Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsReviewed in combination with other Bulk Supplements products in an attempt to recreate a favorite pre-workout blend
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 3, 2016
I train fasted every morning, and combine my pre-workout with BCAAs with Glutamine to prevent soreness and muscle loss. The fasted training requires that my pre-workout be as devoid as possible of calories. After trying several different pre-workout supplements that met that profile, I found one that I felt worked pretty well and delivered on its promises. It produced a great pump and a smooth energy boost with no jitters or crash. There were two things about it that bothered me a little bit though - the price per dose, and the fact that it included 350mg of caffeine. I tolerate caffeine well, but wanted the option to reduce it or eliminate it for low/no caffeine days, or on days when I can predict that I'll be drinking lots of coffee at work.
In an attempt to recreate the formula of my favorite product, but sans-caffeine and at a lower price per dose, I purchased the following Bulk Supplements products from Amazon and combined them in the following amounts:
Pure Betatine Anhydrous 250grams package: 1 teaspoon
Pure L-Citruline DL Malate 2:1 powder 500 grams package: 1 tablespoon
Pure Beta Alanine powder 500grams package: 1 teaspoon
*Note that the amounts above are much greater than the recommended amounts on the Bulk Supplements product labels, but are very close to the dosages in the product I was using.
The product that I was using also included L-Ornathine, also available from Bulk Supplements brand. I may purchase the 250gram package of that at a later date and add to the cocktail at an amount of just under 1 teaspoon per dose.
So far, the experience of my experiment has been positive. Most importantly, I feel the effect of my cocktail is about the same - great pump, no soreness, comparable increase in energy and stamina as opposed to without. When I feel the need for caffeine, I take a single 200mg Caffeine Anhydrous pill that I also bought from Amazon (100 for six dollars).
As far as cost goes, the stuff I was using is about two dollars per serving. With the sizes that I purchased and the amounts that I'm using, my blend costs about seventy two cents per serving (less than half). If I were to add the L-Ornithine, the new cost would be just under a dollar a serving (still less than half).
The powders dissolve easily in filtered water. In 10-12 oz, my cocktail is about as acidic as strong lemonade and no less palatable. I tried it once without adding the BCAA+G and found that it was drinkable as-is; acidic, but not bitter or fowl-tasting. I tried adding pure stevia leaf extract (without erithrytol or other artificial sweeteners), but without the benefit of a flavor to enhance, that didn't really provide a flavor improvement. Perhaps some lemon extract might have coupled with the sweetener to make a nice blend. I purposely drink my mix before brushing my teeth in the morning, as I felt that drinking it afterward might have caused some sensitivity.
Regarding the packaging, I imagine it's very important to keep moisture out. To this end, some might find fault with the locking seal provided on the bags the products are packaged in. They can get fouled by the powder getting in the track during shipping. I simply cleaned the track out by using the thin back end of the cheap metal measuring spoons that I use (from Walmart). I suppose the tip of a keen knife would work also, but at risk of cutting through. The Betatine started to develop a clump or two on top, so I put a silica bag inside to absorb any moisture that I was unintentionally introducing to the bag and haven't found any additional clumps since.
I'm providing this same review for all the components of my blend, as I can't honestly review each of them individually, never having tried any of them in isolation. If I add the Ornithine, I'll provide an update.
