Introduction
BCAA products, there has been a lot of talk surrounding these products of late but is the gossip true? Or are you better off spending your money on some decent protein powder and bulk creatine monohydrate. Well Scivation have released what they believe to be the ideal BCAA formula dubbed “Xtend”, and it may just be the complementary product you’re been looking for to complete your supplement arsenal. So before I finish my morning power shake, let’s get to it.
Ease of Mixing – 4/5
This unfortunately depends on the mixing technique used. Word of warning, use a shaker bottle and not a cup as the later seems to severely hamper how well the Xtend mixes with water. This being said, I have found Xtend’s ability to mix with water clearly superior to any other free form BCAA product on the market. Gone are the days of choking down water with a chalky residue on top and performing the BCAA equivalent of the Milo cough afterwards.
Taste 4/5
This comes down to personal preference, that being said I’ve tried the Watermelon, Lemonade, Grape and Apple flavours, and rate them as such:
- Grape – It tastes fantastic! Definitely reminds me of good old grape flavoured hubba bubba chewing gum.
- Apple - Sweet with a hint of granny smith apple bitterness at the tail end.
- Watermelon – Definitely designed to taste like Dr.Pepper, but surprisingly refreshing.
- Lemonade – Too bitter for my taste, I was expecting something more like Kirks Lemonade, but ended up with Lemon Squash.
Effectiveness 5/5
Recovery, recovery, recovery people; the quicker all you potential gym junkies learn this, the quicker you will be on the road to gains. Xtend is fantastic at speeding recovery; I have been using it for the past year and have reduced my DOMS (Delayed onset of muscle soreness) tenfold. Depending on the method used for dosage, and the thickness of your wallet Xtend can truly become one of your “staple” supplements as it’s really as good as the ads say.
Nutritional Analysis 4/5
Now onto a somewhat brief overview of the scientific base behind the components that make up Scivation Xtend, it contains:
- 2-1-1 ratio of:
- L-Leucine – an essential amino acid and is considered to be the strongest and most important BCAA for inducing anabolism because of its involvement in stimulating the signal for protein synthesis in skeletal muscle. Also produces a spike in plasma leucine levels further activating anabolic pathways in the body.
- L-Isoleucine – an essential amino acid that is primarily used to help improve endurance, speed up/aid healing and repair of muscle tissue, as well as stimulate clotting at the site of injury (i.e. muscle tears created during resistance training).
- L-Valine – an essential amino acid that is required for the smooth functioning of the central nervous system and the brain. Valine is also paramount for maintaining proper muscle function and immune system regulation.
- BCAA’s are great in supplement form because they do not require the liver to be metabolised, they are directly metabolised by the muscles themselves. Thus getting the good stuff where you want it quicker!
- Citrulline Malate (CM) – aids in prevention of lactic acid build up during muscle stress (i.e. the burn you feel late in a set), this aids in boosting reps per set able to be performed. In addition CM can actively reduce muscle soreness post workout (DOMS).
- Vitamin B6 – if dosage level is sufficient, B6 has been shown to increase growth hormone levels. It is also a necessary vitamin for protein metabolism.
Value for Money 3/5
Quite affordable dependant on personal usage and size of container purchased. I would recommend if you can afford it to purchase the large container (approx 90 serves), as this will save you a truck load of cash if the supplement is used on a regular basis.
Overall Conclusion 4/5
Scivation Xtend is a BCAA product that is best used in at least one of the following ways:
- Between Meals – keeping plasma levels high between meals thus reducing catabolism (i.e. muscle breakdown).
- Intra Workout – a very popular way to dose Xtend, as using the product this way can limit the amount of muscular damage experienced during resistance training. There is also a belief that dosing with BCAA during a workout can actively turn a workout which is catabolic by nature; into a neutral or anabolic experience due to the increased blood flow further speeding up the BCAA transport to the muscles.
- Post Workout – can be used as an addition to your post workout shake to provide an even quicker uptake of amino acids to the muscle cells thus helping you recover faster.
You can buy Scivation Xtend from our supplement store!
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