I used to "need" ephedrine pre-workout, but after a while my lifts went back up and I was back to normal. I prefer NYC to ECA because the wired effect doesn't last nearly as long as with ephedrine. I had a lot of trouble sleeping when I used ephedrine to cut last year, but with NYC it wasn't nearly as bad. NYC's appetite suppression is infinitely better for me than plain ephedrine as well. I have to force myself to eat just to get to 2500 calories.