X2PERFORMANCE sports nutrition supplement review #teamX2 #spon

How’s a triathlete to know what’s crap and what’s reputable when taking in nutrition or supplements? Many athletes are hypersensitive to what they put in their bodies to supply it with the energy it needs for 15 hours or more of training a week. There’s a tricky balance of taking in the right amount of calories for health and recovery without being excessive to pack on extra pounds. Lets be honest, some don’t pay attention and have no problem eating whatever they want, be we’re not going there today. Don’t eat that, take that supplement, don’t take that supplement. The latest major study even states that multivitamins do nothing to improve health. What’s a triathlete to do?

Red Bull before a race? Seen it. Gulping GU shots every 30 minutes? Standard for some. Sometimes less is more. That’s why we are taking a look at X²PERFORMANCE in this review. It’s a simple solution to an age old triathlete problem. The right stuff at the right time with the right ingredients.

We tried out a 4-pack of X²PERFORMANCE on some long runs leading up the LA Marathon and used it on race day. Check out our thoughts below on X²PERFORMANCE.

Packaging / Shelf Appeal / Marketing

X2 packaging is professional, glossy and appealing. It’s obviously not produced and packaged in someone’s garage and shipped using Fred’s delivery service.

Now, you won’t find X2 on the shelves of your tri shop or local GNC. You have to buy it exclusively through their website. That direct sales model cuts out the middle man and allows lower prices to cover less overheads.

With each order you get a few inserts about the products, company and recommended directions. Pretty standard there.

Form / Construction

You know what we like? We like bottles that are sealed with plastic and have a secured lid under the cap. Nothing’s more scary than looking at supplements that looked like someone tampered with them and threw them in a box.

The red bottles are interesting. DID YOU ORDER THE CODE RED!? YOU’RE DARN RIGHT I DID! It screams at you. You can’t ignore it, but they will go through TSA at the airport with no issues. Almost a little more subtleness would suit them for athletes that travel the airlines. But, you feel like you’re drinking something that’s for a double spy when you kick back the X2 red bottle. I got a few looks. Yes, I’m drinking rocket fuel, what’s it to you?

Fashion / Appearance

In line with the marketing and bottle appearance, the X2 makes a statement. We’re here and we’re going to kick butt. The lettering is stylish, the boxes are made to fit exactly the amount of bottles per order and they just appear to have it together. Nothing’s worse than getting a bag of chips with your sandwich only to open them up and find 4 chips and the rest was air. No waste here.

Fit / Function

So all the fluff about appeal and marketing is great, but what does it really do for you?

First of all, the taste is very unique. It can be bitter if not refrigerated, but tolerable if you have a sports drink handy to wash down the aftertaste. All of our testing was performed without refrigeration.

The fluid is somewhat milky in appearance, but is as fluid as water and goes down without an issue. This is in stark contrast to sports gels that ooze down your throat and sit in your gut waiting for digestion.

It wasn’t an instantaneous magical potion that instantly transformed the drinker into an invincible athlete. Honestly, it was like, “that’s it”? But, you do need to follow the directions and take 30 to 45 minutes before workouts. It’s a subtle feeling more akin to creatine. It may not make you feel superhuman, but it will allow you to do your workout with more intensity for longer periods of time. Maybe more akin to Viagra… working harder longer? Maybe not. At any rate, we half expected a rush type feeling that accompanies Red Bull or 5 Hour Energy. X2 was nothing like those sugar or B12 rush drinks. There were no jitters or increased heart rates to go along with the drink at any time. It was a steady energy output that we couldn’t really tell a start and end to. It came, it went, and we completed our workouts with vim and vigor.

We used it during marathon training and for the marathon. For the first 1:15 of the marathon, we had energy to spare and unfortunately did not plan ahead and only had one bottle left for race morning. Honestly, we could tell a difference around mile 12. Just a drain in energy. Before that we attacked the hills and kept pace with the goal pace group. Honestly we wish we had more. Might have to break down and buy some instead of using up the review supply!

