NutraBio Super Carb Review: The Best Workout Carbohydrate for Performance

We review the new orange mango and pineapple flavors of Nutrabio’s highly branched cyclic dextrin product Super Carb.

Last week we highlighted NutraBio’s carb supplement Super Carb and the two new flavors that the company was rolling out, Pineapple and Orange Mango. We also hinted that we’d have a full breakdown and review for you, and that’s what we’re here to do today!

NutraBio was generous enough to send a few trial tubs our way, one of each new flavor. We’ve spent the past few weeks putting them through the paces and are here to give our feedback.

In short, Super Carb DELIVERS!

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Team PricePlow’s Review

Before we start, I’ve always been the fasted type workout guy. Usually I’ll wake up and hit weights first thing in the morning, just downing a pre workout and sipping on aminos intra workout. I figured my glycogen stores would be replenished during the previous 24 hours since my last training session and I would be good to go. Plus, I usually don’t like to have a full or heavy feeling going into my workouts. It usually makes me feel sluggish and not as explosive during my lifts.

To really experiment with Super Carb and see just how much pre workout carbs could benefit or enhance performance, I dosed one full scoop pre workout.

• Profile

  

  It took more than a few shakes to get the powder to completely dissolve, but after a good 20-30 seconds all clumps were gone.

  Not much to be said here that we didn’t already cover in our blog write up last week. Super Carb contains 25g of Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin (HBCD) along with a few electrolytes to help maintain hydration during exercise.

  HBCD is supposed to be an ultra-fast digesting carb that doesn’t hang around in the stomach making you feel heavy or give you a full, bloated stomach during workouts. So right off the bat, I was excited to see NutraBio using this form instead of one of the other types of carbs typically used in pre workout formulas.

• Mixability

  During the testing, I experiment with using 8, 12, and 16 oz of water for each of the two flavors. I’d add one scoop (28g) to the shaker bottle filled with water and give it a few thorough shakes. Typically that’s always good enough to completely dissolve my pre workouts and I figured it should suffice.

  However, when doing this, there always seemed to be little balls or globs of the powder still suspended in the water. This lead to having to shake it more vigorously for up to 20-30 seconds to really get the powder to completely dissolve.

  I’m not sure if this is a property of all HBCD products or just this one as this is the first time I’ve used HBCD.

  This wasn’t a big deal, just a few extra seconds of shaking to completely dissolve the powder in the water.

• Taste

  • Pineapple

    

    Pineapple had a light, delicate flavor that could be a little more assertive for my tastes.

    Pineapple mixed up into a light yellow color, like you’d typically see in any pineapple flavored soft drink. I love pineapple flavored products and wish more companies utilized this flavor. The two most recent pineapple flavored supplements I’ve used were Xtend Pineapple and Ergoblast Pineapple Mango.

    NutraBio’s pineapple flavor is definitely much lighter and delicate tasting compared to the others, especially Xtend. At first, it seems like there’s not much of a pineapple flavor at all, but there is that decidedly sweet-tropical flavor as it finishes.

    Even when mixing with only 8 oz of water the flavor is not overpowering, which may be a bonus for some. I tend to prefer more strongly favored products, so I would have rathered a bolder, more pronounced pineapple flavor.

    Overall, though, I still enjoyed Pineapple.

  • Orange Mango

    Of the two flavors, orange mango was the clear winner! As you’ll see in the pictures, orange mango mixed up as you’d expect… into a light orange color.

    Some orange flavored products I’ve tried in the past have gone the orange creamsicle route, which I find absolutely repulsive or too overly acidic and leaves you constantly trying to water it down.

    NutraBio’s orange flavoring was right on point! At first you’re hit with the quintessential citrus tart that orange has, and then there is a smooth, sweet finish on the back end as it leaves your palate.

    This is something I could drink all day if tempted!

• Effectiveness

  

  Orange mango has a tart, citrusy initial flavor with a smooth sweet finish, and was our favorite of the two new flavors!

  So the big question is, would the pre workout carbs really deliver, or did I just waste 100 calories of my day on some glorified powdered sweetness?

  The short and sweet of it is, NutraBio has made me a BIG believer in using carbs for my pre workout lifting sessions! Over the past few weeks, performance has been steadily increasing. The weights and reps have gone up, as well as my stamina and endurance during the workouts!

  I didn’t find my muscles getting fatigued nearly as quickly as they previously did during my time of doing fasted workouts.

  Another great bonus, that I wasn’t really expecting was the pump enhancement the carbs helped to supply. I’m typically not a big pump-fiend by nature, but there were some significant differences in terms of muscle fullness and vascularity when using Super Carb.

  I never thought carbs were all that necessary to take immediately pre workout, but going forward, I definitely see this being a solid addition to my pre workout stack.

Always awesome when you get this in the mail! Thanks to NutraBio for letting us try these new flavors! Orange Mango FTW!

Not everyone wants a bucket of oatmeal sloshing around in their stomach when working out. Super Carb’s HBCD has never once made us feel remotely bad (up to 50g at a time for this review, but far more later on in the future). You might have your choice of carbs, but this one is mine.

The caveat is that it’s not cheap – if you’re on a budget, maybe some maltodextrin, table sugar (sucrose), or straight dextrose / glucose is fine for you. Just make sure you don’t take so much that you don’t burn it off — otherwise you’ll be stuck with high blood sugar (and thus high insulin) all day long as you wait for your body to store it, and that will stop fat oxidation. But we’re all about the Cyclic Dextrin here right now. It may not be best for your budget, but it’s the best workout carb bar none.

Flavors Available

NutraBio has stated that of the two new flavors, everyone’s loving pineapple the most. To me, orange mango is definitely where it’s at, and it seems like Team PricePlow agrees.

How to use it

Normally, ~25g pre workout, 20g intra workout. Sometimes shift more in the pre workout dose if going after fast pumps.

Just work it in your daily macros. I’ve never gained “fat” from taking lots of carbs around my workout. But I’ve definitely put on fat from being an idiot over the course of a weekend. Distinguish the difference.

Takeaway

First off, we’d like to thank NutraBio for sending us the trial tubs of the two new flavors of Super Carb. Not only were they incredibly tasty, but extremely effective in improving our strength and endurance during our workouts.

Consider us firm believers now in the camp of utilizing carbs pre or intra workout to enhance performance and really push the envelope.

Thank you again to NutraBio, and if you’re looking for a carb supplement to add to your pre or intra workout nutrition, make sure to look into Super Carb!

Image Shamelessly Stolen from NutraBio’s Facebook