Hey, ever heard of a muscle-building cocktail for athletes?
Maybe you should try SAN BCAA-Pro 5000, which lays claim to that lofty title.
How about a 2:1:1 BCAA ratio and top-notch beta-alanine content to whet your appetite?
We knew this review has gotten you jacked up.
Table of Contents
About SAN BCAA-Pro 5000
SAN BCAA-Pro 5000 is “The Muscle-Building Recovery Cocktail Designed for Athletes” and “the perfect source of BCAAs plus beta-alanine,” per its official website. Formula notes:
- 2:1:1 BCAA ratio. For muscle growth, increased energy, and muscle tissue repair.
- Beta-alanine content. One of today’s most versatile post-workout ingredients.
- Rich in Vitamin B6. Helps boost the cardiovascular, nervous, and immune systems.
S.A.N. BCAA-Pro 5000 Supplement Facts (Fruit Punch, 690 grams) |
||
Serving Size: 1 Scoop (6.9 g) Servings Per Container: 50 |
||
Nutrient | Amount Per Serving | % Daily Value |
Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine HCl) | 2 mg | 100% |
L-Leucine | 2.5 g | † |
L-Isoleucine | 1.25 g | † |
L-Valine | 1.25 g | † |
Beta Alanine (Micronized)
(CarnoSyn®††) |
.75 g | † |
OTHER INGREDIENTS: Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors (Maltodextrin, Mixed Tocopherols, Red #40) Aspartame*** Acesulfame-K | ||
RECOMMENDED USE: Take 1 scoop (6.9 grams) with 12-16 oz. of water up to two times daily. Take one serving 30 minutes prior to your workout and another serving immediately after. |
The Muscle-Building Recovery Cocktail Designed for Athletes
Bodybuilding post-workout supplement marketing tag lines just keep getting catchier by the day, folks.
Jacked Factory dubbed its POWERBUILD “The True Post-Workout Muscle-Building Supplement.”
For its part, MuscleTech hailed its Pro Series Myo Build 4X Amino-BCAA “The Most Powerful Strength-Enhancing BCAA Formula.”
Now, make way for SAN BCAA-Pro 500, the so-called “Muscle-Building Recovery Cocktail Designed for Athletes.”
We like the inclusion of “cocktail” in the marketing tag line. It implies a product which is easy on the taste buds. Hey, if it helps build muscle and achieve your post-workout goals, much better.
Athletes are the epitome of hard work. They know the importance of training and sound nutrition to get results and build muscle mass, per SAN Nutrition’s official website.
“The capacity to perform intense workouts and recover quickly is critical for strength training and recovery,” per the same source. We couldn’t agree more.
Athletes are aware solid food is not the answer for immediate post-workout replenishment. The slow digestion process does not bode well for the crucial, half-hour anabolic window.
So, what’s the answer?
A post-workout which combines muscle-building branch-chained amino acids (BCAAs) and beta-alanine: SAN BCAA-Pro 500.
This product’s main selling point is its 2:1:1 BCAA ratio: 2.5 grams of leucine, 1.25 grams of isoleucine, and 1.25 grams of valine per serving.
That’s an impressive five grams of BCAAs per serving, folks.
According to the manufacturer, it used a 2:1:1 BCAA ratio “to ensure protein synthesis and anti-catabolic qualities,” per its official website.
The goals are to “help you build muscle and support recovery following intense training,” per the same source.
The 2:1:1 BCAA ratio is common among other post-workouts (such as Optimum Nutrition 2:1:1 Recovery).
Leucine is at the forefront. We consider it the King of BCAAs because of its ability to kickstart muscle protein synthesis. Without ample amounts of leucine, you will be hard-pressed to grow muscle mass.
Don’t believe us?
According to the British Journal of Nutrition (via Cambridge University Press), “Leucine supplementation is useful to address the age-related decline in muscle mass in elderly individuals, as it increases the muscle protein fractional synthetic rate.”
Just so you know, this decline in muscle mass is known as sarcopenia. The takeaway: you will maintain muscle mass when you supplement with leucine in conjunction with consistent training and sound nutrition.
SAN BCAA-Pro 500’s 2.5 grams of leucine per serving achieve the manufacturer’s goal of building more muscle mass for its consumers.
As for the two other BCAAs, we believe they are included in the right amounts (1.25 grams per serving each).
Both isoleucine and valine are crucial in repairing muscle tissue after a hard workout. You put your muscles through wear and tear during training. These two BCAAs will help patch them up.
Another key ingredient of SAN BCAA-Pro 5000 is 0.75 grams of beta-alanine per serving.
This post-workout is one of the few which combine BCAAs and beta-alanine, per SAN Nutrition.
Beta-alanine is a precursor to carnosine, which helps buffer elevated hydrogen ion levels as a result of rigorous exercise.
The inclusion of beta-alanine “helps reduce acidity in muscle during times of stress such as an intense training session,” per the manufacturer’s official website.
As a result, beta-alanine increases your anaerobic and aerobic endurance. You will be refreshed for your next training session.
Awesome.
In addition, beta-alanine helps increase muscle mass, strength, and power – all important post-workout benefits.
You can see for yourself beta-alanine is a versatile post-workout ingredient. No wonder it’s in SAN BCAA-Pro 5000.
Let’s check out the formula ingredients:
- Vitamin B6, 2 mg: Two milligrams of Vitamin B6 per serving may not seem like much, but it does when you consider it’s a whopping 100 percent of the daily value for this nutrient (anything more than 15 percent is considered high). Among its crucial post-workout benefits are its abilities to improve heart health and boost the nervous and immune systems. Nice.
