Brand: Physique Enhancing Science
Cost: $27.99. Not yet released in the UK but i expect it’ll cost around £35
Rating: 9/10
Servings: 40 single microscoop servings
Reviews:
Enhanced is the new pre-workout from Florida based company, Physique Enhancing Science. I have never been a huge pre-workout user, the only previous experience being a tub of Driven Sports Craze last summer, which I initially enjoyed but felt the benefits wore off and eventually the side effects were too extreme to make me want to buy it again, such as difficulty sleeping even 6 hours after dosing, or the reduced appetite in the post workout window, which is not ideal!
However, PES are a company that have a range of elite tried and tested products out there, so when they entered the pre-workout market I felt Enhanced must be something good. They had an outstanding pre-sale, so I got the Enchanced and a bottle of their infamous “Erase” supplement, which i’ll review in a few weeks, for around $30. Luckily I had a family member who could bring me the products back from overseas.
There is plenty of information about the ingredients on the web, so I won’t repeat the purported benefits, i’ll just comment on things that stood out to me as a potentially potent combination. L-Leucine nitrate combines one of the more effective branched chain amino acids bonded with nitrate, which serves to induce blood vessel dilation and promotes nutrient absorption. Enhanced also contains nPYE, which is purported to be a derivative of the popular yohimbe bark, without the side effects. I myself have tried yohimbe bark in the past and felt like I was going to faint, so I was eager to try this extract. Finally, there is agmatine, which has a long list of reported benefits, including delaying the breakdown of nitric oxide, as a pain reducer (important during those tough sets!), and even increases LH signalling which signals testosterone production. So as a blend, there are many purposeful ingredients.
The blend mixes easily with a spoon and there are no lumps. Some ingredients will settle, but with this type of product you are best to stir and then drink straight away so this isn’t a problem. The flavour is fantastic, it reminds me of the class american fruit punch flavour. The product is sweetened with sucralose only, which is rare for a US company it seems. The flavour definitely covers any bitterness from the ingredients.
It was suggested to start with 1 scoop to assess tolerance, but as I hadnt used any pre-workouts for over 6 months, I thought this may be too potent for me, and it was. In fact, I felt somewhat nauseous and also had a mild headache during my workout. I spoke to the helpfull PES reps on the anabolic minds forum, and they suggested that the leucine nitrate can cause this effect initially if you have no tolerance to it. They suggested I try 1/2 a scoop, and this is the dose i’ve used throughout the whole tub. 1/2 a scoop gives a subtle energy, it kicks in about 20 minutes in, there are no jitters, just a smooth focus I find. This is exactly what I use pre-workouts for, you get out of work feeling tired and just need a gentle kick. The pump is fantastic without being painfull, and I feel Enhanced gives a little more fire throughout lifting sets. I did try a scoop before jiu jitsu, but found intense cardio is a little bit too heart-beat heavy, so wouldn’t recommend this. After the workout, your appetite is not supressed at all, and while I initially did feel myself lieing in bed with a faster heart beat when I took too high a dose, i’ve had no issues since going to 1/2 a scoop. I definitely cannot complain, its allowed me to get 80 servings from the tub, and have therefore been using the product for months. The effects have stayed consistent, which is fantastic after my experience with DS Craze.
Would I purchase again? Definitely. Apparently the other flavour, Blue Razz, is even better, so I would aim to try this one next. I’ll wait until I visit the US to purchase, as it has not been released in the UK yet, and apparently the formula will change slightly as yohimbe is not permitted in this country. Hopefully this doesn’t affect how good the product is though, and i’m sure PES will make up for this with another ingredient.
