Product Review: MHP Dark Rage

This is one funky pre-workout product.

Taking the usual arginine based formula one notch higher, MHP's Dark Rage boasts of EPO technology. That's like blood doping though I don't really know how potent this product is. I doubt it is anything close to the actual procedure. I mean, think about it. Logically it is just a powdered drink. MHP is just being a bit fancy with their marketing more likely. Dark Rage supposedly uses natural ingredients like iron and arachidonic acid among other stuff that promote red blood cell production.

Termed EPODROL™ and HEMASTEM™, the label states mostly botanicals and minerals responsible for the product's effects.

Well OK. I took a swig to put it to the test.

Cola Fizz was the flavour and I must say, it tastes like cola alright. Now, we're all too familiar with Coca Cola or Pepsi as the most popular drinks on the planet but what most people don't know is that cola by itself wasn't a very popular tasting drink. It was bitter due to the kola nut content. The inventor of cola didn't enjoy too much success with it and eventually sold the formula to the founder of Coca Cola.

OK enough history talk. Dark Rage's Cola Fizz is cola alright... minus the Fizz. Might want to mix it up with some soda water or 100 Plus if you can't take the taste of cola.

I took the supp a little after 7pm and couldn't sleep AT ALL. By far the craziest pre-workout I've taken... I think the effects are sustained. But I wasn't jittery like what I experienced with some of the other pre-workout supps. Perhaps Dark Rage is more suited for endurance or cardio-oriented sports.

Formula wise, apart from the proprietary stuff, it is quite complete with a dash of carbs, creatine, beta-alanine, vitamins and minerals. These add up to a sizable 45g scoop per serve thus giving about 20 shots of the product.

Then, it's back to deciding on the next pre-workout to try.

Supplement Guide: Fibre

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Product Review: GAT Muscletein Ultra-7

Here's a sneak peek at GAT (German American Technologies) Muscletein Ultra-7, a sustained-release protein.

Now, sustained-release protein products are usually pretty tasty stuff and work wonders for the body but the drawback is their cost. They are considerably more expensive than your good ol' bread and butter whey and rightfully so, because sustained-release proteins usually contains a spectrum of protein sources like egg, casein, and other various milk fractions. You pay more to get more, it's simple logic.

But that might soon be a thing of the past with this one. Not that this product defies logic, but for some reason, it's 5 pounder tub is quite affordable. Yes, that's another thing you don't see everyday, 5 pounds of sustained-released protein. Most of em' come in 2lbs. At least over here in Malaysia it does. C'mon take your pick: MAP Freak Fix, MHP Probolic-SR, Axis Labs Muscle Delight, and the list goes on.. Muscletech Nitrotech doesn't count. That's a thing of the past.

Seen here is a sachet of Strawberry flavoured Muscletein Ultra-7. The number 7 supposedly denoted the different types of protein that makes up the product: Ultrafiltered Whey Protein Concentrate, Microfiltered Whey Protein Isolate, Calcium Caseinate, Micellar Alpha And Beta Caseins And Caseinates, Milk Protein Isolate, Egg Albumin and Glutamine Peptides.

The powder is very fine and upon tearing the packet, there is an instant waft of the smell of butterscotch. It's strange... but really very appetizing!

As with most instantized proteins, Muscletein Ultra-7 dissolved very well although shaking it does produce a bit of foam just like UN Ultra Whey Pro. Well, not too much of a problem for us big guys... we ain't babies about to regurgitate milk after sucking up some foam. A mighty belch is prolly the only effect this will cause.

I took a sip and it really does taste..... butterscotchy. But blended very well with a strawberry flavour. Yummy I must say. It made me want to down the whole shaker at once. Fuuny how the label only says 4 grams of sugar per serving, but it does taste quite sweet. Hmmm...

However, I couldn't say the same for the Chocolate flavour. It wasn't bad, but somehow Strawberry had more kick. There was the same underlying butterscotch tinge and maybe the choc was a lil' overpowered by that. Goes to show that flavours can vary a lot despite being a same product. Or it could just be me.

In any case, definitely a 5-star product. Great taste, great value (45 grams of protein per serve) and good affordability.

Supplement Guide: Fenugreek

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