Addressing Knee-Jerk Reactions

We wanted to have a consolidated place to address some common knee-jerk reactions to Tier 1 that provides a little insight into why we did what we did. 

Without further ado......

CREATINE AND BETA-ALANINE HAVE NO ACUTE EFFECTS. WHY DID YOU PUT THEM IN A "PREWORKOUT"

The inspiration to start Citadel Nutrition was based upon supplements that we take ourselves. Simply put, Creatine and Beta-Alanine are the two most proven sports performance ingredients out there. We mixed them in Tier 1 as our daily maintenance dose for convenience. We take creatine and beta-alanine from bulk sources on our off days and recommend the same to our customers (we're actually working on a bulk creatine/beta-alanine product now). 

There are some caveats to off-day supplementation. If you train and take Tier 1 four to five days a week or more, missing off-day supplementation probably won't be a big deal. Here's a useful excerpt from Alan Aragon's Research Review regarding taking creatine on your off-days.

For more information on these ingredients, check out the Tier 1 FAQ or Research page. We also wrote a primer on Creatine here. This is also a great article on Creatine Lyle McDonald wrote here.

If you are looking for a performance boost, these are the two ingredients to start with. Nothing else comes close in terms of being proven in the literature. 

They are in Tier 1 for the added convenience of not having to mix them in bulk on your training days. 

Simply put, if you want to take Creatine and Beta-Alanine, they are proven and effective. If you don't, then Tier 1 is not for you and there are better options out there. We're always happy to recommend products.

VALUE PROPOSITION

Another knee-jerk criticism of some people  is that they can mix the ingredients cheaper in bulk. That's what we did personally for a long time, and that's what we still tell people to do if Tier 1 isn't right for them. 

Let's take a look at some figures.

Going to Amazon, which is usually a low price leader, searching for each of Tier 1's ingredients in bulk, and then taking the first option leads to this.

*as a side note, we discuss a little about Caffeine and how it doesn't cost anything to adjust in this blog post.

Okay so all things equal, 30 servings mixing your own bulk powder comes out to $15.26 . 

If you want the convenience of not having to weigh and mix 4 ingredients together every time you work out, it is $15 dollars more over 30 servings. This is approximately $8 per month or $0.50 per workout.

If you think this is a value along with the peace of mind of a quality product that meets label claim, then we think Tier 1 is a great option. If you want to save some money and prefer to mix yourself, that's fine too.

Value is a relative term. It's up to you if it's worth it or not.

As a side note, we take it as a compliment that people see our mix as something they could mix themselves. This is in stark contrast to all the B.S. 20+ micro-dosed proprietary blend ingredient products out there. Take a look at some of the labels out there.

KITCHEN SINK MENTALITY

This is rampant industry dogma, and we are absolutely against it. We think that when trying to break a certain paradigm, there is going to be intense resistance, especially if dollars are involved, in this case a giant supplement industry hell bent on selling you promise after promise. 

We know better than anyone that supplements are marginal unless training and nutrition are dialed in. That's why we don't think obtaining a boost before working out is as complicated as everyone wants to make it out to be. It's not rocket science and we don't believe in hype, minutiae, or glimmers of hope.

We talk about this here:

Hope this helps clarify and address some knee jerk reactions people have to our approach. As always, reach out to us anytime with questions, comments, or just to chat.