Back in August Black Market Labs launched their first new supplement in some time with the unique and category titled Intra-Workout. After seeing what was in the product, the label transparency, and new naming angle the brand had decided to take. We were relatively interested to see what the supplement could actually do for the intra-workout window. Fortunately for us Black Market were kind enough to send us a bottle of the product, in which over the past two months we have been using over and over again, pre, intra, and post-workout. To bring you what we have here today, a review of Black Market Lab’s Intra-Workout.
To start off for those of you who don’t quite know what the intra-workout window is, it’s the time in between the beginning and end of your workout. Basically during your session. In the past we have seen companies take various different angles with this type of supplement in creatines, hydration complexes, but mostly BCAAs and aminos. Black Market’s take however comes off as a mix between a number of things with well dosed ingredients, pinches of energy, and a hydration blend. All of which we experienced at least once when using the formula in the areas we did.
In our experience with the brand’s Intra-Workout before training, the supplement actually performs as well as some dedicated pre-workouts. Whether it be the dose of beta-alanine, agmatine sulfate, or the electrolyte blend. The product does one hell of a job at raising energy to a noticeable level, and pick the body up even on days where you may feel a little lazy. It tends to start with the signature beta-alanine pins and needles sensation, that throughout a 30 minute period does not disappear. From there the body seems to be a little more alert, awake, and performance driven. Intra-Workout doesn’t bring any pump or additional focus effects, which isn’t exactly it’s purpose. But again, it does do a great job as a stimulant free solution.
Before we get into the Black Market supplement’s results in it’s intended window, we are going to cover post-workout use of the formula. In short the pins and needles effect we mentioned when taken pre-workout, is a bit too much for us when it comes to after a workout. Of course the product delivers it’s important doses of glutamine, HICA, and l-alanine. However from a recovery and revitalization stand point. Intra-Workout does not deliver an experience as well as others we have seen with post-workout intentions like Muscletech’s Amino-Build, Cytosport’s Monster Amino, or Betancourt’s Pure-Amino. The slight energy we talked about earlier does help refresh the body, but it is the lack of comfort, overall recovery, and masking of ability that sees Intra-Workout losing out.
While we have covered the two supplement windows Black Market Labs probably never designed Intra-Workout for. We are now going to talk about the product and how well it performs in the intra-workout time frame. Basically the dose of beta alanine and the mild hit of energy previously talked about, both really come to life when used intra-workout. In fact when the mild hit of energy is thrown in during training, the formula actually picks you up and carries you right the way through the rest of your workout. The best way to describe the supplement in it’s element is that it has a carry over feeling. It bridges you from your pre-workout to post-workout by delivering the unnoticeable ingredients like glutamine, l-alanine, and HICA in effective doses. As well as the features that when combined and used at the proper time, really create an intensity extending experience.
The difficult thing about Black Market’s Intra-Workout is that while it does work, it is hard to justify it’s use. We can tell you that the product performs in it’s intended intra-workout window, and quite well as a stimulant free energizer. Although, in sessions where we used a pre-workout and stimulants were not an issue. There was really no room for the supplement, leaving only a handful of reasons as to why you would use the product. One, if you’re on a fat burner or sensitive to stimulants, then Intra-Workout can deliver that stimulantless hit you’re after. Two, you train for more than 90 minutes or really have trouble making it through workouts (with or without a PWO), as Intra-Workout can get you to the end. Three, you are after a powerful and tasty dose of the supplement’s ingredients. Or four, using Intra-Workout as a replenishment drink for during the day, or a lengthy sports event.
Black Market Lab’s latest formula won’t be for everyone, but it is effective and works extremely well in it’s title mentioned category. If you can find room and reason for it to be used in your stack then it’s definitely worth purchasing. Not just because it does the job and can act as two other types of products outside of an intra-workout formula. But because you will have a hard time finding something else on the market that works to the same extent in the ways that Intra-Workout does.
