Magnum Nutraceuticals Stimulant-Free Opus Intra-Workout Powder (48 Servings, Twister Pop)

What’s up my Amazon Health & Fitness Family, it’s your boy HardbodybyAnthony. Anyway, for those of you who have not read or seen any of my reviews, I am Certified Master Trainer with over 20 years under my belt & I have many certifications, one of which is a certification in Supplementation & Basic Nutrition, so because of my years of knowledge and dedication in helping people achieve healthier lives through exercise & nutrition, is the reason why I do these reviews... in hopes I can help someone (even if just one person) with a bit of knowledge.*** I first want to say that I am NOT affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by ANY SUPPLEMENT COMPANY WHATSOEVER! I do NOT profit by my reviews or receive any monetary gains. Simply trying to help people make the best choice in this extremely shady business! ***• I personally take BCAA’s & L-Glutamine every single day 4x's per day (training days or not) & I also take Intra-Workouts every training day. Even though my goto’s are massive, I am always looking & interested in other new products that claims to be good, the best etc, which is why I decided to get this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DPQKMST/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1• Are you contemplating on taking an Intra-Workout supplement and want to know if this is a product for you, if this is effective, if this is a good brand or just want to learn the health benefits this provides? Well let me dig in & try to give you some information about this to try & help you decide.--------------- Ingredient Information (per 1 Scoop): ---------------1) L-Leucine which is the strongest of the BCAA’s, & it is responsible for the regulation of blood-sugar levels, the growth & repair of tissues in skin, bones and of course skeletal muscle. This SHOULD be on the high end of the ratio making the dosage at 2500mg (2.5g). Slightly low at 2000mg (2g).2) Beta Alanine function is to offset and delay fatigue it is in essential nutrient. When it's ingested by the body, beta-alanine will get converted into Carnosine, which will then serve the purpose of increasing your stamina, strength as well as muscle development. For those who are heavy into their training, this will then enable them to train harder while they're in the gym, resulting in increased muscle gains as a direct result. Furthermore, for those who are trying to do more metabolic type of workouts by decreasing the amount of rest they're taking between sets, this will also serve to help them recover more quickly between sets, therefore allowing them to increase the overall calorie burn and intensity during the workout. Suggested dose is 2g & this is slightly low at 1600mg (1.6g).3) L-Citrulline Malate (One of my favorite ingredients) combines two parts L-citrulline, a non-essential amino acid active in the urea cycle with one part DL-malic acid, a racemic mixture of dicarboxylic acids which help to support energy production. L-citrulline is a central part of the urea cycle, which allows the body to dispose of excess nitrogen. whereas L-citrulline DL-malate produces cellular energy in the form of ATP. L-malic acid is naturally present in the body’s cells, and is involved in gluconeogenesis, the metabolic pathway that creates glucose for the brain. L-malic acid supplements help support energy production. Athletes and bodybuilders interested in physical performance may want to consider L-citrulline DL-malate supplementation. Suggested minimum effective dosage is 3g (3000mg).• Many supplement companies use a 1:1 ratio & that is only approximately 57% Citrulline & a way for the company's to cut costs. A good supplement company will use a 2:1 ratio which is good, because each molecule of L-Citrulline is directly bonded to each molecule of malic acid, so a higher ratio means approximately 72% Citrulline. L-Citrulline is an amino acid that your kidneys will convert into L-arginine & 80% of L-citrulline is converted to L-arginine in the blood vessels. Suggested dosage is 3-6g.4) L-Glycine has many benefits i.e, Blood Sugar Regulation, Muscle Growth, Anti-aging Properties, Hormone Regulation. L-Glycine is able to improve cognition; however, it does so primarily by improving sleep quality and reducing fatigue. When it's time for bed, it will help you fall asleep faster & you will experience less daytime drowsiness the next day & improvements in memory on cognitive tests. Overall, this give improvements in fatigue, drowsiness, and vigilance. Suggested dosage is 1g & this is adequately dosed at 1.25g5) Calcium Bicarbonate - A mineral essential to your body & has alkalizing properties. This in the blood neutralizes the body's harmful acidic wastes.