RAW Nutrition Intra-Workout: High-Performance Training Carbs

RAW Intra has been updated in 2021, and now every tub has more carbs (in the form of elite-level Cluster Dextrin) and less discomfort!

If you’re serious about achieving optimal performance in the gym and you’ve already perfected your nutrition, training, recovery, and sleep, then supplementation will take things to the next level. There are numerous supplements that can drastically improve your health and performance, such as pre-workouts, creatine, protein powders, essential amino acids, electrolytes, multivitamins, and fish oil.

In the context of maximizing sports performance, pre-workouts tend to steal the spotlight, and for a good reason. Consider RAW Pump, RAW Nutrition’s flagship pre-workout, which features clinically-studied dosages of nine ingredients that can help you get the most out of your training sessions.

Many people solely focus on pre-workout and post-workout nutrition, but if you really want to take things a step further, then adding an intra-workout supplement to your routine is a smart idea. Intra-workout supplements typically include carbohydrates, essential amino acids, and/or electrolytes for hydration. Today, we’re going to focus on a fantastic carbohydrate source with some extra electrolytes to keep you going.

RAW Intra-Workout Enhances Performance and Recovery

RAW Nutrition’s intra-workout product, called RAW Intra-Workout, contains 25 grams of Cluster Dextrin, an easily-digestible carbohydrate, coconut water powder, and Himalayan salt to aid hydration, performance, and recovery.

Nic Walker, IFBB Pro and RAW Nutrition Athlete.

It launched in two flavors (the entire list will be below), and was given some improvements in 2021 after its 2020 launch. Having a great-tasting drink during an intense workout is a great way to keep hydrated and refuel, and keep pushing – and the carb source is top-notch.

With RAW Nutrition’s elite athletes (like IFBB Pro bodybuilder Nic Walker), they knew that they’d need to support some insane training, and creating a high-quality intra-workout supplement was essential.

If you’ve never experimented with taking a carbohydrate product during a prolonged training session, then be prepared to see some major performance gains. Not only are intra-workout supplements great for increasing strength, size, and power, they’re even better for boosting endurance. So whether you’re a long-range cyclist or going for your pro card in bodybuilding, intra-workout supplements can make a huge difference.

Keep reading to learn more about RAW Intra-Workout and sign up for RAW Nutrition news and deal alerts below!

Note: In the listings above, the updated 2021 formula discussed below is shown as 30 servings. The original formula will be listed with 20 servings, if it’s still available.

RAW Intra Ingredients (Updated in 2021)

The original version of Raw Intra provided 40 “small servings” that really translated to 20 servings for the majority of us. In 2021, however, they’ve moved to one big scoop, and now we have 30 of them — so we consider this a net positive. Just take note of this switch if you’re used to the original.

Here’s what one 30g scoop of RAW Intra-Workout provide:

• Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin (as Cluster Dextrin) – 25g

  

  The updated Raw Nutrition Intra gives us more carbs per tub in 2021!

  The only carbohydrate source in RAW Intra-Workout is highly branched cyclic dextrin (HBCD), which provides 25 grams of carbohydrates per single-scoop serving. Instead of going with a generic ingredient, RAW Nutrition decided to use Cluster Dextrin, a trademarked form of HBCD that was developed by Glico Nutrition Co.

  There are a wide variety of carbohydrate powders available, but a vast majority of them are known for causing gastrointestinal distress, which is not ideal during a workout. The goal is to take an easy-to-digest carbohydrate that’s absorbed rapidly and converted to fuel. Thus, if you’ve tried carbohydrate powders in the past and they didn’t sit well with you, then you may want to give Cluster Dextrin a shot.

  Cluster Dextrin is a relatively new type of dextrin that’s made from amylopectin through the cyclization of a branching enzyme.^[1] Through this process, Cluster Dextrin can still maintain the primary cluster structure that’s found in amylopectin.^[1] Unlike other dextrins, Cluster Dextrin is made up of long chains of glucose units and has both higher molecular weight and narrower molecular weight distribution^[1]. Furthermore, Cluster Dextrin is highly soluble and stable in water, thus it mixes much more easily in liquid.^[1]

  Fast but not discomforting

  

  The Borg Scale shows the rate of perceived exertion, meaning Cluster Dextrin makes it feel like you’re working less hard than maltodextrin!^[2]

  Two of the compound’s more unique characteristics is that it has a low osmolality and a high molecular weight. Unlike glucose, which has a low molecular weight, Cluster Dextrin allows for a hypotonic solution to rapidly flow through the stomach, even when other beneficial compounds are present, such as electrolytes and amino acids.^[1]

  Research has demonstrated that consuming Cluster Dextrin results in less gastrointestinal distress for subjects who are exercising.^[2] A 2014 study published in the journal of Food and Nutrition Science compared perceived exertion after participants supplemented with 15 grams of Cluster Dextrin and 15 grams of maltodextrin during 60 minutes of cycling. The Cluster Dextrin group reported higher levels of endurance.^[2]

  Another study from 2015 found that when swimmers took t Cluster Dextrin (1.5 grams/per kilogram of body weight) during an intermittent exercise, they saw a 70% increase in time to exhaustion compared to those who took the same amount of glucose.^[3] These studies indicate that Cluster Dextrin is one of the top carbohydrate supplements for maximizing performance.

