Introduction

Dyamatize where have you been? I used to be a big supplement junkie of theirs years ago, but after joining here and learning about other brands I kinda got away from them. So saying all that when I seen they had a new Preworkout available I just had to try . They sent a cool little box with a small shaker cup and t shirt ( it was too small for me, but my wife looks hot in it. ).

Ingredient Profile

Dymatize really puts together a solid Preworkout profile here. With Each scoop being 21 grams, you get some solid ingredients and still get less than 1 grams of carbs and 15 grams of calories.
I will hit the high points of this profile.

Citrulline malate comes in at 8 grams. Which is a solid dose.

Beta- alanine ( CarnoSyn) 3.2 grams which is pretty typical dose.

L-taurine 2grams This is a good dose and I tend to take this as a stand alone supplement anyway. Helps with mental performance and muscle cramps and hydration.

Arginine Silicate (Nitrosigine) 1.5 grams

Caffeine 300mg I like this dose, more than this I tend to have a hard time concentrating on my workouts.

Coconut water 200mg This is pretty common in most top of the line preworkouts and Intra's now. I feel it does help with hydration quite well.

Theacrine 125 mg . I love this stuff. Nice easy calm stimulate. It lasts longer and dose not create a crash like some harder hitting stimulates do.

Some other reviewers on here did an amazing job explaining, I suggest if you want more details to check out Smashley23 , and workoutguru.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

I got the handspun cotton candy, and I know some did not like it, but I did. It was not bad at all, Maybe a little hard to get right for the taste but nothing to cry about.

Mixing was not bad either but I will mention it did clump really bad on me , I actually took it out and put in a blender for a second or two and I never really had that issue again. I will say it is very hot here and it was on my porch in a box for about 6 hrs and that may have played a role.. Maybe?

Effectiveness

Alright the good stuff now. If I could sum this up simply, I would say Clean energy. I really like how smooth it comes on with this one. Very smooth and lasts through an entire workout and still enough to keep you going for everyday tasks after a hard workout. But again no crash and no big rush. I have learned to stay away from the heavy stimulates, I think me getting older , the heavy hitting Pre workouts just bother me some.
Now Next I will say this stuff deliveries some good pumps and veins was very much more visible while on this too. I had some great short time recovery which is great and fits the way I like to train. Having the added coconut water in this seems to help with being so thirsty during a workout.

I did try this at half dose when I trained a bit later in the evening and it did the job well and did not bother my sleep that night either.

Value

40 dollars for 20 scoops is really high, but I feel in a few months this may come down a touch. But even at the high price of close to 2 dollars a servings but when you look at the dosages and what you are getting it is about what the right price to be honest.

Side Effects

The tingles from the beta alanine and I could go without this ingredient all together to be honest.

Conclusion

Dymatize came out of the wood work and really came out swinging. I like what they have done with this and I cant wait to see what else they come up with. I will say after taking this it has made me want to get back on their proteins which I have always liked. Thanks for being a part of the Site and we hope to see more of this brand here.

Thank you to Nutrabio for providing this and many other products of theirs to the TROOPs. One of the most important aspects of a workout and supplementing routine is what is done after you've hit the gym and worked out. So specialized recovery products are a nice luxury to have, as they combine several key elements of post-workout and recovery. Here's a look at Nutrabio's Reloaded Recovery Matrix:

Dosage

1 scoop taken post-workout.

Ingredient Profile (9/10)

Nutrabio may very well have the most detailed and fully disclosed ingredient labels in the supplement industry. Every detail, down to the flavoring is noted and accounted for on their labels, so huge bonus points in that area.

As for the ingredients in this product itself, this is an outstanding and complete profile. Essentially anything and everything you can think of that would be good for a recovery product you'll find in this, here are some highlights:
*8 grams of BCAAs
*5 grams of Glutamine
*1.5 grams Carnitine
*1.6 grams Beta Alanine
*1.5 grams Betaine
*2 grams of Creatine: 1.5 HCL, 500mg Magnapower
*1.5 grams Taurine and Electrolyte Complex
This is a very solid profile that leaves no stone unturned so to speak. A very well put together product.

Mixture (8/10)

Whenever products have a lot of ingredients in them, many times the mixture of the product suffers. With this product however, the mixture is actually pretty good. I feel that this speaks to the quality of ingredients used by Nutrabio in this product. I mixed with about 12-14 ounces of water in a shaker cup and there was some slight powder residue left over, but overall I was impressed given the complexity of the formula that it mixed as well as it did.

Taste (7/10)

I had the Passion Fruit flavor for this, and the taste overall was pretty decent. It had a slight sweetness to it, and a very bold flavoring. It might be on the heavy side for people sensitive to flavoring, but I personally didn't really have a problem with it. I used a little more water if I wanted to cut the flavoring. There was a slight aftertaste with this as well, but did not linger for long.

Effectiveness (9/10)

With the effective doses and quality ingredients in it, Reloaded Recovery Matrix hits the spot when it comes to a great post-workout product. I was very pleased with the results I got, even after heavy leg and chest days my soreness levels were down and my overall wellness feeling was up. This was ideal for the semi-cut that I was on at the time with the alternative forms of creatine that cut down on the water retention as well as the L-Carnitine and Taurine. This appears to be a product that would be beneficial no matter what stage of fitness you're on whether it is bulk, cut, or recomp.

Value (7/10)

As of writing this, it appears that Nutrabio's own website is the only place you're going to be able to find this at. The price is at $39.99 for 30 servings, or roughly $1.33 per serving. Since I would consider this a luxury product, and considering the profile and quality ingredients you get with this I think the value pans out pretty decently. It may not be something you could afford to get every month, especially if you're broke like me. However if you feel your recovery slacking, this product would be well worth the investment.

Conclusion and Verdict

Nutrabio's Reloaded Recovery Matrix is a very complete and effective post-workout product that delivers on effective doses, quality ingredients, and awesome recovery results. It may not fit into everyone's budget, but is a nice item to have on hand if you're putting your body through demanding workouts. I give this a big thumbs up and the Shinndigg Seal of Approval!

Introduction

First off I want to thank EvoMuse for letting us troopers have the chance to give this product a try. This will be my second time using a probiotic product like this. With this being my second time using a product like this I have a much better idea now what a product like this is and suppose to do for you and I figured I would give it another try. Probiotic are to help you with gut issues, Help you poo more, create good bacteria, and help improve your immune system.

Ingredient Profile

A lot of the ingredients in this I was unfamiliar with and because of that I do not know what the right dosages should be for each ingredient. Also because of this I was not sure if there were any other ingredients that should or could be added to this that would help make it better. I am going to guess that a lot of the stuff in here is dosed fairly well and they have most everything you need ingredient wise. They start off with some Zinc (from 100mg Zinc L-Camosine) 23mg. Now you get what they call their probiotrophic blend 12 billion CFU. You can look below to see in the ingredient profile I posted to see what's all in this blend. Then you get Apple Polyphenois 200mg and finally you get Fructooligosaccharides (FOS prebiotic inulin fiber) 100mg. I did find on their website some interesting stuff I will post. "In this now they say you will get Additional ingredients to bolster mucous membrane barrier function in the intestines preventing pathogenic bacteria from entering the bloodstream as well as apple peel polyphenol extract to greatly reduce inflammation".
Also I read on their website this contains a specialized force of complementary probiotic strains. helps contribute to optimized nutrient absorption, protection against foodborne/environmental pathogens, prevention of bowel irritation/inflammation, support for a powerful immune system and reduction of GI stress caused by modern diet. Encased in Entericap

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

This come in capsule form. I did notice there is a little bit of a coding on these capsules you will taste that a little bit if they sit in your month to long before you down them with water or whatever you are drinking with this.

Nothing to mix. They say on the label to start off with 2 capsules for the first 5 days and then 1 capsule a day after that. I decided I would stick with the 2 capsules everyday. I know it says on the label that a serving size is one capsule so you should get the full 75 servings. There are 75 capsules in this and if you take 2 of them everyday you will get 37.5 servings. I think it is better if you stick with the 2 capsules instead of just one per day.

