Ingredients

This is probably the most important category when it comes to protein bars.  Typically an ingredient list in protein bars read like a science experiment, but that is NOT the case with QuestBar.  Each bar has 20 grams of High Quality protein (Whey Protein Isolate, Milk Protein Isolate), Very low in non-fiber carbs, extremly short label (5-6 ingredients) and is made up of actual healthy foods.  Oh and it’s Gluten and Soy Free!  Not bad uh?  These bars are very low in sugar and contain a ton of fiber.  The main fiber source is from IMO fiber (Isomalto-Oligosaccharide), which is a plant sourced fiber that is similar to chicory root fiber, except that it doesn’t cause any upset stomach.  This leaves you feeling full after you eat it.  They also contain Almond and Peanut Butters, depending on the flavor.  You might even see chunks of these nuts in the bar.  The bars are sweetened with Lo Han Guo, which works as and antioxidant and help support the immune system. The low-glycemic nature of Luo Han guo helps maintain health blood sugar levels and aids in weight loss, as well as Stevia.  Which is a natural plant based sweetener.  6 of the flavors use a little bit of sucralose but if you are not a fan of sucrlose, they have recently come out with 5 new all natural line of flavors that have zero in them.  They use erythritol instead, which is a sugar alcohol that doesn’t upset your stomach or impact your blood sugar.  Each bar is around 170-200 calories as well.  Which fits into anyone’s diet.

Rating:  10/10 (one of the cleanest protein bars that I have found)

Taste

For me this  is what makes the bars so great.  The tastes are absolutely awesome.  With 11 flavors you might thing that one would not quite hit the mark but honestly, I love them all.  I can guarantee that you will find a flavor that you love.  They are very wide ranging as well.  They have things basic like Vanilla Almond and Peanut Butter Supreme, and they have different ones you might not see like Peanut butter and Jelly, and Cinnamon Roll (two of my favorites).  Here’s another little tip.  Since these bars aren’t covered in chocolate, you can microwave them and they taste like cookies that just came out of the oven!  Even if you leave it in a hot car for a few mins, there is nothing like having one of these bars warmed up.  Try it!

Rating:  10/10

Effectiveness:

I have been using QuestBars for months now.  I have been very impressed that I have been able to get high quality protein and remain full for hours with these bars.  They have helped me when I have been cutting down as well as when I have been building muscle.  They are as effective as any protein bar that I have had.  The only thing that I wouldn’t do is eat more than 1 per day.  The fiber tends to bind you up if you already eat fairly healthy and get enough fiber as it is.

Rating:  9.5/10

Conclusion:

Well that sounded more like a fan page then a review didn’t it?  Honestly, there isn’t much bad to say about QuestBars.  They have a 99.5% natural line, which has sucarlose(splenda), and a 100% natural line that uses stevia.  They are clean, filling, taste great and will help you with your fitness goals on the road or when you need a quick snack.  And at $2 per bar, you really can’t go wrong here.  These bars are by far the best tasting, clean protein bars I have seen on the market.  I don’t know how they do it.  They are really something to try for yourself and see if you like them.  At roughly 20 grams of protein and 20-25 grams of carbs, 17 grams of fiber and very low sugar, it should fit into your diet very well.  The fat comes from good healthy fat sources and the bars fill you up for hours.  QuestBar is hitting it out of the park and they are truly doing things with the consumer in mind.

Overall Rating:  10/10

Want to Try QuestBars with Free Shipping?  Click the Link Below
Quest Low-Carb Bar – 1st Purchase Ships Free – Promo “SHIPFREE”

Ingredients: I am a fan of what Beachbody did with the ingredient list.  They included everything that I look for in a pre-workout supplement.  N.O Boosters for pump, Natural Energizers for energy, Amino Acids for endurance/recovery/muscle growth, Electrolytes for muscle function, B Vitamins for function and metabolism, and a Natural Sweetener.  One thing that I get sick and tired of lately is having a pre-workout drink that is full of crappy sweeteners and color dye.  Nothing like drinking colbalt blue or pink water right?  I also like the fact that they included the amino acid Beta Alanine, which has been shown to help with muscle endurance, as well as Rhodiola Extract (aRoot extract known to help suport Energy and Endurance) and D-Ribose ( which is known to help provide energy to the body).  Very cool ingredient list.

