Supp Facts / Intro

I giant apology to SR for the delay in writing this review, due to other issues. I am typing this while feeling so sleepy, boy I would love to have some of Red White BOOM! I originally wanted to review this due to the pretty large hype train taking out, and wow this time the hype was REAL! Everything in this product is Clincally or Efficiently Dosed, of course DMHA is in here but otherwise this is a pretty basic and not necessarily impressive. You have everything that you need in a preworkout, Pump + Strength + Endurance + Focus. I like the profile due to the great dosages, but feel it is lacking in ingredients etc.. Isn't that what the industry wants? They want you to think more is better even if the dosages are crap, and this product comes in strong showing more ins't always better!

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

The taste is really really really sweet! Not a bad flavor, but it was a bit too sweet. The mixability wasn't all that great as there was residue at the bottom which must be creatine and it tasted horrible and I would suggest not drinking it unless you are needing that 5g of Creatine.. Dosing for me was 1 full serving each time at least, with an exception of a heaping dose a couple of times.

Effectiveness 9/10

From the first sip you can tell this is going to be a good Pre-Workout aside from the overly sweet taste, and all the following servings were the same in terms of effectiveness. I have been working out 3 or 4 days a week based upon my work schedule, and only take stimulants via my Pre-Workout so I have a mild if any tolerance build up yet it wasn't notice while taking RWB. Going down the list I was able to see and feel the noticeable pumps, and they were solid! I was on a low carb with cycling carbs at first, and then I started doing keto which still showed powerful pumps! I was surprised as it seemed more potent on pumps than other products containing CM as the primary or only pump enhancer. The endurance was just as expected, being that these ingredients are clinically dosed I was able to notice the Endurance as well. Strength was maintained with the 5g Creatine, but might have been influenced by the better workouts overall. I was able to feel the immediate strong focus and energy when taking this, with no noticeable crash in any regard which seems to be the opposite to the other DMHA products I have reviewed which always have given me anxiety as the high comes down. I feel the energy was the least

Value 8.8/10

This is where I felt a bit surprised, as the price is around $40 for 25 servings.. But the item shows discontinued in a few stores, which makes me think the DMHA is being replaced. The cost per serving is $1.60 and I don't think it is overpriced for the effectiveness, and I know it is potent with patented ingredients making the value better.

Conclusion 8.9/10

When I was talking to Tommy about this product I felt unimpressed, but I think it was really about the hype making it bigger than it seemed to be. I am very impressed on how well this product worked for me, and I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone wanting to hit it hard! Thank you Tommy and SR for the opportunity to review this product, and again I apologize for the massive delay!

INTRODUCTION

What's up Supplement Reviews (SR). Thanks to Nutrabio and Supplement Reviews for making this connection possible and trusting us. It's time to review Nutrabio Micellar Casein. I lift weights 5 days per week from Monday to Friday and I constantly take Protein supplements because my diet is not very high in protein so I usually have to take 2-3 scoops daily to meet my daily requirements of Protein for muscle growth/repair/maintenance/etc. I'm happy I was able to claim this Casein to see if it's worth it. Let's see how it worked and what the fictional "seller" of the title told "us" about the price... ;)

INGREDIENT PROFILE

The only protein source is Micellar Casein. 25 grams of Micellar Casein net, it's cold processed. 5 grams of BCAAs, 5 grams of Glutamic Acid (Glutamine precursor), 730mg of Calcium (70% of Daily Value). There was a mistake from Nutrabio saying it had 6.2 grams of BCAAs and 6.2 grams of Glutamine. They already corrected the mistake (thanks to SR user @DaSlaya for making the contacts). I asked the rep here at SR on May 31 about this issue and I'm still waiting for him to answer lol (Another reason I took longer to write this review). Nutrabio officially corrected the mistake so fair enough.

What else? You want to know about the Calories, Fat and Carbohydrates? Well, let me tell you something first... If you're worried about the Calories, Carbs and Fat of a protein supplement, then you have some symptoms of having a mental problem. I hate those people that cry about 3g of Carbs (1% of Daily Value!), 1g of Fat (1% of Daily Value!), 0.5g of Saturated Fat (3% of Daily Value!), 1 gram of sugar and 120 calories. Nothing to worry about!

TASTE/MIXABILITY/DOSING

*TASTE: I requested and received the Dutch Chocolate flavor. It's not the typical chocolate flavor, I liked it. Not the best I've tried but it's different and has a good taste. It's similar to a chocolate bar that has a purple paper covering it, I forgot the name of the chocolate...

*MIXABILITY: I'm not one of those persons that shake things 10-15 seconds and expect full mixability. If you do this then you have a symptom of a mental problem, seriously. If you throw the powder first and then the liquid and expect full mixability, you don't have a symptom of a mental problem (ok maybe yes), you're just doing something dumb! LIQUID FIRST then the powder. I shake for 45-60 seconds (might be too much but I always want to be sure). 30-45 should be the average time. Never gave me problems mixing it, good job.

*DOSING: 1 scoop in 6-8 ounces of water some minutes before bedtime and a couple of days during the day. I didn't use this everyday, that's why I took longer to finish this. I first worked only with 6oz (because the tub says 6oz) but then I did 8oz so I could remain fuller for a longer time.

EFFECTIVENESS

It's difficult to judge the effectiveness of a Casein Protein supplement. When I used 6oz, I was expecting to feel more full but it worked similar to a Whey Concentrate in terms of digestion time. With 8oz, I could feel those effects of feeling full for longer hours. Best thing is that the taste didn't decrease with the 8oz so good job. I had no problems with digestion. Casein proteins usually have a gritty texture, I could feel it in this one but not so much like in other Casein proteins. I still woke up hungry though but that's probably because my metabolism is too fast. Can't talk too much about recovery, I was taking BCAAs, Creatine, Whey Protein, etc, at the same time.

VALUE

Aaaaaaand this is the main part of this supplement IMO. The "car" was beautiful, we took a look inside and wow, beautiful. The thing is... the seller is asking for $40! Yes, it's not wrong, it's $40! I tried to find if there was a special ingredient (like enzymes) to see if the price was justified but nope, couldn't find any. Nutrabio products are usually expensive but it's usually because they are top quality and because they have ingredients that other supplements don't have so the saying "You're getting what you pay for" is valid for Nutrabio products. BUT that saying doesn't apply to this Casein and none of the reviews below this one that defended this price could give valid reasons to justify the price. I'm actually angry that one of the "Pros" option below is "Good Value". The average of this category is $30. What justifies this being $40? Only thing is that because Nutrabio is now sold by other sites (BB, Suppz, etc), then they had to increase the price in their own website. The thing is these mentioned websites also sell it for that price. BB doesn't carry the Casein yet though. Suppz also has it for $40.

But let's look at this: According to the reviews below, in 2013 and 2014, the price was $28 (which is its fair price). In 2015, they increased it to $34 and in 2017 they increased it to $40. I don't see anything in the formula that justifies the $12 increase. So unfortunately, this car is beautiful but too expensive! The Cold Processed doesn't justify it, neither does the instantized part. The competition's Casein supplements are way cheaper. Gold Standard Casein also has Aminogen, Dymatize Elite Casein uses Cross Flow Microfiltration... what does NutraBio has? Cold Processed (great, just like Dymatize).. anything else? No Maltodextrin? (Ok...), what else justifies a difference of $12? Exactly, nada. So stop defending what doesn't deserves any defense. I would only buy this if I get a 20% discount and I would still think twice before buying it. SO RUN AWAY HONEY, RUN, THE SELLER WANTS OUR MONEY!

