I opened a new tub of Six Star Creatine (Fruit Punch) just a week ago, and I'm becoming accustomed to this strong, flavorful post-workout supplement. It's not sweet at all, but it is full of flavor.. I personal adjusted my water intake with this shake to match the ideal taste. I lift 5 days a week despite working full time, so I'm surprised that I have not been dropping strength due to the tedious work hours. Thus, I gave this a 5/5 due to it's clear support! Did you receive the product as a free sample? This is a great recovery drink. I like to see the decent amount of carbs in here because it is something that necessary after a good workout. I have to say this is pretty good creatine. More often than not Iv taken creatine and didnt like the extra water that came with it. I dont get that with this one but i get the same results you'd expect from creatine - stronger and more muscle Received CreatineX3 Fruit Punch as a free sample to try out. This stuff is amazing.
The mixing of creatine was very easy and left no residue at the bottom of my mixing cup. I have had some creatine mixes in the past where it would leave like a thick powder residue at the bottom of the cup no matter how hard I shook. Was a great tasting product for after my weight and cardio workout sessions. It is always a plus when you can look forward to a product post workout. I must say I am thankful that I have been given an opportunity to give the creatine a try because It was a great experience. Did you receive the product as a free sample? This product increases your overall strength over a short period of time and provides better results. I really like it, it's one of my favorites. I was given this product to try from MuscleTech. I have been using this product for several weeks and I am very happy with it. It mixes really well. There was nothing at the bottom of my mixer cup after I finished drinking the product. I also liked the taste. It tasted like koolaid. Overall I am happy with the product and I will be buying it in the near future.
A very affordable creatine! A very affordable creatine! The price, ingredients and taste are unmatched. I take one scoop post work out and have noticed changes in my body already. The blend is very strong for the price also. Taste good not over powering and mixes easy. First you have to understand what Creatine does for you and how it works. I read people giving this stuff some bad reviews because this stuff didn't make them look like Ronnie Colemen. That's not what Creatine does. Creatine makes you a little stronger and able to do a few extra reps. And for a Creatine this stuff works great! I Can go longer and harder at work and with workouts then I could without it. Great product 6 star, does what it is supost to do! Great stack for half the cost I've been stacking this with Six Star Whey Isolate and have had some very nice results! Just the right amount of carbs/creatine in this mix. Mixes great with water and no nasty after taste. Mix one scoop of Xtend with 500mL of water
Take Xtend during a workout, before or after Xtend can also be taken on non-training days Xtend is stimulant free, so it will not affect sleep if used near bedtime Xtend is one of the leading intra workout supplements on the market. It is packed with ingredients that will help you get the most out of your training, boosting your performance, energy, maximisuing protein synthesis and enhancing your recovery so you can get back in to the gym faster. The beneficial effects of Scivation Xtend have even been proven in two independent university studies. Electrolytes – Sodium, potassium and chloride are vital electrolytes that are depleted through exercise. Not only are they necessary for optimal nerve and muscle function, but they assist rehydration by helping the body take in water. BCAAs – Xtend features a big 7g serving of these essential aminos in a scientifically backed ratio. BCAAs stimulate muscle synthesis and speed recovery. Glutamine – The most abundant free amino acid in muscle, replenishing glutamine after exercise is vital to prevent muscle catabolism, get rid of the metabolic waste products of exercise, and maintain optimal immune function.
Citrulline malate – Scientific studies have shown citrulline is more effective than arginine at stimulating nitric oxide production, which is responsible for vasodilation. Increased blood flow allows easier transport of nutrients into muscle, waste products out, and importantly, it maximises your pump. Vitamin B6 – This vitamin is a vital cofactor in the reactions which help your body use energy and build muscle effectively. It comes in a variety of delicious fruit flavours, and contains no fat or carbs. Scivation also manufacture a product known as Xtend Endurance, which is designed for endurance athletes, and includes a carbohydrate blend with broad action designed to sustain over prolonged exercise. How to take Xtend Xtend is designed to be used during a workout. Most people mix one scoop (13g) with 500mL of water and sip during their workout to boost performance and stay hydrated. Other people recommend one scoop of Xtend before a workout and another one after, to optimise the effects on recovery.