Effectiveness

Products like this do a lot of internal stuff that is not always very easy to notice or tell that it is working for you. The main thing this is suppose to help you with is any gut issues you may have. Gut issues are something I don't hardly ever have to deal with but I feel this just helped lesson those issues even more so. This will help you produce good bacteria and help to fight against any bad bacteria you may have. I feel this helped my immune system a little more. Since it is summer time I don't usually have much for issues with my immune system so I can't fully gauge this on how well it might have helped me with that. If it was the winter time when I deal with immune issues a lot more so then I would have been able to tell if this helped a lot more so. I know this helped with my digestion a lot better and because of that you will notice more frequent trips to the bathroom or at least I did with the last probiotic I was taking. With this I did not notice as many frequent trips to the bathroom. I know that when I did use the bathroom it seemed like there was a lot more poo than what I normally have. Because of the more poo I was getting rid of I feel it was helping to improve my nutrient utilization a lot better. On the other probiotic I was on before this made my stool a lot more softer and easier to come out but with this it was not always that much softer and easier to come out. There were times when I was on the other probiotic that very soon after I would take it I would have to head to the bathroom right away but with this I did not always notice that as much. Products like this I don't feel are a must have but I do think they serve a good purpose though. I did notice some good improvements with this but maybe not to the level I was expecting like I did with the last probiotic I was on. If your someone that does not have very frequent bowls movements I feel something like this is worth giving a try. I think for the most part this just helps keep you a little safer/healthier gut wise.

Value

The cheapest I could find this was on dpsnutrition.com for $22.95 for 75 servings. I don't think that is to bad at all if you can get by with the one capsule a day. For me I did 2 everyday and I still feel the value is not to bad.

Side Effects

Nothing I really noticed. The only side you may notice is more trips to the bathroom but other than that nothing that you should be real worried about.

Conclusion

I did enjoy this product and feel it did help me some. I know there were times that I wondered if this was really helping me that much but had to judge it better by my trips to the bathroom. If your someone that has gut or digestive issue I feel this is a product worth giving a try. If you just looking for some better overall health I would add this. I would for sure give a product like this a try again at some point. Again I want to give a big shout out to EvoMuse for making this product and letting me have the chance to give it a try.

Introduction

First off I want to thank Dymatize for letting us troopers have the chance to give this product a try. I had never really used much of their products in the past except their protein a couple of times. When I saw they were coming out with a new pre-workout and then saw the ingredient profile for it I was really impressed and knew I needed to give this a try. I have to say that they really stepped up their game a lot with this product and I hope they do that with any of their new products they release.

Ingredient Profile

First I want to give them big props for not using any prop blends and fully disclosing everything they put in this. I would say they have a very complete profile in this with stuff to help you in all areas. This is made up of 9 main ingredients.

Citrulline Malate 8g. This is a pretty good dosage they use.

Beta-Alanine 3.2g You get a full dose of this and this is a saturation ingredient.

Taurine 2g This helps with help with muscle contraction and hydration. Along with caffeine this can help with improved mental focus. A lot of companies will use 500mg but in this you are getting 2g which is a good amount.

Betaine (BetaPower) 1.5g This is used to help improve muscle oxygenation and help reduce liver damage. The dosage is not to bad maybe just a bit low and would like to see it upped to at least 2.5g

Arginine Silicate 1.5 This is a good dosage amount to have. The Arginine in this is bonded to silicate. Pure arginine is not very bioavailable. Arginine on it's own wont do a real lot for you and that is why they bond the arginine with silicate because then it makes it work.

NALT 350mg. This is a form of tyrosine helps with mood and concentration. They do put a good dose of this at 350mg

Caffeine 300mg This is a pretty good amount. I like to around 300-350mg of caffeine

Coconut Water 200mg. This is something I am starting to see a lot more companies use in their products. This helps with hydration.

Theacrine 125mg This is a type of stimulant but not as heavy as regular caffeine. It helps give you a more nice and smooth like energy.

Also in this you get Vitamin C250mg and B12 30mcg. Niacin 30mg, Folate(folic acid) 260mcg and Sodium 10mg

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

This comes in three flavors Chilled Fruit Fusion, Handspun Cotton Candy, and Sweet Cherry Lime. I was sent the cotton candy. This was only the second time I have had this flavor. I thought this was a lot better tasting then the last product I had in cotton candy. I didn't think this was to bad. Maybe just a little on the sweet side but not to bad though. What this reminded me of was those blow pop suckers that have gum in them. The taste I thought tasted a lot like one of those suckers. I enjoyed this flavor and thought it was good. I think they did a good job at getting that cotton candy flavor. Compared to the last product I had that was cotton candy I think Dymatize did a much better job with this flavor. It was good for awhile but then I started to get kind of tired of drinking it.

Mixing was not to bad for me. There was some slight clumping I notice with the powder but it was not bad for me. The powder itself looked a lot like crystalize sugar. When mixed I noticed there were a lot of little piece floating inside my shaker cup. I would try and shake it up more but that did not help at all. Not sure what caused this but I did noticed that after I would drink this the sides of my shaker cup had a lot of grit on the sides of it. It does have a little label on the lid that says you should shake this before every use because contents may settle. Dosing was pretty simple. I would use just one scoop with 12oz or so of water before my workouts. No real need to go more than one scoop mainly because everything you get in here is dosed pretty well.

Effectiveness

I look a lot for in a pre-workout what kind of energy this will this give me. This has 300mg of caffeine in it which I like. I thought this gave me some pretty decent energy. It was more of a clean like energy I got. I never felt all cracked out or jittery which was nice. I did feel I was getting some good increases in my energy which was nice to help keep me going longer especially on days when I was feeling really tired from working all day. My endurance felt a lot more improved and was able to go between sets a lot quicker and had way less muscle fatigue. When I felt I was ready for my next set I was ready to go and my muscle would not give out right away and start to fatigue on me and because of that it allowed me to do that next set right away with a lot less time between sets. I think overall this really helped keep me feeling a lot better so I could keep working out for longer periods of time and still have the energy to do so. Also I felt that my strength gains started to go up some. I felt I was able to push around some heavier weight and do it without as much trouble or get as tired doing it.

The pumps and vascularity I got from this were pretty decent. I think the vascularity part was a lot better for me than the pumps. Even with the pretty large dose of citrulline at 8g I still has a little trouble at times feeling that good pump. I guess for me if I am going to notice pumps more so I have to really be hitting it hard and taking very little time between sets other wise I have a harder time noticing them. I know on days I would work arms and back my veins really started to pop a lot more. At times my forearms started looking like road map like veins which I really liked seeing. I would say the vascularity part of this was really good and very noticeable for me. I know some people said they really had some issues with feeling those beta tingles from the beta alanine they put in here at 3.2g which is a decent amount. For the most part I hardly ever notice beta tingles. What was kind of weird was not long after I would take this but not all the time I would get this big rush like feeling of the beta tingles but it would only last a few seconds and then it would be gone and would not feel them anymore though out my workout. I know on some days when I was really hitting it harder I noticed I would start to sweat a lot so than I normally would. But then on days when I was not hitting it real hard I would not sweat nearly as much. I know from the time I started this I really leaned up a lot more and was able to put on some more muscle mass because I noticed my weight had gone up a little. With me looking more lean like I know the weight I had put on was more muscle mass than just bloating and water weight which is a good thing.

With the coconut water in this I think it really helped me feel a lot more hydrated because I was getting those extra electrolytes in me which was nice. Feeling more hydrated is good because that means a lot less issues with any cramping I may get. I usually don't have much issues with cramps but every once in awhile I do. I felt this was very good on my stomach and never gave me any unwanted stomach issues which was nice. I know I have taken other pre's in the past and have gotten upset stomach from them but not with this.

Value

The standard price I am see this is $39.99 for 20 servings. I think for 20 serving this price is rather high. If this had 30 servings at this same price then it would not be as bad but still not real great. I think they need to up the servings to at least 30 and lower this to no more than $35 at the most.

Side Effects

Nothing I really noticed.

Conclusion

I was very pleased with this product and feel that Dymatize really stepped up there game a lot with this pre-workout. I just hope they keep this up with other new products they come out with. If your looking for a solid and complete pre-workout I would highly recommend giving this a try. My only little issue I have with this is that I would like to see them up this to 30 servings instead of 20 and maybe drop the price a little. This should have all the areas you need covered like energy strength pumps vascularity and intensity. Yes I would be more than happy to give this another try but in one of their other flavors. Again I want to give a big shout out to Dymatize for stepping up their game with this and letting me have the chance to try it.

Introduction

Protein bars, you either use them, or your hate them. In some cases, it's both. There are so many protein bar options out there these days, and after Quest bars came out, a much bigger focus on fiber ensued. While I personally am over quest bars, I still like my protein bars to have some fiber in them(unless I'm eating PowerCrunch Bars). I'm currently in a cutting phase, and when I saw these bars up, I jumped on them as the calories were low.

