Provisionally positive results from this skeptic
I'm an open minded skeptic about supplements. I'll try just about anything. Few of them do anything. This one seems to work. It's the first supplement related to ecdysterone or turkesterone I've tried that really does seem to offer some benefits. I didn't get that benefit from the bulk packages of powdered turkesterone from another reputable vendor -- three months of using that seemed to have little or no benefit.<br /><br />Most positive reviews about supplements appear to be misguided (see the revised recommendations to avoid excessive antioxidants) or placebo effect (hey, nothing wrong with the power of positive thinking -- but why pay extra for it in a gel capsule?).  That includes most antioxidants, remedies for bone health, joints and cartilage, and most supplements marketed to athletes and physically active people for energy and better performance. Tried 'em. Most seem to do nothing.<br /><br />The few exceptions include creatine (well documented and non-controversial), niacin (blood flow), and l-arginine (the latter helps the body produce nitric oxide on the fly as needed, especially in daylight).<br /><br />I've been an on/off serious amateur athlete since my teens, now in my early 60s, including amateur boxing, long bike rides and occasional races when I was in my teens and early 20s. Like most healthy folks, in my youth all I needed was a healthy diet, good training program and rest. As I got older, well... not so much.<br /><br />After my thyroid failed a couple of years ago my energy dropped to nil. I went from vigorous bike rides several times a week to barely being able to get out of bed. My endocrinologist and other doctors didn't seem concerned. As far as they were concerned my lab tests looked normal. So other than levothyroxine, the common  thyroid replacement, they didn't offer any solutions or suggestions. And, nope, my health care plan doesn't include fountain of youth prescriptions (PEDs, if you're competing in sanctioned events, which I'm not doing). They even cut back on testosterone patches for anyone without a medically indicated need such as double orchiectomy. They used to prescribe those for active men who just felt more tired with age. But not any more.<br /><br />So for the past year I've tried everything I can find over the counter, including DHEA and pregnenolone. After trying several brands I found one brand of DHEA that seemed to offer some benefit, but I couldn't be sure it wasn't placebo effect. It seemed like my endurance was improving. My short term energy bursts -- sprints and short steep hill climbs -- were already improving from creatine, and maybe from l-arginine. But not my endurance. I still faded after 20 miles on fast solo and group rides.<br /><br />But the effect of the S5 beta-ecdysterone was almost immediately noticeable. Within a few days I noticed a distinct improvement in my bicycling endurance. My interval training sessions were more vigorous and I had enough energy afterward for full body workouts. And my endurance on longer sustained effort rides improved significantly. I'm pushing bigger gears, including on climbs, without my quads and calves burning. Friends who follow me on Strava commented on my recent speed boost, consistently 1-2 mph faster on the usual 20-40 mile training routes. A few months ago I couldn't even finish those rides. Now on good days I'm able to keep up with the A-group rides with guys much younger than I, whereas a couple of years ago when my thyroid failed I struggled to keep up with the B-group, and even with some stronger casual riders on social rides.<br /><br />I'm not looking to get bigger, just stronger. Unlike creatine, which is good for short duration high intensity exercise, this stuff seems to help with sustained effort.<br /><br />I'm still skeptical. S5 hasn't published any lab results and I don't see any independent lab tests. It's pretty well documented that many supplements marketed to athletes surreptitiously contain stimulants like caffeine and ephedra to give an energy boost that makes it feel like it's doing something. And some even sneak in other banned substances. So I don't know for certain how or why the S5 Labs beta-ecdysterone is working.<br /><br />But I just ordered another bottle, something I rarely do if I have doubts about whether a supplement works.
Rating: 4 stars