Xtend Perform (Fruit Punch) and Flexatril Log

[MidwestBeast]

Okay, this will be my second go 'round with Xtend Perform. The first can be summed up here:

http://anabolicminds.com/forum/supplement-reviews-logs/282850-xtend-perform-mango.html

In mid-June, I had surgery and it kept me out of the gym and all physical activity for 3 full weeks and after that, it was a very hesitant/gradual ease back into things. Well, during that time, things went better than I could have hoped for. But that was a pretty big variable, so you can see why I was hesitant to draw any major conclusions. Those 3 weeks off from lifting are literally the longest break I've taken since I was in HS and took the Summers off during peak baseball season. I've basically lifted ~13 or so years with no more than like a week and a half off aside from that lol (and those were seldom, too).

My go-to intra combo has been 1 scoop iForce Compete + 5g bulk taurine for as long as Compete has actually been released (with the taurine added in for about 2 years or so now). I've loved it and haven't switched since I started it up (previously tried all sorts of BCAA combos, but this just stuck well with me and I still like the formula).

After the tub of Perform, I went back to my old go-to for 2 weeks to see what assessments I could make. I didn't notice much drop-off (if any) with endurance or performance in the gym, but the 2 Sundays I played basketball without it were TERRIBLE. I mean, just beyond awful. Which was odd. Because before I started Perform, it's not like it had been bad for me by any means and adding it in may have increased endurance, but I didn't notice a night and day difference then. Well, my body was good, but my lungs were sucking for air within minutes of Game 1 each of the 2 weeks without Perform. I thought, maybe my scaled back carbs and a few other things could have been it -- well, I ended up eating more the day before the 2nd Sunday but the outcome was the same.

On Saturday, I introduced Perform back in. Crushed my delts/traps high volume workout and even tacked back onto the end of it (because last week SUCKED -- I'm doing an EMT course 2 nights a week for 4 hours and I had to work 10:30-6 PM at work while our semester started back up to service more demographics and it had me all jacked up). Anyway, that resulted in a few days out of the gym, but Saturday I was able to actually tack a full 2nd workout onto the end lol. Logged 6+ miles and burned 1,800+ calories in just under 2.5 hours -- it was nice.

Sunday was day 1 back to basketball and it was evident right out of the gate that the difference was insane. I lucked out on being on a good team and I think I only sat a total of 2 games out of the entire 2 hours we were there and my lungs could have gone another 2 (my body, however, felt like it got hit by a train once I finally got home and the adrenaline wore off lol).

My pre-basketball supplmentation looks like this:

-1 hr. -- CardioTryx, 15mg Cardarine
- 20 min. -- 200-400mg caffeine, 25mg ephedrine, 1 AlphaBurn, 500mg COP, 1 Max REPS, 3g beta alanine

And just before we start, I mix up one scoop of Perform (with 5g taurine) and take a small sip (~4oz or so). Then I drink that full shaker between the next game or 2 and mix up the 2nd and work on it, as well.

In the weeks off from Perform, all of this supplementation looked the same minus the Perform (swapped out for Compete). So you can see I had plenty covering endurance and shouldn't have noticed a huge downgrade in performance. That is just all the more evidence of what Perform truly does. I knew it was a good product, but honestly did not expect this much from it.

Mango is DELICIOUS. The Fruit Punch isn't bad at all, but it's not quite as good, though it did grow on me a bit the more I've tasted it. Really wanting to try out the Black Cherry and looking forward to any new flavors, too.

I'll continue to weigh in on this, but it gets my ringing endorsement without any further testing needed after using 1 tub, taking a 2 week break, and starting back up. It's the real deal and it is my new intra. I'll still use Compete since I have it as extra during basketball or maybe hikes and such, but for my legit workouts and multi-hour sports, Perform has moved into the starter's role.

 

[MidwestBeast]

The Solution 1Fast400

 

[HIT4ME]

Man, I'm in just because I can't believe your consistency/lack of serious breaks. Great work! Would love to know more about how you train.

