Quick Summary

Good God, does this product ever hit hard. I seldom find myself in a situation where I have to experiment with the dosing of a Pre-Workout let alone dosing one by taking less than one scoop, but I found it. This product is a trip and might be too much for some users, especially those who are sensitive to stimulants combined with Nootropics.

Introduction

Big thanks to Mind Muscle Nutrition for letting me run M2 for them. Since it is summer its time to maximize muscle and lean out, which means for me I must lift heavy but still be able to do cardio at the same time. When using products like this, I try to consider how effective it is for lifting heavy, what kind of mood it supports, and if I can still do cardio afterwards. Most Pre's are only effective for a couple of my categories and usually lack the ability to perform in all of them. So let's take a look to see how M2 holds up.

Ingredient Profile

The ingredient profile on this product is stacked with a fully disclosed label. Many reviews before me have gone into detail on all of the ingredients this product has to offer so I am only going to highlight the big hitters this contains:

Citrulline Malate - 6g
Beta Alanine - 4g
Taurine - 2g
Glycerol Monostearate - 2g
Choline Bitartrate - 500mg
Eria Jarensis Ext - 250mg
Caffeine Anhydrous - 150mg
2-Aminoisoheptane - 100mg
Teacrine - 100mg
Caffeine Citrate - 50mg
Synephrine HCL - 50mg
Yohimbine - 2.5mg
Huperzine A - 0.05mg
BioPerine - 5mg

Based on these ingredients you can see that you will be provided with the proper tools needed to generate a nasty pump, as well as fight or at least buffer muscle fatigue with the clinical doses of Citrulline Malate, Beta Alanine, and Glycerol Monostearate.

At first glance, one might not think this is a stim heavy product based off of the initial dose of Caffeine being 150mg, but then you add that to 50mg of Caffeine Citrate, 100mg of Teacrine, and 100mg of 2-Aminoisoheptane which is a grand total of 400mg of stimulant or stimulant generating product. Yes, Teacrine is not a stimulant, but it gives you all of the feels of one so I am counting it as part of that group.

Then on top of that, you have 250mg Eria Jarensis Ext and .05mg of Huperzine A giving you a hard hit on Nootropics to generate massive amounts of focus for your workout.

Clearly, you can see that this product is not screwing around and is purpose-built to deliver to the end user. They really have not cut any corners with this product and are focused on giving you the energy and mental focus you need to go in the gym and conquer your workout.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

So Right now they have one flavor and that is Bomber. The taste is kind of hard to pinpoint outside of saying it kind of reminds me of a bombsicle. If anything this product is very very tart/sour to the point I felt like I was drinking Pep-Test Bulk from MAN Sports. I am not saying it is a bad thing, I am just making the point that if the product doesn't wake you up, the mouth-puckering taste will. I have seen where they are coming out with some other flavors, so It will be interesting to see how well those work.

Mixability was a little frustrating, I would throw 3/4 to 1 scoop in with about 12oz of water and let it sit for a bit then shake the hell out of it, and I would still get grit and floaties that would stick to Supplementreviews.com top of the line shaker. I mean it is not a deal breaker, because after all the serving size of 1 scoop is 20g so I do not expect it to be perfect, and I would just add some water in and finish it off.

So as far as dosing goes, I started out with one scoop for most of my run but switched it to 3/4's of a scoop. The reason for this, was the combination of stimulants and Nootropics was getting to be too much for me. I noticed particularly that my adrenal glands were starting to suffer from being overstimulated and I would get intense feelings during my workout to where breathing felt more labored than it had to be. My ability to do cardio was also suffering because my heart was trying to jump out of my chest. Most of this calmed down when I lowered it to 3/4 of a scoop. I would still get the same intense focus and fast heartbeat but it was in a manageable fashion to where I could perform at the level I want to be at.

Effectiveness

So I just covered some of the effectiveness in the dosing section, but I will talk more about the focus that this gives. It is a true make you hear colors and see sounds product. The only time I have had the focus like this was when I took the Nootropic product made by NooWave Supplements. The effects that were generated were on the edge of being too much. For those who have experienced this you will understand, but sometimes you can have too much focus going on in your brain, and instead of being able to channel it in a productive manner, it can cause you to feel anxious. Again, this product delivers at such a high rate, that it could be on that border of too much. Once I dropped the dose to under 1 scoop, things mellowed out enough to where the focus allowed me to be more productive in the gym rather than looking like a crackhead who tried meth for the first time. This product is also going to make you sweat. It has Yohimbine in it which I have always had a good time with, but again this will leave you drenched from your workouts.

I do not want people to confuse my tone on the review, I liked this product and thought that it delivered on everything it said it would. Users just need to understand that there are some products out there that are actually going to hit hard and deliver on their promises so they need to be ready for that. Make no mistake, this is not the standard Cellucor Kool-Aide to where you need 2-4 scoops to do the job. Toss 1 scoop in and get ready to ride the lightning.

Value

right now you can only buy this from Mind Muscles website for $45 which will get you 30 servings coming out to $1.50 a serving. Yes this can be seen as a higher-end price but, you are getting a premium product for your money, but again, this a true 1 scoop product.

Side Effects

The stimulant/Nootropic combo might be too much for some.

Conclusion

Flat out this product works. If you are stim junkie or someone who likes extreme energy from a Pre-Workout product then I highly suggest that you give this a try. The price is expected because you are getting a massively dosed high-quality product. I do caution users to follow the directions and assess their tolerance to the product because it can have strong effects. We do not need someone getting hurt simply because they feel they are too tough to assess how they can handle a product and it gets taken away. Congratulations to Mind Muscle for making a great Pre-Workout.

Quick Summary

Psychotic preworkout capsules by Insane Labz is a quality product! Kicks in fast! A little pricey!

Introduction

I first tried the psychotic capsules while preparing for a bodybuilding competition. It was super effective in delivering an extra rush of energy while working out on low carbs. Although a little pricey, I would buy it again!

Ingredient Profile

A few of the key ingredients in Psychotic are creatine monohydrate, caffeine anhydrous, beta alanine, and hordenine HCL. Creatine and caffeine both contribute to the stimulant factor of this preworkout and give you a boosted level of strength and energy. The amino acid beta alanine will reduce fatigue levels during your workout so that you will have more endurance and be able to do more reps. Hordenine HCL contributes to the increase in focus and the boost in your mood.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

You don't have to worry about flavor since this preworkout is in tablet form! It's a little odd that the serving size is six capsules, but they go down really easy with several ounces of water.

Effectiveness

They were very effective! You start to feel energy just a couple minutes after taking them, then you feel a rush of energy 20 minutes after taking them along with a very confident and focused mental state. The energy is sustained through your entire workout and you are left with the euphoric feeling of a lifter's high.

Value

It was a little expensive. The preworkout worked very well but I don't know if it was worth the $50 I payed for it online. It comes with 150 capsules but the serving size is 6 capsules, so it only contains 25 servings. Typically I spend around $30 for 30 serving preworkouts so this was a little pricey for me.

Side Effects

If taken on an empty stomach, Psychotic can make your stomach a little upset! I noticed I got cold sweats in the middle of my workout though! I was shivering a little in between sets.

Conclusion

If you have an extra $50 laying around, this product is worth buying. It does its job really well, but it's debatable whether the cost is worth it.

Introduction:

I've been meaning to do a review on this product for awhile now. I used a free coupon to purchase this on Amazon when it was first introduced. The label on this product intrigued me with "intense energy and fat loss." I get up pretty early and wanted to use this as a pick me up to replace coffee as well as Monsters. What I noticed about this product that was unique from other fat burners was the "respiratory support." Not many or if any other supplement companies have this so I thought I'd give it a test trial.

