Post Gear – Is This The Ultimate PCT?
Post Gear by none other than 5% Nutrition – Is This The Ultimate PCT? If you’re nearing the end of your “aggressive supplement” cycle, you need to move right into a PCT, or Post Cycle Therapy phase. Doing so will help bring things back into balance and lock in those gains. Post Gear is a great place to start. In this edition of Supplement Spotlight, we’re starting a Brand focus – I will cover several products from popular brands. We’ll begin with a detailed look at this impressive product – so let’s get going!
What Is 5% Nutrition Post Gear?
5% Nutrition Post Gear is a complete PCT formula that has every ingredient you need to bring your natural hormone levels back in line. There are 4 nutrient complexes: Testosterone Boosting Complex, Estrogen Control Complex, Liver Support Complex, and a patented Absorption enhancer. These complexes work synergistically to restore your hormonal balance, which will be out of balance after your aggressive supplement cycle. That means you’ll hang onto most of your gains!
Why Do You Need A PCT?
Jumping off the last sentence, let’s say you’re nearing the end of an 8-10 week aggressive supplement cycle. What happens is that your body’s natural production of testosterone slows down, and when you do reach the end, estrogen and cortisol will be on the rise. If you don’t follow the proper protocol to help bring your natural hormone levels back into balance, you run the risk of losing most of the gains you spent 8 to 10 weeks achieving. We don’t want that!
How Does Post Gear Help?
The key benefit of an exceptional PCT like 5% Nutrition Post Gear is to restore testosterone and estrogen levels back to normal, inhibit cortisol, and support liver health. To get the maximum benefits Post Gear provides, plan on using it as part of a total 8-week program.
| 5% Nutrition Post Gear | PCT cycle should run 6-8 weeks | |
| Benefits | Other PCT Tips | |
| Promotes natural testosteroneproduction | Use compound exercises, liftheavy | |
| Helps maintain your gains | Get 7-10 hours of sleep | |
| Supports liver health | Eat high protein meals | |
| Blocks estrogen | Eat healthy fats (testosterone is synthesizedfrom cholesterol | |
| Inhibits cortisol | Vitamin D – get out in the sun! | |
| Manage stress | ||
| Use the right supplements as listed |
Let’s Look At The Ingredients!
Vitamin D – 5,000 IU
Vitamin D has a number of invaluable benefits beyond promoting healthy bones. One of these benefits is the ability to support natural testosterone production. (1)
Vitamin E – 30 IU
Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that supports testosterone production by protecting the Leydig cells from oxidative damage. What are the Leydig cells, you might ask? The Leydig cells, located in the testes, are the primary source of testosterone in men.
Vitamin B6 – 10.5 mg / Zinc – 30 mg / Magnesium – 70 mg
This combination of nutrients is commonly known as ZMA, which supports the body’s natural production of testosterone.
The primary clinical study that supports this function was conducted for 7 weeks in 2000 using college football players as test subjects. The researchers gave a ZMA supplement to the test subjects.
Each test subject followed a twice-a-day workout regimen. At the end of the study, researchers measured a significant increase in the natural testosterone levels of the test subjects.
TESTOSTERONE BOOSTING COMPLEX
D-Aspartic Acid – 3,120 mg
DAA is a popular natural testosterone booster that will help restore test production to normal. D-Aspartic Acid is one of the more effective natural test boosters available, and Post Gear uses the clinical dose.
There’s one standout study that backs up the effectiveness of DAA. This was a 12 day study that measured as high as a 40% increase in the natural test levels of its test subjects at the end of the 12 days. (2)
Longjack Extract – 300 mg
Longjack is primarily an adaptogen, which means it helps the body deal with stress. In addition, Longjack helps balance the ratio of cortisol to testosterone. That’s important all the time, but it’s especially important during a Post Cycle Therapy phase. Finally, Longjack works with the other ingredients in Post Gear (D-Aspartic Acid, Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin D) to help bring your natural levels of testosterone back to normal. (3)
5a-Hydroxy Laxogenin (Laxosterone®) – 50 mg
This ingredient is a patented, non-hormonal plant-based natural anabolic. Laxosterone works by stimulating your body to make its own steroids. Cool, right? (4)
ESTROGEN CONTROL COMPLEX
Brassaiopsis Glomerulata – 500 mg
This ingredient is actually a shrub that originated in Vietnam. Like many herbal-based ingredients, it has a long history of use in traditional Asian medicine. Among other benefits, this ingredient helps inhibit estrogen. (5)
DIM – 300 mg
Also known as Diindolylmethane, DIM is one of the compounds that make up Indole-3-Carbinol. DIM originates in vegetables such as kale, broccoli, and cauliflower. So what does it do? Glad you asked! DIM helps regulate the metabolism of estrogen.
