Xtend BCAAs are a supplement range that claims to boost energy levels, improve focus, reduce stress, and increase endurance during workouts.
The company says it has been clinically proven to support brain health and mental performance during exercise while promoting muscle recovery.
But does Xtend BCAA really work, and is it worth your money? We're going to tell you everything you need to know in this review!
About Xtend
Xtend was founded over 10 years ago. The company's first product was called XTEND Energy, which contained L-Citrulline Malate, BCAAs, Caffeine, and other ingredients.
Since then, the company has extended its range of supplemental products, and you can now purchase many supplements from Xtend featuring different ingredient combinations and flavors to suit your preferences.
All contain BCAAs (Branched-chain amino acids), which are essential to take for muscle recovery.
Scivation Xtend BCAA Ingredients
The BCAA supplements from Xtend are so popular partly because they contain absolutely no calories.
When you're working hard at the gym to get in shape, you don't want your nutrient supplements to add to your daily calorie intake.
For this reason, many people who are specifically trying to lose weight choose Xtend BCAAs over other brands.
But that's not the only benefit of choosing to supplement your diet with Xtend BCAAs! In fact, these supplements have some pretty impressive benefits for anyone looking to stay fit and healthy. They also claim to help prevent fatigue and improve sleep quality.
So, what exactly do these supplements include? Let's take a look:
L-Glutamine
This amino acid is essential for maintaining gut health and immune function.
It helps keep the lining of our digestive system intact, which means we can absorb nutrients more effectively. It's also crucial for the body's production of proteins.
L-glutamine is present in high quantities (2500 milligrams) in Xtend BCAA formulas.
L-Valine
Xtend BCAAs also contain L-valine, which all athletes should be getting plenty of before a workout.
L-valine is an important building block in protein synthesis, helping muscles grow bigger and stronger. It also supports the nervous system and promotes better moods.
The most important thing is that it promotes muscle repair. When you work out, you're creating tiny tears in your muscles, and these need to repair so that you can experience muscle growth. L-valine helps to make this possible.
You will find 1750 milligrams of L-valine in Xtend BCAA supplements.
L-Isoleucine
L-isoleucine is another amino acid found in Xtend BCAAs. This one is especially beneficial when you're doing intense physical activity.
It provides fuel for your muscles and keeps them strong.
It also helps to promote endurance and speeds up your muscle repair time, helping you to see those gains faster.
Xtend BCAAs contain the same amount of L-isoleucine as L-valine: 1750 milligrams.
L-leucine
This amino acid plays a role in protein synthesis and muscle growth. It's vital for keeping your muscles strong and flexible, and it helps to build lean muscle mass.
It's also essential for the health of your skin and bones. If you're doing high-impact exercises such as running, you're going to put a lot of strain on your joints and bones, so L-leucine is an important amino acid to monitor.
There is more L-leucine in Xtend BCAA supplements than any other branch-chain amino acid, with 3500 milligrams in every supplement.
Electrolytes
In addition to the key branch-chain amino acids, Xtend products are packed with beneficial electrolytes, including:
- Sodium
You might have negative associations with sodium because it's important not to get too much sodium in your diet, but this electrolyte in the right quantities is very beneficial.
The recommended daily intake of sodium ranges from 1,500 mg to 2,300 mg per day.
Sodium is necessary for the proper functioning of many organs and systems within the body. It helps maintain fluid balance, blood pressure, nerve health, and more.
The 220 milligrams of sodium in Xtend supplements help to replace the sodium lost through sweat.
- Potassium
If you don't consume enough potassium, you could develop problems like fatigue, muscle cramps, or even heart arrhythmias.
Potassium is needed by the cells to produce energy, and it works together with sodium to regulate water levels in the body.
Xtend supplements contain 170 milligrams of potassium.
- Potassium Chloride
Potassium chloride is a supplement that helps to regulate low potassium levels.
