
Xtend: One of the worst named supplements on the market today. Honestly, this product sounds like a medication for ED. Regardless of its horrific name however, I decided to give this popular intra-workout supplement a try as I was in need of a 0 calorie source of
BCAAs during my
Fasting period. To date I have finished off a 30 serving tub of Orange and half of a 90 serving tub of the same flavor.
TASTE: 10/10
Simply put,
Xtend is one of the best tasting supplements I have come across. Personally I need my
BCAA source / intra-workout product to be enjoyable and tasty, as I often sip on the product throughout the day.
Xtend fits this bill perfectly. I have actually tried 4 different flavors of this product (
Muscle and Strength has a deal where you can buy 3-30 serving tubs for the same price as a 90 serving tub). Here are my rankings for each flavor I’ve tried:
Orange: 10 – Absolutely fantastic. Tastes like an orange creamsicle. I’ve gone through roughly 60 servings of this flavor and I’m nowhere near tired of it.
Watermelon: 10 – Unique, refreshing, and just plain awesome. Everyone raves about this flavor for a reason as it truly is unlike any other supplement on the market.
Grape: 8 – Nice and smooth but nothing special. The grape tastes exactly like you would expect from a grape-flavored supplement. I haven’t had much of the grape flavor but I don’t think it will stay as refreshing to my taste buds as orange and watermelon.
Apple: 7.5 – Ehhhh. If you like green apple Jolly Ranchers, then you’ll love this flavor. It’s a bit different yes, but personally not my favorite. Sometimes has a weird smell to it. Regardless, it’s still enjoyable. I have this container at work.
MIXABILITY: 7.5/10
As with most other
BCAA supplements,
Xtend is also a bit stubborn when it comes to fully dissolving. Often there will be a slight film on the top of the water and
BCAA flakes in my shaker bottle even after a full 30 seconds of shaking. Personally this doesn’t bother me in the slightest, and on the whole I found
Xtend to mix a bit better than M
BCAA but not quite as well as
Purple Wraath or Amin.O Energy.
EFFECTIVENESS: 8.5/10
As mentioned above, I used
Xtend as an “anytime” supplement as well as during my workouts. Although it’s not necessary when doing Intermittent
Fasting, I have found that sipping a flavored
BCAA supplement throughout the morning helps me feel fuller and further decreases my level of soreness.
Xtend really shines in this capacity as its ingredient profile is clean and calorie free. A single serving (2 scoops) delivers 9.6g’s of
BCAAs as well as 10mg’s of vitamin B6 and 1g of
Citrulline Malate. Of course, the flavors of this product also play a heavy role, and the wide variety of
Xtend flavors scores it another point in this category.
As an intra-workout product,
Xtend is solid but not necessarily a stand out. I did notice a slight decrease in soreness post-workout, but I felt that both
Purple Wraath and M
BCAA had a positive impact on my between-set
recovery time, where as
Xtend did not. I also like PW better in terms of energy, as the
Beta Alanine and Niacin included in each dosing provide for a nice kick. Personally I added
Beta Alanine to
Xtend for my workout for this very reason.
VALUE: 7.5/10
This is my only real gripe with
Xtend. A 90 serving tub costs $50, which breaks down to a per serving cost of .55c.
Purple Wraath costs almost the exact same for the same amount ($1 more), while 35 servings of M
BCAA will run you around $29 and a higher per serving cost of .82c. Finally, Amin.O Energy, which is a bit tougher to price out as there seems to always be a special on BB.com, costs the same as
Xtend for a 30 serving tub, but breaks down to a slightly less .50c per serving cost when you go with the “Buy 3 Get 1 Free” deal.
By and large,
Xtend competes in its price point with other similar intra-workout products; however I feel that it should be slightly less for what it offers. I love this product and I FLY through it (I use roughly 3-4 servings per day), but it doesn’t offer some of the bonuses included in PW (mentioned above) or Amin.O Energy (which includes caffeine,
Green Tea Extract, and is in somewhat of a different category altogether), nor does
Xtend offer the 10g’s of “highly micronized”
BCAA’s that does Modern
BCAA.
OVERALL: 8/10
Xtend is a great tasting and versatile supplement that can be a solid addition to any stack. For me, a
BCAA supplement ranks high on my list of supplement priorities, and
Xtend currently occupies the top spot on the list of intra-workout products that I’ve tried. Although not packed with some of the goodies of other products,
Xtend still delivers everything you need and a little bit more. The wide variety of flavors and the fact that it’s one of the best tasting supplements on the market make
Xtend an excellent product and one of my personal favorites.