Ingredient Profile:

Prop Blend - 341 MG

Caffeine Anhydrous - 110 mg

White Willow Bark Extract

Green Tea Leaf Extract

Bitter Orange Fruit Extract

Mullein Leaves Powder

Inula Helenium Root Extract

Bioprene Black Pepper Fruit Extract

*Disclaimer*
I'm not a nutrition expert and don't really have knowledge in some of the ingredients in this product other than caffeine, but other reviewers have disclosed information on them.

With the prop blend in this product, the caffeine anhydrous discloses 110 mg, however, its hard to say how much content is in the other ingredients. A cup coffee has about 95 mg of coffee, thus, this was a good product for what I was looking to use it for.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

8/10

Taste: The strawberry lemonade flavor really stands out and tastes as you would expect. Sweet and tangy!

Mixability: Very easy to mix. I just put a scoop on top of water. Swirl and drink!

Dosing: The directions suggest 1 scoop on an empty stomach 15-30 mins before breakfast and an additional scoop may be taken 5-6 hours later. I normally took 1 scoop unless I needed a boost later in the day. Good alternative for me since coffee gets me super dehydrated.

Effectiveness

4/10

I have used this product as a pre-workout and as a stand alone wake me up. I did not use this product to measure any fatloss. As a preworkout, it wasn't very effective for me. As you can see in the profile, the ingredients are for energy and "fat-burning." No focus and no pump ingredients. I would say I that I am pretty tolerant to high stim products, so Skald wouldn't be as effective for me in comparison to stim sensitive users. As a stand alone, I felt that this product delivered a little energy on tough days at work but the appetite control wasn't really there and I don't know if the "respiratory support" was very effective. I still had appetites to eat regularly (every 2-3 hours). I used this product as recommended. Once in the morning and the second serving 5-6 hours later.

Value:

4/10

Current price on Amazon is $39 with free shipping for a 60 serving product that you may have to take twice a day, which would bring it down to a 30 day product. For $39, I could easily spend it on other products that may be more effective. It was a great trial, but I don't think I would purchase in the future.

Side Effects
none.

Conclusion

I felt that this product this didn't deliver as labeled. $39 is pretty steep if you're taking this product twice a day. Flavor was good but effects weren't as good for me. Others have had better experiences than myself, but if you have disposable income, consider trying it for yourself.

Quick Summary

Not quite an intra-workout product, but also not a pre-workout, wouldn't recommend.

Introduction

Greetings SR! Back again with another review and this time it's the intra-workout 'WORKHORSE Intra-Workout Compound' by Black Sheep Supplements. Firstly, I want to thank the SR TROOPs program and Black Sheep Supplements, for giving me the opportunity to try this product out. If you want to know of my background, you can find it in my profile here at:
https://supplementreviews.com/users/jamesjsix

Ingredients

6/10
Serving Size: 2 Scoops (42.9g)
Calories: 75
Sugars: 18g
Dextrose: 20g
L-Citrulline: 5g
Raspberry Ketone Powder 99%: 2.75g
L-Glutamine: 2g
MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane):1.5g
L-Arginine Monohydrochloride:1g
Agmatine Sulfate: 1g
Beta-Alanine: 1g
Beet Powder: 500mg
Caffeine Anhydrous: 100mg
Other trace ingredients

First thing you'll notice with this supplement is that there is a good amount of sugar (Dextrose) in it. Dextrose is a very high GI carb that is quickly processed by the body. While more common in some intra-workouts, this stood out to me pretty quick that I'm essentially putting down a good about of sugar water with everything else in there.

Moving on from there, the L-Citrulline is pretty much the clinical dose (depending on research, some show 6g as the most effective dose).

Next we have the Raspberry Ketone Powder 99% which is supposed to be a fat burner I assume but examine has very little data on its effects in general. The only studies I could find its ability to do this are not human based but on rats, however the amount of lb of mass is comparable (1.1g-5g for a 200lb person).
For the rest of the ingredients, most of these dosages are on the lower side of ingredients but depending on if you take this after a pre-workout, you might be getting above the clinical dose.

Finally, not quite sure on the math about the total of ingredients. If you add up everything from the dextrose down, you get 34.55g. The total dosage should be 42.9g so not sure what's going on there and the weight I got was 26g from a single scoop which comes out to be 52g for a single dose.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

4/10
Good news is that this is an all natural product so for those that don't want the artificial taste in their sups, this product will be alright. The bad news is that it tastes like it isn't artificially flavored and for all the dextrose in it, it's not overly sweet. I got Raspberry Beetdown flavor and I can't really say it tastes like anything at all, maybe more beet than anything else, and the L-Citrulline comes through fairly clearly.

Mixability is okay but not great. I tried this product in both strainer style and shaker ball bottles and there is some settling but very little grit in it. I had to use closer to 24-28oz to get the product to fully dissolve, 42.9g is a huge amount of powder to mix in (and as mentioned above, I was weighing out even more than that)!

Dosing is where I have some issue with the product. Directions for the product are to "combine 2 scoops with 20 oz of cold water and shake vigorously. Drink entire mixture within 15 minutes of starting your warm up." For me this dosing was rather difficult as I also wanted to combine this with a pre-workout. As I'm taking another 16-20 oz of fluid in about 15 minutes before my workout on top of this, I was consuming well over a full quart of water within 30 minutes at the beginning of my workout. Needless to say, breaks were required pretty darn quick to run to the bathroom and kept me from getting into a good zone for my sets.

Additionally, without the pre-workout, that's still a lot of fluid to consume while I'm trying to do my warmup. Because of when you are supposed to take this product, I don't really think its an intra-workout product but more of a pre-workout product.

Effectiveness

5/10
I started out using this product as directed as an intra-workout and took it after a pre-workout. On the whole, I didn't notice much effect on top of the pre-workout so I discontinued the pre-workout on days I took this. Just taking it by itself, the sugar calories are nice if you don't normally have time to get your pre-workout carbs in and you need a quick supply of energy. On days that I didn't get a chance to eat this was noticeable and helpful. Other than that however, I didn't get much effect of this product besides a decent pump and I think that makes sense as on the whole, the ingredients are underdosed.

This product, just like in the dosing, straddles the line between pre and intra workout. The ingredients are a nice boost to a weak pre-workout to get you to clinical dosing, but as a standalone, just isn't all that effective compared to others out there. Also, as an intra-workout, i would like to see some thought to recovery, maybe the inclusion of BCAAs?

One other claim of this product is to help with joints. I'm looking for the MSM to do this but I cannot say I noticed much of an effect.

Value

5.0/10
Currently, this product is available from the home company product page as well as Amazon, with both of them at $50 for a 30 serving tub which leads you to $1.67/serving. I didn't see any coupons or anything else so that is the price you are going to pay. For that price, I just can't see much value in this product. The L-Citrulline is dosed well but besides that, there just isn't much in there besides sugar water. For the same price, I could get most of the top 10 pre-workouts on the SR boards in either stimulant or pump that have the same ingredients but are better dosed.

Side Effects

None

Conclusion

5/10
This product is a letdown for me as an intra-workout as I think it's more of a weak pre-workout than anything else. While it's not a terrible product, it just isn't dosed well enough to compete with others at its price point.

(Note: Run of this coincides with my run of Mythos Supplements - Antaeus Pre-Workout but they were only taken together 2x due to the large water intake and the combination of ingredients did not agree with me. All subsequent uses of this product were as a standalone.)

Quick Summary

A testosterone booster that is about the same as others out there, not that great.

Introduction

This is another product provided by the SR family so a thank you to them. I have tried many testosterone boosters and I have not found one that was worthy. This has natural ingredients for a testosterone booster. They have different ingredients but some same as other testosterones. The same for ingredient amounts found in other boosters but different to. I've tried a few and at 40 years old, I need a bit of a testosterone boost. This one was the same as most on the market.

