Depending on the flavour, each 55 gram bar provides 210 (or 220) total calories. They contain either 6 or 8 grams of fat, 14 grams of protein and 27 or 29 grams of carbohydrates. The protein sources include Organic Whey Protein Concentrate from grass fed free-range cows and Brown Rice Protein Concentrate. The carbs come from Organic Pure Wildflower Honey and the bars also provide 5 grams of fiber from a combination of acacia, chia seeds and meal. Both the Chocolate Macadamia Nut and Peanut Butter Crunch flavours also contain extra virgin coconut oil and 7.5 mg of concentrated brown seaweed Fucoxanthin.

I think that GOL’s FucoProtein bar is a decent protein bar for when you are in a hurry. Both flavours taste good - they don’t quite taste like candy bars and that’s because they are not processed to the same level and don’t contain the ingredients found in those inferior products. But the trade off is well worth it, at least in my opinion. Garden of Life is well known for their health and nutrition product line and they do not disappoint with the FucoProtein Bars.

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This is an unprecedented amount of information that consumers don’t usually get about the purity of the nutritional products we purchase. With certain fish oils supplements being under the gun recently, being able to get confirmation on the purity of fish oil supplements is worth the slightly higher price.

Each serving of Ascenta’s NutraSea original provides 1,500 mg of omega-3 fatty acids in their naturally occuring triglyceride form. In addition, it contains Vitamin E and green tea extract to prevent oxidization. The liquid form has a mild lemon flavour with no discernible fish oil taste and must be refrigerated after being opened.

Per tsp (5 ml)

Total Omega-3 Fatty Acids	1500mg
EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid)	750mg
DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid)	500mg
Other Omega-3 Fatty Acids	250mg

I have started off by taking approximately one and a half teaspoons per day, spread over two doses (morning and evening) with my meals.

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I have been taking NOW Astaxanthin for about a month. This product has 4mg of BioAstin Natural Astaxanthin from Hawaiian Hawmetococcus pluvialis extract and comes in a softgel.

Vitamin E  (as Natural d-alpha Tocopherol) 50IU
BioAstin® Natural Astaxanthin                                       4mg
(from Haematococcus pluvialis Extract)
Lutein                                                                              40mcg

The dosing protocol I followed was 2 gelcaps (8mg) per day with fat containing meals for the first week and then moving to 1 gelcap (4mg) of astaxanthin per day after that. For those that prefer tablets, I have also seen astaxanthin being made available in tablet form by Source Naturals.

Readers who may be interested in protecting their skin from sunlight and maintaining younger looking, wrinkle free skin - there is some astaxanthin research out there that warrants further study on its potential for preventing skin damage.

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Kevin Levrone was a major body building star throughout the 1990s. His accomplishments on and off the bodybuilding stage are well known. He has now come out with an interesting supplement that may make some waves in the very crowded and competitive, pre-workout “pump” supplement category. The Levrone Formula looks to differentiate itself from the supplement crowd by doing a few novel things:

• No proprietary blends - you know exactly how much of each ingredient you are getting
• No fillers - the cheap, hidden carbs that form the basis of many pre-workout formulas
• No artificial sweeteners or colours
• No added synthetic caffeine

Let’s now take a look at the ingredient found in the Levrone Formula’s Extreme Nitric Pump supplement.

Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate (AKG)	5g
Citrulline Malate	3g
Peak ATP®	250mg
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NADH)	5mg
Yerba Mate Extract	1000mg
L-Tyrosine	2g
Magnesium (Magnesium Aspartate)	1000mg
Potassium (Potassium Aspartate)	1000mg
Niacin	50mg
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)	1000mg

I like the inclusion of Citrulline Malate, Peak ATP, Yerba Mate Extract, L-Tyrosine and Magnesium (though that’s a very healthy dose of magnesium). I am not a huge fan of the Arginine and I don’t think a large dose of Vitamin C really belongs in a pre-workout supplement. The NADH is a bit of an unknown but looks intriguing.

My overall impression of the Levrone Formula is positive. I also like the fact that Kevin chose to leave out artificial sweeteners, artificial colours and other fillers along with potentially harsh stimulants (like 1,3-Dimethylamylamine) which should make this supplement a good choice for those looking to increase athletic performance. It can be found for around $1.75 per serving, which is quite reasonable for the many quality ingredients that make up the Levrone Formula Extreme Nitric Pump.

