Supplement review - BSN Amino-X

I tried BSN Amino-X for the first time last month and wanted to give you guys a review of the product.

So what does it do?

Protein Synthesis / Anabolism

Glycogen Resynthesis

Insulin Sensitivity

Anti-Catabolism / Muscle Sparing

Recovery from Training Sessions

Muscular Endurance

Resistance to Muscular Fatigue

What's in it?

Carbohydrates: less than 1 g

Vitamin D (as Cholecalciferol): 500 IU

Sodium: 160 mg

Anabolic Amino Acid Interfusion: 10 g

[L-Leucine (Micronized), L-Valine (Micronized), L-Isoleucine (Micronized)], L-Alanine, Taurine (Micronized), L-Citrulline (Micronized)

Efforsorb EnDura Composite: 2 g

Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate and Cholecalciferol

Main features of the product:

BCAA's (Branched-chain amino acids)

So in Amino-X you have the three main BCAA's: leucine, isoleucine and valine. These beauties help support muscle recovery and offset muscle break down. They also stimulate protein synthesis in the muscles so you're getting the most out of your protein intake.

EAA's (Essential amino acids)

Amino-X also delivers essential amino acids L-Taurine, L-Citrulline and L-Alanine. L-citrulline promotes the production of nitric oxide. L-taurine promotes the uptake of nutrients into the muscle cells. L-alanine is known to convert to pyruvate in the body which may help aid in the production of glucose during intense training.

I found Amino-X to be very effective when taken before or after training sessions. It did a great job at aiding muscle recovery so I could perform to the best of my ability in the next session. It reduced fatigue during sessions so I was able to maintain high quality training for much longer. The main benefit I found was its ability to increase protein synthesis so I really found myself packing on some muscle mass thanks to those all important BCAA's.

Value for money was very good, I bought the 435g tub for £19.95 from Dolphin Fitness.

Direct link - http://www.dolphinfitness.co.uk/en/bsn-amino-x-435g/27590 

I tried Blue Raz flavour and really liked it. To me it tasted a bit like bubble gum.

Overall I would give this product a 9/10.

It ticked all the boxes for me and did exactly what it said on the tin. The main feature being the ability to stimulate protein synthesis but remember its important to be getting an adequate amount of protein intake for it to have its full effect. I'll definitely be getting BSN Amino-X in the future.

Rotator Cuff

The importance of training the rotator cuff muscles is something that is generally overlooked. This small group of muscles are very important to a wide range of exercises as they stabilise the shoulder, and without stabilisation of the shoulder, technique will pretty much go out of the window and theres a good chance you'll get hurt. Let me just say from personal experience that shoulder injuries suck and stop you from doing almost everything! So lets be smart about how we train and do everything we can to prevent a shoulder injuries from occurring.

Rotator exercises only require a small weight to isolate the correct muscles otherwise you start using your deltoid to perform the movement.

- 90 degree angle at the elbow.

- Set the shoulder.

- Arm parallel with the floor.

- Rotate the shoulder while keeping 90 degree angle at the elbow.

- Ensure the back of the arm stays parallel with the floor.

Alternatively the exercise can be performed on a cable machine.

- Set the shoulder.

- 90 degree angle at the elbow.

- Keep elbow tight to the body.

- Watch out for morons in the mirror flexing their guns.

- Keep 90 degree angle at the elbow.

- Keep elbow close the the body.

- Rotate at the shoulder

- Bring arm across the body.

There are other alternatives to working your rotator cuff, mainly the positioning of the resistance. As long as there is good rotation at the shoulder, it is kept stable and the resistance is low then you're on the right track to building up the muscles and reducing the risk of injury.