About
Grunt is an essential amino acid (EAA) product from Redcon1.
The supplement contains all nine essential amino acids (EAA): Isoleucine, leucine, histidine, methionine, lysine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, threonine, and valine. As a result, Grunt is a complete source of protein.
EAA cannot be produced by the body and so they need to be consumed in the diet or through supplementation.
According to Redcon1 website, Grunt should be used as part of your pre-workout routine. This distinguishes EAA from BCAA (branched-chain amino acids), which the brand says are best taken after exercise.
Reaper61 –
Redcon1 makes a huge splash in the EAA category
—-Quick Summary—-
Unlike your standard BCAA product, EAA’s are not made by your body so you must find a way to add them in. Redcon1 has done a fantastic job with this product and is an easy way to meet this requirement.
—-Introduction—-
Huge thanks to Redcon1 for letting me try their intro EAA product. BCAA’s are great, EAA’s are better, and when you can find a product that combines the two of them together in a synergistic manner, you will have a great product. Redcon1 has done just that with Grunt. As someone who is a big fan of Amino’s, I am constantly going back and forth between BCAA’s and EAA’s but rarely find a product that has both of them, and has done it correctly.
—-Ingredient Profile—-
Redcon1 has kept the label transparent with this one by giving you the following:
Serving size-9.5g
L-Leucine: 3g
L-Valine: 1.5g
L-Isoleucine: 1.5g
This accounts for your BCAA’s which accounts for 6g’s of the serving at a 2:1:1 ratio
then you have:
L-Lysine (300mg)
L-Threonine (250mg)
L-Phenylalanine (250mg)
L-Tryptophan (50mg)
L-Histidine (25mg)
L-Methionine (25mg)
Which accounts for your EAA dose. They do not add any dyes or artificial colors to the mix either which is refreshing. This is a prime time dose of ingredients to help prevent muscle breakdown during intense training, improve glucose uptake and glycogen storage in skeletal muscle, and even speed recovery following training as well as activate mTOR.
—-Taste/Mixability/Dosing—-
I received the cherry lime flavor and it was dynamite. They nailed it spot on as if you got a drink from your local Sonic drive-in. The flavor was very easy to drink and if I could I would drink it all day, but I am not a playboy millionaire. To put it in perspective, my 11-year-old picky daughter had a sip of it once, and ever since then I practically have to fend her off from wanting to drink it, so I would say it is definitely kid approved in the taste department.
Mixability for me is a miss. If you have ever tried any of the other Redcon1 amino products then you will know that the powder has a hard time dissolving and will sit on top of the water in small chunks. To get around this, I would mix my drink up the night before in a 32oz Nalgene with HOT water, this would resolve the issue with it dissolving and by the next day, it was good to go and ready to drink. While this is an inconvenience, it was not a deal breaker for me on the product.
Dosing was 1 scoop 9.5g with 32oz of water, and I would drink it as I was working out. Redcon1 says to consume prior to your workout but I found it more beneficial as an Intra/post workout drink.
—-Effectiveness—-
So gauging the effectiveness of an Amino product can be hard because you generally have to base it on how you feel. For me, I always gauge it based on how is my soreness following the workout, and how soon have I recovered enough from that workout. Some could make the argument that if you are not sore then you did not work hard enough, and that is completely plausible. However, on this product, I could still feel a small amount of soreness from lactic buildup especially on my legs, but within 48 hours they were completely recovered and I could him this again, and be more aggressive. To me, that is a sign that the recovery aspect is working, and the EAA’s are being beneficial rather than obsolete. Another great way to see if an EAA product is truly effective is to go a long time without adding them in, gauge your recovery, then add them in and see the difference. This product definitely delivered, and I can honestly say that it is something that I would get again.
—-Value—-
You can find this on numerous websites for 32-34 but I will cite A1 supplements who has this for $32.49 and you get a free shirt (lol) so you are looking at roughly $1.08 per serving. This is honestly a pretty good deal for an all-inclusive amino product that delivers both BCAA’s and EAA’s.
—-Side Effects—-
Better recovery
—-Conclusion—-
Just do yourself a favor and buy it. You honestly have nothing to lose because the flavors taste great, and your recovery can only improve. There is honestly not a real downside to the product, other than possibly having to give it extra time to completely mix in your water. Other than that, this is a low risk, high reward product that is worth using.
smashley23 –
Not a Growler, But It’s Still Pretty Good
—-Quick Summary—-
Good for recovery. Nothing for hydration or pumps. A solid but bare-bones EAA product.
—-Introduction—-
I am a competing powerlifter getting ready for my 4th meet in June. I train 5 days a week, and am currently doing a high frequency/high intensity training program. I like using intra workout products to help with my workouts. I think they are good for recovery, albeit not necessary.
