Introduction

First off, big thank you to Redcon1 and the Troops program for giving me the opportunity to review this product. GI Juice is a Fruits and Greens supplement that is intended to aid in digestion and improve overall health. I know that I don't get enough greens or fruits in my diet, so this product really spoke to me. I have used other, somewhat similar, products in the past but never had any noticeable results. I had two expectations with this product. First, I expected improved digestion and reduced bloating. Second, I expected to have overall better health due to the greens and fruits that my diet so badly needed.

Ingredient Profile

GI Juice is a fairly straightforward product, consisting of a greens blend and several digestive enzymes. Overall, there are 15g per serving. Of those 15g you get 2g of fiber and 5g of sugar for 28 calories (which isn't bad considering how good this tastes).

Green Blend 11.25g:
blueberry fruit powder, black raspberry powder, mulberry leaf powder, pineapple powder, bilberry leaf powder, papaya juice powder, camu camu, monk fruit, broccoli powder, carrot powder, purple sweet potato powder, kelp, fructooligosaccharides, chlorella, papain, bromelain, pyrroloquiniline quinone, and acai juice powder.

You will notice that the majority of the Green Blend is fruit, which is a little deceiving. That being said, you are supposed to be getting the equivalent of one serving of fruits and veggies per scoop.

Digestive Enzymes:
Betaine HCL 250mg, Amylase 100mg, Protease 100mg, Pepsin 50mg, Papain 50mg, Pancreatin 50mg, Ox Bile 30mg, Lipase 25mg, Bromelain 10mg, and Cellulase 10mg.

This blend of digestive enzymes is supposed to help with your body's ability to digest carbs, proteins, and fats. I found it particularly interesting that it includes Ox Bile (lol).

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

I received Pineapple Banana. This is the only flavor available at the moment. It is absolutely delicious and was by far the best greens/fruit supplement that I have ever taken. I honestly looked forward to drinking my GI Juice every day. The flavor was more banana than pineapple in my opinion.

I would consume one scoop each night with my dinner. Dinner is typically one of my bigger meals, so I believed I would benefit the most from the digestive enzymes at that time.

I had no trouble mixing GI Juice. I would throw a scoop in about 8-12 ounces of water and just kind of slosh it around for a few seconds and it would be perfectly mixed.

Effectiveness

GI Juice kept me regular. I would drink my one serving each night after dinner and then would wake up the following morning to an awesome bathroom experience.

The other major benefit of GI Juice was that it kept me from feeling bloated and lethargic after big meals.

I wanted to wait for a week or two after completing GI Juice, to see if I continued to have regular bowel movements and continued to feel less bloated post-big meals. After finishing GI Juice, I no longer got to enjoy my morning bathroom trips and I began to feel noticeably bloated after dinner. Given the change in regularity and bloating, I truly believe this product worked.

As for overall health, I didn't notice too much extra energy or benefits. That being said, you could consider my lack of lethargy post meals to be a form of increased energy.

Value

GI Juice ranges anywhere from $28-$35. Currently Vitamin shoppe is the cheapest at $27.99. Also, you can always expect to find some sort of promotion at Redcon1's direct website. Given the phenomenal taste, lack of bloating, and regularity--I would say this product is certainly worth $28.

Side Effects

No negative side effects.

Conclusion

Give this a try if your digestion needs some help or you just feel like you're missing fruits/veggies from your diet. It is surprisingly tasty and was more effective for me than other similar supplements.

Quick Summary

BPI mainly burns your money. It does this at night so hopefully you won't notice.

Introduction

35 years old financial auditor trying to balance life with three kids and a busy job. Trying to get in some quality time at the gym in the meantime. When I manage to squeeze in some gym time I can use all the supplement help that's out there. At the moment trying to lean out some unwanted fat, mostly at the belly section. Gained some unwanted fat %. Seemed like a good moment to try some fat burners out there and weigh in on the SR reviews. Thanks to the SR troops and Clipper for the bounty through the new and improved bounty program.

Ingredient Profile

The ingredient profile consists one big prop blend, which leaves no way of telling how the ingredients are dosed and how they stack against the proven dosages for sure.
(Proprietary) 640 mg,
Raspberry ketone (Rubus idaeus) (fruit)
White kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) (seed
Green coffee bean (Coffea) (seed) (chlorogenic acids)
Dandelion (Taraxacum) (flower
L-Tryptophan
Saffron (Crocus sativus) (flower) (safranal)
Melatonin
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) (leaves)

Altough like most Troops I thorougly hate prop blends I am somewhat pragmatic. If it works, it works and i could care less. It is however hard to assess the expected effectiveness beforehand, so I would probably not purchase this. The bounty program is a nice way to give these kind of products a chance.
When looking at the ingredients it is vaguely possible to assess whether ingredients are properly dosed. This does however calls for some guessing and estimations which in the end will not solve the whole puzzle but could give a fair idea.
The recommended amount of Green coffee is highly dependent on the amount of chlorogenic acid which is not specified. If you would consider an average amount (20%), up from 600mg would be an effective dosage. A fair assumption is that in BPI nite burn this ingredient is underdosed. This goes for most if not all the ingredients. The standard dose of raspberry ketones is 100-200mg.
White kidney bean extract is a carbohydrate blocker. If it is a pure extract (phaseolus vulgaris)
445mg would be a proper and proven effective amount. Dandelion has no real recommended dose, as proof of weight loss in humans is not conclusive.
L-tryptophan is an amino acid which is converted into 5-htp and then to serotonin, melatonin, and vitamin B6 (nicotinamide) Should have a calming effect. No known recommended dose. Saffron's - world's most expensive spice, which perhaps explains the price- is known for antidepressant and calming properties. No recommended dose. Melatonin is a well known non addictive sleep aid with lots of other benefits. Dosage from 0,5mg up to 5mg are is suggested. Lemon balm is used for the calming effect. The lowest active supplemental dose appears to be 300mg

When calculating the scientific proven effective doses of the ingredients included (for which these doses are known) this would amount to at least 1445 mg. This is without the supplement ingredients for which the recommended dose is unknown. BPI nite burn contains (way) less than half of that. This leads to the conclusion that at least some, but most likely all ingredients are heavily underdosed.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

No issues. Just one blue pill before bedtime.

Effectiveness

As could be expected from reading the ingredient profile section of this review. BPI nite burn did not do anything at all for me. Taking a stand alone melatonin supplements provided a better sleeping aid. As to burning capabilities I did nog experience anything. I Actually measured my fat percentage during this run using a scale that is capable of doing this.. Although the precision of these scales can be debatable, a decrease (if even minor) would have been noticeable. I was on a steady but slow fat decreasing stint when I started this supplement. To measure its effectiveness I stopped taking other supplements I have been using (CLA, EGCG). During the use of Nite burn my fat perentage did not drop, It actually increased by 0,1%. The last few days I decided to double the dose and took two pills before bedtime. Considering the dosage I decided this could do no harm. No effects whatsoever.

Value

The best place to buy BPI nite burn is Allstarhealth at the moment of writing this review. At 27 dollars this amounts to 0,77 a day. If it actually worked this would be a fair price. Some fat burners are cheaper, some are more expensive. How do you rate the value a product that does not deliver. I'd say fairly low.

Side Effects

None.

Conclusion

It's always hard to judge a prop blend. Some calculations lead to the conclusion that some, but most likely all ingredients are massively underdosed. The effects were as to be expected: Non noticeable. I do perceived some improved sleep, but to be honest a regular melatonin ingredient gives the same -of not better- results at a fraction of the price. This was my first supplement from BPI ever, and it was not a positive experience. I would definitely not buy this product.

Quick Summary

One of the best BCAA formulas I've seen for the price point.

Introduction

What is going on guys? I have another BCAA review for you today. I claimed this product because of the reputable VMI brand and the good looking label! I'd like to thank all the people at SR and VMI for making this review possible. Let's dive right in.

Ingredient Profile

Highlights:
7g of BCAAs
(3.5g Leucine, 1.75g isoleucine, 1.75g Valine)
1.25g of Betaine
25mg of Vitamin B12

Right off the bat you notice that this product uses 7g of BCAAs as opposed to the traditional 5g per serving. I love this and wish that more companies went higher than the normal 5g dose. They also include a big dose of vitamin B6 and added in things like potassium, magnesium, sodium chloride, and calcium glycinate. The 'star' of this product is clearly the BCAAs and when I'm looking for a BCAA product that's really all that I care about! However, the addition of betaine which is a very underrated supplement in my opinion is a great add on. Betaine works to help improve overall strength throughout the course of your workout.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste: Pink Lemonade was very very good. This is one of the better tasting supplements I've used. It really tastes like pink crystal light lemonade!

