Product Ingredients
Hey guys thanks for visiting our Ingredients page. Here we'll have our lead trainer and expert on all things fitness explain why our products will make you better and why they're worth your time and effort. This list will increase as we come out with more products so stay tuned and visit this section often. Stay intelligent, stay educated, stay vigilant.
Citrulline Malate 2:1: In short this amino acid delays the onset of fatigue during workouts and aids in giving you an increased “pump” or blood flow to the muscles. Good news and essential for athletes with varying goals from getting shredded, putting on muscle mass or increasing your strength. Breaking this compound down, citrulline is produced in the body during the urea cycle which is responsible for disposing of nitrogen waste in the body. Supplementing with citrulline increases the urea cycle, effectively disposing of ammonia, which leads to fatigue by lowering the pH in muscle cells. Citrulline is also produced by the body when another amino acid, arginine, is converted to nitric oxide. What this means for you is an increase in nitric oxide production or more blood flow to the muscles allowing them to work longer and increase the pump the the muscle (vasodilation). Malate or Malic Acid helps boost energy levels by its use in the Krebs cycle, a process that produces ATP, the energy source for intensely working muscles. If there isn't an adequate supply of malic acid in the body, the Krebs cycle can't function properly, leading to fatigue.
Beta-Alanine: Let’s start off by calming any concerns about the “tingling” sensation many have experienced; this effect, called paresthesia, is a product of beta-alanine use. Besides making your face feel as though needles are piercing its skin, beta-alanine is essential for offsetting fatigue in the muscles. Beta-alanine is delivered to the muscles by beta-alanine and taurine transporters and there it binds with the essential amino acid L-histidine to form carnosine. Carnosine is a potent antioxidant and is one of the first ways the muscle rids itself of hydrogen ions. An increase in hydrogen ions lowers the pH in muscle cells and as we learned earlier this produces fatigue in the muscle.
Taurine: This is another amino acid which is studies suggest not only supports you physiologically during a workout, but also is great for your overall health. Taurine is an important component in the formation of bile acids which are responsible for absorbing fats. Supplementing with taurine could then lead to higher rates of fat metabolism, thus decreasing your body fat and increasing your lean muscle mass. Taurine has also been shown to play a role in muscle recovery. It acts similarly to creatine by hydrating the muscle cell. This influx of water to a muscle cell repairs the muscle faster, resulting in faster gains and with that added water volume, increases the fullness and size of the muscles. Taurine also helps clear the muscles of lactic acid build up, increasing the longevity of intense workouts.
N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine (NALT): NALT is the amino acid L-Tyrosine with an attached acetyl group to improve its absorption, increases the amount of time it is in the bloodstream and makes the amino acid more easily available in the body once it is processed in the kidneys. In short, tyrosine improves functions in the brain relates to alertness, attention and focus. Tyrosine is a main building block for many neurotransmitters in the brain. The result is an increase in the neurotransmitters epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine; these chemicals are used by the neurons to communicate with one another and generate electric signals through the neurons. One of the potential benefits of NALT, because of the increased neurotransmitters, is the reduction of stress. This not only includes the daily mental stressors you may encounter during the day, but also fatigue and prolonged work. This means you may be able to maintain a higher cognitive ability during an intense workout.
Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate (AAKG): AAKG contains the essential amino acid L-arginine. This is a vasodilator, increasing nitric oxide production, and assists in ridding the body of ammonia and other harmful substances in the liver, disposed of during the urea cycle (see citrulline malate for a review on the benefits of these processes). Some clinical research also shows that AAKG is a catalyst for protein synthesis.
Agmatine Sulfate: Agmatine sulfate is the resulting compound of L-arginine and it is stored within the neurons of the brain and subsequently released when those neurons are activated. Due to how it is broken down and stored, it acts much differently than just supplementing solely with L-arginine. Agmatine sulfate gives you the mental edge and focus of arginine but in more potent levels. It also acts as an antioxidant, removing free radicals and toxins from the body. Agmatine sulfate also improves the insulin response of the body as well as regulating nitric oxide levels. These may lead to increased nutrient uptake in the muscles, resulting in leaner, harder and more overall skeletal muscle.
L-Norvaline: This is a form of the amino acid valine. L-norvaline is another nitric oxide producer for the body. We are not crazy for adding yet another nitric oxide producer in our product. Let me explain how norvaline works differently. As we learned earlier, as we have increased amounts of arginine in our blood, nitric oxide production increases. Well our body, with its amazing homeostasis abilities, will start to counteract that process, like it does with any process in the body to stop toxic levels of production. In this case, the body send out arginase, an enzyme that inhibits arginine, thus limiting nitric oxide production. This is where L-norvaline comes in, inhibiting the enzyme arginase and allowing you to maintain your muscle pump through the entirety of your workout.
Caffeine: This is probably the most common ingredient in most pre-workout supplements as far as people recognizing it on the ingredients list and one of the most popular stimulants. Caffeine increases your focus, alertness, and can even increase your pain tolerance. Caffeine does the majority of its work in the central nervous system which for you, leads to better muscle recruitment during lifts, delaying muscle failure and perception of muscle fatigue as well as mental fatigue. An important couple of notes: though there are many advantages to supplementing with caffeine it is a diuretic, meaning hydrate while taking it. Extremely high levels can hinder your athletic performance and produce uncomfortable side effects such as headaches, anxiety, and cravings. Also depending on how quickly your body metabolizes caffeine, everyone is different, and depending on the time in which you consume it, you may find yourself having trouble sleeping.
