Have you ever tried a joint support supplement with three grams of leucine per serving?
Yes, three grams per scoop of the most anabolic amino acid.
We’re serious.
Enter GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle – a unique joint support product which can pull off a few surprises.
Enjoy the review, folks.
Table of Contents
About GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle
GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle is “The Complete Formula to Support Healthy Joints, Strong Bones, and Lean Muscle,” per its official website. Formula notes:
- Non-traditional ingredients. Doesn’t have the usual glucosamine, MSM, and chondroitin of most joint support products.
- Three grams of leucine per serving. One of the rare joint support supplements which have this much.
- Expensive. $54.99 for a 13.22-oz. (374.7-gram) canister.
GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle Supplement Facts (Tropical Fruit, 13.22 oz. 1) |
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Serving Size: 1 Scoop Servings Per Container: 30 |
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Nutrient | Amount Per Serving | % Daily Value |
Calories | 35 | |
Total Carbohydrate | 4 g | 1% |
Sugars | 0.5 g | |
Protein | 5 g | 10% |
Sodium | 10 mg | 0% |
Leucine (as Collagen Peptides, L-Leucine) | 3 g | ** |
Fast-Acting Comfort Blend (Chinese 250 mg Skullcap Root Extract and Cutch Tree Wood & Bark Extract) | 250 mg | ** |
UC-II® Standardized Cartilage | 40 mg | ** |
MBP® | 40 mg | ** |
Other Ingredients: Collagen Peptides, Natural & Artificial Flavors, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Soy Oil & Lecithin Blend, Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose, Beta-Carotene (color). | ||
PRODUCT DIRECTIONS/ADDITIONAL INFO: As a dietary supplement, mix 1 scoop (12.49 g) into 8-10 fl. oz. of cold water or your favorite beverage once a day. |
Complete Formula to Support Healthy Joints, Strong Bones, and Lean Muscle
Perhaps you’ve seen some of our joint products reviews.
We know you’ll agree with us when we say Animal Flex is one of the best and most comprehensive of its kind.
It set the bar high. No doubt about it.
Now, let’s see if GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle can take it a step further.
The manufacturer dubs it a “Complete Formula to Support Healthy Joints, Strong Bones, and Lean Muscle,” per its official website.
It has “ingredients clinically proven to provide 30 percent improvement in flexibility and 19 percent improvement in joint function,” per the same source.
Sure sounds good to us. If you’ve been lifting for a long time (even if you’re not into competitive bodybuilding), you may have experienced some joint discomfort.
There’s now way you can achieve personal bests in your lifts if your flexibility takes a hit.
Looks like GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle has given us hope.
Wait, there’s more.
“TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle protects not just your joints but also the bones and muscles that support them, so you can keep moving,” per GNC’s official website.
It makes perfect sense – your muscles and bones need to be in tip-top shape to endure the stress that comes with lifting or strenuous physical activity.
Since they support the joints, they need to be at the top of their game, too.
Hey, if the foundation collapses, so does the entire structure.
You don’t need to be an architect to figure that one out.
The one thing which sets GNC Triflex Joint, Bone, & Muscle apart from other joint support products is its three grams of leucine per serving.
Seriously, where can you find another joint support supplement which has this?
Let’s keep it real: many competitors focus on the traditional joint support ingredients such as chondroitin, MSM, and glucosamine, which is good.
However, they don’t emphasize the muscles as much as GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle does.
Need hard evidence?
Get this, folks: this joint support product has two grams more leucine per serving than Too Fit Rally, a post-workout supplement (and to think the latter needs two scoops to reach one gram of leucine per serving).
Post-workout products need to focus more on leucine because of its ability to kickstart muscle protein synthesis.
It’s not known as the most anabolic amino acid for nothing.
So, it should come as no shock if your post-workout supplement has a generous serving of leucine (at least three grams per serving).
But for a joint support product to have three grams per scoop?
Wow.
Leucine also has other great benefits:
- Helps control hormone levels
- Stabilizes blood sugar levels
- Helps prevent breakdown of muscle protein
- Improves exercise performance
- Helps torch fat
Yep, leucine helps you lose weight.
This branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) does this by signaling the release of an appetite-suppressing hormone from the hypothalamus in the brain.
The takeaway: leucine helps you muscle up and lean out.
When your muscles are stronger, they will be able to withstand the pounding you constantly go through at the gym – that bodes well for long-term joint and muscle health.
