Giant Sports Metabolic BioShock

Metabolic BioShock is a now-discontinued pre-workout from Giant Sports.

This formula is one of the most exciting to hit supplement shelves because of its unique formula. It is truly a comprehensive product with a distinctive approach to pre-workout supplementation. Creating Metabolic BioShock makes Giant Sports a welcome addition to an industry full of imitators.

More than just energy

Metabolic BioShock

An area of particular note for this formula is that it bucks the one-upmanship trend that is ubiquitous with supplement manufacturers who consistently produce stimulant blends that more closely resemble party drugs than something you want to take before heading to the gym. That's not to say that BioShock is stim free. In fact, there's a hefty dose of caffeine and some other mild energy enhancers inside. But what you won't find are shady, questionably legal stimulant analogues or illicit substances.

Pre-workout plus

The formula is completely open-label so you know exactly what you're getting with each scoop.

You might scratch your head at first when you look at the ingredients panel. You'll see a lot of vitamins and minerals that boost bone and immune health, and then other compounds that don't seem to have anything to do with exercise. That's because Giant Sports is going in an unexpected direction -- especially compared to other companies.

Giant Sports is aiming for an overall health formula that doesn't just try to enhance the acute physical results of your workout, but rather, strives to benefit all areas that surround your workout.

Many essential vitamins and minerals are depleted during strenuous exercise, which can lead to deficiency. But Metabolic BioShock has you covered. Exercise can also put a lot of stress on your bones and joints, but Metabolic BioShock has you covered there, too. Just calling this product a pre-workout might be selling it short because it truly transcends the pre-workout category of supplementation.

100% open label

Proprietary blends are seen as a necessary evil by some companies to protect their formulas. But the concept is often abused to hide shoddily-dosed formulas behind ambiguous label tricks. There's no duplicity here. The formula is completely open-label so you know exactly what you're getting with each scoop.

High quality branded ingredients

If you take a look at the label you'll notice many trademarked ingredients, such as Opti-MSM, TRAACS, and NO3-T. Wherever possible, Giant Sports has elected to sell high quality branded ingredients from reputable suppliers. Many companies attempt to cut costs and duck paying license fees on patented ingredients by buying raw materials from shady suppliers with dubious quality control measures. Not this formula.

Ingredients

...it truly transcends the pre-workout category of supplementation.

The massive open-label formula, weighing in at a hefty 15g per scoop, is a mouthful. It contains 19 different ingredients. When taking the two-scoop maximum dose, you're consuming a whopping 30g of workout enhancement. It's worth noting that BioShock is carb-free since many big blend pre-workout formulas contain copious amounts of carbohydrate fillers.

Now lets dig into the label and see what's inside. For the purposes of this review, we're going to assume that you're working your way up to the maximum two-scoop dose, as that's how the product was formulated to be most optimally utilized.

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are a big part of what makes this formula so unique. Americans are largely deficient in many of these nutrients and athletes are at even higher risk since they experience significant vitamin and mineral depletion during exercise. For that reason, those who workout or exercise often have higher vitamin and mineral requirements compared to the general population.

The inclusion of these ingredients is a great move by Giant Sports.

Calcium pantothenate - 1000mg (calcium [168mg] + vitamin B5 [830mg])

Vitamin B5 can enhance oxygen utilization during exercise as well as reduce lactic acid buildup. Calcium pantothenate as a mineral/vitamin salt also experiences significantly higher stability and absorption through the digestive system. Additionally B vitamins are vital for metabolizing fat and carbohydrates during exercise. Vitamin B5, specifically, produces fewer side effects in high doses compared to other B vitamins.

Like other minerals, calcium is depleted during endurance exercise, which can harm bone density. According to recent studies^[1,2] calcium supplementation prior to working out can attenuate depletion, thereby preserving bone health.

Sodium glycerophosphate - 500mg

Sodium is an important electrolyte and aids in signal transmission throughout the body. Just like calcium, it is depleted during strenuous activity. While dietary sodium may have a bad reputation for its effects on blood pressure and heart health, the mineral actually plays an important role in hydration. Losing too much sodium, which is a real risk during prolonged workouts, can cause debilitating muscle cramps.

The glycerophosphate compound of sodium is in the formula because phosphates function as lactic acid buffers and reduce muscle soreness, resulting in enhanced endurance.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) - 180mg

Extra vitamin C is beneficial to your workout in a variety of ways. Also known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C is another essential nutrient that can be depleted during exercise, which can cause fatigue. Supplementation with vitamin C has been shown to reduce this side effect during exercise^[3]. Additionally, as Metabolic BioShock contains nitrates, another key benefit of Vitamin C is that it blocks the body's creation of harmful nitrate byproducts, called nitrosamines.^[4] Vitamin C has also been shown to reduce muscle soreness after exercise.^[5]

Vitamin D (cholecalciferol) - 2000IU

About one third of Americans are deficient in Vitamin D, which is no surprise since research suggests that the Institute of Medicine's RDA, at 400 to 800 IU, is significantly lower than necessary.^[7] Intake of around 2,000IU has been shown to be ideal, with a safe tolerable limit of as much as 10,000IU daily.^[6]

Vitamin D positively affects several areas BioShock targets for enhancement. Higher vitamin D metabolite levels are linked to increased muscle strength, improved bone mineral density, and increased vitamin K and calcium absorption^{[8, 9, 10, 11]}.

