Supplement Guides on PricePlow

Welcome to PricePlow, the sports supplement industry's premier thought leaders!

This page links to our “best of” lists and “mega posts” – extremely well-researched articles ranging from scams to avoid to buyer's guides to in-depth ingredient analyses.

Critical Information

• The Amino Acid Protein Spiking Scandal

  Read and understand this before ever buying protein powder!

• Proprietary Blends

  Understand the risks of encountering a “Batch-to-Batch Bait and Switch” when buying a proprietary blend!

• Nutrition Facts Label Rounding Scams

  Learn about a scam where brands take advantage of the FDA's labeling laws and use rounding to their advantage with ultra-small serving sizes.

Ingredient Analyses

• • Muscle Building Supplements:

    • HMB (β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate): Performance-Driven Muscle Supplement
    • GG-Gold (Geranylgeraniol): The Most Important Essential Nutrient You’ve Never Heard Of
    • 

      RipFACTOR is a powerful ingredient standardized from Mangifera indica and Sphaeranthus indicus that the industry shouldn’t overlook. It offers numerous benefits for optimizing physical performance, with two clinically-published human studies.

      RipFACTOR: The Muscle Accelerator from PLT Health

    • PeptiStrong: Natural Anabolic Ingredient from Fava Beans
    • Turkesterone
    • Rhaponticum Carthamoides: The MAX Phytoecdysteroid Source
    • EAA vs. BCAA
    • Betaine
    • Beta Alanine
    • Ingredient Optimized (io) Protein (ioWhey and ioPea): Protein-Enhancing Technology for Greater Gains
    • Velositol: Enhancing Muscle Protein Synthesis for Protein Powders and Aminos
    • Pumpkin Seed Protein: Upending the Plant Protein Market
    • Phosphatidic Acid
    • Epicatechin
    • Arachidonic Acid
    • Tongkat Ali
    • Tomatidine
    • Spilanthes Acmella
    • Laxogenin
    • Dextrose

  • Non-Stimulatory Performance Enhancers

    

    Hydration: The Ultimate Guide. How do you stay hydrated? This article covers the best approach to fluid and electrolyte intake, also cautioning against what may harm your hydration status

    • EndoFlo: Enhancing Vascular Health, Pumps, and Workout Performance
      • See also: Black Ginger (Kaempferia parviflora): The Energetic Extract in EndoFlo
    • Hydration: The Ultimate Guide to Electrolyte and Fluid Balance
    • Nucleotides
      • NMN Supplements (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide): The NAD+ Energy Precursor
        • BioNMN: A Reliable NMN Supplement Ingredient
        • The FDA vs. NMN (will be updated regularly)
      • NucleoPrime: Step Up Your Immune and Recovery Stack
    • Peak ATP: The Ultimate Guide to Disodium ATP Supplements
    • PurpleForce: AMPK-Boosting Purple Tea Extract with GHG
    • Senactiv: Regenerate Senescent Cells and Perform Better
    • Taurine: An effective endurance-booster in just one use!

    • Glycerol: The Ultimate Guide for Hydration, Heat Protection, and Pumps

      • HydroPrime: Glycerol With More Pumps and Less Clumps
    • Cordyceps
    • Beta-Glucans: Mother Nature's Immunity Agents

  • Weight Loss Ingredients (non-stimulatory)

    • 

      Berberine is a nutrient partitioning ingredient that sends more carbs to muscle! Read about Berberine and GlucoVantage in the above guide.!

      Berberine: The Best Glucose Disposal Ingredient Just Got Better

      • GlucoVantage: NNB Nutrition's Dihydroberberine
    • BAIBA: New Ingredient Generates Exercise in a Pill?!
      • MitoBurn: L-BAIBA (“The Exercise Molecule”) is finally on the market!
    • Grains of Paradise
      • 

        Finally, a grains of paradise extract that actually passes lab tests for all clinical constituents!

