stack

protocol

concerta day (most days)

pre-workout mix (t-30 min):

• 7 g absoluto (1 scoop) — 200mg caffeine base
• 5 g beast stim free (½ scoop)
• 8 g citrulline malate
• 5 g creatine
• 1 g taurine
• 250 mg tyrosine (1 cap)
• 400 mg theanine

mix in 350-400ml cold water. stir, don't shake.

off day (no concerta, weekends)

same as above but cafeína up to 300mg (1.5 scoops absoluto), theanine to 300mg (1:1 ratio). everything else identical.

stim-free day (late training, recovery sessions)

• 10 g beast stim free (1 scoop)
• 8 g citrulline malate
• 5 g creatine
• 2 g taurine
• 250 mg tyrosine (optional)

no caffeine, no theanine.

why each thing

energy & focus — caffeine + theanine. caffeine alone at high doses causes jitter, anxiety, hr spike. theanine raises alpha brainwaves, neutralizes the harsh edge without cutting energy. 2:1 ratio (theanine:caffeine) on stim days because the methylphenidate already has the dopaminergic axis covered — extra caffeine without theanine just stacks anxiety.

pump — citrulline malate. absorbed at ~80% (vs arginine ~20%), converts to arginine in the kidneys, becomes nitric oxide. dilated vessels → more blood → more reps before failure. ~5-15% more reps in studies. malate is a krebs cycle intermediate, sinérgico with cellular energy production.

endurance — beta-alanine + bicarbonate. muscles fatigue partly because h+ ions accumulate. beta-alanine becomes carnosine inside the muscle (chronic, takes 4-6 weeks to saturate). bicarbonate buffers in the blood (acute, takes 90 min). together they hit the buffer system from both sides. effect is real but small — ~1-3% on 60-240s efforts.

strength — creatine. most studied supplement in sports nutrition. atp regenerates faster, more reps with the same load. cumulative — must take daily, training day or not. expect +5-15% strength and +1-2kg lean mass over 4-8 weeks.

recovery & sleep — magnesium bisglycinate. glycine has mild calming effect. magnesium supports neuromuscular function and is depleted by intense training and stimulants. taken at night because the effect on sleep architecture is where it earns its keep, especially counterbalancing methylphenidate's tendency to fragment sleep.

what didn't make the cut

• dmae, synephrine, yohimbine — found in many imported pre-workouts. dangerous combined with prescription stimulants. hard pass.
• high-dose tyrosine (>1g) — clinical dose is 100-150mg/kg = 9-14g for me. with concerta saturating dopaminergic receptors, more tyrosine just adds anxiety risk. capped at 700mg.
• arginine standalone — bioavailability ~20%, citrulline does the same job better. the arginine in the pre-workouts is a freebie, not a target.
• glycerol at sub-gram doses — ergogenic dose is 1-1.5g/kg = 90+g for hyperhydration. anything less is marketing.
• proprietary blends — opaque dosing means underdosed by default. i avoid products that don't disclose per-ingredient amounts.
• bcaas, eaas pre-workout — protein from food covers this. eaas have niche use cases (fasted training, very low-protein diets), neither applies here.

costs

estimated cost per training-day dose, excluding capital items (creatine, beta-alanine bought in bulk):

reference: no-xplode imported runs ~r$ 8.30/serving and underdoses on most active ingredients vs this stack. prices checked may 2026.

changelog

• 2026-05 — initial publication. stack stable as documented. testing sodium bicarbonate tolerance, currently at 5g escalating weekly toward 18-20g target.