Review: Garbage Nuclear Garbage
Note: Nuclear Garbage has been discontinued.
“Nuclear Garbage doesn’t just ‘get you up’ it helps you find another gear when you thought you had already shifted to “wide open”. The energy created is likened to a rabid dog on hot coals. Trust us when we tell you, Nuclear Garbage isn’t for everybody. As a matter of fact, it’s not for many. Think you’re ready for the hard stuff? This is the 100-proof of pre-workout supplements so if your program is the equivalent of a few ‘lite beers’…….think twice.”
What’s in a name? A lot, I guess. Lord knows, there are a ton of pre-workout supps to choose from, but the name of this one, “Nuclear Garbage” got my attention right away. I thought it was pretty catchy… sounded just like a “gross out treat” for grown ups. The day-glo green grunge font and vivid yellow hazard symbol only added to the appeal. Whoever came up with the concept and presentation should take a bow.
But is the stuff inside as interesting as the box itself? Let’s check it out…
Calories 16
Calories From Fat 0
Total Carbohydrate 4g
Dietary Fiber 0g
Sugars 2g
Protein 0g
Sodium 20mg
Potassium 105mg
Thiamin 133%
Niacin 100%
Folate 50%
Vitamin C 570%
Riboflavin 118%
Vitamin B6 100%
Vitamin B12 1,150%
Iodine 2%NUCLEAR-G STAGE 1 DETONATOR™ 1925mg
L-Tyrosine, Glucuronolactone, Caffeine, Phenylalanine, B-Complex Blend, OctacosanolNUCLEAR-G STAGE 2 REACTOR™ 6000mg
Tri-Creatine Citrate, L-Taurine, Citrulline, Beta-Alanine, Glycine, Creatine Ethyl EsterNUCLEAR-G STAGE 3 FUSION™ 5900mg
L-Leucine, Glutamine AKG, A-AKG, Ginkgo Biloba, Pycnogenol, Cnidium Monnier, Green Tomato ExtractOther Ingredients: Maltodextrin, Fructose, Ascorbic Acid, Phenylalanine, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Silicon Dioxide, Glycine, Sucralose, Yellow #5, Salt, Cyanocobalamin
Despite the rad exterior (sorry!), the label doesn’t reveal anything new: Nuclear Garbage contains an array of fairly well-known and characterized nutrients/nutraceuticals. As you can see, they’re divided between several proprietary blends: “Detonator”, “Reactor” and “Fusion”. Here’s how each one breaks down…
STAGE 1 DETONATOR™: L-Tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid synthesized from phenylalanine.
It’s a precursor for several important physiological compounds, including thyroid hormone(s) and the catecholamine neurotransmitters, dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine.
Tyrosine administration has been shown to improve mood and performance under environmental and physical stress.
Glucuronolactone and caffeine are used extensively in energy drinks (e.g., Red Bull). The former is a naturally-occurring metabolite of glucose. The latter, of course, is a central nervous system stimulant compound found in coffee, tea, kola nuts, guarana and yerba mate. Caffeine can enhance exercise performance and has mild thermogenic effects.
Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid and precursor to tyrosine (as well as the neurotransmitters derived from it). L-phenylalanine may also have antidepressant activity via conversion to phenylethylamine (PEA). “B-Complex Blend” refers, of course, to the added B-vitamins. Each of these plays a role in energy metabolism, but are unlikely to be needed if dietary intake is sufficient. Finally, octacosanol is a waxy alcohol derived from sugar cane. It has indirect antioxidant effects and has been touted as a performance enhancer, but there is little data to support its use by athletes.
STAGE 2 REACTOR™: Tri-Creatine Citrate is an alternative form of creatine that’s more soluble than creatine monohydrate (CM). Although it isn’t as extensively researched as CM, a 2007 study demonstrated it was just as well-absorbed and effective for increasing plasma creatine levels. Creatine is often paired with the non-protein amino acid l-taurine, due to the latter’s reputation as a “cell volumizer.” Taurine is an essential metabolite, but the jury is out on its value as a supplement for healthy people.
