marcus baney

Supplement Review: BSN’s N.O. Xplode 2.0

From time to time I get asked about the various supplements I use in my weightlifting. As fitness and exercising are things that are important to me, I thought it might be fun to start doing some reviews on supplements I use or supplements I try that impress me. If this doesn’t interest you then feel free not to finish reading this one. I won’t be offended. :) This time I want to talk about BSN’s new pre-workout formula, N.O. Xplode 2.0.

 

N.O. Xplode 2.0 is BSN’s brand new formula, updating their wildly popular N.O. Xplode. I had previously tried the original N.O. Xplode a while ago, but was not impressed. I think mainly I didn’t like it because of the flavor. I tried the lemonade flavor, and due to the effervescent nature of the supplement, I was burping up the flavor of thrown up lemonade for my whole workout. I never wanted to try N.O. Xplode again. That was until their new formula came out.

The Basics:

Looking over the ingredients list was what made me first want to try the new formula. Let me give you a basic breakdown of some of the things that impressed me.

Creatine and Beta-Alinine: Creatine and Beta-Alinine are two types of naturally occurring acids, which, when used in supplement to an exercise program, have almost unlimited positive effects. Both help in the recovery of muscle fibers by encouraging the uptake of Amino Acids (protein). Both have been shown to dramatically increase muscle size and endurance, while greatly reducing muscle fatigue, which make both of them perfect to ingest before a workout. N.O. Xplode 2.0 has both of them in abundance.

Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT’s): MCT’s are long chains of fatty acids that are directly converted to energy by the liver once absorbed into the bloodstream. These chains take a sustained amount of time to fully break down, which means a more consistent supply of energy as they do. In addition to the usual energy enhancers (Taurine, Caffeine, etc.), N.O. Xplode 2.0 has a healthy dose of MCT’s for more sustained energy production without as much of a crash from caffeine.

L-Arginine and L-Citrulline: L-Arginine is an amino acid that has long been known as the standard for raising Nitrous Oxide (N.O.) levels in the body. N.O. dilates blood vessels, opening them up much wider, which allows for greater blood volume and flow throughout the body. The positive effects of this during a workout session are fairly obvious, increased blood flow equals increased energy and nutrient flow to working muscles in need, as well as increased blood collecting in the areas being damaged (whatever body part you are working out) to help repair the damage, which is also known in bodybuilding as the “pump” (like when you can’t bend your arms from training biceps, because they are pumped full of blood). In addition to L-Arginine, N.O. Xplode 2.0 also contains the newly touted amino acid L-Citrulline, which has been shown to have even greater N.O. boosting properties than L-Arginine. The equal presence of both in this supplement ensure that N.O. levels will be massively boosted, and the pumps experienced will be maximally optimal.

My thoughts:

I obtained a trial size sample of N.O. Xplode 2.0 so that I could try it out for myself. I loved the results. The energy I got from it was absolutely perfect. Not overstated, not too much caffeine, nothing to make me jittery, just enough to get me ready to lift, and with the MCT’s I experienced almost no caffeine crash at all. Nothing annoys me more than pre-workout supplements that use too much caffeine so that you mistake jitters for actual performance enhancing ingredients. N.O. Xplode 2.0 has none of that. Just a steady stream of energy and focus, and great pumps from the highly potent N.O. boosters. All in all I think this is a great pre-workout, and I will definitely be buying more of it in the future.

Oh and P.S. I tried the Fruit Punch flavor, which is delicious, and I’ve had no negative gastro-intestinal after effects either. Well done on improving the flavor, BSN!

This is my first attempt at reviewing any type of supplement or anything having to do with fitness in general. If you have any questions for me or want me to review something let me know! Thanks so much for making it to the end! Hope this was helpful!