Review of AI Sports Nutrition's Red Raspberry RecoverPRO

My 42-serving tub of Red Raspberry RecoverPRO lasted me ~2 weeks. I started out using only a scoop per use, but quickly went to 3 scoops per use, using twice a day. I cannot say enough about the taste, and with BCAAs a STAPLE in my supplement arsenal definitely want (and will) continue using Red Raspberry RecoverPRO!


What is it?



* Faster Recovery and Lean Muscle Gains
* Unique 4:1:1 BCAA Ratio

For more information on the product, please review AI Sports Nutrition :: RecoverPRO.


Smell: 7/10. Smells like raspberries, but with a hint of something else almost artificial, like the smell/taste of a raspberry flavoured ice-cream, if that makes any sense.

Taste: 11/10. My #1 and favourite flavour of any product I have ever used! And the taste only gets better with use! THREE scoops as opposed to only one scoop (which my initial review was based on) is just amazing and you really notice the sweet tartness that real raspberries have come out! LOVE it!

Solubility: 10/10. On shaking there was no trace of the powder and no clumps or excess was left in the water or on the bottom of the shaker - although bubbles and froth were left on top of the liquid, rapidly dissolving.

Texture: 10/10. Like fruit juice diluted with water.

Recovery: 9.5/10. My recovery has been pretty great, considering. This does not get a complete 10/10 because sometimes I have been sleeping a lot more than usual - although, in saying that, longer sleep can mean better recovery, just not with me, and anything over ~6 hours of sleep has a detrimental effect on my overall performance and function.

Lean Muscle Mass Gains: N/A. I have actually been working on fat loss, not recomping as usual, or even gaining muscle mass. The first week that I used RecoverPRO, I gained 1% bodyfat, and the second week using RecoverPRO, I lost ~1.2% bodyfat, so there was no real overall change in lean muscle mass, maintaining what I have.

Overall: 10/10. The fact that BCAAs are a STAPLE product for me, and the Red Raspberry is the BEST flavour of ANY product I have ever used say everything

Would I use again? Absolutely! BCAAs are a STAPLE product in my supplement arsenal!

Would I recommend? Without hesitation. Red Raspberry RecoverPRO had become my #1 BCAAs product.

Initial Impressions of AI Sports Nutrition's RecoverPRO (Red Raspberry flavour)

What is it?



* Faster Recovery and Lean Muscle Gains
* Unique 4:1:1 BCAA Ratio

For more information on the product, please review AI Sports Nutrition :: RecoverPRO.


Smell: 7/10. Smells like raspberries, but with a hint of something else almost artificial, like the smell/taste of a raspberry flavoured ice-cream, if that makes any sense.

Taste: 10/10. Definitely tastes a lot better than it smells! Like red raspberries. There was also a hint of sweet tartness in there, like I get when eating real raspberries. Until now, Organic VitaBerry > GreenMAG > Green Apple Assault were my favourite flavours re products, but now I have a new #1 flavour of any product!

Solubility: 10/10. On shaking there was no trace of the powder and no clumps or excess was left in the water or on the bottom of the shaker - although bubbles and froth were left on top of the liquid, rapidly dissolving.

Texture: 10/10. Like fruit juice diluted with water.

BCAAs are a STAPLE product in my supplement arsenal, so going to enjoy the time I have on this tub of RecoverPRO

Day 31: Recovery Day

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Past is past, you need to pay attention to your present because your future depends on it." - Darrell Hamby


MUSIC VIDEO OF THE DAY

Janus - Say It




TRAINING

This week's day OFF - going to focus my attention on WORK today.

This week is going to be like last week, starting the "Training" week on Tuesday.


COMMENTS

Sleep - Time and Quality: Another ~8 hours. Interesting.

Mood/Aggression: Calm and collected.

Energy: Lots of nervous energy that I might take out later with something (not sure what yet) - would be a good day for training, actually . . .

