Product Review – Sci-MX Xplode+ Hardcore

Sci-MX Nutrition are a brand known for producing quality, research backed supplements. Having tried most of the pre workout supplements on the market I decided to give Sci-MX Xplode Hardcore a try – I have to admit I wasn’t expecting it to blow me away but I was very pleasantly surprised at the end of a tub.

Nutritional Profile

Unlike many pre workout supplements Sci-MX Xplode Hardcore does not use a proprietary blend. This is a really good thing as I hate seeing dozens of ingredients and not knowing how much of each one is in my supplement.

Ingredients – Pump: Most pre workout formulas will go for either Arginine Alpha Ketoglurate (AAKG) or more recently there is a trend towards Citrulline Malate which some research indicates works better. Sci-MX Nutriton have decided to include both, and in effective dosages (3g each) – this results in a great pump when training.

Ingredients – Beta Alanine: On the beta alanine front Sci-MX have included a good dose – 2g is pretty standard as the most you can comfortably take at a time. I would recommend topping this up to at least 3g which is a research proven amount per day to have a full effect. What I did notice was that I could really feel the ‘tingles’ when using X-Plode Hardcore, more so than many other products which contain a similar amount per serving but I’m not sure what this actually indicates!

Ingredients – NO Creatine! A somewhat brave but smart move from Sci-MX Nutrition is to not include any form of creatine – this makes sense as creatine does not have an immediate effect so including it in a pre workout formula is pointless really!

Ingredients – Focus: Sci-MX Nutrition have included L-Tyrosine, Guarana and Ginseng here. Guarana is a natural source of caffeine and from my personal experience I tend to get a nice rush of energy from guarana based products (see ‘rocket fuel coffee’ in the supermarket for an example). Ginseng and l-tyrosine are also common ingredients in many ‘detox’ type drinks and seem to have good effect in the X-Plode Hardcore.

Taste

Although it only comes in one flavour (blackcurrant) the Xplode Hardcore does cover the taste of some nasty tasting ingredients and actually comes out tasting pretty good. It isn’t a very strong blackcurrant but is pleasantly sweet.

Mixability

Sci-MX Xplode Hardcore mixes perfectly – very impressive you won’t get any bits or floaters and it mixes thoroughly with the minimum of shaking – to be honest you could probably mix this with a fork!

Conclusion

I started out not expecting much but after trying it I really, really liked Sci-MX Xplode Hardcore – I found it especially good because with some pre workouts you can find you have to pay a trip to the toilet soon after taking them – NOT the case with this one, making it ideal for outdoor running which I do most days. Great overall product and one I’d recommend giving a go – it comes in a small 400g tub which is great for trying it without forking out £30 or more!

Dave Huscroft

Product Review – Reflex Performance Matrix

Reflex Nutrition are the UKs number one sports nutrition manufacturer and their philosophy is to ignore what other brands may be doing, and producing products which will stand the test of time. Performance Matrix is the replacement for their old Tri-Matrix Evolution pre workout and personifies that idea – this is not another Jack3D clone, and doesn’t claim to tear your skin like other pre workout products. Enough of what it isn’t though, what can you expect from Reflex Performance Matrix?

Nutritional Profile

To avoid making this review too long I will look at the nutritional information in groups – the Protein Synthesis Stack, Strength Stack, Pump & Endurance Stack and the Focus Stack.

Protein Synthesis Stack – All three branched chain amino acids, in a good serving – you get 3.5g of BCAAs per serving, if you choose to ‘double up’ as I personally do then you will obviously get 7g BCAAs – a hefty dose pre workout which should help prevent DOMs (delayed onset muscle soreness) and kickstart protein synthesis.

Strength Stack – Creapure creatine monohydrate and Trimethylglycine. Creatine hardly needs an explanation as to why to take it – increased strength and size are the main reason most people train! You get 2.5g per 20g serving with Performance Matrix – you can either choose to top this up to 5g per day yourself or if you use Reflex Nutrition’s Growth Matrix post workout that provides the additional 2.5g and this is how it is designed to be taken. Trimethylglycine (also called betaine) has some research to show that it increases strength, although how this works is unknown it may have something to do with its role in creatine synthesis.