Mixibility: Never had any problems, mixed with 8 ounces of water (or a full shaker bottle)

Dosage: 1 serving pre-workout or intraworkout was my usual dosage. I did use 2 servings in a day twice to see if there was more of an impact but I felt no real difference from the 1 serving. Because there was 7g of BCAAs in this product I saw no real reason to increase my dosage regularly. One serving was enough to meet my needs.

Effectiveness

One serving was effective at decreasing my DOMs pretty significantly. I wasn't nearly as sore as I was before and I felt like my recovery time was faster and more efficient while using this product. I never felt dehydrated during my workouts while I was taking this as an intra, kudos to VMI for nailing the hydration aspect of this product. When I'm looking at effectiveness for a BCAA/Intra product I'm really just looking at recovery and muscle soreness. Both of these things were significantly improved during my trial with the product. I was able to train more intensely for longer due to the multiple benefits and wake up the next morning feeling pretty refreshed.

Value

You can currently get this on AllStarHealth.com for around $24 which I think is a GREAT price for a BCAA product with 7g of BCAAs. 80 cents a serving is more than reasonable for the recovery benefits that I experienced.

Side Effects

None

Conclusion

This is a really good BCAA/Intra product for good price! I would highly recommend it.

Quick Summary

Antaeus is a great non-stim pre workout and potent pump inducer that will help you gain that swole feel with the continuous energy needed to power through your workout.

Introduction

A special thanks to Mythos Supplements for their participation here on SR.com. Today, I discuss my experience with their non-stim pwo and pump product Antaeus. I was recently on a 4-week stim break, which ended a couple of days ago as evident by my current use of Formula X pwo from Rage Nutrition. During that time, I was using no stims, not even caffeine from coffee, whatsoever. Of course, I still wanted that pwo drive and energy so I decided to give Antaeus a go when it was available as a TROOPs opportunity.

Ingredient Profile

The profile is fully disclosed with no prop blends or stims.

It contains citrulline malate at 8.3g, beta alanine at 4.2f, beet root (source of betaine) at 2.3g, L-arginine alpha ketoglutarate at 2.1g, glycerol monostearate, and L-arginine hcl.

As you can see, we have plenty of well dosed and well known pump inducing ingredients with no stims. I don't think I need to explain any of them as they've all been around for quite some time. Citrulline malate, beetroot, and the two forms of arginine in this product are all known for their direct vasodilation effects. Beta alanine is great for endurance. Glycerol monostearate exhibits a notable vasodilation effects as well in manners similar to creatine. In essence, it helps draw water into muscular tissue. Some would say it works better with creatine. From my experience, I second this, but I was also not using creatine during my usage with this since I wanted to reduce bloat during my recomp phase. Still, again from my past experience, it is effective on its own.

Lastly, Antaeus contains no fillers or artificial ingredients of any kind.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

The taste is a downfall with this product. To describe it best in my opinion, it was like a highly diluted fruit punch mixed with beet juice. It was not enjoyable whatsoever and I usually had to just pound it down quickly.

Mixability was a little lacking. Upon preparation it left minor sediment and undissolved grit at the bottom of my shaker bottle.

Dosing is standard of a pre workout, but I preferred to take this within a shorter window. I took it 15 minutes before my workout and hit the weights.

Effectiveness

I can safely say that Antaeus was great for pump and had added energy and endurance benefits.

The pumps were incredible and I saw a substantial increase in vascularity and a feeling of fullness all over my physique. Trained muscles were feeling swole to a new level especially during high volume sets. Even with low rep, high intensity intervals, I was still getting a great pump everywhere. The pump and vascularity lasted through my workouts and remained steadily post workout.

My energy did increase to a reasonable level, but not to the same level as with stims. However, this is expected and I am not dissatisfied whatsoever considering I was using it for its stim free properties. I had a moderate, but clean and continuous flow of energy through my workouts that lasted throughout with no crash.

My endurance was well supported as I was experiencing a reduction of fatigue during all training sessions. I was lifting between consecutive sets with each movement with less rest in between and reduced soreness with each following interval. I was running and boxing with more aggression and stamina as well.

While pump was Antaeus best attribute, it hit in all aspects of what I was expecting for a stim-free product.

Value

Currently, Antaeus is available only on Mythos Supp's website. Various sizes are available including 15, 35, and 70 servings. I kindly received two 15 serving tubs, allowing me to utilize the product for a full 30 days.

A 15 serving tub cost 30 dollars. At first glance, that is a bit pricey for only a 15 serving tub. However, as bassore said in his review, don't let that be a deterrent. You definitely get what you pay for and as the product becomes more widely available I believe we will begin to see lower prices or better value BOGO deals offered by Mythos Supps and other vendors.

Side Effects

Beta alanine tingles, but this is reassuring since it is indicative of efficacy

Conclusion

If you wish to avoid the stims and unnecessary additives of most other pre workouts, then I would recommend Antaeus to anyone. In addition, if you want a complementing pump inducer with added energy and endurance support benefits, Antaeus will also help substantially. You'll experience a great pump, good endurance support, and some good jitter free energy.

WARMACHINE OUT!!!

GO RED SOX!!!

Introduction

Before I start I would like to thank Olympus Labs for giving me the opportunity to review Massacr3. I have had experience using Laxogenin supplements in the past seeing good results. My past experience using Laxogenin gave me results with increased muscle growth, strength, recovery, bulking. Laxogenin is an interesting ingredient as some people swear by it and others say it doesn't work.

Ingredient Profile

The ingredient profile features three ingredients on a transparent label. The main ingredient is laxogenin at 300mg per two capsules. Laxogenin is a plant (Smilax Sieboldii) like steroid (5-Alpha-Hydroxy-Laxogenin) as its similar to Anavar (oxandrolone). One big key component for me using laxogenin is that it's natural and free on toxins. Theres been conflict between people as to whether laxogenin works..... one of the reasons is absorption. Olympus Labs uses a lipid complex at a molecular level that can enhance potency from 2x-6x compared to the norm.

Next ingredient listed is Vaso6 - Green Tea Extract 300mg. According to Olympus Labs Vaso6 is a gallate-enhanced oligomer made up of dimers, trimers, tetramers and pentamers that is a powerful stimulator of nitric oxide production. What does this mean for the user? Improved blood flow/increased vasodilation.

Final ingredient is UroBolin - 150mg. UroBolin is one of four metabolites of ellagic acid or ellagitannins..... it can inhibit protein catabolism and simultaneously increase protein synthesis. This is another natural compound that help build muscle while preventing breakdown.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Olympus Labs Massacr3 contains 30 servings using 2 capsules per serving. I took the recommended two capsules on an empty stomach. On training days I took one serving before training... on non-training days I took one serving first thing in the morning.

Effectiveness

In terms of effectiveness I'll use categories to judge Massacr3.

Bulking/Mass 9/10 - One of the biggest takeaways from this was my increased appetite. I couldn't stop eating and my wife was starting to get mad with the increased grocery bill. I was still eating clean and although I was eating more I felt fairly lean around my mid section. My weight went from 202lbs to 207lbs gaining 5 in 30 days.

Vascularity 8/10 - As weeks went by while on cycle my veins were looking like a road map although I was eating more. I was finding them in areas where I don't usually see them like my upper legs/front shoulders/chest. I felt like a fully blown up balloon in a good way.

Strength 9/10 - I'm currently on a powerlifting program so I really only look to PR in the big three compound lifts. During those four weeks while on cycle I PRd on all three lifts seeing 10-15lbs increases. There weren't prohormone like gains but its safe to say they won't go down after cycle.

Recovery 8/10 - Another great result from using Massacr3 was seeing an increase in my recovery times. I definitely noticed I was less sore during/after training sessions while setting PRs. There were significantly less DOMs and most of the time I was feeling fresh. Because of this increase in recovery I was able to train harder-train faster all while feeling healthy.

Value

In regards to value the cheapest I found was on suppz.com for $44.95 - most retailers were selling it for $49.99. This will break the wallet for a very effective natural anabolic supplement. You won't experience prohormone like gains but if you do everything right you will see good results. Compared to other laxogenin supplements this is right around the norm.

