Let’s talk about Cerberus Inferno &Sub Zero rubs; what to expect, how to use and what benefit they can give.

Inferno

As the name suggests, this is a “hot” style rub.

Some people may feel a fairly immediate effect or a delayed one; whilst this is completely unique to each individual it is also down to training & environmental factors. If it’s particularly cold for example, the pores may be closed up and this will affect the ability of the chemicals to absorb into the skin.

For a technical explanation, Salicylates, along with capsaicin, menthol, and camphor, compose the counterirritant class of topical analgesics, which produce analgesia by activating and then desensitizing epidermal nociceptors. Our Sub Zero rub contains a salicylate and we’ll talk about that later but the Inferno hot rub exclusively uses capsaicin and camphor as the counterirritant (and active ingredient).

Our rub contains a unique wax & oil blend that helps retain the chemicals on the surface of the skin to make them bioavailable later on. So even if you do not get an immediate sharp or tingling effect, once the pores open they will feel the heat markers later on.

This effect is particularly enhanced if you carry out physical activity and sweat or go in the bath/shower.

However, the “heat” element is only one part of the rubs efficacy and relief on the muscles it’s being used on. Our rub contains cinnamon, camphor, clove bud, eucalyptus and these natural products have been used for centuries in various cultures in salves and balms. We have combined all of them together to create a super blend of inflammatory, soothing and pain relieving capabilities. It’s not going to heal you like Wolverine but it’s a neat training aid and can help extract the percentages of performance that matter.

I wouldn’t recommend using this immediately post shower when the pores are at their most exposed and to some extent fragile. I more use the heat rub on my joints, shoulders & triceps before training; it’s not easy to describe but if I was then I’d say it makes me feel like I have a suit of armour.

Sub Zero

The Sub Zero rub is a useful rub that can help freeze pain receptors and make coping with a muscle strain a little bit easier. It can feel “cold” as such but this performs a trick on the nerves due to the methyl salicylate and eucalyptus.

Methyl salicylate is an interesting compound with sound clinical data. If you are a nerd (like me) then you’ll look for medical studies which are randomised, double blind and placebo controlled – the HOLY GRAIL.

With methyl salicylate a published study found “A single, 8-hour application of a patch containing methyl salicylate and l-menthol provided significant relief of pain associated with mild to moderate muscle strain in these adult patients compared with patients receiving a placebo patch” (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20171409/)

The study used a concentration of 10%; so here at Cerberus we developed a 20% based product and this has had incredible feedback. From anecdotal evidence in the 5 years since I’ve developed this product, I can say with confidence this is extremely effective for post training muscle and joint relief and acute relief around the distal bicep tendon area.

Every person has a different level of skin sensitivity and reactiveness; you might get an immediate response from the top layer of skin or you might feel it delayed. This is because It will be working its way through your own skin layer and the effects can have a 6-8 hour relief for the problem areas.

We hope that these products help you with your lifting and/or general recovery. We have taken a massive leap in the composition of the ingredients and really went for quality & concentration. We believe extreme sports such as powerlifting & strongman require extreme products whether that’s for support, training or recovery. These rubs echo that sentiment perfectly.