 

[The Solution]

Told you Xtend Perform was the real deal
Don't be doubting me on that first tub mate

Really looking forward to the flex info.. especially after the loading phase and what you notice.
remember 6 caps for 7-10 days then 3 caps after that.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Told you Xtend Perform was the real deal
Don't be doubting me on that first tub mate

Really looking forward to the flex info.. especially after the loading phase and what you notice.
remember 6 caps for 7-10 days then 3 caps after that.

Timing with/without meals matter, Bob? I looked at the label and for some reason didn't recall seeing any of that info.

Would prefer to hear your recommended dosing (in terms of split up, etc.) and I'll go ahead and start that up.

 

[The Solution]

Timing with/without meals matter, Bob? I looked at the label and for some reason didn't recall seeing any of that info.

Would prefer to hear your recommended dosing (in terms of split up, etc.) and I'll go ahead and start that up.

take 3 caps first meal
take 3 caps last meal.

 

[The Solution]

Any updates in here brother? Been quite a few days.. Looking forward to some feedback!

 

[bighulksmash]

MWB I been looking into the samplers of this !!! I hope they have flavors I LIKE

 

[The Solution]

been over a week without any updates in here brother. Any chance you could fill us in at least 2-3x a week? Would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Sorry for the absence! Updates will be much more than 2-3x/week -- I just went fully off the grid for a few days when I snuck down to Florida with my buddy from college and our wives. Was only on my phone to snap some photos and that was it (life keeps you busy with their little near-3 year old).

 

[MidwestBeast]

But one thing I want to highlight is that in preparation of our trip, I managed to train arms, legs, delts and traps all in one glorious session on Friday before we hit the road.

I legitimately did 3 different workouts in one giant session and managed to go up on all my lifts or maintain. Didn't move down in a single area.

But eating a whole pizza and a pint of B&J the night before helps with that, too

So no joke, I was in there for a little under 3 hours and knocked it out of the park. No slow in endurance whatsoever; just knew I only had so much time before we had to be on the road.

This stuff is so legit that I just ordered 2 more tubs from Lockout after getting back to town -- another of the mango (which is delicious) and one of the black cherry because I just want to try it.

 

[MidwestBeast]

This doesn't do it justice, but it at least illustrates a bit.

I didn't run as many laps, because I was training muscle groups between muscle groups instead (to save on time). So the HR didn't show up as elevated, nor did it show a ton of steps like my workouts normally involve.






When work wraps up today, I'll be running a few quick errands and then banging out a workout before class at 6.

 

[The Solution]

Already ordered 2 more tubs? Absolute WINNING!

 

[MidwestBeast]

Already ordered 2 more tubs? Absolute WINNING!

Told you -- I just needed to see on a regular regimen what it could do and make sure it wasn't just 3 weeks' worth of downtime creating the bounceback. It wasn't. The 2 weeks that sucked for basketball were enough to sell me.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Had a great workout yesterday. Got off work at 3 and went straight to the gym. Had a minor headache and wasn't feeling it at all, but made myself go. Ended up knocking out my high volume chest and back workouts and felt great after I got about 15 or so minutes in. Made increases on all my chest lifts and then just held steady on back. I had barely eaten yesterday so that plus the time crunch had me not pushing for any increases there this week.

Logged 3 miles on the track in between all my sets and had a killer pump going.

Arms on tap for this afternoon and then home to watch some football

 

[The Solution]

Good stuff here mayne.

Any updates with Flex?? Anything to note on the joints? Anything to note on mobility?

As far as perform goes. what are you seeing now compared to your previous run?
Endurance and performance wise between training and cardio anything you can note?
How is your recovery from day to day?
how is the DOMS?

looking for some killer feedback here because you do train an extensive amount!

 

[MidwestBeast]

Nothing to note on Flex as of yet. But I have never had joint issues, luckily or mobility problems either. I'll keep monitoring what I can.

DOMS are near non existent. When I train consistently, even as hard as I do, I don't get them too bad so long as I'm consistent. When I start taking time off, they're terrible. But I haven't noticed them whatsoever lately. I'll keep a close eye on that.