Side Effects

None

Conclusion

In conclusion Olympus Labs Massacr3 is a very effective natural anabolic supplement. Although the price is high you'll see good results if your diet & training are in check. You won't get prohormone like gains but you will see good results without having to worry about nasty side effects. I recommend giving Massacr3 a try although the price tag is high - there always seem to be a deal on most retail sites so look out for those. Once again I'd like to thank Olympus Labs for participating in the SR TROOP Program.

Quick Summary

Simply awesome testosterone booster. I can honestly say hands down, this was the most effective product that I have tried in this category. It delivered in all of its claims and even managed to do so without giving the user nasty side effects.

Introduction

Huge thank you to Savage Supplements for letting me run HADES. As we age, our body slows down, including metabolism, and testosterone production, leading us to feel old and sluggish. An effective T product can help keep the aging body going, however, the market is filled with products that promise the world, but leave you empty-handed. This is where a product live Savage Supplements HADES comes into play. They have put together a very potent combination of natural herbal anabolic ingredients to deliver you back to your youth.

Ingredient Profile

This product has a large fully disclosed label which is very refreshing considering the type of product it is, they have nothing to hide and want you to know why this works so well:
Royalapple did a great job laying out all of the ingredients, but I will go over some of the more important ingredients included in this product.

Ashwagandha - 1500mg - honestly this herb is king. The list of things this ingredient treats is endless, but a few are sexual health, and overall immunity. I know in the past when I have used Ashwagandha, my immune system has been stronger and I have felt better overall. This ingredient can also reduce stress in the body, which a reduction of stress will lead to less excess cortisol.

Tribulus P.E 95% Saponins - 500mg - In the world of natural herbal testosterone boosters, Tribulus has been around forever. The minimum dose that you want is 500mg, as long as the Saponins is a high percentage.

Tongkat Ali (Long Jack) - 80mg - this is a root extract from a shrub often referred as Eurycoma longifolia. It's known to increase testosterone and sex drive. It has also shown promising results when it comes to treating ED

Indole-3-Carbinol - 150mg - Indole-3-Carbinol is the precursor to DIM and converts to DIM once it is processed through the stomach, so it adds to the dose of DIM that you are getting.

5a-Hydroxy Laxogenin - 75mg - This is a naturally occurring plant steroid. There are studies out there claiming that it will increase natural testosterone production in the body, however some of the studies are hit and miss. The one constant factor that it has shown to do is increase protein synthesis.

Androsta-3,5-dien-7,17-dione (Arimistane) - 50mg - this is an aromatase inhibitor. Simply put, it is going to fight off the production of excess estrogen and cortisol. If you increase the amount of testosterone your body makes but do not utilize all of it, then it will be converted to estrogen. This is why guys who come off of a cycle get all puffy and usually get man boobs. Taking an AI will help fight off those nasty effects.

ForsLean (95% Forskolin Extract) - 50mg - This ingredient plays an important role when communicating between muscle and cells. This is also an important player in the reduction of body fat, and lean muscle mass increase.

Methyl-EAA (n-Methyl-DL-Aspartic Acid) - 30mg - So unlike regular DAA, this is the methylated version, which is a stronger more potent version. This is why the dose is much smaller than a regular DAA dose. Because of the methylation, it has a greater chance of surviving the passage through the liver and delivering the testosterone boosting properties that it can generate.

Diindolylmethane (DIM) - 25mg -DIM supplement encourages optimal estrogen metabolite breakdown. And by doing this, DIM prevents the overproduction of bad estrogen metabolites. An overproduction of harmful estrogen metabolites leads to estrogen dominance. Too much of anything is never good. This is especially true of hormones. For example, estrogen dominance can lead to tumors in the uterus and endometriosis. In addition to encouraging the production of good estrogen, there are other DIM supplement benefits. Diindolylmethane compounds contain potent antioxidant activity. This antioxidant activity may help prevent chronic disease.

Boron Citrate - 5mg - This mineral can be found in green veggies, studies have shown that a dose of 10mg a day for 7 days can increase testosterone production and reduce estrogen, this is why it is important to eat green veggies such as broccoli and kale.

Bioperine (Piper Nigrum Fruit Extract) - 5mg - This is a rapidly growing popular ingredient that is added to help increase absorption in the body.

As you can see, this is full of natural ingredients designed to deliver a huge boost in anabolic production as well as fighting off nasty estrogen side effects.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

The taste and mixability are non-factors due to this being a capsule.

Dosing is 4 pills which I would take first thing in the morning on an empty stomach before my workout.

Effectiveness

All I can say is WOW!

Never have I ever taken a natural product that delivered to this level. To put it in perspective, 2 years ago, I ran an 8-week cycle of Blackstone Labs Chosen1 followed by PCT V. HADES delivered in 4 weeks what that gave me in 9 weeks. My strength went through the roof, as well as overall body composition improved as well. I had a very inconsistent gym schedule during this cycle, to where I was not always able to workout and do what I wanted in the gym, or did not have the ability to work on my Olympic lifts, however while taking this I could walk into the gym and it looked like I had not missed a day. This allowed me to tap into that "Old Man strength" where I could reach down and always find the strength to lift more.

As an example, I had taken several weeks off from back squats, and I finally got the chance to do them again and was able to go in and lift the same weight I had previously done before, literally creating an environment where there was no drop off in strength. Coupled with this was a huge increase in vascularity. I can tell when I really start to lean out because the veins in my forearms, biceps will start to pop out, but this also got me increase vascularity in my shoulders. When I start to get shoulder veins going, I know I am getting lean.

The other aspect of this was libido. I really did feel like I was in High School again, where I was in basic survival instinct mode where all I wanted to do was breed. There was a huge boost in sexual drive, that honestly felt like nothing could satisfy it.

finally, the last benefit was this did a great job mitigating all of the negative side effects that you would see with a PH product. I had 0 increase in acne anywhere, and there were 0 issues with sexual health and ED functions. Some PH products can wreak havoc on you in this area, especially if it has DECA in it, however, this was not the case. The ingredients allowed my body to maximize the potential they could create without causing negative side effects.

I will say this about the product, there were all of these benefits, however, it was not immediate. It took a solid week for me to notice anything to the point where I thought this product was going to be a bust. With that, like all products I test, I gave it the respect that it deserves and gave it a chance. I was so glad that I did because it was simply amazing. I have already ordered 2 more bottles of this, and they will be here on Monday if that tells you how excited I am about this product.

Value

Right now the only place I can find this at is the companies website itself svgsupplements.com and it retails for $60 for 30 servings which is $2 a serving. Normally for a natural anabolic supplement, I would say that this is a pretty high price due to most PH supplements being in this price range, however, given the sheer amount of ingredients in this, and the way they are dosed coupled with the results that I got, this price is easily worth paying. Additionally, if you keep your eyes peeled they will have BOGO sales and you can get 2 bottles for the price of 1.

Side Effects

Surprisingly, there were no side effects. The only real thing I can report is a dropoff on strength and endurance once I was done taking this product.

Conclusion

Flat out, HADES works. It has been a long time since I have been this surprised by a product. This reminds me of supplements that you used to be able to get back in the 90's you know the kind that actually works, then before you know it, its taken off the market because it worked too well. I would highly recommend this product. Forget other "natural" T boosters and do yourself a favor and get a bottle of this, or get 2. You will not be disappointed. I predict we will see big things from this company in the future. I am already looking forward to hopefully being able to try their pump product because just like this one, it looks insane and effective. Keep up the good work Savage!

Quick Summary

An under-powered sleep aid that can help you fall asleep, but you never quite get that deep sleep feeling. With proper dosing, this product can work for you, but there was just not enough here to get me excited to recommend this.

Introduction

38 years old, recovering from total reconstruction surgery on my left ankle, but finally back in the gym! I suffer from sleep apnea so I like to keep a sleep aid on hand to help me fall asleep. I have had some good and bad experiences on sleep aids, so its not a cut and dry category in this industry like you would think or all the ads let you believe. I saw this as an Amazon recommendation and was on sale, so I decided to give it a shot. Lets see how Olly did for me at night.

Ingredient Profile

Fully disclosed ingredient list, which is always appreciated. Nothing here will stand out, as it seems to be the standard ingredients in a sleep product. None the less lets discuss each ingredient as I normally do. Servings size is based off two gummies (yes, its gummies not pills, which was another reason I wanted to try it because I LOVE gummies).