Cost

Brace yourself, here’s where we talk about the mean green. Now, considering the competition such as GU, PowerBar, Gatorade the proliferation of hundreds of smaller supplement companies that litter the endurance world, X2 can pack a punch to the wallet. But, this is a complete system in one drink. There’s no prime, during workout, recovery or systems of multiple products to use here. You buy one product, and you use it once a day for recovery days or short workout days and possibly multiple times in longer training sessions.

X2 ranges from $3.99 to $4.99 depending on if you buy in bulk or not. Obviously they want you to buy more at a time and it’s less costly to produce and ship in bulk.

Your average GU shot or CLIF shot may run you $1.50 or maybe $2 at the most. And, some can use purely the sports gel for a race, but you need another product for recovery. With X2, it’s all there.

Final thoughts

We found the angle of X2 unique. They go after the generation and regeneration of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and increase that instead of using stimulants like caffeine to get your heart rate up and leaving you vulnerable to the crash afterwards.

The initial taste might require some getting used to or at least having a sports drink chaser on hand. It’s a great alternative to the sports gels providing an increase in stamina to work at the same rate for extended periods of time. Do keep in mind that you need more than one serving of you are going long.

The price might be prohibitive, but people drink $5 macchiatos from Starbucks on a daily basis, so it’s a good substitute to a bad vice for endurance athletes. If you are in the market for something to keep you going without the stomach bomb, check out X²PERFORMANCE.

Disclaimer

Writer’s Note – Ryan is participating in a sponsored campaign for X²PERFORMANCE. He received compensation for this post, but the opinions are his. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

Mixing the LA Marathon with X2PERFORMANCE and getting over the illness hump #triathlon #recovery #teamX2 #spon #BetterYourBest

Feeling better and getting on the treadmill bandwagon...

FINALLY getting over the hump.  I took my own advice and refocused on refueling after workouts and getting the right amount of sleep.  You can't come back during cold and flu season if your immune system is already compromised.

I even ventured out for a few cold weather runs in 3 to 4 layers before Old Man Winter hit Kansas City again with freezing drizzle, snow and then 12 more inches of snow.  There will be no safe outdoor running for a few days now.  Especially when it's going to be -14 air temp tomorrow morning.  Nope.  The treadmill it is, and 21 miles on a treadmill is not exactly fun, but it got done.  I'm focused on the LA Marathon and the BQ prize!

Cold weather runner or Ninja, you be the judge.

Don't forget, I will be reviewing X²PERFORMANCE soon and writing up a few posts about them.  They are a mainstay in the Ironman Triathlon world and have worked with several other online triathletes in the past.  And, get this, they invited ME to join in on their blogger campaign and help spread their message (ya, I get paid for this!).

X²PERFORMANCE appears to be a healthy, natural performance enhancer as listed on their site.

"The generation and regeneration of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is the key to maximizing performance during any vigorous activity. ATP is the essential unit of energy created by your body’s natural biochemical processes, and when depleted, you may feel physically and or mentally fatigued and unable to increase your training intensity. X²PERFORMANCE is the first supplement containing the patent-pending BIOIDS advanced cellular compound, a proprietary combination which has been found effective to increase energy, enhance endurance and improve recovery. ATP is also essential for amino acid activation during protein synthesis, which means X²PERFORMANCE can also help your muscles recover faster and more effectively."

I'm itching to get my sample to try it out!  And, while I'm testing out my batch, you can take advantage of this limited time offer and receive a free trial of X²PERFORMANCE and try it with me! You will need to select a subscription plan and pay $5.95 shipping charge, but you can cancel the subscription (even before your first shipment) at any time and still receive your free trial.

Disclosure

I am participating in a sponsored campaign for X²PERFORMANCE. I received compensation for this post, but the opinions are my own.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

@EnduroPacks Endurance sports nutrition supplement pack review

Triathlon nutrition is a tricky wicket. Too much and you’re gaining weight, too little and you could hurt yourself, eat this, don’t eat that, take that supplement, don’t take that supplement. The latest major study even states that multivitamins do nothing to improve health. What’s a triathlete to do?

There’s so many factors that go into deciding what’s right for you. Are you wanting to lose weight? Are you wanting to add muscle to your frame? Are you racing sprint triathlons? Are you out training and exercising for 20 hours a week for fun? Are you trying to win your age group at the 70.3 distance?