The way it does that is by helping keep estrogen levels in balance which in turn helps prevent the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. That is a huge benefit! Finally, DIM works together with Brassaiopsis to bring estrogen back to normal levels. (6)
Stinging Nettle – 300 mg
Stinging nettle is also sometimes called Urtica Dioica. It is a plant that has an extended history of use in traditional medicines. It contains an active ingredient called 3,4-Divanillyltetrahydrofuran.
What is that, you might wonder?
It is a lignan that promotes increased levels of free testosterone. For those who may not know, free (also called usable) testosterone is the amount of testosterone that is available for muscle growth. This is a very important benefit that helps to quickly restore your natural test levels. (7)
Acacetin 50 mg
This ingredient originates from the Damiana herb. It inhibits aromatase. For those who may be wondering, aromatase is an enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen. Acacetin works synergistically with Brassaiopsis and DIM to keep levels of estrogen where they should be.
LIVER SUPPORT COMPLEX
Milk Thistle 200 mg
Milk Thistle is one of the most commonly used herbs for liver support. It has been used medicinally for a long time for this purpose due to its active compound called silymarin. It acts as a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. This helps protect liver cells from toxins.
Artichoke 50 mg
Artichoke is in Post Gear because it works with Milk Thistle to promote overall liver health and function.
ABSORPTION
Bioperine® Black Pepper Extract – 5 mg
Black Pepper enhances the absorption of the nutrients it is paired with. And after all, it doesn’t matter how good a product is if absorption is poor. Absorption is the bottom line and this ingredient helps ensure that!
How Do I Use Post Gear?
Based on the recommended serving size of 8 capsules, we suggest taking 4 capsules of Post Gear with 6-8 ounces water with breakfast and the other 4 capsules with 6-8 ounces of water with dinner.
Stack Suggestions
Here are some Stacks centered around 5% Nutrition Post Gear.
Stack # 1
- 5% Nutrition Post Gear
- Hi-Tech Precision Protein – This hydrolyzed whey protein uses a special Hi-Tech technology to optimize protein synthesis by releasing leucine at exactly the right time (the early stages of protein synthesis). Since protein synthesis is a direct trigger of muscle growth, you definitely want this protein powder in your Stack!
- NutraBio Base – A “Core” pre-workout – an effective but streamlined formula at a price you can’t refuse!
- AllMax Nutrition Creatine – This patented micronized creatine is a must-have if you want to hang on to your mass and strength!
- 5% Nutrition Liver & Organ Defender – Supporting the health of all your organs makes a lot of sense.
- AllMax Nutrition VITASTACK – Cover all your basic health needs with this exceptional multi!
Stack # 2
Same as above, but
- Replace NutraBio Base with 5% Nutrition Reloaded – An impressive new version of an old favorite. This Pre is very generously dosed, features an open label, and has a very impressive ingredient list!
Add:
Competitive Edge Labs MPC-185 – Turbocharge protein synthesis stimulation with this powerful dileucine peptide!
Let’s Recap Nutrition and Training Post-Cycle
Even though it’s highlighted in the chart accompanying this article, I want to reap these key areas.
Nutrition
Support your newly acquired muscle mass by eating a high-protein, moderate-carb, moderate-fat (healthy fats – testosterone is synthesized from cholesterol) diet. Choose lean protein sources and consume 50% of your daily carbs (and all of your simple carbs) in the hours around your workout.
Training
Emphasize heavy compound lifts using progressive overload. Perform your lifts over the full range of motion. Use reps in the 5-8 range, and choose a weight that allows you to fail in that range. Use this tempo: 2 second concentric, 4-6 second eccentric, and on your last set of each exercise, a 4 second pause in the position where your muscles are under the most tension. You can also perform a 4 -6 second pause in the mid-range position.
Summary
A great PCT product is essential for any lifter that uses aggressive supplements. These types of compounds work great as far as mass and strength are concerned but at the end of the cycle they suppress your natural production of testosterone, while your estrogen and cortisol levels sky rocket. That means your natural hormones are out of whack, and that’s where Post Gear shines. Also, don’t forget the tips presented in the chart in this article. With that, all that’s left to do is stop by illpumpyouup.com and stock up!
References:
- Pilz, S., Frisch, S., Koertke, H., Kuhn, J., Dreier, J., Obermayer-Pietsch, B., . . . Zittermann, A. (2011, March). Effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone levels in men. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21154195
- Topo, E., Soricelli, A., D’Aniello, A., Ronsini, S., & D’Aniello, G. (2009, October 27)
- Schöttner, M., Gansser, D., & Spiteller, G. (n.d.). Interaction of lignans with human sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9463941
- http://www.laxosterone.com/#lou3
- https://examine.com/supplements/brassaiopsis-glomerulata/
- https://examine.com/supplements/diindolylmethane/#ref32
- Talbott, S. M., Talbott, J. A., George, A., & Pugh, M. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3669033/