Xtend can also be taken on non-training days to promote muscle synthesis and assist recovery. Best time to take Xtend Because Xtend is free from stimulants, it is fine to take at any time of the day, before, during or after a workout, or at any time throughout the day on a non-workout day. Xtend is best absorbed on an empty stomach, so avoid taking your dose immediately before or after a meal. 10 Days of Reduced Sugar Benefits Obese Kids 100% Whey Gold Standard vs Syntha-6 10 Exercises You Should Be Doing 10-20% 1RM Best for Power in Hexagonal Barbell Jump Squat 10 Ways Women are Better Than Men at WeightliftingSummer is just around the corner, and you know what that means: lots of opportunities to rock nothing but swim shorts and sandals all day long. It also means if you’ve waited until now to start working on your beach bod, you might need a little help to speed up the process so you’re feeling at your best when it comes time to go sans shirt. If you’re hoping to shed some winter layers and pack on muscle ahead of beach season, the following protein powders and supplements can give you a boost.
Whey protein isolate is one of the best and most bioavailable sources of protein to take for increasing muscle mass. Whey protein is one of the two proteins found in milk (with the other being casein), and is processed to remove excess fat, lactose, carbohydrates, and any other naturally occurring ingredients to make whey protein concentrate. When whey protein concentrate (which contains about 80% protein per 100 g) is filtered down even more, it becomes whey protein isolate. Whey protein isolate provides up to 90% protein per 100 g and contains almost no lactose, making it suitable for those who are lactose sensitive. Try: Protein Impact Whey Isolate MyProtein’s Impact Whey Isolate provides over 22 g of bioavailable protein per serving, as well as high levels of the essential amino acids and branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), which are important for repairing, maintaining and rebuilding lean muscle tissue following exercise. Impact Whey Isolate is one of the more affordable protein powder’s on the market, and also comes in a variety of tasty flavors such as Rocky Road, Salted Caramel and Strawberry Cream.
Casein, the other protein found in milk, is known as a “slow protein” because the body digests casein’s amino acids in a slow and steady manner, which means less protein is oxidized or wasted and more can go towards building and repairing muscles. Although whey protein isolate is more bioavailable for your muscles right after a workout, casein is great to take at night before bed because it’s slow absorption means you can continue to boost muscle repair while you sleep. Try: Optimum Nutrition 100% Casein Protein, Creamy Vanilla Optimum Nutrition’s Casein Protein has 24 g of slow-digesting micellar casein, 60% of the daily value for calcium, almost 5 g of BCAAs (leucine, lsoleucine and valine) and 5 g of naturally occurring glutamine and glutamic acid per serving. Mix it in a shake or whip up a tasty protein pudding for a muscle-building bedtime snack. Hydrolyzed whey protein is essentially whey protein isolate that’s gone through yet another round of processing, breaking it down into smaller protein fragments for more rapid digestion.
Because hydrolyzed whey is digested faster than other forms of whey protein, that means those muscle-building aminos are fast-tracked to your muscle fibers, which helps to enhances growth. Hydrolyzed whey protein can be a bit pricier than whey protein isolate, so keep that in mind when choosing the right post-workout protein supplement for you. Try: Dymatize Nutrition ISO 100 Hydrolyzed 100% Whey Protein Isolate, Gourmet Chocolate Dymatize Nutrition’s ISO 100 Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Isolate is the ultra-processed (and therefore fast-acting) version of their whey protein isolate, delivering essential amino acids and 24 g of high-quality whey protein to your muscles per serving. It mixes well on it’s own with just water or milk, and contains very little lactose and no artificial sweeteners. Supplementing with creatine can help increase the body's ability to produce energy rapidly, which is why most body builders and power lifters take this supplement before hitting the gym—more energy means you can train harder and more often, which equals faster results.
