Wilderness Athlete Ultimate Pre-Workout/Nighttime Optimizer Review

If you are in the western hunting world and have not heard of Wilderness Athlete, you are missing out.  They are the makers of high quality, field tested, sports performance products specifically for the outdoor athlete.  Most notably, they are known for their superior Hydrate & Recover and their Energy & Focus drink mixes.  I have been using these two products for the past 2 years and I don’t go into the mountains without them.  Recently, I got the chance to test out their Ultimate Pre-Workout and Nighttime Optimizer supplements.  I will admit, it was hard straying away from the first two products mentioned, BUT I have been pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

Ultimate Pre-Workout

In an age where it seems like more and more people are hitting the gym in preparation for their upcoming hunts, this Ultimate Pre-Workout should for sure be on your radar.  I have heard some horror stories about different formulas that people use to get them juiced up for their workouts, so I was always a bit hesitant and remain so about the subject.  I have been using WA’s Ultimate Pre-Workout for the past few months though and I can honestly tell you that I have no worry about using it and on top of that, the stuff works!

What’s in it?

The 2 main ingredients in the Ultimate Pre-Workout are Arginine and Moomiyo.  Arginine is an amino acid that when ingested, is converted within the body into Nitric Oxide.  This causes our blood vessels to open wider, which in turn increases blood flow.  Super important for when we are either hitting it hard in the gym or on the mountain.  Not only does Arginine benefit us for those physically taxing times, but also just in life.  It is great for boosting the immune system, high blood pressure, reducing time of wound healing, etc.  Look it up.

The most important piece of equipment you own is you – Mark Paulsen

Moomiyo is the other big cheese of the Ultimate Pre-Workout.  This stuff is pretty fascinating.  Let’s start out by saying that Moomiyo was formerly the “secret nutrient” for Soviet athletes, cosmonauts, and elite military forces.  Sounds pretty intense right?  That’s cause it is!  It is arguably the most powerful adaptogen out there.  What is an adaptogen?  They are all natural substances that prevent stress and reduce fatigue.  See where this is going?  Perfect for the outdoor athlete.  You know how important it is to have the ability to keep going when you are chasing that bugling bull or monster buck.  I don’t care how cool your gear is.  It isn’t going to help you if you aren’t physically up to the task at hand.  Let’s not forget what Wilderness Athlete founder, Mark Paulsen, says about your gear.  “The most important piece of equipment you own is you.”  On top of what I have already mentioned about Moomiyo, it is also a natural anti-inflammatory, anabolic(faster and lean muscle growth), and also is used to relieve symptoms of the common cold.  SUPER INGREDIENT!

My Experience

My overall experience with the Ultimate Pre-Workout has been awesome.  If you are looking for something that is going to make you feel like you just drank 47 cups of coffee, this is not it.  Not once have I ever gotten jittery using this stuff.  It supplies your body with a steady flow of energy that feels natural without a huge energy crash at the end.  If you do want to get more of a jolt with it, then I suggest taking this with the Energy and Focus mix.  I definitely notice a difference in lack of muscle fatigue during my workouts.  Really, I just feel like I can keep going and push harder without feeling like I am twitching from too much caffeine.  I have had experience with another pre-workout that actually made it feel like I had scorpions crawling all over me.  Thanks, but I will stick to Wilderness Athlete.

Nighttime Optimizer

If you are an athlete of any kind, you know how important it is to get a good night sleep and how it aids in recovery.  In my opinion, recovery is just as, if not more important than your workouts themselves.  The time that you are building muscle is during recovery, not during your lifts.  You can lift all you want.  If you aren’t giving yourself a chance to recover from the trauma that you have exposed your muscles to, you will not be seeing the gains that you desire.  Wilderness Athlete’s Nighttime Optimizer does just that.  It helps optimize your recovery stage.

How does it work?

When we put our bodies through a rigorous workout, we are actually tearing our muscles.  In order to reduce muscle soreness and actually see progress and meet our fitness goals, we need to make sure that we recover from these strenuous feats.  What better time than when we are sleeping?  The Niacin(Vitamin b3) is going to aid in that, ensuring that we sleep hard and recover quick.  Chasing elk day after day through the rugged terrain that they call home, can be physically taxing to say the least.  Getting a good night sleep is ESSENTIAL in order to be able to repeat this.  Just like the Ultimate Pre-Workout, the Nighttime Optimizer supports the anabolic process of the body.  In a nutshell, that means that you are going to build muscle faster.

My Experience

My experience with the Nighttime Optimizer has been a pleasant one.  I am naturally a restless sleeper.  I didn’t know how restless I actually was until I started tracking my sleep with a FitBit.  I was kind of disturbed by how much I was tossing and turning throughout the night.  This couldn’t have been good for my training.  Once I started taking the Nighttime Optimizer before bed, I noticed a significant difference in how restless I was.  I had longer periods of hard sleep and less times being awake.  Another thing to point out was that I don’t feel like I can’t get up in the morning from the sleep aid.  Other sleep aids that I have taken in the past have done this to me.  I have to admit that my muscle soreness after the gym has decreased substantially as well.  This allows me to get back into the gym quicker than I did before and train more efficiently doing so, because I don’t feel like my muscles have been hit with a sledgehammer.

Closing Thoughts

These two products are really meant to be used together, in my opinion, which is why I reviewed them in unison.  You get the natural, but steady energy flow of the Ultimate Pre-Workout for the gym/mountain, with the much needed nutrients for recovery from the Nighttime Optimizer.  A match made in heaven, like bugles and September.  These tablets weigh nothing as well, so packing them in on your backcountry hunts will be a snap and well worth it.  Staying on a steady workout schedule seems just as hard as our workouts themselves.  If you want to consistently be able to hammer the hills effectively and efficiently, I believe these workouts are necessary.  Why not optimize those times as much as possible?  Read more about Wilderness Athlete and their products at www.wildernessathlete.com.

Joshua Kirchner