Primeval Labs EAA Max: The OG EAA Supplement Gets a Slick New Look in 2023

The OG EAA supplement has been updated with a fresh look in 2023!

For years, BCAA supplements dominated the “intra workout” category in the sports nutrition space. It took a long time, but eventually, full-spectrum essential amino acid (EAA) supplements took over the industry. Backed by far better research, most of us knew that more essential amino acids would be better than less, but no brands could get them to taste good.

Primeval Labs EAA Max was one of the first companies to make EAAs taste great, and now they’ve updated the labels for a slick new look

One brand shattered that mold in early 2017, and after that, “EAA became the new BCAA”. That brand was Primeval Labs, and with their launch of EAA Max, they permanently changed the supplement industry for the better. With its arrival, the bar had been raised, and every other active nutrition brand was forced to step their game up.

EAA Max Touch-Up Brings Ten Flavors in 2023

EAA Max is the supplement that put the industry on notice, and over six years later, it’s still running strong. However, Primeval Labs decided to give it a touch-up in 2023, with that same killer logo and similar branding from the 2021 update. It’s now out and on display, with the same great formula discussed below, and ten total flavors. We first saw it in the Sour Apple Candy flavor (and the updated Primeval Labs Whey), but now it’s available in all flavors.

Before we dig in, take a moment to sign up for our Primeval Labs news alerts and see the PricePlow-powered coupons:

EAA Max Ingredients

EAA Max is substantially different from your typical BCAA-only intra workout you usually see pedaled around the industry. In addition to the gold standard 5g BCAA dose, EAA Max also contains a full complement of essential amino acids, hydration aids, and endurance boosters to provide a product that truly does enhance workout performance and muscle building.

• BCAA 2:1:1 – 5g

  

  EAA Max includes a full spectrum of BCAAs and EAAs to support muscle endurance AND muscle growth during your most intense workouts.

  Primeval starts off EAA Max the research-backed ratio of 2:1:1 BCAAs, which provides you with 2.5g of Leucine, 1.25g of Isoleucine, and 1.25g of Valine.

  Leucine is well-known as the primary stimulator of the mTOR pathway in the body,^[1] keeping you anabolic (in muscle-building mode) during your workouts. This helps spur muscle growth without having to consume endless amounts of protein. Plus, BCAA consumption also helps speed recovery and prevent the onset of muscle soreness, also known as DOMS.^[2,3]

• Essential Amino Acids

  Now comes the part where Primeval Labs kicked 99% of the industry to the curb — the other essential amino acids found in complete proteins, but not found in standard BCAA-only drinks:

  • L-Lysine HCl – 300mg

    L-Lysine is an essential component in the production of carnitine — a compound used by the body for converting fat to usable energy and cholesterol level regulation. In EAA Max, lysine aids in muscle protein synthesis, calcium absorption, and recovery.^[4,5]

  • L-Threonine – 225mg

    Threonine is ɑ-amino acid necessary for the construction of proteins. Specifically, threonine is needed for the synthesis of glycine and serine, which is then used to stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS) in the body.^[6]

  • L-Phenylalanine – 200mg

    Phenylalanine is a precursor to Tyrosine that’s subsequently converted other more potent neurotransmitters including the likes of epinephrine (adrenaline), norepinephrine (noradrenaline), and L-Dopa. These 3 powerful neurotransmitters improve mood and energy, both of which will be needed during intense workouts.^[7]

  • L-Tryptophan – 50mg

    

    Loving this new Primeval Labs logo!

    Tryptophan is a welcome ally during tough workouts as it increases pain tolerance levels. Additionally, this essential amino acid boosts overall mood.

    Don’t get scared about the whole “tryptophan makes you tired” Thanksgiving nonsense. Just because it increases serotonin doesn’t mean it’ll make you tired in the middle of the day – especially when in Ape Sh*t workout mode!

    And just so you know, 3oz of turkey has 250-300mg tryptophan, so this is just a small dose to make sure it doesn’t bottleneck your body’s biological reactions that may be requiring it.

  • L-Histidine – 25mg

    

    Primeval Labs Whey has launched in six bold new flavors. This is a pure WPC-80 (80% Whey Protein Concentrate) product with digestive enzymes added!

    If you’re a beta alanine user, then listen up! We’ve repeatedly seen that beta alanine boosts endurance by increasing levels of the intracellular buffer carnosine, but beta alanine is only one half of the carnosine “equation”.

    In order to form carnosine, beta alanine must bind to histidine in skeletal muscle. Histidine deficiency prevents adequate carnosine production,^[8] which leads to less than optimal endurance. Point being, if you want to realize the benefits of beta alanine, make sure you’re getting enough histidine as well, either through whole foods or supplementation!

  • L-Methionine – 20mg

    Methionine is first and foremost an antioxidant which helps prevent the spread of free radicals and oxidative damage brought on by intense periods of training. It also functions as a precursor to the amino acids L-Taurine and L-Cysteine, both of which aid performance.