L-Theanine (200mg): A relaxing Amino Acid that is known to promote relaxation without sedation as well as reducing stress. Typically you will see this between 100-200mg alongside of caffiene to promote cognitive properties, but here its more of the relaxing properties we are looking for, since there is no caffiene. I have taken doses of 500mg in previous sleep aids (Resurrect PM) with some benefit, 200mg seems a bit low for me, but we will cover that in effectiveness.

Melatonin (3mg): Melatonin is a hormone secreted in the brain that regulates sleep typically used as a sleep aid and is non-addictive. This gives you some good restful sleep and is the most well known and common ingredient to help you sleep. Typically I like to have 5mg of Melatonin, this was a little low, but really this dosage depends on your own personal reaction and needs.

Chamomile Extract (flower) (17mg)/Passionflower Extract (aerial parts) (17mg)/Lemon Balm Extract (aerial parts) (16mg): I lump these all together as they are all bontanicals. All of these promote relaxation in herbal remedies, and am not real sure on dosage here.

Simple profile overall, and the nice thing is you can tailor this to your needs. To me, at two gummies this was a bit under-dosed for me, but four gummies were pretty good, but we shall cover that below in the appropriate section.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste: The only flavor this comes in is Blackberry Zen. It tasted okay, not as exciting as a gummy bear, but you got some hints of blackberry and was decent. Not enough to get me excited but real easy to chew up and swallow.

Mixability: Gummies, so not issues here.

Dosing: The directions call for 2 gummies 30 minutes prior to sleep. I tried dosing this at 2 and 4 gummies.

Effectiveness

I dosed the first half of this bottle at the recommended two gummies. It would relax me and help me fall asleep about an hour after taking this. However, it never kept me asleep for longer than 3-4 hours and I never hit that illustrious REM deep sleep. For the last half of the bottle I switched it up to four gummies at a time, and I would fall asleep withing 45 minutes, and stay asleep for 4-5 hours. I had better success this way, but still never felt that deep sleep kick in. Overall, this did help me in falling asleep but thats about it. I am a light sleeper normally, so any sound wakes me up during the night, and I would never be in a deep enough sleep to sleep through any nightly sounds. If you are looking for a simple aid to help you fall asleep, then this is for you, but I look for more deep rest so this fell a bit short for me, no matter how I dosed it.

Value

I picked this up from Amazon (free shipping thanks to Prime) for $11.99 for 50 gummies. At two gummies a night this should last you 25 nights and come out to 48 cents a night, which is pretty cheap for a sleep aid with more than just Melatonin. However, I had better success on 4 gummies a night so it would last 12.5 nights and come out to closer to 96 cents a night which kills the value in my opinion. Plus the effectiveness did nothing more than help me fall asleep so it lowers the value in my eyes. You can grab products like Resurrect PM or Fade Out for around the same price with ten times better effects and value.

Side Effects

None.

Conclusion

If you just need a minor boost to fall asleep and two gummies will be sufficient then you should consider this product. For someone like me that needs a bit more, this is not effective enough in my eyes to recommend it. The actual rating of this review is tough since its going to vary from person to person, but for me a 38 year old with Sleep Apnea, it was not enough, but it gets a Meh since it did help me initially fall asleep. No regrets in trying this.

Introduction

Big thanks to VMI Sports and the TROOP program for giving me the opportunity to review A-XR PCT. I took this product as a stand-alone natural testosterone booster, rather than as its intended purpose as a PCT. That being said, based off of the supplement profile and its benefits as a PCT, it should have been a solid test booster. It is marketed to "Anyone looking to restore natural testosterone production and boost libido & vitality."

I expected minor strength gains, acne, aggression, and increased libido. I experienced NONE of the above. I am a 27 year old male and by no means have low testosterone but I have taken natural test boosters before and had solid results.

Ingredient Profile

The ingredients in A-XR PCT are said to 1) boost testosterone with tribulus and PrimaVie; 2) build muscle by regulating hormone levels; 3) increase libido; and 4) inhibit aromatase with Saw Palmetto and Stinging Nettle Root. I find that several of the ingredients are significantly underdosed.

LH Activation Complex:
Tribulus Alatus Extract (Fruit) 200 mg--boosts testosterone, used in tons of testosterone boosting supplements
PrimaVie Purified Shilajit Powder 200 mg --supports sexual health, energy production and overall fitness

DHT Inhibition Complex:
Saw Palmetto Powder (Berries) 120 mg--prostate health
Stinging Nettle Root Powder 120 mg--prostate health

Natural Androgen Support:
Vitamin D3 2000 iu
Boron Citrate 100 mg
Androstenolone (DHEA) 25 mg
Zinc Bisglycinate Chelate 15 mg

Estrogen Aromatase Regulataion:
Acacetin 100 mg

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

I used this product as recommended. Two capsules each day either before my first meal or pre workout. Regardless of whether I took it pre workout or pre meal, I saw no difference. The capsules are small and easy to take.

Effectiveness

Here is where the product really let me down. I honestly might as well have not taken A-XR PCT because I noticed ZERO effects. There was no aggression, no acne, no strength or size gains, no increased libido.

Yes, I am a 27 year old male and full of my own testosterone but I did hope to see some minimal side effects. I really noticed no differences good or bad. Maybe things would have been different had I taken this as a true PCT, but I didn't and I cannot know for sure.

Value

So if this product was effective, I would consider it a pretty good value ranging anywhere between $30-$44. That being said, given that this had NO EFFECT I have to say there is close to NO VALUE. I would not pay to take sugar pills and I wouldn't suggest a friend to either.

Side Effects

Absolutely NONE...good or bad

Conclusion

Might as well have been sugar pills. Not sure how effective it is as a PCT, but I would be fearful trusting this product if I was really in need of a PCT.

Quick Summary

White Flash is Controlled Labs' newest, and (imo) best PWO. It delivered a noticeable increase in performance in my weight training, as well as providing clean focus for me during a time where I needed it most.

Introduction

I received the 20 serving tub, compliments of a company rep. It was my first time using a stimulant PWO in about 2 years. I received Kiwi Strawberry flavor, which I was very satisfied with. I was following the "Building Von Moger" 6-week routine, and consuming between 3,000 to 3,300 calories per-day. I was also in the beginning of a major transition in my career, which was very demanding, both mentally and physically. I'd like to thank CL again for sending me this tub to try.

Ingredient Profile

The ingredient panel is totally transparent. Listing effective doses of proven ingredients is always the best way to catch my attention. You've got 5g of L-Citrulline, 4g Betaine-A, 750mg Agmatine Sulfate, and 300mg VASO6 working together, intense pumps were delivered consistently.

300mg of Caffeine Anhydrous delivers a classic stimulant effect, with the jitters effectively removed by 20mg of Theobromine. There is of course added B-Vitamins, but I can't say I've ever noticed any direct effects from them in the past.

The 100mg of L-Theanine, 1.5g of L-Tyrosine, and 500mg Lion's Mane Mushroom Powder help deliver a totally clear mind. All of these ingredients here are pretty elementary and have proven their worth through time with the exception of the Lion's Mane Mushroom Powder. For those of us who are new to it, the purpose of it here is apparently to increase cognitive function.

There's also 50mg Astragin to make sure your body makes the most out of all you're taking.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

The Kiwi Strawberry was great with the recommended amount of water, but even better with an equal amount of Strawberry Kiwi Propel or La Croi. The mouthfeel is a bit powdery, which is odd since I couldn't notice any amount of settling in the cup. The almost 16g scoop mixes wonderfully and has well-dosed ingredients that get the job done well.

Effectiveness

The skeptical would doubt the amount of praise I give this product. I absolutely LOVE it. The pumps were intense, the energy was abundant, and the focus was razor sharp. The effectiveness did not taper down with continued use at 5 days/week for 4 weeks. Instead of feeling ultra-stimulated, I felt ultra-motivated, aided in my workout instead of being forced to either exert energy or vomit. My mind-muscle connection was superior to any other products, as the focus was firm but not over-powering to the point of feeling distracted by it. (Stim junkies, you know what I mean). The endurance was decent, but it wasn't one of the forerunners of the product. I was able to squeeze out a couple of extra reps, but I would probably credit that to the efficient movements I was able to execute from the mind-muscle connection.

I used the product at .5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 times the recommended dose, and felt that .5 is enough for most days unless you're really chasing the pump. One dose is a very well established amount that delivered a sick pump and vascularity, and the aforementioned focus and energy. 1.5 and 2.0 were a bit excessive, and only seemed to enhance the pump, but to the point of actually hindering my workouts. It was simply too intense. The energy and focus also seemed too aggressive and completely uncomfortable to me at the higher doses. I recommend staying at or slightly below one single scoop.

