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Whey Protein Isolate products are a dime a dozen these days. It feels like a day doesn’t go by without a new company popping its head up and toting their product as the be all and end all of post workout nutrition. PVL are a somewhat specialised supplement company of which not too many people seem to be aware of. Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as PVL seem to be a company with a target audience most of which seem to rate their products highly. PVL Hydroflow XP3 is one of PVL’s WPI offerings which we will be looking at today. So let’s see if this baby cuts the mustard!

Ease of Mixing – 4/5

No dramas here, however it’s not exactly rocket science these days. Any supplement company worth looking sideways at today has this method down pat. So PVL have earned a feather in their cap here even if’s only a small one. 10-15 seconds in a shaker bottle w/water or non-fat milk produced a fine finish, clump and lump free.

Taste – 4/5

It seems every supplement I am intended to ingest essentially screams at me “Best Taste Around!”; and Hydroflow XP3 is no different stating “It is the first 100% whey isolate powder to actually taste not just good; but GREAT!”.

Fair enough I’ll bite PVL, but I wouldn’t say the chocolate flavour tastes great, I mean it doesn’t bring back memories of biting into a Mars bar. It does however taste highly ‘chocolately’ (forgive my English), there’s no sense of drinking water with some chocolate sprinkled on top, which many a chocolate protein powder seem to be; big plus there.

Effectiveness – 4/5

I have been testing Hydroflow XP3 in my pre and post workout shakes for the last week. Now my usual pre/post workout nutrition is:

Pre-Workout:
• 40g WPI
• 50g Waxy Maize

Post-Workout:
• 40g WPI
• 50g Waxy Maize
• 3g Creatine Monohydrate

Since using the Hydroflow XP3 in replacement to my normal WPI; I’ve noticed a reduction in DOMS (Delayed onset of muscle soreness) in addition to less bloating and gas during workouts. This is especially important on leg day! Even these small benefits have made me consider switching to Hydroflow XP3 to use as my main WPI.

Nutritional Analysis – 4/5

Unfortunately I cannot seem to pull up an amino acid content profile on Hydroflow XP3 no matter how hard I attack Google, in addition to this the company’s website is getting a major overhaul so no luck on that front.
What I can say is according to PVL’s claims on the product packaging; Hydroflow XP3’s amino acid profile is made up of approx. 48% BCAA’s (branch chain amino acids). This is an important fact to note as leucine, isoleucine and valine are believed to be the first amino acids to be used for energy during exercise, hence it makes sense to replace these amino acids as soon as possible post workout.

Value for Money – 3.5/5

Not-cheap, but not quite expensive is how I would describe Hydroflow XP3’s bang for buck. You will receive 107 (28g) servings in the 3kg tub, so you’re getting quite a lot for your money.

Overall Conclusion – 4/5

I rarely put my recommendation of a supplement in writing (as it can come back to bite you at a later date); however I have to say I’m sold on PVL Hydroflow XP3; its taste, effectiveness and pricing all seem to be on the money for me. So if you are looking to purchase a WPI that isn’t the same old stuff you’re used to using, I implore you to give it a red hot go.

You can purchase PVL Hydroflow XP3 from our supplement store!

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As a trainer, I see this situation occur time and time again. Holidays (or any real interruption to your day-to-day routine) are often the enemy of weight loss. After all, when you’re away from your typical environment, it’s difficult to stick to a regimen. Convenience foods (most of which aren’t the healthiest choices) are often chosen preferentially, because it’s just easier.

Though obvious, it’s important to understand and first-handedly appreciate that your body does not take a break from weight fluctuations just because you’re away. Possibly the most common form of rationalisation is something along the lines of “I’ll get back on my healthy diet when I get home”. But there is one major flaw in this approach:

Once you get back home and realise all the weight you have gained, you’re likely going to feel extremely discouraged and demotivated!

Plus, you’re going to be completely out of the routine that you worked so hard to get into. I have seen this happen time and time (and time) again – it is probably the worst thing you could do, that will negatively impact your long-term weight loss results.

I completely understand the desire to take a break from weight loss when you’re going away. After all, it’s a holiday and you’ve earned the right to completely relax. Alternatively, it may be a business trip and you’re too busy to worry about yourself due to a busy schedule.

But what about the bigger picture  – the reason driving you to achieve this weight loss? Whatever your motivation (self-esteem, body image, confidence, health, happiness etc.), are you going to allow this temporary interruption jepordise what you’ve always wanted out of life?

