Manufacturer description
Fierce was created primarily with the goal of increasing endurance and strength by helping the athlete lift heavier weights and exercise at greater intensity. SAN’s Fierce is excellent at reducing fatigue. Let’s take a look at the composition of our product and describe the contribution of each component to the overall effect of the supplement. The proprietary blend is made up of five separate parts, each of which enhances the action of the other ingredients.
Cell Hydration Matrix – matrix of cellular hydration
Of all the ingredients in SAN’s Fierce, the most familiar to athletes is likely to be creatine , which comes in various forms . A large number of studies have shown that creatine leads to increased strength and athletic performance. There are several theories that explain the mechanism of action of creatine, the most likely of which is that creatine increases the concentration of creatine phosphate in skeletal muscles , accelerating the recovery of ATP , the body’s main energy substrate.
Recently, creatine has also been shown to increase muscle glycogen and accelerate the synthesis of myosin (muscle contractile protein) heavy chains (Nelson et al. 2001). Creatine enhances the secretion of insulin-like growth factor . (Deldicque et al 2005)
Why does Fierce contain creatine malate ? The fact is that malate is a key mediator in the so-called tricarboxylic acid cycle, which provides the entire body with energy. It is the tricarboxylic acid cycle that synthesizes new ATP molecules. During prolonged aerobic activity, the body needs increased amounts of malate, which can come in the form of creatine malate.
Creatine Ethyl Ester is another form of creatine that is currently one of the most popular. The main difference between creatine ethyl ester and monohydrate is that the creatine molecule is not bound with water, but with ether. Creatine monohydrate , entering the digestive tract, quickly loses a water molecule and turns into a metabolic by-product – creatinine, which is useless for muscles. Despite the fact that creatinine is a natural waste product in the body, in bodybuilding it can represent a number of unwanted actions. Creatine that is combined with an ether molecule does not contain water and does not convert to creatinine. Creatine Ester does not cause digestive problems.
Nitro NO – nitric oxide
One of the key factors in controlling the lumen of blood vessels found in SAN’s Fierce is nitric oxide (NO). In the body, nitric oxide is synthesized from the amino acid – arginine . When nitric oxide interacts with the vessel wall, it begins to relax, resulting in increased lumen and increased blood flow. Skeletal muscles require large amounts of blood, which carries a lot of nutrients and oxygen, and also detoxifies the muscles of metabolic products. For this reason, arginine has been included in the Fierce to provide powerful post-workout pumping , as well as improving muscle nutrition and recovery. Arginine alpha-ketoglutarateAccording to some reports, it is better absorbed in the intestine than the simple form of arginine. Arginine alpha-ketoglutarate is widely used in sports nutrition and is even used for medical purposes.
Creatine Assimilator – creatine assimilator (assimilation enhancer)
Glycocyamine and Guanidinopropionic Acid are added to Fierce because they have the same effect as insulin – they lower blood glucose levels and accelerate creatine transport. (Meglasson et al 1993) This ability appears to be associated with increased expression of GLUT-4, the main glucose transporter (Ren 1993). In addition, glycocyamine is able to convert itself into creatine in the liver, thereby creating an additional source, in addition to creatine malate and creatine ethyl ester.
Betaine anhydrous is a powerful agent for lowering toxic waste products, homocysteine. Scientists have confirmed that betaine lowers homocysteine levels by an average of 20% from baseline (Olthof et al 2005). It has also been demonstrated that betaine can accelerate exercise recovery and reduce muscle fatigue by utilizing lactic acid more quickly.
Duralast Matrix
Duralast Fierce Matrix includes glucoronolactone, a natural substance that is synthesized in the body during the utilization of glucose. It is added to many energy drinks such as Red Bull. Glucoronolactone has a stimulating effect, it can increase endurance and improve mental concentration. Glucoronolactone is a direct precursor of taurine . Research has shown that glucoronolactone is able to relieve sleepiness and fatigue (Reyner et al 2002).