        CaloriBurn: Taking Grains of Paradise to Hot New Heights

      • See also: WAT to BAT: A High-Metabolism Guide to Brown and White Fat
    • CapsiBurn: Aura Scientific’s Advanced Thermogenic Fat Burning Ingredient
    • Ecklonia Cava: The Super Seaweed with Metabolism and Brain-Boosting Benefits from Nootropics Depot
    • MCT Oil: The Dietary Fat Source Built for Efficient Energy
      • C8Vantage: C8 MCT Powder for Maximum Energy, Clarity, and Performance
    • Chromium Picolinate: The Ultimate Trace Mineral For Insulin Sensitivity
      • Chromax: 25+ Years of Insulin Sensitivity Improvement
      • Chromax and Hunger Regulation: The Chromium / Appetite Connection
    • aXivite Phenylcapsaicin: Performance-Enhancing Spice with Less Burn
    • Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA): The Cognitive-Boosting Antioxidant
    • InnoSlim: NuLivScience’s Potent Stimulant-Free Fat Burning Ingredient
    • Bergamot: Natural Cardiovascular / Lipid Support
    • Ephedra
    • Forskolin
    • Dehydrozingerone (Anti-inflammatory adipose tissue blocker from ginger)
      • ZinjaBurn: “The Adipose Tissue Assassin”
    • Gamma Butyrobetaine (GBB) – Super Carnitine That Makes You Sweat?!
    • Ecklonia Cava
    • Sinetrol

  • Nootropics (cognitive focus and brain enhancers)

    • Rhodiola – The Salidroside-Powered Adaptogen of the Vikings
      • RhodioPrime 6X – The Strongest Rhodiola Extract (6% Salidroside)
    • Zynamite: Next-Generation Brain and Body Support using Mangiferin
    • Zembrin: The Best-Studied Kanna Extract on the Market
    • Choline
      • Cognizin® Citicoline: The Brain Choline
    • Bacopa Monnieri
    • L-Tyrosine vs N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine
    • nooLVL – Clinically-Validated Focus for Gamers
    • SAMe (S-Adenosyl Methionine)
    • Gotu Kola
    • 

      Rhodiola: The Adaptogen Powered by Salidroside. In this article, we dive deep into rhodiola, and take a different approach to the adaptogenic herb!

      Vinpocetine

    • FDA vs. Picamilon

  • Stimulants

    • Paraxanthine
    • Yohimbe
    • zümXR: Extended and Delayed Released Caffeine from PLT Health
    • Ephedra (hint: the ephedrine alkaloids have been removed and replaced with other ingredients)
    • Higenamine: The Underrated Appetite Supressant Stimulant
    • Dynamine
    • Eria Jarensis Extract / N-phenethyl-dimethylamine
    • Theacrine
    • 

      Nutrition21's nooLVL is the first clinically tested focus ingredient on actual gamers – who played modern games!

      Caffeine and Athletic Performance – Can High Pre-Workout Doses of Caffeine be Optimal?

  • Men's Fertility Supplements

    • Zinc Picolinate (ZinMax): A Highly Bioavailable Form of Zinc

  • Sleep Ingredients

    • Magnesium Glycinate: A Master Class in Magnesium & Glycine
    • Anandamide: The Body’s Blissful Endocannabinoid Molecule
    • Venetron: A Synergistic Extract for Mood, Stress, and Sleep
    • ETAS: Boost Heat Shock Protein Production

  • Gut Supplements

    • Digexin: Relieve Constipation, Stress, and Poor Sleep via the Gut-Brain Axis

  • Joint Supplements

    • Curcumin for Joint Pain
    • MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) Supplements
    • Cissus Quadrangularis
    • ParActin
    • (See also Anandamide above)

  • Anti-Aging

    • Fisetin: The Black Belt Senolytic Anti-Aging Fisetein Ingredient (ProFisetin)
    • Spermidine

Other Scams / Scandals / Potentially Unsafe Ingredients

• • • Arecoline (Potentially carcinogenic ingredient in new pre workouts and fat burners)
    • AMP Citrate (banned)
    • Isomaltooligosaccharide (IMO Fiber): A Fraudulent “Fiber”?
    • Maximum Shred (Scam: $87 Product with $4 of Ingredients)
    • Instant Knockout (Is this questionably-dosed fat burner worth $59?!)
    • Labz Supplement Brands
    • Soylent (see also the Soylent Lawsuit)
    • Beware: Ion Exchange Whey — An Inferior type of protein processing

Contact us if you have ideas / requests for new ones.

The Power of “Mito”: Optimizing the Mitochondria to Unlock Clean Energy!

When looking for an additional boost in energy, we often turn to stimulants and other supplements to provide a jolt. While this usually does the trick temporarily, how often do we take a step back and ask why we needed the kickstart to begin with? Maybe the previous night’s sleep wasn’t great, or a tough […]
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Published on November 7, 2020 by Mike Roberto and CJ Luther in Podcast, Supplement Guides, Supplement Research | No Comments

Glycerol: The Ultimate Guide for Hydration, Heat Protection, and Pumps

Sports supplements are built upon the foundational desire to perform better, and regardless of your goals, this aspiration is often the reason for introducing supplements into your regimen. We’re constantly searching for safe and effective ways to better our training, and supplementation is one avenue towards doing just that.