Ingredient Profile

To start, I like the fiber content in these. 12 grams of fiber in a meal is really good actually. I do like that is has only on gram of sugar. The fat is at 5 grams, which is low, and the protein is at a solid 23 grams. The macros are one of the best I have seen on any protein bar. Very similar to Quest actually, with perhaps a bit less fat.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Well, I had the mint chocolate flavor. Not gonna lie, it was not very good. The taste comes onto you slowly. Then, the aftertaste starts to settle in.

You get a mild taste of chocolate to start, which is slowly overpowered by a bitter-like mint. I personally love mint, but this one was just odd really. The aftertaste sticks with you, and I typically just ended up brushing my teeth afterwards.

Effectiveness

Well, as bad as the flavor was, the product itself as not that bad. The fiber makes it very filling. Between meals, if I decided to use this, I had great appetite control. So, as far as effectiveness goes, these bars performed quite well. I'd say on par with a basic Quest bar.

I feel quite bad that I can't look past the taste. With the taste being subpar, you don't look forward to eating them. With so many options out there, it is hard to recommend these, especially with their price being a bit higher than most bars on the market.

Value

A box of these runs around $20. For 7 bars, it is not the best value out there. Most bars I know run about the same and have 12 bars in them. Those other ones also taste much better. I see no reason to spend money on something that is going to taste bad and is comparable to other quality protein bars on the market.

Side Effects

None

Conclusion

As good as these bars perform, I cannot recommend them due to the subpar taste, and high price tag. with other options out there, like power crunch bars and Fitjoy, which are great, I see no reason to ever suffer and buy a box of these.

Introduction

Huge thank you to Torem and the SR Trooper program for the opportunity to try this product. I was in search of a stim free weight loss supplement and I saw this one in particular had very good reviews so I figured I could benefit from it. Glad I was able to claim it.

Ingredient Profile

I have used very few weight loss supplements in the past so a lot of these ingredients were new to me. The ones I have heard of are the ones that are commonly used in other supplements but for the majority of the stuff used in this product I had to spend a lot of time researching and reading about. Some were familiar from reading reviews on here. Here goes....

InnoSlim-250mg: This consists of Astragalus membranaceus and Panax notoginseng extract. This stabilizes glucose and reduces glucose absorption in the intestines. It also increases fat oxidation by turning on the adiponectin enzyme which helps reduce subcutaneous fat by not letting fat remain stored in adipose tissue.

ActiGin-25mg: This consists of Panax notoginseng and Rosa roxburghii extract. This increases energy and endurance by sending more glycogen to the muscles. This also helps improve recovery time.

Green Tea Extract-250mg: This consists of 98% Polyphenois and 70% EGCG. This is a fat burner.

Garcina Cambogia-100mg: This is a tropical fruit extract. This helps suppress your appetite and reduce cravings. This uses Hydroxycitric Acid (HCA) to block the conversion of sugars and starches into fat. HCA blocks an enzyme called citrate lyase which is used by the body to make fat and raises serotonin levels which reduces hunger.

AdvantraZ-50mg: This consists of Synephrine as Citrus aurantium unripe fruit extract. This comes from the bitter orange plant. It increases the breakdown of fat cells and increases thermogenesis.

Capsimax-50mg: This consist of Cayenne pepper fruit extract. This is a natural capsicum extract from red hot chili peppers. This boosts metabolism which helps burn fat.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

These are pills but the pills did have an odd taste while they sat in your mouth waiting to be swallowed. No biggie, just thought I would mention it. No mixability since these are pills. I played with the dosing a bit based on my two biggest meals of the day. I took two pills about 5 minutes before my two biggest meals of the day. If they were going to be breakfast and dinner then that is when I took the pills. It it was any other combo then that is when I would take them. The packaging was first class that these came in. The box was nice and the individual packets these came in made it convenient to take when dining out or on the go. A funny story real quick. This will be funny to all of you but was not funny to me at the time. I had started eating my dinner one night and realized I forgot to take the pills before my meal. In a panic I figured I should crack the pills open and swallow the ingredients so they would enter the system faster. BIG, BIG, BIG mistake. My mouth and throat were on fire. A little fact about me......Diet Dr. Pepper is too spicy for me. These pills when cracked open made my head spin. Looking back, what the hell was I thinking??????

Effectiveness

This did work for me. I am not one of those people that expects this supplement or any other supplement to be a magical item and work miracles. What I was expecting is for this to help me lose some weight in the 3-5 pound range over the course of 30 days. If I could lose 5 pounds in a month without any extra cardio or depleting my calories then that would be a success for me. I kept my cardio, weight training and diet exactly the same as when I started this. I changed nothing. I am more of a powerlifter than bodybuilder type so I do carry around a few extra pounds but not many. My diet is already pretty clean on a daily basis 2400-2500 calories 6 days of the week (my cheat day is about 3500 calories), 215-230g of protein daily along with 175-190 carbs and 75-80g of fat. I started off at 231 pounds and weighed in at 226 pounds after finishing this. My goal is to get to 220 which I should be at very shortly. In my opinion 5 pounds in a month is very good. I was happy with the results of this product. As far as endurance and energy goes I really cant say how effective this was but it wasn't a concern of mine. This did help reduce cravings. When it was time to eat I was hungry but the cravings that we all get between meals wasn't there.

Value

A bit on the pricey side for a weight loss supplement. You do have a few different options here. You can order 60 servings for $57.00 on Amazon which comes out to $0.95 per serving. Torem's website has the 60 servings for $59.99. What can be found on Torem's website but I could not find on Amazon or anywhere else are the larger packages which are 180 servings for $138.00 which comes out to $0.76 per serving and 360 servings for $264.00 which comes out to $0.73 per serving. I can say for myself I would not put out the $138.00 or $264.00 for this. I can see running this for a month at the $57-$60 range once a year. If multiple people were going to go in on this or you were gonna run this three months straight or throughout the year then the larger servings make sense but that is a ton of cash to put out up front.

Side Effects

None

Conclusion

At the end of the day this is a good overall weight loss product. After researching the ingredients it seems Torem does use quality ingredients that when mixed together work well. For me to lose 5 pounds in a month without changing anything as far as workouts or diet, that says a lot. I feel some may be scared off by the price. The only thing that comes to mind is if they didn't have that eye catching box these packets come in would they be able to drop the price of the product a bit? I can't answer that but it did cross my mind.

Overview: When I first started working out, I would usually have an energy drink that was available at most gasoline stations. I quickly learned that most energy drinks that were sold at gasoline stations were so bad, plus I wanted something to increase metabolism. At this point, I made a switch and found thermogenic where maybe what I needed. My main goal was to get some more energy and help me loose some weight. I was overweight and knew that I needed something to help with that. I have seen so many commercials about weight loss pills, which I have tried in the past with little help, so I wanted something different than pills. I decided I would take my chance on Body Fortress Super Advanced Shred Igniter, which claims to be a thermogenic stimulator blend. The advertisement on the cover said it helped with weight loss. I wanted to lose a lot of weight as I was at 230 pounds with a high amount of body fat so I was looking to lose about 10 pounds per month. Unaware of what a thermogenic was and what they did, but I decided to give it a try. Now, I know more about so let us take a look at what exactly is in Body Fortress Super Advanced Shred Igniter and what are thermogenic.

Ingredients: 8/10

Calories: 25
Carbs: 6 grams
Sugar: 2 grams
Sodium: 10 mg
Vitamin A: 38IU

There is Sodium, Sugar, and Vitamin A. Sodium is basically salt and it regulates in the body by your kidneys, and it helps control your body's fluid balance. It also helps send nerve impulses and affects muscle function. Sodium is also used for flavor. The sugar is flavor control. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin that is also a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin A plays a critical role in maintaining healthy vision, neurological function. Body Fortress Shred-Abolic Igniter then breaks it done into 3 categories: Anabolic Strenth Blend, Thermogenic Ignition Blend, and Metabolic Support Blend.

They have what is called an Anabolic Strength Blend which is made of L-Leucine 2 grams and L-Carnitine 750 mg. Leucine which is an amino acid that helps with fatigue, recovery, reduce soreness and improve the use of fat for energy. This is one of the key ingredients to go with the potential of muscle mass growth. Carnitine is an ammonium that can help with energy metabolism.

Next, is Thermogenic Ignition Blend which consists of 600mg which breaks into Green Tea Extract 250 mg, L-Tyrosine 250 mg, and Caffeine 100 mg. Tyrosine is an amino acid that is used to produce noradrenaline and dopamine where both of these can be used to help an individual with stress, brain, and body. Green tea Extract and Caffeine are both used to help your production of noradrenaline or to give you a spike in energy. Both Green Tea and Caffeine have been linked to fat burner, but may fail to result as a fat burner just for using these items.