Training today rocked. Took the last 2 days off just because I mentally wasn't feeling it and tomorrow I'll lift before basketball to play catch up. But today I was in the zone. Felt very well rested and my lifts went up on all accounts except one. And I probably could have there, but I wanted to really focus on squeezing out at the top and I had increased weight last week, so I wanted to make sure the contractions were on point -- and they were.

My 2 tubs got in from Lockout yesterday. I may crack open the black cherry just to try it out, too.

Workout photos incoming.

 

[MidwestBeast]

 

[The Solution]

That is some beautiful feedback mayne! Hope to see something with mobility from Flexatril even with no joint issues.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Delts and traps volume work from 12-1:30. No sprint work in between because of basketball immediately after. Only burned 400 cal according to the fitbit, but whatever.

Went up on DB OHP, slide lateral raises and Smith shrugs (390x25 for 4 sets).

Pre workout was Max Reps, 3g BA, 500mg COP, 200mg caffeine.

Drank 1 Compete and 5g taurine intra.

CardioTryx about 10 min before finishing up.

Got to church and just before playing at 2 had 200mg caffeine, 25mg ephedrine, 500mg COP, 15mg cardarine, and mixed up a scoop of Perform to sip after game 1.

Finished that off after games 1 and 2, then did a scoop of Max Reps between games 3 and 4. 2nd scoop of Perform + 5g taurine drank til before the final game at about 3:45.

Played over 2 hours and only downtime was for about 5 when we had a sub on our team and I swapped out just to put another shooter on the floor to stretch the D.

And that big downtick near the end was where one guy rolled an ankle on a loose ball when someone dove under him -- it was really bad and we all stopped til he was "okay" (he was going to the ER for x rays straight from there).

Anway, my lungs were absolutely on point and the only thing that sucked was the bottom of my feet getting sore lol.

Incredible workout.

Also was totally fasted lol.

First meal was my isolate shake after ball. Didn't eat between lifting and ball.

 

[The Solution]

First meal almost 4 PM? God bless your soul.
What do you notice using perform for solely cardio or sports compared to weight training?
Do you reap the benefits during both activities ? If you feel one is better then the other which one is it, and what do you notice sticks out more between weight training or cardio based activities or sports?

I let a few lacrosse players around my neck of the woods try it and immediately felt a drastic increase in performance and endurance.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Normally don't wait to eat like that; was just a fluke of sleeping in and wanting to lift before. Anymore, I honestly prefer lifting fasted. Never thought I'd say that...lol

I notice the benefits in both lifting and cardio, but the amount of sprinting I do during ball is so substantial that it is WAY more noticeable there.

Only reason I did my supplementation the way I did was to use the 2 scoops for ball and still take care of myself while lifting, but it wasn't a huge deal as I was doing no sprint work with ball after.

DOMS are definitely noticeable today lol. The work load I pulled will do that.

Migraines today sidelined me. Chest on tap for tomorrow instead.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Chest workout:

Back workout:

Only had a small window for each of these before having to be somewhere so they were shorter than my normal sessions.

But lifts went up almost completely across the board. Just talking 5 lb. jumps, but that's all I ever shoot for -- slow and steady.

Endurance is still holding strong, but I've been having a few more headaches pop up lately, which pretty much never happens to me. Need to pinpoint the issues there. May have to scale back on stims a bit, which will be rough with class and all my other commitments atm, and it could also be stress-related. So I need to do a better job of focusing on sleep, rest, and relaxation.

Arms will be my next session.

 

[The Solution]

Any particular feedback on the product itself? Really want to see the notes and things that perform is doing for you on the exercises, recovery, and performance in your workouts. That will be key to this log.

I can imagine you get headaches when you take stims 24/7 lol

 

[MidwestBeast]

Any particular feedback on the product itself? Really want to see the notes and things that perform is doing for you on the exercises, recovery, and performance in your workouts. That will be key to this log.

