Xtend GO – Scivation Overtakes the BCAA Energy Game

Scivtation has given Xtend Go a facelift recently as they trimmed down the ingredients and amped up the energy!

Note: This blog post has been updated to reflect the changes made in 2016 – Xtend Go is now available everywhere now that a GNC exclusive is over.

Scivation Go is a BCAA + Energy drink mix powder that combines three of our favorite things: amino acids, caffeine, and cognitive focus enhancers!

This is an incredible product to take between meals for a quick pick-me-up, as a light pre-workout supplement, or anytime when dieting and you need a quick muscle and energy boost.

Scivation Xtend has long been a favorite BCAA supplement here on PricePlow.

Xtend literally created the BCAA “sports drink” powder / intra workout supplement category, and as an endurance athlete and supporter of diets (and occasionally, fasted training when dieting), I am typically far more pro-Xtend than con.

It doesn’t hurt that it tastes amazingly sweet — much respect must be given to Scivation for being the first company to properly flavor notoriously stale tasting branched chain amino acids.

But let’s get back to Xtend Go. First, you can see that it’s now available at all stores, since it had been exclusive at GNC for a while:

What’s Xtend Go?

Xtend Go was announced on Scivation’s Instagram on January 28, 2014

Xtend Go can be considered a “BCAA Energy Drink”, which is a new category of products meant to act as an amino-based pre workout or a pick-me-up between meals.

This is a relatively new and growing category, but several companies already have products here (and honestly, too many of them feel exactly the same). What we like about Xtend Go is that it’s different – you’re going to see three extra ingredients here that are in none of its competitors, and they are all either very useful for performance or put you in a great mood.

Our Xtend Go Review

Don’t feel like reading this whole write-up? Then listen to Mike explain it below. He and CJ tried all three flavors out in December 2016 and here’s what they decided:

But for more info let’s take a look at the ingredients below:

Xtend Go Ingredients

It all starts with the standards from the original Xtend.. but then things get interesting really quickly. If you were a fan of the original Xtend Go, you’ll notice that the label is a bit different. It’s now 100% transparent, thereby eliminating the proprietary “Nucleus” that was a part of the original formula, as well as the removal of two ingredients: Sceletium tortuosum and Ubiquinol.

The biggest change though, is that the caffeine and theanine contents have now been “cranked up” a bit as both check in at 200mg per scoop.

• BCAAs 2:1:1 (7g)

  

  The new formula for Xtend Go is now 100% transparent and a bit slimmer profile.

  The BCAAs here are in the standard 2:1:1 configuration emphasizing leucine (which, of course, is the most important of the amino acids for building and maintaining muscle). This means, each serving of Xtend Go provides 3.5g L-Leucine, 1.75g L-Isoleucine, and 1.75g L-Valine. For a “tweener” product that’s mostly billed as a lighter pre-workout, this is actually a great dosage!

  In fact, it’s the identical dosage to what’s in Scivation’s original Xtend intra-workout… certainly more than enough for a mid-day “booster” product. Many BCAA-only supplements often top out at 5g of BCAAs, and some of the cheaper ones are dosed far lighter than this!

• Caffeine Anhydrous (200mg)

  For a pick-me-up product, caffeine anhydrous is requisite. The standard moderate one-cup-of-coffee dose of 100mg is just fine, but some days that’s just not enough.

  Scivation has updated the 2016 version of Xtend Go to pack a whopping 200mg per scoop – far more than most energy amino products that have 100mg! This if for those days you are really dragging after lunch.

  For some of you this may mean 1/2-scooping the product for a more mild energy boost, but for the rest of us, it’s the perfect amount to keep you turning and burning throughout the work day. If you like smaller doses of caffeine, don’t worry, the next ingredient will help soothe things out.

• L-Theanine (200mg)

  

  Xtend Go increases your energy, focus, and concentration ultimately allowing you to get more work done when you’re just not “feeling” it.

  L-Theanine is a non-dietary amino acid that’s mostly found in a few varieties of tea. It induces relaxation without sedation, so it’s usually included in supplements to take any rough edges off the stim content.^[1] As you no doubt noticed, the theanine dosage has now been disclosed and increased from the previous version.

  Theanine has been a hot focus-enhancer and jitter-killer popular in new pre workouts lately, but users of cognitive enhancers have long known about it and loved it. The 1:1 ratio of caffeine to theanine is different from the typical 2:1 ratio seen in pre workouts, but since this is more of a “pick me up” product, you’re not supposed to get all “jacked up” like you would on a pre workout; you’re just supposed to feel more awake and focused, which is exactly what you’ll get with the 1:1 ratio.

• L-Glutamine (2.5g)

  A conditionally essential amino acid, glutamine is depleted rapidly during prolonged exercise (and that’s the only time supplementation is really necessary outside of certain medical conditions).^[2] 5g per serving is a more standard dose, but since this product isn’t intended to be an intra-workout it isn’t really a big loss.

  Note that glutamine does not “build muscle”, but it’s good and cheap to have during workouts, especially if on an empty stomach (like many of Xtend’s users prefer to work out).

• Citrulline Malate (1g)

  Citrulline Malate is included here in a relatively minor dose, and not meant for the pumps like most citrulline users like. Study results that show improvement in exercise performance are up in the 6g to 8g range.^[3]

  Moreso than the citrulline pumps, the malic acid (from the malate) may boost work capacity and oxygen utilization.^[4]

• Electrolyte Blend (1170mg)

  A now-relatively-standard electrolyte blend. Xtend Go carries over the same proprietary blend of Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride and Trisodium Citrate Dihydrate seen in the original Xtend. Trisodium citrate dihydrate is just another term for sodium citrate and is mostly included for flavor.

Xtend Go will come in 3 of your favorite Xtend flavors: Blue Raz, Fruit Punch, and Mango Nectar

Flavors Available

Scivation has carried over three of Xtend’s best flavors for Xtend Go including:

• Blue Raspberry
• Fruit Punch
• Mango Nectar

Scivation’s flavoring is some of the best in the industry when it comes to BCAA products, and rest assured, that the new Xtend GO flavors will deliver.

Takeaway

Scivation: Science and Innovation. Click the Image to Compare Prices on all Scivation Supplements!

The energized-BCAA category has exploded over the last year and half with virtually EVERY company throwing their hat in the ring. To stay ahead of the competition, and continue to be the king of all things BCAA, Scivation gave Xtend Go a 2016 “facelift” to keep it fresh and separate it from all the other products on the market.

Full transparency is always a big plus for us, and the 1:1 ratio of caffeine to theanine should be a perfect balance of energy and concentration for all fans of the BCAA+energy category. Xtend has always been king, and we had rave things to say about the unique new Scivation Xtend Perform, but when you want a version with energy — and not just a piddly 100mg caffeine, this is it.

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Update, Nov 1, 2014: Scivation has just announced their Scivation Xtend RTD!