I saw Redcon1‘s Grunt and wanted to try it. I prefer EAA formulas to just BCAAs (better for mps), but they cost more to make and are not as popular.
—-Ingredient Profile—-
This is a pretty straightforward formula. We only have EAAs here. 1 scoop is 9.5g which is almost perfect. Studies on EAAs for athletic performance used 10g.
Most of the EAAs are BCAAs (6g out of the 9.5g), leaving not a lot of room for the other six amino acids in the profile. As far as I know, there is not an ideal EAA ratio out there, so I can’t say if the abundance of BCAAs here is a problem, but it is worth noting.
—-Taste/Mixability/Dosing—-
I got the cherry lime flavor, and I thought it was okay 7/10, but it wasn’t that great. It’s not bitter or anything. It just fake tasting. The flavor reminded me of Tums. Tums are okay tasting, and when you need them you don’t really care about how they taste, but they don’t have a taste that I ever look forward to.
The mixability was fine. When you first shake it, there’s a good amount of foam in the top, but it always settled before I got to the gym. There’s some residue left in the shaker after you drink it but not a lot. The texture is pretty good. There’s no grittiness or chalkiness to it.
Dosing- I used one scoop intra workout. I eat post-workout, so I didn’t see a reason to take a second dose as the label suggests.
My food scale can’t measure 1/2 grams, so I just used 10g. I always weigh my supplements out because more often than not, the scoop is too small or too large. One level scoop got me about 8-9g depending on the day, so the scoop isn’t too far off.
—-Effectiveness—-
My recovery using Grunt was pretty good. I had some muscle soreness (mostly hamstrings and triceps), but it was never severe, and it never lasted more than 1-2 days.
I have been able to add weight (or reps) to most of my workouts over the past six weeks, and I do think that Grunt has been helping me make the most of my training sessions.
I am also cutting a bit of weight, so I will make it into my weight class, so my body is being pushed pretty hard right now.
—-Value—-
Typically, a tub of Grunt is about $34. I’ve seen it for $32.49 in one store, which is $1.08/serving. This isn’t too bad for an EAA product, but I do think they could have offered more for this price, e.g. adding some electrolytes or some citrulline. The EAA market isn’t huge right now, but there are more well-rounded EAA products that are a similar price.
—-Side Effects—-
None
—-Conclusion—-
I did like the product, and I would recommend it if there’s a good sale, but at it’s usual price, Grunt costs a bit too much to be competitive with the other EAAs on the market.
deBruijn –
Good EAA product. Price- and content wise you could probably do a bit better.
—-Quick Summary—-
Couldn’t agree more with the other Troop reviews. Redcon1 always seems to deliver quality. Good recovery product. Price- and content wise you could probably do a bit better.
—-Introduction—-
I always use BCAA’s as a staple. They seem to work good to reduce doms/ increase recovery speed. I noticed Redcon1 came out with a new product a while back with the addition of EAA;s. I read some interesting stuff about EAA’s and well.. Redcon1 has yet to disappoint me. I was keen to find out if the addition of EAA’s would provide some benefit. I read an article that stated that just using BCAA’s is just like playing baseball with just an pitcher andwell not a complete team. Since a am from Europe and nobody plays baseball here the metaphor was mostly lost on me, but the bottom line was that EAA’s are a superb addition and I decided to give it a try.
—-Ingredient Profile—-
Really straightforward. 1 scoop, 9.5g of which (6g BCAA and 0,9g EAA). I am not sure how much EAA’s would be ideal. This seems a small dose, but can’t be sure. I haven’t found any info or research on the ideal amount of EAA’s. The amount of BCAA’s is in the medium range of BCAA products. Some contain more.
BCAA
L-Leucine: 3g
L-Valine: 1.5g
L-Isoleucine: 1.5g
EAA
L-Lysine (300mg)
L-Threonine (250mg)
L-Phenylalanine (250mg)
L-Tryptophan (50mg)
L-Histidine (25mg)
L-Methionine (25mg)
—-Taste/Mixability/Dosing—-
Cherry lime flavor,really liked it. The mixability was just ok. After shaking you can expect some foam which disappears after another thorough shake. As mentioned in another review on Grunt (nice review btw Reaper61), there remain some sort of chunks, more like frosting on top. Not bad, but no 10/10. I used one scoop intra workout and one scoop on after-training days.
—-Effectiveness—-
Grunt is mostly meant for recovery, or intra workout. As for effectiveness I was really satisfied. Dom’s definitely seemed less while using Grunt. I would even say that Grunt is one of the most effective BCAA/EAA products I have used. To see if this is the addition of EAA’s or just the quality of the product as a whole I intend to try some other product that contain EAA’s. A fellow Trooper(Thanks Smashley) pointed out that Myokem and Primeval have similar products that contain EAA’s and I would like to give these a try to be sure.
