Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Product Review: First Endurance Ultragen

Although I will put a disclaimer out that First Endurance is one of the team sponsors for Trakkers, I am not afraid to take an open look at a product and let you know how it worked for me. I am a firm believer that just because just because a product is good for one does not make it good for everyone. This is my first experience with First Endurance products, so look forward to more reviews of some others in the future as I work them into my training regiment. 

I had heard stories, read reviews and tweets, everything except actually trying Ultragen.  My typical recovery drink has been about 12oz of Skim Milk mixed with Hersey's Chocolate Syrup.  It is a good treat after a workout, not too expensive to make, and we typically have milk in the house.  Recently, I have not been terribly sore, maybe because many of my base workouts are not super high intensity, but my volumes have been higher than normal so I do find a need to recover properly, especially after a longer run.  This seems to be my nemesis and takes the longest to recover from, especially if the pace is slightly hot.

About the Product:
Here is the snippet from First Endurance about the product:

A list of all ingredients and nutritional information:


Supplement Facts
Serving Size: 2 Scoops (91g) makes 12 fluid ounces
  Amount Per Serving %DV
Calories 320 
Calories from fat 0 
Total fat 0 g 0%
Cholesterol 0 g 0%
Total Carbohydrate (100% from Dextrose) 60g 20%
Sugars 60 g **
Protein (from Whey Protein Isolate, Milk Protein Isolate, Hydrolyzed Whey Protein) 20 g 40%
Vitamin A (as beta-carotene) 2,500 IU 50%
Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid and calcium ascorbate) 400mg 670%
Vitamin D (as Cholecalciferol) 200 IU 50%
Vitamin E (as natural d-alpha tocopherol) 400 IU 1250%
Vitamin B1 (as thiamin mononitrate) 8 mg 500%
Vitamin B2 (as riboflavin) 8.5 mg 500%
Niacin (as niacinimide) 20 mg 100%
Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine hydrochloride) 8 mg 500%
Folate (as folic acid) 200 mcg 50%
Vitamin B12 (as cyanocobalamin) 6 mcg 100%
Biotin 150 mcg 50%
Pantothenic Acid (as d-calcium pantothenate) 20mg 200%
Calcium (as Calcium carbonate, calcium ascorbate and from Whey Isolate and Milk Isolate ) 500mg 50%
Phosphorous (from Milk Isolate) 105mg 11%
Magnesium (as magnesium oxide) 250mg 65%
Zinc (as zinc oxide) 7.5mg50%
Chloride (as sodium and potassium chloride) 150mg 4%
Sodium (as sodium chloride and from Milk Isolate and Whey Isolate) 350mg 15%
Potassium (as potassium chloride and from Whey Isolate and Milk Isolate) 200mg 6%
BCAA's† (Leucine, Valine, Iso-Leucine) 4.5g *
Glutamine† 6g *
*Daily Value Not Established
**Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

† Typical Amino Acid profile
Glutamine 6000mg
Isoleucine 1163mg
Leucine 2135mg
Valine 1211mg
Tyrosine 806mg
Threonine 1135mg
Alanine 866mg
Gycine 392mg
Aspartic Acid 1817mg
Cystine/Cystein 272mg
Serine 1054mg
Lysine 1738mg
Methionine 479mg
Phenylalanine 806mg
Proline 1597mg
Tryptophan 324mg
Histidine 476mg


In a nutshell, Ultragen is packed full of nutrients to help your body recover properly.  A 3 to 1 ratio of Carbs to Protein makes sure you are refueling your muscle stores and are giving them the right amount to rebuild for the next workout. 


Why I Am Hooked:
I tried the Cappuccino flavor first.  I now understand the hype around this!  It was great.  I only ever got a small smell of protein drink, but none of the taste I typically associate with a protein or recovery drink.

The second thing that I really like about Ultragen is that it mixes well with water.  Chocolate Milk requires lets see.... milk, and leaving that out in the warm weather at a race is not recommended.  Protein powder always seems to work better when mixed with milk and not water, or tastes better at least, here again the same issue.  Ultragen is great because you could pop a scoop into a water bottle, then post race fill it up with water and be ready to go without worrying about getting ill from spoiled milk.   The critical time to consume the recovery drink is within 15-30 minutes post-workout.  Unless you are racing in your backyard, you will probably be able to find water more easily than milk in that time frame, especially when you are waiting for the awards ceremony!

Summary:
I am glad to have tried Ultragen and will continue to purchase and use the product.  I have seen how well my muscles are able to recover and be prepared for the next workout.  I am glad to see products being developed that stick to their claim and perform!  Looking forward to trying some of the other flavors in future orders!  This stuff is tasty!

4 comments:

Caratunk Girl March 1, 2011 at 11:34 AM  

Yeah! That Ultragen is good stuff, huh? Love it.

Unknown March 1, 2011 at 12:15 PM  

I am working on an Ultragen Review as well. Been using it for a year now and it is by far the best recovery drink I have ever used (and I have used them all). Good to hear you feel the same way!

Jamie March 6, 2011 at 5:49 AM  

Something that good for you shouldn't be able to be that delicious.

Tammy January 7, 2015 at 2:08 AM  

A lot of sugar, no?

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