Not just another pre-workout (and if we’re being honest, there are hundreds of pre-workout products), Infinite Labs Juggernaut offers what I believe to be the best value on the market. At $29.99 for 40 scoops, and most users needing only 1-1.5 scoops (as there is 200mg caffeine per scoop), Juggernaut is good for anywhere between 40 and 26 workouts. That’s clocking in at less than $1 per workout. Even the naysayers who stick to coffee as their pre-workout drink of choice probably spend more, depending on where they get their coffee.
The Juggernaut — It's better than coffee
This is where the discerning customer asks: “yeah, but does it work?”
And subsequently, the discerning Best Price Nutrition blog writer answers: “let’s take a look.” You guys know I won’t make blatantly unsubstantiated claims, e.g., “yeah, it works… totally. Because, you know, it does. So buy it.” Only all the other websites do that.
Any good businessman knows that in order to find a niche for your product, you have to be the best in a single category, e.g., best-tasting, most caffeine, least expensive, etc. This is usually referred to as differentiation. Juggernaut has, ahem, “the highest glycerol load on the market” (hey, that’s their ad copy, not mine). They’ve differentiated themselves that way. What is glycerol, you ask?
Without getting into too much biochemical detail, suffice it to say glycerol aids in hyperhydration when dosed appropriately and the person ingesting it is already adequately hydrated. Glycerol, the form in Juggernaut, is superior to glycerol monostearate, another common form. There is some anecdotal evidence that the hyperhydration glycerol induces pulls other nutrients along with it into the muscle, thus having an osmotic effect (this is theoretically very good, but the research isn’t cut and dry). Glycerol’s hyperhydration effect is very conducive to “pumps” in the working muscle as increased muscle cell volume increases intramuscular tension, AKA “pump.” So this is a good thing, and I’d much rather have the “highest glycerol load on the market” than the highest arginine load on the market. More on that later.
Other than that, this is a bit of a “kitchen sink” product (as in, “everything but the kitchen sink” is included), but in a good way. There’s arginine, citrulline, norvaline, b-vitamins, whey hydrolysates, creatine, taurine, acetyl-l-carnitine, beta-alanine, caffeine, alpha-GPC (don’t know this one? Read about it here), electrolytes, minerals, waxy maize, blood sugar/insulin support, antioxidants, and even more I’m not going to list.
I kind of view this as the ultimate “I’m on a budget” pre-workout product. For thirty dollars you are simply not going to get a more comprehensive product than this. On top of that, it tastes good (I’ve had crimson punch and raspberry lemonade so if anyone’s had orange, chime in) and the energy is right up there with a Jack3d, SuperPump250, or NO-Xplode as these are consistently lauded as the best pre-workouts from purely a stimulant perspective.
If I had to find a negative in this product, it would have to be the inclusion of arginine (arginine does what you think it’s going to do when administered via IV but not orally, more info here and here) and the use of hydrolyzed whey instead of hydrolyzed casein.
Arginine is going to have its meteoric fall just as it had its meteoric rise very soon, mark my words. In addition the fact that orally administered arginine does NOTHING for pumps, there is new research coming out showing that arginine creates a gradient effect outside of the cell pulling valuable water and amino acid from inside muscle cells (good: that’s where we want it) to the extra cellular fluid (bad: now it needs to be transported back in). I’m going to do a blog post about this soon, but for now suffice it to say you can hedge your bets against this effect by consuming an amino acid supplement pre- and post-workout. Juggernaut doesn’t contain very much arginine compared to other products, so don’t interpret this as a reason to avoid it altogether.
Pretty sweet labeling, too
As far as the hydrolyzed whey versus hydrolyzed casein goes, I’ve written about it before: PeptoPro, a patented form of hydrolyzed casein, is the one with all the research in its corner when it comes to speed of absorption from the splanchnic bed — basically, the intestinal lining. When it comes to maximizing anabolism in and around the workout window, rapid influxes and spikes in plasma amino acid concentrations is what we are looking for. PeptoPro confers this advantage to the highest degree.
