Deserusan Reviews ALL the SCIVATION XTEND Flavors

[deserusan]

For the past three years I have been a faithful Scivation Xtend user. On a couple occasions I have strayed trying other products but always seem to return to my old favorite. I first learned of Scivation as a company when I joined the Bodybuilding.com forums and soon discovered A TON of positive feedback for this product.

Having experimented with numerous BCAA products in the past I certain welcomed something which supposively tasted good. After jumping off the BCAA tablet bandwagon after learning the benefits of free form powder I had been using either bulk BCAA’s which tasted worse than your grandma’s dirty panties or Optimum Nutrition BCAA powder which wasn’t much better.They always seemed to ruin a nice postworkout protein shake no matter what. GROSS!

So some of you folks who are new to supplementation might ask why would anyone subject themselves to anything that tastes like ****? To put it simply, BCAA supplementation is one of the best investements you can make for recovery purposes in a hyper (1,2) or hypocaloric state ( 3, 4) . Also, they to help protect hard earned muscle and maintain energy levels while you are attempting to drop body fat (3). As you can see, this is why serious lifters and athletes use free form BCAA’s as a staple in their supplemental arsenal.

Now when it comes to Scivation Xtend, you not only get a healthy dose of BCAA’s but also the added benefits of Citrulline Malate. Citrulline Malate is what I would consider a functional pump supplement. Essentially, citrulline malate has the ability to increase aerobic ATP production in cells and also aide in ammonia clearance (5).

A popular misconception is that citrulline itself is responsible for increased aerobic capacity within mitochondria of a cell. In reality it is actually malate which contributes to aerobic ATP production as it is a TCA cycle intermediate. Citrulline supplementation is responsible for enhanced ammonia clearance during exercise (6). This is very important because ammonia deanimates AMP in both fast and slow twitch muscles which can greatly hinder performance as it accumulates (7, 8). As you can see this is also a powerful little addition to any formula and part of the reason I would choose Xtend over bulk BCAA’s.

Now some of you might be wondering why the heck I haven’t done a review of this product if I have been using it for over three years now. The honest answer was that I didn’t feel compelled to do so until I tried the new flavor. Here is my opinion of the three flavors offered.

Grape: 6.8 out of 10

I’m not really a fan of any grape products out there but do on occasion buy a tub of this flavor. It’s definitely not the best Xtend flavor, but when megadosing it does add some variety. By all means, this taste a hell of a lot better than bulk bcaa’s so given the extremely marginal price difference between it and bulk BCAA’s and also considering the inclusion of citrulline malate it is by far the superior choice. All in all, I’d say I have bought about ten large tubs of this.

Watermelon: 8.7 out of 10

For a long time this was my favorite flavor. It is quite refreshing and covers the taste of BCAA’s extremely well. In all honesty, I have gotten numerous fellow gym patrons hooked on this flavor as well. At my gym you will see plenty of folks sporting a water bottle full of a pink liquid. Oddly enough, I feel some of the cardio bunnies I know drink it just because it’s pink and feel they are stylish. Eitherway, this flavor rocks and over the years I would say I have bought anywhere from 15-20 large tubs.

Lemonade: 9.4 out 10

This is the flavor which compelled me to write this review. When you open the tub it smells like Lemonheads candy is quite potent. When it first hit my taste buds I couldn’t believe at how enjoyable this was. THIS DOESN’T EVEN TASTE LIKE A SUPPLEMENT!!!! It’s hard to mask BCAA’s and with this flavor Scivation definitely did just that and then some. However, I did have to neg it a bit because it isn’t tart like a true lemonade but regardless, it is a damn enjoyable product. I now find myself throwing a few scoops in my bottled water. It’s an expensive way to flavor water but I enjoy it that much. GOOD JOB SCIVATION!!!! I just bought two tubs of this so I'm set a for a couple months.

References

1. Shimomura Y, Yamamoto Y, Bajotto G, Sato J, Murakami T, Shimomura N, Kobayashi H, Mawatari K. Nutraceutical effects of branched-chain amino acids on skeletal muscle. Journal of Nutrition. 2006 Feb;136(2):529S-532S.

2. Blomstrand E, Eliasson J, Karlsson HK, Kohnke R. Branched-chain amino acids activate key enzymes in protein synthesis after physical exercise. Journal of Nutrition. 2006 Jan;136(1 Suppl):269S-73S.

3. Shimomura Y, Murakami T, Nakai N, Nagasaki M, Harris RA. Exercise promotes BCAA catabolism: effects of BCAA supplementation on skeletal muscle during exercise. Journal of Nutrition. 2004 Jun;134(6 Suppl):1583S-1587S

4. Mourier A, Bigard AX, de Kerviler E, Roger B, Legrand H, Guezennec CY. Combined effects of caloric restriction and branched-chain amino acid supplementation on body composition and exercise performance in elite wrestlers. International Journal of Sports Medicine. 1997 Jan;18(1):47-55.

5. Bendahan D, Mattei JP, Ghattas B, Confort-Gouny S, Le Guern ME, Cozzone PJ. Citrulline/malate promotes aerobic energy production in human exercising muscle. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2002 Aug;36(4):282-9.

