You hear that angry voice inside your head. It screams at you each time you feel like you’re about to lose your grip on the bar.
“ONE MORE REP” it urges you to go past your limit. Somehow you manage to power through, and BOOM… you’ve set a new P.R.
That’s the kind of marketing BPI Sports had in mind when they made 1.M.R. VORTEX “Pre-Training Powder,” or PWO as bros like to call it. Get with the times, BPI Sports!
It has a simple formulation – just six ingredients – but it looks to have some rather “odd” ingredients in the mix too. This ain’t no salad, bro! Why does it have a lot of leaves? We’d like to know too so let’s find out.
Table of Contents
About 1.M.R VORTEX
1.M.R. VORTEX wants to get you “ALL THE POWER, ENERGY, AND FOCUS YOU NEED IN 1 SINGLE SCOOP!” and it tries to do so with nothing more than six ingredients, half of which are herbs we’ve never seen before. Is this an attempt at being creative or to simply be the “first” to use the combination? We’ll just have to see for ourselves. Formula notes:
- Caffeine dosage: They don’t state the actual dosage of their caffeine but instead state VORTEX has “as much caffeine as two cups of coffee” on the label. Research says one cup of coffee has 95 mg caffeine so do the math and we get 190 mg in one serving.
- Obscure herbs: They made use of three really weird herbs we haven’t heard of until now. Is this some sort of fairy dusting?
- 5 Flavors: You can actually choose something other than Fruit Punch. Awesome.
1.M.R VORTEX Supplement Facts |
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Serving Size: 1 Scoop (3 g) Servings Per Container: 50 |
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Ingredients | Amount Per Serving |
Niacin | 20 (100% DV) |
FULL SPEED VORTEX MATRIX (Proprietary) | 1705.00 mg |
Glycerol (as glycerol monostearate) (* DV), Indigofera pulchra (aerial) (* DV), Caffeine (as caffeine anhydrous) (* DV), White leadwort (root) (* DV), Securinega (Securinega suffruticosa) (leaf and root) (* DV), Yohimbe (Pausinystalia yohimbe) (bark) (* DV) | |
Other Ingredients: Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sucralose, Malic Acid, Acesulfame-K, FD&C Red No. 40 |
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Directions for use: USE ON TRAINING DAYS ONLY. PLEASE BEGIN WITH ONE SERVING (1 SCOOP) TO ASSESS TOLERANCE LEVEL. Take one (1) serving (1 scoop) approximately 15-30 minutes prior to training, blended into 6-8 ounces of cold water or beverage, or as suggested by a qualified healthcare practitioner. Important Note(s): Do not exceed two (2) servings (2 scoops) in a 24-hour period. Avoid eating food or drinking a protein shake within an hour after consuming 1MR Vortex™. To avoid sleeplessness, do not take within four (4) hours of bedtime. Taking 1MR Vortex™ with food, or on a full stomach, may diminish its effects. |
A simple stim stack made complicated by weird herbs
1.M.R VORTEX seems to have made a stim stack with some pump based on what we see and it would have been a decent PWO but they added three understudied herbs anyway and it made their product look “too weird” to use.
We have nothing against companies using herbs as “natural” replacements to the usual staples. It’s just that 1.M.R VORTEX could have at least used the ones with concrete research and not just a bunch of “theoretically” working leaves.
Let’s break down the ingredients in this formula:
Niacin, 20 mg
Just one B-Vitamin good for overall metabolism so let’s move on to where the real party’s at broseph!
FULL SPEED VORTEXTM MATRIX (Proprietary), 1705 mg
Glycerol: The first ingredient in the prop blend so it has the most weight. It provides so-so pumps without nitric-oxide interactions but the pumps it makes last longer.
Indigofera pulchra: BPI Sports didn’t even bother explaining what this does considering they’re the only supplement that uses this herb. Our research suggests it’s used as possible treatment for gastrointestinal disorders and Type 2 diabetes. There is currently no known research pertaining to why it should be in supplements. It could help with inflammation (based on the first link) but that’s a wild guess.
Caffeine: A staple stimulant that really sets your fat ablaze… which is why it’s consistently found in the Best Fat-Burner supplements. The dosage is at “two cups” and that’s 190 mg so it passes.
White leadwort: Also known as Plumbago zeylanica, White leadwort is unsurprisingly another herb exclusive to this supplement. It’s a good antioxidant and has potential as a stimulant.
Securinega: The last of the three fancy herbs, Securinega is known for its securinine content, a GABA receptor antagonist and therefore functions as a stimulant. It’s basically another herbal energy booster.
Yohimbine HCl: A concentrated form of Yohimbe and is used as both a fat burner and stimulant. It’s the last on the list but the minimum effective dose is only at 14 mg per 150 lbs. and maxes at 25 mg so VORTEX should have the adequate amount per serving.
Formula Analysis
Glycerol isn’t the best choice for pumps but it works provided the dose is at least 500 mg. Just don’t expect the same pumps you’d get with Citrulline or even Arginine or you will be met with disappointment. We think Caffeine is at least 190 mg per serving but being at third place means the rest of the ingredients are dosed smaller. Yohimbine HCl is a familiar face and being last on the list doesn’t make us assume it’s underdosed as it has been shown to work at really tiny doses.
The Three Herbs
Indigofera is placed second in the blend which means it bears more than a fair share of the formula’s weight and that’s not exactly a good thing. On top of BMI Sports’ lack of initiative to inform the users as to WHY they added this herb (and the rest), we also haven’t found any concrete reason to justify its existence in this supplement.
White leadwort and Securinega at least shows some potential as stimulants but we can’t see them as good choices either. The big reason is due to lack of human studies as well as effects on exercise performance. The issue of safety and toxicity also comes into play when dealing with understudied ingredients and, might make 1.M.R VORTEX questionable regarding side effects and safety.
Overall, look past the fancy herbs and 1.M.R VORTEX is really just an energy booster with mild pump benefits.
1.M.R VORTEX Benefits
Its claims on increased strength are mildly achieved at most, but you’ll definitely feel the energy flowing through your veins… we believe it will boost your gym performance.
Who Takes It?
It’s designed for users who like stack their PWOs, particularly with a standalone Creatine supplement. Some Bros like to go for the wildcard exotics, too… they will appreciate the unusual ingredient choices in this PWO, lack of research be damned.
Any Side Effects?
The only notable side effect would be jitters, headaches, and sleeplessness since 1.M.R VORTEX is pretty heavy on stim without any ingredients to hold the effects back a bit. They also specifically advise not to take 1.M.R VORTEX with other fat burners as well as anything with caffeine.
1.M.R VORTEX Summary
Pros
- Simple formula. Fewer ingredients mean better dosages.
- Lots of energy. Plenty of stims to go around.
- A bit of pump. It’s not Citrulline but it works.
- Affordable. It’s not “cheap” but it’s not worth gold either.
- 50 Servings. It’s a one-scoop so the price becomes more attractive.
Cons
- Prop blend. Even caffeine content is hidden. Booo.
- WTF ingredients. They’re the only ones using those herbs.
- Fairy Dusting. Using understudied ingredients is risky.
Pricing & Buying Info
- 1 bottle (50 servings): $32.99
- Available online and in retail stores
Final Word on 1.M.R VORTEX
1.M.R VORTEX works as a good energy booster but works best when combined with Theanine or stim-free PWOs. And yes it should help you power through that last rep. The herbs are questionable additions, though, so if you’re not comfortable with that then sit this one out bro. There are others like 1.M.R VORTEX out there minus the WTF ingredients.
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