It works with the potassium in the formula to ensure that your body maintains a normal and healthy amount of this electrolyte.
- Sodium Citrate
Blended in with the potassium chloride is sodium citrate. Sodium citrate has been proven to improve performance in college runners when taken before exercise, so you might notice favorable results when taking these supplements.
- Citrulline malate
Citrulline malate improves muscle endurance and performance and studies show that it may even delay the onset of muscle fatigue, meaning that you can train longer and harder without suffering ill effects from exhaustion such as muscle soreness or even injury.
In total, the blend of sodium citrate, citrulline malate, and potassium chloride in Xtend BCAAs comes to 1140 milligrams.
- Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is incredibly important, but many of us don't get enough of it in our diets.
Consuming your daily recommended amount of B6 will improve your body's ability to store and use the energy it gets from the carbohydrates and protein you use.
If you're trying to build muscle and burn calories, you'll have better chances of success if you get your daily dose of vitamin B6 because your body will use these nutrients more effectively.
Xtend BCAA supplements contain 32% of your daily intake of vitamin B6, so you'll still need to get some in your diet through natural means.
Miscellaneous
There are a few miscellaneous ingredients in these supplements that you should be aware of.
While Xtend BCAAs definitely aren't as bad for artificial ingredients as other supplement blends, they do contain some flavorings and sweeteners that don't occur naturally.
Are Xtend BCAA Supplements Effective?
Overall, Xtend BCAA supplements are very effective.
Arguably, the amount of l-glutamine may be excessive considering that the jury is still out on how useful this amino acid is for building muscle.
With that being said, l-glutamine has benefits for health outside of protein production, and it's fairly inexpensive, so we're not really complaining.
Because these supplements contain so many electrolytes in addition to amino acids, they help you to stay hydrated and improve the general functioning of your body outside of endurance and muscle growth.
Many supplements on the market right now are focused on helping you to perform at the gym without any consideration for your general health, so this is a major advantage.
We do wish there was more citrulline malate in these supplements, though.
As we mentioned earlier, this nutrient is thought to help improve performance during exercise, but the studies that demonstrate this have concluded that 6 grams are needed to see results, whereas a serving of Xtend BCAA only contains 1 gram.
Pricing
It has to be said that Xtend BCAAs aren't the most budget-friendly supplements on the health and fitness market. However, in our opinion, these supplements are definitely worth the price.
We did the math and Xtend supplements retail for $24 for every 30 servings. That's 80 cents per serving.
So, the prices aren't extortionate by any means, but there are less expensive supplements out there. Bearing that in mind, should you still buy from Xtend? We think so.
One reason for this is that the serving sizes from Xtend BCAA supplements are larger than other brands (7 grams compared to the average 5 grams).
If you choose to purchase the canned varieties of Xtend's products, you should be prepared for an increase in price.
However, being able to drink the supplement is more practical for many people, so you're paying for convenience.
Taste
If you've tried a few different BCAA, nutrient, or electrolyte supplements for athletes, you'll know that finding one that actually tastes good is easier said than done.
However, we found that Xtend BCAAs have an impressively pleasant taste!
A lot of the time, the flavors advertised on supplement packaging don't taste very realistic, but when we tried the watermelon variety, we were surprised to find that it does taste like watermelon! It's a bit more intense and might be too sweet for some people, though.
Xtend has a wide flavor range to choose from, including flavors like blue raspberry ice and island punch fusion.
Final Thoughts
The BCAA supplements from Xtend might not be perfect in terms of dosage (they could do with more citrulline malate, for example), but for the price, they're very effective and taste really good!
You get larger serving sizes with Xtend than you do with other BCAA supplement brands, plus tons of electrolytes in addition to the branch-chain amino acids, so your performance at the gym as well as your overall health will probably improve when you start taking these products.
Just remember that the Xtend BCAA cans are more expensive than the powdered supplements, with the exception of Xtend Energy, which don't contain caffeine.
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