EnduroPacks Final Review

We received the EnduroPacks review sample over a month ago and provided this little update during the testing process. However, our review is a bit late since we hired Brad Haag as a contributor and had to get his new content live on the site. Our apologies to the EnduroPacks folks for the delay. Please also know that EnduroPacks provided the samples for our review at no charge and, as with any of our articles, this review may contain affiliate links.

The EnduroPacks system is a unique solution for triathletes and other athletes. I don’t know about you guys, but I frequently try new supplements and generally only use them for one or two cycles, because I forget to buy replacements. EnduroPacks solves that by automatically shipping these products to you without any action on your part. This feature alone makes it more likely that you will stick to your nutrition and supplement routine. The EnduroPacks system provides a 30-day supply of liquid multivitamins, a spray bottle of electrolytes, a pack of amino transdermal recovery patches, and a pack of glutamine recovery pills. Remember, these four products should be used together for best results. During our review, I used them every day, with the exception of the electrolyte spray and transdermal patch, which I only used as needed. That said, we only had a few days when we didn’t have a workout of some sort, so during the 30 day trial period, I only skipped three nights without the patches and about the same number of days without the spray.

Liquid Multivitamin

When I begin using a new multivitamin, I always play the game “What Color is My Pee.” If you’ve ever used a multivitamin, you know that they’re frequently packed with vitamins that your body simply can’t absorb. This overload of vitamins causes changes in the color of your urine and it’s always fun to figure out what specific vitamin is causing the discoloration. During our trial, we didn’t experience this issue at all. Our urine color never changed, which is a really simple way of determining that the multivitamin is almost completely absorbed by your body. During the first few days of using this vitamin, I did not notice a significant change in my energy levels or overall feeling. However, by the middle of the second week, say by day 10 or so, I began to notice increased energy levels. I’ve been doing some hot weather training lately, so my workouts generally have been in the afternoon, about two hours after lunch. Normally I feel a bit of an energy boost from my lunch and mid-morning snack, but when using these multivitamins, I noticed additional energy while keeping the rest of my diet the same.

The liquid multivitamin is a bit different if you’re used to taking a vitamin pill. The flavor is fruity and quite sweet, but doesn’t leave a long lasting aftertaste. Make sure you shake the bottle well before use to mix up the product and store the opened container in the refrigerator to preserve flavor and efficacy.

Electrolyte Spray

I’ve tried any number of different electrolyte options in the years I’ve been training and racing. Most are on extreme ends of the flavor spectrum, either unflavored HEED that has almost no taste or Gatorade or similar that is sickly-sweet. The electrolyte spray included in the EnduroPacks is much different. It has a pleasant taste and, most importantly, allows you to set up your hydration just as you like it. For most days, I’d use the recommended number of sprays, but if it was very hot and humid, or if I was feeling a bit tired, I could always add a few additional sprays. This ability to control the level of electrolytes without making a syrup-like cocktail is very important to me. Comparing the spray to my normal source of electrolytes, I did not notice a positive or negative change; the spray appears to do exactly what it is designed to do.

Amino Transdermal Patch

Now, this is the most unique and useful product, in my opinion. My normal recovery involves chocolate milk or a recovery specific product, like GU Recovery, Fluid Recovery, or Optimum Nutrition Recovery. I have had great experiences with all of these products. In each case, they help your body recover from a serious workout. I judge their performance based on how good I feel later in the day if I had a hard morning workout or how I feel in the morning if it was a later workout. These patches work at least as well as any other recovery product I”ve tried and likely better than many other options. Using the patches did require a bit of  change to my routine, stretching, showering, then putting on the patch, but once I got this routine together, the results were great. If I had a hard morning workout, I felt less sore and more relaxed by early afternoon. If I used the patch after an afternoon workout, I normally woke up well rested and much less sore than without any recovery plan. The only problem I ran into with these was if I had a two a day workout and used the patch in the morning. If the second workout was very sweaty, the patch didn’t always stay adhered to my body. To combat this, I would put on the patch after my first workout/shower and then remove it before my second workout.

Glutamine Recovery Complex

The glutamine pills aren’t unique to this product and I’ve used similar product before. The results of these pills were nothing out of the ordinary, that is, no real difference between their performance and that of any other glutamine product.  However, this is a product that really works. Glutamine has been part of my supplement program for quite some time and I know these pills help me sleep better and wake up more rested and ready for another day of workouts. My experience with other glutamine products is that the results are not instant, you need to take the supplements for a few days before you start to really notice some results. But, once your body gets used to the supplement, you’re going to experience deeper sleep and wake up with more energy than before you started. This glutamine complex is no different and is essential as a supplement for serious athletes.

Overall

Sure, you could find most of these supplements on your own. You can piece together each component in some form, though the spray and the patches are much harder to come by, but it’s doable. However, the real benefit of this product is that you don’t have to deal with all the hassle. EnduroPacks has created a well balanced pack of supplements that work well together and arrive at your door every month without requiring any action on your part. The multivitamin is very high quality and absorbs well. The patches are great, the glutamine truly works and will leave you more rested, and the electrolyte spray is a great alternative to super sweet drinks and powders. You spend enough time every month working out and training, why waste valuable time on piecing together supplements that work this well when you can just sign up for the monthly delivery?

If you’d like to check out some other reviews, you can read Brad Haag’s EnduroPacks review or this one from TriSwimCoach.