Efectiv Nutrition IntraFuel

 

Overview

Here’s what Efectiv Nutrition have to say:

This is INTRA-FUEL, a unique amino and carbohydrate recovery fuel for athletes who perform at the highest level.

INTRA-FUEL uses Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin (Cluster Dextrin) carbohydrates with a specific blend of Branch Chain Amino Acids, Vitamins and Minerals, to aid in recovery, and support the immune system during and after intense physical exercise such as competitive endurance activities.

Cyclic Dextrins are highly soluble and slow releasing carbohydrates delivering bioavailable carbohydrates, a requirement to replace muscle glycogen during and after exercise.

This unique formula contains carbohydrates which have a fast gastric emptying time due to low osmolality, which may be beneficial with carbohydrate intake around times of exercise.

Nutritional Information

Container Size: 908g
Serving Size: 1 Scoop (40g)
Servings Per Container: 23
 
Amount Per Serving:
Energy (kcal): 148
Fat: 0g
-Saturates: 0g
Total Carbohydrates: 30.9g
-Sugars:  0.8g
Protein: 0g
Salt: 0.7g

Vitamin B5: 2.5mg
Vitamin B6: 1.0mg
Vitamin C: 200mg
Magnesium: 60.0mg
Zinc: 2.5mg
L-Leucine: 2.0g
L-Isoleucine: 1.0g
L-Valine: 1.0g
L-Citrulline: 1.5g
L-Glutamine: 1.0g

Who likes to carb up during exercise? All of you. Excellent. This is pretty much a Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin (HBCD from now on) product with a more marketable name. HBCD is used by a lot of professionals in the fitness industry at the moment – the craze started a few years back and hasn’t died off yet as the results can be so impressive.

The actual amount of HBCD is a bit on the low side in my opinion but double portions can be used safely. The vitamins and amino acids that have been used help the uptake of glycogen but would have benefited from the inclusion of Essential Amino Acids as well rather than just the BCAAs. Glutamine can be put in any product for any reason and it will always be a good thing.

Taste

IntraFuel tastes like weak orange juice. I really liked it, it was refreshing and has no unpleasant aftertaste. It mixes up almost instantly and never has any grit left.

Side Effects

None – taking more than one dose may cause an upset stomach in some people.

Price

£37.99 for a tub with 23 servings in. I have seen it as cheap as £23 though so it pays to shop around.

Results

I really like HBCD products – I tend to use them whenever I’m not reviewing an intra. They can be especially useful during a strength or mass phase. Efectiv Nutrition IntraFuel does exactly what you’d expect an intra product to do; its great for hydrating you, great for keeping your energy/strength levels high and can really help sustain an awesome pump. This product could be used in a cutting program as well but that will depend on how you handle carbs, personally I like carbs around the workout to help performance but I know some people are advocates of super low carb diets on a cut and have had success with this approach. As another bonus recovery times should decrease.

I think Efectiv have lightly dosed their HBCD but I imagine this is trying to fit into the majority of peoples needs – I personally would have like the dose to be nearer the 50–60g mark. You could take a double dose easy enough (use an empty 4pt milk container) but this is far from cost effective. Speaking of the price it is quite steep considering the get the full benefits of HBCD you will likely need to double the dose. If you shop around you should be able to find the product substantially cheaper.

Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin is great as an intra and should be used by anyone who wants to maximise their gains in the gym and IntraFuel isn’t a bad choice, its just a bit lightly dosed for the larger individual. If you can find IntraFuel at a good price then give it a go – you should be able to notice the different from the first serving.

7/10

You can buy IntraFuel here

Monkey Nutrition GRO

 

Overview

Monkey GRO incorporates amino acids combined with hydrochloride (HCL) molecules, to increase efficacy in the body's natural production of human growth hormone. These nutrients work in synergy to maximise the potential for the secretion of anabolic hormones, which control the replication and repair of DNA & RNA, protect the liver, boost immune function and ultimately stimulate the growth and repair of muscle tissue. Using Monkey GRO whilst in a rested state will further increase the production of naturally occurring growth hormones, which increases the body’s fat reducing ability, resulting in a leaner body composition.

Nutritional Information

Per Serving

Arginine (L-arginine hcl) 400 mg  

Ornithine (L-ornithine hcl) 300 mg

Lysine (L-lysine hcl) 100 mg

Glutamine (L-glutamine hcl) 300 mg

Colostrum (bovine) 200 mg

Ornithine Alphaketoglutarate 100 mg

Glycine (L-glycine hcl) 100 mg

Sorry to disappoint you but there is no actual Human Growth Hormone in this just ingredients to help NATURALLY increase the production of HGH.

You will probably recognise Arginine, Glutamine, Lysine and Glycine but might not be familiar with the other 3:

Ornithine – amino acid that when combined with Arginine has been shown to improve strength and power

Ornithine Alphaketoglutarate – used for muscle growth

Colostrum (bovine) - cow's milk secreted during the first few days following calving. It is rich in immunoglobulins, growth factors, cytokines and boosts the immune system.

It seems like a good bunch of ingredients geared towards recovery more than anything else.

Taste

No taste or aftertaste with these capsules.

Side Effects

None

Price

£18.99 for 60 capsules (30 days supply)

Results

GRO is a bit of an awkward one to review because its results will vary so much from person to person. Please bear in mind that this is based off my personal experience with GRO and yours may differ.

I found GRO to be beneficial for recovery but not much else. The simple reason for this could well be that time scale that I used it for – only 30 days. Based on the nutritional breakdown there is no reason why you wouldn’t begin to see minor muscle growth if used for several months. You would of course have to still work in the gym – as always this isn’t a magic pill. Recovery times (and leg day pain) were noticeably decreased but I can’t say that I noticed any muscle growth or fat loss during the month – as I’ve said this could be due to length of the product trial.

I think GRO is priced fairly and in line with similar products. Since there are no side effects with GRO (although it won’t be kind to those of you who are lactose intolerant) if you want to take a gamble on it then it certainly won’t hurt you but if you want to see solid results beyond decreased recovery time then be prepared to use it for at least 3 months. It does come packaged with several of Monkey Nutrition’s stacks so that might be the best way to try GRO.

The fact that recovery times are noticeably decrease means that GRO is working away in the background which would give me enough confidence in the product to invest in the next bottle.

7.5/10

You can buy GRO here

Better yet buy a stack with it in!