Blap vs BodyBlog

About Ergopharm GF-Pro©

The Goal
ErgoPharm decided to make a no carb, no fat whey protein supplement, but first they were determined to break the mold. This new protein had to be something never seen before ¬ something truly original ¬ not just different for the sake of being “different. ErgoPharm was determined to engineer a whey protein unsurpassed in its ability to supply the best source of fast absorbing whey, and they also wanted to incorporate a completely novel, unknown source of animal protein ¬ a protein delivering potent immunomodulatory and growth promoting peptides.

The Product
The result? GF Pro©. Zero carb, zero fat GF Pro© contains a proprietary blend of the highest whey protein isolates available combined with a remarkable spray dried plasma protein that is comprised of peptides (Igg, transferring/lactoferrin, IGF-1, TGFB-1) with potent anabolic and immunoprotective functional properties. This remarkable protein has been proven scientifically to lead to increases in lean tissue mass through its ability to optimize protein utilization. Therefore the net result of the proprietary formulation, GF Pro©, is the most advanced protein supplement ever created. Oh yeah, and the stuff comes in mouthwatering fruit flavors ¬ so delicious you’ll swear it can’t be good for you. Available in Green Apple, Cherry Blast, Orange Cream, Raspberry Lemonade, Blueberry Madness and Pineapple Mango.

Ingredients:
Whey Protein Isolate, Spray Dried Plasma (Bovine), Malic Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Lecithin, Citric Acid, Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose

Recommendations:
Mix one to two scoops of GF Pro© into 8 ounces of water with a spoon or blender for one serving. Ingest 2 to 3 servings throughout the day or as desired. Ingest one dose after working out.

My local friendly neighbourhood Ergo rep was generous enough to hook me up with a handful of GF-Pro samples to try out. I used my last one today, so this is my subsequent review.

Thanks to Slated and Ergopharm

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MIXABILTY:
All of the samples mixed very well in a shaker bottle. There was some slight residue and clumps left on the side of the shaker bottle with the Cherry, Orange Cream and Green Apple. Vanilla Ice Cream seemed to mix flawlessly.

Although there was a very slight clumping left on the sides of some of the containers, the final drink itself was enjoyably and notably clump-free in all cases.

As per directions I mixed all of these with ~8 ounces water. There was no significant foaming with this product, or any of the individual flavours I tried.

TASTE:

Cherry Blast-
I really wasn’t expecting to like the Cherry since I’m not usually a massive cherry fan. However this stuff was a very pleasant surprise. The very first couple of sips were strangly chalky- I have no idea what that was about. After that the flavour really kicked in and was outstanding. Pretty sweet, but not overly so, and the sweetness perfectly complimented the flavour. Tasted just like Cherry Drops (cherry sweets).

By the fourth sip I was in love.

9 /10

Green Apple-
Again, I wasn’t expecting anything special having used BSL Green Apple flavouring for a fair while now.

Again, the first couple of sips were slightly chalky and really didn’t do justice to the actual flavour of the product. From the third time the shaker hit my lips the flavour really came through.

For me, the Green Apple was not quite as sweet as the Cherry and seemed to lack the €˜bite’ or tartness I would associate with green apple. However, it still tasted great. Very much reminiscent of apple Jolly Ranchers (or similar). Refreshing too- a great one for post-workout.

8½ /10

Orange Cream-
The front of the packet has a little picture of an orange ice-cream lolly with a creamy centre, and that was just how this product tasted. There was a very slightly tangy orange €˜bite’ followed by a creamier orange aftertaste. Very pleasant indeed.

Although this tasted lovely and is highly recommended for orange lovers, for some reason it didn’t quite grab me like the others.

7½ /10

Vanilla Ice Cream-
I was expecting a bog standard vanilla, but this one was a little different.

Like the name suggested, this flavour had a very creamy flavour and texture. This definitely isn’t a bog-standard vanilla and really has a nice depth in flavour reminiscent of real, fresh ice cream.

Have to give this one the highest rating out of the bunch simply because the it mixed the best and had a flavour which took me completely by surprise, in a good way.

9½  /10

OVERALL/ THOUGHTS

I’m a massive cheapskate when it comes to whey. For about a year I’ve been using bulk WPC with a dash of BSL flavouring, and, although a little boring, it’s worked fine for me.

I still see no reason to deviate from that for the most part but trying some of the GF-Pro range has really helped me realise again that a protein shake can be more than mundane and boring. All of these flavours were outstanding and for a cheap WPI cynic like me deviating from WPC is a big thing.

Whilst the bulk of my shake intake will still come from bulk WPC no doubt, I will definitely be picking up GF-Pro in the future, mainly as a post-workout shake when something a little more €˜interesting’ is required. The flavours are far from mundane and have really made shakes a pleasure again.