Rating:  9.5/10

Taste/Mixability: I don’t like most pre-workout drinks flavor.  As a matter of fact I would say that I only like about 30% of the ones I have tried.  E&E pre-workout tastes great in my opinion.  It has a very nice lemon/lime taste that isn’t so sweet that it hurts and so sorry that you have a hard time getting it down.  It is a very nice, smooth, clean tasting drink.   This surprised me very much because I honestly thought that with no artificial sweeteners that I would have to choke it down.  Not the case.  I also like the fact that it mixes in only a few shakes of my shaker cup.  There is no weird artificial color or taste to it what so ever.  You may not like it as much as I do but I really enjoy it.  Compared to other pre-workouts that I nearly gag while drinking this one is golden.

Rating:  9.5/10

Effect: For a product that uses no 1,3-Dimethylamylamine, no other untested stimulants and no creatine, I was VERY surprised at how well it worked.  When I judge the effects of a product, I have to judge it by it’s claims.  Does it provide good energy through all my workouts?…Yes!  Does it provide endurance through the most vigorous of P90X2 and Tony Horton workouts?…Yes it does!  And on top of all of that, I was pleasantly surprised by the pump I got from it.  I did Shoulders/Arms from P90X2, took 2 scoops and measured my arms before and after.  Typically I get a good pump, but when I used E&E pre-workout my arms grew over 1″ when I finished.  Honestly very surprised.  The one thing I would like to know is how much caffeine is in the product so I can know how many scoops to use.  So far 2 scoops do just fine during intense workouts.

Rating:  9/10

Conclusion: I have tested Energy & Endurance pre-workout supplement ( E&E pre-workout ) over 5 different workouts now.  In each workout I was full of energy, did not suffer from the typical crash that I do with other pre-workouts and had enough endurance to break some strength plateaus.  The ingredient list shows that Beachbody did everything right.  The taste is smooth and clean.  I would suggest starting with 1 scoop if you haven’t taken a pre-workout before to see how you feel.  If you have then you can most like do 2 scoops right off the bat.  I have tried my share of pre-workouts and this one stacks up there with my favorites so far.  I have been looking for a pre-workout supplement that was effective but clean.  Something that was more natural so I didn’t have to put a bunch of crap into my body. Energy & Endurance pre-workout is definitely a supplement that I Highly recommend.    There was no crash and it performed beyond my expectations.  At $29.95 per bottle, it’s definitely worth picking up and trying.  You can purchase it by clicking here.

Rating:  9.5/10

Have you tried E&E pre-workout yet?  What is your E&E pre-workout review?

Overall the workout is around an hour.  Tony Horton takes you through the new warm up that you will see during the whole P90X2 program.  The warmup is very well thought out.  Each movement has a meaning and is there to help get you warmed up so you can perform to the best of your ability.  Foam rolling is introduced in X2 Core as well.  The foam roller will become your new best friend as you start to utilize it before and after your workouts.  In just the short time that I had been using the foam roller, I had already seem a difference in decreased muscle soreness and great range of motion…I’m sold.

The Warm up itself is longer than the others you will find in the P90X2 workouts to come.  But that makes sense.  This is the foundation phase after all, so you need to get down the fundamentals first.   By no means does that mean that this is an easy workout though.  Some of these moves are very challenging, especially the first time through.  I know that I struggled a little the first time through but when do you it the second time, you will be amazed at how great of a workout this can be.  The ability to push yourself during the second time through makes all the difference.  So make sure you print out the workout sheets and really get after it.

Some of the highlights from the workouts are moves like Sphinx Plant crunch, Half Angel, 3 Speed Med Ball Push-ups, core circles, Slo-mo Balance Climbers and X2 Divers.  Yes, those are actually exercises…trust me they make more sense when you do them.

