Personally, I use SportLegs regularly when I work out, and I've been very happy with the results - not just from my cardio training, but from my weight training too. I started using it in late 2004 when I first heard about it and I've never looked back. Combined with L-Glutamine I can work out much more with minimal pain and discomfort - which is important to me because I like to train in the morning, so I can't be sore the rest of the day.
I'm not the only one, either - lots of people have good things to say about SportLegs.
Anecdotal evidence aside, though, there is confirmed evidence that SportLegs delivers. In Fall 2003, Ohio's Kent State University conducted clinical studies under Exercise Science Professor Dr. Ellen Glickman, a Fellow of the respected American College of Sports Medicine. In formal randomized, double-blind trials (the best kind!), twelve subjects aged 19-28 who took SportLegs an hour before testing were able to continue exercise against steadily increasing resistance an average 11.2% longer compared to placebo capsules. Average Anaerobic Threshold "redline" increased 15.6% and VO2max aerobic capacity increased 12.8%. That's huge. For comparison, most legal performance enhancers show performance increases in low single-digit percentages.
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Unlike SportLegs, most legal performance enhancers show performance increases in low single-digit precentages.
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what it means
Alright, that's all well and good for scientists, but what does that mean to you and me?
11.2% increase in time to exhaustion
The first conclusion is pretty self-explanatory. "Time to exhaustion" refers to how long you can go before you run out of energy. An 11.2% increase is pretty significant for a legal performance enhancer.
With most exercise, the amount of effort you're able to put in tantamount to your results, especially in those last few moments of muscle failure, so getting an extra allowance of energy can mean the difference between reaching your goals and falling short.
12.8% increase in VO2 Max capacity
For those of you unfamiliar with different aerobic metrics, VO2 Max is a measurement of the Volume of O2 (oxygen) that you can consume while exercising at maximum capacity (see? V O2 Max!). Specifically, it's the maximum amount of oxygen (in milliliters) you can use in one minute per kilogram of body weight.
Obviously you want to utilize as much oxygen as possible during aerobic exercise as it is, by definition, fundamental in your aerobic energy product systems. So a 12.8% increase in VO2 Max capacity will be reflected in the amount of output you're capable of.
15.6% increase in your anaerobic threshold
This is the clincher for me. Your anaerobic threshold (also known just as "AT", or as your "lactate threshold") is the point where lactic acid begins to accumulate in the bloodstream. At this point, you begin to get "the burn" (though not because of lactic acid, as is commonly and incorrectly believed). So by increasing the anaerobic threshold, you increase the amount of workout you can do before you get the burn.
Bottom Line
- Increase in time to exhaustion: Better endurance
- Increase in VO2 Max capacity: More output
- Increase in anaerobic threshold: Less burn