• Muscular Energy & Nutrient Delivery

  While Primeval Labs Intracell 7 is the higher carb intra workout aid, EAA Max has just enough to give a boost, drive the EAAs in, and make the flavor so good:

  • Cluster Dextrin – 2g

    

    Meet the new Primeval Labs EAA Max labels!

    Cluster Dextrin is the patented form of highly branched cyclic dextrin (HBCD),the most popular intra workout carbohydrate in the sports nutrition industry.

    HBCD is created from the the breakdown of amylopectin. It has a low osmolality and high molecular weight, which means it passes through the stomach insanely fast, but doesn’t lead to any “heavy” feeling or GI upset.^[9]

    This is exactly what you want for an intra workout carb. HBCD is in and out of the stomach quickly, and onto the small intestine, along with the rest of the amino acids in EAA Max, which mean faster absorption into the bloodstream and into your muscle where it helps prolong endurance, offset DOMS, and improve pumps!^[10,11]

    Now obviously 2g isn’t going to do much, but it’s here for a reason — as a shuttling agent, especially for the D-Ribose next. Note that this is still low enough for you low-carbers, as 2 grams won’t devastate all but the craziest peoples’ plans.

  • D-ribose – 500mg

    Ribose is a sugar generated in the body from glucose. D-Ribose is a supplemental form of the sugar that when ingested combines with adenine to form ATP, the primary component of cellular energy. Ribose is often sold to enhance energy (especially in “sluggish” people with poor diets), but isn’t often in intra workout supplements where additional energy could be used. Primeval Labs innovated well with this addition.

    

    The blue, beige, and green shaded areas, taken together, comprise the entire ATP molecule – with Ribose smack dab in the middle. The chemical bonds between phosphate groups, indicated in red, are the high energy bonds that release free energy when subjected to hydrolysis. Note the close proximity of the negatively charged oxygen ions within the phosphate groups. Image courtesy of Wikimedia.

    During intense exercise, ATP levels get rapidly depleted due to the demands placed on the muscle. D-Ribose has been shown to be extremely effective in rapidly replenishing ATP stores following exhaustive bouts of exercise.^[12,13]

    This is one of the more unique ingredients here, and other intra workout supplements have copied the idea since EAA Max first launched. However, whenever brands try to go too high on the dosage, we’ve found that GI distress occurs. Keeping the dose at 500 milligrams avoids all GI distress but gives a touch of an ATP boost for everyone training.

On the Formula

As you noticed, EAA Max contains substantially more than just a simple 2:1:1 ratio — there’s also a full EAA profile, which makes it a much more effective product rather than just providing muscular energy from BCAA’s. We asked Primeval what was the driving force / inspiration for this particular formula, to which they responded:

“We really wanted to deliver a quality EAA to the market that both delivered in formula, as it should, and in taste as we know customers typically drink Amino formulas all day.”

— Primeval Labs, 2017

Flavors

Primeval enthusiasts have been clamoring for quite a while for an amino acid product and the simple fact of the matter was that the brand wanted to do something truly effective and not just copy the rest of the industry.

EAA Max comes in the following flavors:

Primeval Labs Intracell 7 came back in 2022, and the carb-loaded performance-based intra-workout supplement has a new Gummy Bear flavor with it!

Two intras from Primeval

So now you have Intracell 7 Black and EAA Max. They can be stacked together if you have the funds, but we think this is a bit more of a “one or the other” situation. If you want more carbs, go with Intracell 7 Black. Otherwise, EAA Max is the best-seller with the most flavors.

Years later, EAA Max is still one of the best tasting (if not the best tasting) EAAs

Years ago, sports supplement industry pundits shunned full-spectrum EAAs for two reasons:

1. They were making too much money selling BCAA supplements
2. They weren’t skilled enough to flavor the other EAAs

The updated look at Primeval Labs kicks off with the new EAA Max Sour Apple Candy flavor!

Primeval Labs shook things up, promoting EAAs in a time when everyone else was struggling to come up with the next fancy BCAA flavor. EAA Max doesn’t have the most massive doses of every amino like tryptophan (those can be found in Intracell 7), but it leaves fewer muscle-building bottlenecks, provides excellent workout energy, and still tastes fantastic.

Primeval Labs has developed a truly effective intra workout supplement that not only boosts endurance and decreases soreness, but also provides enough supporting ingredients to enhance natural muscle growth. And some people simply wanted an intra workout that didn’t have tons of blood sugar spiking carbs, but did have more than just BCAAs. If that’s you, then you’ve got it and then some, and we’ve only seen more and more flavors come out over the years.

Next up? An updated EAA Max Energy. You can sign up for our Primeval Labs and EAA Max news alerts below so that you don’t ever miss a deal or new flavor:

Note: This article was originally published on April 26, 2017 and updated on October 12, 2021 and May 4th, 2023 with the new labels.