I think Juggernaut is a great pre-workout supplement for those looking for a change of pace from their current pre-workout of choice, or those that currently take several of the things found within it individually. It is also very affordable. Finally, Lee Priest loves it and the man’s arms are like legs of lesser mortals. So you’ve got that going for you. Give it a try and let us know what you think! You can always call us at 800-499-4810 if this article requires further explanation. Get your Juggernaut here!
Lee Priest: I think it's safe to say he's done a set of curls or two in his life
Until next time,
Tim and the Best Price Nutrition Team
There has been considerable “buzz” on the ‘net about USPLab’s Jack3d, and rightfully so. This product was a paradigm-shifter when it launched due to its price point (almost all prior pre-workout products cost between $30 and $50, whereas we sell Jack3d at the guaranteed lowest price on the Internet of $22.99 for the same number of servings), formula (again, usually you’ll find a laundry list of crap a mile long, but Jack3d only has 6 ingredients — simpler is better), and, perhaps most importantly, effect (try it — you’ll see what I mean).
Fruit punch, oddly, is blue (the packaging). The lemon lime is the red package.
The current Jack3d (note the “3″ instead of an “e”) is actually the third iteration of the formula. The first version of the product, “Jacked”, had a proprietary blend of 3,166mg, was flavored differently, and apparently there was some confusion about patent infringement conerning creatine and sodium bicarbonate blend with supplement manufacturer BSN of NO-Xplode fame. There was also a separate issue with naming rights. Here’s a quote from a USPLabs rep:
“We had to remove the Fizz because BSN has liscensed the Patent for combo of creatine and sodium bicorbonate. That is why the FIZZ is gone and so the taste had to changed [sic] for that reason. Changed name from JACKED to Jack3d because another company has a trade mark on Jacked. We increased the amount of beta A and AAKG, but everything else is exactly the same including the price.”
Apparently, you can patent creatine "FIZZ." Learn something new everyday. (Thanks to capsicina for the image)
“Jack3d”, the second effort, saw its proprietary blend increased from 3,166mg to 3,500mg, with the increase purportedly coming from beta-alanine and arginine alpha-ketoglutarate if you believe our intrepid USPLabs representative (I do). So the first formula revision was actually an upgrade, but here’s where it gets interesting: if you look at the label for the difference between the second and third versions — a change that was not highly publicized — there is one conspicuous absence: theophylline.
There were rumors flying all over internet message boards as to why theophylline was removed. For the official stance, I’ll call in another USPLabs rep (this one appears to be much more literate):
“The only ingredient that was removed since the first run of Jack3d is theophylline (in the latest version). Originally, theophylline was a part of the methylxanthine complex in Jack3d that would exert it’s effects partly via competitive inhibition of cAMP degradation, apart from the synergistic interaction with 1,3-Dimethylamylamine. This change, and the corresponding label changes, were undertaken to match FDA compliance requirements in terms of ingredients and their nomenclature. Back to theophylline. As it turns out, due to the small amount of theophylline originally used, coupled with the fact that caffeine could exert comparable effects in the formula without theophylline, the elimination of theophylline was not at the expense of formula potency. Furthermore, USPLabs took the opportunity of the removal of theophylline to increase the per-scoop amounts of creatine and schizandrol A.”
I think what’s interesting here is the interpretation of the word small, i.e. “…the small amount of theophylline originally used.” How much is small? If you look at the amount in tea, for example, the amount is downright minute: ~1mg/L, perhaps a bit more in yerba maté. As a reference point, most theophylline prescriptions (and thus, “prescription-strength”) contain 200-300mg — a couple orders of magnitude more. Alas, we may never know for sure unless a USPLabs rep is willing to divulge the milligram amounts; this is why I detest proprietary blends, by the way, although I do recognize that they are a necessary evil.
Looking for theophylline? Look in your teapot. Image courtesy of anadelmann
Anyway, USPLabs maintains that their removal of theophylline was entirely voluntary; furthermore, it didn’t weaken the formula — “the elimination of theophylline from the blend did not result in any decipherable loss in formula potency.” As mentioned above, with per-scoop increases in creatine and schizandrol A, there was a concomitant increase in proprietary blend size (again), but this time from 3,500mg to 4,145mg. One more thing I can’t help but notice: the first two versions of this product recommended two scoops, but the third version recommends three.