And the last one on the list is Metabolic Support Blend which is Naringin 300 mg, Extract fruit and Citrus. The Naringin is similar to grapefruit and is because bitterness found in the powder. Grapefruit was part of the big diets in the 80's and 90's because the naringin is in grapefruit that could help with weight loss. Extract fruit and citrus are used for flavor.

The big question that gets asked is "what is thermogenic"? Thermogenic is a way to produce heat through metabolic stimulation for the body to get "hot" in hopes of losing fat. The ingredients of Body Fortress Shred Inginter can be found in other thermogenic, fat loss pills, and pre-workouts, but every company does a few things different. The key ingredients found in the Body Fortress Super Advanced Sherd Igniter is the thermogenic mix which made of Caffeine and Tyrosine.

One of the differences about Body Fortress Super Advanced Shred Igniter and other thermogenic is the grapefruit and its taste. Most companies avoid using much grapefruit these days because the taste is so bad. The second thing that sticks out to me is the amount of Green Tea which people think may be high in caffeine. You can get green tea extract pills and they can be in any amount but I usually find them in 250 mg or 500 mg. If you see the 250 mg or 500 mg, you think that is a lot, but lower than you might think. Research has been done to show that 250 mg of green tea extract is about 10 mg of caffeine. So, the Body Fortress Super Advanced Shred Igniter caffeine ingredients are about the size of an 8-10 ounce cup of coffee. A lot of companies use these two ingredients because they are believed to help with weight loss and they give people "a jittery feeling" which helps the people to feel that the product is working. The main ingredient for Body Fortress Shred Igniter is thermogenic which resort to a jittery and high-temperature feeling.

The amino acids in this container are easy to find in many protein shakes or BCAA pills. The naringin is there for a boost similar to coffee that is found in grapefruit. The last few items on the list are just for flavor.

Taste and Mixability: 1/10
Body Fortress Super Advanced Shred Igniter was low to nothing in both taste and mixability. The mix was chunky and looked like it had some dirt or small rocks in it. The mix was bad with water or anything else because it never seemed to break down. I stirred and tried to shake, but it still failed to mix. The product was available in only one flavor and was listed as Citrus Punch. This mix tasted like I was chewing on a grapefruit part. The product was always chunky and hard to drink with a nasty grapefruit taste regardless if I used more water (which was 8-12 with one scoop) to help try to minimize the taste.

Effectiveness: 7/10
If you are just wanting to get an energy boost, then this was effective in giving me the results I was looking for in energy. The label called for one scoop on day one and increase to two scoops the following day. On the first day, I took one scoop with 12 ounces of water prior to workout which did give me the boost I was looking for. I did have more energy when I used it to start my day off or before workouts. I wanted to try this before workouts as I was avoiding the pre-workouts because you might get the jitters during the workout. The label said nothing about being a pre-workout, I just wanted the boost to keep going during the workout and some energy after the workout for the rest of the day. I increased to two scoops in a few days. To start the mix off, I would only take it at the beginning of the workout. Later on, I would take one in the middle of a workout and it would give me enough energy if I were doing a long workout that day. When I started taking two scoops, I tried the two scoops prior to the first workout because the label did say to start taking two scoops once you got used to the one scoop. The two scoop mix did give me a high that would come from too much caffeine so I avoided the use of two scoops at one time. I did start doing one scoop in the morning (if I missed my drink coffee) and one scoop for workouts because I did avoid two scoops for pre-workout because I avoid the extra hike up from caffeine while working out.

Goal one was to get some energy to help me get through the day. The Body Fortress Shred Ignitor was able to give the enough energy to help me get through the day that I was looking for. Goal two was to help with weight loss. The Body Fortress Shred Ignitor also helped me lose weight. I did lose 5 pounds, which was a little lower than I wanted but it did give me what I was looking for and I then knew that thermogenic was a good tool to use. Overall, the Body Fortress Shred Ignitor did what I was wanted so I would say the product was pretty effective.

Value: 7/10
The Body Fortress Shred Igniter was priced well at $15 for a.66 pound container. Compared to other energy boosters or pre-workouts, this one is fairly priced. I found it easy to find which is the local Walmart in my small town. For the money, a reasonable product.

Side Effects:
No real side effects to the body as long as only one scoop was used but did leave my mouth feeling worse than before.

Conclusion: 7/10
This was an item I started using to get a boost of energy that I wanted for workouts or starting the morning. The Body Fortress Shred Igniter was easy to find and cheap when compared to other thermogenic. Walmart is limited on options since I live in a small town and most supplements appear to be Walmart specific. The taste of this was bad all the time and regardless of how you mixed it or how much water you used, ALWAYS bad as far as it goes with taste and left my mouth feeling nasty. As far it goes with results, I found this to be productive. I always felt better after consuming it and did get the boost I was looking for in the morning or into the workout. So, production wise, a good thermogenic that was worth the money. Due to taste, please avoid this as the taste was awful. Due to other options available, you can still get your boost from something else with much better taste.

Introduction

I always appreciate it when I get to try out a product like this. Greens drinks are some of my favorite products, as I feel many of us neglect micronutrients. I don't mind eating vegetables, but sometimes I wish I could eat less of them.

This is why I rarely pass up an opportunity to hop on a deal of greens powders. So of course I jumped on Ideal Greens when the opportunity arose.

Ingredient Profile

To start, I liked the lack of sugar, and the 3 grams of fiber. I'll get to this later. Granted all greens drinks tend to have fiber in them, I still have to note in.

The first criticism I have, it that everything is in a blend. I know companies that don't do this with their greens drinks, so I kind of have to be critical here.

The first 2 ingredients in here are spinach leaf powder, and kale leaf powder. I wish I knew how much of each, but I do like both ingredients. After that you get come coconut water powder, some wheat grass, broccoli, beat powder, the list goes on. While I am a fan of every ingredient in IdealGreens, I just wish I knew how much of each. There are other, like Ashwaganda, but I doubt it is at its recommended 600mg dose.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Dosing is one scoop a day, easy enough. As for the taste, well, it's a greens drink. I personally like the taste of greens powders, but most people, including my girlfriend, hate it. This is a personal thing, however, you can easily mask this by mixing it in a tastier protein powder.

It mixes quite well, however, with most greens drinks, you do get some stuff left on the sides.

Effectiveness

I typically took IdealGreens every morning on my way to work. My commute is 1.5-2 hours both ways, so I tend to bring a shake(my breakfast) and drink it about an hour into driving. I mixed this with Total Protein by Cutler Nutrition and creatine hcl, which made it a great breakfast actually.

Now, with these products, the best way to tell if they are working is by paying attention to your bathroom schedule. I can say that I was regular while on this. I also noticed a bit less bloat, although I was eating pretty healthy throughout the work week, I as still able to notice less side effects from food I ate.

Now that I'm off, I can kind of tell that I am off really. I noticed more energy throughout the day, as well as just an overall sense of well-being. I get this from most greens drinks.

Value

You can get this for $30. Not the cheapest, yet not overpriced either. If there was no blend, I may have rated it higher.

It's worth the investment, especially if you replace your multi-vitamin with this.

Side Effects

None.

Conclusion

Ideal Greens is a pretty good option as a daily greens/vitamin drink. It can help keep you regular, up your energy levels, and just make you feel better overall. It's no miracle in powder form, but it does offer a simple way to get some extra greens and other herbs in without having to down a lot of pills, or eat endless kale and spinach.

I would have no problem recommending this to anyone who takes their health seriously. It's not the best greens option, but it's not a bad one by any means.

Introduction

Hello Troopers,

I always very excited to review a pre-workout and I was even more excited taking this product as I was just coming off a STIM break, so my stim tolerance recharged and was ready. I took this pre-workout during my cutting phase while I aimed for hypertrophy training and strength training offset every other day.

Ingredient Profile

This product is broken in to subsections that detail the ingridents that contribute to a specific cause. I will high the most profound ingredients in these subsections.

Superior Endurance Formula:
4g of Citrulline Mallate - mixed research regarding the efficacy at this dosage...would have like to see a safer 5g - 10g of CL to ensure complete effectiveness.
3g of Beta Alanine

Advanced Strength Formula:
Creatine Monohydrate: 1.5g= I would have liked to see double CM in this section...my research steers me towards the direction that 3-5g is the ideal effective dose range.
Creatine HCL: 750mg = Again, here with the CHL I would have like to see double its dosage to preserve an effective dose.