Ingredient Profile

Cellucor P6 Ultra does not contain vitamins or minerals that should increase testosterone naturally. The P6 Ultra is the name of the ingredient blend with 1450 mg and it does not break down each individual ingredient amount. I like to know more about how much of each ingredient is in the blend. The blended ingredients are KSM-66 Ashwagandha which is Withania somnifera, Fenugreek, Macam, Agaricus bisporus fruit, and Panax ginseng. The Fenugreek and Panax ginseng are found in many testosterone boosters. Ashwagandha or Indian Gingsing is a medicinal plant used for many years. It can aid in helping with cancer treatment, high blood pressure, and stress. Its sole purpose for P6 Ultra is to boost fertility and testosterone in men. Fenugreek seed (also called testosurge fenugreek) has evidence to increase testosterone and weight loss. Macam has many benefits which include boosting fertility, increase testosterone levels, energy booster, assist prostate health, will regulate hormones, build muscle, and good for bone health. Agaricus bisporus is a safe mushroom that is found in North America and cooks use it to enhance taste with food. This is a common mushroom used for potassium and sodium. The mushroom in the P6 Ultra is to help with high cholesterol, hardening of the arteries, and digestive problems. Other uses include prevention of heart disease, weakened bones (osteoporosis), and stomach ulcers. Panax ginseng can boost energy, lower blood sugar, lower cholesterol, help with stress, promote relaxation, and manage sexual dysfunction.

These items are in other boosters so there is nothing good or bad about these ingredients. Every booster out there has some or all these ingredients, it's just that companies will change which ingredients to put in and how much of each ingredient. The ingredients are fine but not great either. I give this a middle ranking.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

This was in capsule form where you get 60 tablets and you take 2 per day anytime and you do not need to take food with capsules. The capsules are about the size of a multivitamin. The taste and mixability don't apply here because it is a capsule. The dosing is pretty similar to other testosterone boosters. I will give this a middle-ranking.

Effectiveness

The P6 Ultra says it will support strength and virility. It's hard to measure a testosterone booster or verify its claims. With blood work done once a month, you will know if the testosterone is increasing or decreasing but is not something I want to pay once a month. As far as it goes with how P6 Ultra made me feel, I can't say that it was a positive or negative. It was in the middle. There was not a boost in energy. I had a no real feeling of strength. I can not say virility was good or bad either. If you take a testosterone booster with caffeine ingredients or other pre-workout ingredients, you may feel your testosterone is better. If P6 Ultra did increase in energy by adding pre workout ingredients, then the energy you get will not be because you have an increase in testosterone, it will be just an energy increase. I give this a middle-ranking because I don't know if it was good or bad.

Value

The P6 Ultra was available on the Cellucor website for $20 to get a 30-day supply. This works out to $0.67 per day. This is a good price. I have found other boosters out there that contain the same ingredients for around $30 for a 1-month supply so this is a good price. I will give price a high rating but the value is middle because I do not think effectiveness was happening.

Side Effects

No side effects

Conclusion

I give this a ranking of 5 out of 10. The ingredients are similar to other boosters out there. The dosing is the same as most. The effectiveness is in the middle because I don't know if it helped or not. It's a good product because it does have good ingredients but you can find them in most testosterone boosters. I would not say there was anything that was overwhelmingly good or bad. The cost is low but the value is middle. Since the price is low, I think it is worth a try for others out there as everybody's different but, for me, it was a middle testosterone booster.

Thanks to RCSS for sending this out and my apologies for the long delay. When I first saw this product, I was extremely intrigued with the prospect of a pump product that worked as well as powdered counterparts with the convenience of already being in a liquid form. Choosing this from the vault was a no-brainer for me as I tend to lean towards products based on ingenuity, and I've has great success with RCSS products in the past.

Ingredient Profile

7/10

The serving size for this is 1 tablespoon or half of a "capful" and includes a 5g prop blend of glycerol, arginine, taurine, citrulline and HICA. A good profile, but definitely underused at one serving and definitely at 2. There are 32 servings per container.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

7.5/10

I received the Cotton Candy flavor, and it wasnt bad at all. Had a bit of a chalky feel in the mouth but went down smoothly and was pretty sweet to taste. I think they did pretty well here, all things considered.

Effectiveness

6/10

I really wanted this to be a huge hit. Having a more convenient way to take a product that would be just as effective as the powdered counterparts would be a big hit. I initially started with one serving but quickly made my way to 2. However, I found the Stacked NO shots to make a marginal difference on my workouts at best. Coupled with high rep workouts, I only noticed a slightly bigger pump than I would have without it. The workouts in the following weeks after the completion of this product weren't much different than the workouts I had with it. Vascularity was slightly increased, but nothing huge. Overall, pretty disappointing.

Value

6/10

$20 for 32 servings at Allstarhealth would be a pretty good deal if it were effective for someone at 1 serving. Considering I used 2 for the majority of the run, it would work out to a little over $1 each time, and there's far superior products in that price range that I would rather spend money on.

Side Effects

None

Overall

6/10

A neat idea that wasn't as effective as hoped. Fun to try, but I wouldn't shell out for this in the future.

Quick Summary

"Fat Gripz are made from a high density military grade compound a lot like rubber that can be pulled open and will then snap back and clamp itself round the bar. This will instantly convert dumbbells, barbells and pull-up bars into thick bars (so that you can reclaim your lost size and strength gains)."

Introduction

I carry a few staple of accessories in the gym and Fat Gripz are one of them. These were gifted to me 2 years ago and still work as great as the first day I've received them. I mainly use these for straight barbell curls and have recently incorporated these into my pull-ups.

Effectiveness

I would rate these 8.5/10.

I appreciate that these things are pretty thick and durable. The first time I used Fat Gripz, my forearms were extremely sore. Overtime, I've noticed a huge difference in my grip, forearm pumps and less wrist pain whenever I'm curling. I've also gotten a lot of compliments regarding vascularity. With these Fat Gripz, I mainly focus on getting that slow burn and negative movement. In my honest opinion, I feel that this product is a great accessory if you're looking to add a little extra to arm routines.

Value

$38.95 on bodybuilding.com. If I didn't know the effectiveness of Fat Gripz, I would say the price point is kind of high. After using them, I loved them enough to buy a pair for my buddy for his birthday.

Conclusion

Fat Gripz has been pretty solid to me. I've noticed strength increase through consistent use and the forearm pumps are super cool to see. Overall, the Fat Gripz is very simple to use and would be a great addition to include with other gym accessories.

Quick Summary

This product delivered. I used it as a morning meal replacement when I got lazy or bored with making egg whites. This protein is unique in that it is composed of 6 different protein sources, none of which are whey or casein. I have digestive issues with whey so I decided to give this a try. The taste and mixability were phenomenal. The result were what i expected from a quality protein source. I gained lean mass while taking this product and did not ever experience any bloating with this product as I do with whey. This protein is designed to be a meal replacement, not a post-workout protein. It is a slower digesting protein, which makes it much more suitable as a meal replacement to curb appetite and remain anabolic. There are many other proteins out there that would serve better as a fast digesting, post-workout protein. I would recommend this protein to anyone who doesn't like milk-derived protein as well as anyone who is looking for a really good tasting meal-replacement protein.

Introduction

I am an athletic build 6'4" 198 lb 15% bf male. I bought this protein for a number of reasons. First of all, I have not had a single bad supplement from Redcon1 yet. I am becoming more and more a fan of this brand every time I try a new one of their products. Secondly, I do not like to consume dairy or dairy-derivatives such as whey or casein protein because of allergy and digestive issues, as I had also mentioned in my Muscle Meds Carnivore review (https://supplementreviews.com/musclemeds/carnivor/review/favorite-56103). This protein contains no dairy sources. The protein is composed of beef, salmon, egg, chicken, brown rice protein, pea protein. With all of those different sources of protein I was skeptical on the results and flavoring, but as you will later see my worries were put to rest. The last reason I bought this is because I have been getting sick of eating so many egg whites for breakfast and wanted to supplement a different source of protein for some variety. The cost of this beverage is about the same as buying egg-whites so I decided to give it a try.