Although creatine is effective for short and intense bouts of exercise, such as strength training and sprinting, it hasn’t been proven to provide any benefit for aerobic activity, such as running. Another thing to keep in mind with creatine: along with helping you pack on more muscle faster, creatine also pulls water into your muscle cells, which means you’ll gain a few pounds of water weight along with your muscle weight. So don’t be surprised if the scale creeps up when supplementing with creatine. Try: NOW Foods Creatine Powder NOW Foods Creatine Powder is 100% pure creatine monohydrate, and free of yeast, wheat, corn, soy, milk, additives and preservatives. For optimum results, mix one level tablespoon in fruit juice or another sweetened liquid three to four times a day, before and after exercise, for the first seven days. For maintenance use, take creatine one to three times daily, allowing three to four hours between doses. Glutamine is a nonessential amino acid found in some protein powders and other recovery supplements due to it’s relative effectiveness in helping to remove exercise-generated ammonia from the body, repair and maintain muscle tissue after intense exercise, and support your immune system to keep illness at bay.
If your post-workout protein powder doesn’t contain glutamine, you can buy a glutamine supplement in pill or powder form to take after your workout. MyProtein L Glutamine is a relatively affordable flavored powder mix you can take to help improve muscle recovery and development after exercise. For optimum results, MyProtein recommends consuming 5 g, one to three times daily (once with breakfast, lunch and after your workout) with your preferred amount of water or fruit juice. Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) refers to three amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) important for muscle protein synthesis, and can be taken before or after a workout to help with muscle maintenance and growth. If you do an endurance workout first thing in the morning and don’t have time for/want breakfast beforehand, downing a drink mix of BCAAs can help provide some fuel for your muscles during exercise. When taken after a strength-training workout, BCAAs can help kick-start protein synthesis, which plays an important role in muscle building.
Try: Optimum Nutrition Instantized BCAA Powder 5000mg Optimum Nutrition’s BCAA Powder provides 5 g of BCAAs per serving with a 2:1:1 ratio of leuncine to isoleucine and valine. It comes in unflavored or flavored, so you can add it to your pre- or post-workout drink or mix it on its own with juice or water. Capsaicin is the stuff found in hot peppers that makes you sweat, and when taken as a decent-potency supplement, can help to burn body fat and fight inflammation. If you eat a lot of hot and spicy food already, you might not need a high potency supplement to reap the benefits—but if you don’t, taking an extra hot cayenne pepper supplement might give you the added fat-burning boost you need. If you have a sensitive stomach, you might want to consider a milder cayenne pepper supplement to start. At only $10 for 100 capsules, Nature’s Way Cayenne 450 MG is worth trying to see if it helps boost fat burning and reduces exercise-induced inflammation. Nature’s Way suggests taking one capsule with a meal, with up to three capsules a day.
If you have a sensitive stomach, take the more is less approach. Also, if you tend to run hot, keep in mind this supplement will crank up your body heat. A good pre-workout mix can help boost your strength, endurance and focus during your workout, which in turn will lead to faster and greater gains in the gym. Pre-workouts generally contain amino acids for muscle building; beta-alanine for muscle endurance; vasodilators to help increase blood flow (which gives you that muscle “pump”); and caffeine to boost your energy and performance. Pre-workouts often comes as flavored powder mixes you can add to water or juice. Try: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pre Workout - Fruit Punch This popular pre-workout is a great tasting fruit punch drink mix you can dissolve in water or juice and drink 30 minutes prior to your workout. It contains 175 mg caffeine from natural sources, 1.5 g beta-alanine, 3 g creatine monohydrate, and other vitamins and amino acids to help boost your energy, focus and endurance.