Insane Energy Formula:
DMHA: 100mg
Caffeine Anhydrous: 100mg
Caffeine Malate: 100mg
DiCaffeine Malate:100mg

(Adequate dosages here in this formula, please If you are not used to high stimulant pre-workouts this may upset your stomach)***

Precision Formula + Intensifier Blend = 722mg
A combination of ingredients used to promote focus and concentration and added Maca Root and Niancin to help reinforce natural body functioning.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste: I had the lemon lime flavor. Unfortunately, I did not like the flavor at all. It tasted like really watered down sour lemonade. I am not one to be selective about what I am drinking, but it definitely helps when a pre-work taste is made to be enjoyable. 4/10

Mixability: Some slight residue if not shaken thoroughly, no a big issue.

Dosing: 1 scoop = 12.8g, taken 30 minutes before workout.

Effectiveness

This Pre-Workout introduced a lot of varying ingredients & I was not sure how my body was going to respond.

Pump: Unfortunately, the elusive pump was once again out of reach. I craved a pump so hard while on this product and while I did not have an extraordinary pump, it did prove to to allow me really engage in a mind-muscle connection and feel the squeeze + the burn during high volume sets.

Endurance: This is where I found the product to be most useful! I believe its strategic inclusion of 3 caffeine ingridents and DHMA stimulant supplementation really hit me like a TRUCK. 20 minutes into my workout I was sweating bullets, but I fell well and in control of my workout. I can definitely say that this product really allowed to to cut my rest times by 15-20 seconds and I did feel that I had an extra bit of energy in the bucket towards the last mile of my workouts.

I will not that 2 weeks into taking this product one might feel a diminishing effect. The endurance was still there, but with such a high stim inclusion one can expect that tolerance to grow quickly...and in my case it did. Workouts were still filled with stamina...but that extra bit of energy at the of my workouts started to wind down slowly.

What can you expect prior to your workout? - If you're like me and you enjoy the tingling sensation on your face, sharp sense of focus/concentration, and the desire to unleash at the gym...this pre-workout accomplishes one of the most integral components I look for in a product...it kick me in the rear and it gets me to make moves and flex some muscle.

Value

Lowest valule for this product is $27 on Amazon. Considering this product is 30 servings and valued at $1 per serving, This Product falls under the average price of a decent Pre-Workout in the market. However, I was say even as a standalone "endurance" product this product is worth $30 in its own...considering it is a PWO...I would classify it in the higher tier of pre-workouts in its column.

Side Effects

No observed side effects. (Just avoid lemon-lime flavor)!

Conclusion

12 GAUGE brings the BANG for your BUCK and the SWEAT for your NECK. I absolutely enjoyed my run with this product. With the exception of its taste, a few desired inclusion of more CM and Creatine...I can see this PWO having a lot of potential. This product is meant to wake you up, get you to the gym, and not allow you to stop. Give it a go!

Introduction

First off I want to thank Genius Brand for letting us troopers have the chance to give this product a try. I have used fermented aminos a few times before and have had good results from them. When I saw this show up on the trooper program I had to give it a try. This has been a company I had been looking into trying lately and really like what I was seeing. This for the most part turned out to be a fairly decent product for me but the taste is the real kicker with this product and I will explain what I mean by that.

Ingredient Profile

I want to start off by saying that I really like that they don't use any prop blends in this and disclose everything they put in here. Big props to that. You get 5g of BCAAS at a ratio of 2:1:1. They use what are called InstaAminos meaning they don't use any duck feathers or human hair. These are suppose to be a lot better and safer. I like the added 3g of glutamine which helps with better muscle recovery, immune system and gut issues. This includes rhodiola rosea, a neuroprotective herb known to promote physical/cognitive vitality. They use natural caffeine at 100mg which I really like because it is not as hard on your adrenal glans. You get Taurine at 1g to help with focus and endurance. Citrulline malate 2:1 at 1g which helps with blood flow and pumps. Tyrosine 1g increases awareness and alertness and helps with brain function. You get Citicholine at 250mg which I had never heard of before and found out helps with brain support. I like that they use no artificial flavors, colors or dyes which is great. They do add some stevia which I am not a fan of.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste is where this really takes a big kick in the rear for me. This comes in one flavor only power orange. Normally I don't have a real issue with taste but when it comes to aminos I do. The reason I do is because with aminos they are meant to be sipped on not chugged like you would do with a pre-workout. This was not enjoyable at all to drink. This has more of a natural taste to it which can be good and bad at the same time. Being natural can be better for you but then the taste is usually not real good. This reminded me a lot of brushing your teeth and then trying to drink orange juice. It was like there was this really bad chemical taste to it. This for sure will be nothing you will get real excited about wanting to drink each time. If you can get past the taste then it's not as bad a product but just hard to get real excited about having to drink each time.

Mixing was not to bad but there was a lot of residue left over and it was rather foamy I noticed. After the foam settles a bit you will need some extra water to help get the rest of it down. Dosing was pretty simple one scoop is all you really need with 14-20oz of water. You can pretty much take this whenever pre, intra, or post. Just be carefull how soon before bed if you do take this because that can cause a bit of an issue getting to sleep.

Effectiveness

Since this has caffeine added to it I decided I would take this in the mornings before I would go to work. If this would not have had the caffeine in it then I would have used it during my workouts like I normally do with aminos. I don't like taking a pre-workout with lots of caffeine in it and then add more to it and that is why I take aminos with caffeine in the mornings instead. Since I don't do coffee this is my replacement for that. The caffeine in this is natural caffeine they use at 100mg. This is not a huge amount of caffeine but was enough to help get me going a bit more in the mornings. I felt this gave me a nice little pick me up and made me feel a little more awake. It was nothing super strong like but enough to help get me going a little more. I do feel this helped me focus a little better and felt more alert also. It was nothing real crazy like for focus but enough to notice it was helping some. They say this is suppose to help you manage stress better but I never really noticed if it helped me that much. I never really had any issues I was dealing with so that might have made a difference as to why I did not notice much.

The muscle and recovery I got from this I thought was decent. Not the best I have gotten but certainly not the worst. I felt this gave me some extra recovery which helped me get going better in the mornings especially if I was feeling a bit more sore that morning. I think by taking these extra aminos in the morning only helped me feel better so I would be more ready for my workout later in the afternoon when I normally workout. With all the lifting I do getting these extra aminos in me is a big plus on the recovery part. I know this really helped limit any DOMs I may have which was really nice. No matter what body part I was working that day I never felt this helped me recover any better than I did on other days. I pretty much felt the same recovery no matter what body part I was working each day.

Value

You can find this on amazon for $33.24 for 21 servings. I think that is a little high for only 21 servings. If they were to up this to 30 then it would not be as bad. I know they do add some extra goodies in this so the price does go up a little more. Do I really need the extra goodies no not really but they are kind of nice to have. I think if they could up this to 30 serving it would make it a lot better value. Why they only have 21 servings in this instead of 30 I don't know. I would like to see some other sites start carrying their products also. So right now this is very limited as to where you can buy it.

Side Effects

Nothing I noticed. Not that it was an issue for me but the only thing I see that could cause an issue is the added caffeine in this.

Conclusion

Overall I thought this was a fairly decent product and enjoyed using it. The biggest down fall they need to work on is taste. Normally taste would not be as big as issue but since you should normally sip on BCAAs instead of chugging them it becomes a bit of an issues. Other than taste I felt this was good and gives you a lot of extra goodies you don't really need but are nice to have. Knowing your Aminos in this are fermented is a big plus for me. Knowing how good they are and are safer only makes this that much better. Two things I would really like to see them improve on is taste and come out with another flavor. Also I would like to see them increase their servings from 21 to 30. Yes I feel this worth checking out and you should get some decent results from this. Again I want to give a big shout out to Genius Brand for making this product and letting me have the chance to try it.

Introduction

I'm a competing powerlifter, coming back from a back injury. I'm hoping to get back onto the platform in November. I'm currently doing a 6 day upper/lower.

Ingredient Profile

This is a blended protein powder made of whey concentrate, micellar casein, and whey isolate. The concentrate's listed first, so that's probably the majority of the protein. I wish they disclosed the blend. People pay extra for blends, but you don't know how much of the other proteins you're actually getting. It could be 98% whey concentrate for all I know.

The macros are pretty standard. Each scoop is 130 calories and 22g of protein. There's also 3g of fat (1.5g saturated), 75 cholesterol, 4g carb (1 fiber), and 1g of sugar.

The fiber comes from added Vitafiber, which is a trademarked IMO.

There's added xanthan gum to make it thicker.

Of course, there's added PB2, which is why I got it. I love peanut butter.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste (5/10) The taste did not do it for me. I did taste chocolate, although it was weak, and I did taste peanut butter, which was more noticeable than the chocolate, but it was so sweet that it was hard to finish a shake. I tried adding cocoa powder to detract from the sweetness, and that did not help. I tried blending half Myofeed and half an unflavored protein, and it was still too sweet. I think it's the Vitafiber. It cuts through everything.