• Coconut Water Powder – 1g

  To promote hydration and optimize performance, RAW Intra-Workout has 1 gram of coconut water powder. Over the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in the use of coconut water powder in sports nutrition products, including pre-workouts, hydration, recovery, and intra-workout supplements.

  

  Combine RAW Intra with RAW EAA for the ultimate recovery cocktail!

  Next to electrolytes, coconut water powder is one of the best ingredients for maximizing hydration. Since dehydration can decrease performance and cause the quick onset of excessive fatigue, RAW Nutrition wanted to ensure that their product provides multiple hydration-boosing ingredients

  In addition to the electrolytes in RAW Intra-Workout, coconut water powder supplies even more electrolytes along with essential vitamins. Coconut water powder is very effective at enhancing total body hydration because due to supplying the body with electrolytes, which help retain more water.^[4,5]

  When compared to a carbohydrate-electrolyte beverage, coconut water performed just as well for restoring hydration.^[4,5] It used to be one of the most under-utilized sports nutrition ingredients, but several major brands have shed light on its potential.

• Himalayan Pink Salt – 50mg Sodium (2% DV)

  Another ingredient that’s also in RAW Pump is Himalayan pink salt, which supplies 50 milligrams of sodium (~2% DV). If you’re like the rest of us and sweat salt out when training, this will help keep you replenished.

  

  Don’t fear the sodium!! We need it for optimal training!

  Sodium is an underrated ingredient for maximizing sports performance.^[6] Most people understand that sweating causes water loss, but also excessive amounts of electrolytes—most notably sodium.

  Only, drinking water to rehydrate can cause several problems, such as muscle cramps, reduced performance, and in extreme cases, a medical condition called hyponatremia (low levels of sodium in the blood).^[6] Sodium, potassium, and calcium are required for the induction of nerve impulses, which lead to muscular contractions. Thus, it’s crucial to get enough of these minerals on a daily basis.

  RAW Nutrition specifically chose Himalayan pink salt to supply sodium since it contains other beneficial minerals, such as magnesium and potassium. It’s important to note that RAW Intra-Workout also has 106 milligrams of potassium and 11 milligrams of magnesium to provide you with even more key electrolytes.

  

  Look for the “No Discomfort Carb Formula”

  Himalayan pink sea salt is known for improving digestion by promoting the production of hydrochloric acid.

• Potassium (from Potassium Citrate) – 70mg (1% DV)

  Finally, to balance the sodium, we have a bit of potassium in the form of potassium citrate. This highly underrated mineral is considered a “shortfall nutrient”,^[7] and many researchers believe that Americans simply don’t get enough.

  Potassium brings many cardiovascular health benefits,^[7] and it functions heavily through a potassium-sodium interaction, where an improved potassium:sodium ratio can improve blood pressure and heart disease risk.^[8,9]

On the formula changes

This formula previously had ribose in it, but RAW Nutrition’s athletes were using a lot of it, and it was eventually upsetting the stomach. They decided to “dial it back” and give the athletes what they really wanted – tons of cyclic dextrin and some replenishing electrolytes. This in turn gives you more carbohydrates per tub (since they switched from “20” servings at 25 carbs to 30), a win for RAW Nutrition’s athletes!

Available Flavors

Here’s an updated list of available flavors for RAW Intra Workout:

If you want to try RAW Intra-Workout or any other RAW Nutrition products, check out getrawnutrition.com for samples, which will be listed above if available.

RAW Nutrition: A Newcomer with Years of Experience

Before RAW entered the sports supplement industry this year, the co-owners were involved with Revive MD, a successful brand in the health/wellness scene. Even though RAW and Revive MD are both part of same industry, they couldn’t be more different. Revive MD focuses on producing top-tier health and wellness supplements, while RAW Nutrition primarily optimizes sports performance.

Built from the ground up!

RAW Nutrition originally launched with seven products that covered nearly every major category of sports nutrition, including protein powder, pre-workouts, intra-workouts, amino acids, fat burners, and creatine. Over the years, Matt and Dom sampled their fair share of sports nutrition supplements, but they were never quite satisfied with what was available. So they launched their second brand, and you can follow everything they’ve done on PricePlow’s Raw Nutrition page.

The buzz around RAW Nutrition has been extremely positive, and the partners have set themselves up as a well-respected brand in sports nutrition with numerous top-tier athletes, who need top-tier formulas. If you’re ready to take your training seriously, then optimizing your supplement stack is a good place to start.

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Note: In the listings above, the updated 2021 formula discussed below is shown as 30 servings. The original formula will be listed with 20 servings, if it’s still available.