Value

For me, being able to log this for free was fantastic. Again, huge thanks to the guys at CL for supporting this. However, the 20-dose container is sold on their website for $66.99, making the total $71.98 after shipping. I can't fathom paying $3.60 per serving of an unnecessary supplement. I highly recommend shopping around for better prices. The average cost from five outside distributors is $34.45, making the average cost per-serving $1.72.

Using an outside distributor is the obvious choice (allstarhealth has the lowest ive seen at $31.49), saving you roughly HALF the manufacturer's charge.

Side Effects

Increased urination (duh)

Conclusion

White Flash is the first PWO I've used that delivers so well on all corners. Focus, Pump, Energy, and (somewhat) Endurance. If you can get a good price, absolutely give it a try!

Quick Summary

An inexpensive fish oil that does the job.

Introduction

I have recently done a review on fish oil provided by the SR family and that product was not very high on my reviews. I decided to do a review on my go to fish oil that I have used for years. This fish oil is by Spring Valley and easily available at Wal-Mart or online.

Ingredient Profile

This is your basic fish oil. The ingredients listed are for 2 soft gels per day, so that is what I will be using for ingredients. Calories are 25, calories from fat are 25, total fat is 2.5 g, and cholesterol is 15 mg. It has 2400 mg of the fish oil which consists of omega 3 fatty acids 720 mg, EPA 360 mg, and DHA 240 mg. The general rule of thumb for fish oil is taking a product that provides 700 to 1,000 mg of general fish oil with omega 3 fatty acids being 500 mg of combined EPA and DHA. The instruction says to take 2 soft gels per day so you will be consuming more than enough of the recommended amount. I give the ingredients a high rating because this does contain enough fish oil elements.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

I have had no problems with taste or smell. Some fish oils will leave your breath smelling like tuna but this did not happen. Mixability is not an issue here as it is a soft gel. The dosing says to take two per, so I took 1 in the morning and at night. I give this a high rating as it follows the general amount suggested.

Effectiveness

Fish oil has many benefits like it helps with ADHD, Alzheimer's, anxiety, arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, immunity, and weight loss. Athletes will use fish oil to speed up recovery, burn body fat, support testosterone levels, and promote muscle growth. Fish oil supplements also cut the risk of heart attacks, lower blood pressure, and prevent strokes. It's hard to rate the effectiveness. I felt that it did what a fish oil needed to do. I give it a high rating because you are getting all the benefits.

Value

This has 200 soft gel capsules which convert into 100 servings (since you take 2 soft gels per day) so it will last you over 3 months. The cost was $30 which works out to $0.30 per day so the cost is very low. I give this a high-ranking.

Side Effects

No side effects.

Conclusion

This was a good fish oil. The ingredients meet the recommended amount. The taste was fine. It was as effective. The value is high. There were no side effects. I give this a high-ranking so it will remain my everyday fish oil.

Quick Summary

This was a wonderful weight loss supplement for the body to burn fat with ketones but an expensive price.

Introduction

Thank you to the people at Ultra Human. I have tried ketones for a while and it's a hard thing to find effective ones. I don't want to get into all the things that you need to do to get your body into ketosis because that is a long discussion for another place. I was able to do ketosis through diet for a few weeks but the type of food you can eat was really hard, so I have not been trying a ketosis diet. I have done a low carb diet, so I wanted a good product to try with ketones because it gave the impression this would get you into ketosis if on a low carb diet.

Ingredient Profile

Calories 70
Total Fat 3g
Carb 4g
Sugar 0g

The Ultra has two core ingredients, KETO 4X or Exogenous Ketone Matrix with 15,160 mg and Burn Ready with Pure C8 MCT with 9575 mg. The KETO 4x does not list the amount of each ingredient. The ingredients are Beta-Hydroxybutyrate forms of Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, and Potassium. Beta-Hydroxybutyrate is one of 3 types of ketones for energy molecules. The Beta-Hydroxybutyrate is in salt form (which explains the calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium). The Beta-Hydroxybutyrate salt is derived from fat. This is a high amount of ketone items but I just don't know how much each item is in the KETO 4X. What Ultra is doing is helping the ketones to burn fat within the body. The Burn Ready with Pure C8 MCT is Chain Triglycerides 7500 mg, DL-Malix Acid 2000 mg, and Himalayan Pink Salt 75 mg. Medium-chain triglycerides or MCT, is naturally occurring item found in food like coconut oil and helps with weight loss and burning fat. DL-Malix Acid is a compound found in fruit for energy. Himalayan Pink Salt works for hydration and electrolytes. All the ingredients are natural elements found in things like food and vitamins. All the ingredients are great and I give this a high-ranking.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

I was able to get raspberry lemonade flavor. I think the first thing to cover here is the smell. The smell was really strong and bad which unfortunately impacts taste. I did plug my nose to see if I could get the raspberry lemonade flavor that it came with but the smell was still a struggle. The taste and smell are not good. The mixability was not an issue because everything broke down really easily. The dosing was to start with half a scoop, then build-up to 3/4 of a scoop, and then a full scoop. I followed the dosing as suggested. I did the half a scoop for 2 days, 3/4 of a scoop for 2 days, and finished with a full scoop for the next few weeks. I have to say the taste and the smell were really bad, so I give that a low ranking but the mixability and dosing were good, so I give that a high-ranking. I will give it a middle-ranking overall because it is a happy medium.

Effectiveness

As far as it goes with effectiveness, I think the ketones were unbelievable and my body was in ketosis state or felt it was in ketosis state. Ketosis is not the same thing as Atkins diet but it's still hard to do because the diet is so strict because it requires a high amount of fat. I am not going into all the details of ketosis and how to get there because it's really important for you to research it and see. What I can say is that this gave me the ketosis fill but without the structured diet. I would say that this product was highly effective because I did stay with a low carb diet of under 100 carbs per day, I had a high amounts of fat, and a medium amounts of protein. The first 12 days I was able to lose 7 pounds with no problem. It did slow down a little and I ended up losing another 2 pounds in the last 7 days. In the end, I lost 9 pounds (I went from 216 to 207) in less than a month. I'm not for sure if this weight loss had continued if I was using it longer, but I feel you should lose 5-10 pounds per month. I need to take another tube to see about future weight loss but I was able to lose 9 pounds in a month is really impressive. I've struggled with weight loss for a while and needed something to really help me. I want to stress that this is not a magic pill that will solve all your problems. Effectiveness of this product is from a low carb and high fat diet. I am not saying you only consume 5 grams of carbs per day but you can not eat pizza and subway foot long sandwiches and have this supplement work. Stay low carb. My diet is 100 grams or fewer of carbs per day and I did not consume a ton of protein because I do not want to lose or burn the protein but have a good amount around 100 grams per day (depends on weight). Remember, this is for weight loss and not muscle gain. Every person is different so it may not be as effective for you as it was for me. I am just explaining my experience. This was a wonderful product and I highly recommend it for anybody else. As I've said before in other posts, make sure that your diet and exercise are on point.

Value

I was able to find this on several websites. The cost is normally $90 but was on sale for $70 and a tub has 16 servings so this is $4.38 per day. The cost is really high. Like I said in the effective section, if you are eating to many carbs, then this is a waste of money. If you are strict with your diet and exercise regularly, then this could be the thing to get you over the hump. For me personally, I find it hard to justify spending this much money. The cost is so much higher than what I normally spend on supplements, but it was the most effective weight loss product I have ever tried. I have to say the cost is way too high but the value is incredible due to the weight loss (hopefully this makes sense) so I will give it a middle ranking.

Side Effects

Jitters at first but went away.

Conclusion

This is the best and most effective weight loss product I have every tried and I have tried a lot, but there are some downsides too. The ingredients are solid. The taste and smell were bad. The dosing and mixability were good. The effectiveness was unbelievable. The cost is high. The value is middle. The side effects were minor. I am really torn on this product. It had so many good things but also some bad things. I am willing to handle the smell and taste if it is effective. I do not know if the cost is worth it since you might be able to lose the weight on a good old-fashioned diet (probably not as fast though). If Ultra Human could get the cost down to $2 per day, I would suggest and recommend it to everyone but with it being $4.38 per day, I do not think I would buy it again.