SIDE EFFECTS

None, great job.

CONCLUSION

This Casein supplement has good doses of Protein, BCAA's, etc. It has a clean profile and it's effective. It also has a good taste (Dutch Chocolate). But the price is very expensive and not justified. They increased the price from $28 to $40 in 3 years and I couldn't find any valid reason to do it. The fair price is $30, no more than that. I'm dissapointed by Nutrabio, I can't recommend this product until they bring the cost down to $30.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE COMPANY

1. Bring the price down to $30. You're not putting any additional ingredients like enzymes/prebiotics/probiotics/etc that could justify the $40 price.

Introduction

I'm a big fan of BCAA supplementation and was intrigued when MAXED OUT became available to the Troopers. I'd never heard of the company, MaxQ Nutrition, but the profile of the product looked amazing so I decided to give it a try. Thanks to MaxQ for the opportunity.

Ingredient Profile

All I really care about in my intra-workouts is the dosage of BCAAs. Maxed Out goes hard in the paint with 10g!!! of essential BCAAs. Aside from this awesome start, also included are effective dosages of glutamine, l-taurine, a host of other amino acids, BioPerine for absorption, AND an electrolyte complex. This is honestly one of those most robust ingredient profiles I've seen in a BCAA supplement in a while, and I have to compliment MaxQ for laying everything out in a fully disclosed profile.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

I only used Maxed Out on workout days and would throw one scoop in 32oz. of water and sip throughout my workout. I alternated this a few times with Regen, which I was also running, just to get a feel for the difference between this product and a simpler BCAA supplement.

I requested and received the Blue Raspberry flavor. I found the taste to be very flat and bland compared to other blue raspberry supplements I've tried. It's nice that it's not overly sweet and contains no dyes, and it is a flavor that's easy to sip through a long workout, but I could have done with a little more flavor punch. Mixability is about what you would expect with 10 grams of BCAAs. There's a good amount of foaming and residue and it takes a few minutes for everything to fully dissolve.

Effectiveness

As a straight recovery BCAA product, Maxed Out is a good option. I personally can't tell the difference in recovery effect between most BCAA products. And I honestly can't say I experienced a boost in recovery from Maxed Out's 10gs of BCAAs vs. Regen's 5gs. Of course, I noticed a difference in my recovery time and DOMS in general (vs. not taking a BCAA supplement), and was satisfied with this overall.

Now, as an intra-workout booster, Maxed Out is excellent and really shines. I do think the extra dosing of BCAAs makes a difference here, as do all the other ingredients and the electrolyte complex. I definitely felt as though getting through my workouts was easier the days I was took Maxed Out compared to those when I had Regen or Recovery in my water bottle.

Value

Most solid BCAA supplements will cost you around .80c per serving. Some of the flashier products with broader ingredient profiles will run you closer to $1.00 per scoop. A simple BCAA product, like Regen for example, costs .60c per scoop.

Here's the biggest issue I have with Maxed Out you can't find it anywhere. It's available through MaxQ's own website (and we all know the brand's actual website is never a good deal) and some shady looking site called i-supplements.com at the price of $53.39 for 30 scoops. That's roughly $1.75 per scoop; a harsh hit to the wallet. As much as I loved this stuff, paying almost double the price (compared to competitor products) is not something I can support. I'd be OK paying around $1.00-$1.25 per scoop considering the outstanding profile and its effectiveness but almost $60 for 30 scoops of a BCAA supplement? No way.

Side Effects

None.

Conclusion

This is one of the best BCAA intra-workouts I've tried in a long time and I'd absolutely recommend it to everyone if not for its current price point and lack of availability. MaxQ has a winner here - they just need to make it competitively priced and easier to find. I'm still going with a YES for recommended in this review given that value is subjective and people for whom price is no issue will definitely want to check this out.

Introduction

Hello, I'm a 39 gym rat that is trying to get more lean mass while shedding extra pounds. I figured I spend a little more money on protein isolate so that I can get my protein quicker to my body after working out. I noticed this protein powder while passing Vitamin World and noticed a big sign 2 for the price of 1 ... could not resist.

Ingredient Profile

Very simple whey protein isolate profile. For 36 grams of scoop you get 30 grams of protein. With those proteins you also get 140 Calories, 1.5 gram of Fat, 2 grams of Carbohydrate and 20mg of cholesterol.

With the 36g you also get a buku load of aminos:

Typical Amino Acid Profile Per 36g Serving:
L-Alanine 1,453 mg
L-Arginine 806 mg
L-Aspartic Acid 3,056 mg
L-Cystine 612 mg
Glutamic Acid 5,174 mg
L-Glycine 533 mg
1L-Histidine 518 mg
1L-Isoleucine 1,686 mg
1L-Leucine 3,143 mg
1L-Lysine 2,759 mg
1L-Methionine 666 mg
1L-Phenylalanine 912 mg
L-Proline 1,685 mg
L-Serine 1,505 mg
1L-Threonine 2,021 mg
1L-Tryptophan*** 486 mg
L-Tyrosine 846 mg
1L-Valine 1,699 mg
***L-Tryptophan is naturally occurring, not added.

Honestly I'm not sure what that last line mean ... Does this mean they added other aminos?

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

I bought the Vanilla flavor and I wasn't impressed. I have tried another product and the vanilla taste was much better than this in my opinion. I can't tell what was missing but it just wasn't perfect or rather I should say I had better.

This protein like every other protein isolate mixes well and quick. I don't like to add a lot of milk so usually it's hard to mix the standard protein for me. This does not apply with Isolate and this product, it quickly dissolves and it's ready to drink after just few shakes.

I usually took a one scoop right after my workout. To help replenish my body and help with the DOMS.

Effectiveness

It's hard to say how much this product helps with gains and muscles. As for as DOMS are concerned I didn't notice anything out of ordinary. It does as good as the others since nothing significant happened to me after taking this.

Value

So, this is the most important part for me personally. I paid for this 50$ for the two tubs at that bargain I can say that this is very competitive with the other protein isolates. For now let's do the math ... we get 25 servings of 30 grams of protein which comes out to 750 grams of protein per tube. At the price of 25 bucks this comes out to .03333 per gram of protein. In my previous review one of the competitors costed exactly the same. Although the competitor was not on sale and it was it's regular price. If we consider the regular price this protein shake at the price of 40$ comes out to .05333 per gram, ouch!.

Side Effects

I did not experience any side effects from taking this product. No increased bloating or what I experience often flatulence.

Conclusion

I bought I tried and I'm moving on. Let's say I had the ability to buy this item on sale all the time. I would still pass because of the taste. To me there are three things important about whey protein. 1) It's not spiked 2) Price and lastly 3) taste ... I'm not sure about the first rule regarding this product since it's really hard to say, but I'm sure that second and third rule is sub par compering to others.

Big shout out to RSP and Sr.com for the opportunity to give Regen BCAA's a try. Thanks so much. I am a pretty big proponent of keeping BCAA's in your stack. I have had BCAA's in my stack for the last 4-5 years and using a product like this sure helps me think I should keep'em in my stack for the future as well. I love how they keep you hydrated and help you recover from the grueling workouts you put yourself through. After all, recovery is where the muscles grow.

