When Dana Linnn Bailey and Rob Bailey unveiled their first ever supplement the “what ever your work may be” formula Onward, it got quite a bit of attention. Few to none were positive, with most not being overly interested in the product after seeing its label. However like always we gave Onward the benefit of the doubt, and purchased a full size tub direct from whateveryourworkmaybe.com for $44.99. For us we liked the sound of the supplement, a formula designed to benefit those that work late nights and wake up early, with a job that requires a fair amount of attention and focus, all while training hard and living the lifestyle. Whether or not everyone caught that description today’s Onward review is based solely on that idea. We did not test the product as a pre-workout purely because it is not intended to fuel a workout, using it just as we would a morning coffee or early/afternoon kick like other day-to-day productive based supplements.
As directed we started out with one scoop of the berriade flavored formula. Unfortunately as great as the flavor sounds you might want to throw it back the hardcore way, putting it straight in your mouth with a bit of water. While you do get a sense of berry, the recipe makes no attempt at hiding its bitterness and touch of sour. Even though it’s not a pre-workout, berriade definitely puts Onward in the league of pre-workouts in terms of taste, although as most of our readers will know flavor isn’t something we care too much about. After the product is down whether you threw it back as powder, a shot or as directed. The supplement does take quite a bit of time to get into your system and give you that calm energy and focus you were hoping for.
It is worth keeping in mind as we said in the beginning that Onward is not a pre-workout, so you’re not going to get that energy kick or high amount of focus you will from pre-workouts offering that. Instead what you get with the first ever Run Everything Lab’s formula is about as much as you need to get through the day. If you’re tired then it’s likely going to wake you up and get you doing what you should be. If you’re more of a morning person and don’t need that wake up call, then you are going to feel Onward’s mood focus combination a little more than its energy. It is those two/three effects that headline the product, with the energy being enough to get your eyes open and go from yawning to solidly working in 20 or so minutes. It is also worth pointing out that the energy is somewhat light, which doesn’t exactly interfere with Onward’s initial kick but does make it seem like the energy wears off relatively quick. As for the mood enhancement and focus combination that is going to take more explaining.
The reason we’re saying Onward features focus and mood enhancement together rather than separately, is because the effects cross paths. At times it is hard to tell if the formula is forcing an increase in focus or if you’re just in a good mood. If we had to pick one over the other and say it is more powerful we’d probably go with mood enhancement, and that’s based on what we’ve experienced in other focus supplements. Unlike competitors such as the mind accelerator Cannibal Genius and pre-workouts that show you how much fun enhanced focus can be, Onward doesn’t quite give you that mind clearing experience where you’re encouraged to focus on one thing at a time. It actually blurs the lines with mood enhancement resulting in a feel good type focus, where you’re put in a productive state and forced to keep moving without that dedicated attention high you may have come across before.
Outside of the highlighted effects, Onward does promise one other major thing that is more of a bonus but not suitable for us. In combination with offering a light energy boost and mood enhanced focus, the product is also designed to aid in immune support. Obviously this isn’t something we could test for ourselves, much like the contents of a vitamin. It really all comes down to the doses, which is where things get tricky since Onward doesn’t display numbers for all of its ingredients with nine hiding behind a proprietary blend. Another thing that is important with a vitamin or immune formula such as this, is actually being able to take the supplement. This is where we had trouble as to get the immune benefits the brand promote, you are going to need to take this every day. This isn’t something we would ever do, primarily because we want the choice of having stimulants and on some days would rather boost our training with a pre-workout, which Onward’s proprietary would of course take away from. Given the option we’d definitely prefer an immune and work accelerator separate, however we can imagine the convenience for those that want the two together.
Overall Run Everything Lab’s product is effective, and does do what it says. Unfortunately for us though we do feel it is a little light. We’re not at all saying you won’t notice Onward’s energy and mood infused focus, but compared to what else is out there you do have better, much more powerful options. The energy is noticeable, although it could be stronger and no we’re not talking over-the-top jitters, just a stronger hit of calm energy which we have seen in other supplements. Also as mildly effective as Onward’s mood focus is, you won’t have trouble finding a product that can get you thinking more efficiently, or at least more than Onward does. The only thing left that makes the supplement different is its immune support, and for that we refer you to Onward’s price. At $45 for 30 servings it is a lot more expensive than most, leaving you room to pick up a better competitor as well as a dedicated vitamin or immune formula.
While we did and still do like the idea of Onward and the lifestyle it sells, we have trouble justifying its use against its competitors. Even though it is unique combining immune support with energy and focus, as mentioned that issue is quickly solved due to Onward’s high price. If we had to recommend the product to a type of person we really couldn’t come up with one. Once you factor in the commitment of taking Onward everyday or at least when you want the immune support forcing you to have stimulants with it, things soon become a little pointless. You are then left with a light dose of energy and surprisingly different mood enhanced focus, a combination that is effective but not at level that leaves much of an impression or is powerful enough to compete in the small productive category.