Triathletes are a little different than your average person on the street, in many ways. But, for this review, more specifically the diet requirements are very particular. Some use triathlon as a ticket to eat whatever they want. Some use triathlon as a lifestyle to usher in health and a permanent way of a life. Hopefully your spouse and family is on board with that, but back to the review.

You may not necessarily be looking for added nutrition to support training and racing, but you will at least need more fluids and electrolytes at minimum to replace what you sweat out during your workouts. Putting recovery and eating aside, the body needs essential fluids and minerals to function and those get depleted faster in those training at higher volumes.

That’s why when EnduroPacks approached us for a review of their nutrition system, we immediately took them up on it. Their nutrition supplements contain no powders or actual food items, just some concentrated vitamins, patches and some pills. No real addition of calories, but the focus on hydration, electrolytes and minerals with an eye on pre-workout, during workout and post-workout.

Read on for our take on their unique system.

Packaging / Shelf Appeal / Marketing

You will not find EnduroPacks (EP for short) in your local supplement store. They are online only right now and that’s where you will need to check them out. No fancy store packaging or displays.

When you do get your EP, it comes in a simple box and may even leave you thinking, “is that it?” It’s unassuming and refreshing to see products that are minimalist, organized and sufficient without coming across cheap. Their graphics are of good quality and uniform from one bottle or container to another. There’s no cheapness in the packaging and instruction postcard. If you want to get in touch with EP, you can find them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and a couple of other social media sites. They are responsive and eagerly looking to grab up a following for their products.

Form / Construction

From a packaging standpoint, the containers and packaging for shipping is superior. The multivitamin bottle is a sturdy glass bottle and the spray bottle for the concentrated electrolyte spray is durable enough to toss in a duffle bag and not worry about smashing it.

From the standpoint of the chemical makeup of the products, EP claims;

“We’ve done the research. We’ve cracked the essential product mix. And we’re bringing you everything you need for your endurance training in the most effective, convenient formats.

Each pack includes a 30-day supply of liquid multivitamin, glutamine tablets, amino acid patches, and concentrated electrolyte spray. All of our products are GLUTEN-FREE, U.S.-MADE, contain NO GMO, only use ORGANIC ingredients, and are 100% vegetarian.”

What hardened triathlete isn’t looking for natural and non-GMO products? Consider your bases covered with EP.

EP also holds the "GMP" designation on their product labels. GMP (Good Manufacturing Procedure) is a designation recognized by the Natural Products Association (an independent regulator) that assures the consumer that industry accepted Quality Assurance and Quality Control standards have been met. The NPA inspects their manufacturers' facilities, documents and procedures, and determines that they are up to the best quality standards in the industry. Check out EP’s site more more information on their quality standards.

But, do remember that generally, manufacturers do not need to register their products with FDA or get FDA approval before producing or selling dietary supplements. Manufacturers must make sure that product label information is truthful and not misleading, if FDA approval is important to you.

Fashion / Appearance

As mentioned before, EP products are uniform in packing and appearance, so there’s no confusing that you have the right products to maximize their system. Nothing’s worse than realizing the brand you are using has 30 different products and because they have different graphics that don’t match, you didn’t realize you should have been drinking X with Y to get the best results.

Now, when you break into the products to use, you have 4 items. Multivitamin solution, spray, patches and pills. The pills are pretty standard looking. The patches, if you haven’t had experience with them, are semi-flesh toned for most caucasian types and around one inch by one inch. If, like us, you are not used to patches, this will be a little new. Where it gets interesting is the spray and multivitamin. The spray is whitest and when added to a sports drink, it turns the drink a little cloudy, but nothing more. The multivitamin is reminiscent of old-school cod liver oil in appearance. It just conjures up old school images of parents making their kids suck down the oil to stay healthy and strong. Luckily with EP you add the multivitamin do your morning drink and don’t need to just drink it by itself.

EP is a little off the beaten path than the normal supplements. With sprays, suspension liquids and patches, they offer a unique nutrition and supplement alternative.