Ingredient Profile

The ingredient profile is your basic BCAA profile. It adds Magnesium, Sodium, and Potassium to the BCAA's Leucine, Isoleucine, and valine. Citruline Maleate was a nice surprise. I wasn't expecting 1g of Cit Mal in my BCAA's but I won't be upset if that became the norm. LOL. Raw Coconut Water Concentrate to help you with hydration is something I want in all my BCAA drinks as well.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste- Watermelon was the flavor I received. I love watermelon flavored supplement drinks. This goes for preworkouts, protein shakes, and BCAA drinks. For some reason, I just like how it tastes. In this particular drink it was perfect for sipping throughout the workout. The flavor was light, so it was enjoyable.

Mixability- I only ever mixed it with water. It mixed just fine. Didn't have any clumping. There wasn't any frothiness and there wasn't any grittiness at the bottom. Just as good as all the other BCAA drinks I've had.

Dosing- One scoop on workout days for me. On other days I would find myself using a scoop or two for a mid afternoon drink. I play basketball on Suday evenings so I even drank it during that time as well. Just to keep me as hydrated as possible. When you have 50 servings of this stuff for as cheap as it is then you can use it anyway you see fit.

Effectiveness

BCAA drinks are designed to help you get through tough workouts and to help you from feeling fatigued while working out. This particular drink is no different. It helped me get through workouts where otherwise I would've felt tired deep into the workout. Playing basketball is where I felt the most difference. On weeks where I would forget the drink and have to just drink water I was a little more sore than on weeks I was able to take a couple of scoops of this stuff and mix it in my water. I remember thinking about this one Monday morning when I woke up and didn't really ache all over like I had in previous weeks. That sold me. Since then I have used BCAA's as my basketball drink.

Value

I found 30 servings on Amazon for $10. BB.com also has 2 30 serving tubs for $28. Either way you go it is cheaper than a lot of BCAA drinks I have tried in the past.

Side Effects

NONE

Conclusion

Once again, thank you to SR.com and RSP for this wonderful opportunity. I always look forward to trying products I wouldn't otherwise. I really think I will continue to use REGEN for a while. I like everything about it. Most of all, I like the price. If I can continue to get BCAA's for this price I don't see any reason to pay more.

Introduction

(About yourself, 1-3 sentences maximum)
I have recently been transitioning back to maintenance and figured I would use Peak Physicor to help me keep off the extra fat once I started to bulk. I have used many MTS nutrition products in the past and have absolutely loved them all. While taking this product, I was also using MachineCarb10 pre workout. Mark Lobliner has never steered me wrong so based on the reviews and studies I have seen, I thought I would give it a shot and ordered 2 bottles. I don't regret trying Peak Physicor, but I do wish it worked better for me. But everyone is different.

Ingredient Profile

1st ingredient:
Fenugreek(trigonella foenum-Graecum) containing 70% Oligosaccharides (Physicor)
-according to studies, Physicor was said to increase lean body mass over the course of 8 weeks in comparison to a placebo. This is a significant difference in a relatively short period of time. At the same time, it decrease body fat percentage by a little more than 2%. This is pretty big when considering the first point, that it increase lean mass simultaneously.

The study also revealed an increase in Bench press of 21lbs or about 9% over the course of 8 weeks compared to the placebo which increased by 10lbs or a little over 4%. In leg press, the Physicor group increased by 186lbs or 25.3% while the placebo group increased by 106lbs or 15.3%. These numbers are very encouraging for Physicor.

2nd ingredient:
Cordyceps militaris (Cordyceps), Ganoderma lucid up (reishi) Pleurotus erynggii(king trumpet) Lentinula edodes (shiitake) Hericium Erin ace us (lions mane) Trametes versicoloured (turkey tail) -as Peak o2
-according to the university of South Carolina, Peako2 revealed an 11x increase in Vo2 max when taken at 4 grams per day. The results show that based on different dosing, from either 1-3 grams per day, subject show improvements in both
Power and endurance. The catch is that I works like creatine, in that it needs to be saturated into your muscles. It seems as those dose quantity is not as important per day as getting a total of 28g and then maintain and 1g per day.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste: No taste as they are capsules. Standard size, not difficult to swallow.

Mixability: N/A

Dosing: Based on studies, the important thing is to get at least 28g total of Peako2 into your system with Fenugreek extract standardized at 70%. MTS includes both of these doses in the bottle of Peak Physicor. That being said, each 2 cap serving only contains 1g of Peak o2. This is not necessarily a bad thing as you will get to the total of 28g (30g actually) when using the whole bottle. What I feel is kind of a let down however, is that you need to purchase at least 2 bottles in order to finally get the benefits associated with Peak o2. It will be during your second bottle that you should notice some mentioned effects.

That being said. There are 60 caps total, with 2 caps being a serving, lasting for 30 days.

Directions say to take with your preworkout shake, which I did on training days, and with your first meal on non training days, which I also did.

Effectiveness

This is the section that I am a little torn over. Like other products in the category, I am never really sure what to expect. I was hoping on some difference in power on the bench as well as lean mass. When first starting this product, I was finishing a transition from reverse dieting to maintenance. Throughout the two months of using it, I went from maintenance to about 200-300 calories above, for a slight surplus.

I was hoping to notice a difference in lean mass and a reduction in body fat, even if just in the slightest. What I found however, was the opposite. I noticed after the first month that I was kind of looking loose in the lower back area. This continued throughout the second month. Based on all my calculations, my TDEE is set at 2300 calories on average from different formulas. I never went over 2400 (and yes, I was meticulous with tracking). So in terms of body composition, I wouldn't say it provided negatives effects for me, but I definitely did not notice any positives in this area.

In terms of power and endurance in the gym, my numbers kept going up week to week in a normal 5-10lbs increments. At had some weeks where there were stalls, but for the most part, the numbers kept climbing slowly. Peak Physicor may have helped here, but I think I attribute the numbers more to a steady increase in calories, as that would be expected.

One thing I did notice however is that around the month and a half mark, I started noticing a decrease in hunger. Where I was usually hungry throughout the day, I found myself full, almost bloated. Before, I would always be grasing, looking for things to add into my meal plan. But at this point, I couldn't even think about food. There were time when I was actually dreading my next meal. I'm not sure if this is common at all for this product, but it's the first I hear of it.

Side note: I recently posted a review about Genius Diet Pills which also mentioned appetite suppressants. It's important to note that these products were not use in conjunction with each other. Diet Pills were used after my run with Peak Physicor. Also, the effects were very different. Where Diet Pills helped with appetite control, Peak Physicor destroyed my love of food while I was taking it.

Value

Based on the above, it is hard to give a value to a product that didn't work for me. I know it worked for many others, but I seemed to not respond to it. So I will say this:
Based on the science backed ingredients that Marc Lobliner has added in the product, and with all of the promising results
It has shown, I'd say that $39.99 is still a little overpriced. I would like to see 1 of two things happen in order to make this a better value.
1- increase the total servings per container to 60 so we get the full benefit, while purchasing one bottle.
2- increase the amount of Peak o2 in each capsule/serving for the same reason as above

In that case, I would say that it is worth a shot for anyone looking to take advantage of Peak Physicor's promises.

Side Effects

-The only side effect I experienced was the crazy stomach fullness/bloat that started around the 1.5 month mark.

Conclusion

I believe in Mark Lobliner and efficacy of the products he formulates. I have never been let down before. I find that he knows what he is talking about and he uses quality, science backed, proven ingredients. But for some reason (probably my fault somehow), Peak Physicor just did not live up to its promises for me. I don't think I would discourage anyone else for trying it. In fact, I'd like to hear how others respond to it, and what they may have done differently than me.