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The basis of my view begins with XF using the highest quality free form amino acids that have been sourced from Ajinomoto and packaged in a GMP compliant facility. They are found in a roughly 2:1:1 ratio that has been studied extensively. ICE also contains free form glutamine, which is an very popular amino acid that is supposed to enhance recovery, gut and immune health.

A normal 10 gram serving of ICE provides:

L-Leucine  3310 mg
L-Isoleucine   1480 mg
L-Valine   1720 mg
L-Glutamine  2650mg

One of the biggest drawbacks of free form BCAAs (and free form amino acids in general) is that they are extremely bitter and hence hard to flavour. This is where Xtreme Formulations shines. The Arctic Lemon Freeze and Grape flavours are quite good. I did not find them too overpowering when consuming 2 scoops in 750 ml of water – and they most certainly removed the bitter taste of BCAAs.

If you are looking for a drink to be used during workouts or sports activities, give XF ICE a try. It would also make a good combination with Gatorade or other performance carbohydrate mixes like Cytomax.

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Protein powders are a convenient and often a very cost effective way, of getting easily digestible protein into your diet. This is especially relevant to athletes, bodybuilders and active individuals. Gaspari Nutrition’s MyoFusion protein is a great tasting blend of four different types of proteins along with some healthy fats. It makes a great breakfast protein shake, to go along with oats or other cereals.

Myofusion’s Athlete’s Edge Complete Protein Blend includes Cross-Flow, Cold Infused Whey Protein Concentrate, Cross-Flow, Cold Infused, Microfiltered Whey Protein Isolate, Egg Albumin, Milk Protein Isolate. These are all high quality protein sources, in that cross flow, cold infused filtration is a gentle process that keeps a lot of the beneficial whey microfractions intact. The healthy fats in Myofusion’s Pro-Compliance Lipid Complex are in the form of Cold-Processed Sunflower Oil Powder, Micro-Encapsulated Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) and Cold-Processed Flax Seed Oil Powder. With the lipids (fats), cold processing should prevent them from oxidizing and going rancid.

Both the protein and fat blends are proprietary so I don’t know how much of each in included in the product. This is typically a deal breaker for me as I like to know to the most extent possible, how much of something I am consuming. But Myofusion has received some very good feedback so I had to try it out.

I can say that Gaspari sure hit the mark when it comes to flavouring this protein. I have tried the Banana Perfection and the Strawberry & Cream flavours of Myofusion and both are very good. Banana is one of the best I have ever tried and the feedback I have read, also suggests that the Milk Chocolate flavour is also quite good. I will probably end up trying this out for myself in the near future. The reviews for Myofusion’s Chocolate Mint and Chocolate Peanut Butter flavours seem to be a bit more mixed.

In terms of quality, Gaspari seems to have made the point of disclosing that Myofusion is manufactured in a FDA, EU and CFIA approved facility in Canada. This should give people some comfort in determining the overall quality of the product. I would really like to know the exact breakdown of the various proteins in this blend, but overall I think that it is a very good tasting and good quality whey protein blend that is worth trying out.

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One of the most important aspects of NO Shotgun is the healthy serving of free form amino acids and hydrolyzed protein. These are often overlooked in the pre-workout window and can benefit athletes, espcially when combined intra-workout with a supplement like Intrabolic. The NO Shotgun amino blend consists of:

Protein Hydrolysate Matrix Yielding 22% Glutamine Peptide, 21% BCAA Peptide, & 41% EAA’s
Casein Protein Hydrolysate
Whey Protein Hydrolysate
Ionic Whey Protein

Proprietary Branched Chain Ethyl Ester Amino Acid Matrix
L-Leucine, L-Valine, Isoleucine, L-Arginine, L-Valine Ethyl Ester, L-2-Aminopentanoic Acid (L-Nor Valine), L-Alanyl Glutamine, L-Arginine Ehtyl Ester Di-HCL, L-Isoleucine Ethyl Ester HCL, L-Leucine Ethyl Ester HCL

Along with the creatine and nitric oxide pre-cursors, NO Shotgun also has a version of the famous Redline stimulant blend. VPX does not provide an exact amount of caffeine in a serving, but I did not feel that it was an overly large amount. The combination of products in the Redline blend along with the creatine and aminos do a good job of maintaining energy throughout a workout.

