Xtend is an award-winning intra-workout supplement by Scivation.

It’s designed to prevent muscle breakdown during workouts.

Scivation is an American supplement company, and Xtend has won them a variety of bodybuilding.com awards.

Ingredients Label

Active Ingredients

BCAAs

Branched Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) is the term given to the amino acids Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine.

They are the amino acids that are most important for muscle growth and repair.

Supplementing with BCAAs reduces stress hormone levels from exercise and helps to replace amino acid levels. This can improve recovery time (1).

Citrulline Malate

Citrulline is an amino acid that can increase pumps and boost endurance (2).

This is especially true in the Malate form, which provides extra capacity for producing energy.

When consumed, Citrulline is converted by the body to Nitric Oxide. This dilates blood vessels, increasing blood flow and the “pump” you get from lifting weights.

It has also been shown to significantly reduce muscle soreness (3).

The effective dose is about 6-8g.

Glutamine

Glutamine is another amino acid which has shown some evidence for being tied to muscle growth, but alongside protein and BCAAs, it has showed no additional benefits (4, 5).

Who Takes It?

Athletes who want to prevent muscle breakdown and reduce soreness after their workouts will benefit from using Xtend.

How to Take

Mix 1 scoop with 250mL water, and consume during your workout.

Side Effects

There are no serious side effects currently known for the ingredients in Xtend.

Pros

Award-winning formula
Easy to mix – unlike many other BCAA products
Wide range of flavours to choose from
Sugar-free.

Cons

Glutamine may not provide any benefits
Citrulline Malate should be dosed higher.

Conclusion

Xtend is an excellent BCAA product, which has proved its worth with a variety of bodybuilding.com awards.

It mixes easily, and is available in a great range of flavours to suit everyone’s tastes.

It’s also versatile in that you can use it during or after workouts.

Although the Citrulline Malate dose is on the small side, this could easily be made up for by stacking Xtend with a good pre-workout product.