Pump & Endurance Stack - The pump part of this stack consists of citrulline malate and VpNOS – citrulline because it has been shown to actually work better than the more common Arginine Alpha Ketoglurate (AAKG) found in most pre workout pump products. VpNOS is a natural grape seed and pine bark extract which as well as making you more vascular when training is also a strong antioxidant. The endurance side of this stack is the beta alanine – beta alanine has been shown to allow you to push further, which goes very well with creatine as one boosts your strength and the other endurance!

Focus Stack - A pretty simple combination of caffeine and taurine – as I said at the start, this is NOT a Jack3D clone, do not expect to be ‘buzzing’ when you take it! This dose of caffeine is approximately that of a strong cup of coffee with additional taurine, this is about the same as having a can of Red Bull pre training.

Taste

Having tried all three flavours firstly I will say avoid fruit punch – it isn’t as bad a taste as something like NOXPUMP which I had to take as a ‘shot’ but it is getting there! It is a shame the fruit punch is so strong, as pineapple (my personal favourite) and blackcurrant are really really nice flavours – just go for whichever you will prefer out of these two.

Mixability

Due to the ingredient profile this isn’t going to mix perfectly - you will probably have traces of BCAAs left in the shaker after you have drank it. I just add a little more water and get it down!

Conclusion

Using Reflex Performance Matrix will give you a nice energy boost pre workout and a long-term performance gains from the use of ingredients such as creatine, beta alanine and branched chain amino acids in good doses, I choose to use this myself and would recommend it highly.

Dave Huscroft

Product Review – Boditronics ISO Whey

Boditronics are a UK based company well known for producing interesting, research backed products and ISO Whey is certainly no different. Boditronics ISO Whey is a protein shake that is really more of a protein juice/squash and was one of the first of these products to hit the market. Because of the incredibly low levels of carbohydrate and fat in ISO Whey you should compare this more with whey isolates such as Reflex Micro Whey than a standard whey protein shake.

Nutritional Profile

Boditronics ISO Whey uses a clear whey isolate as the main ingredient, and what is noticeable when you look at the ingredients list is that there isn’t much else in there – literally just added flavouring, sweetners and colouring. The calorie count is ridiculously low (77 cals per serving) and there is less than a gram of fat and carbs combined – this makes ISO Whey ideal when trying to lose fat. As an aside I know many people take fruity BCAA drinks during training – this is a great alternative with the advantage that you get the full spectrum of amino acids, and it is suitable for use throughout the day as a source of high quality protein.

Taste

I have tried 3 of the 5 flavours of ISO Whey and I am pretty impressed – Orange & Passionfruit is the strongest flavour I have tried (more orange than passionfruit), Apple & Mango is very easy to drink, and my current favourite is the Zesty Lemonade flavour (which I’m drinking as I type this!). All flavours are crisp and refreshing, not too bitter or anything like that which I was a little worried about!

Mixability

This is one area where you have to be aware that ISO Whey is different – because of the nature of the product, with the very low levels of fat it will froth up a lot when you shake it – this soon dies down and its just like a regular squash drink afterwards. A result of this though is that your shaker can be a bit grim to clean out if you shake it up too much as the froth makes a weird gel-like mess!

Conclusion

The question I always ask at the end of a review is “Would I buy this product?”- when making this decision you have to start taking the price into account! At the time of writing Boditronics ISO Whey is around £30 for 36 servings, which makes it just under a quid per serving – compare this to the standard food prices and ISO Whey is great value – cheaper than your average chicken breast which is similar in nutritional content. Compared to many whey protein products on the market ISO Whey may seem pretty expensive… and it is, for example Boditronics Express Whey is only around 40-50p per serving when you take into account serving size. Doing a comparison like this though misses the point that this is a unique product, and it allows you to sip it and enjoy your whey protein which isn’t as pleasant with a milkshake style drink.

Personally I am happy to pay the small premium for what I feel is a great quality product – considering the cost of your average soft drink in the supermarket is over £1, ISO Whey is a great value product and certainly one I would be happy to recommend to anyone looking for a low calorie, great tasting protein shake.

Dave Huscroft