5% Nutrition Full As F*ck: Rich Piana’s Stim-Free Pump Pre Workout

When it comes to getting that skin-ripping pump that makes you feel like you can keep on lifting for hours, nobody does it quite like 5% Nutrition. Rich Piana, the late founder of 5% Nutrition, was all about the pump — using hardcore strategies like all-day arm workouts and carb loading taken to extreme levels, Rich recognized that the blood flow that resulted from a good pump would help to maximize gains.

5 Percent Nutrition’s Full as F*CK, part of their Legendary Series, is a stimulant-free pre-workout pump supplement that provides Rich Piana level pumps with 5 grams of L-Citrulline and far more!

This is the thesis that 5% Nutrition brought to bear when they formulated FULL AS F*CK, and doubly so when they upgraded it to legendary status with larger doses of citrulline and glycerol.

Meant to be taken solo or in tandem with either KILL IT or KILL IT RELOADED, you’re certainly not going to feel deflated as you hit those PRs.

FULL AS F*CK: The 5% Nutrition Stim-Free Pre in their Legendary Series

While KILL IT’s formula has remained the same, even when transitioning to the new 5% Legendary Series white tubs, FULL AS F*CK was indeed due for some overhaul. It’s now here, bringing more citrulline and glycerol than ever before, but keeping the unique Dan Shen root extract.

The label is updated and covered below, but don’t forget to see our 5% Nutrition news alerts below, there’s more major news on the way:

Full as F*CK Ingredients (Legendary Series white tubs)

• L-Citrulline – 5,000 mg

  

  More citrulline, more pumps! 5% Nutrition’s Full as F*ck is now in Legendary status!

  When it comes to proven nitric oxide (NO) boosters, it doesn’t get much better than pure L-Citrulline. It’s long replaced L-arginine as the “go-to” amino for increased NO production thanks to its greater bioavailability in the body.^[1] What’s interesting is that it works by helping the body generate more L-arginine,^[2] it just does it in a way that avoids L-arginine’s premature digestion,^[3,4] so that the L-arginine can then go on to generate more nitric oxide the way we’d always hoped.

  Greater N.O. production not only enhances blood flow to your muscles, but also gives a stellar pump in the process. Citrulline is also a pretty good endurance booster in part due its role as an intermediary in the Krebs Cycle.^[5-7]

  Citrulline also helps prevent ammonia buildup in muscles, which can negatively impact athletic performance. It can enhance overall ATP production (and thus endurance) which provides more “staying power” into the latter portions of your workouts.^[1,8]

  With the new Legendary Series, Citrulline has been bumped up to 5 grams from 4. This is nearly double the clinical dose, so you can expect a scoop to hit hard.

  But don’t let us rag on L-arginine too much. Later on, we have an improved form of arginine that will work as it was originally intended, providing a one-two NO boost that will get further amplified by beetroot.

• L-Taurine – 2,000 mg

  

  There’s pumps, and there’s Rich Piana pumps. Be smart and choose the latter.

  When it comes to pump supplements, big fellas like Rich Piana aren’t only about blood-bound nitric oxide pumps — they’re also about cell volumization through hydration. The next two ingredients hit that angle home, by helping the body retain more water in and between the cells.

  Taurine is an osmolyte that facilitates healthy water transfer and storage,^[9] and it’s considered conditionally essential, since our bodies can generate it but we do a hell of a lot better when we have extra. In 5% Nutrition terms, that means it’s essential, because we’re not about to waste time and performance waiting for our bodies to generate taurine molecules when we can just take it ourselves.

  This is why it’s also in ALL DAY YOU MAY, whose Legendary Series upgrade we’ve recently covered as well.

  The end result of having more water retention on hand is the hydration and cellular hydration (“water pumps!”),^[9] nearly immediately improved endurance,^[10] a cognitive boost,^[11] and we’ve even seen nitric oxide amplifying benefits from taurine supplementation!^[12]

  However, our hydration duo is only half done:

• GlycerSize (65% Glycerol Powder) – 2,000 mg

  

  Blueberry lemonade anyone? Maybe, but that Push Pop flavor may have something to say about it…

  Part two of our hydration duo is a sugar alcohol known as glycerol, which is used for numerous purposes in the body. However, when we supplement more, the molecule is able to increase total body water volume and general water retention.^[13]

  We call this effect “hyperhydration”.^[14] With better hydration (especially when paired with taurine), we often see improvements in endurance and thermoregulation — so long as you take it with enough water.^[15-17] With Rich Piana followers slinging their two gallon milk jug full of water and four scoops of ALL DAY YOU MAY, we’re confident that hydration isn’t a problem.

  But what’s even cooler is that multiple studies have shown reduced urine output when using glycerol for these hydrating purposes! We document this in our article titled “Urination at Night?! Add GLYCEROL to Your Sleep Aid!”^[18]

  So if you’re sick of going to the bathroom too often during your all day arm day, consider keeping your fluids inside with FULL AS F*CK’s glycerol!

• Nitrosigine (Inositol-Stabilized Arginine Silicate) – 500 mg

  Remember up above when we discussed L-citrulline converting to L-arginine to generate more nitric oxide, yet working better than taking L-arginine directly?^[1] While that’s true, a company named Nutrition21 worked hard to solve the arginine bioavailability problem by inventing Nitrosigine, which is a world-class nitric oxide supplement that uses “inositol-stabilized arginine silicate”.