Mental Focus and Clarity: Today is all about work.

Stress: Working through things helps take my mind off this.

Libido: Attention elsewhere today - maybe later.

Joints: The reason I allowed myself to make today my day off this week is because my right wrist is in constant sharp pain (usually I only feel this pain when I am lifting heavy and pushing myself more than I should) - let it recover a little before Shoulders tomorrow (since Shoulders' day takes the biggest toll on my wrists).

Recovery: Aside from my wrists, I feel fully rested.

Other Notes: Since the Cranberry Splash flavoured Maximum Absorbed Protein did not cause any unpleasant effects for me re stomach yesterday, I decided to use the Tropical Mango flavour instead of my BC+EAA this morning. It had a strong mango taste (using REAL [freeze-dried] fruit makes a HUGE difference re flavour), and was light like BCAAs re texture as the Cranberry Splash was. Definitely liking Maximum Absorbed Protein, especially since I do not experience any unpleasantness like I do with other protein powders, and when I run out of BC+EAA, I will replace them with Maximum Absorbed Protein . . . Shred Matrix arrived later today. SO happy to have that back again (as happy as I was to see Erase!) Going to be GOOD times! . . .

Competition Notes: I am going to wait until I am back below 10% bodyfat before starting posing practice.


FIT TIP OF THE DAY

If you're just starting out training, then you do not need any supplements but the Basic Staples (creatine, multivitamin/antioxidant, good fats, protein, and BCAAs). Until you have built up a solid training base, you don't need anything else - NUTRITION AND TRAINING are what are going to get you results!

[Mini] Review of Primordial Performance's Maximum Absorbed Protein (Cranberry Splash flavour)

There are tubs of Maximum Absorbed Protein in our cupboards, and all the flavours have been, are, or gone (and yes, I've opened and smelt every one of them) I've held back from using Maximum Absorbed Protein because the reason I STOPPED using protein powder was that my stomach did not reacted well to ANY that I used, even if it is only a one-off, random scoop since early 2010 (and I have actually NOT used protein powder consistently in quite some time, using MuscleGel Shots as my exclusive source of supplemented protein for the last few months). Anyways, the feedback on Maximum Absorbed Protein has been so positive and good that I figured why not try just a scoop and see how it goes (I can put up with being uncomfortable for a day if it upsets my stomach). So I used a scoop . . .


What is it?



* Improves strength and recovery better than standard protein
* 2-3 times more effective than whey or casein protein
* No artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors
* No lactose. No bloating. No cramping.

For more information, review Primordial Performance - Maximum Absorbed Protein.


Formula: 10/10. Maximum Absorbed Protein is a perfect formula for someone like me, as it contains NO lactose, and little carbohydrates/sugars (I don't like to have carbohydrates in my protein, and if it has them, I prefer them to be complex). Maximum Absorbed Protein also contains an amino acid complex, which allows it to "double" as both a protein and BCAAs product. The fact that it contains actual FRUIT and not artificial flavours, sweeteners, and flavours is also a huge PLUS

Smell: 9/10. Smells like cranberries (I like cranberries)

Taste: 9/10. Cranberry Splash flavoured Maximum Absorbed Protein has a sharp, tart taste - true to eating fresh cranberries, and this tartness lingers at least a good 90 minutes post-use. I personally like cranberries and their tart taste - which was the primary reason I decided to try the Maximum Absorbed Protein in the first place.

Mixability: 10/10. On shaking there was no trace of the powder and no clumps or excess was left in the water or on the bottom of the shaker.

Texture: 10/10. Maximum Absorbed Protein has a very light texture, not like the heaviness of protein powder - in fact, it was just like shaking up and having BC+EAA, and I didn't feel like I was having protein powder at all, but rather something akin to a preworkout product or BCAAs formula (which it technically is, though).

