GNC was founded by David Shakarian. He started a small health food store in 1935 called Lackzoom, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As the business grew and expanded, he eventually renamed his store to you now recognize as General Nutrition Center.

You can walk into a GNC and be greeted by a (sometimes) helpful sales associate ready to sell you everything you need to help reach your fitness or health related goals. They offer a wide selection of nutritional products, ranging from sports supplements to herbal supplements. They carry a massive number of different brands, and they tend to put their own GNC branded products in the spotlight, some of which are actually quality products.

A quick look at their prices will raise an eyebrow or two however, especially if you purchase most of your supplements from online retailers. I did a quick price comparison between Bodybuilding.com, (the world’s largest online supplement retailer) and GNC.com, and here’s one example of the price difference: Bodybuilding.com sells Gaspari Nutrition Myofusion Probiotic series in the 5lb container for $49.99 plus they offer a 15% discount which would bring the price down to about $42.50. GNC sells the exact same product for $64.99. This is just one example, and this is a $22 difference.

GNC does have an excellent return policy, which states that if you are unsatisfied with your purchase, bring back the unused portion and you can receive a full exchange or refund with no questions asked. This is an excellent aspect of purchasing from GNC. Also, it’s nice to have the option of walking into a store and making your purchase rather than ordering it online.

Like everything, GNC has its pros and cons. And they can legitimately help you to “Live Well”, but not without a hefty amount of markup on their items compared to other options out there. I make the majority of my supplement purchases online, and unless GNC decides to lower their prices, it’ll stay that way.

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N.O. Xplode 2.0 is a concoction of essential ingredients that can help with all of the problems listed above.  the patented formula can help with muscle endurance, muscle growth, mental alertness and focus, Nitric Oxide production (leading to pumps and vascularity), fat-burning properties, and more!

It is not advised to take N.O. Xplode if you are prone to, or have any heart conditions, have high blood pressure, pregnant, or possess any other potential health problems.  If you have a question, consult a doctor before trying. 

If you don’t apply to the above statement, then what are you waiting for?  N.O. Xplode 2.0 could quite possibly be that last component you need to achieve the goals you have set for yourself!  Get N.O. Xplode 2.0 and release that inner beast that has been caged inside!

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            Animal Pak has an extensive list of ingredients, ranging from vitamins and minerals, vital amino acids, a performance complex, and even digestive enzymes.  Everything you need comes in a pack of pills, which is convenient to take with you if you are on the go.  There are 60 key ingredients found in each Animal Pak, and each is pack is made up of 11 tablets.

            A pack per day is all that is needed during the offseason, but if you are training really hard or dieting for a show, then two packs would more beneficial.   Animal makes many more products and stacks that are beneficial to training, but Animal Pak is where it you should start in order to ensure that you have a strong nutritional base. 

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The benefits of green tea extract have been played up over the last few years and there is growing evidence to indicate that this is for good reason. Green tea is made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis and has been consumed in China and other Asian countries for centuries. Modern green tea extracts take all or some of the beneficial flavanoids (kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin) and polyphenols (epigallocatechin gallate, epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate and epicatechin) and provide them in convenient pill or capsule form. NOW Foods produces a very affordable EGCg green tea extract in capsule form.

Each NOW EGCg capsule contains both a green tea extract powder as well as decaffeinated green tea powder to provide both the beneficial extracts and the broad spectrum components found in this tea (less the caffeine).

Green Tea Extract(Camellia Sinensis) (Leaf) (Standardized Extract) (Contains 4 Mg Of Caffeine) [Min. 98% Total Polyphenols, 80% Total Catechins, And 50% EGCg (Epigallocatechin Gallate)(200mg)]                                                    400mg
Decaffeinated Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis) (Leaf)                           450mg

I usually supplement with one capsule of NOW’s EGCg before bed (the low amount of caffeine is therefore key for me). I see that a lot of supplement companies use green tea extracts in weight loss supplements. The research I have seen on this suggests that green tea may play a marginal role in helping you lose weight and may also hinder muscle gain, but I think its worth considering for some of the purported anti-oxidant and health benefits.

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I never tried the original Xtend but taste wise, this new version is pretty good. I had the “Watermelon Maddness” and it has a very nice flavour, good amount of sweetness (1 heaping scoop in 1 liter of cold water) and quite refreshing.

Scivation also made a slight change to the formulation by adding an electrolyte component (Trisodium Citrate Dihydrate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride). The aforementioned BCAAs, L-Glutamine, Citrulline Malate and Vitamin B6 continue to be part of the overall Xtend formula.

I think Scivation’s Xtend is a good value, good formula and good taste to make it a worthwhile addition to the supplement stacks of bodybuilders, weight trainers and athletes. Unlike many who sip these type of drinks during their workouts, I believe that a bolus dose pre-workout has a more profound impact (at least for muscle protein synthesis). So chug your Xtend pre and/or post-workout!

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This review is not for a nutritional supplement but for something that is found the gym bags, cars and kitchens of most health and fitness enthusiasts - a shaker bottle. If you have ever mixed a powdered supplement (protein or carb powder, pre-workout, BCAAs, etc.) you have used some type of shaker bottle or cup. And you also know that they tend to leak, leave clumps of powder in your shake, end up being filthy and stink after a few uses, are often flimsy, and are often made from cheap plastic that may be leaching harmful chemicals into your health drink. Enter the Blender Bottle - probably one of the best shakers you will find, bar none. Let’s look at how the blender bottle deals with each of the common shaker deficiencies I had mentioned about.

The patented Blender Bottle does a great job of mixing protein, meal replacement and other supplement drinks when on the go. My bottles have never leaked and the wire mesh ball whisk ensures that everything you mix in it, blends without any clumps of dry powder. This mesh ball also makes the Blender Bottle great for mixing salad dressings, marinades and for scrambled eggs - I have found many uses for them in the kitchen.

Quality wise, the Blender Bottle has a sturdy feel to it with the gripper bars making it easy to hold when drinking. They are advertised as being made using recycled plastics and are free of BPA (Bisphenol A) which is a xenoestrogen that is believed to disrupt endocrine functions and, has been under a lot of scrutiny. The whisk ball is made with high quality 316 surgical grade stainless steel.

The Blender Bottle is also dishwasher safe though I find that they are wide enough that I can also clean them out completely using soap, water and a cleaning pad. Blender bottles are available in 20oz and 28oz sizes and in a very broad range of colours (for the caps). The smaller size of great for pre-workout supplements and the larger one works well with protein and meal replacement powders. They are also pretty cheap and can be found in the $6-$7 range when purchased online. I recommend Blender Bottles to everyone.

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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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