Ingredient Profile

Primary
Beef protein Isolate
Salmon Protein - My first supplement containing salmon protein. Don't worry no fishy smell or taste!
Egg Albumin- Egg protein is my favorite. I kind of wish this was the main protein source.
Brown Rice protein
Pea Protein
Coconut water- adds electrolytes helping you remain hydrated
MCT Oil -medium chain triglycerides, as opposed to long chain triglycerides (LCT), which are found in most foods. MCT is comprised of primarily caprylic and capric fatty acids, and is a light-yellow, odorless, translucent liquid at room temperature. MCT oil occurs naturally in coconut oil and other foods. It has been used to add calories to infant formulas. Recently, athletes, bodybuilders, and diet gurus have jumped on the MCT bandwagon, for it fat burning and an energy sustaining properties.

I am very happy that this product does not have dairy or soy derived protein sources.

Other
Natural and Artifical flavors - MRE tastes very natural no chemical or weird aftertaste
Cellulose Gum - used to make foods thick and creamy, without all the fat. It may help to suppress the appetite. It does help to thicken the shake up, giving it a richer taste.
Ground Cinnamon- For Flavoring; there is not enough cinnamon in this supplement to have an effect on Blood Glucose Insulin Sensitivity
Salt - Flavor and electrolyte source
Sucralose - artificial sweetener
Acesulfame-K - artificial sweetener

I wish more companies would use stevia as their sweetener. Although Sucralose and Acesulfame-K are artificial, I will still consume them. I will not consume any supplements containing aspartame.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste 10/10
I had the banana nut bread and blueberry cobbler flavors and I would say they both were delicious. Easily the best tasting protein I've ever tried. I mix it with just water and the taste is perfect in my opinion. I actually look forward to drinking this protein as a treat. No more plugging your nose and chugging your shake as fast as you can with this stuff. I have just ordered the pecan pie and dutch apple pie and I am really excited to try them. I will post in the comments or update the review after I try them.

Mixablity 10/10
This is also probably the best mixing protein I have ever used. A few shakes in the shaker and it is completely dissolved. It is almost hard to believe how well it mixes. No clumps and the protein is very smooth in taste. I have only mixed with water so can not comment on how well it mixes in milk. It is a pretty thick shake too, likely from the Cellulose Gum.

Dosing 9/10
24 grams of protein, 4g carbs, 2 g fat per 29 gram scoop ( i know that equals 30 grams but the container says 29 grams). 134 Calories, 0g cholesterol. The scoop is fairly small so I assume there to be very little to no fillers. This lite version is the low carb version of MRE. For the full carb-loaded meal replacement, Recon has original MRE. I have heard the original MRE is just as good quality and I may give it a try when I decide to go through my next bulk.

Effectiveness

I have noticed that my appetite has been less since I switched to this protein. This could be due to the fact that the protein I was taking prior to this one was fast digesting. I have steadily gained muscle and reduced fat while taking this supplement. I don't feel any difference in regards to recovery with this product vs any other common protein source. I like that Redcon1 has an MRE and MRE lite. This makes it easier to convert from bulking to cutting phases. For those looking to shred, this product does contain low-sugar and low-fat so you may want to consider a different protein during a shred that is fat-free and/or carb-free. My current goals are to maintain.

Value

A 30 serving tub is usually priced between $30-$40. So price per serving is around $1.00-$1.33 per serving. I am fine with paying this price because I really like this protein and I am using it to replace my egg white intake which is about the same in price. I think it's a decent value being that it is a whey alternative. I have not seen any larger sized tub of MRE lite.

Side Effects

None.
I had zero digestive issues with this protein, no gas, and no bloating.

Conclusion

I will keep continuing to buy this protein as long as the price point and quality remain the same. I love how well my stomach feels after drinking this shake. I don't get the bubble guts like I do from whey. I don't think there are better flavors or better mixability by any other company. I also really like that there are 6 sources of protein, helping me feel confident that I am getting a fully spectrum of amino acids. I would be interested to know exactly what the AA spectrum looks like as well as the protein bioavailability of this blend of proteins so that I can compare them to whey, however Redcon1 does not have this information readily available. Thank you for reading my review and feel free to ask any additional questions.

Quick Summary

A protein that touts itself as a 100% Natural, Cage Free, Grass Fed, GMO Free Organic protein that even makes mention of being "Halal Certified".

Introduction

Thank you to the SR Troop program and TBN Labs for sending a tub of their Total GO protein for my evaluation. Protein supplements are something that I use almost daily to help fill the gaps in my nutrition and I am always on the prowl for a quality product. Prior reviews seemed very favorable so I opted to try Total GO.

Ingredient Profile

So lets just talk about the labeling on this product first and foremost. It is confusing. It seems as though there are a lot of buzz words thrown around like "Cage Free", "Organic" and "GMO Free" to name a few. Best I can tell from the information that is out there is that this product is a pure whey protein concentrate. The label doesn't really divulge the normal information such as different types of proteins used (if it is a blend) and processing methods used (i.e. ion exchange, cold process micro filtered, etc.). I'm confused about the use of "Cage Free" as that is a term typically associated with poultry since cows are not typically kept in cages and equally confused about it being "Halal Certified" since this is usually only pertains to meat and the standards for processing.

The label is also very vague in where you would usually find a run down of all ingredients it just has a section that says other ingredients which you can view in the attached photo. It basically just is one long claim that they add no dye, sugar, fillers, carbs or preservatives. 1 scoop nets 30 total grams of which 24g comes from protein, 1.7g comes from fat and 2.1g from Carbs. So 27.8g total leaving what I assume to be 2.2g of flavoring and Stevia per scoop. This is not a bad breakdown for a protein supplement. I'm not bothered by the fact that there are naturally occurring sugars or fats but by now it is probably clear that I'm not a fan of the way this product is labeled.

I know it seems like I am really harping on TBN Labs but the product itself wasn't bad. I just don't care for the manner in which it is presented. I do like the fact that it is sweetened with Stevia and if it is actually a GMO Free, organic product then there is certainly some value to that aspect of the product.

It is also worth mentioning that unless they left it off the label that this product is not manufactured in an FDA inspected facility under cGMP (current good manufacturing process) regulations. They put everything else on the label so if it was I would think that this would be included as well. It is more expensive so almost any manufacturer will proudly display this on a product label. This doesn't mean that it's being made in some guys basement but it raises an eyebrow for sure.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

I have seen other reviews that mentioned the product foaming but I had no issues whatsoever with foaming or clumping. Whether mixing in almond milk or water it dissolved completely with pretty minimal shaking and stayed together with no settling. The rep mentioned to me that shaking was not needed as the product could just be "inverted" a few times and it will dissolve. I definitely call BS on that one. I tried it in water and almond milk and it didn't even come close to being mixed.

I had the Chocolate Cream flavor and honestly it is one of the best chocolate flavors I have ever tried. Maybe even the best I have ever tried. Mixed in almond milk, water or used in my overnight oats recipe it was delicious. I really enjoyed every last scoop of this stuff from a flavor standpoint.

Effectiveness

I tend to gauge protein powders based on how I feel for the next hour after consumption, taking note of a few things. Does it feel heavy in my stomach? Did it upset my stomach? Did it give me gas? Bargain brand proteins tend to do all three and I can at least say that I experienced none of that with Total GO. Despite this being a concentrate which tends to be cheaper protein, I had no issues at all with taking the product.

Value

Total GO doesn't come cheap. Best deal I was able to find was a three pound tub for $67.75 delivered through Amazon Prime. With 45 servings per tub that gives a breakdown of $1.50 per serving. Definitely on the high end of the protein spectrum and especially high for a whey protein concentrate. I understand that organic foods cost more to produce but I honestly can't give it that much towards value just solely because it claims to be organic.

Side Effects

No negative side effects from Total GO.

