The PricePlow Podcast

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/jason-budsock-animal-080 In early January of 2023, we kicked the year off right by hosting Jason Budsock of Animal at Universal Nutrition on the PricePlow Podcast. Many know Jason for his two decades at Animal – He’s JDawgXL in the forums and on Instagram, and is the Vice President of Products at the company. In this discussion, we talk about Animal’s legendary past, the incredible product launches over the past year (see them on our Universal Nutrition news page), and what they have coming for us in 2023. We reminisce about The Cage, and Jason explains how they were the original EAA supplement, released in the early 2000s after following two studies published in 1999 and 2000. Some changes are coming to Animal Pak, a new value Whey Protein is on its way, and far more. Show Notes with Jason Budsock at Universal / Animal (0:00) – Introductions (4:30) – 2006: Animal Flex and Animal Omega (5:15) – The Animal Brand (6:45) – The Legacy of @UniversalUSA on Instagram (7:45) – Animal was the original lifestyle brand (10:00) – Animal provides an experience (13:00) – Flavor technology over the years (14:45) – Universal manufactures its own supplements (17:30) – Product development: listening to the customer base (20:30) – Some future product hints (23:15) – Old school but still ahead of the curve (25:30) – The Universal / Animal Demographic (28:00) – THE CAGE (38:30) – Bodybuilders and Powerlifters (40:00) – Where does Animal move forward? (43:00) – Any product leaks? (48:00) – Responding to 2020 (51:30) – Animal Nitro: The original EAA supplement That ended the conversation, and it was great catching up Jason! Stay in touch with Universal Nutrition and Animal: Instagram: @AnimalPak and @UniversalUSA TikTok: @OfficialAnimalPak YouTube: YouTube.com/@animalpak Jason Budsock’s Instagram: @JDawgXL

It’s that time of year again — time for PricePlow’s 2022 Supplement Industry Awards. Mike and Ben sat down to review 2022, and then got into a batch of awards similar to what we did in the 2021 Supplement Industry Awards. 2022 brought some great new ingredient innovations, but also came with some heartbreaking tragedy. The industry mostly broke away from some of the issues created in 2020 and 2021, but also dealt with ongoing issues such as supply chain difficulties and price increases (especially for protein, creatine, and citrulline). Once again, most players who went big in 2022 were already well-established before 2020, but there are definitely a few new movers to keep your eyes on for 2023 and beyond. This is posted as Episode #079 on the PricePlow Podcast. Video and audio versions are below, with the details after that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itcS-3g1KYM (0:00) – General 2022 Discussion (10:25) – 2023 MVP of the Year (Lifetime Achievement Award) (18:00) – 2022 Innovator of the Year (32:30) – Product of the Year (34:10) – Brand of the Year (48:40) – Breakout Brand of the Year (56:00) – Brands to watch for 2023 (1:03:30) – Protein Powder of the Year (1:06:55) – Pre-Workout of the Year? One we’d particularly like to highlight for its accessibility is Raw Nutrition CBum Thavage. It’s an excellent “daily driver” pre-workout formula that’s reasonable in both ingredients and price. It’s not over-powered or under-powered, it’s in that goldilocks zone. Our favorite flavor this year was their Ghost Legend Cbum Thavage Miami Vice Collab, although Myprotein put in yet another incredible The Pre-Workout Flavor, this time with their Mike and Ike Caribbean Punch flavor. What was your favorite pre-workout of 2022? Because we left this one a bit open… That wraps it up — as always, subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform. Next up is our discussion with Jason Budsock of Animal Pak / Universal Nutrition!