They did add salt, but it was not enough to counteract the sweetness. For me, this was the least successful chocolate peanut butter protein that I've had. I've gone through three different brands.

Mixability (8/10) The mixability was good. It mixed well with a shaker bottle, minimal clumping. It got nice and thick if you mixed it with a blender and some ice. The xanthan gum is a great emulsifier. With a blender and ice and some xanthan gum, you can give a protein powder a Frosty like consistency. Do, though, crush the ice first. Ice chunks in your shake is not good.

Dosing (7/10). 22g for a scoop is fine. I usually mix it with milk anyway, so I'm getting plenty of protein for a meal (I am for 30-40g). I am curious as to why the scoop is so large. A 37g scoop that only gives 22g protein. Many brands give you a 35g scoop with 25g protein. They could have gotten in more protein and less filler. This is a protein powder, but it's not a bad dose. Just could have been a bit better.

Effectiveness

Protein is protein. As long as the company is meeting it's claim and the protein is of a high quality (e.g. not gelatin), you should get results, provided that you're diet is on point.

Myofeed makes a big point to say that they do not spike their products (it's on their label), and I'm sure they're making their label claims, which is a big plus.

There is some research to suggest a blend can be more effective than a pure whey, but I doubt it really matters outside of a lab biopsy. Most people eat a variety of food and get several different protein sources every day, anyhow.

Value

This product is a bit pricey. I found it for $28.99 for a 2lb tub, which is over $1/serving. For a blend, that's not terrible, but the blend is not actually disclosed. PES costs about the same amount (within $1-$2), but you know exactly what you're getting. Syntha 6 is cheaper and is also a prop blend.

I personally wouldn't pay this much for a blended protein and not actually know what the blend is.

Side Effects

No side effects. I'm not lactose intolerant or anything.

Conclusion

I've heard great things about this product; unfortunately, I did not experience any of them. People swore it tasted just like a Butterfinger, and I just got an overwhelming amount of sweetener.

I'm all for companies that don't spike their protein, but I wouldn't not want to go through another tup of this one.

Introduction

First off, I would like to apologize to SR and VMI for the long overdue review. I dislocated my shoulder, was in a sling for 3 weeks, tore the trapezoid part of my coracoclavicular ligament, partially tore the conoid ligament, and partially tore my labrum. It's been a difficult few weeks and my participation on here has been lacking due to everything going on. After this review and the other two I still need to write, I will be taking a break from the TROOPs program until I am fully healed and able to lift again. In the meantime, you're looking at the worlds newest cardio bunny, yay. As always, thank you to VMI for participation in the TROOPs program and sending this out to us. I was lucky enough to receive the flavor I asked for, chocolate fudge cookie.

Ingredient Profile

ProtoLyte is a 100% whey isolate delivering us with 25g of protein per serving. Along with that, there is absolutely no fat and <1 of carbohydrates. It also comes loaded with 18 different enzymes to help aid in recovery. The profile is also Non-GMO, which some people look for now a days, along with natural flavors and the enzyme blend mentioned above. What you see is what you get here, no added nonsense.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste (chocolate fudge cookie)

Being that this was an isolate, I was expecting a light watery taste. I was wrong. It delivered a rich and creamy taste, similar to a milkshake (but not as thick, obviously). I would even use it to make my protein pancakes, which were BOMB with this protein. This tasted better than MyProtien coffee flavor for the pancakes (I believe my recipe is with that review if you're interested)

Mixability

No mixing problems. Only mixed with water. No digestive issues either.

Dosing

I dosed this specifically post workout, being it was an isolate. 1 scoop in 6-8 ounces of water.

Effectiveness

The trickiest part of any protein review. Based on the ingredients, dosing it post workout, and following a consistent workout regimen, this protein did its job. I was never fatigued or felt like I was lacking in any areas. It delivered 25g of protein to fuel my muscles along with an endless amount enzymes. Overall, I was happy to come home form the gym and consume my shake.

Value

You can pick this 1.6lb jug up for $33.99 on Amazon (free shipping if you have prime). That comes to $1.13 per serving, which is good for an isolate in my opinion.

Side Effects

None.

Conclusion

ProtoLyte delivered me with a quick absorbing protein post workout along with an added enzyme blend to aid in my recovery. At $1.13 per serving for an isolate and delicious taste, there's no reason against me picking this up again.

Introduction

Currently in a fat reduction mode and saw this advertised as a non-stim weight loss product so I decided to give it a go. Thanks to RCSS for their continued support here on SR.com

Ingredient Profile

L-Carnitine 3000mg, Pantothenic Acid 10mg. Unfortunately, I did not put much research into this before picking it up. While being marketed as a compound to help with weight loss, it does not seem to have much effect in this area unless you are depleted. See below in the effectiveness section for further details.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Mixed Berry, 1 tbsp, 31 servings. I did not always have a tablespoon available with me so I used the cap more often than not. I filled it up to the screw lines on the cap. This ended up being a little more than 1 tablespoon so it worked out in the end. I dosed this mainly with my afternoon PWO on days I did a morning and a lunch workout. I dosed it first thing in the morning on days I did not workout.

I asked for anything but Sour Apple and ended up with Mixed Berry. Boy was this stuff tart. Almost to the point that my butt would pucker and I would get a bitter beer face. The tartness did not seem to be as strong when I mixed it with Muscle Feast's unflavored Pumped Raw in about 8-10 oz of water and it did a nice job of masking the chemical flavor from that PWO. When mixed with other PWOs, it just kind of seemed to overtake or melt into the flavor of whatever I was taking.

Effectiveness

This is classified and posted on TROOP CP as a stimulant free weight loss product which is why I picked it up. After about 9-10 days of use, I decided to do some digging on it on Examine.com and came across this

"L-Carnitine and the related compound Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR) are compounds able to alleviate the effects of aging and disease on mitochondria, while increasing the mitochondria's potential to burn fat.
Theoretically, ALCAR supplementation for fat burning should work well, but studies on ALCAR in isolation do not show very good results. Fat loss is typically attributed to the increased activity done by people, from the increased energy they have from ALCAR supplementation.

"Despite its high prevalence and dependency for beta-oxidation, dietary and supplemental L-carnitine does not seem to positively influence fat metabolism unless the subject is in an otherwise deficient state.[165][166] Deficient states may include veganism and vegetarianism as well as older age, or conditions with a low dietary carnitine intake (from meats) or impaired carnitine utilization.[20]Basically, somebody who falls into one of the previously outlined deficiency states may benefit from carnitine supplementation in regards to fat loss.
Standard supplement interventions looking at L-Carnitine and either fat mass or body weight fail to note any significant effects in rats[166][165] or in obese women with 2g of L-Carnitine daily and aerobic exercise.[167] "

Needless to say after reading this I kind of wrote the supplement off. I do not believe I am deficient in L-Carnitine and did not feel like it would benefit me in the area of weight loss after reading the above. I did not really pay attention to any other benefits but do not feel they would have been noticeable without some sort of blood or scientific tests.

Value

Looks like you can pick this up for $15.99 a bottle. Definitely not a price point to bust your wallet. So if you are possibly deficient in L-Carnitine or just want to give a go to see if it does help with weight loss I don't see it as a big loss. Cheap supplement for a 30 day supply.

Side Effects

None

Introduction

When you start to hit a wall, what is better than old trusted, tried and true creatine monohydrate to help out. Based on the reviews for MyProtein and having used their whey protein a few years back I decided to order a sack of this.

Ingredient Profile

100% pure creatine monohydrate. You get 5g per scoop. Just a quick overview on creatine monohydrate. We produce creatine naturally in our bodies from amino acids. It is also found in meat and fish. Cooking these items can breakdown the creatine and limit its value which is why it is nice to have this in the powder form.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

I had the unflavored version. If you order one of the flavored versions there is a note on MyProtein's website that says if you choose a flavored version it will reduce the Creatine Monohydrate content by approximately 15%. This mixed fine and had zero issues. The dosing was mixed since I did a loading phase. I loaded at 5g per serving four times per day for five days. I mixed two of these servings with my protein shakes and then I had the other two added to 6 ounces of water. The doses during the loading phase were about 2-3 hours apart based on convenience. Once the loading phase was done I dosed this at one scoop daily with my post workout protein shake.

