XBrain Protein Shot

Overview

Here’s what XBrain have to say:

XBrain’s Protein Shots are a revolutionary solution to post workout supplements. Created with the best Protein complexes in the world, and without harmful artificial flavours or sweeteners, the Protein Shots are the most convenient way of making sure that your body has the amino acids to fuel optimum recovery and muscle gain after exercise.

Nutritional Information

Since this is a “shot” there isn’t much to this product. It’s a nice convenient way to add 20g of protein to your diet. The protein itself is a mix of Whey Protein and Hydrolysed Beef Collagen – they have different amino acid profiles to give you head start on muscle building and recovery. The sugars in XBrains shot are from Stevia and there is nothing artificial included.

Taste

It’s called Tropical Explosion but there is no real flavour it just tastes a bit tangy and not very nice. Fortunately it’s a shot so there isn’t much to taste and there isn’t an aftertaste.

Side Effects

None

Price

£29.99 for a pack of 12.

Results

Convenience is the name of the game here. Whether you think that these are good value for money and essential or a rip off and a gimmick will depend entirely on how strapped for time and forgetful you are. Personally I like to have a ready to drink (RTD) supplement in the house – not for day to day use but for when I’m in a rush or travelling. They are really useful to keep in the glove-box for when you get to the gym and realise everything is still on the kitchen counter.

The nutritional profile is quite basic yet very clever at the same time. The inclusion of Hydrolysed Beef proteins is a good choice because hydrolysed proteins are absorbed very rapidly, so if you take a Protein Shot straight after your workout amino acid concentrations in muscle cells will peak at the same time as you experience a peak in anabolic hormones, allowing for maximum muscle gain/recovery. I have always liked XBrain’s commitment to keeping their products free from fillers, artificial flavourings and bad sugars, this product is no exception and the only “sweetener” is stevia.

Protein Shot doesn’t taste particularly nice and it’s fairly expensive but that all comes down to personal choice and how you value the supplements you take. There can be no doubt that XBrain Protein Shot is a good product and would be useful for any cycle. I don’t think anyone would use this on a day to day basis but as a backup in the car it could be a muscle saver.

8/10

You can buy XBrain Protein Shot here

Monkey Nutrition Primal26Pro

 

Overview

Here’s what Monkey Nutrition have to say:

Protein supplementation just got serious! Primal26 PRO is the upgraded version of the award winning Primal26 and one of the most advanced powders on the World market today. Fortified with a clinically tested, superior digestive enzyme complex, Primal26 Pro increases amino acid concentrations in the blood by up to 55 times, when compared with other fortified powders, allowing for more effective growth and recovery. The ProHydrolase enzyme complex helps to ensure smaller, non-immunogenic protein peptides are formed, reducing inflammation and the potential for gastric discomfort, which are often associated with protein consumption.

Nutritional Information

Serving Size 1 scoop (31g)

Calories: 110

Total Fat                      0.5g

    Saturated Fat            0g    

    Trans Fat                  0g   

Cholesterol                   0mg

Sodium                         50mg

Potassium                     180mg

Total Carbohydrate      2g

    Dietary Fiber            1g

    Sugars                      1g

Protein                         26g

Nothing overly special on display here – 26g of protein is a decent amount – the protein is Whey Protein Isolate. It’s Monkey Nutrition so you know the protein is of the highest quality. The carbs/fats are incredibly low. Stevia is used instead of sugar to further improve the nutritional content.

This nutritional breakdown is taken from the Chocolate flavour but its worth noting the Vanilla flavour has 0g of fat and only 1g of Carbs. I always preferred Vanilla anyway….

Taste

I used French Vanilla and it’s a massive improvement over the original Primal26. Its not the best tasting protein shake on the market but its not unpleasant to drink either. You have to drink it within 30(ish) minutes of mixing though or the flavour breaks down and it tastes horrible. Its quite "thin" so your out of luck if you like thick shakes.

Side Effects

None – no bloating, gas or any unwanted side effects.

Price

£39.95 for 868g bag (28 servings)

Results

So its all pretty basic, standard stuff right? Well no not quite. One of the main things that sets Primal26Pro apart from the rest is the addition of ProHydrolase. You’ll be forgiven for not having heard of it before – this is the first product we’ve seen that has added anything like it. It can be quite complicated to explain how it works so in fairly simple terms it’s a digestive enzyme that helps pre-digest protein so that amino acid levels experience a massive spike in the bloodstream. This makes the protein near enough 100% available to be used by the body. This, in theory, means you could only take half a scoop of Primal26Pro – 13g of protein – and you probably would have more protein available than if you took a 20g protein shake without the ProHydrolase.

The taste is alright I preferred the French Vanilla to Velvet Chocolate but both were drinkable. The catch here is you have to drink it when you mix it so it’s no good for people like me who like to premix all my shakes the day before. If you leave it for more than 30 minutes then the ProHydrolase will have broken down the flavourings and it tastes horrible! Primal26Pro works out at £1.42 a serving so its not a cheap investment.

Primal26Pro might be the definitive shake on the market at the moment but it does still come with a few drawbacks. It is a bit of an issue that you can't leave it mixed for more than 30 minutes so its no good for travelling with or preparing the next days shakes. It’s quite pricey in the smaller bags so it might be worth investing and buying the 2325g bag which brings price per serving down to £1.19.

9/10

You can buy Primal26Pro here