Show notes posted at https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/dr-ralf-jaeger-atp-078 On December 28, 2022, we had the honor of hosting Dr. Ralf Jaeger to the PricePlow Podcast. For Episode #078, we dove into all things ATP — adenosine triphosphate — and how supplementing more with Peak ATP (sold and distributed by TSI Group) can improve workout performance — but not in the way most individuals expect. Dr. Ralf Jaeger: Using Peak ATP to improve blood flow Peak ATP provides exogenous ATP as a disodium ATP salt, which is the most stable form. While many think of ATP as the “energy currency” of all living cells, it’s also a signaling molecule. When supplementing, its real effects take advantage of that mechanism: Dr. Jaeger explains that ATP signals greater nitric oxide release, thereby improving blood flow. This is especially helpful to take before intense exercise, as ATP stores get used up quickly and the body needs to generate more. Low ATP levels means low performance. At the end. Dr. Jaeger also teases some new research coming up that we’re extremely excited about, and will follow on PricePlow. It’s all discussed in the video and audio feeds below – but first subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite podcast platform: (0:12) – Introductions (2:38) – What is ATP? (4:46) – Where is ATP stored? (7:10) – The benefits of ATP supplementation (8:50) – Peak ATP – How much supplemental ATP is beneficial? (10:05) – Limitations of our ATP stores (11:50) – ATP’s effect on blood flow (14:08) – Peak ATP and Citrulline: Complementary? (17:45) – Peak ATP Dose Range Testing (18:25) – Not over encumbering the muscle (20:20) – ATP’s effects on recovery and pain reduction (24:55) – What stacks well with ATP? (27:25) – How controlled are these studies in terms of diet, progression, etc.? (31:45) – NAD+ precursors and their “spending” of ATP (34:50) – Upcoming studies / events from Dr. Jaeger A note regarding ATP and calcium release Around the 8-minute mark in this episode, Dr. Jaeger mentioned that ATP increases calcium release, which aids in muscle contraction. We didn’t dive any deeper, but later asked for some supporting references when writing these show notes. He provided two studies, adding the following: Under conditions of fatigue oxygen availability and calcium release may decline in skeletal muscle. When this occurs red blood cells respond by releasing ATP into the blood, which triggers vasodilation, localized blood flow, enhanced nutrient uptake, and sustained muscle excitability by increasing extracellular uptake of calcium. — Dr. Ralf Jaeger (via email) He added that 50% decrease in calcium release = 80% reduced force, which comes from the second of those two studies provided (see Figure 5). Closing up: ATP is more than energy We’d like to thank Dr. Ralf for coming on, and to TSI Group for connecting us and funding his time and this episode. In summary, the point here is that ATP is often discussed in the context of cellular energy but not as much in terms of signaling. And it turns out that its role in signaling for greater nitric oxide during exercise is potentially more relevant to our user base (sports nutrition researchers and performance athletes). Because of what we’ve learn… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

Show notes posted to https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/james-hedricks-impel-nutrition-077 On December 9, 2022, we had James Hedricks of Impel Nutrition on the PricePlow Podcast, filmed through the PricePlow Discord. It was a great day, and we had a great time talking about how James is running his brand in the Florida Panhandle, doing things the right way. One of Impel’s greatest strengths is James’s manufacturing auditing and lab testing requirements – he pays for additional third-party testing to make sure that his supplements are what they say they are. In this podcast, we talk about the above philosophies, and dig into some of his key products that are listed below. This is one of the good guys in the space, and if you’re tired of light tubs with 20 servings, take a look at these 30-serving beasts below. Show Notes and Product Coverage More detailed show notes are coming, but we want to show three products discussed in this episode: Impel IN Daily – Greens & Longevity The goal here is to add ingredients into a daily greens formula that will reduce the number of capsules required from other supplements. For instance, turmeric/curcumin (anti-inflammatory), NAC (antioxidant/immunity), Astrion (skin care), Coenzyme Q10 (antioxidant / cardiovascular health), and PQQ (cellular energy) knock out ton of things that you’d likely have to take on your own, since they’re rarely in multivitamins but are incredibly healthy on a daily basis. Even you use even a few of these on a daily basis, it’s a great idea to switch. Impel VAIN – Stimulant-Free Pre-Workout Supplement In 2020, we covered VAIN in our blog post titled Impel Nutrition Vain: 30 FULL Non-Stim Servings of Insane Vascularity, and loved how you get 30 full servings, the way it used to be. This was also one of the first supplements to use FitNox, an ingredient that brands are just coming around to. Lab tests available! This is the product where we show Impel’s lab testing prowess — you can see one of his tests (and the costs) from this image – they’re definitely not cheap, but this is doing it right. Impel GSD Pre GSD Pre is for getting stuff done, of course. Impel’s pre-workout supplement keeps the caffeine moderate with about 230 milligrams of caffeine, yet still brings you a full 30 servings (as with Vain), so you can always dial it up more and still have it last a whole month! And as you can see from the featured image, Impel also has a new whey protein isolate powder named In Whey, transparently labeled and third-party tested in an NSF-certified facility. Follow James and Impel Nutrition on Social Media @ImpelNutrition @impel_ceo