Conclusion

So do I recommend this product? Not really but I wouldn't say unequivocally to stay away from it all together. In an industry that already suffers from a lack of transparency it seems as though there are some things not being disclosed on the label and other things are being vastly overstated. I would think that a product this high end should be manufactured in a FDA inspected facility under cGMP regulations. Neither of these seals of approval show up on the label which is something that worries me.

Introduction

I'll just admit it now, I've been staking out the 1-Up Nutrition website for quite a while now. I've done my fair share of adding products to the cart, filling out all necessary checkout information, and as soon as payment pops up I change my mind & pretend I was never even there. See, I'm a broke mid-20's male who just doesn't get many chances to dish out good money on supplements. Conveniently one day I was lifting with a friend who uses 1-Up, he spent a solid 5 sets talking up their BCAA's and how the pre-workout could probably raise him from the dead. Some time later as we were hogging parking lots just talking about nonsense, he reaches into his trunk and throws me an open bottle of 1-Up Pre-Workout, saying how he's only used a scoop of it and I can take it since he was leaving for vacation and had more at his house.

Get yourself some good friends, folks.

1-Up All-in-One Pre-Workout is exactly what it claims to be, all-in-one. It delivers high end energy, backs up all that talk with a good pump & endurance complex, with the cherry on top being the extremely effective focus complex. I stayed hesitant to make all these claims leading up to the end of my first week with it but this effectiveness carried all the way through until the last scoop, which is when I found myself staring at the bottom of an empty bottle wishing more would magically appear in front of me. With all these good things to say though, what exactly are all of these transparent complex's made up of? Let's dig a little deeper.

Ingredient Profile

Right off the bat one will notice the completely transparent ingredient label consisting of two complex's, the 'Pump Volumizer & Endurance Complex', and 'Energy & Focus Complex'. 1-Up deserves major points for breaking down every single ingredient individually, utilizing a half-scoop and full-scoop dosing chart. Half-scoop did the job for the first few days but the full-scoop really brings the noise, and is a noticeable jump compared to the half-scoop. The 'Pump and Endurance' blend is jam packed, featuring a full 8g of Citrulline Malate, 3.2g of Carnosyn Beta Alanine, 1g of Agmatine Sulfate & 200mg of L-Norvaline. The 8g of Citrulline Malate combined with Agmatine and L-Norvaline bring the pump fast and does a really great job of keeping it around. This is my first time using a product featuring L-Norvaline though, being a water dissolvable amino acid in the same family as the more popular Valine, it's a unique addition to this already packed complex. To say it's effectiveness added anything on top of the other ingredients is hard to say, but my pump was incredible time & time again so it must've been doing something!

Our second complex is the locked & loaded 'Energy & Focus' blend, packing a huge punch with a 500mg Caffeine Complex. Instead of opting just for the Caffeine Anhydrous, which makes up for 400mg of the blend, we also get 50mg of Di-Caffeine Malate & 50mg of Caffeine Citrate. After all of your stimulants comes a well put together focus blend made up of Higenamine HCL, Hordenine HCL, L-Theanine, DMAE, N-MethylTyramine HCL & Rauwolfia Vomitoria Extract. If you genuinely find yourself having a hard time mentally dialing in at the gym, 1-Up covers all of it's bases when it comes to focus. Within the half hour after taking, I noticed a huge change in my mood and motivation, as well as the ability to really focus on my mind-muscle connection, which is something I always find myself struggling with.

Taste/Mixability

I constantly find myself comparing every Blue Raspberry supplement I take with Cellucor's Icy Blue Razz, being as that was the first pre-workout I ever used and the one I bought endlessly for the first few years of training. 1-Up's Blue Raspberry is really good, a little sweeter than most I've tried & a little tart, but I enjoyed it. I would sip on it during my drive and genuinely enjoyed it rather than what I usually do with most, which is down it as fast as I can to get it over with. I had almost no issues with mixability, with the exception of the few times I used a shaker without a mixing ball where I found a few small spots of powder clumping to the bottom edges. I blame that on more of using a damp bottle rather than an actual issue with the product. It always mixed smooth and never once did I find myself swallowing chunks of powder, not even after letting it sit in the water while I prepared to leave for the gym.

Effectiveness

1-Up plays no games when it comes to covering all of it's bases, the consistency of it's effectiveness throughout the 25 servings is awesome. I'd drink it on my way to the gym, and would start lifting anywhere from 25-30 minutes after finishing it. Believe it or not, this doesn't kick you in the butt like a lot of pre's do, instead the energy delivery is smooth. I would feel the itch & alertness begin to kick in during my warm ups, allowing me to finish them without going crazy and ease into my first exercise. It was about this time the energy hit it's peak, and it lasted well over 3/4 of all of my workouts, including leg day which always drains my energy as quickly as I drink the pre-workout. It was about the 75-minute mark where the energy would seem to drop off a little bit, but all while still keeping me alert and awake enough to finish the workout with zero issues. I was most impressed with how much clean energy carried a good chunk of the day following a morning workout, getting me through lunch and the first few hours of work with no noticeable tiredness or need to reach for the nearest energy drink.

1-Up's ability to enhance focus & pump though is where I'm impressed the most, since I'm a firm believer that the two go hand-in-hand, I could always guarantee that my pump would blow up within the first few post-warm up sets. Combined with a well thought out warm up and exercise selection, 1-Up delivers blood flow quickly, and keeps it around the entire duration of the workout. I've tried a few other pre-workouts where I would notice a drop off muscle fullness eventually, but I never found that happening until a good while after my workout. I thought maybe it was just me keeping the volume high & the rest low, but one workout without using 1-Up quickly debunked that though. I typically struggle with focusing in enough on my mind-muscle connection as my mind seems to wander around quite a bit, but there was a noticeable difference in my ability to focus using this product. I felt mentally prepared for whatever the workout was going to hit me with & never noticed my mind wearing out as the workout reached it's final stages. On a few occasions, I felt good enough to extend my workout's by a few sets or even a few exercises if my training partner felt the need too, which is something I usually decline doing since I'm always so drained by the end of training. I'd say I enjoyed the product more for these cognitive effects and it's ability to increase blood & nutrition flow very quickly, more than I enjoy it as a stimulant. Typically I would judge a pre-workout based on how it physically kicked my butt in the gym, but 1-Up delivered a full package with just enough of everything to make me very happy.

Value

As I said earlier, I staked out 1-Up's website on multiple occasions waiting for the day I completed that checkout process. 1-Up Pre-workout runs your pockets for a hefty $54.99 regular price, but I noticed a lot of 10% coupons floating around the site which knocks it down to $49. At only 25 Servings if using full dose, you're paying more than $2 per serving if you're unlucky enough to not have a discount code. Half a scoop brings the product up to 50 servings which is more than suitable for your average gym-goer not looking to stim up like a mad man, and makes things a bit easier when it comes to that price tag. There are plenty of pre-workouts who will pack the punch and deliver a good pump for much cheaper than 1-Up, which makes it hard to say if the product is worth grabbing month after month without wearing out your wallet. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone in any sort of contest prep or extreme caloric deficit, as it's strong enough to really help fight the negatives that come along side training during those times, but it's worth a bottle or two if you're looking to try out something new from a relatively smaller brand.

Side Effects

No side effects were found personally by me, but I must say that L-Norvaline has been reported on a few occasions for raising blood pressure. Most nitric-oxide based ingredients aren't recommended for somebody dealing with blood pressure issues, but the few articles I read on Norvaline really made it a point more than I've noticed when researching most N.O. ingredients.

Conclusion

1-Up really surprised me here, I can't come up with a single negative experience over the 24 days I used the product. The price is pretty hefty but much like the packaging claims, it's an all-in-one pre-workout that executes extremely well. If you can handle the 500 total milligrams of caffeine that come with the full scoop serving, there should be no reason not to have some incredible training sessions while using 1-Up. If you are hesitant about dishing out the cash, you can request sample packs via the chat option on the brands website, which I did to try out some of their other products which I hope stand up to the same effectiveness as their pre-workout. In the famous words of my friend who makes enough money to give this stuff away, "it will raise you from the dead".