There’s no “one-size-fits-all” formula or […]
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Published on August 20, 2020 by Mike Roberto and CJ Luther in Supplement Guides, Supplement Ingredients, Supplement News, Supplement Research | 1 Comment

What is Ion Exchange Whey, and is it Bad?

If you’ve ever stepped foot in a supplement store or searched for “most popular supplements”, whey protein is bound to come up. Whey is one of the most commonly-used supplements on the market, and for a good reason: it’s effective, relatively cheap, and convenient. Research suggests that active individuals need to consume between 1.6g/kg-2.2g/kg […]
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Published on January 28, 2020 by Mike Roberto in Supplement Guides, Supplement Ingredients, Supplement News | 1 Comment

PricePlow’s Best Fat Burner Buyer’s Guide, with 2020’s Top 5

To the casual consumer, fat burners are intimidating and confusing. With good reason, too — 99% of them are admittedly total garbage.

There’s simply way too much noise out there, from brands using ineffective ingredients, overly dangerous formulas, or just running online marketing scams. Google’s no help either — searching for best fat burner is […]
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Published on December 31, 2017 · Updated September 19, 2019 by Mike Roberto in Supplement Guides, Top 10 Lists | 30 Comments

Best Protein Powder of 2020: What’s Best of ALL Proteins?

What’s the best protein powder on the market?

Over the years, we’ve had the fortunate honor to test out over 100 different protein powders, and have brought it down to the top 5 proteins below. There’s no better way to boost your protein intake and satisfy your sweet tooth than with these!

Current Version

This […]
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Published on August 27, 2014 · Updated August 22, 2019 by Mike Roberto in Supplement Guides, Top 10 Lists | 9 Comments

Best Pre Workout Supplement Guide for 2020: PricePlow’s Top 10

Everyone loves to talk about their favorite pre workout supplement, but everyone is different.

For simplicity, we’ve returned this page to the “Top 10 list” style, but we still have two major types of supplements for you to choose from – “mainstream” and “high-stim” / “aggressive”.

Open Labels Rule

In general, we prefer […]
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Published on December 23, 2017 · Updated August 8, 2019 by Mike Roberto in Supplement Guides, Supplement News, Supplement Reviews, Supplement Stacks, Top 10 Lists | 55 Comments

Men’s Fertility Supplements: The Ferodrox-Driven Male Fertility Stack

Men’s Fertility.

This is an interesting topic that comes up here from time to time, as it occasionally intersects with many of the supplements we discuss on this blog and our YouTube channel.

Many men don’t discuss the topic of fertility in public, but after having a child in 2017, and having covered several […]
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Published on March 18, 2019 by Mike Roberto in Supplement Guides, Supplement News, Supplement Research | 5 Comments

Muscle Building Supplements: The Next Generation (2019)

Let’s talk about muscle building supplements.

It’s 2016, and several new innovations have come out in terms of natural supplements that will help you build muscle yet aren’t too hormonal… so it’s time for an update.

Who is this document for?

In two words: intermediate users.

This was written for those of you […]
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Published on February 17, 2016 · Updated February 17, 2019 by Mike Roberto in Bodybuilding, Supplement Guides, Supplement Ingredients, Supplement News, Supplement Stacks | 13 Comments

Best BCAA Supplement Buyers Guide with 2019’s Top 10

So many BCAA supplements… only so many you can try! PricePlow’s got you covered in this guide. However…

You might not want to be here… (are you looking for a full EAA?!) Amino Acid Ingredient Information

Aside from taste and mixability, the biggest difference between all of these products are the extra ingredients that […]
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Published on January 27, 2018 · Updated January 27, 2019 by Mike Roberto in Supplement Guides, Top 10 Lists | 37 Comments

Supplement Facts vs Nutrition Facts and Protein Powder. NutraBio Was Right (Again).

Last week, when I was reviewing the new Strawberry Ice Cream flavor of NutraBio’s 100% Whey Protein Isolate, I stumbled on something “odd” when I was going over the label. I couldn’t find fat!

What gives? Where is the fat on the label? Was this a mistake?

I contacted NutraBio CEO Mark Glazier, asking […]
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Published on December 5, 2018 by Mike Roberto in Supplement Guides | No Comments