L-Aspartic Acid is a nonessential amino acid that is synthesized primarily from glutamate. This amino acid is believed to repair the DNA of muscle cells and regulate carbohydrate metabolism. It is used to transport magnesium and potassium to all cells in the body. L- aspartic acid is also a neurotransmitter that stimulates the central nervous system.
Beta-alanine is a precursor to carnosine . Carnosine is a powerful reducing agent that neutralizes aggressive hydrogen ions, which are a major cause of muscle damage during exercise. Beta-alanine and carnosine have been shown to reduce muscle fatigue by eliminating intercellular acidosis (Tallon et al 2004-2005). In fact, this SAN Fierce ingredient prevents muscle damage and accelerates muscle recovery by buffering the environment and potentiating the effects of creatine.
Neuro Coognitizing Substrates – Neurocoordinating Blend
Taurine is found in Fierce as a powerful antioxidant . Taurine protects cells from oxidative stress as demonstrated in animal studies (Dawson et.al 2002). Experienced animals that took taurine had less muscle damage after exercise, and most interestingly, their physical performance was better than in the other group. Taurine has a pronounced ergogenic effect, it increases endurance and improves brain activity. More recently, a similar study was conducted in humans, in which it was determined that taurine has a similar effect on humans (Zhang et al 2004).
N-acetylglutamine (NAG) forms a protective coating on the inner surface of the digestive tract by neutralizing acid and inhibiting pepsin secretion. Acetylglutamine is more stable than regular glutamine . In the body, acetylglutamine is converted into glutamine, which is part of the muscles, suppresses catabolism and stimulates the production of growth hormone . Acetylglutamine, as a source of glutamine, stimulates the immune system, protecting the body from infections (Haussinger et al 2001).
Caffeine is perhaps the most popular stimulant used in bodybuilding.
Tyrosine is another important component of Fierce, an amino acid that is synthesized in the body from phenylalanine . It is an important modulator of the brain, which has a pronounced stimulating effect. Several mediators of the central nervous system are synthesized from tyrosine.
How to take Fierce
Stir 1 scoop in a glass of cold water. Drink 30 minutes before training and in the morning immediately after waking up. (We do not recommend taking Fierce anytime other than pre-workout, as the supplement is most effective at this point; the rest of the time, it is better to take creatine monohydrate , arginine , glutamine, and other supplements).
Do not exceed 1 scoop at a time or more than 2 scoops per day. Take a break between meals for at least 6 hours. Do not use after 6 pm as this may cause insomnia.
Fierce side effects
As noted above, Fierce includes beta-alanine and can sometimes cause paresthesia (skin tingling) that usually subsides within 30 minutes of taking the supplement. These sensations are not harmful to health, therefore, they are only formally referred to as a side effect.
For the rest, from side effects, indigestion, headache, mild nausea and some others may rarely occur. All side effects are reversible and quickly disappear after the supplement is discontinued.
Expert Assessment
The manufacturer has listed all the positive aspects of Fierce from SAN, but we, in turn, will try to analyze the additive more objectively and provide the most reliable and objective information. Fierce SAN is not a panacea, and like all pre-workout complexes, it has its drawbacks:
- The supplement includes Creatine Ethyl Ester – as shown by independent studies, this form of creatine is ineffective and much worse in its properties than creatine monohydrate . I am glad that another form is included in the composition – creatine malate, which compensates for the shortcomings of the previous form and does not lag behind the monohydrate in terms of effectiveness. The dosage of creatine is sufficient.
- The dosage of arginine is quite low, although it should be sufficient for a pre-workout intake. At other times of the day, it is advisable to take additional servings of arginine.
- Another advertising profanation is acetyl-glutamine , which is positioned as a more advanced version of glutamine. Independent research has refuted this claim.
- Glucoronolactone and aspartic acid, which are part of the Duralast Fierce complex, are virtually useless in bodybuilding and are included only for “beauty”, at the same time, beta-alanine is really an effective reducing agent.
From all of the above, we can conclude that the shortcomings of the Fierce SAN are not critical, at the same time, the holistic composition really works well, which is confirmed by practice and the reviews of athletes. For this reason, Fierce is in the TOP of the best pre-workout complexes and gets a good final rating