Effectiveness

I was looking for this to increase overall strength and help with the heavier push and pull lifts. This did just that. On some of the exercises I had started plateauing and becoming stagnant with the amount of weight for each exercise. I went back to the drawing board and looked at form along with a few other things (adjusting drop sets, supersets, etc..) to see if I could work on improving those things to set a few new PR's. I was able to hit a PR or two when I improved my form and made other adjustments but I wasn't satisfied and felt like I was right on the edge of beating a few more PR's. I was already taking a PWO, my protein intake and macros were where they should be and I was using BCAA's. That's when it hit me. Why not call an old friend in to help out. I decided it was time to add creatine monohydrate back into my stack. Once I added it in it took about 10 days and then I was able to set my first new PR. As the weeks and months went on I hit a few more PR's with individual exercises but the big three (bench, squat and deadlift) was where I got the most bang for my buck. The one major thing I did notice was on the big three lifts I had more initial power when starting those lifts. On the bench I felt on the initial push it was much easier. The same for deadlifts and squats. I was able to increase the weight and reps.

Value

The value is great. You have a few options to go with. Option 1 is a 0.5 lb pound bag which has about 45 servings for $4.50 which comes out to $0.10 per serving. Option 2 is a 1.1 lb bag with 100 servings for $9.09 which comes out to $0.09 per serving and option 3 is a 2.2 lb bag that has 200 servings for $11.89 which works out to $0.05 per serving.

Side Effects

None. There was no bloating experienced.

Conclusion

An effective supplement that is cheap. What more could you ask for? MyProtein produces quality supplements and they hit another one out of the park with this one. I have used creatine blends and creatine HCL but this one is definitely my favorite so far. I would recommend this based on price and results. The other big thumbs up is I did not experience any bloating which is rare for me when using creatine monohydrate.

Introduction

What's up SR, here is another Momo1 review on a Nutrient Repartitioner from Redcon1 called RPG. This is the first time I have used any product that helps funnels carbs to be utilized as energy and muscle building. During the past 6 weeks, I was taking Redcon1's MRE, which I reviewed here. For those who have used MRE, the carb content is high, especially if you take the full fours scoops for one servings. I wanted to see how my body would benefit from using carbs as my friend not my enemy.

Ingredient Profile

As always with Redcon1 products, RPG is fully disclosed. There are arrays of ingredients that you get with RPG, are a couple:

Gymenma Sylvestre - There is 1 grams per servings and this improves insulin functions by decreasing blood sugar levels. As we know, high sugar levels can put a lot of strain on the pancreas, and can cause us to gain fat.

Bitter Melon - There is 500 mg and this is used to help with tissue inflammation and helps the liver reduce the chances of glycogen formation.

Berberine - There is 300 mg and this is used for lowering blood sugar glucose and helping the muscle absorb more glucose

R-Alpha Lipoic Acid Sodium - There is 100 mg and this helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels

Paradoxine - There is 25 mg and this is a unique ingredient that is helps the body to use fat for energy and it is useful for reducing glucose levels.

The profile on RPG is one that I have not seen on other similar products, but the common goal for all the ingredients in RPS is to limit any insulin spiking caused by high consumption of Complex and Simple Carbs. In addition, RPG assists the body to fill the muscle with as much glucose as possible to grow. Insulin is one of the most anabolic agents that most body builders use to add their size, along with their stack.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste - These are capsules and if you try to open them up and mix them with your shake or drink, it will be bitter as hell; of course, I had to try LOL

Mix - There is nothing to mix, since you just pop the capsules

Dosing - This is where I had to play with it, you are to take it with your higher carb drink or meal. I started by taking it before the higher carb meal; however, I decided to take it after my carb meal, which I will explain in the effectiveness section of my review. One serving is four (4) capsules and there are 60 servings in one tub of RPG; occasionally I would have 2 high carb meals so I would use 2 servings.

Effectiveness

RPG really delivers on what it is intended for. Normally, whenever I eat anything that is considered high carb, I breakout in a sweat; I get the same reaction with cheap red wine. However, when I took my serving of RPG, I noticed that I was not sweating at all after eating my cheat day meal, which is pizza! This was immediately after my first serving that I noticed the affect; therefore, RPG is not a product that you have to wait to see if it is working. As for some additional affects, after about 7 days of taking RPG, I noticed that my body was always pumped, which was nice when I walked around the office showing off my guns LOL. One thing I did notice, my sugar cravings were almost eliminated. I have a sweet tooth from hell, it is my only weakness; put a chocolate bar in front of me and it's like making it rain at a strip joint!

As for the claim that RPG, along with similar products, will help with losing weight while consuming carbs, I did lose about 3 lbs., and my shoulders were more defined. In addition, I did put on some muscle mass and this was not due to the pumped all day feeling I had; I filled in my polo shirts a lot better. Furthermore, I did notice an increase in my strength while in the gym, nothing to make a big noise about, but a couple of extra pounds on the bench were nice.

Value

This is where it takes a little hit for me, it is priced at $59.99, you get 60 servings if you use once a day, so when you break it down, and it is not bad; just the initial purchase hit is what hurts. Sometimes Redcon1 runs discount special and other on line retailors run their own specials as well; you just have to be on the lookout.

Side Effects

This for me had one side, which caused me to take my servings after my meal. I noticed that when taken before, I became hypoglycemic. My sugar levels dropped to low and I had to put honey under my tongue so I can spike my glucose levels right away. In addition, I did get some bloating on days where I was sitting too long after taking my serving.

Conclusion

I was impressed with RPG and taking my first Nutrient Repartitioner. I think having RPG for a mass stacking would be a good addition. For those who are not compel to eat many carbs, just adding 2 capsule of RPG will go a long way; just make sure to gauge the amount of carbs to avoid any sugar drops. If you can find RPG on sale, I would recommend jumping on it and trying it.

Introduction

RSP labs has been pretty well known for making simple, yet affordable products. I never see anything innovative from them, but I never see anything that I can't fit in my budget either. I was in need of a test booster, and when this came up, I thought I'd save myself some money and run it.

Ingredient Profile

What I liked about Prime-T was that it wasn't just a DAA product. It has some extra good ies there as well. Fenugreek, which is hit or miss really, maca root, which can really amp up libido(according to Seaver), a solid dose of vitamin D, Zinc citrate(which is a good form), and some DIM. Not big on the DIM part, but I do like the addition of Boron, which may increase free testosterone levels.

No proprietary blends is a good thing of course. The dosages RSP chose are quite well, DAA is at its clinical dose and they didn't skimp out on vitamin D either.

Overall, it's a test/libido boosting product. Some good ingredients, some not-so-good. Well-balanced, and well dosed.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

4 big tablets. I personally prefer tablets, and I had no problem swallowing 4 of these every night. However, I could totally see some people having issues with swallowing these. They are almost as big as the pills you find in Animal Pak actually.

They are coated, so they go down easy, at least for most of us. No funny smell of taste.

Effectiveness

Now, I used this as part of my pct. along with a cortisol control product, I ran this and I must say, it worked quite well. I had no issue coming off and my "good friend" had little issue and is working with little issue to this day, and seems to be getting back to normal quicker than I expected. I was told stories of losing libido and erections quite significantly after running a cycle, however, this was not the case. If anything, my libido stayed the same.

For the most part, I was afraid I could not perform for my girlfriend for a while after everything I had run, this turned out to not be the case. Of course my PCT was well thought out, Prime-T just made it easier for me as I didn't have to buy both maca and DAA on their own, which I was planning on doing in the first place. It performed exactly how I wanted it too.

I would not run this as a standalone, as now that I'm done, I don't need any extra boost, but this will be my go-to for future PCT options. I lost little to no strength after all was said and done, which was great. Prime-T played its part.

Value

Alone, you can get this for $35 on bodybuilding.com. However, I always see them running a 2 for $50 promo. At $25 a bottle, that a great buy.

If you are an older guy who just wants a little boost in your day, this would be a great product to try out. Especially before you decide to go on TRT.

Side Effects

I did not get any acne while on this, which is good as DAA on its own tends to make me break out. DAA tends to make me a bit anxious, which I got a little of. I'm used to it now and know where it comes from, so it wasn't that bad.

Conclusion

Prime-T was a great option for PCT, as well as a great libido booster. I came off and went through PCT with no problem, and even avoided the dreaded testosterone drop.

For the value, when/if I ever run anything in the future, Prime-T will be my go-to. I don't mind swallowing 4 pills every night to keep my girlfriend happy in bed.

-Ingredient Profile-
1 serving = 2 scoops = 37g
20g protein
7g carbs
-3g fiber
-3g sugar
3.5g fat

The main highlight is BNRG's trademarked ProtoWhey, which is a hydrolyzed whey via a higher degree of hydrolysis (DH). This level of processing claims that the protein is broken down to as much as 40% di and tri-peptides for fast absorption. Most of the fat content comes from the use of MCT oil. After the maltodextrin and flavoring, SoftPsil (micronized psyllium fiber) accounts for 3g of carbs as fiber.