The best tip I can give you when doing this workout is make sure you are engaging your core on each move.  These moves are very deliberate and are meant to strengthen your weak points.  So engage, engage, engage.  Make sure you are using perfect form on everything you do.  This is a workout that you will see major improvements on each and every time you do it.  That’s one of the best things about P90X2, each time you do a workout you will see great strength and performance improvements.

If you are looking for extra help with P90X2 then be sure to Sign Up with Me as your Free P90X2 Coach.  Being a P90X2 Cast Member has it’s privileges…I can help you get the most out of P90X2.  You can also Purchases P90X2 by clicking here! This will also automatically assign me as your coach!

What did you think of the P90X2 X2 Core?  Did you like my X2 Core Video Review?

Ingredients

Bluebonnet is not a street name.  I had never heard of it before someone told me about it.  As a matter of fact I never even saw it in a store before.  So when I was looking for it I was very pleased to find that this is a company that takes pride in what it does.  It shows in the ingredients.  Bluebonnet’s Whey Protein Isolate is made from Grass-Fed Cows.  Why is this important?  Because they are not treated with antibotics or recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH).  It is also not sweetened with sucralose.  Some people avoid these types of sweeteners so this is a very big plus.  It is sweetened with Stevia instead, which is a plant based natural sweetener that is said to be much better for you.  If you look at the label you will only see 3-4 ingredients, depending on the flavor.  The chocolate I tried consisted of dutch coco powder, whey protein isolate, natural flavors and stevia.  Not bad right?  The best part is that each serving has 116 calories, 3 grams of carbs, 0 grams fat and 26 grams of protein!  I always try to find a protein that has 22-30 grams per serving.  Very impressive.

Rating:  10/10 (one of the cleanest protein powders that I have found…so far)

Taste/Mixability

There are typically two types of people.  Those who like protein powders and those who don’t.  I think this is a great product for anyone who says they don’t like protein powders.  It has a very clean, mild taste.  If you are used to highly sweet or flavorful protein powders then this will be a change for you.  If you are not used to protein powders and want to try a mild one then this is a great product to use.  Personally I liked it.  It didn’t blow me away but it was a nice mild chocolate that didn’t leave a bad aftertaste and didn’t clump up when I mixed it.  Overall the mixability was very good.  Not great, but good.  There was some clumps but nothing that I didn’t mind.  It mixed well in Milk, Almond Milk and water…or any combo of the 3.

Rating:  8.5/10 (great for those who love a mild tasting protein powder)

Effectiveness:

This is always a tough one to call with protein powders because there is only so much you can tell over a given period of time.  So I have to fall back on the amino acid profile, quality of ingredients and how well it is digested.  The Amino acid profile was good.  Nothing ground breaking but very respectable.  Very typical of what you find from a whey protein isolate that doesn’t add extra BCAAs.  The quality of ingredients is obviously very high and it digests very well. 

Rating:  8.5/10

Conclusion:

Bluebonnet Whey Protein Isolate is a very good Natural protein powder.  For those of you looking to get your diet as clean as possible then this is a great place to start.  Some people have problems with the artificial sweeteners found in supplements and other don’t but overall you should try to avoid them as much as possible.  Bluebonnet has definitely done a good job with this product.  The one thing is that it is a bit on the pricey side.  I believe I paid around $1.05 per serving, which is about $0.20-0.25 more than you would typically see from a protein powder.  So you will have to make that choice for your self whether it’s worth it to you or not.  This product is found at most Health food stores like Sprouts, Mother’s Market, Henry’s, etc.  You can search for it on their website to find a story near you.  Bluebonnet 100% Natural Whey Protein Isolate comes in different flavors and can be found on their website at http://www.bluebonnetnutrition.com/ .

Overall Rating:  9/10

Ingredients

Xtend by Scivation claims to help build muscle, burn fat and recovery faster.  The reason being is because of the 2:1:1 ratio of of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine and L-Valine. This ratios is suppose to be optimal to help work together to promote muscle protein synthesis. There is 7000 mg of the 2:1:1 ratio with 3500 mg of that being Leucine.  They also have 25oo mg of Glutamine, the most abdunant of all the amino acids in our bodies to promote recovery and 1000 mg of Critulline Malate which helps with endurance and ATP productions for more intense workouts.  Criulline Malate has also been shown in recent studies to help with boosting Nitric Oxide which gives you that “pump” feeling.  The new Xtend has added some 1171 mg of electrolytes, Potassium, Chloride and Sodium to help with hydration.  Overall the concept of these ingredients makes sense and I have seen the difference when I sip it with water during my workout.