In any case, there is a reason why USPLab’s Jack3d catapulted up the ranks of best-selling pre-workout drinks, going from relative obscurity to threatening the category magnates, SuperPump250 and NO-Xplode, in less than a year’s time: the stuff works. I’ve castigated arginine and proprietary blends before (both present in Jack3d), and often lauded the scientifically proven combination of creatine monohydrate and beta-alanine (again, Jack3d has both). There are pros and cons to the formula “on paper,” but all pre-workout drinks are feeling products; the most important thing about any of them is that they make you feel fantastic before your workout. That alone will have more performance-enhancing effects than any other factor, and Jack3d seems to accomplish this quite resoundingly. I’m not buying or selling, but like everyone else on the Internet seems to be, I find myself taking Jack3d more often than not.
Buy your USPLab’s Jack3d here.
Every once in awhile, a product comes out that I feel compelled to do a write-up on; it’s either because I love a product or because I strongly dislike a popular product and I hate seeing people waste their money on it.
MAN’s new product, “Swagger” (aptly named, if I do say so myself), fits the bill of the former. I daresay that I love this product. I liked it on paper, but sometimes a wicked-looking formula will fail to deliver. Not this one. The feel matches the formula.
"Live Your Life"? Right… because I wasn't doing that before?
As usual, I’ll justify myself:
1) The right amount of caffeine:
225mg (per serving — 3 capsules) is just about my sweet spot for caffeine content: any more than 300mg and I’m useless, but any less than 200 and I don’t get much out of it. Plus, it’s split into three capsules (at 75mg apiece), so you can ratchet the amount up or down depending on tolerance and desired effect (and time of day, and blah, blah, blah). Many products are so inundated with caffeine — just to make you feel “buzzed” — that they aren’t actually doing anything from a fat-loss standpoint; making you feel like a rodent on cocaine isn’t conducive to anything but, well, feeling like a rodent on cocaine.
2) Full Disclosure:
I’ve talked about this before. I am much more receptive to new products when companies don’t try to conceal their formulas behind the guise of proprietary blends. Swagger is one of the rare products that tells you, down to the milligram, how much of each ingredient it contains. Let me tell you a secret: simpler is better. Full disclosure’s rarity (at least, in this industry) is only rivaled by its awesomeness. Nothing is more reassuring than knowing you — and your wallet — aren’t getting hosed by some half-ass, pixie-dusted “kitchen sink” product.
Note the rubber glove — avoid kitchen sink products
The blend is novel and fairly unique, which also garners high marks from me, and takes an expansive approach to fat-loss by offering more than a typical hackneyed fat-burner. Specifically, it addresses all four things I want from a product aimed at fat-loss: appetite suppression, increased energy, increased energy expenditure, and cognitive support. Most products fulfill about two of the four, or decide to forgo anything that might resemble an effective formula in favor of enough stimulants to kill a horse.
There’s Bacopa, Citicoline, Picamilon, 1,3-Dimethylamylamine… lots of interesting, uncommon ingredients. If you have a question about what any of them do just ask. This is one of the better fat-loss products I’ve seen recently, and I’ve been enjoying it simply for the feeling it imparts (i.e., you can still take it even if you do not have any fat-loss goals). Enjoy!
Purchase MAN Swagger here. Questions? Call 800-499-4810, or leave ‘em in the comments!
Here at Best Price Nutrition, we’ve known for years that arginine, well, doesn’t really work. At least, it doesn’t do what it is touted to do on every single supplement label: vasodilate, increase nitric oxide levels, impart a better “pump”. The wool has been pulled over the collective eyes of the supplement industry for quite some time; this is the unfortunate result of an industry that spends billions a year on marketing to uneducated consumers. While informing said consumers instead of pitching them more bullshit is central to our business identity, it often feels like slogging uphill and it would be nice if we had a supplement company on our side (i.e., the righteous side, of course) for once. Enter iFORCE Nutrition’s Hemavol.
