If you’ve been following us on social media and through our newsletter you would know this supplement review has been a long time coming. Prime Nutrition’s Intra-MD has been a product we’ve had our eye on since it was released. We did wait for the brand’s big Black Friday sale to get our hands on it, but were not afraid of investing after all the positive things we’d heard about it. As most who have purchased the supplement will have noticed, Intra-MD is not your run of the mill formula. Its recommended windows do put it in the same category as aminos and all the intra-workouts out there, but its effects push it out into a league of its own. It did take longer than expected to get a solid idea on what Prime’s first Platinum product is about, which we’ve finally been able to translate into words here for our Christmas Eve Intra-MD review.
Before we even thought about putting together Prime’s Intra-MD review, we actually got on the phone with the main behind the formula, John Meadows. We had seen videos and explanations of what the supplement is about, however we wanted to really confirm with the product’s designer if what we were picking up on was intended. We were also able to find out what else Intra-MD is meant to do, giving us an official list of things to compare our feelings to.
First up we’re going to talk about one of the supplement’s minor effects, and that is pump. Intra-MD does have a thing or two in there to help promote a solid pump, which we’d have to say is a bit here and there. Like a lot of good pump inducing products, you have to get the body moving and the blood flowing to pick up on the common pre-workout effect. The thing is with Intra-MD’s pump, is that over the last few months there have been a lot of new dedicated pump pre-workouts released. Not only is the category now packed, but the bar has been raised due to the quality of formulas brands have been able to put together. Bear in mind pump is not Intra-MD’s main focus, so it’s no surprise that the effect doesn’t quite compare to what else is out there. The supplement packs a nice dense dose of pump, as opposed to the sometimes bloated and full feeling you get with dedicated formulas. Earlier we said the feature is a bit here and there as sometimes it will go unnoticed, and sometimes it will add to the whole experience. Basically what we’re saying is don’t expect a pump as intense or as all around as you’ve found in specialty products. Think of it as a bonus if it does work out well for you, especially since it is not the biggest thing in the peri-workout Intra-MD.
One of the more interesting areas in the Prime supplement is its recovery ability. Like a lot of intra-workout and post-workout formulas, Intra-MD promises a decrease in muscle soreness, as well as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The latter is always something that’s almost impossible to detect as a lot of other factors come into play for next day recovery. This is one of the reasons it took us so long to review Intra-MD. As far as immediate or post-workout recovery goes, it kind of works that in with the next effect we’re going to talk about, and that is endurance and stamina. Moving on to next day or delayed muscle soreness, we ran the product through a number of workouts and programs to find out how good it truly is. Using the supplement at two or three scoops depending on what body part was being worked. We found it couldn’t hold back an increase in soreness if you were to randomly do two sessions in a day, or a session with exercises and routines that you wouldn’t normally do at a high level of intensity.
As for use with our usual day to day workouts and regular programs, while it is arguable, we are leaning more towards the idea of it keeping soreness at bay. The reason we feel it is a bit debatable is because it’s almost impossible to know if you would be just as sore without Intra-MD. We lean more towards the idea of it promoting recovery due to the fact that there was no real sign of pain or soreness in the morning when using Intra-MD. Sometimes you wake up, feel all the effort you put in the day before, but it would fade as you get moving and the day goes on. There were odd days like that, which we compared and gauged against what was done and what feedback we got, all still pointing at the idea of Intra-MD offering a marginal increase in recovery. It doesn’t help those shock workouts or extra effort days where you’d expect consequences, or bring you back better than other products we’ve come across. It does however help enough to say Prime deliver on their promise of recovery, adding that little bit more to the unique Intra-MD experience.
Lastly we have our favorite feature of Prime’s first Platinum Series supplement, stamina and endurance. It is the product’s combination of ingredients that see it come through in this area offering a real performance enhancing effect. As Intra-MD instructs, you need to take your desired amount of servings, whether it be one, two or three, two being our favorite. Throughout your workout, throwing back a fraction of it five or so minutes before. In the beginning it is quite difficult to pick up on it, or even notice the supplement’s stamina ability especially if you’ve called on the help of a pre-workout. Either way, as you go from set to set and exercise to exercise, you will see an increase in consistent strength. It’s not really an increase in overall strength where you can punch out a few more pounds. More like repetition of a rather heavy or exhausting 10+ reps, with an achievable weight that you may not always be able to do for two or more sets. It is similar to the likes of a last set where you put your all in, and your adrenaline and focus forces you to do more than you thought possible. Basically imagine doing that for about as long as you would like. Intra-MD has this unique ability to make you comfortable and naturally energized to confidently tackle a challenging set, over and over again. You will get a bit tired and sometimes sore, but some how it raises your own power to come back one after another, and knock out a set you’d normally only have the strength to do once or twice. It is the most difficult effect we’ve ever had to describe, as it is unlike anything else on the market.
As mentioned Intra-MD’s stamina does spread out into its immediate post-workout recovery. It is the product’s strange but very natural power, that makes you feel like your performance levels are unlimited that extends out after your workout. Just as we tried to explain with Intra-MD’s consistent strength effect restoring you after each and every set. When all is said and done, and you’re finished working out, the supplement continues to keep you restored taking away any left over exhaustion and keeping you naturally energized. On some days the post-workout performance is so strong that you probably won’t even want to stop. It’s nothing like a pre-workout that keeps you going and hyped up, you’ll find your body is just being sustained enough to continue on long after you’ve finished or lost interest. This is of course based on the fact that you keep drinking Intra-MD throughout your workout, at a consistent rate. Previously we did state that two servings is our favorite amount, with two and a half on leg days and slightly less for smaller muscles. The fraction to use five minutes before you start for us is about 20 to 25%. You won’t notice it kick in or anything, but you will notice it not taking effect or working out so well if you’ve experienced it at the perfect amount and rate.
The thing to keep in mind here is that each of the effects described above all belong to Intra-MD. There are plenty of products out there that do a number of things such as pre-workouts with energy, intensity and focus. Or fat burners that offer appetite control and thermogenesis. There are even some that try to rope in completely separate categories such as testosterone boosting and energy. With all that said, never have we come across a supplement that covers pump, even though it’s at a small amount. Recovery, with a level that justifies the brand’s claim of the effect, and a huge hit of stamina and endurance that you just won’t find anywhere else. While it is the last one on that list of three that is most impressive, all together you’re looking at a true peri-workout product. We would even go as far as saying it’s more than that, tackling pre and intra-workout with its unique stamina and endurance that carries through to post-workout. Then recovery that can be felt as long as a day later. We are going to class Intra-MD as a real recovery supplement based on its post-workout and in between set performance. It is one of the few products that sits in a category all on its own, that fans are likely to find fits in best as an essential working in with a stack, or all you need in combination with a protein powder.