On Monday, November 14th, MuscleTech held their first ever virtual press conference with a major announcement: Blessing Awodibu, otherwise known as The Boogieman, has joined Team MuscleTech! PricePlow joined media companies from both sides of the announcement, which included sports nutrition supplement press as well as bodybuilding news experts. This was announced just a month from the 2022 Mr. Olympia showdown. MuscleTech is back in bodybuilding with The Boogieman MuscleTech has recently taken the supplement world by storm, releasing their iQ Series of supplements that include enfinity brand paraxanthine – a caffeine replacement – headlined by their EuphoriQ pre-workout supplement. Blessing is well-known for his high-energy antics, incredible work ethic, and jovial sense of humor, which can get under the skin of his competitors, to say the least. In this podcast episode, we’re merging two interviews with Blessing: The MuscleTech press conference, where Blessing tells a must-listen story about his previous sponsorships. A PricePlow Podcast episode that was live in our Discord chat. Both are great, and show you an entertaining but competitive man who will have the freedom to do some really fun things at MuscleTech. Note that the podcast audio file includes MuscleTech’s press conference, which is then followed by our Podcast episode. Parts of the press conference — especially at the 14 minute mark — were too good to not include! Notes from the MuscleTech Press Conference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOjGjB0GGhE MuscleTech’s Scott Welch came up with a great idea for this announcement: the first virtual press conference in MuscleTech history, with media coverage from both sides of the space. This included PricePlow and Fitness Informant from the supplement news side, but RX Muscle and Muscular Development from the bodybuilding news side. It led to some good questions from both sides: (0:50) – Introduction from Scott Welch of Iovate / MuscleTech (4:35) – Blessing Awodibu joins the call (6:35) – The brands that competed for Blessing’s endorsement (7:55) – The Legacy of MuscleTech in Bodybuilding (9:20) – Blessing’s changes over the past year (11:40) – How important is endorsement these days? (13:35) – What was Blessing looking for in a sponsor? (14:20) – What happened with The Boogieman Pre-Workout and Trec Nutrition? (16:25) – Blessing’s time at Redcon1 (17:45) – Blessing wants to change bodybuilding for the better (18:15) – The end of the Redcon1 story once Aaron Singerman was gone (19:30) – Meeting with other companies (20:35) – New things coming with MuscleTech and Blessing (22:50) – A personality who happens to be a bodybuilder (23:35) – Can we expect to see “Blessing 110%” viral videos with MuscleTech? (26:20) – Any product pipelines? (28:20) – Has Blessing tried MuscleTech’s EuphoriQ pre-workout? (30:35) – Mr. Olympia Predictions (32:50) – MuscleTech History and athletes (35:20) – Blessing’s Immigration status (36:15) – Introductions, Big Boogie Energy (37:00) – Blessing’s Ba… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/todd-spear-katie-emerson-nutrition21-075 In early November of 2022, the SupplySide West convention was held at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, showcasing the premiere ingredients and technology in the dietary supplement and functional food industries. As is tradition, Team PricePlow met with Team Nutrition21 to catch up in-person — Nutriton21 being the industry-leading developer and supplier of dietary supplement ingredients well-known for ingredients such as Nitrosigine, nooLVL, Chromax, and Velositol. Mike and Ben met with Todd Spear (Sports Nutrition Category Leader) and Katie Emerson (Manager of Scientific Affairs) to discuss the latest research and industry trends coming out of both the industry at large and Nutrition21’s team. This was a fun, informative, and fast-paced conversation where you get to meet some of the personalities behind the brands. We cover all four of Nutrition21’s ingredients listed above, discuss their research, potential opportunities, and the reasons these ingredients are important in today’s dietary landscape. Show Notes: (0:00) – Opening (2:00) – Nitrosigine (3:15) – Nitrosigine and Cognitive Function (3:45) – nooLVL vs. Nitrosigine (5:30) – What is inositol? (7:00) – The problems with traditional L-arginine (8:30) – The big scoop craze (9:30) – Vasodilation and Lowering of Blood Pressure (10:30) – Testing ingredients on gamers (12:00) – Early experiences with Nitrosigine (15:00) – Nitrosigine Dosing (19:00) – The point of no return for pumps? (21:30) – A transition back to lower-cost pre-workouts (23:30) – The University of Arkansas Study (25:30) – Stick Packs and Sachets (26:30) – Comparing ingredients fairly and measuring them (29:45) – Any ingredients NOT to combine Nitrosigine / nooLVL with? (32:15) – Velositol (35:00) – Soil mineral levels are worse than ever – need to supplement (37:00) – Nutrient timing (42:00) – Looking at actual endpoints from Velositol use (44:15) – Velositol does even more than what’s currently claimed (44:50) – Velositol and Collagen?! (49:00) – Velositol should be in protein bars! (50:00) – Appetite suppression from chromium? (52:00) – Body awareness and fitness/nutrition (55:00) – Bucking the age-old trends of bad nutritional advice (58:30) – What’s next for Nutrition21?