Introduction

First off, major shoutout to RSP for supplying us Troops with ReGen BCAAs. BCAAs are a staple in any stack for aiding in the recovery process and keeping us hydrated throughout the day. I'll start out by saying this, I enjoyed this product MUCH more than I did RSP's Amino Lean product, even though they are different, they held some similarities. For this product I went with the "surprise me" for a flavor and was supplied with watermelon. Here we go!

Ingredient Profile

Thankfully RSP keeps it simple with the 2:1:1 typical BCAA ratio. This consists of 2g Leucine, 1g Isoleucine, and 1g of Valine. Based off of studies, this is the most effect BCAA ratio and you will see it is what most companies use. ReGen also has 1g of citrulline malate, a little added bonus. I can't say I felt the effects of it, but it's in there! For the most part, you get a solid BCAA product here, no flashy lights or bells and whistles, the way it should be.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste: As mentioned above, I received watermelon as my flavor. Overall I enjoyed it, compared to past watermelon flavors I have taken in the past. Not too sweet, but it doesn't taste like you're just drinking slightly flavored water. It was light, very enjoyable.

Mixability: Dissolved pretty much right away in water after shaking. No foaming and no settlement. Some BCAAs really foam up, but not ReGen!

Dosing: I dosed this as an intra on workout days, so 4-5 times a week. I also dumped 1 scoop into my 3L jug that I carry around with me all day long. At 50 servings per container, this lasted me a long time and I am very grateful for that.

Effectiveness

So using this as an intra, I felt it kept me from feeling fatigued while lifting, as opposed to just drinking water during my workout. Carrying it around in my jug all day also came with added recovery benefits, for I sipped on it all day long. Due to the ingredients, good diet, and rest, combined with ReGen, I felt well hydrated and recovered, ready to crush my next workout.

Value

This was a 50 serving tub, which can be picked up at Walmart actually for $23.99 coming in at $0.48 per serving, a steal. Walmart also offers free shipping, so you'll safe there as well.

Side Effects

No side effects to note.

Conclusion

At $0.48 per serving for a 50 serving tub, I have to pick this up again. No questions asked. Affordable, correct ratio of BCAAs, and a staple in recovery. After reading some other reviews I see some people did not enjoy their flavor, so I may just stick with watermelon. Thanks again RSP!

Introduction

1st off thanks to RSP for sending this out and becoming rather active as of late in the TROOPER program. I've seen some good deals from Them thrown up on bb.com do i decided to snag a tub and see how they stood up against others.

Ingredient Profile

6g of BCAAs at a 2:1:1 ratio, with an added gram of CitMalate. Also something more and more intras are including is a bit of raw coconut water concentrate for its great hydration benefits. Also it has bioperine for help with absorption of included ingredients.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

I received watermelon, and I was not excited about it.. i feel like watermelon has become even more widely used in the supplement industry than even fruit punch and it's so hard to find a good one. For this product I felt like it was a little better than average, had a nice not too sweet taste to it that was easily sipped on.
Mixing had a little foam but mixed up without any clumps or floaters. I always drank this about 15-20 mins into my workout.

Effectiveness

During my workout I liked the added citrulline malate because it seemed to help my pump stay strong throughout the workout. The added coconut water also really helped with muscle hydration and reducing cramps. As far as recovery goes though I didn't really notice a huge improvement in recovery time, but there was a slight cut down on soreness during the days.

Value

The value on this is pretty hard to beat, and with it going on sale pretty frequently it gets even better. Right now Amazon has it from $11 to $14 depending on the flavor I grabbed a few of the different flavors and will add my thoughts on to this at a later date.

Side Effects

None

Conclusion

If you are wanting a product with tons of ingredients that's going to blow you out of the water look elsewhere. But if you want a solid recovery product for near rock bottom prices that is pleasant to sip on then it's hard to find one better than this.

Introduction

A special thanks to Aster Athletic for participating in the ER/TROOPs program. It's a rare, yet welcomed, oppurtunity to try out a lifting accessory for a change since these are something we can use throughout our lifting careeers as opposed to only when "it runs out". I myself am not a frequent accessory user. I've used wrist wraps in my eralier days, but haven't become a frequent user as opposed to lifting straps or knee sleeves. However, occassionally the wrists take a heavy strain from my routine lifts so grabbing a pair of these seemed like a good idea. I don't suffer from any chronic wrist issues, but have had some problems in the past that limited my activity with heavier loads.

Since this is an accessory, you'll notice I deleted the ingredient, taste, mixability, and dosing sections since they don't apply. I'll instead add my own section of design and usage.

---Design---

Anybody who has used wrist wraps before most likely knows how these would likely be designed. They are made out of a high grade elastic that wraps tightly around your and features a loop band that goes over your hand or thumb depending on your preference. They have the traditional Velcro secure seals to keep them in place.

As instructed with the included note in the package, you wrap these starting from the palm aspect of your hand and making sure it's good and snug so that the bulk of the material supports the entire wrist. They have an instructional video on their website put it's common since once become familiar with the design.

---Usage---

Wrist wraps are most often handy with push or isolation maneuvers that require efficient wrist stability such as the bench press, military press, skull crushers, and dips just to name a few.

I personally used these on those but also on push variations, floor presses, land mine presses, lateral raises, dumbbell curls, and Arnold presses. Just to note, when I say push variations I mean other forms of the exercises that would include different angles, different handles, or the use of barbells vs. dumbbells.

Effectiveness

Needless to say, these babies got the gym done well. I had much better wrist stability on all the movements I used them on. They helped big time on heavy bench press power negative reps and the bench press and it's variations as well. The same can be said for all the exercises especially with overload sets.

I was able to perform isolation movements such as skull crushers and curls with better grip since sometimes during sets both high volume and high intensity, my wrists can sometimes feel like giving out prematurely due to exhaustion, costing me some reps. Aster's wrist wraps helped me bang out those extra reps more often.

To some it all up, they provided enhanced stability and support to my wrists on all lifts I used them on.

Value

These are a bot on the pricey side compared to some other brands, but given the durable and high quality design, I can say with confidence that these will last a good while before succumbing to wear and tear. They go for 24.95 and are currently only available from Aster Athletic's website. Considering more high quality accessories, not just wrist wraps, will usually set you back a few more dollars, I think the value is very good.

Conclusion

If you need some extra support to help your wrists stay stable and healthy under those increasingly heavier loads, Aster Athletic's wrist wraps are a viable option worth considering. They are great quality and design and will get the job done provided you perform your lifts with proper form and safety.

WARMACHINE OUT!!!

GO RED SOX!!!

Introduction

Vaxxen Labs is a fairly new company on the supplement market that's doing their best to make a big splash onto the fitness industry with a whole arsenal of products. Of all the supplement types there is no more stacked category than preworkouts in my honest opinion so was Vaxxen Labs able to make a product that pulls ahead from the sea of competition? Let's see how Fulcrum stacks up!

Ingredient Profile

Citrulline Malate (4g): Fairly standard dosing for a preworkout that is actually underdosed if you are looking at the clinical dosing of 6-8g, but Vaxxen Labs appears to use multiple forms of nitric oxide boosters to make up for the lower dosage plus CM is a fairly expensive ingredient and is very debatable concerning dosing/effectiveness ratio.

