Supplement Review: Universal Nutrition Bcaa Pro

 

This is a supplement that you can use as a pre-workout and/or a post-workout supplement to give you BCAAs which can be helpful for recovery from intense workouts (especially resistance workouts). If you are using a different pre-workout or post-workout supplement or make a protein shake post-workout this may be unnecessary, depending on what the ingredients in the other supplements you use are. But, if you do not take anything else with BCAAs in it, this is a good supplement that is easy to swallow and does not have a noticeable aftertaste once you swallow it.

Supplement Review: Universal Nutrition ZMA Pro Supplement - Zinc, Magnesium, Vitamin B6 - Nighttime Recovery Aid

 

This is a zinc supplement that helps with rest and recovery. I did find that it helped make me sleepy, but I did not notice that it helped keep me asleep through the night. I toss and turn a lot during the night and usually wake up at least a couple of times. I noticed that I tossed and turned and woke up just as much during the night while I was taking this as I did when I was not. I think it is worth trying to see how it works for you, but if it does not do anything other than make you sleepy, then you may want to just skip it and go with something else.

Supplement Review: Animal Flex – All-in-one Complete Joint Supplement - Turmeric Root Curcumin - Glucosamine Chondroitin - MSM - Hyaluronic Acid - Repair and Restore

 

It did not do anything more for me than any other Glucosamine and Chondroitin supplement, and it requires taking a lot more pills at one time (eight versus two for pretty much every other similar supplement). When you could get it for just over twenty dollars it was a good deal, but now that the price has been increased, unless it really does wonders for you, there are a lot less expensive options out there.

Supplement Review: Pre Workout + Weight Loss | Six Star Pre-Workout Explosion: Peach Mango

 

This is a good pre-workout that works well to give me an energy boost in the morning before I work out but does not make me too jittery or make my heart race. The peach-mango flavor is okay. Not as good as some of the peach-mango flavored drink mixes, but not something that you have to chug because it tastes awful either. I definitely recommend it.

Supplement Review: Muscle Pharm Assault Pre-Workout System, Grape Blast

 

This is a fairly good-tasting pre-workout mix. Some are definitely better than others, and I would put this on the better end of the spectrum. It mixes fairly well even just putting it in a water bottle and shaking it up. It does leave a bit of residue, but not too bad. It never made me jittery or anything like that, but did provide sustained energy throughout hard workouts. And, the price is very reasonable.

Supplement Review: Swanson Full Spectrum Suma Root 400 Milligrams 60 Capsules

 

Suma is a supplement that is marketed to do many things, from decreasing stress to aiding muscle growth, etc. While all of the claims are hard to verify, I do find that I feel like I had more strength during my workouts when using this. These are capsules that are very easy to swallow and do not leave a noticeable aftertaste. My only complaint about this particular brand is that it is not available as a subscribe and save item (at least as of this writing).

Supplement Review: Honey Badger BCAA Amino Acids Powder | Vegan Keto Peach Mango BCAAs + EAA for Men & Women | Electrolytes for Hydration & Post-Workout Recovery

 

This is a good post-workout recovery drink mix that has a good blend of electrolytes and BCAAs that help with recovery. It does not contain creatine which, if you are someone like me for whom creatine does little or nothing, is probably good since you do not have to pay for it to be included. The peach mango flavor is okay at best. It definitely does not taste as good as say the peach mango crystal light mixes, but it is drinkable, especially if you just chug it. It mixes well in a 20 oz bottle just shaking it up, or you could use a blender, large or one of the portable ones, and either will mix it just fine.

Supplement Review: Creatine Powder Unflavored Creatine Monohydrate

 

This is just standard creatine monohydrate powder. It is not the kind that gets mixed with some kind of sugar to aid absorption, nor does it have BCAAs as most post-workout powders do. Therefore, it is definitely not worth the nearly $50 price tag that it is now selling for. Especially when the container does not have a scoop and you get more containers than you get creatine. Overall, if you are a person that creatine works for, this will work for you, but you definitely want to price shop.

Supplement Review: NutraBio Micellar Casein - Protein Powder, 2 lbs Strawberry Ice Cream

 

This is a slow-digesting protein that is good to use between meals or before bed. It tastes very good (especially with milk) and blends well using a BlendJet or similar blender. I am not sure how well it mixes in a shaker cup, but I have not used a shaker cup to mix protein powder for a long time. The only drawback is that you do not get 30 servings per container (1 scoop = 1 serving). For some reason, this only has 27 servings per container. But, you get 25g of protein and just 2g of carbs per serving which can be adjusted depending on what you mix it with.

Product Review: Whey Protein Powder | Six Star Whey Protein Plus

 

This does taste fairly well for a protein powder, especially if you blend it as opposed to using a shaker cup. It does give you a decent amount of protein per scoop, but just be aware that there are 18 servings per container, so even if you just do one scoop every day, it is not going to last a month, so that may be a deal breaker, especially given the cost. Also, you are going to be paying for creatine as well, which may not be something you want. Finally, it does have high-fructose corn syrup, which is one of the worst ingredients in any product. Granted, it is at the bottom of the list of ingredients, so it is not as bad as it could be, but if you try to avoid that as much as possible, just be aware that this has some amount in it.

Product Review: Creatine Powder | Six Star Creatine X3 | Creatine HCl + Creatine Monohydrate Powder

 

I am one for whom creatine, unfortunately, does not do much. I had tried just regular creatine monohydrate powder, mixed in all kinds of liquids, and that did not help me with muscle building, so I got this to see if the creatine mixed with sugar did anything more. Unfortunately, it did not. It tastes pretty good and mixes well even just in a regular 20 oz water bottle that you shake up. But, all it seemed to do for me is get me extra sugar, but I never did see any significant muscle gain.