Best Price Nutrition's wisdom, peeking over the clouds of marketing
Again, there is no arginine (gasp!?) in this product. If that distresses you, go back and read the first paragraph again. Here’s what there is in this product:
Hemodynamix Matrix:
-Agamatine Sulfate 1000mg
-Citrulline Malate 5000mg
-Glycerol Monostearate 2000mg
-Norvaline 250mg
Agmatine and Citrulline are the shining stars here, with Norvaline getting an honorable mention. Agmatine inhibits endothelial nitric oxide synthase, the enzyme that breaks down nitric oxide in your blood. Instead of the crapshoot that is ingesting arginine and hoping that it eventually turns itself into nitric oxide, and then hoping that your body doesn’t break down that nitric oxide, you just directly boost the levels of nitric oxide in your blood. If blocking an enzyme sounds like sketchy voodoo science to you, bear in mind this is exactly how most prescription drugs work.
Ooo, Pretty!
Citrulline malate is an interesting ingredient that has been used for years in Europe as a fatigue-fighter, among other things. This is not a new ingredient by any means, and I won’t bill it as such; you can find citrulline entering sports performance write-ups in the United States as early as 1998. This is the quick and dirty: citrulline significantly increases aerobic performance at a dosage of 6g per day - some studies go as high as 18g per day. It will also indirectly boost anaerobic performance by boosting the re-absorption of bicarbonates that protect against metabolic acidosis and by raising the anaerobic threshold. Yes, the supplement only has 5g of citrulline, but the dosage is already 10 capsules. If you really want the 6g, take 12 capsules or add in a few scoops of Scivation’s Xtend (2 scoops has 1g of citrulline).
Norvaline is finally gaining traction because it too inhibits an enzyme: arginase, the enzyme that degrades arginine. What I didn’t mention above is that both agmatine and citrulline are both derived from arginine, and may actually be superior in bolstering plasma levels of arginine than, well, arginine itself; this has to do with agmatine and citrulline dodging liver metabolism whereas arginine cannot.
Long story short, you’re blowing the door off the limiting factors of endothelial nitric oxide levels as opposed to previously only gently knocking (with arginine). Enjoy.
NO2 Vasodilation Support Matrix: L-Alpha-Glycerophosphorylcholine (Alpha-GPC), Vitamin C, Rutacaerpine, Epimedium
Alpha-GPC is an awesome addition to this product that is just now peeking its head over the vast horizon that is sports performance supplements, but despite its late entrance, it is a very welcome addition. Not only does it sensitize the body’s growth hormone receptors, thereby making growth hormone more effective, but it also has a powerful effect on the central nervous system by acting as a parasympathomimetic acetylcholine precursor, and rapidly delivers choline across the blood brain barrier. Canadian strength coach Christian Thibaudeau lauds Alpha-GPC as his favorite supplement, “… it is the only supplement I’ve ever tried that made me significantly stronger the first time I ever took it.” Don’t overlook this ingredient: it is not cheap, and certainly not a “cutting-corners” filler ingredient.
Quite simply, if you’re looking for a nitric oxide supplement that actually works, this is as close to defying the laws of physiology I’ve seen a supplement company come up with, and I’m thoroughly impressed.
(And hey, we’re shipping iFORCE’s Hemavol free! Give the gift of pump for the holidays!)
Lately, I’ve been on a mission to find the best pre-workout drink available (see my previous post on Maximize from IForce). Again, I am not a huge fan of nitric oxide products personally, but after getting an exhaustive amount of inquiries, I’ve concluded that I might actually be the only one on the planet who cannot claim to have had lengthy affairs with several of them. After watching an elderly gentleman get robbed by what appeared to be an unruly mob of NO-Xplode-toting 8th graders on bicycles from my office window, I have officially adopted the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” mentality” (the pre-workout drink users, not the prepubescent bicycle gang, however tempting).
At the very least, I need to further acquaint myself with these products so I can make more accurate product recommendations to our customers. Anyway, next on my slate is “Black Powder” from MRI, whose powder, in what was either a tragic oversight or a failed attempt at irony on MRI’s part, isn’t actually black at all? Very confusing.