Weight loss is all about consistency. You need to consistently apply yourself with good nutrition and exercise for optimal results. Consistency helps to develop a routine. After a suitable period of time, exhibiting consistent behavior that is a necessarily function of a lighter bodyweight will become second nature. This is the goal with healthy lifestyle habits – to become second nature – just like brushing your teeth in the morning, or buckling up your seat belt when you get in the car. After all, you don’t take a break from these habits when you’re away, do you?

It cannot be stressed enough – taking a break from eating in a healthy manner is not a good idea because it interrupts this very important pattern. A trip may be a tempting short-term reason to deviate from your weight loss efforts – but is it worth the long-term expense?

But is dieting when you’re on holidays to lose weight realistic?

Having read through this article, you may be thinking how unrealistic this approach is. Am I completely out of my mind? Who in the world would want to stick to a strict diet if you are away on a holiday? You’re on holidays – so you’ve earned the right to sip on a few cocktails, put your feet up and indulge in a meal or two.

You know what – you are exactly right. If you’re planning on a trip and your current diet would ruin your entire experience, I whole-heartedly agree. However if this is the case, then you have one major problem – the diet itself.

I highly recommend that you read through the other articles pertaining to nutrition and mindset within this website. If you’re dieting and drawing upon excessive amounts of willpower to get you through the day, then you’re setting yourself up for failure. No wonder you need a holiday!

This approach to weight loss is clearly unsustainable – willpower can only stretch so far. Although rapid weight loss in the short-term may be tempting, it is not a long-term solution. So you will need to consider a more realistic approach to your nutritional requirements. If your nutrition is going to become second nature like brushing your teeth, or buckling up your seat belt, then it has to be as realistic as either of those two tasks. Losing weight does not have to be a chore – so long as you maintain a healthy balance in your diet, you can lose weight (while still having the occasional indulgence!).

The key take-home message is that nothing should interrupt your weight loss endeavours. Although a holiday may be a tempting excuse for a break, remind yourself that losing weight is a lifestyle and something that must be committed to in the long-term.

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Pre-Workout supplements, Nitric Oxide boosters, Workout amplifiers, Energy enhancers; whatever you refer to them as, they’re all essentially the same product consisting of a concoction of ingredients all of which you will have a hard time determining quantities of. Welcome to the wonderful world of new age supplementation; as these products will attempt to lure you into their outlandish claims of increased vascularity, strength, energy, etc. So do they deliver in their claims, or is your money better spent on a fillet mignon and baked potato? Today we will check out one of Dymatize Nutrition’s nitric oxide products “Energized Xpand”, and attempt to answer that question.

Ease of Mixing – 5/5

No problems here just make sure you mix this stuff in a cup with a spoon and not in a shaker bottle because if you choose the latter chances are you’ll end up with about $5 of N.O supplement all over you and your clothes. This stuff reacts like you would expect a shaken up can of Coke would. Consider yourself warned.

Taste 3/5

I tested the Grape flavour and all things considered the taste isn’t too bad for a N.O supplement, quite artificial but definitely not bad. The one thing to remember when mixing N.O supplements is to always use more water than the container recommends, as in my experience the flavour is always a little too intense.

Effectiveness 3/5

Effectiveness of a N.O product can be hugely dependant on the person; I know the first time I took one I experienced heart arrhythmia which scared me off them after that initial use.

I have long since learnt that it was due to the Caffeine in the product. Now there are non-caffeinated N.O products available but for today we will focus on the regular highly caffeinated products. For the purest N.O product results it’s recommended you consume your serve (or 2) on an empty stomach. Note: some users have been known to experience laxative type effects, stomach cramping and or the jitters using this technique, so if you are prone to these types of conditions assess your tolerance at a safer time before you go to the gym; as there’s nothing worse than being deep in the hole during a squat session only to have your back end fail you.

I decided to dose the product as recommended and found I did experience some of the laxative effects, nothing major however. I also noticed a jittery feeling as the session went on, which I really didn’t like. This feeling is generally due to the caffeine hit your body experiences from the product. Thus I use these products only on days when I’m really tired and need that extra kick to get going on a lift day.

Nutritional Analysis 4/5

Much like most major N.O products, “Energized Xpand” appears to be a solid supporter of the “more ingredients is better” approach. It’s no Muscletech NaNO Vapour, but the list is still rather bloated.
In addition due to all the patents supplement companies have on their products you never know what amounts of each ingredient you’re consuming. For e.g. “Creatine Ester Fusion”, “Arginine Fusion”, “Glutamine Fusion”, “Xpansion Matrix” and “Energized Matrix”. Basically what they above jargon means is that “Energized Xpand” contains a selection of creatine sources, glutamine sources, arginine sources, citrulline and caffeine; pretty much stock standard stuff for a N.O product.