Rating 9/10

Taste/ Mixability

The old Xtend tasted great.  I tried several flavors and found that they all had a clean fresh taste, but the mixability was poor.  It would get foamy and chalky at the top.  I find that this is somewhat reversed with the New Xtend.  It mixes very well actually but the taste has changed a bit.  I don’t know if it was because of the added electrolytes or the fact that they have added binders to help it mix better but the flavor seems a bit more thick.  If that makes any sense.  It’s not quite that clean taste as it once was.  Having said that, the Watermelon still tastes great and I find it to be a nice flavor during workouts.  It has no sugar so it is sweetened with sucralose.  I know that is a turn off for some of you so be aware.

Rating 8.5/10

Effect

I have been taking this supplement during my workouts now.  I have seen fairly good effects in endurance and lack of fatigue.  It has been a nice change of pace from regular water.  Time will tell if it will help me build more muscle but the science behind BCAAs make sense.

Rating:  8.5/10

Conclusion

I liked it.  It tastes good, has no calories and gives you extra BCAAs for muscle building.  It has help with endurance and I find that added electrolytes to make sense while taking it during my workout.  If you have been looking into trying a BCAA supplement then Xtrend by Scivation might be a good start.  1 scoop is all you need.

Rating:  8.5/10

What is PB2?

PB2 is a Powerded Peanut Butter by a company called Bell Plantation.  Basically what they do is remove 85% of the fat calories without using chemicals, which is typical for reduced fat foods.  There are no preservatives at all.  They remove the fat by squeezing out the oil, so all that is left is the roasted peanut butter flavor.  There are no artificial sweeteners either.  This allows you to mix PB2 into water or into Shakeology and get the same consistency as full-fat peanut butter.  I know you have heard me say “not to fear fat”.  That is still true.  Fat from nuts is good for you, but there are some people who take Shakeology that love Peanut Butter but don’t want the extra calories…my fiance falls into this category for example.  This gives you the best of both worlds.

What are the Nutrition Facts for PB2?

The serving size is two tablespoons of the PB2 powder.  You get 45 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 5 grams carbs, 5 grams protein, and 2 grams of fiber.  Honestly it is pretty sweet.

What Do You Mix with PB2?

The only thing I have tried so far is that I have it with my Chocolate Shakeology.  I have mixed it with some almond mild and regular milk and both taste awesome.  It goes great with anything you like to pair regular peanut butter with.  One of my favorite recipes is 1 Scoop of Chocolate Shakeology, 1 cup almond milk, 2 scoops PB2, and 1/2 banana, Blend with Ice and enjoy!  It makes the whole thing taste like a scoop of Chunky Monkey for all you Ben & Jerry’s Fans out there.

Where Do I Get it?

You can find PB2 only online I believe.  The main site for PB2 is http://www.bellplantation.com/ .  They have 2 flavors…regular and Chocolate.  I haven’t tried the chocolate yet but I am sure it’s pretty good. The main difference is that it has 3 grams of sugar instead of 1 gram.

If your looking to try it with Shakeology, I recommend trying Chocolate first, you can find Shakeology on my site by CLICKING HERE, or going to the “supplements” tab and finding Shakeology.  If you can any questions about Shakeology feel free to contact me by leaving a comment or through the “contact me” tab.

Have you tried PB2?  What did you Think?  Are you going to try it?

What Type of Workout Is One on One: Upper Body Balance?

Upper Body Balance is a Chest and Ab routine…mostly.  I say “mostly” because the chest moves involve instability that work more than just your chest.  Your shoulders, Triceps and even lats help to stabilize you as you do these moves.  Allowing for a great upper body workout.  In between each Chest move there is an ab move.  So not only are you hitting your core during the chest move by doing push ups on medicine balls for example, but you are also hitting up your abs.