I don't really know how to quantify or explain it in more detail, but all I can say is that from a cardio standpoint alone, this is good enough that I've already purchased 2 additional tubs and have effectively made the switch for good to use this as my intra. When it comes to lifting, everything is good, but I also can't say that it's noticeably better than when I used Compete. It is absolutely not worse by any means, but it's not as easy for me to differentiate. Basically, aside from injury, I can generally make improvement on a regular basis on my lifts because I make such subtle attempts to increase. That has still been happening, so everything is going according to plan.

But when it comes to basketball, it is a night and day difference as the only variable that changes. And that is enough to have me sold.

Yesterday, I went to an open gym for a basketball league nearby that started up last year. It's the same guys who do the flag football league I've played in for 3 or 4 years, but I was just too busy after just taking on firefighting last year so I sat it out. This year, I want to get a few extra nights of ball in, so I'm doing it. They're doing a forced draft/free agency for any players who weren't on rosters last year to try and keep the league even, so I had to go to it. Only ended up being 8 of us there total and it was all HS kids, but we played full court 4 on 4. I played two 20 minute halves in the first game (and my team waxed the other like 108 - 70-something) and then we played two 10 minute halves for a second game and we lost by 1 (I got our team set for a final shot to win it under 5 seconds, but his runner in the lane was just strong).

Anyway, these are HS seniors who play basketball, are 10+ years younger than me, and I'm out-running them. So that was literally 1 full hour of game-time ball that took about 1.5 hours on the clock. As soon as we wrapped that, I changed and drove back to my church for the final hour of basketabll there and got 3 more games in.

I could have kept going, too.

The only thing that was bad was the soles of my feet were getting torn up. I need to get new shoes again.

But that is really the only endorsement anyone should need. My performance on the court has improved dramatically with the inclusion of Perform and I would suggest it to anyone who is doing anything strenuous like these type of sports. My lungs and muscles could have gone for hours (like back when I used to play 3 hours straight 4 nights a week in college). Except I'm 31 now lol.

 

[The Solution]

Talk about PERFORMING to your max
Good stuff there man.

 

[MidwestBeast]

I'll get into it more tomorrow, but my session this evening was amazing. Up on every single lift for high volume arms

 

[The Solution]

Been about 5 days... any updates in here Beast?

 

[MidwestBeast]

Been about 5 days... any updates in here Beast?

Can't offer up much in the way of any unique or new observations, but things are still going wonderfully. Which is to say that I'm still making regular increases in all of my workouts on a weekly basis, while additionally being able to get the cardio in without question. Basketball was once again on point this past Sunday. Playing with dudes much younger and lighter than me and still beating them down the court.

I'm also up slightly on the scale but down on bodyfat%, which is very cool. Main focus is trimming bf%, so the scale moving up simultaneously this past week was not my intent, but I'm obviously thrilled about that.

 

[The Solution]

Anything you van Orr about you workouts recently?
How has your DOMS been since on xtend?
Are you noticing a change in test times or cardio duration / intensity?

Any feedback would be appreciated

 

[MidwestBeast]

Anything you van Orr about you workouts recently?
How has your DOMS been since on xtend?
Are you noticing a change in test times or cardio duration / intensity?

Any feedback would be appreciated

DOMS have been less noticeable, lately. In general, it's not too far off from what's normal for me (e.g. as long as I hit the gym on my regular schedule and don't skip out on days, I don't get them bad at all -- it's when I take time off and come back that they screw me).

Cardio duration doesn't really change much on the basketball side just because I'm limited by us only having the church gym for 2 hours. But I can say that I easily feel like I could play for hours beyond that (as far as lungs go, muscles for the most part, and then my feet are what take the worst of it). That has been pretty much right from the start with Perform, which is what sold me on it after going back to Compete and having 2 terrible weeks of basketball lol.

I wish I had more opportunities to test it out, but basketball is Sundays only right now. However, come Winter, I'll hopefully be playing in a league that will get me another night or 2 a week.

And cardio within my workout sessions is pretty much on point with where it's been; still hitting a stair sprint and then a quick walk on the track (1/10 mile) between each working set of my lifts (not between warm-ups or burnouts at the end of a station). Those have taken a slight hit, but that's only because my feet are so torched from basketball and I've had a bruise (slightly raised up) on my right shin for a while now that gets worse from all the cardio.