Quick Summary

Assass1nate is a very good hybrid supplement that will burn fat and act as an efficient GDA to help make sure the carbs go where they belong.

Introduction

Another special thanks too Olympus Labs for their participation here on SR.com. Today, I discuss my experience with their non stim fat burner and GDA Assa1nate. I was on an off cycle from stims for a while and just recently got back on them with a new pre workout. Before then, I sticking solely to non stim products and refraining from PWOs. I decided to use Assa1nate as a way to keep my current recomp going strong without stims and by aiding in helping consumed carbs go to muscle tissue to a greater degree rather than being stored as fat. My experience with non-stim fat burners is a little limited and I never expect them to be as effective as stim containing ones. However, I still would like a degree of potential fat loss and thermogenesis. In addition, with GDAs I look for the prevention of carb bloat and a benefits to my endurance and pump.

Ingredient Profile

Assa1nate contains a fully disclosed profile.

Dihydromyricetin 700mg: An extract taken from a Japanese plant known as Hovenia dulcis. It appears to have antioxidant, anti inflammatory, antiviral, and liver protective qualities by acting as an agent that can help protect the liver from alcohol induces damage and stress. It also as digestive benefits. Hard to say why this ingredient would be in a product of this nature.

Trans-Tiliroside 500mg: Extracted from Rosa Canina, this ingredient has been demonstrated to aid in visceral fat reduction by activating your AMPK pathways. AMPK plays crucial roles in several biochemical functions in our body. Among other benefits, activating the AMPK pathway can lead to fat loss as it stimulated cells to metabolize lipids at a greater rate.

Carnosic or Carsonic Acid. 500mg: Known to increase glucose uptake and inhibit fat storage. Also acts as an antioxidant.

Orthosiphon Stamineus 300mg: This has been touted top help suppress your appetite, therefore allowing you to eat less, favoring weight loss.

Oleoylethanolamide OEA 200mg: A molecular lipid naturally produced in your small intestine. Studies on OEA are limited, however, it's intended purpose is to regulate hunger and cholesterol levels. Supplementing with it can supposedly have an appetite suppressant and satiety increasing effect. This in turn, allows you to eat less and translate into more favorable chances of fat loss. It is also a PPAR receptor stimulator that when acts on the receptor, promotes fat metabolism.

Olive leaf extract 150mg: In addition to antioxidant and other health benefits, olive leaf extract can have a positive effect on your metabolism by upping your metabolism and promoting the utilization of fat for energy.

Lutein 125mg: Known mainly for it benefits to the eyes and vision, but can also aid in increasing your metabolic rate.

Dosing

The protocol calls for taking a total of 4 caps a day. One thing I noticed is that various sites seem to have different directions on how to take this. Some recommend a "two caps" twice a day with your largest meals. Also, a protocol of taking all 4 caps with largest meal of the day is suggested.

Since my meals were limited because of my recomp dietary plan, I chose to simply take all 4 caps with dinner each day. Dinner is typically my largest meal of the day regardless of my training phase goals.

Effectiveness

First I want to discuss its benefits as a GDA because OI believe it was more effective in this category. I experienced less carb bloat and had an increase in endurance and natural energy throughout the days and during my workouts. I had a more defined swole and pumped feel and fatigue was reduced during each individual weight movement and sets. I did not have any digestive issues and I was more regular while on Assante. Therefore, I can vouch for digestive benefits.

As for weight loss and thermo effect, I did appear leaner and more defined, but the thermo effect was not overly impressive. Thanks to the appetite suppression effects, I was able to maintain a more strict caloric intake as laid out by my recomp plan without giving into temptation induced hunger spikes. Speaking of which, I did not experience and excessive hunger or spikes even after heavy training sessions. It did not "kill" my appetite, which I would NOT want. It simply reduced it to a more manageable level and prevented spikes throughout the day.

I did not see a significant thermo in comparison to stim products. Nonetheless, as I mentioned in the intro, I was not expecting one to such a degree since I know how I react to non-stim fat burners. With that said, I did see a moderate thermo effect to the point where I felt a more noticeable core burn. I did not sweat profusely but I still had a more defined metabolic "heat up" feeling through my physique.

In summary, Assa1nate works best as a GDA and appetite suppressant. As a metabolic enhancer and thermogenic, it has its benefits in this area but could use some improvement.

Value

I was able to find Assass1nate for as low at 29.99 on Bestpricenurtiion.com for a full 30 day supply. I think this is a great value considering your are getting a hybrid of GDA and fat burning aid in one. It is also effective and priced at the average, if not lower price, than most standalone products of these categories.

Side Effects

none

Conclusion

If you want something to help get those crbs to where they need to be to aid in energy, pump, and endurance than Assass1nate will help greatly in this area. Also, if you prefer the stim-free route for fat loss, appetite suppression, and moderate thermogenesis, Assaa1nate will also help in this area. Be sure you search for the best price so that you are not led to the more expensive retail prices such as the one on OL's own website. Of course, make sure diet and training are on point.

WARMACHINE OUT!!!

GO RED SOX!!

Quick Summary

A very effective and interesting Intra - where less seems like more! This is my new addition that I am keeping (believe it or not).

Introduction

Hey guys, Not a huge O.N fan to be honest - there's this huge misconception about their Gold Standard whey that has gotten me into trouble with a rep in the past (when I was working with USN). Since I cleared that up I was on the look for a new intra since I normally just a BCAA drink during my workouts I found myself slacking as soon as I went off any form of a pre workout. This had to be resolved...

Ingredient Profile

Serving Size 1 Scoop (10 g)

Servings Per Container 28
Amount Per Serving

Calories 15
Total Carbohydrate 4 g
Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid) 9 mg
Magnesium (as Magnesium Oxide) 60 mg
Sodium (as Sodium Chloride) 100 mg
Potassium (as Potassium Chloride) 100 mg
BCAA Blend (L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine) 5 g
Bakers Yeast Beta Glucan (Wellmune) 250 mg
Rhodiola Extract (root) 200 mg

I love that this is no prob blend and everything is laid out truthfully

Now being that is has a slightly warped view on a regular intra that contains your normal BCAA blend from ratio 2:1:1 until maybe a 10:1:1 with a electrolyte blend and maybe taurine thrown in for good measure, Train and sustain is slightly different as it claims:

5g BCAAs in 2:1:1 Ratio
Performance Support from Electrolytes*
Endurance Supporting Rhodiola*
Wellmune to Support Immunity*
Banned Substance Tested

The addition wellmune and Rhodiola makes this rather compelling and unique. Right off the bat I am a fan of Rhodiola as its an adaptogen that not only boosts endurance but fights depression and improves mood. But I have read caffeine can act against it - but I will leave that for another topic , purely their intention for for enhances performance. Overall This certainly could be improved with additions such as L-citrulline and beta alanine that would have helped with the lack of any pump and so too better endurance but this certainly held its own with these 2 major ingredients - which normally are found in almost every decent pre workout and at sufficient dosages too... So I get where they are coming from since they also have a pre workout that contains the missing ingredients as mentioned.

Taste

Raspberry Pomegranate - 8/10

Being that the local site I was on had only this option as a flavor I reluctantly got it. Since I am not the biggest fan of pomegranate I was fearing the worst - pomegranate is usually bitter and I don't do bitter. I was in favor of the pair as raspberry could be a nice sweet touch to balance the flavors rather well.

Well it was definitely a stronger kick of pomegranate than raspberry, its alot more tarty/sour than sweet but it is not bad at all to be honest. It does hit your senses as rather strong, but once your used to it - its rather enjoyable. I must say sipping on this served as refreshing drink! I did buy a few of this flavor as there was a promo on this - I have yet to try any other flavors as yet - but if this is anything to go by I am keen!

Mixability

Mixes extremely well and easy, no grit or foaminess. I have mixed it with a spoon and it mixes instantly - Really impressive.

Dosing

2 rounded scoops in 350ML of water. I dont quite see the logic of a mini scooper that requires 2 scoops when a larger scooper would just require a single scoop. Pretty brainless IMO.

Effectiveness

I didn't expect much from this intra - It seemed basic but I liked the addition Rhodiola as I thought it would a great combo along with ksm66 - fighting stress ain't so easy.

Anyways I have used multiple intras, intras are really a staple in almost every serious lifters supplement arsenal. For me I kinda fell off the gain train since I had adverse effects with xtend elite and all their additional extras. But from the onset this felt different, like it didn't try to be something it ain't and stayed true to its roots of being a basic yet effective intra. The positive effects on my endurance cannot be undermined - training whilst under going emotional strain is daunting! But on train and sustain I was able to think slightly clearer and train slightly longer and in turn harder!