6. Callis A, Magnan de Bornier B, Serrano JJ, Bellet H, Saumade R. Activity of citrulline malate on acid-base balance and blood ammonia and amino acid levels. Study in the animal and in man. Arzneimittelforschung. 1991 Jun;41(6):660-3.

7. Vanuxem D, Duflot JC, Prevot H, et al. Influence of an anti-asthenia agent, citrulline malate, on serum lactate and ammonia kinetics during a maximum exercise test in sedentary subjects. Séminaire des Hôpitaux de Paris 1990;66:477–81.

8. Mutch BJ, Banister EW. Ammonia metabolism in exercise and fatigue: a review. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 1983;15(1):41-50.

[dvsness]

nice review, des.

i have really enjoyed the watermelon as well, and look forward to trying the lemonade.

[young_squatter]

Great review, I appreciate you reviewing xtend. I love how you throw science in there so people actually get an understanding of what it does. When people got questions about how xtend is ill refer them to this thread. Glad you liked the lemonade

[boyscouT]

Now the real question is.. how do you know what my grandma's dirty panties taste like..

[DinoT1985]

Now the real question is.. how do you know what my grandma's dirty panties taste like..

sardines.

[anth28]

Excellent! Again, another product I cant find in Canada...mind you, I always buy from BB.com since its still cheaper than local. However, its sucks to always have to wait 10+ days when you want to try something out.

[naturalguy]

Have you mixed the lemonade Xtend with lemon Size On? How's that taste?

[deserusan]

Have you mixed the lemonade Xtend with lemon Size On? How's that taste?

Really good. I don't know why anyone would complain about the taste of the Lemon Ice SizeON but when taken with Xtend it's really good.

[TheUnlikelyToad]

Yo, Des... you let me know when you wanna do a review on ICE flavors.

[TT22]

Good review! I have been looking into either getting some bulk BCAA's(1000 grams for $30) or getting some xtend for ($38)! I think i might be leaning towards xtend at this point!

Jdub

[deserusan]

Yo, Des... you let me know when you wanna do a review on ICE flavors.

Anytime......I am thinking of writing a larger article for bb.com using some of the more recent research into BCAA's. It seems most, if not all the cited articles are little behind the times.

[deserusan]

Good review! I have been looking into either getting some bulk BCAA's(1000 grams for $30) or getting some xtend for ($38)! I think i might be leaning towards xtend at this point!

Jdub

Flavored is the way to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cxm]

Excellent review Dan!

Have you tried mixing watermelon and lemonade?

Lemon-melon
3 scoops of lemonade
3 scoops of watermelon

[sublimejeh]

Great reviews des! I think this article/review may influence my next purchase to lean towards the lemonade flavor

[B-baldy]

Excellent review Dan!

Have you tried mixing watermelon and lemonade?

Lemon-melon
3 scoops of lemonade
3 scoops of watermelon

Watermelon Xtend + Lemon Primal EAA =

[watchfan]

I have grape xtend right now, and I actually kinda like it. Tastes like grape drink... heh. But I want to try the lemonade, but I don't see it on bb.coms online store, where can I pick some up?

WF

[Blast_]

Nice review as usual Des. Keep up the good work.

[deserusan]

I have grape xtend right now, and I actually kinda like it. Tastes like grape drink... heh. But I want to try the lemonade, but I don't see it on bb.coms online store, where can I pick some up?

WF

I like the grape too but had to down rate it a bit relative to the other great falvors. As for finding the lemonade just check out www.google.com

[watchfan]

I like the grape too but had to down rate it a bit relative to the other great falvors. As for finding the lemonade just check out www.google.com

If you get a chance, could you PM me the place you get yours at. I tried google and found places, just not sure whos the most reliable. Thanks in advance.

WF

[Nathan1]

I have to admit, after going through half a tub of the grape, it's growing on me! I like it.

Watermelon of course is great, and i am anxious to try lemonade.

Thanx for the review Des.

[naturalguy]

Really good. I don't know why anyone would complain about the taste of the Lemon Ice SizeON but when taken with Xtend it's really good.

I actually like the taste of Lemon Size On.

Size On + Xtend during workouts is a pretty powerfull combo

[dvsness]

I actually like the taste of Lemon Size On.

Size On + Xtend during workouts is a pretty powerfull combo

i've combined lemon sizeon and watermelon xtend and enjoyed it.

[anth28]

I ordered some watermelon from BB.COM...will be trying it next week. Curious to see how it works compared to purple wraath, which was ok, but not good enough to convince me to add it to my stack.

[deserusan]

i've combined lemon sizeon and watermelon xtend and enjoyed it.

I wonder where you got that idea?

[dvsness]

I wonder where you got that idea?

i wonder whose sizeon i stole?

[deserusan]

i wonder whose sizeon i stole?

I'm a nice guy aren't I?

[dvsness]

I'm a nice guy aren't I?

i guess you're ok.

[KeyHAWK]

Deserusan have you tried AI excell? If so how do they compare to xtend.

[str8flexed]

all that research and you couldn't even cite my journal of nutrition review

lol


good review, seriously

[jadedandslated]

Good review DES I would expect nothing less from you.