Inside the Mind of Deserusan

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 shit? 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, . 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.

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.

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.

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.

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. S©minaire des H´pitaux de Paris 1990;66:477…81.