Beta Alanine (2.5g): Beta Alanine has become a staple ingredient in all preworkouts over the past few years and its actually been quite some time since I've even seen a PWO without it! This is all for good reason though! Beta Alanine helps buffer the pH of the blood in your musculoskeletal system so that acid levels don't rise too quickly and cause a build-up of lactic acid that we all hate. It really does help you get a couple extra repetitions that you might not have been able to complete from sheer agony of lactic acid. It's also dosed slightly under the clinical 3.0-3.2g doses that I have become very accustomed to seeing.

Agmatine Sulfate (1g): The "somewhat" new kid on the nitric oxide block, Agmatine Sulfate, definitely helps with improving our much needed pumps in the gym by facilitating nitric oxide conversion but utilizes different pathways from citrulline malate. This one is clinically dosed at 1g!

2-Aminoisoheptane (150mg): Touted as the new DMAA on the market, Aminoisoheptane, shares very similar molecular structure to our old Jack3d ingredient friend and has been cleverly named DMHA. Current research is still being done on the ingredient itself but many websites do say that 100-150mg is the sweet spot for dosing, which this product does hit.

Alpha GPC 50% (150mg): A somewhat popular nootropic ingredient that is typically used for cognitive-improving properties and aiding in focus for tasks like hitting PRs in the gym. It's typically dosed at about 250-600mg.

Caffeine (350mg): 300-350mg is starting to become the standard for caffeine dosing in preworkouts and we can probably thank the popularity of high-stim products like Mr. Hyde for its occurrence. I think that pushing the bar with caffeine needs to absolutely be halted at this dosing because it's far too easy for someone to accidentally take a double scoop and end up in the ER.

Oxystorm (500mg): A fairly new ingredient that utilizes Red Spinach Extract to also increase nitric oxide production to help facilitate even more pumps from taking this preworkout! It's not currently well studied and most claims should be taken with a grain of salt.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

I had the pleasure of testing out the Bombsicle flavor and if you like sour stuff then this is right up your alley. I personally love sour flavors so this was perfect for me with my usually 4oz of water right before the gym. The scooper is a slightly larger 12g piece that you should be able to bend and twist to easily pour into any water bottle. It doesn't mix all that well and turns out a bit frothy after a few good shakes, but is easily completely consumed after a second water filling.

Effectiveness

Like all preworkouts, I generally take them in my car right before walking into the gym to give it about 10 minutes to really hit me before getting onto the gym floor. When Fulcrum comes in full-swing which takes about 30 minutes, it definitely delivers. The amount of focus and euphoric feelings that you get from lifting are pretty heightened and very reminiscent of the old school Jack3d feeling. The pumps also deliver very well which easily last throughout my hour thirty gym sessions with extra time for me to practice my posing routine for competition at the end still with some great pumps to look at. I never really experienced any of the tingling feeling from beta-alanine that you tend to expect from preworkouts but they could be due to the lower dosing in this product but considering the overall effectiveness, that didn't mind me whatsoever. I do have to say that the crash from Fulcrum can be kind of rough and I was pretty often feeling very fatigued 2-3 hours post-workout that sometimes required me to take a quick nap. I'd be wary for people to take this and go super hard in the gym to have to go to their 9-5 job afterwards.

Value

At $40 a tub with approximately 25 servings we're looking at about $1.60 per serving. Considering the ingredient profile and my personal experience with the product I do think that it's fairly priced but may be a little too steep for the casual supplement customer. I think that if they were to either increase the servings to 30 or reduce the bill about $5 then it would be a perfect value, otherwise I can't complain too much.

Side Effects

Experienced some pretty bad crashes 2-3 hours post-workout.

Conclusion

Vaxxen Labs has done a pretty good job with hitting the supplement industry with an overall great preworkout product from the get go! I think that Fulcrum is a fairly strong stim-heavy preworkout with some also strong "pump" agents to boost vascularity in the gym. I wouldn't recommend it to newer lifters just because the dosing would likely be too extreme for someone with little experience taking preworkouts but for those of us that have been searching through the whole bin of preworkouts looking for that new Jack3d-like supplement to bring back the nostalgic memories of DMAA-fueled lifts... well Fulcrum is right up your alley! Cheers Fellas!

Introduction

Hi everyone- I'm throwing up a NON trooper review today. There aren't enough of these, if you ask me. What are the guys who get sent free supps going to go out and actually buy as a staple item? That says a lot on its own.

Today's review might be a bit boring in the grand scheme of things... It's not a crazy PWO that's going to have you bouncing around the gym like a proton, it's not a test booster that will have you searching the gym for more plates to rack up on your bench, it's not some miracle nootropic that's going to have you speaking mandarin by Tuesday-- it's Glutamine; and it's going to aid in your DOMS!!

This container lasted me forever it seemed, but for the most part I was hitting the gym 5-6 times weekly while taking this. My personal stats put me at 6'2'', 220-225lbs.

Ingredient Profile

*L-Glutamine*

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste: None- this is flavorless
Mixability: meh... not great. It doesn't really dissolve. It will become suspended, but probably better in a smoothie than anywhere else if you don't want to be constantly shaking your drink.
Dosing: You can take up to 3 scoops of this per day. At 225lbs (I'm usually closer to that side ofthe scale), I only ever did 1 scoop per day in my morning shake. I noticed the effects from that alone.

Effectiveness

So how do you determine the effectiveness of glutamine? Stop taking it.

I ran out of this tub about a week an a half ago and haven't had time to order more. Since then, the DOMS have gotten worse and the weights have gotten heavier. I think we have a lot of glutamine haters out there; it's only conditionally essential and in a good diet you probably consume enough of it already. However, when you're training hard, your glutamine reserves plummit and fatigue sets in fast. It makes it harder to progress and the more you go to the gym, the worse it gets.

So here we have it- a really boring, no excitement supplement that can replenish those reserves day in and day out to help you keep up with yourself.

This is currently the #1 ranked glutamine on labdoor.com in terms of purity, and #2 in terms of value.

Honestly, if you've tried one you've basically tried them all. I know there's a big push for vegan or fermented options, which I do think have sound rationale behind them, but at the end of the day it's the same stuff.

To recap: this was effective in reducing DOMS and keeping my power output consistent daily.

Value

Here's the kicka' - $10 for 66 servings. That's the price at Bodybuilding.com, walmart, amazon, stop & shop-- $10.

Amazeballs.

It might be derived from duck feathers and human hair- I don't know- nor do I care. But it isn't marketed as vegan fermented miracle powder like many of the newer/trendier options.

However, it works.

Side Effects

None

Conclusion

If you've been wondering why your lifts on Mondays have been outweighing your lifts on Fridays, if your DOMS aren't fading, and if the weights are getting heavy, you might need glutamine. You might as well start with one that's proven effective and won't put a big dent in your wallet to see if it helps. Go grab a tub of Body Fortress with the change from between the seat cushions and get back to punishing the iron!

Introduction

(About yourself, 1-3 sentences maximum)
Throughout my fitness journey, I have taken many "diet pills". They all seem to claim the same things: increased metabolism, strong energy, mood boosting, fat mobilizing, and appetite suppressing. All of these things are great and I have found some that actually live up to there claims, or partly anyways. On the most part however, I always end up confused about what the product actually did, based on all of their claims. I was happy to find Genius Diet Pills because it's a straightforward supplement with one claim : appetite suppressant. With this one claim, I figured that it would be easy to determine if the product actually worked and if it was worth my money, so I gave it a shot. This is the second product from Genius that I have tried and I reviewed their BCAAs already. I thought that it was a good BCAA product, that needed some help in the flavour department.

