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Photo from Cellucor.com.
The other week I was fortunate enough to get my hands on XTEND's hydration formula mix: XTEND X Airheads
As an amateur runner whose been slowly ramping up their miles, I've began experimenting with different endurance and hydration supplements. A couple of weeks ago I had a race and decided to use it as an opportunity to put the XTEND X hydration supplement to the test.
I'll begin by saying that I've tried different hydration formulas in the past and have found the flavor profiles to vary significantly. Due to the sodium content in most electrolyte formulas, there are some that taste like pure salt water while others do a better job at masking the sodium taste. I was pleasantly surprised that the XTEND X Airheads Blue Raspberry edition was an example of a better tasting electrolyte blend, with a sweeter taste that did a great job at downplaying the sodium taste.
Regarding the actually performance boost and nutritional aspects of XTEND X (which in my opinion is the most important consideration in a hydration supplement) I was again impressed with this product. Coming in with a modest 5 calories, 0 grams of sugar, and 7 grams of BCAAs per serving. In preparation of my race, I took one scoop of XTEND X approximately an hour before the start time. As unconditioned and unprepared as I felt coming into the race, I can say that I felt that this supplement helped me to cross the finish line. There were water stations along the way of the course however I felt fully hydrated and didn't feel the need to grab more water until around mile 8.5.
Though I would like to test this product out in future runs and endurance exercises, I was overall impressed with XTEND X Blue Raspberry's flavor and perceived performance boost.
Score: 7.1/10
Jared's Review
First off I'd like to give a shoutout to C4 for always keeping us stocked on their latest products! And shoutout to Justin who is ramping up as a new blogger - as a serious runner and gym guy he gives a fresh perspective on these products and the caffeine industry at large.
XTEND is the first hydration supplement (if that's the right word) that I've ever taken, and it kind of blew my mind that something like that even exists. I run fairly consistently and wouldn't consider myself a serious runner. But it seems like a cheat code if you can use an affordable, great tasting powder to enhance your cardio exercise and make the recovery process easier. So it's no secret that I was excited to try this product out and take it for a spin.
Following the instructions, on my "training day" I drank one serving before my run and one serving after my run. The instructions also say to take a serving on rest days which I haven't kept up with.
First, the taste. Of course it tastes exactly like blue air heads, because why wouldn't it? C4 always nails the candy flavors. What I was impressed with was how natural it tastes in the water - like I didn't miss the typical carbonation from a canned energy drink. And it wasn't too sweet, which I considered a possibility before consuming it for the first time. The flavor profile was really balanced, which feels weird to say for a candy flavored water enhancer. But it's true.
As far as the performance goes, it's hard to pinpoint the improvement but I will say that I had a great run. I'm just getting back into running after the winter, so I only ran two miles, but I felt great and specifically much better than the last time I ran a few days earlier. With recovery I can also say it was flawless, and I didn't have any soreness or dehydration after the workout.
Overall this is a great product to me, and I'm excited to keep with it to see if it has significant, long-term benefits. If it does it's a real game changer.
Score: 8.3/10
If you want to try XTEND for yourself, use code CAFFEINESHARK on Cellucor.com for 20% off or check it out on Amazon using our affiliate link!