HUGE thanks to @TheMyth for getting an insanely generous 4 sample packets of Radiate out to me, entirely on his dime. The 4 packets included 2 of JC’s Sour Peach Rings, and 2 of Cherry Slush, both of which sounded very enticing to me.
I’m going to rank this on the categories I find most important, in order of what I personally need a preworkout to do for me. I train after work, so around 5:15-5:30 at night.
- Energy
- Focus
- Taste
- Pump
One thing to note is that I always have a protein bar containing anywhere from 15-30g net carbs and 20-25g protein about a half hour prior to drinking a preworkout. On to my thoughts…
Energy: In short, Radiate gets me going good. About 10-15 minutes after drinking it, I feel energy slowly coming on. It doesn’t have that freight train type of hit, which is fine, but for me the energy comes on nice and smooth. Along with the smooth energy comes long lasting energy. This stuff gets me through my workout (1-1.5 hours) and then some. I’d say it lasts a good 1-2 hours post workout as well with no crash associated with it. Along with the energy came a large amount of sweating. Grossly enough, my armpits started sweating as I was standing at my desk at work, just about 10 minutes into the pre lol. Now just imagine how the rest of the workout went… ;)… The energy aspect is a pass!
Focus: Radiate keeps me focused pretty well. I wouldn’t say it’s a super laser sharp to the point I was zoning out, but I focused really well through both workouts I used this for so far. It definitely kept me on my toes and pushed me through some tough lifts. Pass!
Taste: WOW. I cannot say enough good how tasty this stuff is. I already told @TheMyth to please make a BCAA of both of these flavors so I can sip them all day every day and this is just another reminder lol.
JC’s Sour Peach Rings
10/10 - This is literally a liquid sour peach ring. I used about 13oz water with one serving/packet. If you like it a little sweeter, 10-12 would probably be the amount I’d use. I gave one of my 2 packets to my fiance to try and she was also blown away. We both love peach rings and this flavor just totally does it for us. Insanely tasty.
Cherry Slushie
10/10 - Again this flavor is NAILED. I used 14oz water, froze it a little, and couldn’t believe my taste buds. The name of the flavor is right to the tee. Cherry and “slushie” like flavor combined perfectly. I’m not sure how else to describe it. Amazing job on both flavors.
Pump: Yes, pump comes after taste. I like pump, I really do, but taste needs to be good because after a long day at work (my job is mentally draining rather than physical), the last thing I want to do is down a nasty preworkout drink. I understand the feeling of muscle fullness, veins popping, muscles so tight they’re about to explode - a good pump is fun. I believe I achieve a feeling of pump not only from ingredients in a pre, but from a solid workout as well. Yes a good pump product is fun to use, no doubt, but, for me specifically, due to when I train, the other effects are more important. With that said, Radiate didn’t get me pumped anymore than a normal workout would really. I wouldn’t say that’s a pass or fail, it’s just what I noticed. I can easily stack a pump product with Radiate for a killer workout if I wanted to. 
Downsides: The only “downside” to this pre is the 90% Alpha-Y. I’m fairly tolerant to this specific dose, but my poor fiance isn’t. She was stoked on how good peach rings was until the alpha-y kicked in and sent her into a deep, trembling freeze. She didn’t have too many carbs preworkout, so this stuff really kicked her in the butt lol. I understand its use in the formula, but I figured this was worth mentioning because some people are very sensitive to this ingredient.
All in all, I’m very happy with Radiate. At $50 for 45 servings, it’s really not a terrible deal. I typically see $1-2/serving on supplements like pre’s, so this is basically on par. One more huge thanks to @TheMyth for sending these samples out to me. I have one more cherry slushie sample to take down, so I will come back with more thoughts when I have them.