First Impression(s):
When examining the label of a product like this, I always look for two things first: servings per container and calorie/carbohydrate content. The servings per container are 40, identical to almost every other product in this category. The carbohydrate content was met with a sigh on my end. 45kcal and 11g of carbohydrate are disappointing because when I am dieting I don’t want the excess calories; I’d much rather get them from whole food sources. Plus, the more carbohydrates per scoop, the less “active” ingredients there are per serving. Consider that a serving is 20g in size and right off the bat you lose 11g of that from the carbohydrate content. That only leaves 9g of “active” ingredients. More than half of your product, per serving, is maltodextrin (hint: go look up how cheap maltodextrin is). Finally, this is the industry norm so I don’t know if it would be fair to say I’m disappointed, but the label is riddled with proprietary blends which make it next to impossible to discern how much of each ingredient that you are actually getting. (For a more in-depth discussion of why this is bad, and a look at a product that had the gall to break the rules, click here).
Ingredients:
Proprietary Blend for Size & Recovery (3000mg): L-Arginine alpha-ketoglutarate & L-Arginine HCL
There’s nothing novel or interesting here. It’s arginine. Does a single amino acid actually induce vasodilation? Probably not. I’ve always felt that arginine products functioned via a unique mechanism of action that I call… placebo. Let’s examine why.
The general idea goes something like this: Arginine -> Nitric Oxide -> Vasodilation -> Greater Blood Flow -> Greater Nutrient Delivery -> Greater Muscle Growth.
Let’s throw some skepticism at the issue. I’m ready and willing to admit that arginine is the precursor to NO synthesis. After that, these companies lose me. Look, I’ve pored over the research and it’s simply not there. Here’s a bulleted list of reasons (all validated by said research) why the above theory is not valid:
-10g administered orally caused no vasodilation effect, but caused gastrointestinal upset and diarrhea.
-Oral arginine only has 70% bioavailability, and up to 50% of that can be broken down into ornithine (note: these percentages refer to L-Arginine).
-The minimum effective dose threshold via I.V. was 30g to induce vasodilation.
-21g/day (7g administered 3 times daily) also had no effect on vasodilation.
-20g/day for 28 days also had no effect on vasodilation.
-A 6 day arginine-free diet had no effect on nitric oxide synthesis.
As you can see, there is absolutely nothing compelling about the research. So, what’s going on here? Are we just being scammed? Well, kind of. More like deliberately misled. Arginine is a powerful stimulator of pancreatic insulin release (Schmidt et al. 1992). Insulin drastically increases nitric oxide synthesis compared to fasting levels. Not arginine. And, again, how do we stimulate insulin release? Carbohydrates (well, if you want to nitpick, obviously amino acids can do it too). Ever heard guys that are doing a low/no-carbohydrate diet and complaining how they can’t get a pump? Why do you think that is? Usually they’re ingesting more protein (hence more amino acids, hence more arginine) than usual. They’re also ingesting more fats. Fats blunt insulin release. Less insulin equals fewer pumps.
Do you really need all the extra arginine, given the price? Don’t get me wrong – I’m not some carbohydrate Nazi. I’m just pointing out that sipping on half-strength Gatorade mixed with a half-scoop of whey or some peptide-bonded amino acids before/during your workout will have the same effect. Why break the bank? Guys have been getting big, strong, and vascular for a long time – long before nitric oxide products were available, long before supplementing with Black Powder pre-workout. What happened to common sense?
Other ingredients of interest include creatine anhydrous and creatine ethyl-ester, CarnoSyn® beta-alanine, caffeine, green tea extract, taurine, phosphates/minerals, and B-vitamins. The problem is that you don’t seem to be getting enough of each. The exact amounts, however, are hidden within the proprietary blend, so you can’t be sure (see why this is annoying?).
