Zato's Supplement Reviews

[Zato]

I thought it might be useful to some people on the board to post a review or two on some sports nutrition supplements I have used, as well as get some new input on supplements others have tried. Ratings are based on 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent)...enjoy!

Product: Optimum Nutrition's 100% Whey Protein (Double Choc)
Rating: 5
Pros: Awesome taste in milk or water; Easily mixes with spoon or shaker cup; 10 lb bag costs around $55.00; Good BCAA profile; 23 grams of protein and 3 grams of carbs per serving
Cons: The 10 lb bag's zipper seal often breaks; Increased gastrointestonal emmissons (for me anyway)
Comments: Yum! :D

Product: Muscletech Cell Tech (creatine product- Lemon Lime flavor)
Rating: 2
Pros: Makes pretty colors in the shaker bottle; Mixes easily; Taste is okay; Makes loading phase easy (10 g of creatine per serving is excessive)
Cons: Too expensive! $30-35 for 2 lbs!!??; Burny feeling in the throat after drinking; Too much creatine per serving (5 g should be enough) ; Bloating and water weight gain is horrid!; Too much sugar per serving; heavy stomach discomfort after drinking; Expect to spend a lot of time on the potty
Comments: Not a terrible product, but too expensive and excessive on certain ingrediants. More supps at lower price and better quality than this.

More info?: Check http://www.bodybuilding.com

[juntao]

That's some very useful information. Thanks man!

[Zato]

You're welcome! Always glad to help! I get free supp samples all the time, so I thought it'd be a good idea to tell people what I thought about them.
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Product: Designer Whey's U-Turn Energy Bar (Choc-Carmel)
Rating: 3 1/2
Pros: Taste is good; Actually tastes like a candy bar; easy to carry; good balance of nutrients ( 15 g whey protein, 13 g carbs, 4 g of fat)
Cons: A little dry; Somewhat expensive ($1.44 @ Walmart per bar, 6 pack for $5.44 is out now! Much better price!); Similar products out for better price.
Comments: If dieting and craving some chocolate or you need a quick snack before training, they are perfect!

Product: Met-Rx's MASS Action(Creatine, Glutamine, HMB product)
Rating: 3
Pros: Comes in 3 flavors (Fruit punch, Grape Ice, and Sherbert), and they are all good!; Good quality; Easy to mix in a shaker bottle or with spoon
Cons:Expensive ($40.00 for 30 day supply, not counting loading phase); May cause upset stomach and cramps: Clumps badly.
Comments: Overall a good product, but CHECK THE USE BY DATE!!! If you get an older container, you might have to pound the clumps back into powder as is clumping is a problem with the product. [/b]

Product:Light Force
Rating: 5
Pros: Awesome energy boost!; Improves conditioning; Taste isn't terrible; Mixes good in shaker with water; Weight loss decent, but not drastic
Cons: Expensive (but worth it!); May cause stomach discomfort when starting to use product; May experience frequent urination and increased bowel activity during first few days of use
Comments:Hands down one of the best supps ever! Highly Reccomended!!

[destined]

wow you really know your **** dude!!!

[Zato]

Thanks for reading Destined! Here are a few more!!
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Product: Pinnacle NO2 (Muscle Pump enhancer, muscle builder)
Rating: 0
Pros: The label of the bottle is nicely designed.
Cons: (Oh boy do we got cons) IT DOES NOTHING!; No bigger pumps, lifts, or gains; Expensive as hell; Causes stomach cramps, calf cramps, and general stomach discomfort in general.
Comments: Zato sez: "IT'S CRAP!"

Product:Whey Fruity Protein Powder (Lemonade Flavor!)
Rating: 3 3/4
Pros: Tastes YUMMY!!; High protein (26 g) and ZERO CARBS!; Perfect protein for Adkins-ers; No stomach discomfort; Mixes super easily in water with spoon or shaker bottle.
Cons: Expensive ($30 for 2 lbs); BCAA profile poor.
Comments: Even though it is delicious, the cost alone is enough to dissuade me from buying it on a regular basis. Also the BCAA profile concerns me. Without good BCAA's added the the whey, it limits the amount of Aminos that the whey can use to help repair, build, and replenish muscles.

Product: Dymatize CLA (Conjugated Liolenic Acid--Toning, fat loss product)
Rating: 4
Pros: Inexpensive (13.99 for 2 months supply); Gelcap is easy to swallow; Tones up muscle and sheads fat, though slowly; Boosts Immune system; No 'crash' as with thermogenics.
Cons: When taking the reccomended amount on the bottle (3 caps per day), stomach discomfort is very bad; Fat loss is slow, this is not a quick fix product (none are though); May experience stomach discomfort in first week of use.
Comments:Great product, but build up to using two caps per day. Take one in the morning for the first three weeks, then go up to two (AM and PM) with food to eliminate stomach discomfort. [/b]

[TheRockSays]

Thanks for the Post on Light force, I have mine in the mail.

Your plug for this thread on the MMA side worked!! :lol: :lol:

[Zato]

:lol: YAY FOR SHAMELESS PLUGGING!! :lol:

[Dikslapu]

Got any reviews on Weight Gainers for us skinny guys trying to bulk up?

Trying to find one with plenty of calories, protein, not too many carbs or fat

grams and low in sugar. A good meal replacement basically.


Also is L Glutamine any good?

[Zato]

Got any reviews on Weight Gainers for us skinny guys trying to bulk up?

Trying to find one with plenty of calories, protein, not too many carbs or fat

grams and low in sugar. A good meal replacement basically.


Also is L Glutamine any good?

Of course! I was once a skinny guy trying to bulk. Weight gainers are okay, but LOTS of good food is the key. Good healthy things like chicken and steak, with the occasional cheat meal thrown in for good measure. Green veggies, tomatoes, red potatoes, fruit, etc.As far as carbs go, it's almost impossible to bulk without them, and if you use a high carb weight gainer before your workout, chances are you're just going to burn the mothers up. You can email me for more details or with add'l questions, if the reviews below don't help.
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Product: Prolab's N-Large II (weight gainer)
Rating: 4.5
Pros: Mixes very well!; Good high protein, carb, and low fat balance (52 g of pro, 86 g of carbs, 6 g of fat); taste is good; Cheap ($38 for 10 lbs); Great BCAA profile
Cons:Somewhat gritty when mixed in shaker cup; Hard to digest for some people (suggestion: split the serving up into 2 shakes)
Comments: A quality bargan product!

Product: Twinlab's L-Glutamine Fuel (Anti-catabolism product, ESSENTIAL Amino Acid, muscle builder, immunity booster)
Rating: 5
Pros: Inexpensive ($18.45 for 120 caps); Prevents protein breakdown in muscle; capsule free of coating; Builds you up! (not an overnight fix!) both muscularly and immunity wise.
Cons:None
Comments: A base supp. When used properly with exercise and diet, this bad boy can help you get muscle and keep it. [/b]

[Dikslapu]

Thanx man, awesome! :D :D :D

[supreme_being]

I can tell you know what you're talking about Zato!

[Tony Montana]

Light Force eh? I'll have to check that out.

Thanks for all the info. Always appreciated.