Continuing on with our recent reviews (see our last of Mammoth Anabolix Mass Gainer here), the next product we’ve sampled is the Gaspari Superpump 250. Not a protein shake, we know… but many of our readers no doubt take pre-training supplements, so we thought it might be of interest.
First off, here are the necessary nutrition facts:
o Servings Per Container: 40
o Calories: 32
o Fat Calories: 0
o Total Fat (g) 0
o Sat. Fat (g) 0
o Cholesterol (mg) 0
o Sodium (mg) 180
o Potassium (mg) 90
o Total Carbs (g) 8
o Dietary Fiber (g) 0
o Sugars (g) 0
o Proteins (g) 0
o Vitamin B-6 (mg) 25
o Vitamin B-12 (mcg) 140
o Folic Acid (mcg) 420
o Magnesium (mg) 350
o Phosphorus (mg) 280
SuperPump250 contains: Malic Acid, Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Potassium Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Natural Orange Flavor, Magnesium Phosphate, Magnesium Oxide, Sucralose, Beta Carotene.
First up, taste:
I mistakenly ordered the “Fruit Punch” flavour, which was obviously always going to be a mistake. So the Gaspari Superpump gets a raw deal here, as I’ll be blunt: the flavour was terrible. Not sure what it was, but (in the recommended amount of water), it was a really sharp, sugary taste… something you had to chug back quickly, that’s for sure.
Consistency:
Likewise, while it mixed fairly well with water, in the recommended amount of water the consistency was very grainy. Also, a side note here, but the amount that stuck to the sides of the shake bottle was quite surprising.
Here’s where things get difficult… digestibility:
Now, Gaspari Superpump is very clear on one thing: for those who are sensitive to stimulants, you definitely want to start on this by taking no more than half of the recommended amount. That’s 2-3 scoops on training days 30 minutes before your workout, so those sensitive should start on one scoop. Which I did.
Now, I’m not much of a caffeine man, so I knew it was going to be a process that my body needed to get accustomed to. That said, I still cannot believe how much this stuff disagreed with me. Within minutes of consuming, my stomach felt like it was in knots, and – to be honest – it almost had the same effect that feelings of panic have on you. Still, I persevered taking the supplement, but after 3 weeks I had to call it quits. It really was that bad.
To be clear: I generally consider myself to have an iron stomach. I can keep pretty much anything down, and can’t remember the last time I’ve had stomach trouble (even during travels to less salubrious destinations). But I guess this stuff was just my kryptonite.
Effectiveness:
Was it effective though? Sure, I noticed a lift in my pumps from pretty much the first week of use. But the amount of difference it made to my workouts really wasn’t worth that constant nervous feeling in the stomach, for me.
Overall? It could be for you, but I’d suggest sampling someone else’s first (anyone want the rest of mine?) before shelling out for the 800g tub, which normally goes for about $80.
Anyone have a better experience than me?