Quick Summary

Hello Everybody! I saw STEEL has no supplement reviews and decided to be the first to review ADA2BOLIC for y'all. With the brand on the rise, they need some honest reviews so new time buyers know what their getting into. 18 years old, 5'10 and 205 lbs. Lift six days a week with cardio classes in between. I'm an instructor at my gym, and teach a spinning class. The product was decent, expensive, taste was bad, but would I buy again? Probably. Ill explain why....

Introduction

ADA2BOLIC is supplement that is advertised as a mix to be used as a pre, intra and post workout formula. The product is stimulant free, which is a nice change since most supplements are jam packed full of caffeine. Its listed to restore muscle glycogen, increase muscle tone and hardness, be a recovery time accelerator and finally maximize endurance and power. ADA2BOLIC seems like the perfect supplement to ever grace the earth. Upon checking out the supplement on Steelsupplements.com, I was already sold on it. Currently sitting at 5 stars and 391 reviews, I jumped right into it. It helped having people like robertfrank615, an lifting celebrity talking about the "vein juice" that magically makes veins appear when your lifting. Just to let you know, these reviews are selected by STEEL to show on their website. A review can be rejected by the company so that it doesn't show on their site. Reviews of the product on their site say stuff like "this is the king of all preworkouts, I turned into a god" and my favorite
"Intraworkout on steroids". Sounded pretty good to me, but was it too good to be true?

Ingredient Profile

Here is the whole list of ingredients in this big tub.
To be fair, it's really well rounded. When yo check what you're getting, it seems like your getting great bang for your buck.
Two things that really stood out to me was the 12 grams of CARBS and the 12 grams of GLYCOMAX (a carbohydrate deriving from rice and potato)
The carbs are fantastic because after all, this is a intra workout viable formula. Carbs are your main source of energy and I did find that sipping on this while I lifted boosted my energy throughout the work out. Good job on this STEEL.
Calories - 60
Calories from Fat - 0
Total Fat - 0 Grams
Saturated Fat - 0 Grams
Cholesterol - 5 mg
Sodium - 220 mg
Potassium - 290 mg
Total Carbohydrate - 12 Grams
Sugars - 0 Grams
Protein - 0 Grams
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) - 60 mg
Biotin (Vitamin H) - 0.3 mg
d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5) - 10 mg
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) - 1.7 mg
Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1) - 1.5 mg
Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12) - 6 mcg
Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) - 400 IU
Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate) - 30 IU
Phytonadione (Vitamin K1) - 80 mcg
Magnesium - 50 mg
GLYCOMAX (homo polysaccharide derived from Rice & Potato) - 12 Grams
L-Citrulline - 4 Grams
Leucine - 3.5 Grams
Glutamine - 3 Grams
Beta Alanine - 2 Grams
L-Isoleucine - 1.75 Grams
L-Valine - 1.75 Grams
Kre-Alkalyn - 1.5 Grams
Betaine Anhydrous - 1 Grams
Hydromax - 500 mg
Beta Vulgaris (Beet Root Extract) - 500 mg
L-Lysine - 300 mg
L-Threonine - 300 mg
L-Methionine - 300 mg
L-Phenylalanine - 300 mg
L-Tryptophan - 300 mg
Histidine - 300 mg
Bioperine (Black Pepper Fruit Extract) - 3 mg

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

As far as taste goes, I speak for all. Me and my two friends all bought a tub of ADA and I bought the cotton candy, while they bought the strawberry banana and blue raspberry watermelon. Starting off with cotton candy I can just say that it does not taste like cotton candy at all. At first it feels like a dirty muddy water taste, followed by a cotton candy aftertaste. The worst part is I couldn't enjoy and take my time with the mix. Sometimes it tasted so bad I had to take giant gulps just to force it down quickly and get it over with. After about 2 weeks, you get used to the taste and its not so overpowering any more. I tried both of the other flavors, and I just wasn't a fan of them either. STEEL responds to the bad tasting supps with "can't take the taste of the supps, that's p***y sh **." So they know their supps taste like butt, yet they market that as an only for serious manly lifters quota.

As for mixability, it shakes pretty well in the beginning but the drink or shaker bottle will get darker in color in between sets because the particles settle at the bottom. There is a slight residue at the bottom of the shaker when you finish as well.

Dosing. This is where it gets confusing. 1 dose was one scoop, but STEEL suggests that you can take 3 scoops of this a day. One as a pre, one as and intra and one as a post. Apparently that formula yields the best results, but that is just so much unpleasant chugging.

Effectiveness

Was it effective? Yeah it actually was. My forearms really grew and got solid when I started this tub, and noticed results about two weeks in. I was actually really pleased with this. My muscles got fuller and stronger, but I really couldn't tell if this was due to the ADA or because I was putting in a lot of time in the gym. Probably both.

Value

Sheesh this is the worst part for me. The lowest price I can find on illpumpyouup.com is 69.95. Its actually the same price on STEELsupps.com
There is 40 servings per tub. That comes out to a 1.74 a scoop. If you use 3 scoops a day, thats looking like 13 days of ADA before your paying another 69.95. Yikes. Yes you can use discount codes, but then you must pay for shipping which comes out to around 65 dollars anyway. Shipping with no discount code will bring the product up to a whopping 78 dollars. No Thanks

Side Effects

Extreme Sweat didn't really bother me though.

Conclusion

Overall, my take away for STEELS ADA was that the product was way overhyped and priced. If I had some money to just throw around then maybe I would consider buying it again? Still not sure. The taste was awful but the effect were pretty good. The carbs really kick in great there and help go the extra couple reps where you feel like your arms could fall off. I felt that maybe If I try it again, then I might like this product more. Something to consider.

Quick Summary

Easy and fairly cheap non stim fat burner that actually works. Noticed and measured some quality results. As always, don't expect too much from a fat burner. Diet and exercise are the best ways to lose some unwanted fat. A bit confusing this supplement, lingers between a real basic multi vitamin and a non stim fat burner.

Introduction

35 years old financial auditor trying to balance life with three kids and a busy job. Trying to get in some quality time at the gym in the meantime. When I manage to squeeze in some gym time I can use all the supplement help that's out there.
I gained some unwanted fat/weight in the last year; kids and some injuries prevented me from enough exercise. A good moment to try out some fat burners. I don't like stimmed fat burners because I enjoy my daily cups of coffee and a stimmed pre workout. Optimum is a reputable brand that has some solid products out there. I noticed Daily Fit in the bounty program and decided to give it a try.

Ingredient Profile

Daily Fit contains a fairly standard ingredient profile. The main fat burning are Acetyl L-Carnitine HCI, Green tea extract and Capsimax at resp 500, 200 and 50 mg's. In addition there are some added vitamins (Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid and Vitamin B12. This leads me to the main critique I have on this supplement; is it a basic multi vitamin or a non stim fat burner? Optimum Nutrition carries one of the best rated multi vitamins out there (opti-Men). It seems like taking a multi vitamin and this supp could be a bit overkill. On the other hand; for people not taking a multi vitamin the added vitamins could be a plus. So it's more of a question than critique.
When focussing on the main fat burning ingredients; Acetyl L-Carnitine HCI, Green tea extract and Capsimax and the amount of mg's; Green tea is dosed at 200 mg. The amount of EGCG is not mentioned. The average standard is 50%, so one should assume Daily fit carries 100mg EGCG. Effect are reported from 400mg and up. When taking the advised 2 doses a day this is 200mg, a fair amount below the effective dosage. The amount of Alcar is 500mg, two times a day makes 1,000 mg. Benefits are measured from 600mg and up, so 1g is a large dose And it is HCI which is an easily absorbed form. Capsimax is dosed at 65mg, 130 a day. Capsimax Capsicum Extract-is said to be a "concentrated highly-active, natural capsicum-delivers the same level of heat as a habanero pepper but without the burn". Increases heat and metabolism, especially combined with black pepper or caffeine. 130mg is a high dose compared to other supps containing Capsimax.
Daily fit also contains a small amount of Bioperine (black pepper extract). This usually helps with absorption but in this supplement also works good in conjunction with capsimax.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

No taste, just two small pills. You have to take into consideration that a daily dose is two times two pills. 120 pills equals sixty servings equals one month's supply.

