The Supercharger

The following unsolicited article was written by a strength coach and is about his experiences with a Biotest product, along with some of his athletes' experiences with the same product. If the fact that we dare sell products to keep this website free (and make a living) is too much for you to handle, then please, whatever you do, don't read this article! You've been warned.

However, if you're interested in hearing about a supplement that's a favorite among professional and Olympic athletes, and you'd like to learn about the science behind it, read on!

The Sleeper Hit of the Supplement World

In Hollywood, a "sleeper hit" is a small film that develops a fanatical, cult-like following, despite the fact that it didn't do that well at the box office. Sleeper hits are usually great movies that were just kinda lost among the special effect-laden blockbusters of the season. Fight Club is a good example.

In the business of making supplements, the biggest "sleeper hit" of all time is Power Drive, a neurotransmitter product designed to boost physical and mental performance. This supplement has become a secret favorite of professional and Olympic athletes as well as college students who use it to cram for an exam or when taking important tests that require them to be mentally "on."

Despite all of this, Power Drive is often overlooked in a conversation about the most effective legal supplements. Power Drive (or PD as its fans call it) often takes a backseat to the multitude of revolutionary products available. And you know what? That's a darn shame! I'll tell you right away that I believe that Power Drive is one of the top five supplements of all time.

So why is PD so often overlooked if it's so good? Well, for starters it's not a "kick in the pants" supplement. It doesn't contain caffeine or ephedrine so you don't "feel" it a whole lot, at least at normal dosages. When people don't "feel" a supplement, they often believe (erroneously) it's not doing anything in their body.

This demand for an overwhelming "feeling" has often led some sleazy supplement makers to stick caffeine or ephedrine in a product where there's no logical reason for its inclusion. For example, there are some "andro" products on the market with "E" and "C" thrown in. Why? So newbies will "feel it" and think it's doing something. (While helpful for fat loss, E and C do almost nothing for muscle gain, except for use as pre-workout stimulants.)

Another reason PD is often lost in the shuffle is because (at normal dosages at least), it doesn't give you a pronounced single effect. It often seems that we only notice the big ass effects and neglect those little things that really make a huge difference. It's true that Power Drive doesn't have a single pronounced effect, however, it does have a myriad of smaller benefits which can add up to a significant difference not only in your workouts, but in your life in general! Power Drive not only makes you a better lifter, it makes you a better human.

No, this isn't going to be an endless prayer to the Power Drive gods. When I use strong words and praise a supplement, I don't just pull my opinion out of thin air! There's good science and practical experience behind what I'm saying. I'll present the info and then you can make up your own mind on the efficacy of Power Drive. To make things easier to understand, I divided the benefits of Power Drive into three categories:

1. Mental performance and psychological well-being
2. Physical performance
3. Sexual performance (yes, really!)

Let's take a closer look at each.

Mental Performance and Psychological Well-being

This is Power Drive's most underrated benefit. Most people want something that makes them stronger or bigger, not something that makes them simply feel better. Too bad for them, because they just missed the boat!

I believe there's a strong correlation between feeling good and performing well; any competitive athlete can back me up on this. When you feel confident, well-grounded, and focused, you have a much greater chance of athletic success. Think about it, did you ever go to the gym during mid-terms week, all stressed out and worried about the outcome of the tests? Or maybe after a tough breakup with the woman of your life? How about after being fired from a job? Did you have good workouts during those times? Did you gain a lot of strength or size? Of course not! A negative mindset isn't conducive to productive workouts. If anything you regressed quite a bit. So in that regard, Power Drive can indirectly affect the quality of your workouts (and thus your gains) by improving your mood!

But why stop here? Besides improving your mood, Power Drive has several benefits as far as mental performance is concerned. We're talking about improved memory, more focus, a higher level of alertness, faster information retrieval, and more effective adaptation to stress. In fact, Power Drive should be sold as a nootropic agent – a genuine brain booster!

Here's what science says about each of PD's ingredients when it comes to cognitive and psychological issues:

Ginkgo Biloba

• Leads to an electrophysiological activation of the CNS (central nervous system) similar to nootropic agents and the marketed drug "tacrine." (1)
• Has a dose-dependant effect in the "quality of memory" factor (clearer, more precise memory). (2)
• "Very significantly" (words of the scientist) improves short-term memory. (3)
• Leads to a significant improvement in the speed of information processing in the working memory. (4)
• Increases the speed and quality of response to mental tasks. (5)
• Leads to a sustained improvement in attention in healthy individuals. (6)
• Has cholinergic actions, which can increase acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter) release. (7)
• May help attenuating anxiety, thus acting as an anti-stress buffer. (20)

DMAE

• Can increase acetylcholine formation. (8, 9, 10, 17)
• Increases CNS activity; improves vigilance and mood. (11)
• Can help individuals with Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD) and improve behavior. (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
• Can improve mental focus.
• Significantly improves working memory performance and choice accuracy. (18)

Phosphatidylcholine

• Significantly improves memory. (19)
• Can increase acetylcholine production.

L-Tyrosine

• L-Tyrosine is a precursor of several important neurotransmitters such as L-dopa, dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. (21, 22, 23)
• Can help people with depression. (21)
• Can improve cognitive (mental) performances when under stressful situations as well as resistance to stress. (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)

Vitamin B6 – Pyridoxine

• B6 is required by the nervous system and it's needed for normal brain function.

As you can see, Power Drive as a whole can be a very potent nootropic agent. It significantly improves many mental capacities, mood, and the ability to resist stress. In practice I've seen it work wonders! I am myself an avid Power Drive user and I put several clients on it. Many of my clients are university students and Power Drive has been invaluable to them (hey, it's sometimes difficult to study hard when you're an elite athlete).

