'm keeping this thread locked until 3/21.

 

[robby denning]

OK, hopefully everyone has their product. Thread is open so you can start posting.

Please post your daily results and I'm asking that everyone post "Day 1" before the next person posts "Day 2" etc if possible so it has some flow and doesn't get too messy. With five guys testing for 7 days, that means there is a minimum of 35 posts between now and 3/20.

You gotta stay on top of it so you don't get behind. If you miss a day for some reason, then combine posts "Day1/Day2".

Members, feel free to ask questions on the thread. You can PM the testers but when possible, better to post on thread so we can all be part of discussion.

finally use the "Go Advanced" button to enter a post title and use this format "Day 1/Your Name or screen name."

I realize your avatar is on the post but it's easier if the lead of the post shows who you are.

Keep it tight, but post any pertinent info and photos always welcome and of course be honest.

This is not a scientific test, just a chance for each person to journal his own experiences.

 

[mtnrunner260]

Day 1 Mtnrunner260

I took Robbys advice and logged my test ahead of time.

Having had the chance to try the Yeti I was just as excited to try the Enduro.

Took Enduro at 5:45 on way to the gym. I have the Raspberry flavor. Pretty sweet tasting and it didn't mix as well as the Yeti as I definitely had some grit in there. (After reading the label it says to let dissolve for a minute if using cold water and I always use cold water)

Lifted at the gym and got some cardio in as well. There is not the pump for me that I got from the Yeti. No caffeine in Enduro and I am not sure if creatine provides a kick or not. But same results as with the Yeti. Feel like I can work harder longer. I had good energy throughout the day and didn't need a mid afternoon caffeine shot.

After working all day I was able to put a 30lb pack on and do 3 miles with 1200 vert mostly in the dark after dinner. Felt strong all the way through.

Look forward to sharing more results through the next week.

 

[Pig_Pen]

Day One

My workouts are typically in the evening, in that lull right after work but before dinner. I spent 12 years in the military and I always worked the night shifts so my active workout routine has been etched for mid afternoons.

My kids are my main driving factor outside of hunting season for staying in shape. My twin 10 y/o boys began their journey with a local martial arts gym nearly 3 1/2 years ago and they run 4-7 miles a week. I did not want to be one of those dads that talked about how good their kids were doing while saying "I would have been crawling by now" or "does an Uber count?' I wanted to be part of their journey.

So I began taking adult classes at the gym as my schedule allows and complete the physical conditioning piece here at home. I focus my workouts on endurance rather than beach body looks. So here is my day one workout routine:
One mile run
Every stage is to burnout or buzzer
1 minute sit ups
1 min. push ups (standard or raised feet)
1 min. burpees
1 box step front kick
1 min ground bag strikes
Repeat for a total of two cycles (11-13 minutes counting the transitions)

5 min light jog between cycles 2 and 3

1 min bag strikes
1 min knee strikes
1 min low leg kicks
1 min push ups
1 min high leg kicks
Repeat for a total of two cycles (11-13 minutes counting the transitions)
1 mile run

On a normal day, going full bore, I will start to burnout before the buzzer in the late third cycle. The last two buzzers usually feel like an eternity and I cant wait for the final one mile sprint.

I knocked back the Enduro 10-15 minutes prior to starting. I got the Mixed Berry flavor and I really enjoy the taste. I did not feel any rush/pump/magical feeling as I got started. I did notice two changes after all was said and done: I felt really good all of the way through the third round and I didn't burn out before the buzzer until my last 2 minutes of the fourth cycle. Secondly, I didn't get as winded as normal (former smoker). I only needed a minute or so after the final sprint to catch my breathe and cool off.

Tomorrow will be my longer run or bike ride (weather dependent). I am very curious to see how this works with muscle soreness and my overall stamina. I just rolled the odometer to 40 and I am 5'11", 179.

 

[robby denning]

OK the ol' man has arrived.

Today was cardio/stretch day.

My 10 year old daughter surprised us with Blonde Cinnamon Brownies she baked with big sis' an hour before bed time last night. Damn I hate snacking that late, but I couldn't tell her no. So I was carb-loaded when I woke up and just ate two eggs for breakfast.

Took a full scoop of Enduro at 10:15 in 8 ounces H20. Doesn't mix as easy as Yeti but still fine.

Only a slight boost compared to the Yeti. Started my workout at 10:40. Was aiming for intervals to 80% today and I hit them on the stairclimber and the Octane side step. Felt good, a little more energy than normal but I'm carb loaded after the sugar binge before bed.

I know I felt extra good, though, because after hitting my two intervals to 80%, I was able to switch to arc trainer with plenty of energy to do a 70% interval for a sustained 20 minutes.

Burned over 1,000 calories in the cardio portion and felt great afterwards. It's now 6:00 PM and I made it through the day with no crash and seemed to have recovered well from what is a big workout for me.

All this can be seen in my MYZONE report below.


This was my report from a similar workout for Yeti.

They are very comparable in intensity but I actually burned more calories today. Could be the earlier workout and going into the workout carb-loaded.

Six more days to find out...

 

[Pig_Pen]

Robby, can you tell me more about that app your using to report everything? Are you using belt or wrist strap along with the app? After the results from this test are complete I would really like to be able to track the specifics with something like that.