Finally, I wanted to address one thing. The entire premise of MRI’s Black Powder is the “ACTINOS₂IR” whey peptide fraction. Apparently, it boosts nitric oxide 950%. Compared to what and in whom? Placebo or control group? Double-blind? Humans or rats? Trained or untrained subjects? The research is incredibly hard to find. The study, from what I can tell, was done in-house at Glanbia PLC, the company that owns the trademark on ACTINOS₂IR. There is another, larger problem with this whole thing as well. Even if ACTINOS₂IR does what it claims (doubtful) it is a “whey peptide fraction”, that would mean it is composed of amino acids. Amino acids have caloric content. They have not listed any protein content on the label, nor are there any additional calories allotted to this magical peptide fraction. We have 11g of carbohydrates (clocking in at 4kcal/g, just like proteins) per serving on the label. 11g carbohydrates x 4kcal/g = 44kcal from carbohydrates. The label lists 45kcal per serving. So either MRI rounded 44kcal up to 45kcal on the label, or this magical “whey peptide fraction” is so small that it only yields 1kcal per serving.
[caption id="attachment_78" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="No, we don't sell this. Don't ask."]
All hopped-up on NO-Xplode
In either case, despite its purported effect, there is probably not enough of it to do anything at all. Was this the studied amount? Or did the study use something like 10g of ACTINOS₂IR, which would yield 40kcal, assuming it was purely amino acids? See the bait-and-switch here? Don’t fall for it. (*Note: if someone reading this has seen or can find the studies to perhaps clarify things a bit, by all means leave a link in the comments. I gave up after two hours.)
Taste/Mixability:
The powder both tastes good and mixes fine. You would expect something that contains 11g of carbohydrate per serving to taste good – they don’t need to use as many artificial sweeteners. It is when you try to flavor some of the lower/no-carbohydrate pre-workout drinks that you run into trouble. I tried the orange flavor and it was enjoyable, although, as mentioned above, I kept hoping for the drink to turn black as night when I mixed it due to the product’s name (it wasn’t – just light orange). I think that’d be hilarious to have in the gym with you – e.g. “what are you drinking, tar?”
mmm… Tar
If you guys want, I’ll make a product like that and sell it through Best Price. Imagine the marketing possibilities! “Unlock the anabolic potential of the color black! It’s like becoming a blind-man dropped into a black hole – instantly! You have to take it every other day because if you don’t, you will actually go blind! Our warehouse operators have to wear night vision goggles when we produce it!” You get the idea. Seriously, though, let me know. If not, I can always just sell it to MuscleTech.
Effect:
I did not notice any effect from this product. I may be slightly desensitized to caffeine at this point, but I still didn’t really “feel it”. Same with the beta-alanine - usually if you get a high enough dose of it you get a harmless tingling sensation on your skin known as paresthesia. I did not feel it.
Final Thoughts:
I think that the price of this product does not really justify its effectiveness. I’m trying to be fair in my assessment; I just feel that sometimes everyone is missing the forest for the trees with things like this. You’d be amazed how many people are not getting in enough protein, not getting enough essential fats, and not getting enough calories, and yet they keep going from one pre-workout supplement to the next because they feel like that’s the missing link in their supplement and training regimen. There is usually no protein in any of these supplements. You can’t synthesize new muscle tissue (which is composed of proteins) without ingesting protein. That’d be like me asking you to build a house without giving you any bricks. It doesn’t matter how motivated you are. If you still want to try it, go ahead. We offer the 20-packet size for only $18.99. I’m not trying to get you to NOT buy something from us. I just think there are better things available - in the pre-workout category and overall - and that’s my honest opinion. Feel free to call us at (800) 499 – 4810 and we can make some suggestions if you like, or hop on the live chat. The bottom line is that you should find something that you enjoy drinking and drags you off the couch if you’re a bit low on energy. If it tastes good and has some performance enhancing ingredients in it, it’s a win-win proposition. Just remember why you’re taking these products and what they do (and, perhaps more importantly, what they don’t do). I want your business, but I want you to come back, too. And the best way for me to do that is to make sure you’re buying things that work, and that help you meet your individual goals. And if you have tried the product before, give us a review! Here’s the links:
MRI Black Powder 20 Packets
Citation:
HH Schmidt, TD Warner, K Ishii, H Sheng, and F Murad. 1992. Insulin secretion from pancreatic B cells caused by L-arginine-derived nitrogen oxides. Science, Vol 255, Issue 5045, 721-723.