What is the Length and How many Exercises?

This is roughly a 52 min workout.  There is a good amount of warm up and cool down as well.  There are 16 exercises listed at the beginning but in typical Tony Horton fashion, he adds a bonus round if you are so inclined.  The greatest part about this workout is watching Tony struggle.  But if you can keep up with him then you still ahead of the game.

My Impressions/Review

This is a fun workout.  It’s a great introduction to the instability exercises that you are going to do in P90X2.  Tony does a great job at explaining how to do each one of these moves.  Whether its the “impossible” push up, 4 medicine ball push ups, swimmers push ups, etc.  He shows you how you can use basket balls and even a foot ball to do these.  When you sandwich that in with the ab routines this workout is definitely worth doing.  Like I said above, I liked to incorporate into my misc day (Saturdays) instead of Chest X 2.0 when I was doing P90X Chest/Back that week.

Tony is also in full form in this one…there are ball jokes thrown around all over the place.  This is actually one of the workouts I recommend to those trying to find some more chest routines after they complete P90X.  I can see this one being thrown into the schedule during the foundation phase, especially since it’s only a 5 day schedule.  Can you tell I like this workout?  If your used to doing push ups in P90X then this will add a whole new element.  This truly gets you ready for P90X2.

If you want to buy One on One: 4 Legs you can do so by CLICKING HERE.  Or you can Pre-Order P90X2 by reading my “How To Pre-Order P90X2” Post.

What Type of Workout Is One on One: 4 Legs?

Not to state the obvious, but One on One: 4 Legs is a leg workout…with a twist.  Instead of the more traditional leg exercises that you are used in with P90X: Legs/Back, you are doing all new moves.  There is One major difference, you do them all on One leg.  So there is a huge instability factor involved while doing these exercises.  Because of this, you will not need any weight.  This workout is weight free.  All you use is your body weight.  It doesn’t sound tough but it definitely is.  Having to balance on One Leg for all of these moves takes focus and concentration.  It also takes a lot of good balance.  These types of exercises trigger more stabilizer muscle fibers to trigger, which in turn makes you pretty damn tired.

What is the Length and How many Exercises?

The workout runs around 53 mins I believe.  This includes both a warm up and a cool down, which you definitely shouldn’t skip.  There are 10 exercises in all but since they take so much focus and balance, you do them slowly.  There are moves like single leg squats, and half moon lunges.  Both become extremely difficult toward the end.  Tony Horton does a great job at telling you how many reps you need to do and if what he says isn’t enough, all you have to do is add another 5 reps and I can guarantee that you will feel it.

My Impressions

This workout was tough, but in a different way.  I was able to get through the whole thing and worked up a good sweat.  It isn’t your typical Tony Horton leg routine.  It takes focus in order to balance during each exercise.  The better form you use, the more deliberate your movements are, the harder the workout is.  I found myself doing an extra 5 reps on a couple of the exercises for some extra burn, so I recommend doing the same thing.  I also recommend not getting ahead of Tony.  If you rush these exercises you won’t get much out of them.   The point of this routine is to work on your balance and core strength, not to power through each move as quickly as possible.  Oh and for every time you have to touch the ground, you have to do 1 push up.  I had to do over 40 when I finished…have fun with that ;).

Overall I liked this workout a lot and I am kinda bummed that I haven’t included it into my routine until now.  It is great for a change of pace or if you want something that works your Legs a little more. See the Video below for a preview.

If you want to buy One on One: 4 Legs you can do so by CLICKING HERE.  Or you can Pre-Order P90X2 by reading my “How To Pre-Order P90X2” Post.

Ingredients: I really liked the ingredients used in AmiNO energy due to the BCAAs used and the Beta Alanine.  I thought they combined the right types of Amino acids into the supplement with not that many fillers.  If your a artificial sweeter hater than you probably will mark it down in that category, but it is very hard to find a supplement that doesn’t have one in it.  The one thing I didn’t like was that it has mostly Taurine (listed as for first ingredient).  While Taurine has it’s place, I would have rather seen a BCAA be a main ingredient.  But that aside I did like the fact they had some Beta Alanine and arginine as well.  I also liked how they included caffeine from Green Tea.  The only problem is the dosing.  You don’t get very much per serving.