I probably already sound a fanboy but after I tried the very first sample I went and ordered, and have since been enjoying, Erogpharms Mass Meal. This is the first unbranded protein product I’ve bought in over 6 months which should be praise enough alone for how highly I now think of the Ergopharm protein line. Undoubtedly both Vanilla and Cherry GF-Pro will shortly make their way into my stash, along with some of the more €˜exotic’ and interesting flavours. The samples did their job very well

A highly recommend product range and I hope to review the future flavours I pick up right here.

I was in a bit of a bind this weekend; away from home without a decent source of protein. Popped into a health food shop and found a tub of MET-Rx at a decent enough price. I picked up some Strawberry just because I’ve never tried it before. I have, however, tried the Chocolate and Vanilla so I’ll use this as an opportunity to report on all three flavours.

TASTE:

Strawberry- to be honest I was very disappointed with the strawberry. I have tried a couple of different combinations in both milk and water and I can’t get past the horrible and distinct artificial edge of the sweetener. This particular flavour is way too over-sweetened for my tastes.

Chocolate- tastes great! Again, I have tried this at various ratios of powder: liquid with both milk and water and the chocolate definitely holds its own compared to similar products. Great taste, well sweetened.

Vanilla- vanilla flavoured whey is notoriously hard to get right but I think MET-Rx did a pretty good job with this one. Nice, light flavour- just like vanilla is supposed to be. You don’t feel like the vanilla flavour is there to mask the flavour of the protein. Again, nicely sweetened.

All three flavours mix to create a thick shake.

MIXABILTY:

With a shaker bottle Supreme Whey mixes with a few solid shakes. No problem with lumps or clumping.

With a fork and a glass Supreme Whey requires a little more persuasion to mix, but does so fairly quickly. I’ve found that if you leave the mixture (complete with a few small lumps) to stand for a minute or so the lumps seem to dissolve away nicely to create a nice, thick shake.

OVERALL/ THOUGHTS

Apart from the strawberry, I think MET-Rx Supreme Whey is a solid choice for anyone looking for a good tasting and trusted brand. I was very disappointed that for a mid-high priced brand MET-Rx could not invest a little more effort in the Strawberry, but then again flavour is an entirely personal issue. Both Chocolate and Vanilla are great choices though.

Again, for a higher-priced brand I was not over enthused at seeing chalk filler (calcium carbonate) on the list of ingredients. While I’m sure there are many company’s doing the same thing I would hope that the extra price would result in a higher quality blend.

Overall, this is a solid choice for those with the money to spend on whey protein or for those where a great tasting protein powder is important. That being said I will never buy the Strawberry flavour again but I can easily see myself purchasing the other flavours occasionally.

Strawberry: 4/10
Chocolate: 8/10
Vanilla: 7/10

Probably not a name known to most here, Reflex Nutrition is a UK based company that is limited to a mainly European market. As such I hope this review will be of help European customers as there are precious few non-USA reviews on this board. I’ve tried a couple of flavours in the past and this review will cover them both.

TASTE:

Choc-Mint- Quite possibly one of the best tasting protein powders I have ever tasted. The Choc-Mint is perfectly sweetened and flavoured to the point where I almost ended up drinking it just for the taste! Directly comparable to Choc-Mint ice cream. Highly recommended.

Chocolate- tastes nice. A bog-standard chocolate flavour would have to be pretty special to stand out but Reflex Instant Whey just about does enough. A solid, great tasting chocolate powder without any chalkiness or aftertaste. The perfect option for chocolate lovers in my opinion.

Both flavours mix to create a pretty thin shake. I found this to be a nice change from thicker shakes and both taste amazing in ice-cold milk.

Both flavvours can also be taken with almost any amount of liquid (in my experience). This was nice to find as more scoops wouldn’t end up creating an unpallatable shake, and less scoops would still create a tasty drink.

MIXABILTY:

With a shaker bottle Instant Whey mixes almost instantly. No problem with lumps or clumping whatsoever.

With a fork and a glass Instant Whey again mixes almost instantly. There are occasional lumps, depending on how cold the liquid is, but they don’t have the bitterness of other unmixed protein powders and didn’t bother me at all.

OVERALL/ THOUGHTS

In my opinion, Reflex Instant Whey is one of the best off-the-shelf whey proteins available in the UK. Prices are excellent compared to similar products and the blend is excellent. I am glad that, for a European-based company firmly paced in the low-mid price bracket, Reflex Instant Whey avoids fillers and superfluous ingredients. They do no compromise on flavour either.

To repeat myself; Reflex Instant Whey is one of the best off-the-shelf whey proteins available in the UK. Very difficult to fault anything about this product.