I always ended my workouts with a bang which left me feeling alot better after a long day - and on the flip side my new training regime in the am has proven to be more effective overall in terms of mood and effectiveness. But all I can say that finding a pre to couple with this might be a challenge - I found their pre workout didn't work at all and I ended up having a terrible workout. But now I have a pre that works in terms of energy and focus which really complement train and sustain!

Don't expect any sort of pumps if you use this as a standalone, but overall it does what it claims - I can't say too much when it comes to the wellmune aspect as my immune system is pretty lit lol, but this could be a worthy addition as your immune system does dip slightly due to vigorous training and cardio, so having this in an intra and keeping your immune system peaked is a cool and good idea. Other than the total lack of pump or volumizing effects this certainly does the job and keeps me at it.

Value

Value I found to be extremely good. I use this only on my training days - 1 tub lasts 28 workouts which is a long ass time, I train around 4/5 times a week, so it lasts me around 5/6 weeks which is real good. I got this on promo this side on a buy 2 and get 1 free for around $80. I know that aint cheap but here its the average price of an intra. I know it normally goes for around $30 in the US, which is around $1.07 a serving - and thats pretty decent for what it does.

Side Effects

None.

Conclusion

A really kick ass banned substance free intra that really improved my overall experience during my session and out - which is exactly what I am looking for. To me - finding a staple supplement is hens teeth. The additions of wellmune and rhodiola rosea is a unique concept that does work extremely well. I found that this intra has made me enjoy training alot more and yield better recovery and improved endurance. Sure its not the most complete pre workout and does fall short in a few departments - but it really does hold its own without those ingredients! Also it don't taste too bad... Nice job Optimum!

Fridge

Quick Summary

Nootropic products like this are a good way to get that enhance mental focus feeling and give you some energy boosts. I look to these for those two reason and like the idea behind products like this as long as they are well dosed and effective. This is one of the much better ones out there I believe and coming from a company like Outbreak you can count on them to deliver.

Introduction

First off I want to thank Outbreak Nutrition for letting us troopers have the chance to give this product a try. Nootropics lately have become to new thing for a lot of companies to come out with. I think they have there purpose and worth using for the right reasons. So far I have used a few different ones and have enjoyed them.

Ingredient Profile

I feel this has a lot of really good ingredients in it and dosed fairly well to help make it a lot more effective. I posted below a list of the ingredients and what each of them do.

Bacopa Monnieri (std. 50% Bacopasides) 300mg

Supplementing Bacopa Monnieri has been clinically shown to improve cognition by lowering anxiety levels. It is also effective at improving memory formation. Bacopa monnieri interacts with the dopamine and serotonergic systems, but its main mechanism concerns promoting neuron communication. It does this by enhancing the rate at which the nervous system can communicate by increasing the growth of nerve endings. We have included a full clinical dose in TRANSMIT

Alphasize (Alpha GPC) 200mg

Alpha GPC is one of two highly pure and trademarked choline ingredients in TRANSMIT. We opted to provde the choline via two different compounds to ensure survivors got the best of both worlds. Choline is used to create and protect new brain cells. Choline is converted by the body into Acetylcholine, which is one of the neurotransmitters most involved in processes related to memory formation, retention, recall, mathematical and verbal reasoning, planning, and focus.

Phosphatidylserine (std 20%) 200mg

Phosphatidylserine (PS) works primarily on cognition by both boosting it and preventing it's decline longer term. PS has been shown highly effective at boosting attention in children, adolescents and adults with dosages between 100-300mg a day. PS also reduces cortisol, the stress hormone allowing you to think more clearly and calmly during stressful situations (Like gaming, studying or surviving the end of the world)

Caffeine 200mg

Just the right amount of Caffeine to provide energy that works synergistically with the focus enhancing nootropics in TRANSMIT but without causing a crash or jitters. We found 200mg of Caffeine worked perfectly with the other stimulant Dynamine to produce a laser focused euphoric feeling.

Methyliberine (as Dynamine) 50mg

Dynamine is a brand new mental stimulant that provides mental energy, laser focus and a slight euphoric mood lift. Dynamine does not raise the heart rate or cause jitters and works perfectly with a medium dosage of caffeine to give you a mental bost far exceeding any energy drinks on the market.

L-Theanine (as TheaKalm) 200mg

L-Theanine is a non sedating but calming compound. It works perfectly to reduce the perception of stress and lift cognition. It also works to prevent any jitters or anxiety that stimulants like caffeine can cause. A combination of L-Theanine with Caffeine (200mg each) is noted and studied to be synergistic in promoting cognition and attention.

Citicoline (as Cognizine) 125mg

Cognizine is another Choline source in TRANSMIT that once converted to Acetylcholine in the body provides a massive amount of benefits including boosting cognition, focus and promoting memory formation. There are numerous studies showing it is effective at increasing both short term and long term attention levels as well

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

No taste these come in pill form.
Also nothing to mix
They say to take three capsules per day. I would do three of these in the morning just before I would leave for work. They could be taken later in the day also if you need a little pick me up to get you going a little more.

Effectiveness

Like I said above I would normally take these in the morning just before I would leave for work. I wanted something that would help give me a little more energy to help get me going in the mornings and give me some better mental focus so I focus better on my work I had to do. Also these can help with your overall mood and help you feel better.

In this you get 200mg of caffeine. That's not a huge amount of caffeine nor is it a real low amount either. I would say for a nootropic product this is an ok amount of caffeine to get. The first few weeks I was on this I felt a really good boost in my energy and felt a lot more awake. After a couple weeks of being on this it did not seem to hit me as hard energy wise. If this whole bottle would have worked (energy wise) as good as it did from beginning to end this would have been an outstanding product for me. Well for me this started off really strong like but when I got about half way through the bottle it did not seem to hit me as hard energy wise. On some days I could really feel it and other days not so much. The days I really wanted to test this were days when I would wake up feeling extremely tired and having a really hard time wanting to wake up and really needed that pick me up on energy. I feel it helped me a bit but could have been a little more. I think maybe if I did not consume so much caffeine later in the day with my pre-workout this might have hit me a little harder in the mornings.

The mental focus this gave me I thought was always pretty decent and could really block out other stuff and stress like issues I may be dealing with fairly well. I think I was able to focus a lot better on the stuff I needed to a lot better than I normally would. The mental focus part I thought was pretty good from beginning to end and never really seemed to change much and was always pretty good for me. I think that mood wise I always felt better and was more happier and more calm like. I do feel that when I took this in the mornings I would feel that my body temp seemed to go up a little more than normal because I noticed I would start to sweat a little more than I normally would.

I would say that overall I felt pretty good while using this. I just wish that when I first started taking this that those effects I got could have lasted through out the whole bottle especially the energy part. It was still a fairly decent product t thought and did help me in the areas this is suppose to help you in. The company Outbreak told me this is good to use either short term or long term because of the ingredients they use. I think for me this was more effective short term rather than long term. I think it depends more on the person and how you react to it. I would say right now the mental focus and mood enhancer part of this worked really well for me but the energy part lacked a bit.

Value

Right now the cheapest I can find this is on dpsnutrition.net and they want $35.99 90 capsules which comes out to 30 servings. They have a 10% coupon you can use so it brings it down to $32.40. I don't think this is to bad a price. For any kind of nootropic product I don't think should be more than $30 at most. On outbreak's website they want $39.99. Also long as it work well I am ok with spending over $30 but not to much more than that.

Side Effects

Nothing I noticed.

Conclusion

Overall I thought this was one of the better nootropic products I have used. I think with a few slight changes this could be even better than what it is. I think that most people who use this will really enjoy this a lot and find it to be effective for them. I am not saying it did not work for me but I prefer just a little higher amounts of caffeine. I know with a nootropic product going with a lot more caffeine than the 200mg can be risky just because a lot of people may not want more than that. I really think this product is worth checking out if your looking for a decent nootropic product to try. I don' think this will disappoint you once you try it. There may be slight things about this you may or may not like but for the most part I think you will really enjoy this product. For the most part this is a fairly decent company I think and have some good products and this is just another one to add to their list. Again I want to give a big shout out to Outbreak Nutrition for making this product and letting me have the chance to try it.