Physical Performance

Improved functioning and more readily available neurotransmitters invariably lead to better motor performance because, after all, all motor commands (except reflexes) must originate from the nervous system. Furthermore, as I already mentioned, being in a good mood can help you train harder. And finally, when you have a greater capacity to resist and adapt to stress, you can perform better in a competitive environment.

Here's some additional info on how the ingredients of PD can affect physical performance:

Ginkgo Biloba

• Can reduce the stress-induced and exercise-induced rise in blood pressure. (30)
• May reduce cortisol release during periods of physical and psychological stress. Remember, cortisol is the "muscle wasting" hormone. (30)
• Can considerably improve balance (equilibrium) by improving oculomotor (e.g. eye/hand coordination) and vestibular (situated in the inner ear) function. (31)

DMA

• Can probably improve physical performance via an increase in work capacity and maximal oxygen consumption. (32)

L-Tyrosine

• Reduces blood pressure induced by stress. (23, 26, 28)
• Can, anecdotally at lease, cause a rapid but transient increase in strength.

As you can see, Power Drive gives you a double physical performance punch: it increases performance indirectly by improving CNS function and mood, and also directly via the activity of Ginko, DMAE and L-Tyrosine!

Sexual Performance

This last area of performance enhancement was a tad surprising to me. I actually "discovered" it a while ago. I had a very heavy day: in the morning I had an exam in applied biomechanics for my M.Sc. degree, in the afternoon I had a rather inhuman training session, and in the evening I had yet another exam, this time in psychophysiology and the neuromotor apparatus! Needless to say, when I came home to the little miss, I expected my own little boy to be in, well, sub-par condition.

But lo and behold I was actually unstoppable! I was wondering how that could happen after all that mental and physical stress, both of which can even lead to impotence in some men. It came to me that the only thing outside the ordinary I did was take three servings of Power Drive during the day, one for each exam and one for my training session.

Honestly, I was skeptical that PD was the cause of my new god-like status in the bedroom, so I doubtfully entered the arena of research to see if there was something going on. Here's what I found out:

General Facts About the Erectile Mechanism

• The erection process is mediated via several neurotransmitters. (33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
• Penile vasodilatation (which improves the capacity to get an erection) is stimulated by nitric oxide, acetylcholine, dopamine and oxytocin. These help relax the penile tissue and are said to have a facilitating role in the erection process. (33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
• Penile vasoconstriction (which reduces the capacity to get an erection) is stimulated by enkephalins, noradrenalin and endothelins. These are contractants which reduce the capacity to get an erection (that's why some individuals have problems getting a full erection when using a lot of fat burners or cocaine). (33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
• The sodium-potassium balance also has an influence on the capacity to achieve erections.
• It's the balance between the relaxants and contractants that determines the functional state of the penis. If you have a lot more relaxants, you'll get a harder, more durable erection, and it'll be easier to get a boner to begin with. (33, 34, 35, 36, 37)

So What Can Power Drive Do To Help?

• PD significantly increases the production and level of acetylcholine (7, 8, 9, 10, 17) and dopamine (21, 22, 23)
• Acetylcholine and dopamine are facilitating agents in the erectile process.
• Vitamin B6 is involved in the regulation of sodium-potassium balance. (The sodium-potassium balance plays a role in the erectile process.)
• While it's true that Power Drive also stimulates the production of norepinephrine (which can be an inhibiting agent), the balance of facilitating agents and inhibiting agents is positive, which can help significantly in the erectile process. (You know, if I ever start a punk band, I'm going to call it "The Erectile Process.")
• Don't get me wrong, Power Drive isn't a natural form of Viagra! It won't have any mind blowing effects; however, it does play a facilitating role which can improve your sexual performance, especially when combined with a good tribulus product.

Dosing Options

Recently there's been a surge in people using PD after Tim Patterson talked about heavyweight boxer David Tua using it as part of his supplement regimen.

"The Quietman" took it before training and a double dose before the big fight. (He ended up knocking Michael Moorer out in 30 seconds.) Many tried this and noticed a huge improvement compared to using a single dose.

While a single dose works very well, you may consider trying the "Tua stack" on days when you really need a mental or physical boost. Just take two doses of Power Drive in cold water and add 200mg of caffeine. You can get the caffeine from diet soda, a cup of coffee, or Vivarin-type tablets. For optimal results, take on an empty stomach and avoid caffeine usage at other times. Save it for when you really need it!

Strength coach Charles Staley is also an avid fan of Power Drive and has his athletes take it with club soda. Charles believes the fizzy club soda increases stomach acidity, which in turn increases absorption. There's no definitive proof regarding club soda's enhancing effects, so all I can tell you to do is try it and see for yourself. However, many on the T-mag forum confirm better results when mixing PD with club soda. It tastes pretty good too!

T-mag assistant editor Chris Shugart also compared Power Drive to a couple of different prescription "smart drugs" which, being a Texan, he's had to experiment with over the years. (Just kidding, Chris!) He reported that PD outperformed most of these drugs when it came to mental/psychological effects. Chris did note that dosage suggestions vary wildly within the smart drug community and he was only using the average recommended dosage of each when testing. Still, he said that as long as Power Drive is around, he doesn't feel the need to experiment further with the pharmaceutical end of the spectrum.

Lastly, it's safe to use PD daily without cycling. It may even work better the more you use it, although you may want to save double servings for special occasions only.

Conclusion

I define Power Drive as a whole-body enhancer. It can significantly improve many psychological, mental, physical and sexual capacities. It doesn't hit you over the head like a potent ephedrine/caffeine stack when it comes to felt energy, but for those of us who want to supercharge our whole body it's certainly a good choice.

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