While taking Genius Diet Pills, I was also taking the following:
-NaturaLife Omega 3 Triple Strength
-MTS Machine Carb10
-MyProtein Impact Whey Isolate and casein
-Kaged Muscle Pre Kaged
-Kaged Muscle Hydra Charge
-CanadianProtein Supermen Multi

Ingredient Profile

The ingredient profile is pretty straightforward, as you would expect in a one effect product.

5 HTP as (Griffonnia simplicifolia) 150mg
-In the body, 5HTP is converted into seratonine, which has been proven to be associated with satiety. Studies have shown that increase in seratonine leads to a reduction of food intake due to its ability to blunt appetite. Studies have used dosages ranging from 8mg per kg of body daily up to 900mg per day.

Satiereal Saffron (Crocus Sativus L) extract, standardized to 0.34% safranal and providing crocin and picocrocin
-Th pe Saffron extract has been shown through studies to significantly reduce appetite in comparison to a placebo group. It helped participants to reduce their snacking behaviours over the course of 8 weeks. Each participant received 88mg of the extract twice daily, for a total of 176mg per day.

Other ingredients include the makeup of each capsule which is a veggie cap (always nice to have), containing vegetable stearate.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste: There is no taste at all to this product.

Mixability: N/A. They are capsules.

Dosing: The bottle contains 50 veg caps, with each having 150mg of 5HTP as mentioned above. Based off of the studies I have seen, 150mg is lower than the doses used, even at two servings per day. However, Genius claims that when working in conjunction with Satiereal, it has synergistic effects and enhances its ability to blunt hunger. I have never used 5HTP on its own, so I do not have anything to compare this to.

Each cap also contains 88mg of Satierial Saffron. This is the clinically proven dose, if taken twice per day, which is the intent with Genius Diet Pills. Kudos to Genius for added clinically proven doses.

If taken everyday, the bottle will last 25 days at two servings, which is how I used it, or 50 days at 1 serving.

Effectiveness

Let me start out by saying that this product is very effective! I have used appetite suppressing products before, but they all claimed other benefits that were non existent. Genius claims only appetite suppressant and boy does it deliver on that! I must state that while taking this product, I was and am still in a slight calorie surplus. You may be wondering why, then, would I use Diet Pills. Well, like others I have talked to, I tend to get really hungry when eating at a surplus. When dieting, I do not have this issue. In order to stay on track and not overdo my "bulk", I like to keep my appetite under control.

Like stated above, I used the pills twice daily to help control my appetite. I tend to be really hungry between my post workout meal and lunch, which is a little over 3 hours later, and again between afternoon snack and diner which is about 4 hours later. On both occasions, throughout the day, when taking the pills, I experience no hunger issues at all. The thought of eating never crossed my mind. This was not just something that happened once. I experienced this every time, when taking these pills.

NightTime Hunger
-I tend to usually get hungry after my nighttime snack. This can be a big deal for me as I train in the morning with nothing but carb10 and a pre workout. On mornings when I went to be hungry, I have a difficult time not eating more before my workout, which leads to extra calories. But with Diet pills, not only do I not get hungry in the morning, I actually have a feeling of being overfull. Which is kind of welcome for me as it is a rarerety. So I can go to bed full and wake up full, even though the last dose of diet pills I took was at 1:30pm. This to me is probably what I was the most impressed with. It did help during the day, like I said, but I am usually busy enough during the day to avoid eating. NightTime and pre workout however, these are times when I was really glad to have the Diet pills with me.

Value

When determining whether or not it is a good value, I compared it to other weight loss products. I decided to included on some with science based, clean ingredients, leaving out those with harsh stimulants and exotic ingredients, because that it not what this supplement is or is meant to be.

Diet Pills: $24.99 on Amazon for 25/50 servings, $0.99 for maximu dosage or 0.49 per serving for lighter dosage

Shred Jym: $35.46 on bodybuilding.com for 240 caps, or 20, 30, 60 servings as you can take up to 3 times daily, $0.59/ 1.18/ or 1.77 per serving for the maximum dosage

Clean Burn: $29.97 on bodybuilding.com for 180 caps or 90 servings but taken 3 times per day $0.33 per serving or $0.99 per maximum serving.

Based on these numbers, I wouldn't really call Diet Pill a "value" as the other two are similarly priced, with Shred Jym slightly higher. With that in mind, the other two do have more ingredients and claim to do more.

Having said that however, if I look at this subjectively, I do think it is a good value and worth every penny simply due to the fact that it does what it sets out to do. That in itself makes it worth it to me. Although I wouldn't mind if the company were to lower the price a little lol.

It all comes down to what you are looking for and what you want out of your supplement. If you are ok with paying for great appetite suppression, then I say it is worth it. Plus $24.99 isn't all that expensive.

Side Effects

None that I experienced or am aware of.

Conclusion

After looking over this review, I realize it sounds pretty biased, but I truly do believe in the effectiveness of this product. Everyone is different, but for me, this really did blunt my hunger to a very noticeable degree. I haven't heard from anyone else who has tried it, but I would like to, to compare experiences.
I don't think you could go wrong trying it out.
Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

Introduction

(About yourself, 1-3 sentences maximum)
I have been weight training pretty much daily for years now. I use different types of supplements. Some I cycle, like pre workouts and sleep supports. Others I consider as staples in my daily supplement regime. Of these staples, I include multivitamins, creatine, green tea extract, and omega 3s in the form of fish oils. I have used many different brands of fish oil, ranging from very cheap and underdosed to well dosed but expensive. I was happy to finally find a fish oil properly dosed and well priced and available in Canada.

Ingredient Profile

When it comes to fish oil, the determining factor for me to buy or not buy is always the quantity of Omegas per serving/price.
With NaturaLife Omega 3 Triple Strength, each serving consists of 2 gelatine capsules. Each serving contains...

Gelatin
Some people are opposed to gelatin capsules to various reasons like allergies, possibilities of toxin exposures, and even liver and kidney function. This is not something that I usually concern myself with, but for those who are opposed to gelatin capsules, this is something to consider.

Fish oil 2000mg: Each capsule has a total of 1g of fish oil. It's important to note that this is the fish oil in total and not the total omega 3s. This is a pretty standard amount for a capsule. In comparison, Omega Jym and Musclepharm fish oil (two others I have used) also contain 1g per capsule.

Epa and Dha: this is usually where omega supplements fall short. They often have a high amount of fish oil but the Epa and Dha yield is very low. That is not so in the case of NaturaLife.

EPA: 500mg per capsule. Omega Jym has 375mg and Musclepharm has 400mg.
DHA: 250mg per capsule. Omega Jym has 375mg and Musclepharm has 150mg.

Other ingredients listed are used for the capsules themselves. They include gelatin, vitamin E, glycerin and purified water. All pretty standard in gelatin capsules. Other than the added vitamin E, it is the same ingredients as listed on Omega Jym.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste: Being a capsule, there is not much to comment on as far as taste. I will say however, that when taken as one large dose (3 capsules or more), I did experience some fishy burps. 'This only happened once or twice as I usually split my doses. Also, I have tried generic, no name fish oil, which were a lot worse in the fishyness department, even at one capsule.

Mixability: N/A

Dosing: As far as dosing goes, my aim is to always get 3 total grams of Epa and dha per day. With others, I have had to take upwards of 6 caps per day. To reach my goals with NaturaLife Omega 3 Triple Strength, 4 capsules per day gets me my 3grams exactly. Omega Jym would take 4 also, with a different mix of epa and dha. 4 caps of Musclepharm would yield 2800mgs of epa and dha.