Citrulline is another non-protein amino acid that can be converted to arginine in the urea cycle. Thus, it’s often included in nitric oxide (NO) supps as the two may work synergistically. Beta-alanine is one-half of the naturally-occurring dipeptide carnosine (beta-alanyl-l-histidine), which—among other functions—helps to buffer hydrogen ions produced during intense muscular contractions. Supplementation has been shown to increase storage of muscle carnosine, reduce muscular fatigue, and improve high intensity athletic performance.
Glycine is a non-essential amino acid occasionally included in supplements as an anti-catabolic and growth-hormone secretagogue, although there is scant evidence of any benefit for athletic performance or body composition. Lastly, creatine ethyl ester is yet-another-alternative to creatine monohydrate, but—despite the hype—isn’t as effective as CM.
STAGE 3 FUSION™: L-Leucine is one of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and is critical for the synthesis of muscle proteins. Glutamine AKG is a combination of the conditionally-essential amino acid, l-glutamine + alpha-ketoglutarate, a TCA-Cycle intermediate. Glutamine is used therapeutically to reduce catabolism, although its performance benefits are overrated. A-AKG is arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, a source of arginine frequently used in NO supps.
Ginkgo biloba is an ancient medicinal herb that’s used to enhance circulation and memory. Pycnogenol is a proprietary extract from French Maritime Pine bark rich in oligomeric procyanidins. It’s a potent antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and vasodilating effects. Cnidium monnieri—or “She Chuang Zi”—is used in Chinese traditional medicine to treat skin disorders and boost libido (which is why Cnidium extracts are found in various “male enhancement” products). Lastly, “green tomato extract” is a source of nicotine and “nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists”. It allegedly enhances muscle growth, although there is zilch science to back up this claim.
Whew!
While Nuclear Garbage isn’t the “busiest” supp I’ve ever reviewed, there’s certainly a lot here… probably too much, when you consider the size of each serving. Truth is, most of the ingredients are useful in some form or fashion, but need to be taken in larger doses to be effective. For example, beta-alanine has been shown to enhance athletic performance in doses >3g/day, but as it’s the 4th ingredient in a 6g blend, it’s highly unlikely there’s enough to make a difference.
Nonetheless, there’s sufficient “room” in each serving for solid doses of SOME of the ingredients, notably the caffeine, B-vites, tri-creatine citrate (according to the company, there are 3g/serving), leucine, ginkgo and pycnogenol. Thus, it looks like it could get the job done.
And so it does… As noted above, it was tough to resist that package, so I picked up a box of the “Citrus Fusion” flavor from Bodybuilding.com. The individual serving packets mixed up fairly well, although dissolution wasn’t 100%… no matter how long/hard I shook it, there was always a small amount of residual, bitter-tasting grit left at the bottom of my shaker bottle. The drink didn’t taste very good, either.
What it lacked in flavor, however, it made up in performance. Although I did not experience the promised “vein-riddled vascularity” and “blood-engorged muscular pumps”, Nuclear Garbage certainly delivered on one label claim: it really did begin to “work within minutes”. The first time I tried it, I actually could feel it kicking in during the drive to the gym. The energy was nice and smooth, too—with no jitters or crash associated with it. While I can’t say that I felt any stronger than usual, I felt an increase in overall stamina—both during and after the workout. The latter is especially important to me, as I hit the gym in the mid-morning, and need to be sharp/productive afterwards.
So, as a pre-workout stimulant, Nuclear Garbage works pretty well. Likewise, it’s a good source of both creatine and leucine—useful for recovery and post-workout anabolism. It falls a little flat in the “maximal muscular performance” part… but then again, I don’t really look to my supps to make or break my workout performance.
Overall, l liked the effects (if not the taste) of Nuclear Garbage, so I’m glad it caught my eye… it’s not perfect, perhaps, but I’d still consider buying it again.
