5% Nutrition Full As F*ck

Why would I take a product called “Full as F*ck” you ask? Well, obvs because I am very committed to this j̶o̶b̶ hobby, but also because this is actually just a questionably named, stimulant-free pre-workout.

Even though I am routinely required to work late into the night for my “day” job, I’ve never been big on caffeine. Moreover, I usually gym later in the evening, and can’t take any stimulant based pre-works without sacrificing what precious little sleep time I have. This is why I’m always on the lookout for good, non-stim pre workouts, regardless of how questionable they sound…

The Product Summary

• 📋 Product: 5% Nutrition Full as F*ck

• 🥛 Type: Pre workout (pump)

• 👄 Flavour: Fruit Punch / Southern Sweet Tea

• 💰 Price: £24.75

• ⚖️ Weight: 360 grams

• 🥄 Servings: 30 scoops

The TLDR

Really good pump product that does exactly what it says on the tin. The Fruit Punch flavour was alright and definitely drinkable. I liked this so much that I bought (and obviously finished) a second tub of the much better tasting Southern Sweet Tea. Enough said?

The Macros

🔥 0 Calories
💪 0g Protein
🍬 0g Carbs (0g sugar)
🛢️ 0g Fat (0g saturated)

The Brand

This is Rich Piana - who is full as f*ck fo sho - Image from 5% Nutrition

For regular viewers of bodybuilding content, Rich Piana needs no introduction. If you don’t know, Rich was HUGE in the fitness community, in every sense of the word. Before his tragic death in 2017, his “no nonsense”, extreme, honest, and sometimes vulgar videos were immensely popular. His youtube channel still has a host of Vlogs detailing his training programme, extreme diet / lifestyle, and even his steroid use. Ironically, even though Rich Piana founded 5% Nutrition, he was adamantly against supplements (in particular protein powders), and much preferred real food. (I will point out that he was very pro-supplements when he was sponsored by Mutant etc….)

This is probably why initially, 5% Nutrition didn’t make protein powders, and focused on pre-workouts, carb sources, and other products. However, since Rich’s death, the company has gotten into making proteins, although true to Rich’s values, these are all from whole food sources. Today, the company has a wide variety of products spanning the entire spectrum of supplements from sleep aids (named “knocked the f*ck out”…) to meal replacements. If you wanted, you could easily get all your standard supplements from 5% Nutrition.

As for the name “5%", apparently this is a reference to the "5% of us who are willing to give whatever it takes to reach their goals."

The EFFECT

Right off the bat, I can say that this definitely does what it says on the tin. While you don’t experience the same level “tingliness” associated with higher stimulant pre-workouts, once you get into the lifting it becomes immediately apparent that the supplement is working. While I experienced limited strength gains, I did experience a noticeable improvement in endurance.

With regards to the pump, this is one of the best products I’ve tried to date. For background, my workouts typically consists of 3 - 4 exercises per body part, 3 - 4 sets per exercise at 12 - 15 reps. The level of pump I was able to achieve training with this product is night and day vs. training without.

I found this to be especially helpful when training back, a body part which I’ve always had some difficulty developing that “mind muscle connection”. With the added benefits of this pump enhancing product, I could really “feel” the muscles working. On high-volume leg days, the pump I got really was quite insane. I didn’t actually take any measurements so take this with a pinch of salt, but visually my legs (quads) looked a lot bigger after working out on Full as F*ck.

I also shared a few scoops of this with my personal trainer, and he reported the same effects I did.

The Longevity

As some of you will have experienced, sometimes pre-workouts can lose their effectiveness after a while. Incidentally, this is one of the reasons why supplement companies will often reccomend cycling a certain product for 6 - 8 weeks, before taking a month or two off. Happy to report that I did not experience any declines in the effectiveness of Full as F*ck. I used this 3 times a week, and over the 4 - 5 months it took me to finish 2 tubs, I didn’t have any noticable difference in the effectiveness.

The Taste

Unlike with protein powders, I usually DGAF about how a pre-workout tastes. Maybe it’s because I think of pre-workouts as being a performance enhancer and protein powders as more like “food”, but I find it pretty easy to chug an artificial / overly sweet / chemical tasting pre.

Luckily for me, the taste of Full as F*ck wasn’t too bad at all. While I didn’t like the Fruit Punch (now that I think about it, I generally dislike fruit punch…), I appreciated that the flavour was not overly sweet or artificial. Again, not my favourite but probably a 6 / 10. The Southern Sweet Tea flavour was significantly better, and actually tasted somewhat like iced tea. Solid 8 / 10 for me.