Effectiveness

It is always difficult to rate the effectiveness of these types of supplements as they are not something that you "feel". However, I will say that for as long as I have been taking it, I have not had any illnesses, injures and any real pain in my joints. Whether or not it is a result of the Omegas, I am uncertain. However, I would like to believe that it is in fact helping.

Value

To determine the value, I look at cost per capsule because some supplements hide behind serving sizes. I use the amount of epa and dha in each capsule to determine the value and I compare that the amount of servings in the container along with the price. The breakdown is below, with a comparison between the 3 products.

NaturaLife: cost per container: $24.99CAD, capsules per container: 120, total epa+dha per container 90g, cost per gr: 28 cents
Omega Jym: cost per container: $26.96CAD, caps per container: 120, total epa+dha per container 90g, cost per gram: 30cents
Musclepharm: cost per container: $18.87CAD, caps per container: 90, total epa+dha per container 63g, cost per gram: 30cents

In comparison with the other two, NaturaLife has a slightly better cost per serving of epa+dha. In addition, it is cheaper than OmegaJym for a container and contains the same total epa and dha. Musclepharm is cheaper but also contains less total epa and dha. All in all, for a high quality fish oil supplement, in Canada, I would say that this is one of the best values I have found. If anyone knows of a better value, I would be very interested in hearing about it.

---Side Effects----
I have not experienced any side effects with the or other fish oil supplements, except for the occasional fishy burps as mentioned early.

Conclusion

I think that this is a great find for anyone looking to supplement with a fish oil product, that actually contains a good amount of epa and dha. It is very comparable to Omega Jym, which is highly rated and it is readily available in Canada, which is huge for us Canadians (Amazon.ca).
I would not hesitate to buy this product and see no reason not to continue doing so, unless other similar products like the ones mentioned above go on sale. Do rate higher, I would need to actually feel something.
I mark the overall as 8.6 simply do to the fact that there is no "noticeable" effect with this supplement, which would be the same with any other fish oil product.
Try it out. Tell me what you think.

Introduction

As I've written in other reviews, I'm a fan of constantly supplementing BCAAs for overall health and recovery, and jumped at the chance to try out Size Slim's Recovery.

Ingredient Profile

All I really care about in my intra-workouts/BCAA supplements is the actual dosing of BCAAs. 5g of BCAAs per serving has been clinically proven to be the minimum effective dose (at least, that's what I've found in my research). As such, I was slightly disappointed to see Recovery only contains 4g of essential amino acids (at a 5:1:1 ratio) per scoop. The dosage of glutamine is also light, considering it's typically dosed at 5g per serving. I did like the inclusion and dosage of HICA, but all in all the profile was underwhelming. Furthermore, I appreciate that it's simple and fully disclosed, but I felt I needed to take 1.5 scoops every serving in order to ensure I was getting effective dosages of key ingredients.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

I requested and received the Lime Cucumber flavor. While it smells amazing, the taste was rough for me. It's got a VERY strong cucumber flavor. I was expecting more of a lime citrus taste, which wasn't the case. Now, I didn't like this, but it is different and I bet someone who regularly drinks cucumber-infused water would be really into this option.

I generally dosed 1.5 scoops in 32 oz. of water and sipped throughout my workout. On off days I'd drink throughout the morning. Mixability is on par with other BCAA supplements - there's some foaming and residue that takes a few minutes to fully settle and dissolve.

Effectiveness

I personally can't really tell the difference between most BCAA products. I notice a difference in my recovery time and the amount of DOMS I experience when I'm taking a BCAA product versus when I'm not, but not usually between individual supplements. I'd just finished a tub of RSP's Regen when I started up Recovery, and I noticed no difference in my DOMS or recovery time. I do think this product is effective in this area - just not more so than any other BCAA supplement.

As an intra-workout booster, Recovery's not a great option. There's no electrolytes or really any ingredients to support endurance or stamina. It's not marketed as that type of supplement, but I thought it worthy to mention given that I believe many people are like me and tend to drink their BCAAs mid-workout.

Value

Most solid BCAA supplements will cost you around .80c per serving. Some of the flashier products with broader ingredient profiles will run you closer to $1.00 per scoop. The cheapest I could find Recovery was $37.92 for 30 scoops. That's $1.26 per scoop and is already significantly overpriced in my book. Add in the fact that I personally felt I needed 1.5 scoops in order to get the full effects of this product, and you're looking at a supplement that is wildly more expensive than its competitors.

Take RSP's Regen for example. You can get a tub on Amazon at $18 for 30 scoops. Each individual scoop nets you 5g of BCAAs at a cost of .60c per scoop. That's less than HALF the price of Recovery per scoop and has a more effective dosage of essential amino acids.

Side Effects

None.

Conclusion

This is a simple recovery product that does do what it states, but is significantly overpriced. Given the vast array of BCAA supplement options, there is simply no way I would recommend this product based on its price point.

Introduction

Hello everyone, while taking this product I was focused on a lean-bulk workout routine with an emphasis on hypertrophy training. Training extensively coupled with university finals demanded restless nights, so the consumption of this product was timely! I consumed this product as needed approximating 2-3x a week.

Ingredient Profile

Magnesium Glycinate(300mg): A nutrient believed to be deficient in many American diets, its inculsion here is used to induce its relaxing and mild body sedation benefits.

L-Theanine(50mg): derived from green leaves and has shown in several studies to reduce anxiety as well a promote restfulness in the individual.

Melatonin(6g): A naturally occurring chemical secretion from your brain to you body notifying it of when rest is needed, research shows that even 2g of melatonin can be an effective supplementation.

Proprietary sleep boost blend(1100mg)
This blend is a combination of herbs and ingredients methodically put together to promote restfulness, help induce sleep, full-body relxation, and some anectodally experiences claim help promote more vivid dreaming

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Vegetable capsules: Quickly consumed..no issue with taste.
Dosing: 3 capsules...60 minutes before bed

Effectiveness

During my trial with this product I was impressed with this products ability to help promote restful sleep. In fact, I found the same effectiveness throughout varying serving sizes with 1 and 2 capsules. I chose to consume a lesser serving size because I understood that even at 1 capsule my body would be provided with at least 2 grams of melatonin which is sufficiently enough according to research.

During Sleep: I can say with confidence that my sleep while on this product was much better than it was without it. In addition, I believe the deep sleep that was achieved with the help of SleepBoost aided in my recovery from strenuous lifting days. While on this product the user should be able to fall asleep 10-15 minutes after they have gone to bed. The glory of this product is in experiencing the deep sleep and not being woken by intrusive noises or bodily sensations.

Prior to Sleep: It seemed that this product had a 50/50 rate in terms of how effective it was in actually making me feel sleepy. To clarify, this product is exceptional while already asleep and keeping you asleep, but was a hit/miss in terms of providing "drowziness" or a compelling feeling to go to bed.(Which for some may be great/bad depending on need)

**Several times while on this product I found myself having wonderful dreams that I was able to remember the following morning for the most part. Some users familiar with sleep products will know that some products inhibit your recollection and ability to dream, with this product it was not the case.

Value

Best price was found on Amazon: 90 capsules= $20. An incredible value if you find yourself varying the consumption from 1-3 pills.

Side Effects

no observed side effects.