For our part, we think the inclusion of leucine in GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle was a pure stroke of genius.
The second key ingredient is its Fast-Acting Comfort Blend comprised of Chinese skullcap root extract and cutch tree wood and bark extract, which takes up 250 grams per serving.
First impression: these are unique joint support ingredients. The manufacturer takes the road less traveled again.
On that note, GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle’s leucine component takes care of your muscles. The Fast-Acting Comfort Blend makes sure your joints are up to the task.
The Chinese skullcap root extract derived its name from the famous medieval helmet (it resembles its shape).
Its more important joint support benefit is its ability to ward off inflammation.
In fact, researchers at the Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, MA say “Chinese skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) combined with Acacia catechu was found to provide short-term relief of pain, stiffness, and range of motion similar to naproxen.”
Plus, Chinese skullcap also helps quell anxiety, boost liver health, lower cholesterol, and keep free radicals at bay.
Those are great bonus benefits right there.
On the other hand, cutch tree wood and bark extract (also known as the Acacia catechu) is an Indian herb which also helps ward off inflammation.
So, with GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle, you get a double dose of anti-inflammatory agents in Chinese skullcap and Acacia catechu.
Awesome.
The downside: this supplement’s Fast-Acting Comfort Blend is proprietary in nature. The manufacturer does not disclose each ingredient’s precise amount.
We don’t get it.
There are only two ingredients in the Fast-Acting Comfort Blend. It doesn’t take much effort to list their amounts, does it?
Next up is 40 milligrams of UC-II standardized cartilage per serving.
Simply known as UC-II, this ingredient has a type of undenatured type II collagen and is a by-product of chicken sternum cartilage.
It helps keep joint discomfort at bay and improve joint flexibility. Fitness experts agree UC-II helps reduce post-exercise joint stiffness.
Forty milligrams per scoop in GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle ought to do the trick.
Finally, this product has 40 milligrams of MBP (Milk Basic Protein) per serving.
This ingredient is “a protein complex derived from milk that has been clinically shown to support bone density,” per GNC’s official website.
Several Japanese researchers gave MBP high praises in December 2000.
They said, “Our results suggest MBP promoted bone formation and suppresses bone resorption in healthy adult men, and that it affected bone metabolism while maintaining a balance of bone remodeling. We believe that MBP might become a novel, natural, and desirable nutritional supplement for bone health.”
We know milk’s calcium content is the reason why our bones are strong and healthy.
Even if you don’t drink milk that much, consuming 40 milligrams per serving of MBP should help take care of your bones.
It’s clear to us GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle covers these three basic areas of joint support.
We’re confident you will reap its long-term benefits for better performance in and out of the gym.
Let’s check out the formula ingredients:
- Calories, 35: Your regular joint support supplement would have this many calories per serving – an amount which won’t compromise your nutritional goals in any way.
- Total carbohydrates, 4 g: GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle is a low-carb product at a measly one percent of the daily value.
- Sugars, 0.5 g: It is also low in sugar at just half a gram per scoop.
- Protein, 5 g: GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle is not your regular joint support supplement because of its five grams of protein per scoop (representing 10 percent of the daily value). Remember, one of its aims is to alleviate muscle discomfort. Hence, the unusually high protein content for a joint support product.
- Sodium, 10 mg: This supplement is safe to take even for those who are monitoring their sodium intake. Look no further than its zero percent of the daily value for sodium as proof (anything less than five percent is low).
- Leucine (as collagen peptides, l-leucine), 3 g: Seriously, where can you find a joint support supplement whose leucine content trumps those of some protein and post-workout products? GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle falls under that rare category, folks. If you can get a joint supplement which will also help you boost muscle protein synthesis, grab it.
- UC-II Standardized Cartilage, 40 mg: a type of undenatured type II collagen which helps reduce post-exercise joint stiffness. Forty milligrams per serving should go a long way.
- MBP, 40 mg: This stands for Milk Basic Protein, a milk protein complex which helps support bone health. Good inclusion.
Fast-Acting Comfort Blend, 250 mg
- Chinese skullcap root extract: An ingredient which helps ward off inflammation, lower cholesterol levels, and keep free radicals at bay.
- Cutch tree wood and bark extract: An ancient Indian ingredient with proven anti-inflammatory benefits.
Formula Analysis
Our takeaway on GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle: it’s simple and covers all the bases.