Quick Summary

Casein protein can be pretty nasty with lots of clumping and grittiness. Dymatize delivered here with a casein option that mixes up easily and satisfies for a long time.

Introduction

I'd like to thank Dymatize Nutrition for making this review possible. I had my doubts they'd come through... the order had auto-cancelled and it was a big let down, but the same day it cancelled I came home to a neat little package on my doorstep. Lo and behold-- my casein had arrived!

Most often I hear people discussing their use of casein as a bedtime thing. While I do follow that practice sometimes, I've recently started adding a scoop of casein to my morning shake instead along with regular whey, right after I lift. I'm not sure there's one practice that's better than the other.

While using Elite Casein, I was also running a laxogenin product. One of the things about laxogenin is it is supposed to greatly increase your protein synthesis, so it was great to have these things in tandem. I was using Elite Casein twice daily at morning and at night to try to mazimize the benefits of the laxogenin. While the results I saw over the past month would really have to be attributed to the laxogenin mostly, Dymatize's casein made it much easier, as I'll explain...

Ingredient Profile

Elite Casein has a large, 36g scoop which yields 130 k/cal, including 20 from fat.

Each scoop gives you 25g of protein, 2g of unsaturated fat, and 2g of carbs. With 7g remaining I assume that is filler for taste and consistency.

Dymatize used sucralose as a sweetener.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste: I received Rich Chocolate flavor and found it to be really tasty. There was a bit of grittiness when consumed on its own, but I've yet to meet a casein that isn't gritty to some degree. This was definitely one of the less gritty ones I've ever tried.

Mixability: Surprisingly, I had the easiest time when just mixing this in a shaker. It blended easily in both milk and water without any clumping. I ran into minor issues when using a blender. When using a blender I usually add liquid last so that the ice, powder, and fruit are towards the blades. If I add liquid first my blender isn't powerful enough to reliably pull everything down. Adding the liquid last did cause it to stick to the sides somewhat, but it wasn't a major problem. I'd just scrape it off and blend it the rest of the way.

Dosing: As mentioned in the intro, most days I was using this twice per day. Once after my lift along with a scoop of whey, a banana, some PB, and skim milk; and once before bed on its own.

Effectiveness

I judge proteins mainly by flavor, digestibility (which I'm basically a giant wuss about), and satiety (which is a little subjective, I know).

Dymatize's Elite Casein did well in every category. I found the flavor to be nice and creamy, like milk chocolate... which may have been compounded by the fact that I usually mixed this with, well, milk. I was able to combine it with other flavors like vanilla protein, maple protein (on the fence about that flavor), peanut butter, and banana, and it never overwhelmed anything but instead always seemed to complement it nicely. There was a bit of grittiness and it required about 25-50% more liquid to reach my desired viscosity, but altogether I really enjoyed it and looked forward to it.

Digestibility was great too. I never got stomach cramps or anything which I'm very prone to. I never experienced any gassiness or bloating either. Really happy here for a guy that has been the only one on this site with protein digestion issues more than once.

Satiety I want to say was also good, but the test booster and laxogenin supplement I was taking alongside this made me ferociously hungry. I usually have my morning shake at 7:30 and this would help me feel satisfied until 10 or 10:30. At night I never woke up hungry, but I did wake up starving. I honestly think if I wasn't taking the test boosters I would feel full much longer though.

Final notes are that I have leaned out a lot over the last month, which might have a lot to do with the fact that this was so tasty and satisfying. It's always nice to crave something like this instead of greasy foods or sweets. I'm sure it is no easy feat to make a protein taste good enough to replace ice cream or something.

Value

The cheapest I found this was at BestPriceNutrition.com for $25.19 using a 10% off coupon from price plow. That works out to just over $1/serving. (25 servings) I think that's a very competitive price for any casein.

Side Effects

None at all.

Conclusion

Overall I'm very impressed. This is likely something I'll keep an eye on and purchase when it's around the price its listed for in the values section. I don't think it will necessarily replace the brand I normally use, but that's only because I use multiple servings daily and need to be frugal in my purchasing decisions. If you are looking for a quality casein and this is in your budget, I think it's worthwhile to spring for this one.

Thanks again to Dymatize!

Quick Summary

This is 100% pure creatine. It is micronized and listed as Pharmaceutical Grade. I use creatine on and off and wanted to use this while trying to fix my back, and stay on track with my weight and strength. Overall it performed as expected.

Introduction

Hello my fellow supplement users. Today is a review of one of the most researched supplements there is. Or at least that is what I have been told. Creatine Monohydrate. I am an avid user of supplements, and as I age I seem to be going more and more towards the simple. During this run I basically was doing various cardio exercises as I tweaked my back and wanted to heal. The idea was that this product would help keep my muscle as I am also sort of trying to cut some more weight. I try to do something everyday and therefore I used this product everyday as well. I did not use a loading phase as I personally haven't noticed a difference when I have and have not "loaded" my Creatine.

https://supplementreviews.com/forum/index.php?topic=33345.0
Above is my log, however I was somewhat inactive during parts of using this product.

I want to thank the Trooper program for allowing me to run this product. It is appreciated in many ways.

Ingredient Profile

One very nice thing about single ingredient profiles..... They are single ingredient!!!!!

Creatine Monohydrate @ 5 Grams
other ingredients: None!!!!

I actually like this dose as it seems to work well for me personally. Currently I am sitting between 200# and 205# at 5'10" tall. I know some people like more creatine per day and if you do, take another scoop. I do think they should of used Creapure as that is the name brand recognized good stuff. I don't think it is a deal breaker but when we get down to cost, name notoriety can help the cash go out.

----Taste/Mix-ability/Dosing----

I asked for and received the unflavored version of this. This product mixed pretty well in anything that I put it in. Being Micronized helps a lot in the mixing department in my opinion anyway.

As for dosing I found it pretty simple. I used one scoop in the morning every morning. They suggest taking it before, during or after workouts or as directed by a physician on workout days. Then in the morning on non-training days. I personally believe that creatine is a saturation supplement, which to me means that if you take it everyday it will help you. Pretty simple.

Effectiveness

Creatine Monohydrate is one of the most studied and generally cheaper supplements that you can and should be taking. I found that this product worked just as well as any other Creatine Monohydrate product that I have used in the past. That is a statement of the purity of this product. I think their is value to taking Creatine everyday. Some people are non-responders and may need to try different versions, thankfully for me this stuff works. Below is some additional links to more reading on Creatine Monohydrate if your interested.

https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/creatine-monohydrate-101-the-research-behind-a-phenomenon.html
https://examine.com/supplements/creatine/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3407788/

As for this run, I maintained my weight for the most part. So I do not believe I lost any muscle. Because I am doing bodyweight conditioning (Insanity, Asylum, P90X2, Martial Arts) I think this benefitted me by helping me recover faster and make things "easier" if that makes sense. At 46 years of age a lot of people are fighting a battle and going backwards. This product I think helped me at least stay the same.

Value

As of 6/14/2018 they have this listed at $9.99 for a 60 serving tub. (5g per serving, 300g tub (they are running a 20% discount code BPISPORTS20)).
If you apply the discount this is .13 cents a serving........
https://store.bpisports.com/products/sports-nutrition-supplements/micronized-pure-creatine/?country=us&setCurrencyId=1

My go to comparison is Prosource house brand creatine (creapure) of 500g tub for $11.95. Which is 12 cents a serving, and yes they have a bigger container as well. (1000g for $17.50 which is 9 cents a serving) That is standard everyday price.
https://www.prosource.net/products/creatine-monohydrate?variant=3635766853655

What does this mean? In my opinion and having used both it means BPI is over priced by a bit. Yes BPI's seemed to have worked the same, yes it is Pharmaceutical grade. However i can get name brand cheaper.

Side Effects

I had no negative effects from this supplement. No bloating that I could tell.

Conclusion

Final thoughts on this one. Yes I think this is an effective product. Yes I like the quality of this product. Nope I can't pay this much for something as basic as Creatine Monohydrate. Now if it happens to drop in price or they do some deals like other companies where they throw this in an order as a freebie then by all means go for it. If you happen to be really into running stacks of one brand at a time, then bite the bullet and buy it. However, I myself can't justify the price. It is possible that I am missing something, but until I figure it out I will go back to the cheaper quality options that are out there. I am giving this a Meh rating because, even though I think the price is too high. The product worked for me just as well as any Creatine Monohydrate that I have used. So it isn't bad, just priced higher than my go to creatine.