Strength: N/A. After only one serving, this is not applicable. Not only that, but it was on a day where I did not perform resistance training. For noticeable effects in strength, a longer period of time would be needed to assess this, and even then, training goals and routines, as well as nutrition and other supplements used would affect this, so I would not be able to say whether it made a difference to my strength.

Recovery: N/A. I used the Maximum Absorbed Protein after a training session and was fine. I will not know until later in the day - or even tomorrow or a few days - how my recovery really was. Add to that the fact that I am already using products that help enhance my recovery, any recovery benefits will be a combination of everything.

Other Effects: 10/10. Surprisingly, I did not experience any tummy upsets, bloating, air, or cramping afterwards - as I did with every other protein powder before I stopped using them altogether. The only "other effect" it has was causing me to feel slightly cold inside for a bit and a warming in my face - which is an effect I get when I consume tart things, fruit especially (and actually has similar effects on me as eating cranberries does, which is not surprising since it contains freeze-dried cranberries).

Overall: 9.7/10. Based on my experience with Maximum Absorbed Protein, and the fact that it doubles as a BCAAs product, and uses real fruit for sweetness and taste makes it very favourable in my opinion. In fact, as far as formula (re fitting my personal goals and needs), effects (no bloating, etc.), and flavour (especially flavour), Maximum Absorbed Protein is my #1 protein powder (and yes, this IS a call one can make after ONE serving of a protein powder), and I may even consider adding it in with MuscleGel Shots re supplemented protein.

Would I use again? If I used protein powder, then yes, I would. If I did not have any more MuscleGel Shots and was concurrently out of BC+EAA, I would use Maximum Absorbed Protein then - this says a lot, because I will not use any OTHER protein powder, period, even the ones that used to be my top and favourite protein powders. I may even consider adding it in with MuscleGel Shots re supplemented protein and replace my BC+EAA with this - get both benefits in one.

Would I recommend? Yes. Maximum Absorbed Protein has a solid ingredient profile. Feedback on the product is solid. Flavour tastes great. It can be used pre, intra, and post-training (intra and post re recovery effects), so an all-round product.

Review of Muscle Pharm's MuscleGel Shots (Tropical Mango flavour)

I've wanted to try MuscleGel Shots since I first heard about them, and after buying a box, it's time to give my thoughts . . .


What is it?



* Build lean muscle
* Fuel fat loss
* Recover faster
* Fast, convenient, and complete

For the product write-up, please see Muscle Pharm FitGel Series - MuscleGel Shots.


Formula: 10/10. 22g of protein, no sugar, and no fat makes MuscleGel Shots perfect for my wants and needs. As with all of their products, Muscle Pharm has delivered another awesome formula with their MuscleGel Shots.

Smell: 8/10. On opening the MuscleGel Shot, you can't actually smell it unless you put your nose right up to it. Faint smell of mangoes.

Taste: 7/10. I have the Tropical Mango flavour. Initial taste is like a burst of fruit in your mouth, and it's not until you've had it in your mouth for a little that the mango flavour really comes through.

Texture: 10/10. Smooth and silky and slides down your throat. Looking at the gel actually reminds me of a roll-up.

Convenience: 10/10. You don't have to mix it with water. You don't have to use a huge shaker. You don't have to inconveniently lug around tubs and shakers, or bags with powder in, to make sure you get your protein when you want it. MuscleGel Shots fit anywhere and can be taken whenever and wherever you want, gone as quickly or as slowly as you desire.

Body Composition: N/A. MuscleGel Shots would not be directly responsible for any changes in body composition, but they could make fat loss or muscle gains more convenient and ensure that nutritional requirements for both are met.

Recovery: N/A. Definitely a fast and convenient product for use immediately following training, allowing for a kickstart on recovery.

Overall: 9/10. Although, MuscleGel Shots are slightly pricier than protein powder, for the ease and convenience of the product and the fact that protein powder now upsets my stomach, alongside BCAAs, they are my chosen source for protein.

Would I use again? Yes. I want to try different flavours as well.

Would I recommend? Yes.