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/brent-laffey-armada-nutrition-074 Brent Laffey of Armada Nutrition — a premier contract supplement manufacturer — re-joins the PricePlow Podcast to talk about Armada’s expansion. Armada is well-known for producing some of the world’s most popular supplements in their highly-acclaimed Tennessee facility, but now they’re expanding with an even larger facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. We bring Brent onto the show to talk about Armada’s history, its other closely-related businesses (such as Prinova of the NAGASE group), supplement technologies such as blending, and the extraordinary amount of testing Armada performs on the products they produce. Then we get into the Utah expansion, which marks a major upgrade in the company’s capabilities and throughput. Along the way, you’ll learn about flavor technology, industry careers, and even types of dairy used in different whey proteins. This is an incredibly informative episode for any supplement user or entrepeneur, highlighting how to do things the right way — a stark difference from episode #027, where we last invited Brent on the podcast to discuss the ABH Pharma indictment / scandal. The Armada way is clearly the better way. Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BRas9xHiKM Show Notes: The History and Future of Armada Nutrition (0:00) – Introductions (1:00) – Discussion of Brent’s background (3:50) – Founding Armada Nutrition (4:40) – Scaling Armada in Tennessee (6:30) – Focusing on flavoring (7:26) – Buying the Capstone facility after the MusclePharm blow-up (9:32) – Industry Transparency (12:40) – Prinova’s Flavoring (14:30) – Exclusive flavors (17:35) – Are brands moving to control their supply chains? (19:50) – Armada’s new Utah facility (21:28) – Does Armada have any job listings for entry-level positions? (22:30) – Careers in Contract Manufacturing (23:18) – Is humidity a factor when deciding on a location? (23:58) – Utah facility details (24:55) – Blending (27:45) – The TikTok girl who sold supplements from a blender (29:00) – How involved is Brent in flavor reviewing and tasting? (32:50) – Blending – How do you avoid having hotspots in a scoop? (34:50) – Rauwolfia Example – How to spread very small doses? (37:00) – Where do the carbs come from in a lot of these products? (39:00) – How many lab tests are performed on a standard pre-workout supplement? (39:53) – Armada’s third party lab (40:30) – Will Brent lab test some mayonnaise for Mike? (42:15) – At what point does a batch fail a test? (44:55) – Do you ever mix batches of protein? (47:11) – Up and coming brands (49:13) – Mega-Scoop Formulas? (52:38) – Vertical integration for Armada? (54:39) – Armada’s own Trademarked ingredients? (57:25) – Wrapping up, farewells (58:04) – Carbon Culture Gym

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/patrick-mabe-tactical-games-073 Patrick Mabe (@mr.patrick.mabe) of Core Nutritionals, Merica Labz, and Merica Energy joins the PricePlow Podcast to discuss his competition in the Tactical Games, fatherhood, and living the Crush It Lifestyle at Core Nutritionals in North Carolina! This was a great follow-up to The Boss Status Episode 8, where Patrick and Doug Miller interviewed Mike and Ben – now the tables are turned and we get to hear Patrick’s backstory and new path. Will Patrick be able to bridge the gap between sports supplements, tactical competitions, and the shooting world? With these brands, we’re hopeful. Get ready to learn some great new stuff in this episode: Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldxgg8mTTxs Show Notes: Getting Tactical with Patrick Mabe (0:00) – Introduction (4:45) – Patrick’s Entrance to Supplements (7:45) – Mike’s Opinion: “Patrick is the face of ‘Merica Labz” (12:30) – The Merica Labz launch and Core’s Innovation (15:00) – Fatherhood and Going for Seven Kids and a Farm (23:30) – The Return to Nature (27:30) – Men hanging with Men, is alcohol required? (39:00) – The Tactical Games (46:00) – How the Tactical Games Work (57:15) – Patrick’s Kit (1:04:00) – How to train for the Tactical Games? (1:06:00) – Bridging the Gap Between Supplements and the Shooting World – Can it be done? (1:12:00) – More Tactical Games Stories and Signing Off We will definitely have updates from Patrick over the next year or two after more competition – we didn’t even get into his books! Follow him at @Mr.Patrick.Mabe to see what he’s been reading!

