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SAN Fierce 1.8 lb.
Fierce: Strength and Endurance Amplifier
Formula Rationale for Fierce:
Fierce was specifically formulated to increase endurance and pre-workout
strength levels assisting the user to lift more weight and exercise for
prolonged periods without feeling fatigued.
Let’s run through the list of ingredients in Fierce and see how each and
every one contributes to an overall ergogenic and endurance-enhancing effect.
The proprietary formula consists of 5 individual categories each of them
designed to work in tandem with one anther.
Cell Hydration Matrix
Of all the ingredients seen in Fierce, creatine in its various forms is perhaps
the most familiar to supplement users. Numerous studies have shown the creatine
consumption leads to increased strength and athletic performance. There are
several theories about how creatine works. The original theory, and perhaps
still the most widely accepted, is that oral creatine supplementation increases
total creatine and creatine phosphate (CrP) in human skeletal muscle. An
increased muscle CrP concentration increases its availability for ATP synthesis.
This additional ATP can be used by the muscle to perform work.
Studies have also shown that creatine supplementation increases the glycogen
content of skeletal muscle along with an increase in myosin heavy chain
synthesis (Nelson et al. 2001). The increases in lean body mass associated with
creatine use may be a result of creatine’s ability to elevate insulin like
growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in muscle tissue (Deldicque et al 2005).
Why do we see Malate combined with creatine in the formulation? Malate is an
intermediate in the so-called Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle (TCA). While being
processed in the TCA, each kind of major fuel is converted to acetyl groups,
which are handled by attachment to a particular coenzyme known as coenzyme A.
Ultimately ATP is produced from another compound, NADH, generated by the TCA.
Malate is dehydrogenated in the TCA cycle to oxaloacetate, the concentration
of which is one of the most critical controls of the rate of aerobic ATP
production. During prolonged
aerobic activity, and in patients suffering from malate deficiency, malate
becomes depleted and the TCA is unable to produce ATP fast enough to meet the
demands of working muscle. One classic disease characterized by malate
deficiency is fibromyalgia. When patients suffering with this disease are given
malate, their energy levels improve dramatically (Russell et al 1995).
Not only patients suffering from malate deficiency benefit from malate
supplementation. As mentioned above, strenuous, prolonged aerobic activity
depletes the body’s malate
stores.
Creatine-Ethyl-Ester is a synthetic analog of the popular supplement creatine.
The main difference between the two compounds is that the carboxylic acid group
of creatine was molecularly modified through the attachment of an ester linkage.
In doing this, we are able to create an organic compound that possesses both
increased water solubility and enhanced muscle partioning effects over ordinary
creatine monohydrate. Once in the body, regular creatine monohydrate rapidly
loses its water molecule yielding the byproduct ‘creatinine.’ Even though a
natural by-product of creatine metabolism, creatinine possesses numerous
undesirable side effects to the athlete. It was therefore significant to
discover that treating the creatine with Ethyl alcohol and hydrogen chloride not
only removed the undesirable water molecule from creatine, but also yielded a
pure creatine- Ethyl-ester compound that is completely devoid of both water and
creatinine.
Once in the gastrointestinal tract the Creatine-Ethyl-ester is rapidly
hydrolyzed to pure creatine by the esterase enzyme yielding an immediate ATP
substrate without any stomach discomfort or bloat. ATP (adenosine triphosphate/
or three phosphates attached to adenosine, which is a nucleoside) is the
necessary energy molecule that fuels muscular contractions by donating one
phosphate group as cellular energy.
Nitro NO
One of the major controlling factors in the expansion and contraction of blood
vessels is nitric oxide (NO). In the body NO is produced from the amino acid
arginine. When exposed to NO, blood vessels dilate, allowing for increased blood
flow due to the vessel’s increased crossectional area. Working muscles require a
copious blood supply to deliver nutrients and carry away waste products. Since
arginine is the direct precursor to NO, Bodybuilders have supplemented with
arginine-based compounds to increase NO production. This leads to the
sought-after “pump” associated with muscle blood vessels engorged with blood.
Arginine alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) is reportedly better absorbed than
arginine, and has a more sustained effect on NO production. AKG itself has been
used extensively for nutritional support in various illnesses and in the post
surgery setting.
Ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate (OKG) is added to Fierce as a secondary
route to raise plasma arginine levels and subsequently NO in the body. OKG is
documented to work parallel with AKG to also raise levels of glutamine,
polyamines, growth hormone and insulin. In turn, these elevations prevent
catabolic muscle wasting that usually follows post workout. As a note, OKG is
often used in clinical settings as a first aid medicine to carry away muscle
waste products in burn victims. It is also documented to help re-grow skin and
muscle tissue.
Creatine Assimilator
Glycocyamine (GAA) and Guanidinopropionic Acid (GPA) have been
added to Fierce to mimic the actions of insulin in that they lower blood glucose
in animal studies (Meglasson et al 1993). This appears to be the result of
increased expression of GLUT-4, a major glucose transporter (Ren 1993). GAA is
also converted in the liver into creatine, adding to plasma creatine levels
outside that of Dicreatine-Malate and Creatine-Ethyl-Ester (see above). Because
of the insulin mimetic/ creatine transport effects of glycocyamine and GPA,
taking these along with Dicreatine-Malate and Creatine-Ethyl-Ester is superior
to simply taking more creatine by virtue of secondary and third biochemical
pathways.
Betaine Anhydrous has been well characterized as an agent capable of
lowering levels of homocysteine in the body. High plasma concentrations of
homocysteine may increase risk of cardiovascular disease. Betaine lowers plasma
homocysteine up to 20% in normal humans (Olthof et al 2005). One interesting
study looked at the effects of betaine on both trained and untrained animals. In
the untrained group betaine lowered plasma lactate levels post-exercise
significantly, implying that betaine should allow for a faster recovery from
exercise. For your information, muscle fatigue is believed to be due to, at
least in part, lactic acid buildup. In other studies, betaine increased muscle
area and decreased fat thickness.
Duralast Matrix
Glucuronolactone is a naturally occurring chemical compound produced
by the metabolization of glucose in the human liver. It has received some public
notoriety due to its inclusion in energy type drinks like Red Bull. Some of its
positive attributes have been linked to acting as an antidepressant, stimulant,
and helping in memory retention and concentration. Glucuronolactone is also a
direct precursor to Taurine therefore aiding in improved mental performance and
reaction time. In clinical settings, Glucuronolactone was found to reduce
sleepiness with sleep related driving incidents. (Reyner et al 2002)
L-Aspartic acid is a non-essential amino acid, synthesized from
glutamate or otherwise derived from protein. Its chief mechanism is believed to
be involved in the repair of DNA and assisting carbohydrate metabolism. It is a
carrier molecule for the transport of magnesium & potassium in and out of living
cells. L-Aspartic acid is also a major excitatory transmitter in your brain
making it useful especially to those involved in reaction type sports such as
basketball, football etc. Just like Malic acid, aspartic acid acid is an
intermediate in the TCA cycle (see above) and thus extremely useful in removing
ammonia from the body. Last but not least, in human studies, L-Aspartic acid has
been shown to halt fatigue after strenuous exercise thus increasing endurance
levels.
b-Alanine is a direct precursor to Carnosine. Carnosine is extremely
effective in buffering hydrogen ions, which are generally elevated in exercising
athletes. Under normal exercising conditions, hydrogen ions rise in response to
energy production resulting in a subsequent fall of muscle PH. With low
intra-muscular PH levels athletes often times get fatigued resulting in sub-par
performance. The extent to which Carnosine can delay fatigue (acidosis) is
correlated to its content in muscle tissue. (Tallon et al 2004-2005) In essence,
the addition of b-Alanine (and subsequently Carnosine) in Fierce is related to
its effects on preventing your muscles from becoming too acidic during times of
stress. Since Carnosine works alongside creatine (which is considered a
phosphate donor) in buffering the intra-muscular system from becoming too acidic
it makes perfect sense to stack the two together. Simply stated, b-Alanine makes
creatine work better through a second and independent pathway.
Neuro Coognitizing Substrates
Taurine was included for its antioxidant properties and may be
responsible for the cytoprotective effect that is reported throughout the
literature. Dawson et.al 2002 subjected animals to 90 minutes of strenuous
downhill running after which muscle tissue damage was assessed. The taurine
supplemented group not only showed less extensive tissue damage, but running
performance as assessed by a subjective rating scale was improved. Exercise has
been shown to deplete the muscle content of taurine. In light of its ergogenic
actions, this warrants taurine supplementation during exercise.