Choc-Mint: 9.5/10
Chocolate: 8/10

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LABEL INFORMATION

We’ve been making sports and protein supplements for nearly 10 years and we are proud to introduce NEW improved Instant Whey.

Some important changes have been made to advance the quality of this product beyond the norm. The most important change is the preferential selection of batches of protein for use in Instant Whey. This preferential selection means that Instant Whey is now of even higher quality, boasting higher levels of un-denatured protein, easier mixing and superior taste.

Reflex Instant Whey has one of the highest biological values of any protein supplement on the market due to its excellent amino acid profile, protein fraction content and superior digestibility.

Reflex Instant Whey also contains the highest concentration of Branch Chain Amino Acids (B.C.A.A) when compared to other protein sources. This high concentration is vital because B.C.A.A’s are used predominantly for muscle metabolism and energy.

The big difference between other standard whey products and Instant Whey are the standard inclusion of very special Digezyme enzymes and Lactospore pro-biotics. Digezyme enzymes have been extensively studied and shown to enhance protein digestion, whilst Lactospore pro-biotics, similar to those found in yoghurt, provide for a healthier gut.

Importantly you will NOT find any added carbohydrates, salt or guar gum which means that Instant Whey, on average, contains an extra 5-10% more protein than other leading brands.

Reflex Instant Whey is now available in a wider range of flavours including Banana, Blueberry, Chocolate, Choc-Mint, Fruit Punch, Raspberry, Strawberry and Vanilla. They all taste great and mix instantly with a fork.

Nutrition Information
Nutrition Information per 100 grams

Protein 78 grams
Carbs 3.6 grams
Fat 5.2 grams
Digezyme 160mg
Lactospore® 200 million spores
Protein Composition %
Ÿ-Lactoglobulin 43%
a-Lactalbumin 15%
Glycomacropeptide 18%
Immunoglobulin 5%
Serum Albumin 3%
Lactoferrin & others 16%

Ingredients: Ultra filtered whey protein concentrate and ultra filtered whey protein isolate (43% B-Lactoglobulinm 18% Glycomacropeptide, 16% Lactorferrin and others, 15% a-Lactalbumin, 5% Immunoglobulin, 3% Bovine Serum Albumin.), Flavourings, Natural Colourings, artificial sweeteners (sucralose, acesulfame k), Digezyme, (digestive enzyme blend), Lactospore pro-biotics.

5lb (2.27KG) Container
Serving size : 25gm - 91 servings per container

2lb (909gms) Container
Serving size : 25gm - 36 servings per container

Instuctions for use: Take 2 measures (approx 25gms) and mix with 400ml of water or skim milk.

Consume 2 - 3 servings daily.

OCTOBER 2005

Dorian Yates signed a deal with Chemical Nutrition a few years back to develop and endorse a product line. The result was Dorian Yates Approved©. I have tried a couple of these products in the past (gotta to support the Brits!) and this will be a little review on one of them- Dorian Yates Approved© Pro-Recover (Post-Workout Adaptogenic/Recovery Formula).

TASTE:

Chocolate- Not bad at all. With being a post-workout shake the directions suggest it is best to mix with water, rather than milk. However this does lead to a degree of chalkiness with the shake. Surprisingly not watery (not to be confused with being thin) the shake doesn’t taste too bad. Not overly sweet, despite nearly 50g sugar. If you’re expecting solid chocolate tasting protein powder you’ll be disappointed. If you’re expecting a palatable pseudo-chocolate you’ll like this just fine!

Strawberry- To be honest this is a bad imitation of a bad imitation of strawberry. Tastes a little like strawberry bubble gum. Has the some of the same slight chalkiness of the chocolate, although less so. Pretty sweet too. I found this to actually taste sweeter than the chocolate although the main ingredients are identical. Despite not really tasting great I got used the flavour after 3 or 4 servings and actually grew to love it.

Both flavours mix to create a very thin shake in water. Very easy to drink immediately post-workout.

MIXABILTY:

With a shaker bottle this stuff mixes instantly. No lumps or clumps to speak of.

Since I took it immediately post workout I never tried it without an mixer bottle. In my opinion there shouldn’t be any problems with mixing without a shaker bottle.

OVERALL/ THOUGHTS

This is an extremely expensive choice for post-workout nutrition- especially considering each container lasts for only 16 serving (1 month for me on a 4 day split). IF you wanted high HI carbohydrates immediately post workout I would recommend blending your own from bulk powders and resorting to dextrose and maltodextrin over glucose. Unfortunately this is an easy choice for those with little comprehension of the importance of pre-workout nutrition.

Taste isn’t great, although does definitely grow on you. The servings are sparing on protein (less than 25g) which is extremely poor in my opinion. There are some interesting choices of ingredients (particularly the Rhodiola Rhosea and Ginkgo Bilboa extract) which may have made for an interesting purchase however the fact that the main ingredient is glucose does not endear me to this product whatsoever. This is compounded by the huge price tag.