Value for Money 4/5

As N.O products have become more main stream, their price have inevitably dropped; the same rings true for “Energized Xpand” as the 40 serve container I purchased set me back slightly less than that of the BSN and Muscletech N.O variants. Thus there is definitely value to be found in this product.

Overall Conclusion 3/5

Overall Dymatize’s N.O offering “Energized Xpand” fits right into the target market without any major plus’s or negatives. It’s a solid offering, well priced and doesn’t have any ingredients in it that make you think “why is that there?”

I’m personally not a major fan of N.O products as I think too many inexperienced lifters see the containers and think these things will morph them into a Ronnie Coleman lookalike. Let me tell you this… they won’t, you are better off eating a solid meal before you hit the weights, as it will treat you better in both mind and body. In addition you probably won’t be making a not so smooth dash to the toilet after ingestion either.

These products do have their place mind you, I personally feel that they can get you through a workout if you are feeling really sluggish or are running short on time and cannot fit in a proper meal beforehand. So if you’re thinking of shelling out some cash for some N.O supplements, remember they can aid you in your goals but they aren’t going to replace hard work and proper diet.

You can buy the new version of Energized Xpand – Dymatize Xpand Xtreme Pump from our store!

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Let’s begin with a run-down of how a typical weight loss programme with a refeed day is structured. As is well supported by scientific evidence, weight loss occurs when your body is placed within a caloric deficit (consuming less calories than what you expend). The concept of the refeed programme is to place your body in a calorie deficit for approximately three days straight, then into a calorie overload (eating more than what you expend) for one day, then repeat.

The rationale behind this approach is straight forward on the surface. In essence, the “refeed day” acts as a tool to buffer against your body becoming “used to” the caloric deficit. So in a similar manner to your exercise programme needing to be updated regularly to avoid a plateau, so should your diet. Further, the refeed day is full of carbohydrate and fat. The carbs will assist in replenishing lost glycogen stores (from the “diet” days), while the additional fats will also promote a healthy hormonal balance to enhance muscle development and fat oxidation.

I obtained this information from a number of sources. One was a PDF that was written by a fitness professional (forwarded to me by my client who was querying this approach). The other sources were all located in a Google search.

Having a background in science, I am quite sceptical of a new approach by nature. That’s just how scientists are trained, for the scientific method requires deep analysis and scrutinising of experiments and results. So I decided to delve deeper and research the only reliable sources of information that could shed some light on this topic – respected scientific literature. So onto Google Scholar I ventured and then through some scientific databases to unveil the research behind this refeeding approach to dieting.

Something interesting occurred within this research. After some comprehensive searching, I found that there was absolutely no research on the topic that I came across. There was not one study which compared the effectiveness of a “refeed dietary programme” versus a consistent calorie deficit, with respect to fat loss and/or muscle gain.

There is always the possibility that I did miss something, so I contacted a very highly respected leader in the industry – Dr Len Kravitz, a leading researcher at the University of New Mexico, of whom I have seen present a number of times in Sydney. After querying him on the topic to see if he could point me in the right direction, he confirmed that there is no research on this area of weight loss.

So based on the lack of any research, it is safe to assume that all of these refeeding days for weight loss diets are completely unsubstantiated. While they may sound great in theory, they have never been tested and compared in an objective and controlled manner to the well accepted “calorie deficit” approach.

There may be some compelling arguments for the refeed day, though these seem to be purely based on assumptions by linking together bits and pieces of otherwise completely unrelated scientific facts. In a sense, this is just like saying that while beef, ice cream, salmon and pea’s may all taste good in isolation, the combination of the individual products do not necessarily produce the expected result. (Oh and no, I haven’t tried these ingredients together!)

Now that’s not to say that a refeeding approach will not work. The point I am making here is that a refeeding diet is not backed by any scientific research. Therefore we cannot draw any accurate conclusions as to the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of such an approach to weight loss. If you come across a website purporting that a refeeding diet is necessarily the most effective way to lose weight, please request the source of this information, for there are likely to be two possibilities:

1. Some research has been overlooked within this article (in which case I would love to review this)
2. The directions on the website have been written blindly based on inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims

Always be careful when you conduct your research.