Conclusion

The array of ingredients in SleepBoost are successful in providing quality sleep for the individual. Sleep that drowns unwanted noise, allowing you to maintain long-hours of rest and recovery. This product hits and misses in terms of its drive to get you to bed, but once you are rest assured this product delivers and keeps you asleep. At 90 capsules for $20, the user will find that any serving of 1-3 capsules is effective making this product an enticing, affordable, and effective supplement.

Introduction

Big Shoutout to the guys over at Gold Star Performance Products for sending out a tub of New Jack to me (as well as a bunch of other goodies) through the SR Troops program. I train high volume hypertrophy style workouts early in the morning (5am), so Im always in need of a pre workout that can get me up and moving.

Ingredient Profile

The profile of NJ is a proprietary blend (sort of) which does make it lose a few marks in my books right out of the gate. However several of the ingredient dosages are disclosed, so its not a total loss here.
The Highlights of the blend are:
Caffeine Anhydrous 350mg
A mix of: Beta Alanine, L Citrulline, Creatine Monohydrate, Synephrine HCL, Yohimbine HCL and the newest DMHA like compound: 2-Amino-5-Methyhexane

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

This product comes in a variety of flavours, I was sent the Cotton Candy. The mixability was perfect, no floaters or sinkers to note. The actual flavour was outstanding, not an overly sweet cotton candy, but a very distinct cotton candy flavour, well done Gold Star. Dosage is one scoop, and I experimented with between a single scoop (which was effective) and a 1.5 scoop as I got further into the container to see if I could obtain even better results with that. At 1.5 the stimulants were past the point of effective and were just too strong, I found my sweet spot at 1 heaping scoop.

Effectiveness

Overall I was very impressed with New Jack for several reasons. Number one was the energy levels were fantastic, I was ready to walk through the gym door and crush the weights about 20 minutes after ingestion, a very clean long lasting energy that didn't come with a harsh crash. The mental focus and mood were also amazing, it must have been the 2-Amino-5-Methyhexane that did it but I felt confident in the gym and had an elevated state like focus. I did notice increases in sweat and body temperature as well. I was able to push through super set heavy workouts early in the mornings before work without having the come down/ crash when I made it to the office.

The areas that did lack however came with a lack of muscle pumps, with an undisclosed amount of L-Citrulline and Agmatine it seems as though they must be under dosed as there were no notable increases in muscle volume or pump during workouts. Another area of note was the lack of strength based ingredients like a strong dosage of creatine or something like a Peak ATP to work on the muscle power aspect of training. Therefore there were no notable strength increases that can be attributed to New Jack. No noticeable Beta Alanine tingles as well, which is something I usually suffer from, this does make me question the actual dosage of the Beta Alanine.

Value

Retails online for 39.99 for 30 servings, this does place this at $1.33 per serving mark, however it gains points here because this is a true one scoop serving for most. Myself taking the heaping scoop places this slightly higher in terms of value, but I personally have no issue dishing out the cash when I know a product is proven to work for me.

Side Effects

No side effects of crash from this product. Obviously don't take too close to bed time.

Conclusion

In conclusion I was very impressed with New Jack from an energy and focus perspective. I truly was locked into my workouts and had no issues being motivated enough to train in the early hours of the morning. I would certainly purchase this product and give some of the other flavours a try. Overall if you're looking for a hard hitting pre workouts for a hypertrophy style workout this is a fantastic new option in the ever evolving pre workout market, if you're someone who trains in a strength or power based discipline (Like Powerlifting or olympic lifting) then you may want something that will give less stimulation but better increases in muscle power.

-----
Update 06/23/2017:
Update: The guys at Vaxxen saw that I wasn't a fan of the blueberry muffin flavor and sent over a bottle of the birthday cake. It's completely different and I like'd it a LOT more. Very nice of them to do, and beneficial because now I'm totally on-board with this being a very good tasting option in addition to being very mixable and digestible.
-----

Introduction

I want to start here by thanking Vaxxen Labs for their patience as I worked to complete these reviews. Sometimes life gets hectic and it can be tough to keep up, but nevertheless it's on me to hold up my end of the deal as a TROOPer!!

While taking WheyXX, I was lifting 5-6 times weekly, usually in the morning and occasionally with a 2nd session in the afternoon.

Personal stats are 6'2" 220-225lbs, and I admit to relying on powder for a lot of my daily protein intake.

Vaxxen seems like a great up-and-coming brand. I tried their PWO and was floored by how good that was. Since then I've seen the rave reviews for their protein coming through. While I think this protein had a lot of upsides, I guess my taste buds must be different than our other reviewers. Here's my take:

Ingredient Profile

The ingredients for WheyXX are very simple-- as they should be.

31g per scoop, supplying 24g of Protein in 125 calories, with 1.5g of total fat-- 1 of which is saturated, 2g of sugar, 3g of carbs, 1g of fiber, and 15mg of cholesterol.

The protein is a blend of whey concentrate and whey isolate, with concentrate being the primary ingredient.

For those who have trouble stomaching concentrate, Vaxxen also added Lactase to assist with digestion.

It is sweetened with sucralose.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

I usually took this as a snack between meals. I'm a die-hard shake guy in the morning and like my routines, so I never (er... rarely) stray from using vanilla as my base, so the Vaxxen lived with me at the office. Typically I'd have 2 scoops around 3pm to make the final afternoon push.

I always mixed this in a shaker bottle without the little metal coil (because I lose them immediately). It mixed extremely well. I never had a single chunk. The powder itself seems a little more grainy and dry than some other whey products I've used and it resulted in a very mixable solution.

Taste: This is where I'm hung up. I received blueberry muffin... I wouldn't say this tasted horrible, but I definitely wouldn't eat a blueberry muffin that tasted like this. Honestly, for me, the smell was actually worse than the taste. I thought it smelled very chemical, and the first time drinking it, I plugged my nose. After I tasted it though I commented to whoever was with me at the time that it actually didn't taste as bad as it smelled. Still though, I got the essence of blueberry muffin, but found it to be a far cry from actual blueberry muffin flavor.

Effectiveness

It's hard to gauge protein's effectiveness yada yada...

All the same, sometimes you feel better than others after consuming it. I'd say that Vaxxen's offering left me feeling good every time. I never felt bloated or weighed down, but it would always eliminate cravings or hunger for at least a couple hours or more.

There was also no increase in DOMS when switching to this; if anything, they went down. This is tough to attribute to the protein though because there are so many other things in my stack that could help this.

At the end of the day, Whey as a category has been scientifically backed to aid in muscle recovery, and this is a product produced with a blend of quality whey concentrate and isolate from a GMP-compliant FDA-regulated facility in the USA. Very trustworthy and reliable.

Value

Another knock on the rating here. The best price I've found is 36.99 for 2lbs or 28 servings. That's about $1.32/serving and I consider anything over $1/serving in this category to be expensive. Some people can afford it and can justify the excess cost, but I'm not one of them.

There could also be the argument that this contains isolate which is always more money, but we have no real way of knowing how much is in there.

A breakdown in ratios might end the discussion on price though-- who knows?

Side Effects

No gas, no bloating, no discomfort, no acne, nothing. Maybe bad breath. That's all.

Conclusion

I think I'm the outlier here. Everyone loves the taste but me. Besides that, it's an excellent premium protein by all means when you look at the label. If it's in your budget and you want something new, I say give it a shot. Thanks again to Vaxxen for their patience. I'm pumped to see what else these guys put out!!