Redline Energy & Meltdown Fat Burning Technology
L-Tyrosine
Caffeine Anhydrous
Beta Phenylethylamine HCL
Hordenine HCL
Folate(as Folic Acid)-100%
R-Beta-Methylphenylethylamine

With so many ingredients, many of which taste aweful, it is not a surprise that VPX NO Shotgun is not the most pleasant supplement to drink. I tried the “Exotic Fruit” flavour and found it passable. I am willing to suffer a bit for the benefits in the gym.

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Intrabolic has been designed from the ground up to prevent muscle breakdown, delay muscle fatigue and increase protein synthesis. It does this by combining hydrolyzed whey protein (providing 70-80% rapidly absorbed, low-molecular weight di and tripeptides), free form L-Leucine, essential amino acids, beta alanine and electrolytes.

Intrabolic contains:

Peptobolic Response Blend™    8,028mg
30% Hydrolyzed Whey Protein [IntrAbolic-Peptides], L-Leucine [2.5g], Arginine, L-Valine, L-Lysine HCL, L-Phenylalanine, L-Threonine, L-Isoleucine, L-Histidine, L-Methionine

Power/Strength/Endurance Blend™    1,870mg
Beta-Alanine [1.6g], Potassium, Phosphorus, Sodium, Calcium, Magnesium, Chloride

I have noticed a marked increase in endurance along since starting Intrabolic. This is likely due to the carnosine buildup, thanks to the beta alanine. I will mention that with beta alanine, you need to take approximately 3 to 4 grams every day. A serving of Intrabolic provides 1.6 grams, so I supplement with additional bulk beta alanine from NOW Foods. The second big benefit I have noticed with Intrabolic is the lack of post workout muscle soreness and enhanced recovery.

The one downside of using whey hydrolysate and free form amino acids is that they are much harder to flavour. I have tried three different Intrabolic flavours and I can say that though the Green Apple became bearable after a while (its been discontinued) but their Citrus Ice and Wild Berry Punch taste very good. I have not tried the Blue Raspberry, which is supposed to also be quite good.

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The active ingredients found in each capsule of FUBAR include:

Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Standardized To 50% Caffeine 175mg
N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine 100mg
Caffeine Anhydrous 100mg
Llex Paraguariensis (Yerba Mate) Standardized To 20% Caffeine 50mg
Theobramba Cacao (Cacao) Bean Standardized To 6% Theobromine 25mg

I have had good results taking 1 capsule about 20-30 minutes  before my workout. This dose gave me a nice even feeling of higher energy and focus and I felt that way for a couple of hours after taking the dose. There was no stomach discomfort and no noticeable crash. Each capsule contains about 197.5mg of caffeine so I don’t think a larger dose should be necessary for most people. The addition of N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine which helps maintain a healthy adrenal system is a welcome addition, as is the Theobromine extracted from Theobramba Cacao (Theobromine is found in cocoa and chocolate).

As is the case with all stimulants, I would recommend limiting use to workouts or when absolutely needed. Additionally, this type of product should be cycled to ensure continued efficacy and so that you are not stressing your central nervous system (CNS). I have found FUBAR to be an effective and well priced option when it comes to stimulant based pre-workout supplements.

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FeelAnew contains three basic ingredients that help rebuild cartilage and reduce inflamation.

2 tablets of Natrol FeedAnew provide:
Glucosamine Sulfate 750mg
Chondroitin Sulfate 300mg
Phellodendron Amurense Bark Extract 250mg

Glucosamine sulphate has been shown to stimulate the manufacture of glycosaminolycans which are a key component of human cartilage. Chontroitin sulphate enhances joint lubrication and inhibits the formation of enzymes that break down joint tissue. These two supplements work synergistically to rebuild cartilage, reduce joint pain and slow down osteoarthritis. The third patent pending ingredient in FeelAnew is Nexrutine, a natural COX-2 enzyme inhibitor from the Phellodendron amurense plant.

I have found the combination of Natrol FeelAnew and omega-3 fish oil to be very helpful in relieving both my knee and shoulder pain. My knees are no longer sore after squat days and I have eliminated a lot of the “clicking” of my knees and other joints. I take 4 tablets of FeelAnew a day (split in two doses) with food and now consider this a staple supplement. Natrol is also a highly regarded company with top notch quality controls and raw materials.

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