Product Review: Zantrex-3

 

I cannot say that this did anything for me good or bad, either as a pre-workout supplement to give an energy boost or as a weight loss supplement. I never did feel jittery or get an elevated heart rate like others have noted, nor did I lose any weight incorporating it into my nutrition and workout regime. I used it when I had been on a pretty regimented nutrition plan and was working out daily, but had hit a bit of a weight loss plateau, and this did not really do anything to bust through that. It also did not have an effect on my mood or anything like that. So, I did not get any of the good effects but thankfully none of the bad ones either.

Product Review: Six Star Pro Nutrition Elite Series Casein, Triple Chocolate, 1.5 Pound

 

This is an excellent tasting slow digesting protein. It is a bit misleading in that the serving size is one scoop but on the front, it says 50g of protein in huge letters and then in smaller type below that, per two scoops. Realistically, most people really only need 25g of protein at a time because much above that will just get peed out. I think it is best either with ice cold water or milk, blended in a blender instead of a shaker cup. It does have some carbs in it, some BCAAs, and a "muscle and strength builder". The latter is likely some form of creatine, but the label is not specific. It says that you can take it between meals or before bed. I always take Caesin protein just before bed to help muscle repair overnight. It is no longer in stock, but it worked well so if you can find the updated version, it is a good choice.

Supplement Review: Nature’s Bounty Acidophilus Probiotic, Daily Probiotic Supplement

 

This is a good supplement to keep your gut healthy without having to eat a ton of yogurt or having to get the super expensive probiotics that have to be refrigerated. The tablets are not coated but they are small enough that they are easy to swallow without a problem. And, you can get this as a subscribe and save item and have it delivered at whatever frequency works best for you.

Product Review: Hеmр Gummies

 

The dose is two per day. I generally take one in the evening after I workout to help wind down, and then one right before bed. I have found that I am sleeping more soundly most nights. I do not think that it does anything for pain relief, but I really do not have chronic pain of any kind (at least not so far) so I cannot say how it does or does not help with that. I did wrench my back about a week and a half ago and I did not notice that this really helped with that pain level. But as a supplement to help relax, I do think this works well and the gummies taste very good.

Supplement Review: Rising Pharma - Mag64 Magnesium Chloride with Calcium Tablets

 

I purchased these for my mom because her cardiologist recommended she switch from Magnesium Oxide to slow-release Magnesium Chloride. These are much easier for her to swallow than the two types of Mag-Ox supplements she tried, one of which were very large, but coated gell-caps and the other was a smaller uncoated tablet (which tended to get stuck in her throat until they dissolved all the way). This combines the best of both worlds. They are tablets (just slightly larger than the uncoated Mag-Ox tablets she tried) and they are coated, which makes getting them down a lot easier. The price is better than getting them through a local store (they are an over-the-counter item and can be very expensive, especially if they only have one brand), and you can get them as a subscribe and save item so you do not have to remember to resupply.

Supplement Review: 5-Day Fast & Cleanse by Nature's Secret | 5 Day, 5 Part Program

 

This is basically a group of supplements to take while doing a five-day fast. If you have not tried fasting before jumping into a five-day fast, with or without supplements is not an easy feat. So, you may want to try a couple of smaller fasts first to ease you into this. Or, you can do what I did, and eat a very small dinner (basically just soup) each night. As others have said, the fiber supplement is kind of like chalk. If you mix it with juice and slam it, it is not too bad, but there are better fiber supplements out there. How well the liver and colon cleanse worked is hard to tell. I did have regular bowel movements throughout despite not eating much food so in that sense, I guess the colon cleanse worked. The one thing that was measurable is that the first night I slept like a rock for nine hours. I do not remember waking up or even moving much.

I do agree that day thee is the hardest one to get through. Once you get past that, the worst part is over. Also, I would strongly advise against working out beyond just a light stretching workout. I would not do any kind of weight lifting or intense cardio because you are probably not going to have the energy for it.

Supplement Review: Pre Workout | Six Star PreWorkout Explosion

 

I take this about 45 minutes before working out. The serving size is two scoops, but I find that one scoop is plenty for me. The directions do say to start out with one scoop to see how you tolerate it before increasing the amount. It definitely gives me the energy to make it through my workouts, which is helpful since I often work out in the evening, so it definitely gets me going again after a full workday. Working out in the evening is another reason that I do not take more than one scoop. I'd easily be up all night long if I took two scoops of this in the evening. So, if you are looking for a good, inexpensive pre-workout, this tastes very good and works as advertised.

Supplement Review: Nature Made Extra Strength Magnesium Oxide 400 mg,

 

I got these for my mom because she has to supplement with Magnesium. The pills she was taking were not coated and were quite small and would often get stuck in her throat going down and she would have to drink a ton of water to dissolve them and/or get them down. These are coated, which definitely makes swallowing easier, however, they are huge, about 2.5 times the size of tablets that were exactly the same dose. If these were small and coated they would be perfect, but there is a tradeoff...the coating makes them easier to swallow than the tablets, but they would be even easier to swallow if they were even a bit smaller.

Supplement Review: Dr. Martin's Saw Palmetto

 

It is pretty much impossible to know how well a supplement is or is not working based on the fact that what it claims is not backed by any official organization. While I cannot say that I notice my hair getting any thicker (which is not why I take it anyway), I have not had any issues with my prostate (knock on wood), so there is that. I can say that they are very easy to swallow and do not leave any kind of aftertaste. A bottle will last a few months, so it is a good value, and you can (as of this writing anyway) include it as a subscribe and save item so you can have it delivered at whatever frequency works for you.