* Sodium is added for anyone who trains intensely. It acts as a vasodilator, allowing more blood into the muscles via sodium pumps, which in turn produces more powerful muscular contractions and eventually leads to more muscle mass. Salt also helps keep water in the muscles to allow for better work output, and helps with countless processes on the cellular level. Let me break try to explain the differences.6) Sodium Bicarbonate is none other than Baking Soda. Now you are asking yourself WTF is the benefit of Baking soda? Well let me tell you a few things to make you understand.• You may already know some home remedies such as: helps with Insect Bites & Poison Ivy, Heartburn, Indigestion, Ulcer Pain, provide Sunburn relief & Teeth (enhanced plaque removal & Whitener). But it is also good for Enhanced Sports Performance.• How? Sodium Bicarbonate is an alkali substance that increases the pH of the blood. This seems to reduce & offset the acidity produced in the muscles during intense, which in turn will reduce lactic acid quickly. It has been said that distance runners, endurance athletes, swimmers used a process called “soda doping" (similar to carbohydrate loading) before they compete to enhance their performance including speed. Suggested dosage is about 500mg7) Sodium Phosphate - Phosphate salts are involved in energy transport and storage, cell structure, vitamin function & a bunch of other processes essential to health.• Some minerals may become deficient in response to prolonged exercise & that can be hindering. Why? Exercise capacity may be reduced if mineral status is insufficient, so supplementing with minerals has been generally expected to improve exercise capacity & endurance exercise capacity.• It also has been categorized as a thermogenic agent, so supplementation is said to increase resting energy expenditure i.e., (increased thermogenesis) & may as a result, serve as a potential weight loss nutrient.8) Alpha-Ketoglutarate (AAKG) & Arginine Ketoisocaproate (AKIC) - These two compounds deliver arginine along with either the kreb’s cycle compound alpha- ketoglutaric acid or ketoisocaproic acid, which can oxidize to HMB in the body. HMB is a bodybuilding supplement that has been studied for its ability to increase lean muscle mass. When taking AAKG or AKIC, realize they have lower percentages of arginine than L-arginine itself, so it takes far greater amounts to deliver a lot of arginine. Studies have not shown greater benefits of AAKG and AKIC compared to plain L-arginine alone, although both do deliver arginine. AAKG is 45-66% arginine. AKIC is 66% arginine. Suggested dosage is 2.6g. This is massively under-dosed.9) Potassium is the main positive ion inside the body's cells and is needed for normal bodily functions. It's found in electrolyte compounds along with sodium, calcium, magnesium, hydrogen phosphate, and hydrogen carbonate, and helps restore the body's electrolyte and water levels as a way to help prevent and treat dehydration. Potassium aids in flushing waste and other toxins out of your body’s cells. Low levels of potassium can cause joint pain and swelling.• Did you know that less than 2% of americans actually consume the correct amount of potassium each day? We should be getting about 4700mg of potassium per day!10) Dicalcium Phosphate Is usually added as an anti-caking agent because it form into the salt-hydrate which removes water from foods that can become stale and helps keep them fresh. This is NOT the best possible source of calcium because of its low percentage of calcium. This is inferior to Tricalcium Phosphate11) Magnesium Citrate - Magnesium is the second most abundant mineral in cells, potassium is #1. Supplementing magnesium has so many benefits. Due to the fact that most of our soil where our food grows from is deficient in magnesium, our foods do not have enough. And our refined foods are about 97% deficient, making supplementation important. Did you know that many of our prescription drugs e.g., oral contraceptives, antibiotics, diuretics, asthmatic medications, anti-depression meds, to name a few, ALL cause magnesium nutrient depletion in the body. Some other notable benefits are: improves detoxification, lowers risk of cancer, healthy heart & lungs, may help with depression, aging, prevent constipation, good brain function are some.