Fit / Function

Once you start, you can’t stop. It’s a daily routine system regardless if you are working out that day or not, and regardless of intensity or volume. The only difference will be the amount of electrolyte spray you use depending on how much hydration you take in while working out.

In all honesty, we misinterpreted the instructions and though the multivitamin was only an hour or so before workouts, where it’s meant to be taken every day. That and the recovery complex pills you can just stash in your kitchen and incorporate with your daily routine.

The spray and patches need to go with your for workouts. You need to remember to break out the spray and spirits it in your drink and then remember to slap a patch on after a workout after you clean up.

The spray bottle is small and portable, and the taste effect was actually favorable. It enhanced most flavors of sports drinks and wasn’t bitter or gross tasting. Bonus.

The patches come on a sheet and you just peel one off and stick it on your back, stomach or forearm and forget about it. That’s great except when you go to bed and your spouse might make fun of you for being on the patch when getting changed for bed. But, for someone grabbing a lunch workout, it’s great to slap on under your polo and go back to the office, recovering without having to worry about mixing a powder, choking it down and having to clean the bottle later. Just go back to work and hydrate.

The multivitamin does change the flavor of your drink a little, but it really wasn’t anything to make you turn away from your drink. It clumped a little, but after a few sips, you’re chugging your drink like you would any other morning since we know all of you throw down the proper amount of water per day anyway, right?

EP was very functional as far as applying the usage. After getting in the groove for our month supply, it was like second nature.

As far as the performance side, it’s more about personal perception than cold hard facts. We used the EP system for around a month. Our competitive events were done for the year, but we were still in maintenance mode with some decent volume and intensity. Lets just say we weren’t just sitting on the couch eating turkey and Christmas cookies.

We felt good before, during and after workouts. The only real addition besides EP for workouts and recovery was protein powder in our morning oatmeal and G2 sports drink. Our workouts were completed at desired intensity and duration without issues using EP. We wouldn’t necessarily say we felt any super-energy effects, but we had ample energy and strength during workouts and felt the burn during and after.

There were no lingering aches or pains from one workout to another and it was business as usual going from AM workout, get kids and self ready for the day, work, maybe a lunch workout, get the kids, dinner, family time and maybe a late night workout. The routine was in full effect without skipping a beat from our usual nutritional supplement setup.

Cost

It’s tough to compare EP to any other system on the market. It’s really a different animal all on its own with the unique multivitamin suspension, electrolyte spray and amino acid patch. You could probably find each individual item somewhere, but you will probably pay more buying it piecemeal than as a system.

EP sells their system in monthly increments and the longer term you sign up for, the less costly the system is. Ranging from 1 month at $75 with free shipping to $59 a month for 12 months with free shipping, it can easily be cheaper than buying mixes for pre-workout, during workout and post-workout products, hydration, supplements and powders. It just all depends on what you want from your supplements and if you’re willing to go with a more minimalist system like EP or you feel the need for the other tried and true products you have used in the past.

In general, EP approaches the ballpark with other products in the cost category. There’s a lot of factors that could affect how EP prices compared to what a triathlete is accustomed to paying.

Final thoughts

EnduroPacks offers a unique solution to triathletes for supplementation and hydration. Their monthly system is based on 4 products, 2 of which are taken on a daily routine basis and 2 that are workout specific. You simply add their concentrated solution to your current beverage of choice and go about your business. There’s no mixing, no cleaning and a lot less hassle than your traditional powders, drinks and workout specific meals. From what we can surmise, there’s no real drop-off in performance from using the EP system, but we couldn’t definitively say we experienced a significant improvement with the products. There were advantages for convenience of use and transport that may be an advantage over more traditional products offering the same benefits. Cost also may be a factor depending on the intricacies of your honed dietary and supplement regimen developed over years of training and racing. If you can cut back from 6 or 7 products to EP’s 4 staples and have the same results, you might just save a pretty penny over a year.

EP even offers a 30 day risk-free guarantee. Try it for a month and if you’re not feeling it, cancel and return the leftover and they will refund your order. There’s not much to lose in checking them out.

Disclaimer

Writer’s Note - EnduroPacks sent us a month supply for this review for no charge and in no way influenced this review.