Rating:  8/10

Taste/Mixability: It is typically very difficult to make BCAAs taste decently but I think that Optimum Nutrition did a great job with Amino Energy.  I really like the taste.  The flavor that I tried was Fruit Punch and though it is a bit strong, I really enjoyed the flavor.  Taste is subjective but if your a fruit punch person I think you will enjoy this.  I got my fiance to try it as well and she also liked the taste…she is usually very picky.

Rating: 9.5/10

Effect: For a product that only uses green tea caffeine I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of energy it gave me during my workouts.  The more scoops you use the more caffeine (typically 50 mg per scoop) but just getting 1-2 servings gives you enough sustainable energy to get you through the most grueling of P90X or Insanity workouts.  I found that it worked well for both Cardio and Resistance.  They say you can use this for an afternoon “pick me up” as well so they are trying to market the product for being versatile.  I only have used it as a pre workout.

Rating: 8.5/10

Conclusion: Overall I like this product.  It fits great into my diet when I am cycling off of create but still need a little energy.  The Amino Acids are also a great benefit to your pre workout nutrition.  I would recommend this product for anyone who wants to try a pre workout type of supplement but doesn’t want to get one with creatine or other stimulants.  It is great for when your cycling off of creatine as well and is a good for someones first glimpse at what pre workouts have to offer.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

Assault is kinda the opposite of the “ultra-concentrated” craze that is happening right now with pre-workout supplements. Instead of providing a 5g concentrated scoop they actually do a 40 gram scoop for a double serving. That means that you can take 1/2 scoops or 20 grams of product during your regular days and a full scoop or 40 grams for intense workouts days. The thing I like about that is that you can actually get the recommended amounts of other ingredients like creatine, beta-alanine, arginine, citrulline malate, etc. So if your looking for a product that has a little bit of everything, then this maybe the one to look at.

Ingredients:  When your looking at a pre-workout supplement, you are looking for several things.  Does it have the things that have been proven to help your workout?  Creatine, beta-alanine, some sore of stimulant like caffeine, citrulline matate, arginine, etc.  This product has it all.  The best part is you know your getting decent amounts of each because of the size of the scoop.  They use a very high quality creatine (Con-Crete) mixed with Creatine Mono.  They use 4 grams of beta-alanine per scoop, which has been shown to be the amount you need to see the effects, along with other amino acids.  And they use glucose polymers to give you some energy or carbs.  If you don’t want to buy all of these ingredients separately then you might want to try this.

Rating: 9/10

Taste: I really like the taste of Assault.  It’s very sweet but if your looking for something you don’t have to choke down then this stuff is pretty good.  I actually looked forward to drinking it instead of dreading it.  The two flavors I tried were raspberry lemonade and blue raspberry, both tasted very good.  I didn’t have any problems with mixability when I used a shaker cup but it did clump when I tried mixing it with a spoon, so I would recommend using a shaker cup to mix.

Rating: 9/10

Effect: I felt great during my workouts with this product.  It wasn’t overly full of stimulants like I feel when I take other “ultra-concentrated” pre workouts.  I felt strong, energetic and focused.  I experienced a little bit of an upset stomach on this product here and there but I think that is due to the arginine.  I have found that products with lots of arginine tend to do that.  However, I felt pumped and strong throughout my workouts.  I broke some PRs during the 30 days while I was on it.

Rating: 9/10

Conclusion: Try it out.  I liked it because I felt like I was getting a good amount of active ingredients and I felt it during my workout.  It can be a little bit on the expensive side but that is because it has really large scoops.  I will end up coming back and trying this product again later this year when I am cycling back on creatine.  This would be a good product to use if your looking to try something different then the “ultra-concentrated” pre-workout.

Rating:  9/10

Have you tried Muscle Pharm’s Assault pre workout?  Do you like it?  Let us know!