Effectiveness

To be frank I did not expect too much of this supp. The ingredient profile looks pretty simple, I had some disappointing experience with other non stim fat burners and when taking a first look at the ingredient profile the amount of mg's looked pretty slim. After purchasing i discovered it takes two servings a day, so the dosage actually turns out to be pretty good.
I definitely felt like this product worked for me. I did not experience a thermo effect which I kind of expected from the capsimax. For the purpose of some decent measuring -and to be honest its just a nice gadget- I purchased a scale that measures fat percentages. During the month I ran this product my fat percentage dropped from 19,2% to 17,8% without really changing anything in my routine of diet and exercise. The months before I had some serious trouble to drop below the 19% mark. Although these types of (home) scales aren't the most accurate out there, a decrease was definitely measurable and consistent. My ab region looked a bit more toned and I dropped some weight. What more can you expect.

Value

Compared to other non stim fat burners, daily fit is pretty affordable. Watch out for the immense price spread. A regular bottle of 120 pills costs 19 dollars at Allstarhealth and 30 dollars at Campus protein. A month's worth for 19 dollars is pretty cheap considering the results I experienced and

Side Effects

None at all

Conclusion

Daily fit uses some well known and proven effective ingredients in a non stim fat burner that, in contrary to other non stim fat burners actually proved it's worth. I noticed and actually measured results and for such a simple and non revolutionary supplement the results were unexpected and very welcome. I non stim weight loss product that is affordable and actually shows some results, pretty impressive.

Quick Summary

Redcon1's MRE has a killer Macro panel to translate from your shaker bottle to lean gains and the taste is good but not great.

Introduction

I want to start by thanking Redcon1 for another awesome product sent out to the TROOPs for feedback.

I typically have a liquid breakfast that's high in protein following my morning lift. I also like to make sure I'm getting in my carbs. I don't fast myself from carbs to meet some kind of aesthetic goal, and am much more interested in overdosing on them to meet my daily physical goals instead. I also need to make sure I get plenty of protein every day to ensure I am well-fueled for my personal glory sesh celebrated daily from around 4:30-6am. This is why I elected to try MRE. It has a great macro panel that is high in protein and carbohydrates, but very low in fat. It seemed like the perfect meal replacement.

Ingredient Profile

MRE's ingredients consist of a real food blend that result in an outstanding panel of Macros.

Each 4-scoop serving will yield 47g of protein, 75g of sugar, and 4g of fat with less than 1g being saturated. Altogether you are taking in 525k/cal per serving.

It's refreshing that the protein sources themselves are also not comprised of just whey and milk proteins, as is typically the case. Instead, MRE utilizes beef, salmon, chicken, egg, brown rice, and peas as protein sources. Similarly, while maltodextrin and dextrose are used later in the ingredient panel, the leading source of carbohydrates comes from rolled oats; and fat sources appear mainly to be MCT oil.

Overall, this is a blend I'd feel comfortable giving even to my child and which always sits well and seems to digest comfortably.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Dosing: I typically took this immediately after my workout at 6-6:30am as a replacement for my breakfast.

Mixability: 4 scoops of anything is a lot, but despite my expectations otherwise, MRE mixed well. I normally mixed by hand in a shaker bottle, and if I had the little wire ball in there I rarely got clumps. Without it, I'd usually have small clumps. Sometimes the powder would also get stuck and kind of cemented around the hole in the cap that you drink from and I'd need to push it back in to mix the rest. For the amount of powder used, it was very soluble.

Taste: I received banana nut bread and wasn't a huge fan. It wasn't terrible, but I did start to get sick of it by the end of the 2nd week. There was a noticeable bitterness in the aftertaste and it was pretty chalky, which I'm guessing is particularly a result of the beef and pea proteins. As I started to get sick of it, I began experimenting and found that mixing 3 scoops of the MRE and adding 1 scoop of a maple-flavored whey concentrate powder created a more well-rounded banana nut bread flavor. It took off the bitterness and made it much more palatable. This had an effect on the macros, effectively boosting protein content while reducing carbs and total calories slightly, but didn't seem to affect satiety.

Effectiveness

With consistent use of MRE as a breakfast replacement, I noticed an improvement in body composition and was full for hours after drinking it. It seemed my DOMS were noticeably diminished and my body felt nourished for a long period of time.

The satiety was noticeably different than what I experience when using just whey protein sources. This blend of proteins that MRE contains all absorb at different rates with different levels of bioavailability.

Overall, it checked off pretty much every box of consideration for me when evaluating a meal replacement: mixability, satiety, macros, and taste. Again, taste wasn't the best, but it was drinkable nonetheless.

Value

MRE costs about $80 anywhere you go. Sometimes there are sales, like right now there is a BOGO sale on the Key Lime flavor which I might spring for; but expect to pay $80 + taxes & shipping.

That seems like a lot but this is truly not just a protein shake. It's a legitimate meal replacement from real food sources. At 25 servings, I'm spending $3.20 per use but it was wholly replacing my breakfast. If that's my price target for breakfast I'd be hard pressed to find an option that would ever provide the same macros this does.

Side Effects

None

Conclusion

I plan to buy this again and would recommend it to others looking for a meal replacement as well. It's incredibly healthy and gave my body the fuel it needed to take me all the way to lunch most days. The price tag is steep to pay at once, but consider it your breakfast for the month. You may find the taste a bit off-putting, but it isn't terrible and tastes way better than egg whites and wheat germ. I say give it a shot.

Thanks again to Redcon1!

Quick Summary

Sterol Complex by Universal Nutrition Is A great product that can provide benefits in several areas of general health, which can translate into better overall fitness.

Introduction

A special thanks to Clippy for sending me this product as a thank you for a bounty review of Kodiak Nutritions Java Whey. I don't have much experience with Universal Nutrition, but they've been a renowned brand for a long time now with their own line of products, gym apparal, etc. I wanted to give Sterol Complex a try since full spectrum natural supplements are always an interest of mine. Sterol Complex's profile caught my eye, so I figutred it would be interesting to give a go.

Ingredient Profile

Sterol Complex has a pretty extensive profile with a lot of ingredients that would take too long to individually list and disucss. However, most if not all of them are well known are mostly herbal compounds. Please refer to the included image for a detailed breakdown.

As a quick overview, Sterol Complex has 5 individual complexes of various ingredients designed for the specific purpose to which complex they belong to provided in a 6 cap serving size.

First we have The Anabolic Sterol Complex dosed at 2,000mg. This complex contains ingredients aimed at supporting healthy levels of testosterone an an overall anabolic environment. Some of the ingredients include beta-ecdysterone, methoxyisoflavone, and tribulus.

Second is the Mass and Density Blend dosed at 2,500mg. Again, the ingredients can help support natural test levels, but also have some GDA qualities. Some include tongkat ali, gymnema sylvestre, and white button mushroom.

The Opti-Phytonutrient Complex dosed at 2,000mg is intended to support general health and immunity. A few inclusions include milk thistle, saw palmetto, garlic, and ginger root.

Next we have the Efa Complex and Support Blend dosed at 500mg. Derived from flaxseed powder and lecithin, some ingredients include ALA, oleic acid, and phosphatidylcholine.

Finally is the Muscle Protection Blend dosed at 500mg. I am not sure about a muscle cell protection benefit, but the ingredients do have antioxidant and health support benefits. Examples include green tea, ginkgo biloba, and grapeseed.

Once again, check out the image for a full disclosure of the profile.

Dosing

The directions call for a total of 6 pills to be taken spaced out in specific intervals. It is recommended to take two caps after meals, two before a workout, and two after another meal.