—-Value—-
I got two tubs for $45 at a limited time price cut. A tub of Grunt normally goes for about $33. When using the regular prices to rate the value that’s 1,10 a serving. This is moderately high for an amino acid product, and quite expensive compared to simple BCAA products. I think you should stack Grunt against the EEA mentioned alternatives. Myokem mTor and Primeval EAA max both are sold for $1 a serving. Worth mentioning is that EAA Max packs some additional hydration ingredients and mTor contains electrolytes And astragin. mTor packs a lot more EAA’s (about 2,5g vs 1g) . Basically you get more for less.
—-Side Effects—-
None
—-Conclusion—-
I did enjoy Grunt and believe it really assisted in recovery. EAA’s definitely got my attention. As noted in the price section some alternatives (Thanks again Smashley) pack the same ingredients -even more EAA’s -for a slightly better price And contain some additional bonus ingredients. So price wise you can do a bit better. I am not sure if you can do better quality wise, time will tell. I think I will order a tub of Myokem’s mTor next for proper comparison.
pfajgen –
EAA’s v. BCAA’s…Why not both?
—-Quick Summary—-
Redcon1 Grunt was a great addition to my supplement stack. I found that my recovery was noticeably better than it was when I used BCAA products. This is a versatile product that can be used at any time for a boost in recovery, and I would recommend to anyone looking for increased recovery.
—-Introduction—-
I would like to start out by thanking the TROOP program and Redcon1 for giving me the opportunity to review this product. Grunt is an Essential Amino Acid (EAA) product that consists of nine amino acids. In the past, I would use BCAA products routinely and was very content with my results. I had not had much experience with EAA’s, but was aware of the growing trend to include EAA’s in supplements. Like many, I was loyal to BCAA’s and was somewhat skeptical that an EAA product would serve me better. This product was a pleasant surprise and has turned me to the dark side- I will likely continue to use EAA’s over strictly BCAA’s going forward.
—-Ingredient Profile—-
Grunt It is a full disclosure supplement and the majority of the 9.5g serving is made up of 6g of BCAAs in a 2:1:1 ratio. To return to my title of this review, I feel like Grunt does a great job of giving your body the BCAA’s (that I have held dear to my heart for many years) while also supplying you with many of the other EAA’s. EAA’s are touted as a “complete protein source” whereas BCAA’s are not. Thus, EAA’s arguably should be more effective at increasing muscle growth and helping with recovery.
Note- you will notice below, that there is a relatively small dose of EAA’s other than the BCAA’s. I am not aware of the “clinical dose” of EAA’s or what is recommended, but I do feel like the inclusion of the EAA’s (no matter how minor) did make a difference.
The ingredient profile is as follows:
6g BCAA in 2:1:1 ratio
300mg L-Lysine
250mg L-threonine
250mg L-phenylalanine
50mg L-tryptophan
25mg L-histidine
25mg L-methionine
—-Taste/Mixability/Dosing—-
I received the cherry lime flavor and it was delicious. It reminded me of candy. You get a slight hint of both flavors and a lot of sweet. I would say this product may be on the sweet side for some. I would use Grunt in one of two different ways. First, I would take Grunt in the middle of the day, in between meals, to help supply my muscles with some aminos. Second, I would take Grunt pre-workout. I honestly feel like this is a very versatile product that has benefits regardless of when you take it.
As for the mixability, the product definitely requires the use of a blender bottle. I would use 1 scoop of Grunt with about 12oz of water. I found that was a sweet spot for the taste imo. It would take about 10 seconds of shaking to get the product to start mixing, but there would still be some floaters in the bottle. I found that the supplement would completely mix after leaving it to settle for a minute or so. I believe the floaters are indicative of a good EAA product.
—-Effectiveness—-
I found Grunt to be more effective than taking BCAA’s alone. It was superior as far as reducing my muscle soreness and increasing my recovery. As I mentioned in my review of Ghost Size, I hit PRs for my deadlift and 3 rep squat during the time that I was taking this product. I don’t know that I can attribute those PRs to Grunt solely (more likely attributable to Size), but I believe that Grunt helped me to push through a lot of grueling workouts during that time period due to the increased recovery…and thus, indirectly attributed to my ability to hit those PRs.
—-Value—-
Grunt ranges from $25-$35 for a 30 serving tub. This seems to be a fair price given the fact that stand-alone bcaa products typically cost $20+ for a similar number of servings. I would not buy Grunt for $35, but I would certainly buy it for $25 or when there is a promotion running (which is almost all the time).