 

[The Solution]

Awesome you can note the change between different products and what you FEEL. that is awesome for us as a company to see what you prefer over the others.
Really appreciate you throwing in those comments and what you do notice/feel and how you have changed since the start of the log.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Just happy to have had the chance to run this. I likely wouldn't have taken the step out on my own just because I've enjoyed Compete so much and had no complaints; but after trying it, it's evident to me that I can tell enough of a difference that I'm sold.

 

[The Solution]

Just happy to have had the chance to run this. I likely wouldn't have taken the step out on my own just because I've enjoyed Compete so much and had no complaints; but after trying it, it's evident to me that I can tell enough of a difference that I'm sold.

That would be music to 1Fast400 and his ears

 

[MidwestBeast]

Just polished off my tub last night.

Cracked open the black cherry this morning. Flavor is good, but so far mango is my favorite. However, the fruit punch grew on me after a few tries and that's how I kind of feel with BC this morning. So I'll update on that after using it for a bit longer. Each of those 2 have just kind of an additional taste that I can't pick up on at first, but with use over time it seemed to disappear and I actually kind of liked FP lol.

But unless any of that changes, mango is the clear winner.

But IIRC, there was discussion of some new flavors around the corner (not sure of the timeline). I'm obviously excited to have some more diversity in my cupboard since this is now my exclusive intra-workout

 

[The Solution]

Let's see some feedback on your performance endurance and recovery mate that's the key premise of this log

Flavors drop in December

 

[MidwestBeast]

Let's see some feedback on your performance endurance and recovery mate that's the key premise of this log

Oh, for sure. I agree 100%, which is why that's pretty much all I've focused on regarding details.

But since I wrapped up that tub and am onto the 2 I purchased, I just figured I would mention the taste for anyone interested between the 3 flavors.

 

[The Solution]

One if the new flavors is right up your alley if you like mango

 

[The Solution]

Any Updates? Been almost 10 days in here Midwest.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Any Updates? Been almost 10 days in here Midwest.

All still good.

I'll do a final review since I finished up the sponsored tub a couple weeks ago and have had enough time on my own tub to accurately review the third flavor (which was really all I wanted to add to this as an extra).

 

[The Solution]

Looking forward to it mate

 

[MidwestBeast]

Okay, so I've held off on this to try and assess as much as I could. One of the more recent things I was trying to pin down was my training time (e.g. was I getting through my workouts quicker?). So, I timed my workouts for a few weeks and went back and checked those numbers. Unfortunately, it was inconclusive as to whether or not that was the case due to too many variables. First, sometimes I'll get someone who talks to me. I generally can avoid it and most of the guys know I train very quickly without any breaks (and those who don't know me see a large man with a beard, a skull cap, and headphones on, so they generally steer clear). Anyway, that can easily add 3 minutes right there even when I try to rush them through it. I also try my best to pee right before I start (e.g. after I get to the gym and stretch, but before actually starting) and not again until I'm done, but occasionally, that doesn't happen. Additionally, I'll sometimes add more laps on the track depending on what time it is (e.g. the other day I got in earlier than I normally do, so I knocked out an extra half mile I normally wouldn't because I had enough time to do it and still be to work on time).

So, as to whether or not Perform has allowed me to finish my workload quicker, I cannot accurately say. However, as I've stated numerous times before, it is very evident to me that it allows me to have more endurance and that is more noticeable while playing basketball than anything else.

Mixability: 10/10

Perform mixes very easily. Absolutely zero problems with clumping, graininess, or left-over resideue/foam. My preferred way of utilizing Perform on training days is to slam my pre-workout first, then fill my shaker (preferred shaker is the OG USP Labs cup with the wider bottle) nearly to the top with ice, then water. Then I add 1 scoop Perform and 5g taurine, and shake. Then I head to the gym and start sipping it once I've stretched and begin training. I try to time it out where I finish that ~26oz. water when I'm just about halfway done with my session (slightly before), then I head to the water fountain and top it off (and if I'm lucky, there is still a little bit of ice left because the water fountain there isn't as cold as I'd like), then go fill it with the 2nd scoop of Perform, shake, and consume between sets until finish (trying to finish the last bit of it when I have about 3-4 sets left).