I spaced out the dosage in a similar manner. More specifically, I took 2 after breakfast, 2 after lunch, and 2 after dinner. This was my protocol on both training and non-training days.

Effectiveness

Sterol Complex was impressive in the benefits it provided to me in several areas.

First, I noticed my libido was noticeably higher. I was having more frequent erections and engaging in longer sessions with my girl. (Sorry for the TMI). I also had increased drive overall throughout the days.

I did feel overall healthier while on Sterol Complex. I never fell ill and mild allergies that I sometimes suffer from due to seasonal weather were less prominent. My skin tone also looked a little healthier as well.

Lastly was my energy. I noticed I had more natural energy throughout the day and felt more lively and more focus minded with a more elevated mood. I don't compare to a pre workout or nootropic, but these benefits were present nonetheless.

As a couple of side notes, I felt a little less bloat from creatine usage and a slightly increase in my appetite. Though these benefits weren't significantly pronounced in comparison to the others.

Value

The value of Sterol Complex is very well worth the investment given the benefits and natural nature of the product. The 180 cap container,which I think is the better value, can be found for 20 dollars on allstarhealth.com. Again, I think that value is great for the benefits and a full month's supply.

Side Effects

'
none

Conclusion

Universal Nutrition Sterol Complex is a supplement that is well worth the investment for those wanting a full spectrum supplement that can benefit several areas of health and fitness. Six pills may seem like a lot, but this product delivers on many levels so give it a try for the price. Be sure you're training hard and eating clean.

WARMACHINE OUT!!!

GO RED SOX!!!

Quick Summary

A straight dextrose product that can cause you stomach discomfort. Pretty effective to keep those energy levels up when taken pre-workout, but I advise against taking this intra-workout due to the stomach issues. You can find this for a cheap price utilizing priceplow.

Introduction

38 years old, recovering from total reconstruction surgery on my left ankle, but finally back in the gym! I used to see people argue back and forth which is better HBCD vs dextrose, and only having experience with HBCD supplements, I decided I wanted to try dextrose to gain some personal experience. I was going through my phase of wanting to try out products by MAN Sports, so I grabbed up some ISO-Carb. Let's see how straight dextrose compared to my experience with some HBCD supplements in the past.

Ingredient Profile

Each 33g scoop nets you 120 calories, 30g Total Carbs in form of sugar, and 33g Dextrose. Of course I appreciate the full disclosure on the label here. There are of course some added ingredients based off the flavor you get for the purpose of the flavor itself. Dextrose is a simple sugar carb, so that is why the label is like this, but I find it a little odd that if there are 33g of Dextrose only nets you 30g Carbs, but whatever. I am just used to HBCDs where its a 1:1 ratio. The idea of dextrose is that it is a fast-digetsing simple sugar that refills your tank as fast as possible. For a more technical definition, dextrose is a "Corn-derived monosaccharide, also known as glucose, that is approximately 30% less sweet than pure cane sugar that provides an easily and rapidly digesting source of carbs for athletes and bodybuilders." (Supplementreviews.com) People typically like this option as their carb source because it is cheaper.

Taste/Mixability/Dosing

Taste: I got the Dorks flavor and was a bit disappointed. It did have that fun candy type taste and you could taste slight sugar, but it made me cough every time I drank it. Like that sugar cough you get when you eat candy, if that makes sense to you! Of course not, you don't eat candy (keep lying to yourself and the world). I found the flavor to get old after about 3 doses, so this really was not too great. It was drinkable, but I more dreaded drinking it each time.

Mixability: Mixed great in 6-8oz of water in my shaker. Never had issues with mixing or any left over residue.

Dosing: I dosed this multiple way. I tried this pre workout and intraworkout. I never take carbs post workout, even though that is when the "experts" say is the best time to take dextrose. Dose this as you see fit in your workout regiment as a carb source.

Effectiveness

About 18 months ago I was a skeptic of using any carb source, thinking it was straight broscience and a waste of money. I eventually tried out Super Carb, Cluster Bomb, and Intra-Elite which are HBCD supplements, but quickly learned that these do have a great effect on my energy levels during my workout. So wanting to see the difference in Dextrose, I figured ISO-Carb was a great one to use. In a nutshell to quote Clipper83 from my journal on May 31, 2018 "Straight dextrose (Iso-Carb) sounds like a nightmare for a stomach." That statement basically says it all. Lets discuss some pro's and con's of how I dosed this.

Pre-Workout This worked the best for me. Yes this did give me some minor stomach issues as it would feel like a rock in my stomach, but it would last maybe 10 minutes. Once I got past that this worked fine. I substituted taking ISO-carb instead of a protein shake upon waking up since I workout first thing in the morning and do not like to lift weights completely fasted. I did find this gave me enough energy to last through my workouts and kept me with that full type feeling so I did not go hungry half way through a lift. This is the best way to take this in my opinion, just give yourself some lead time (for me it was 60 minutes) to get rid of that stomach bomb.

Intra-Workout: This is how I initially took ISO-Carb, as I really like to take my carbs during my workout to keep my energy levels up instead of having to just rely on a high stim PWO. Well, this did not workout well at all. Not only would I get a stomach ache halfway through my workout and feel way too full, the DORKS flavor was just too sweet and I would get that weird cough in the gym. I did this for about a week to make sure it was this causing those issues, once I confirmed I moved to taking this Pre. Not a great way to take this.

Most people say to take Dextrose Post workout to replenish your body. I never tried it this way, and maybe that is why I did not get the maximum benefits from this product. However, taking it Pre did work effectively for me so it did d its job as long as you can look past the stomach discomfort.

Value

I picked this up from MAN Sports website for $24.99 for 30 servings. That comes out to about 83 cents a serving which is not too bad. You can currently find this (using PricePlow) at mysupplementstore.com for $16.99 for 30 servings, coming out to 57 cents a serving. So yeah a lot cheaper than HBCD products, but really depends on what you want from this. For me this value is okay, not great because of the stomach issues this gave me, but yes it was effective when I dosed this right. I will give it an okay to average value, and this really boils down to your preference on dextrose vs hbcds vs every other carb source.

Side Effects

One scoop felt like a bomb in my gut. A minor stomach ache that would take about 10 minutes to go away. Not as fast digesting as they say!!

Conclusion

This ones tough to rate, since once I took this pre it was effective but it came at a price. Its a lot cheaper than HBCD products, but those products I can use anytime around my workout and have no issues. If dextrose works well for your body then this may be a good option, but for me I just do not digest it well. With my ratings, effectiveness gets a 7 based off taking it Pre, and value the same, but effectiveness will take a hit with the stomach ache side effect. I am going to give this a MEH since it at least did do something for me, but I will stick with HBCDs from here on out.

Quick Summary

"This patented All-In-One, Self-Supporting grip-assist is the most effective way to increase strength, muscle mass, and stamina by eliminating grip fatigue and enhancing muscle isolation. Ergonomically designed for any pulling or pushing exercise, Versa Gripps replace weightlifting gloves, hooks, and lifting straps."

Introduction

I've owned two pairs of Versa Gripps in my lifetime. I have used gloves, straps and knock off straps in the past and feel that Versa Gripps deserve an honorable mention. My first pair lasted 5 years and my 2nd pair are 2 years in. Still feels good!

Effectiveness

8 out of 10. These things are so durable!!! I abuse these bad boys 2-3 times per week and love that these straps are so versatile for push/pull days. I wash these once every 2-3 weeks or else they will have a little bit of sweat odor. This product really shines when used to eliminate grip fatigue. Last but not least, they come in different sizes and color. I have small wrists and the M/L size are a good fit for me.

Value

Currently $54.99 on Amazon. Kind of on the expensive side for gym accessory, however these things do last a pretty long time. Definitely worth

Conclusion

If you are on the market for a new gym accessory, think about adding this one to your arsenal. I will probably purchase again in the future.