- L-leucine, 2.5 g: The BCAA which helps kickstart muscle protein synthesis. If you want to amp up this process even more, try combining leucine with a solid protein powder supplement. Muscle growth guaranteed.
- L-isoleucine, 1.25 g: An important BCAA in terms of muscle recovery, energy, and muscle tissue repair.
- L-valine, 1.25 g: Like we said, valine plays a key role in repairing muscle tissue. It also helps increase anaerobic and aerobic endurance, just like beta-alanine.
- Beta-Alanine (micronized), 0.75 g: SAN BCAA-Pro 5000 uses the CarnoSyn brand of beta-alanine. It “delivers higher doses of beta-alanine more comfortably in a single dose,” per its official website. Its other benefits include maximum muscle preservation and convenience. Expect your muscle strength, power, and endurance to improve when you supplement with beta-alanine.
Formula Analysis
Our first impression of SAN BCAA-Pro 5000: it’s a simple and effective Muscle-Building Recovery Cocktail.
Just look at the formula ingredients, folks – 2.5 grams of leucine, 1.25 grams of isoleucine, 1.25 grams of valine, 0.75 grams of beta-alanine, and two milligrams of Vitamin B6.
You can’t get any simpler than that.
While other post-workout supplements leave our heads spinning with all of their fancy ingredients, SAN BCAA-Pro 5000 is like a breath of fresh air.
We like the its 2:1:1 BCAA ratio. This should help you build muscle mass, repair muscle tissue, increase energy levels, increase endurance, and recover faster.
From the get-go, the manufacturer says this BCAA formulation will help you pack on lean muscle and improve recovery.
Consider those goals accomplished.
Hey, 2.5 grams of leucine per serving may not be the most in the industry, but they should suffice. Throw in the two other BCAAs, and you should recover better and faster.
As for the 0.75 grams of beta-alanine per serving, we believe it’s a wise choice because this ingredient’s versatility: increased anaerobic and aerobic endurance, more muscle mass, and increased strength and power.
What’s not to like?
For our part, we believe the manufacturer could have made it one gram of beta-alanine per serving instead of just 0.75 gram.
Looking at the latter amount, we felt the consumer should have added a tad bit more for increased benefits.
However, the company warns consumers beta-alanine consumption can produce a tingling sensation of the skin, which is perfectly normal (it will subside after half an hour).
That could be the reason why SAN Nutrition didn’t go beyond 0.75 gram per serving.
On the other hand, we like the manufacturer’s transparency – it specifies each ingredient’s amount. No proprietary blends, either. Awesome.
We also tip our hats off to SAN Nutrition for including Vitamin B6 (100 percent of the daily value), which helps boost the cardiovascular, immune, and nervous systems.
Looks like smooth sailing so far, doesn’t it?
Nope.
Unfortunately, SAN BCAA-Pro 5000 has several dirty ingredients: aspartame and FD& C Red No. 40.
Several fitness experts have come down on hard on aspartame because of its link to obesity and free radicals.
FD&C Red No. 40 isn’t any better.
The National Toxicity Program of the Department of Health and Human Services considers p-Cresidine – a white crystal found in FD&C Red No. 40 – a “human carcinogen.”
Why SAN Nutrition included these two offenders is beyond us. Hasn’t it heard of healthier and natural options such as stevia and beet root juice powder?
We’re stumped, folks.
SAN BCAA-Pro 5000 Benefits
SAN BCAA-Pro 5000 has the following benefits, per its official website:
- Increases workout capacity
- Excellent absorption
- Helps support protein synthesis
- 2:1:1 BCAA ratio
We agree with these claims. The combination of branch-chained amino acids beta-alanine, and Vitamin B6 will help you achieve your post-workout goals. We also like the 2:1:1 BCAA ratio for more muscle growth, energy, and muscle tissue repair.
Who Takes It?
SAN BCAA-Pro 5000 is intended for healthy and active individuals who are at least 18 years of age and want to increase muscle mass and workout capacity, shorten recovery time, and achieve their daily fitness goals.
Any Side Effects?
Although SAN BCAA-Pro 5000 has no glaring side effects, we urge consumers to be wary of the inclusions of aspartame and FD&C Red No. 40, which have been linked to free radicals.
The company also gives a heads-up regarding the possible tingling sensation produced by beta-alanine consumption:
SAN BCAA-Pro 5000 Summary
Pros
- 2:1:1 BCAA ratio. For more muscle mass and energy and improved muscle tissue repair.
- Has beta-alanine. One of the most versatile post-workout ingredients on the market.
- Rich in Vitamin B6. Helps boost the cardiovascular, nervous, and immune systems.
- Good transparency. Manufacturer divulges amounts of all ingredients.
- No proprietary blends. Awesome.
Cons
- Dirty ingredients. Has aspartame and FD&C Red No. 40. Boo.
Pricing & Buying Info
- 1 690-gram Container (100-Day Supply): $34.98
- Available online and in retail
Final Word on SAN BCAA-Pro 5000
After thoroughly sizing up SAN BCAA-Pro 5000, we say this “Muscle-Building Recovery Cocktail” is a double-edged sword.
Its upsides include muscle growth, increased endurance, and shorter recovery times. These are what we want in a post-workout supplement.
However, this cocktail is laced with dirty ingredients (aspartame and FD&C Red No. 40).
Unfortunately, SAN Nutrition ruined a good thing.
We still recommend SAN BCAA-Pro 5000 but with some reservations. Consume at your own risk, folks.
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