Vitamin K (phylloquinone) - 1mg

Vitamin K is an essential nutrient, but it isn't an acknowledged deficiency risk by the Centers for Disease Control. So why the inclusion? While the RDA is adequate for preventing acute bleeding associated with vitamin K deficiency, a newer study on atherosclerosis^[45] indicates that long-term, non-severe deficiency can have negative effects on artery health. Additionally, when supplemented beyond the official daily requirements, the vitamin has a significant positive impact on bone and joint health and synergizes well with vitamin D.^[10,12]

Zinc - 50mg (as TRAACS(R), zinc bisglycinate chelate)

Zinc

Another mineral depleted by exercise^[13], zinc is an essential nutrient that is beneficial to a large number of bodily functions. While most are not specifically related to exercise, replacing depleted zinc fits in very well with the theme of Metabolic BioShock as an overall health enhancer -- not simply a pre-workout muscle builder.

Amino acids

Often included in pre-workouts for their manyfold positive effects on exercise, amino acids are a huge part of the Metabolic BioShock formula, making up over half of each scoop.

BCAAs (4:1:1 L-leucine: L-isoleucine: L-valine) - 6300mg

These three ingredients are well-known branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) that make up a substantial portion of muscle fiber. They also significantly boost the anabolic response to exercise via increased muscle protein synthesis and significant endurance boosts.

Glutamine nitrate - 1000mg

Glutamine has gotten a lot of bad press in recent years. Its purpose in this formula, however, is to bring nitrates into the formula. Nitrates are gaining popularity in the supplement industry thanks to several studies demonstrating significant positive effects on endurance, blood flow, oxygen efficiency, and vasodilation.

We're huge fans of nitrates, and many of the best products on the market use them. ^{[14,15,16,17,18]}

Taurine - 4000mg

Taurine is an amino acid that has been shown to enhance endurance exercise performance alone, and in combination with other amino acids.^{[19, 20]} Additionally, taurine can boost blood flow, which means better absorption and nutrient delivery while you exercise.^[21]

L-aspartic acid - 4000mg

Exercise-induced stress elevates ammonia levels in the blood, which can lead to fatigue.^[40] One primary function of L-aspartate is to scavenge ammonia from the blood^[39], help delay the onset of fatigue, and enhance endurance levels.

L-tyrosine - 1500mg

Tyrosine is an amino acid utilized as a precursor to noradrenaline and dopamine production -- key adrenergic hormones.^[22] Additionally, it enhances cognition and reduces anxiety during times of acute stress, such as a gruelling workout. ^[23,24]

Stimulants

Caffeine Consumption

Caffeine - 300mg

Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant in the world, with dozens of studies backing up its performance enhancement effects. Caffeine consumption has been shown to:

• Increase power output^[25]
• Oxidate fat^[26]
• Improve metabolic rate^[27]
• Increase endurance^[28]

Taking 300mg of caffeine may sound like a large dose (equivalent to about three cups of coffee), but overall, Metabolic BioShock is light on stimulant content. So this will provide a nice kick for most people without being over the top. Just be sure to gradually work up to the full two-scoop dose, which will help build your tolerance.

Bai Mudan(TM) Fujian white peony tea (Camelia sinensis) extract - 40mg

Tea extracts as a category have a variety of positive effects due to catechin content.^[30] Catechins can increase fat loss and fat oxidation while providing a modest energy boost. White tea, specifically as included in BioShock, has the highest levels of GABA, a relaxing neurotransmitter.^[29]

Performance enhancing fundamentals

Creatine monohydrate - 2000mg & magnesium creatine chelate - 1000mg (creatine Magnapower(R))

Creatine is one of the most well researched performance enhancers on the market. It's utilized as a part of the ATP cellular energy generation process leading to profound increases in endurance and muscle building. You might be wondering why a gram (1000mg) of MCC was included. We surmise it's for the magnesium content. Magnesium is another essential mineral that vigorous exercise depletes.

L-carnitine-L-tartrate - 2000mg (Carnipure(R))

Carnitine is a key component of energy metabolism. This specific form is added to Metabolic BioShock because LCLT has the fastest uptake time of all forms of carnitine.^[34] The compound is capable of reducing lactic acid buildup^[31], reducing exercise-induced muscle damage^[32], and enhancing nitric oxide production^[33].

Joint support and antioxidants

The inclusion of powerful joint protection ingredients in Metabolic BioShock is another area in which the formula is superior to competing products.

Methylsulfonylmethane - 3000mg (Opti-MSM(R))

Good luck pronouncing that one! Another of the formula's overall health-promoting ingredients, this compound provides anti-inflammatory joint health benefits^[35] and helps reduce muscle soreness^[36].

Glucosamine HCL - 1500mg

Rounding out the joint-support ingredients, we have glucosamine, which can reduce joint inflammation and pain.^{[37, 38]}

Stilbenox(TM) Vitis vinifera extract - 70mg

Vitis vinifera (grape vine) extract has potent antioxidant properties.^[41] A surge in exercise-induced oxygen consumption can lead to increased free radical generation, which leads to fatigue, muscle damage, and limited exercise endurance. Antioxidants help remove free radicals from the body and may increase endurance and recovery levels.^[42]

Q-20(TM) water solubilized coenzyme Q10 - 100mg

Coenzyme Q10 is another antioxidant that can aid exercise performance for reasons previously mentioned. It has a number of other beneficial properties related to cellular energy metabolism and vasodilatory function.^{[43, 44]}

Directions for use

Metabolic BioShock Giant Sports

As directed, start with one scoop. For maximum effect, work your way up to two scoops. The powder mixes well with just a few shakes and tastes great. To avoid settling, give it another shake or two.

Safety

All of the ingredients in Metabolic BioShock are generally safe and tolerated by most people. As with supplements in general, you should check with your doctor prior to beginning supplementation and carefully review any potential allergies or negative drug interactions with prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

Where to buy

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