Niacin: Also known as one of the vitamin B complexes, vitamin B3, helps with energy production and maintaining the nervous system. Like all of the vitamin Bs, niacin converts food into glucose which is the fuel we burn to produce energy. Niacin also helps metabolize fats and protein, aiding us in achieving our athletic goals like burning fat and gaining lean muscle mass. For a more overall wellness benefit, niacin is responsible for lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and raising HDL (good) cholesterol. Niacin may also be responsible for the red, flushed skin some may get after consuming it. Fear not, this is nothing to worry about and if it is too uncomfortable, wean yourself on to it by reducing your scoop size.
Creatine Monohydrate: There always seems to be a lot of debate surrounding creatine. Creatine is the most studied ergogenic aid in the supplement industry and has been proven to work quite well. Creatine essentially works by hydrating the muscle cell, which increases protein synthesis; it help the muscle recover faster. It also is a major player in supplying the muscles with adenosine triphosphate (ATP). If your muscles can replace the utilized ATP during intense bouts of exercise more rapidly because of increased creatine levels, this will allow you to continue an intense, heavy set of weights for a couple more repetitions, facilitating quick, lean muscle growth.
Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs): BCAAs consist of three ingredients. These essential amino acid ingredients are Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine. We'll list them all together because besides Leucine, they all function very similarly. They make up 40% of the daily requirement for essential amino acids and because they make up such a large amount of that requirement they can be used to offset fatigue and catabolism as well. Catabolism is the process through which our bodies gain energy by breaking down muscle mass. Taking BCAAs can delay this effect for short periods of time. This makes them a vital part of any fasted cardio regimen. Besides muscle-sparing properties, BCAAs also have muscle-building properties. Combining BCAAs and weight lifting will boost the body's muscle-building ability by triggering the mTOR Complex 1 signaling pathway. This signaling pathway is a protein synthesis controller. As protein synthesis increases, so does muscle-building potential.Besides the combined effects of BCAAs, Leucine has additional effects that are specific to this essential amino acid. It is typically dosed the highest of the amino acids because of its singular properties. Leucine can inhibit tryptophan uptake into the brain which will reduce tiredness. This effect is subtle but can make the difference between getting an ineffective or effective workout. Leucine can increase strength gains by strengthening neuromuscular connections and at the same time reducing the amount of time required to repair muscle in between workouts. The last thing we'll talk about is a recurring theme with many supplements and that's ATP synthesis. Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine can all be used to maintain ATP synthesis and keep this vital energy source in abundance for your muscles to use. This will keep you fueled and ready for your next set.
Glutamine: Like many supplements, Glutamine is an amino acid, a building block of muscle. Glutamine helps with immune system health, intestinal health, and most importantly, has positive effects on recovery time and fatigue. In situations when you're sick or injured from overexertion or just a sports-related strain, glutamine will support your body and reduce healing times, which is vital in getting you back in the gym. Most people can consume enough glutamine in their diet for normal activity, but athletes need to supplement this amino acid. It's a conditionally-essential amino acid, meaning our body can't produce it from other compounds, we have to ingest it through food or supplements. Its effects have been studied well enough to prove an active positive difference in people recovering from hospital stays, burns, or surgeries.
HMB: HMB, or beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate, is a metabolite of the amino acid leucine. Leucine has been proven over and over to be the most beneficial amino acid for muscle growth. It exists in large quantities in human muscle and has drastic effects on protein synthesis and overall skeletal muscle production. Leucine is one of the three branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). When analyzed and broken down into its metabolites, scientists discovered that a large portion of Leucine's effects can be isolated to HMB individually. Because of this, companies started synthesizing HMB on its own and we're now able to mimic a much higher Leucine ratio with incredibly small amounts of HMB. For example, ingesting 1g of HMB is the equivalent of ingesting 40g of Leucine. When combined with the other amino acids, a solid diet, and an intense lifting regimen, the effects are staggering. Anecdotally, people are noticing an entire day taken off of recovery times after intense workouts when supplementing with adequate amounts of HMB and BCAAs. In extreme cases, HMB is prescribed to counteract muscle-wasting diseases and is shown to drastically reduce recover times after surgeries.
Trimethylglycine (TMG): Trimethylglycine is a component of beet root and an active metabolite of Choline. It is a betaine molecule, and because of this is sometimes referred to as betaine. Just remember that although it's often referred to as betaine, "betaine" refers to a specific type of molecule. TMG, like Creatine, regulates water retention in the cells, maintaining cellular hydration. It has positive effects in the methylation process in the body, which is a liver function through which toxins are processed. This is vital for lifters, especially because of how much we eat and how many supplements we take. The benefits of TMG in the gym range from cognitive function to actual strength and endurance functions. Studies have shown that within a single dose of TMG, strength and endurance were positively affected.
Carnitine: Carnitine is a supplement that is found in many fat burners. It's found in fat burners because carnitine shuttles fat molecules from the blood into cells to be used as energy. The mitochondria in these cells, including muscle cells, use the fat as energy, sparing the body's glycogen stores for continued working out and, subsequently, increased lipolysis. Red meats and other protein sources contain carnitine but to get the levels that maximize fat-burning, supplementation is necessary. Besides these performance effects, carnitine, specifically acetyl-l-carnitine, can improve cognitive ability and contains anti-aging properties. The acetyl group on this form of carnitine allows the carnitine to be more readily absorbed in the small intestines and also penetrates the blood-brain barrier, allowing for enhanced cognitive effects.
EGCG: Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCC) is the main metabolically active and beneficial compound in green tea, black tea, and white tea. It has been shown to improve metabolic function when ingested. Polyphenols, of which EGCG is an important part, have been shown to have all kinds of potential effects on health ranging from antioxidant effects to immune system-boosting effects. The main benefit that we use EGCG for is the metabolism boosting effects it offers. Being used at a safe dosage for an extended period of time, EGCG has been shown to actively boost metabolism. This means that when trying to stay lean, when combined with a healthy diet and active lifestyle, EGCG is vital to include in your supplementation.