-Taste/Mixability/Dosing-
The French Vanilla Creme does sound pretty fancy. All I cared about was how close to vanilla it was going to taste. Behold it tasted like a sour vanilla caramel. I originally bought this for my wife who is a texture freak... she couldn't stand the first couple of sips. I have a much more tolerant palate and 'managed' to get through a 5lb container.

This is probably one of the worst mixing proteins I have dealt with. A lot of the additional flavoring and filler will clump up awfully at the bottom no matter how hard you try. Other situations it'll mix decently. The nice part about dosing is that you can scale the protein serving via multiple scoops. Each scoop has 10g of protein.

-Effectiveness-
This is where PowerCrunch Whey has an opportunity to shine. In spite of the filler volume, it still manages to feel as light on the gut as any hydrolyzed whey on the market. The absorption seems to be as quick as advertised.

It may seem like I refer to the remaining volume as filler like it's the usual cheap tactic. I just couldn't find a better word. The protein itself being broken almost into half peptides makes it VERY thin on its own. BNRG at least did what they could to make it a decent mixing and flavoring accomplishment to go along with this protein.

-Value-
This protein has been around for quite a while, including a rebranding to PowerCrunch from the original BNRG ProtoWhey. This means that there are deals to be had. Amazon alone has the widest range of prices for a 5lb: $41-$88. Normal rates for a 5lb container are in the $60-$70 range. Just like any whey isolate, the 2lb container averages a $30 price range but can be found as low as $20-$25.

-Conclusion-
Yes I did give the French Vanilla Creme a bad rating... that's the bad news. The good news is that the flavor isn't around anymore. I happened to find a 5lb of this at my favorite supp storefront for $30... it would've been crazy to pass that up, even if I struggled to tolerate the flavor. The current counterpart is Vanilla Creme. So I hope that this is more of a warning to stay away from this flavor should you come across it. The protein itself has potential and could be well worth a steal if you see one. If anyone reading this is a fan of PowerCrunch bars, I can't imagine it would hurt to give your flavor of choice a try.

Thanks for taking the time.
As usual: thoughts, comments, questions, critique are all welcome.

Overview: What is a person to do when they know a little about protein powder but knew that protein was important to training? This was a question I was facing when I started to workout. I was lifting and knew that I needed a protein powder tool to help me achieve my goals. I wanted to know what protein powder was and what it would accomplish. I was pretty sore for a few days after a workout and felt I was lagging in muscle mass. I did know that protein powder would help my muscle recover faster. Protein powder would fail to be a guarantee for muscle mass growth, but a possibility. I was looking for a good isolate protein powder that is easy to buy and in the middle price range between the cheap and expensive, and I figured that Six Star Whey Isolate protein could be the protein powder to use. I had seen Six Star Whey Isolate Protein with an advertisement of professional athletes and the purpose was in order to just sell their product and it caused me to doubt its ability. The core things I look for in protein powder was taste, mixability, effectiveness, ingredients, side effects, and will it help me to reach my goals. When trying to find a quality protein powder you may wind up in a store like GNC where they may try to talk people into buying other products along with the protein mixes which I try to avoid. I wanted to find a protein product that was easily located and a good price point because let us be up front, we should avoid paying for more and more expensive stuff that provide the same results as other less expensive product. Six Star Whey Protein Isolate may be this protein powder that fits that criteria. Six Star Whey Protein Isolate is a MuscleTech product that is easy to find in most Walmarts and Walgreens. Listed as a low calorie, sugar, carb, and fat protein powder that fits the goals I was looking for. In this review, will break down the ingredients and see if it will help me hit the goal targets.

Ingredients: 9/10

Calories: 130
Sugar: 1 grams
Carbs: 2 grams
Fat: 0.5 grams
Protein in mix: 30 grams

The ingredients are a Protein Isolate Plus Blend which is 97% Whey Isolate Protein mixed with protein isolate peptides that come from a 100% pure protein. The protein isolate peptides are small proteins that have been linked to burning fat, building muscle, and improving performance. It also includes some amino acids which are Leucine, Isoleucine, Valine, and Glutamine that are not included in the 30-gram scoop. Leucine, Isoleucine, and Isoleucine increase endurance and heals/repair muscle tissue. Glutamine helps muscle recovery.

Altogether, pretty good blend. It contains a high amount of protein isolate blend with a low amount of carbs, fat, and sugar. Compared to other protein powders, it has a low amount of calories. The macros are effective but are not included in every scoop so you may need to include some BCAA pills or mixes. The peptides are a good addition for me because I am looking to lose weight with its link to help with burning fat. At the bottom of the ingredients, it does state that this product includes milk, soy, and wheat ingredients so not a powder for those who are lactose intolerant or glutamine issues.

Taste and Mixability: 9/10

The Six Star Whey Isolate protein powder did mix well with water and milk like products. As most protein powders, it would stir together ok but would mix better if shaken. Six Star Whey Isolate was available in two flavors at local Walmart and Walgreens (chocolate and vanilla) and both flavors did taste well. Taste and mixability all ranked high. Other proteins, regardless of price, may have bad mixability and taste so stick with one that works.

Effectiveness: 9/10

Six Star Whey Isolate did give the protein and ingredients needed to reach my goals. When looking for the right powder, specifically I look for 2 different things; will this protein have the muscle recovery needed and is Whey Isolate Protein a good choice to reach goals.

1: I need something to help with muscle recovery (which may lead to more muscle mass) and be able to lose weight. While taking Six Star Whey Isolate protein, the results showed muscle recovery but since the amino acids were not guaranteed in every scope, I did take a BCAA pill. While on a one month period of a diet (with cheat days because be real, all have them from time to time) that was 1900 calories, 150-180 grams of protein per day (which was about 70-90 grams of protein powder) and lower amounts of carbs, sugar, and fat. With those things and using a tool, like Six Star Whey Isolate Protein, I was able to have weight loss and muscle recovery. At the end of the month, muscles did recover well and weight loss did occur. Six Star Whey Isolate, along with diet and exercise, helped me to cut weight with the loss of 7.5 pounds after the one month trial. Again, be honest, Six Star Whey Isolate protein was a helpful tool, but the only way to try weight loss is being on a good diet that is tailored to goals and exercises.

2: Six Star Whey Isolate is a protein whey isolate versus a whey protein blend. I prefer protein isolate to a whey protein blend because the amount of protein in an isolate is around 90% and whey blend is around 80% on protein content. Since Protein Isolate is higher in protein, it will give an Isolate Protein powder a mix with lower fat, cholesterol, and lactose. I also wanted Six Star Whey Isolate because I found it to be lower in carbs, sugar, and calories than some of the other whey blend so if needing to keep calories, carbs, and fat low, then Six Star Whey Isolate may be the way to go. So, when tracking everything eaten, always keep track of product that is lower in fat, carbs, sugar, and calories.

Value: 9/10

Six Star Whey Isolate is usually around $20 for a 1.5lb container which works out to about $13 per pound. Protein Isolate does run a little bit more in price (can usually run about $2-$4 per pound) but is still easy to find at local stores. The cost and ease may be the key thing people are looking for in protein powders. One of the cheapest protein powders found was about $18-$20 for a 2 lb container or $9-$10 per pound. Some other protein powders in the 2 lb range, can get a little higher ($15-$20 per pound) in cost depending on brand, sales store, and ingredients. As far as price, this product is definitely a go to protein since it is in the middle of sale price but include some key ingredients you may want. The budget can be tight so when wanting supplements to go with a workout, money can be a determining factor. So, avoid the expensive brands and get something that helps hit the goals.

Side Effects: No real side effects happened during use.

Conclusion: 9/10

This was a product that I was using on in my in weight lifting and cardio workouts. Since Six Star Whey Isolate protein is a middle priced protein powder and is easy to find makes this protein the perfect fit for me. Six Star Whey Isolate Protein was worth a try and provide to be a good protein powder. The mix is also low in sugar, high protein, low-fat and low carbs that had a peptides protein blend which made this product a great choice since I was able to lose weight and gain some muscle mass. I was only able to find 2 flavors (chocolate and vanilla) and both were excellent in taste and mixability. The only reason I started with Six Star Whey Isolate was that it's fairly priced and available at my local store, but Six Star Whey Isolate Protein was worth more than just that. Six Star Whey Isolate Protein is an excellent product that was worth the money paid and the is now a go to a protein that will be used often.