  

  The Legendary Series at 5% Nutrition just got a boost

  More specifically, this is a patented complex of arginine combined with inositol and potassium silicate.^[19] All combined, L-arginine’s bioavailability becomes significantly better and less likely to be prematurely metabolized by the digestive system before it can yield nitric oxide.^[20]

  At higher doses, we’ve seen 1.5 grams of Nitrosigine yield comparable results to 8 grams of citrulline malate, giving us a more space-efficient NO boosting ingredient.^[21] 5% Nutrition, of course, decided to use both citrulline and Nitrosigine.

  The biggest issue we see here is that the majority of research (ranging from nitric oxide increases to cognitive flexibility to anti-inflammatory measures) has been done using 1.5 grams (and sometimes 750 milligrams),^[21-29] but we’re at 500 milligrams here. Still an incredible ingredient that we love having next to 5 grams of citrulline, but we’re careful to make too many claims at this dose. We believe it will undoubtedly add to the effect, we’re just not sure to what extent.

• Beet (Beta vulgaris)(root) – 500 mg

  

  Stay positive, Rich Piana and 5% Nutrition are here to get you to the moon!

  As if we didn’t have enough of an NO boost from citrulline and Nitrosigine, we have yet another pathway to hit. Beet roots are incredible sources of nitrates (NO3-), which can lead to an NO boost through the nitrate-nitrite pathway, further boosting nitric oxide levels and blood flow.^[30,31]

  Nitrates have been well-documented to help boost nitric oxide levels in the body as well as enhance exercise performance and helping offset fatigue.^[32]

  This isn’t the most insane dose, and the amount of nitrate depends on the standardization, but next to the citrulline and arginine pathways hit above, we’re all in. And we’re still not done amplifying nitric oxide – S7 discussed below has one more bit to add.

• Dan Shen (Salvia Miltiorrhiza)(root) Extract – 100 mg

  Dan shen (Salvia Miltiorrhiza) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine used to support heart health and circulation. This herb is also a potent vasodilator, especially in coronary arteries, where it’s been documented to inhibit platelet aggregation, improve microcirculation and protect the myocardium from injury due to ischemia.^[33-35]

  

  “FAF” if we’re being politically correct

  Improved circulation throughout the body will help deliver additional oxygen and nutrients to the surrounding muscles of the body, keeping them fresher longer in your workouts helping to extend your endurance and delay fatigue.

  When we see herbal ingredients like this that improve cardiovascular function through vasodilation, many in the medical community will think about cardioprotection, but our first thought is always pumps. This is a unique inclusion that has stayed in the FULL AS F*CK lineup, and we’re happy for that.

• S7 – 50 mg

  One last nitric oxide boosting ingredient here – one that wasn’t around during Rich’s first go-round, but has a bit of promise for the future.

  

  LEGENDARY Status: 5% Nutrition’s All Day You May is moving to the white tub, but the formula is mostly unchanged. See how Rich Piana shattered the industry with this supplement, especially with that Southern Sweet Tea flavor!

  S7 is a unique blend of green coffee bean extract, green tea extract, turmeric extract, tart cherry, blueberry, kale, and broccoli. Collaboratively, it reduces oxidative stress (working like a powerful antioxidant). A recent study showed that this 50 milligram dose increased bioavailable nitric oxide concentration by 230%!^[36]

  We definitely want to see further research on this blend, but it’s a great add-on to have atop the other clinically-dosed ingredients above.

  The 5% Blueberry Conspiracy

  As a side note, and this is commented on in our ALL DAY YOU MAY article… we jokingly like to mention that 5% Nutrition finds ways to include blueberry extracts and flavors into many of their supplements (including Real Carbs)! Turns out there are some good benefits to doing so.^[37-40]

• BioPerine [Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) (fruit) Extract] – 5 mg

  BioPerine is the frequently-included patented black pepper extract that helps the body absorb the other nutrients, aminos, and extracts included in dietary supplements. It inhibits P-glycoprotein and CYP3A4,^[41] and that’s important because those enzymes metabolize certain nutrients and drugs. By inhibiting them, we can keep active ingredients around longer in the body.

Flavors Available

When rebranding to the white label Legendary Series, 5% Nutrition added a few new flavors as well, such as the fantastic Push Pop flavor (we recently wrote about KILL IT Push Pop). In the flavors below, make sure you find the white tubs if you want the formula discussed above:

Full as F*CK Flavors

Pro-Tip: Enhance Your Pumps with Carbs!

One last thing: if you want an explosive pump, don’t forget to get some carbs in pre workout – before you take this! If you’re short on time or want something different yet real, then check out Rich Piana’s REAL CARBS. 30-50g carbs 30-60 minutes pre workout will help you perform and pump better – tweak the dose and timing to your size and preferences.

And if you do that, you can also stack it in with Rich Piana’s Freak Show!

Takeaway: Time to get Full as

Full As F*ck packs multiple nitric oxide boosters in, all while keeping hydration going as well. We love finding unique ingredients like Dan Shen to top it off.

Though Rich Piana may not be with us any longer, his legacy lives on with 5% Nutrition, a brand that continually goes above and beyond. Their formulas are right on the edge of being over-the-top, which mirrors Rich’s life and career. Whether it’s FULL AS F*CK or KILL IT RELOADED, 5% products are not for the casual gymgoer. They’re for the intense and the serious athletes.

As always, you can see the Rich Piana Pre Workout guide to help you on your way to ALL DAY ARM DAY training glory:

A “Stim Guide” for Rich Piana’s Pre Workouts

Next up? The new KILL IT RTD!

Note: This article was originally published on Mar 17, 2016. See an image of the original tub here.