To be honest I wanted to like this product. I think the only thing I ended up liking about it was that it satisfied my sugar cravings.

Chocolate: 5/10
Strawberry: 4/10

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Scientific research shows us that the period immediately following training may be the most important time for potentiating the results. This is the key time to intercept the result-limiting anti-catabolic processes initiated by your intense workouts.

Yet, through inconvenience or habit, many bodybuilders fail to take advantage of this critical window of opportunity. Post-workout nutrition is all about precision; too much protein and you will induce metabolic acidosis, thereby blunting any anabolic response and elevating catabolic hormones. If too “complex” a source of protein is used, synthesis will not be fast enough to make the difference.

Pro Recover is the long-awaited response to this situation. Specific amounts of high glycemic carbohydrates create the necessary insulin spike to deal with the catabolic hormone, cortisol. Easily absorbed di and tripeptide amino acids combine to maximize the anabolic drive process, rapidly restoring positive nitrogen balance.

High concentrations of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) replenish a depleted amino acid pool and delay fatigue between regular bouts of exertion, making this also the ideal product for the competition environment (e.g. track and field, powerlifting, strongman, etc). Antioxidants act to limit the muscle damage induced by post-workout free radicals.

Finally, the adaptogenic herbs Rhodiola rosea and Ginkgo biloba are included, commonly employed by soviet coaches to lower the systemic stress of high training workloads in Olympic athletes

Recommended Use: Mix 2 scoops (80g) in 400-500ml of cold water with a shaker bottle or spoon stir. We do not recommend usage of a blender as it may cause excessive foaming.

Ingredients: Glucose, sucrose, hydrolysed whey, whey protein isolate, cocoa powder, chocolate flavour, rhodiola rosea extract, ginkgo biloba extract, vitamin C, xanthan gum, vitamin E. Contains no artificial sweeteners.

Nutritional Information

Serving Size: 2 Scoops 80g
Servings per container: 16

OCTOBER 2005

About a year ago I became increasingly frustrated with my lack of results on regular creatine. One day I popped into a local health food store and noticed MET-Rx CreaPHos©- advertised as a more potent option creatine alone- a godsend from the well know sponsors of Worlds Strongest Man? Obviously I bought into the hype (desperation and a low £££sale price tag helped too). This is a little review of my purchase.
TASTE:

Fruit Punch Flavour- Holy shit! The very first sip is like a punch in the head. VERY strongly flavoured- so much so that it is an effort start let alone to finish. The flavour itself isn’t bad- slightly sweet and refreshing. The shear AMOUNT of flavouring ruins it completely. WAY WAY over flavoured in my opinion. Obviously, after a few days the flavour becomes more acceptable but nevertheless it was a serious disappointment.

MIXABILTY:

With a shaker bottle MET-Rx CreaPHos© mixes with a few solid shakes. No problem with lumps or clumping whatsoever.

With a fork and a glass MET-Rx CreaPHos© mixes just as easily. In both instances there is a little chalky residue left at the bottom which seems indicative of any creatine product. Nothing serious.

OVERALL/ THOUGHTS

Unfortunately, after trying this product I was left just as frustrated as before. No weight or strength gain which could be attributed to it. CreaPHos© left as serious odour in my shaker bottles which had to be scrubbed with bicarbonate of soda before they were ready for reuse. Taste was overwhelming but (as with most horrible tasting supplements) I got used to it eventually. Nothing good to say about this stuff really- except it mixed great!

Chalk one up to experience.

Fruit Punch Flavour: 2/10

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This exclusive and patent pending combination of creatine citrate and phosphates gives you more power than creatine alone. Without the need to add sugar for better uptake, like with normal creatine! Creatine citrate is better taken up than regular creatine. The Phosphates work together with creatine to provide the muscles with extra oxygen and energy.

A recent study suggested that CreaPHos is significantly more effective than regular Creatine for athletes training to increase overall explosive power, lean muscle development and endurance, whilst reducing recovery times from exercise.

Nutrition Information:
Creatine 5g
Citrate 2.6g
Phosphate 2.7g
Phosphorous 682mg

Ingredients: Creatine Citrate, Sodium Phosphate, Flavours, Sweeteners: Aspartame, Acesulfame, Potassium, Colour E110.

Directions: Each serving (1 scoop, 11g) can be mixed in 350ml of water or juice Use One serving per day for four weeks. After four weeks stop for two weeks and then start cycle again.

Pregnant or lactating women should consult a doctor before using any product.

Caution: If you are under medical supervision, please consult your doctor before use. Discontinue use and consult doctor if adverse reactions occur.

Net Wt. 500g

Available Flavours: Orange Cooler, Fruit Punch.