mate no explode is awesome. Especially for someone like myself who doesnt drink Coffee or energy drinks with caffeine. I start my day with a Berroca instead.
I find that the caffeine boost from no explode heightens my concentration on olympic lifts, the nitric provides a muscle pump and the creatine develops explosive energy. I have been using Ionized Mass Gainer and Trib at this stage i dont use creatine right now as the mass gainer has 3 grams of creatine per scoop.
I find when im on no-xplode im able to concentrate better and let out a few more reps per set, and get past that mental barrier of a 1 rm lift.
For a little guy like me one scoop was adequate, sometimes i took half a scoop. I sip it during the workout as a pick me up, i dont drink it all in one go before the workout otherwise its not as effective.
Fair enough no-xplode is very high in caffeine so it should be cycled 3weeks to one month on, back to creatine for a month, then back to no-xplode.
Otherwise the following tends to happen
1) Unable to get to sleep (especially if have it later than midday, like coffee to me as i have a low tolerance)
2) Have to keep getting up at night to go for a piss.
3) It loses its effect if you dont stop taking it half a month
4) It becomes an addictive pickme up. I was able to train 9 weight days in a row on no explode, but after 3 i felt like crap so i had to take it to force me back into the weights room. After i went off it for this period i felt crap for the whole of the next day.
I think partly reason 3, people taking it over a month and alot of the time the people taking it tend to be coffee/or caffeine energy drinkers is the reason why people dont seem to think it is so good. But it works for me.