Even if a refeed approach was shown to be effective, from my professional experience, I do feel that typically a refeeding approach to weight loss would be quite ineffective in the long-term. Most people struggle with consistency with nutrition, so by varying up the nutrition every few days, this would make it much more difficult to develop a healthier eating routine. This of course is a very general statement and individuals would vary greatly.

On a final note, while I am certainly not convinced of any physiological benefits of a refeeding day, this is not to say that there are no psychological benefits associated with such an approach. Dr Kravitz identified this as an important point within his reply which I do strongly believe is a valuable take-home point. If you are at the point where you have been “stuck” with your weight loss endeavours, why not try something new? The mind is a powerful tool, and just the very nature of changing something up could act as a catalyst for change. Weight loss is all about consistency and staying motivated toward your goals. Something as simple as this may just do the job in turning you optimistic once again with your weight loss endeavours.

My thanks to Dr Kravitz for his assistance on this topic.

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“Syntrax, I’ve never heard of them”. Sound familiar? Well this is the reply I got from a few gym rats I spoke to at my local the other day when I was enquiring about the company. Syntrax by all counts appear to be predominately aiming directly at the mainstream consumer or weekend warrior crowd, so if you’re a bodybuilder that’s probably why you haven’t heard much goss around these guys. On the other hand, if you’ve flicked through any one of the hundreds of fitness mags at your local news stand lately, you’ve no doubt seen an add or two from Syntrax. “Nectar” is Syntrax’s flagship Whey Protein Isolate product, and from what I’ve noticed it seems to be in a huge percentage of shaker bottles in my gym. So is it worth a look? Let’s find out.

Ease of Mixing – 3/5

With my trusty shaker bottle in hand, I tossed a single 30g serve into 300mls of tap water and shook that bad boy like a mad man for about 10 seconds. Results? Hmmm definitely no solids or chunks left in the shaker, but I noticed a good 10cm of foam resting on top of the mixed solution. In pub terms this baby had way to much head on her.

Now I tend to give my shakes a good thrashing, but I’ve never experienced something like this. I even left the shake on my desk for 10 mins to settle whilst I went to discuss some work with a colleague. Upon my return I noticed only a slight reduction in foam; hence I was forced to drink a foamy shake, not a good experience.

Taste 3.5/5

“Best Tasting Protein On The Market” is the direct quote I’ve pulled from the containers label. A big call considering BSN have also made this claim, and to be honest after trying their “True Mass” it’s going to be an uphill battle for Syntrax.

My test flavour turned out to be the interestingly dubbed “Fuzzy Nazel”. It’s a peach/orange flavour of which I have never seen the like. I applaud Syntrax for their ingenuity and out of the box thinking in this regard, as I’m sure I’m not the only fitness freak who’s tired of the old Choc, Vanilla, Strawberry concoctions on the market today.

This being said, the taste isn’t going to blow you away. However I can honestly state I’d rather drink a flavour like this after a gruelling workout than my usual chocolate shake. It feels a little softer on the stomach, which is always a good thing.

Effectiveness 4/5

Any time I recommend supplements, I only do so on the pre-condition that the trainer is following a correct diet. No change today I’m afraid. So Eat healthy, exercise correctly and supplement only after these two are in check.

Nutritional Analysis 4/5

“Nectar” is a WPI supplement of which the benefits are:

• Whey Protein Isolate
  • Faster absorption rate compared to WPC
  • Perfect for post workout usage
  • Cleaner nutrient profile for dieting (i.e. almost no carbs and fat)
  • Syntrax doesn’t note how the WPI is derived.

“Nectar” is a pure WPI supplement with zero fat and carbs; hence it’s perfect for the trainer who’s dieting or watching their fat and/or carbohydrate intake. This means it’s also perfect for anybody following a ketogenic diet.

Value for Money 3/5

It’s not cheap I’m afraid to say, there are many cheaper WPI supplements on the market all of which can essentially do the same thing as “Syntrax Nectar”. That being said it’s not overpriced for the quality of the product.

Overall Conclusion 3/5

“Syntrax” is opening new doors with its WPI product “Nectar”. It’s also going to be a god-send for trainers who are sick and tired of the run of the mill protein flavours provided by the bulk of the competition. So if you’re looking to try a completely different flavour and WPI experience, I urge you to give “Syntrax Nectar” a shot, who knows they may have just begun to set a trend.

Looking to buy a top quality protein powder? Check out the protein powders in our supplement store!

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