—-Side Effects—-
NONE
—-Conclusion—-
Grunt is a great supplement to add to your stack if you are looking for increased recovery. I understand that BCAA’s have been king for quite a while, but BCAA’s + EAA’s are superior in my opinion. This is a tasty product at a fair price and it is definitely worth a try.
Xcmiler –
Redcon1 Grunt Is an Effective BCAA/EAA Product That Is Worth a Try
—-Introduction—-
I have been an on and off fan of Redcon1 for awhile a now. I use a few of their products quite frequently especially their MRE Bar. So, when they came out with Grunt I originally passed it over as I was not really taking BCAA/EAA at the time. Now, that I have gotten more into running as the seasons changed, I wanted to give that type of product a try. So, when it came up for the Troops I claimed it and here is the review.
—-Ingredient Profile—-
Grunt comes in a 30 serving container with each serving being 9.5g. The main idea behind the ingredients of Grunt is to aid in recovery thus recovering faster leading to increased muscle growth. Each serving contains 6g of BCAA with 3g of leucine, 1.5g of valine, and 1.5g of isoleucine. Following those you have 300 mg of lysine, 250 mg of threonine, 250 mg of phenylalanine, 50 mg of tryptophan, 25 mg of histidine, and 25 mg of methionine. So, in all you are left with 6900 mg active ingredients with the rest being flavoring and other ingredients. I will note that this does contain Ace-K and sucralose.
—-Taste/Mixability/Dosing—-
The flavor I received was cherry lime and when first hearing the flavor I was unsure if I would like it. I have never been a huge fan of lime (or lemon) flavored supplement powders (the actual fruit is fine). The powder is white and has an almost sweet smell with a hint of cherry lime but it mostly smells like BCAA/EAA powders. When mixed it gives off this dull cherry smell and I don’t get much lime. When you first taste it you are hit with a subtle lime taste followed by a mixture of lime and cherry. The flavor ends with this kind of unique sweet type finish that kind of was like a candy type after taste. Overall, this was quite good and I would use this flavor again.
In terms of mixability, it mixed just okay and there was definitely some residue floating around. It would mostly stick the side of the blender bottle and float on the top. I tried using a blenderball and it helped a little but there was still a residue left. I will note it never bothered me nor interfered with using the product. I would always give it a quick shake when drinking it.
As far as dosing goes, I would use on workout days and I stuck to about one scoop each workout. I would use about 24 ounces of water per one scoop. When I used less I felt the flavoring was too sweet and the residue was harder to handle.
—-Effectiveness—-
I personally felt like this product definitely enabled me to recover more quickly. As the seasons have changed I have been getting more into running. Now, this is great but I also like to do the Stairmaster at the gym. So, at times I will still be sore from either the running or the Stairmaster. This has made me either skip a day at the park or a day on the Stairmaster. After adding in Grunt I noticed that I less frequently would have to skip a day of either. Prior to starting Grunt, I was trying out a different BCAA product and it was not as effective as Grunt. It was not until I added Grunt did I notice the larger change in recovery. I am wondering if it had to do with the inclusion of the EAAs and it probably is.
Now, as for my weight training I recently swapped to a 5 day a week split with each body part on one day. I would usually have some soreness in my biceps when I went to train back and same for my triceps when doing chest. Now, when adding Grunt into the mix is dulled the soreness but it was still there. However, the soreness that was still there did not impact my training like it did before.
—-Value—-
Before I even talk about the value, my one recommendation is to never buy a Redcon1 product direct at retail price. At anyone time, there are always 20-25% off codes available for Redcon1 direct. Further, they also have a lot of freebie, free shipping, and discount promotions through the site. For example, at the time of this writing you can can get a t-shirt and 25% off when ordering over $50 dollars (will probably be expired when you read this but it is an example). Just so you are aware the flat rate shipping direct from Redcon1 is $9.99.
Now, for the value of Grunt, it retails for $34.99 for 30 servings making it $1.16 per serving. Now, you can honestly get this for at least 20% direct so that brings it to about $.93 per serving. I am not going to factor in the shipping as I have not done that in my past reviews. Perhaps I will consider that in a later review. For $.93 per serving I would purchase this product as it is hard to find a straight BCAA/EAA product. Some products will include only some EAAs and leave the rest out or add other ingredients. The doses of the EAAs could be a little higher but nonetheless I would spend money on this product.
—-Side Effects—-
I had no side effects while taking this product
—-Conclusion—-
Redcon1 Grunt is an effective BCAA/EAA product that is worth a try. It helped me recover better on the trail and in the gym. I do feel that without using a coupon code it can be expensive but with a coupon it has good value based on the effectiveness I felt. Thank you to Redcon1 for sending out the product.
-Xcmiler