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/raza-bashir-shawn-wells-muscletech-enfinity-paraxanthine-072 In late August of 2022, PricePlow revealed the next-generation stimulatory ingredient enfinity (Paraxanthine), set to launch shortly afterward through MuscleTech. We wrote about the new product line and briefly introduced paraxanthine to readers in our article titled MuscleTech Reveals New Workout Stimulant: enfinity brand Paraxanthine. To follow-up with more scientific information, we brought Raza Bashir (VP of Scientific Affairs and Product Innovation at Iovate and MuscleTech) and Shawn Wells (Chief Science Officer of NNB Nutrition and Co-Founder of Ingenious Ingredients) on to the PricePlow Podcast to explain Shawn’s latest innovation in enfinity brand paraxanthine. We then discuss how MuscleTech is using it to power cleaner, more consistent workouts and diet support through a new pre-workout supplement and two weight loss products. The MuscleTech iQ Series MuscleTech is going all-in on this ingredient, and through the episode, you’ll learn how Raza has been “hoarding” much of the stimulant for the better part of four years. Once you try it, you’ll understand why – for many users, it’s simply a better experience than caffeine. Finally, enfinity is ready for primetime, starting with three supplement launches covered in our introductory MuscleTech iQ Series article: EuphoriQ: Pre-workout supplement using 300 milligrams of enfinity Burn iQ Capsules: Capsule fat burner using 100 milligrams of enfinity per capsule Burn iQ Powder: Thermogenic fat loss powder using 150 milligrams enfinity per scoop MuscleTech is using the moniker iQ, stating that this is the smartest way to supplement your energy. After learning more about paraxanthine’s differences from caffeine, there’s a good chance you’ll agree — or at least understand why many users will like it more. Finally, this is a follow-up from Episode #048 of the PricePlow Podcast, where Shawn teased the ingredient a bit over a year ago. It’s finally here and upon us, so listen or watch and enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W0m3GNPc4E Raza Bashir and Shawn Wells Discuss Paraxanthine and enfinity-Powered EuphoriQ (00:00) – Introductions (03:00) – Shawn talks about the omnipresence of caffeine (05:20) – What paraxanthine / enfinity solves 06:20 “The net effect, when you just go to paraxanthine, in and of itself, is a much cleaner experience. And this is true across the board. And not only is it a cleaner experience, but we’re avoiding that bio-individuality.” (06:30) – Genes involved in caffeine metabolism bio-individuality: (07:10) – 80%! (07:30) – Societies rise and fall with their drugs (08:15) – Is the theophylline molecule the problem, or just the long half life of it? (10:30) – Sh… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

Brian “Ike” Ikalina of Alpha Prime Supps is back on the PricePlow Podcast, and he’s brought a partner in Justin Weeks of Europa Sports Products to talk about their new collaborative effort: Europa and Alpha Prime Supps Partner for Purple Velvet AP Prime Bites Protein Brownie As the sports supplement industry’s largest distributor, Europa Sports handles countless specialty stores, gyms, e-commerce websites, and far more. Their flagship color is purple, and as one Alpha Prime’s key partners for AP Prime Bites, it made sense to have a Europa-exclusive flavor: Purple Velvet! In this episode of the PricePlow Podcast, we talk with Ike and Justin Weeks about the Europa-exclusive Brownie flavor, the state of distribution, the economy and ongoing labor shortage, and riding out the 2020/2021 storm as a distributor that works so closely with stores and gyms that were subjected to tyrranical lockdowns (our words, not theirs). Video: Learn about Distribution from Justin Weeks, Director of Sales at Europa Sports Products https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWCfSep9BGQ You may also remember Ike from PricePlow Podcast Episode #043 – see how far along they’ve come, thanks to the meteoric rise of the AP Prime Bites Brownie!