• My personal favorite benefits are the bodybuilding aspects.It helps prevent the feelings of fatigue, regulate hunger cravings which obviously helps with fat loss. Because magnesium is crucial for energy metabolism by the activation of enzymes known as ATPases, which are needed to generate ATP (adenosine triphosphate). When ATP is broken down, energy is released for all muscle contractions, and when exercising strenuously, this turnover is extremely high, meaning that ATP needs to be synthesized quickly. So being deficient in magnesium can limit energy production, which can & will lead to fatigue, lethargy, reduced power, muscle twitches &/or cramps. Can tell you how critically important ATP is in bodybuilding! Suggested effective daily dosage is 300mgFYI, the top 3 foods with the highest magnesium are:1) Pumpkin seeds (roasted)2) Almonds3) Brazil nuts---------------------------------------- CONS: ----------------------------------------1) Beta Alanine (at 1 scoop serving) is slightly under-dosed. This use to be a patented ingredient. I'm guessing it was not cost effective.2) L-Citrulline Malate (at 1 scoop serving) is under-dosed & also does NOT indicate the ratios breakdown, which most likely means this is at a 1:1 and that would make this really ineffective (read Ingredient Information above).3) Alpha-Ketoglutarate (at 1 scoop serving) is massively under-dosed (read Ingredient Information above).4) 34.99 IMO is slightly overpriced because:• Nothing real cutting edge and dosages at 1 scoop is not substantial.• This is 48 servings (1 scoop) but suggests taking 2 scoops (2 servings) making this 24 servings making that cost more ridiculous• They no longer use that patented ingredient which should've reflected on the cost.• I buy/use a couple Intra-Workout products that are MASSIVE in comparison and cost around the same price.5) IMO, they fumbled the ball a bit by not adding L-Isoleucine & L-Valine, which is in pretty much every Intra-Workout product i’ve ever used or seen, especially since they did not load this up with L-Leucine which would be more understanding.---------------------------------------- PROS: ----------------------------------------1) EVERY SINGLE ingredient in this product is listed separately along with all their dosages! If you read any of my supplement reviews, you know it drives me nuts when supplement companies put “proprietary blend” and list their ingredients & the total dosage. I want to know exactly what the dosage is for each and every single thing I am putting in my body & consumers today are getting wiser, more health conscious, so they do too!! A legit supplement company would be completely transparent.2) They NO LONGER add dyes and for me this is huge!! When this first come out they added FD&C yellow #6. BRAVO!!3) Not 100% certain, but this appears to be NON-GMO4) 100% Gluten Free!5) NO Allergens6) NO Soy, Dairy Free7) No sugar added, uses Sucralose. I would like to see them stop using sweeteners & start using Stevia, but definitely rather Sucralose over sugar cane/sugar.7) Has a phenomenal amount of electrolytes added, which is always good for recovery & for me personally is the main reason I like this!8) Good Mixability.9) Twisted POP taste very good10) They have a few flavors to choose from now, because when this first came out they ONLY had one flavor which was Orange Dreamsicle (also good).11) They use to make claims of being Pharmaceutical Grade which was more than likely false advertising & highly unlikely. At some point they got rid of those claims, so again BRAVO. Have to love brands that keep it 100% a are NOT disingenuous!------------------------- Final Thoughts: -------------------------• This is a 413g jug, 48 total servings per container, 1 scoop per serving, but if you use the 2 scoops this will only be 24 total servings. 8.6g per scoop, uses a patented ingredient. I do think this is priced a bit too high because as mentioned above, this is dosed low & has nothing substantial or cutting edge.• This does taste real good, mixes very well. Be cautions when you mix this & make sure the lid/top is on securely because when you shake it up it has a slight carbonation effect when you open the shaker cup like when you open a soda, which is due to the sodium added.• Came well within the expiration date.I highly recommend this product especially because of the more than adequate amount of electrolytes this has, which is why I am a huge fan and makes this stand out above many intra-workouts on the market. I personally and continually buy this for that reason. I add 1 scoop to my pre-workout and BAM.. this is excellent!

Awesome pre workout taste so good plus you get electrolytes no dyes or caffeine I highly recommend this product I use it for p90x and dumbell lifting you will have higher endurance after the 3 day to first week as this gets into your body you will notice a difference guaranteed your muscles bounce back and don't get tired its hard to explain just try it will buy again

When I drank it mixed with alot of water I didn't like how my throat felt. Felt like it was making it hard to swallow whenever I drank it. Ended up returning. I now use MuscleTech Vapor X5 and Amino Build Next Gen and have no symptoms.

2 full scoops and I’m ready run through a wall

I used this product as a pre-workout because I wanted to get off the caffeine. It works well because I don't feet tired after my workouts.

Great boost to your workout without stimulants. I still get a rush of energy and good blood flow during workouts without stimulants!

Not the best flavor for the first few sips then tastes fine.

Very tasty