We support its claim as “The Complete Formula to Support Healthy Joints, Strong Bones, and Lean Muscle.”
It’s not your typical joint support product because it doesn’t resort to more traditional ingredients such as glucosamine, MSM, and chondroitin.
Still, it gets the job done.
When it comes to less inflammation, GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle has 250 milligrams per serving of its Fast-Acting Comfort Blend comprised of Chinese skullcap root extract and cutch tree wood and bark extract.
One bane of lifters the world over is post-workout soreness – it can strike you at any time, no matter how healthy you are and no matter how long you’ve been doing strength training.
We feel a combined 250 grams of Chinese skullcap root extract and cutch tree wood and bark extract per scoop will put a stop to that.
Like we said, both of these ingredients have been proven to keep inflammation at bay.
When you purchase GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle, you get a potent double dose of these anti-inflammatory agents.
We also say 40 milligrams of UC-II per serving will help alleviate joint stiffness.
Throwing in another 40 milligrams of MBP (Milk Basic Protein) per scoop will boost your bone health.
Don’t forget about the impressive three grams of leucine per serving.
Never underestimate the power of the most anabolic amino acid, folks – it helps kickstart muscle protein synthesis. Many fitness experts also say it also helps you torch fat.
The key takeaway: GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle is one of the few joint support supplements which puts a premium on protein synthesis and muscle health.
The manufacturer correctly points out your muscles are one of the foundations which help support your joints.
We’re stoked this product has an ample amount of leucine which supports protein synthesis.
Other pluses: GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle is low in calories, carbs, sugars, and sodium.
Awesome.
On the flip side, we don’t like the inclusion of a proprietary blend (Fast-Acting Comfort Blend). It’s deceiving, to say the least.
Plus, GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle has a dirty ingredient in sucralose (a.k.a. Splenda), an artificial sweetener which has several side effects.
Finally, this product doesn’t come cheap at a whopping $54.99 for a 13.22-oz. (374.7-gram) canister.
GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle Benefits
GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle has the following benefits, per its official website:
- Helps promote joint health
- Comprehensive formula for joint, bone, and muscle health
- Clinically-proven ingredients
We agree with all of these claims. GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle can help you achieve your fitness goals and then some.
Who Takes It?
GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle is intended for healthy and active individuals who are at least 18 years of age who want to improve their joint, bone, and muscle health, ward off inflammation, keep stiffness at bay, and achieve their daily fitness goals.
Any Side Effects?
GNC TriFlex has Chinese skullcap root extract, which may have adverse effects on the liver if taken in conjunction with other ingredients.
In addition, this product also has sucralose (a.k.a. Splenda), an artificial sweetener which has several side effects.
If these, or any other ingredient, makes you feel doubtful, please consult your physician before purchasing.
The manufacturer also issues a warning:
GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle Summary
Pros
- Comprehensive formula. Covers joint, bone, and muscle health.
- Impressive ingredients. Not the usual joint support product with glucosamine, MSM, and chondroitin.
- Three grams of leucine per serving. Rare joint support supplement which has impressive leucine content.
- Double dose of anti-inflammatory ingredients. Chinese skullcap root extract and cutch tree wood and bark extract.
- Contains UC-II. Ingredient which supports joint health.
- Has MBP. Stands for Milk Basic Protein for better bone health.
- Low in calories, carbs, sugar, and sodium. All good.
Cons
- Proprietary blend. Manufacturer doesn’t divulge individual ingredient amounts of Fast-Acting Comfort Blend. Boo.
- Dirty ingredient. Has sucralose (a.k.a. Spenda), an artificial sweetener linked to several side effects.
- Unknown reputation. Not as well-known as its competitors.
- Expensive. $54.99 for a 13.22-oz. (374.7-gram) container.
Pricing & Buying Info
- 1 13.22-oz. (374.7-gram) canister (30-Day Supply): $54.99
- Available online and in retail
Final Word on GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle
Our final takeaway: GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle is a comprehensive joint support supplement which takes the road less traveled.
First, it has non-traditional ingredients.
Second, it’s one of the few of its kind which has good leucine content.
It has a few chinks, but the pros still outweigh the cons.
On that note, we recommend you at least try GNC TriFlex Joint, Bone, & Muscle and enjoy good results in and out of the gym.
[yasr_overall_rating]
- 7 g ↩
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