The powder mixed without any issues, and a few shakes in a shaker or water bottle did the trick for me.

Told y’all I bought 2 tubs…..

The Formula

So as the name suggests, Full as F*ck is designed to enhance the “pump” that you feel from weight training. Pump products work by increasing nitric oxide (NO) levels in the body, which causes blood vessels to widen - thereby increasing blood flow to muscles and shuttling in nutrients and oxygen. This can also stimulate the release of certain hormones, such as insulin and human growth hormone. More often than not, NO products also contain ingredients that combat fatigue and improve athletic performance.

Encouragingly, Full as F*ck contains a number of fully disclosed nitric oxide and cell volume enhancing ingredients, including the following: (this is a long list, so feel free to skip)

L-Citrulline - 4 Grams
One of the two most common nitric oxide supplements (the other being L-arginine), L-Citrulline is an amino acid found in meat, nuts, legumes, and watermelon. In the body, citrulline is used in the production of arginine, and arginine helps stimulate nitric-oxide production. The reason many supplements have dropped arginine is because arginine is subject to a more rigorous path of digestion, and therefore is takes longer to become effective / can be less efficient overall

A lot of other companies use Citrulline Malate (instead of the natural form of citrulline), and while there is some (new) research to suggest that this is promising, the general consensus is that you need more citrulline malate to achieve the same effect as citrulline on its own. At 4 grams per scoop, this offers a very a very generous amount of L-Citrulline. 

L-Taurine - 2 Grams
Taurine is an amino acid found predominantly in the brain, heart, and skeletal muscles of the body. Taurine reduces the nerve impulses in the brain that increase blood pressure, thereby reducing resistance to blood flow. Additionally, Taurine acts to increase muscle cell volume by helping to draw water into the muscles. Taurine is increasingly popular in energy drinks, and for reference 1 250-ml can of redbull contains 1g of Taurine.

At 2g per scoop, this is again a very highly dosed ingredient.

AgmaMax Agmatine Sulfate - 1 Gram
Agmatine is derived from L-arginine and is sometimes used in the treatment of neuropathic pain and drug addiction. It also protects the brain from toxins and strokes. The primary reason to supplement with agmatine is because it regulates elevated levels of nitric oxide, and can extend the effects of a “pump”

Glycerol Monostearate - 1 Gram
Glycerol Monostearate is a natural hydrating supplement that increases muscle cell volume by binding with and pulling water into the muscles. This has also been shown to increase levels of endurance

Dan-Shen Extract - 650 mg
Also known as Red Sage, this is a chinese medicine that supposedly increases circulation and widens blood vessels. Not a lot of research on this one I’m afraid, but there also do not appear to be any negative side-effects to this.

Beet Root Powder - 500 mg
Research has indicated that Beet Root increases blood flow because of the high levels of nitrates it contains. Additionally, Beet Root improves exercise performance and lowers levels of fatigue.(6)

L-Norvaline - 250 mg
L-Norvaline is an amino acid that blocks an enzyme which inhibits NO prodcution. While this is very commonly used in supplements, there is some new research which suggests this could be linked to neurodegenerative diseases. I couldn’t get access to the article published by the University of Technology Sydney, and am slightly worried by this. But, provided you’re not downing 2 scoops a day for weeks on end, I personally don’t think one should be overly concerned by this.

BioPerine® Black Pepper Extract - 5 mg
Black Pepper Extract significantly improves the absorption of the other nutrients paired with it. This increased absorption translates to enhanced activation of ingredients, and is therefore used in a lot of supplements.

The Versatility

Not a whole lot to say here unfortunately…. I only mixed this with water, and didn’t attempt to blend this with fruit / juice. Leaving the versatility section here for formatting consistency!

The Pricing

I found this online at a number of reputable retailers for £25 per tub. At 30 servings per tub, this is a very affordable pre, particularly as you’re unlikely to need more than 1 scoop. I really liked this product, and would have no problem reccomending this even at a higher price point.

The Verdict

Overall, this is one of the best pump products I’ve used. I think Full as F*ck is effectively dosed, fairly priced, and it’s stimulant free nature fits in well with my needs. Definitely give this a go if you’re looking for a stimulant free pre-workout.