Taste: 9/10

Bob and Scivation hooked me up with Mango for my first go-round and then Fruit Punch for round two. I was convinced so early on that I got two more tubs on my own from Lockout and snagged the black cherry to be able to try all three, and then another mango because it was delicious. The taste of all 3 is good, but for me, mango was easily out in the lead as number 1. Fruit punch tasted a little strange to me at first; I don't know exactly how to describe it, but I can say that it grew on me after and I really enjoyed it by the end (but still not as much as mango). Black cherry is good, but is number 3 of the flavors. I have zero issues drinking it at all, but it's also not an "oh boy! I can't wait to drink it" feeling like I can get with some supps. However, that's also not a negative to me because it works and it doesn't taste bad, so I have zero complaints. It's just not as good as the other two.

Performance: 10/10

I've been using intra-workout products for about 6 years. I started off with just plain BCAAs and have tried a handful of things within that time. I believe OG Xtend was actually the first one I ever used, to be honest. I used to toss a few scoops in a huge jug of water and just chug away lol. Over time, I ended up using iForce's Compete once it was released and I have faithfully used that as my only intra (save for trying samples of things) up until this past July. I loved Compete, so I had no reason to deviate from it and pursue anything else. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Well, the science behind Peak02 was intriguing to me and when I was given a chance to try this, I thought I might as well at least try and then go from there. Worst case scenario it's just something that doesn't work as well for me and there's no harm in that.

I had surgery in mid-June and that kept me out of the gym and without any physical activity at all aside from walking for 3 weeks. That was the longest I've been out of the gym since I was in high school and used to take the summers off for baseball (it messed with my swing). So I started using Perform and I didn't fall behind nearly as far as I would've expected with that time off. I obviously reduced my weight from where it had been, but I wasn't losing any stamina when it came to reps and I was able to add weight back much more quickly than I'd anticipated coming back from this surgery. Well, I told Bob that it was great, but I also just couldn't tell with 100% if it was Perform or just 3 weeks off from the gym and my body responding to more rest than it's ever had. So, after tub one, I went back to using Compete for 2 weeks (enough to do a week of my heavy sessions and a week of my volume sessions, with 2 Sunday basketball sessions tossed in, too) and then started the next tub that Bob sent me.

In those 2 weeks that I went back to Compete, I can't say I noticed any drop off in the gym. Things felt pretty much the same to me. However, when it came to those 2 Sundays and playing basketball it was a night and day difference. It was absolutely awful. I was dragging, sucking air, and just felt horrible on the court. I couldn't believe it made that much of a difference and in such a short amount of time. I thought maybe my nutrition for the day just sucked, but then the next week I realized the exact same outcome. After starting back up on the next tub of Perform -- Boom -- back to sprinting for 2 hours with no signs of slowing down and beating kids 10 years younger and 80 pounds lighter than me down the floor. It was unreal.

So, when it comes to my performance in the gym, it's honestly hard for me to say if one is noticeably better than the other. I incorporate stair sprints and laps on the track in between my sets, so there's a lot of cardio work being done during my weight-training sessions, but it's nothing like when I play ball. I can't definitively say that Perform beats Compete when it's just in the gym. However, I do know I could tell a cumulative effect from Perform (via the Peak02), so it's not like I'd just take it on Sundays only and get the same results. But the sheer difference in my stamina and endurance on the basketball court was enough for me to make the switch for good.

Overall: 10/10

I can say that Xtend Perform is my intra of choice and I stand behind it 100% based on what I noticed while playing basketball. I would highly recommend it to anyone who plays sports or does any type of training that takes it out of you like a few hours of sprinting will.

I would like to thank The Solution , 1Fast400 , and Scivation for allowing me to test two of your flavors out. It was easily enough for me to buy it on my own and I'm super excited for your new flavors when they release.

 

[The Solution]

Hands down one of the best reviews I have ever seen

Thanks a ton for your support and detail man