A similar experiment in young men showed equal results: After exhaustive
exercise, the taurine group exhibited less cellular damage and enhanced
performance (Zhang et al 2004). Quoting from the study,
“Significant increases were also found in VO(2)max, exercise time to
exhaustion and maximal workload in test with taurine supplementation ( p<0.05).
After supplementation, the change in taurine concentration showed positive
correlations with the changes in exercise time to exhaustion and maximal
workload. The results suggest that taurine may attenuate exercise-induced DNA
damage and enhance the capacity of exercise due to its cellular protective
properties.”
What is even more exciting is that Taurine works extremely well with
glucuronolactone (see above) in aiding mental performance, clarity and reaction
time.
N-Acetyl-L-Glutamine (NAG) is known in foreign countries as an
anti-ulcer support agent that works by forming a protective layer over the
lining of the stomach. It accomplishes this phenomenon by activating a chemical
action that serves as an anti-acid buffer while suppressing the secretion of
pepsin, a protein-digesting enzyme produced in the stomach.
More recent clinical research indicates that NAG has psycho-stimulant
properties while improving memory and the ability to concentrate in persons
showing signs of senile dementia. Chemically speaking, N-Acetyl-L-Glutamine is
the acetylated version of the most abundant amino acid found in skeletal muscle
tissue, which is glutamine. NAG is more stable in water and metabolically
efficient at delivering glutamine’s biological effects over conventional
Glutamine or Glutamine Peptides. As a glutamine donor, NAG has shown great
promise in the treatment of the critically ill, since it supports the immune
system. (Haussinger et al 2001)
Overtraining may lead to immune depression and it has been proposed, but
never conclusively demonstrated in controlled trials, that glutamine could speed
recovery in overworked athletes.
Tyrosine is a nonessential amino acid synthesized in the body from
phenylalanine. It is an important nutritional ingredient and chief factor in the
biosynthesis of the brain neurotransmitters epinephrine, norepinephrine, and
dopamine. As such, Tyrosine has shown great promise to treat depression because
it is a precursor for the neurotransmitters that are responsible for
transmitting nerve impulses. In fact, in one study involving healthy men, after
being fed a deficient phenylalanine/tyrosine diet, the participants experienced
depressed mood and alertness. (Grevet et al.2002).
Tyrosine has been tested on humans for increasing endurance to anxiety
and stress as well as under extreme fatigue. It was further documented in
research studies that tyrosine
supplementation resulted in increased performance over a control group (Avraham
et al. 2001).
Tyrosine is also considered an antioxidant, reacting with free radicals that
can cause damage to cells.
Caffeine is our last and final ingredient which is known as a
competitive inhibitor of the enzyme cAMP-PDE, thus converting cyclic AMP in
cells to its noncyclic form, allowing cAMP to build up. Cyclic AMP participates
in the messaging cascade produced by cells in response to stimulation by
epinephrine, so by blocking its removal caffeine intensifies and prolongs the
effects of the neurotransmitters epinephrine and norepinephrine.
The metabolites of caffeine contribute to caffeine's overall powerful
effects. Theobromine which is considered a vasodilator increases the amount of
oxygen and nutrient flow to the brain and muscles. Theophylline, the second of
the three main metabolites, acts as a smooth muscle relaxant that chiefly
affects the bronchioles and acts as a chronotrope and inotrope thus increasing
heart rate and efficiency. The third metabolic derivative, paraxanthine, is
responsible for an increase in the fat burning process, which releases glycerol
and fatty acids into the blood to be used as a source of fuel by the muscles
(Dews et al. 1984).
Supplement Facts
Serving Size: 17g
Servings Per Container: 50
Amount Per Serving
Cell Hydration Matrix 4g
Dicreatine-Malate, Creatine-Malate, Creatine-Ethyl-Ester HCl
Neuro-Coognitizing Substrates 3.8g
L-Taurine, N-Acetyl-L-Glutamine, L-Tyrosine & Caffeine
Anhydros
Creatine Assimilator 2.5g
Betaine Anhydrous & Glycocyamine, Guanidinopropionic Acid
(3-GPA)
Duralast Matrix
Glucroronolactone & L-Aspartic Acid, b-Alanine
Nitro NO
L-Arginine-Alpha-Ketogluarate & L-Ornithine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
Recommended Use:
Take 1 scoop and mix into 12oz of cold water 30 minutes before your workout
and/or immediately upon awakening.
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