NEW! Green Apple Moose Juice (Online)

I was just leaving my house the other day for the gym when I spotted a note through my letterbox from a courier, who had assumed I was out and had left a parcel in our safe place. Goddamnit Bert, I asked you if you were expecting something and you said no! I quickly had to retract my nagging thoughts though when I found a box with my name on, bound together by Muscle Moose tape. What could it be? I didn’t know that they were sending me anything. The weights would have to wait. I needed to know what the mystery parcel contained…

A case of Moose Juice Extreme Energy, and their new green apple flavour at that! Now I’ve seen their energy drinks on many Instagram feeds but haven’t tried any before. I was excited by them though, especially given that my weekly Friday morning treat is a can of Monster Ultra to kick-start my lecture.

For those of you who also haven’t tried Moose Juice, I’ll let Muscle Moose fill you in:

“Moose Juice Extreme Energy is a sparkling energy drink with added BCAAs and B-Vitamins. Low calorie, zero fat and zero sugar – Moose Juice is your new best friend for an energy boost without the crash.”

Each can contains 200mg of caffeine, 8mg of vitamin B6, and just 15kcal.

I’m not fond of having fizzy drinks before working out, and I’m trying to cut down my caffeine consumption in the afternoon, so I decided to wait until the following morning before opening a Moose Juice. I cracked open the first cold can just when I needed the extra energy after walking the dog and settling down to do uni work.

I expected the liquid to be green, but instead it was clear. Flavour-wise the apple was a balanced mixture between sour and sweet (despite the lack of aspartame).  I could taste the taurine in the background though, so imagine a Red Bull-Apple Tango hybrid and you’ll have a fair idea of what to imagine.

I didn’t expect my face to tingle though, which it did. At the time I wondered if I was imagining it, but whilst writing this up I read the warning: ‘Long term intake of 10mg of vitamin B6 may lead to mild tingling and numbness’. I don’t take any additional vitamins (anymore) but it happened again when I had my second can yesterday morning -alongside my Peanut Butter Cup Muscle Mousse proats. It didn’t last long so I don’t imagine it’s anything to worry about, but for those of you who are on extra vitamins or are sensitive to vitamin B6, it might be something worth bearing in mind.

As an energy drink it’s rather good, and the extra BCAAs are welcome too (especially the day after leg day 😉). Moose Juice is also available in Blue Raspberry & Berry, and is available in cases from their website as well as in single can format from reputable retailers such as CNSport.

8/10

Thank you Muscle Moose for the samples!

NEW! Reflex Amino Fusion® (CNSport)

Have you seen Reflex's new packaging yet? The company announced last year that they were overhauling their exhausting branding, and it's "look for the future" is starting to roll out. Reflex have restructured their product categories from 5 to 3, making it easier to choose products depending on your goals. All existing products are staying but will come under either: strength & performance, high protein or vitality (previously weight management).

It's not just the labels that are experiencing change either, there's a few new products on their way too. The first of which is Reflex's Amino Fusion - an extension of their successful BCAA intra fusion. Now I don't claim to be a body building expert, but I certainly enjoy lifting and so I didn't really know what to expect when offered the chance to try the new Aminos. Apparently my other half did though: "eurgh, BCAAs are disgusting, they'll make you sick" I think we're his exact words. That was before I reminded him that the last ones he tried weren't made by Reflex, and he was talking 10 years ago. Given how much protein products have come along in the last few years I took his thoughts with a pinch of salt. More importantly I wanted to know what BCCAs were, and what they could or would do for me.

Well, according to research:

"BCAAs (branched- chain Amino acids) are made up of three essential amino acids that the body is unable to produce on its own: leucine, isoleucine and valine. These three amino acids have a branched side chain of carbon molecules that simplifies the energy conversion during intense exercise. Muscle tissues in the body are about 35 percent BCAAs and—here’s the key—the more BCAAs present in the muscle tissue, the more they will be used for energy; thus, slowing the breakdown of muscle cells and preventing muscle loss.
BCAA supplementation provides two avenues aimed towards improving endurance performance—both by providing our bodies with additional energy source and by altering the mental perception of fatigue." 

-active.com

So the key is, if you're working out, they help you prevent muscle loss. Sounds good to me. But what's Reflex's Amino Fusion all about?

"Amino Fusion® is formulated to be the market leading amino energy formula; it provides up to 40% more amino acids than some other formulas, tastes amazing, contains zero sugars and provides great caffeine kick.
Amino Fusion® only contains research supported amino acids along with science based dosages of citrulline malate, beta alanine and l-carnitine tartrate."

It's available in four flavours: green apple, pink lemonade, fruit punch and watermelon. I received the green apple to try, and boy did it smell strong. I felt like I'd walked into an old fashioned sweet shop -it was that potent!

The serving suggestion is 3 mini scoops (9g) of Amino Fusion with 300ml of water. The drink is designed to be taken before or during exercise so I decided to take it to the gym with me instead of my usual squash.

Ha! In your face Bert! I knew I could trust Reflex to deliver the goods. The Amino Fusion blended easily in my state-of-the-art water bottle 😉 and tasted incredible! Like, seriously good and much better than Robinson's fruit and barley. I drunk it yesterday alongside my first training in a week (I've had a chest infection, boo) and don't even ache too badly today (day after leg day, you know what I mean). Perhaps I didn't work hard enough, or perhaps it's the Amino Fusion, who knows? In any case I'm not risking it and it will become my new gym staple - every bit as important as headphones!

9/10

Amino Fusion is available to buy direct from Reflex's website, or through reputable sports retailers such as CNSport. Don't forget to enter my instagram competition before midnight tomorrow (21st March) to be in with a chance of winning 12 cans of Reflex's Protein coffee too!

Thank you to Reflex Nutrition for the samples.