 

[robby denning]

Pig_Pen my man,
I run a large group of personal trainers for a health club and this is the system we decided was best for us. MYZONE is a wearable chest strap. We prefer the chest straps that read heart rate over the wrist trackers that use accelerometers (sp?) to track movement. Heart rate is more accurate. Not to dig on the wrist devices, as anything that promotes movement through data isn't a bad thing but we prefer the heart rate tracked from the chest area (like an EKG). They aren't just a heart rate monitor though but track calories fairly accurately and have their own MYZONE point system that we all agree works very well. Think of them as an intensity tracker.

MyZone assigns colors to your intensity and uploads to your phone in real time, or in the case of the club I work in, big flatscreens throughout the club. So at a glance you can tell your intensity. Plus it's a "smart" technology. It learns about your reaction to exercise and over time adjusts your heart rate from a bell-curve-derived formula to a number that is much closer to your real max. It also has all kinds of social functions so approved friends can see each others workouts, have competitions, etc. They are the bomb.

They're usually about $150 but because we're a licensed club, we offer them to members for $109 because we generate revenue from member dues. If you're interested, I could probably arrange that price for any Rokslide member, but I'd need to check to make sure I'm not violating some term buried in the agreement.

Anyway, here's a link with more info and video:
http://www.myzone.org/

 

[COlineman78]

Day 1/COlineman78

I too started last week and have been logging my workouts as soon as Robby gave me the go-ahead.

I guess I will begin this with a little bit about myself and my background in fitness. I was always the semi-athletic fat kid with a lineman build. I spent my high school career at 6'5" 315 with my workouts consisting of an hour or more at a garage power lifting gym where my lift of choice due to some shoulder injuries was leg press maxing out at 2 reps of 1500 lbs (this was a custom machine, don't try this with the commercial junk). Fast forward 4 unhealthy years of college and I was over 350. I could still run but my joints didn't like it. I dropped 50 lbs in a couple months by just working out and little change to diet. I stayed at this level for a little over a year and then decided to see how low I could go. I dropped my calorie intake to 1800-2200 and was doing an hour of cardio every day without exception. My final weight before I hit a wall and lost motivation to maintain the low calorie diet was 190lbs of which 10lbs of water weight came back right away. I was able to maintain the a weight of 200-215 for a few years until a foot surgery sidelined me for 6 months and some bad habits came back. My current weight is about 250lbs and as of 3 weeks ago I was pretty out of shape and decided I needed to do something about it.

So my lesson that I learned from my last time around dropping weight was that if you do it doing purely running is that you will lose a lot of muscle in the process. I have had my fill of lifting weights and honestly don't like, so this time around I have decided that ruck training will get me covered with everything I want to achieve right now.

Today is kind of an unfair first day for Enduro as I started out extremely sore due to going hard yesterday by joining Aron Snyder and crew for Mountain Warrior training where I learned that I have some work to do before I'm going to be able to keep up with those guys. I also play competitive full-contact flag football (everything except tackling) and had 2 games yesterday. Anyways, I am a late riser, so I got up at about 9am and did my morning routine grabbing my first glass of Enduro on my way out the door. I got the raspberry and it reminded me like a better tasting raspberry Emergen-C. There is some sort of coarse powder that never really dissolves and I'm sure it has some sort of benefit so I tried to consume as much of it as possible. This was lesson #1; drink it out of a bottle so that you can shake it periodically to get this coarse stuff mixed in so that you don't end up with a ton in the bottom of the glass when you're done. I have a desk job, so I really didn't feel anything different throughout the day. I skipped my normal Monster this morning to test if Enduro gave me the same affect without the caffeine and I was noticing some drowsiness in the mid afternoon.

I got home at about 9PM and hit the gym knocking back another serving of Enduro on the way. About a week ago I picked up a Scosche Rythm+ heart rate monitor. I had read that the chest strap were a lot more accurate than the wrist strap models, but I thought that I would find them annoying. I eventually found the Scosche which promised the best of both worlds with the accuracy of a chest strap and the convenience of a wrist strap (you wear it on your upper forearm). Anyways, for a control I figured that I would do the same workout that I had done last week and see how the results compared. Well I was completely blown away. For the exact same workout my average heart rate was down 25bpm and max was down 26bpm. When I got done I felt like I could've gone longer so the Enduro really lives up to it's name. Below are the graphs from the 2 sections of my workout:

30 min Treadmill 10deg incl. 3.5mph:
Without Enduro:

With Enduro:


20 min Stationary 4 min interval 12-8:
Without Enduro:

With Enduro:

 

[robby denning]

I see what you mean in your graphs CoLineman. If I remember right from way back in a text book, when ejection fraction (measure of blood leaving the heart) increases, the heart rate decreases. Fitter people generally have higher ejection fractions so if you can perform the same amount of work at a lower heart rate, that is a good thing. Someone more current might correct me on this and feel free.

For me, I noticed with the Yeti and one day of Enduro that it's just easier to maintain a higher heart rate and do more work, but I haven't tested it with doing the same work then checking HR. Cool observation CoLineman and good to hear your background. I've worked with a lot of guys with similar backgrounds and the successful ones just never give up. Sounds like you.