Xendurance

Admittedly I don’t quite know what I’m doing here – I’m about to review some “pills”. I don’t know how this will turn out other than two things for certain. Firstly I’ll moan and claim I don’t understand the science. Secondly I’ll say I trust the science and the boffins behind the tests. That is guaranteed. Right, here goes…

What is Xendurance? Firstly, its a company. A sports Nutrition one. Among other things they have a focus on (safely) reducing Lactic acid. The ‘Culprit’ as they call it. Their showcase product, also called ‘Xendurance’, has a published, Gold-Standard, third party, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study backing up claims of 15% reduction in lactic acid and a double digit increase in aerobic threshold. They wrote that, not me. It’s a claim that seems to set them apart from other brands and competitor products and it was the first sports nutrition product made in the USA, to be certified drug-free by HFL; INFORMED CHOICE & INFORMED SPORT, the world renown, sports doping laboratory. Sounds good so far.

What I understand from all that is Xendurance believe in testing. They’ve developed something they believe in and have invested in scientific testing to support and verify their claims. So yep, you guessed it, I’m going to trust the science and boffins behind these tests and say that is good enough for me!

I’ve spent the few months using two products, the Xendurance (Lactic Acid Buffer) and the Immune Boost (multi-vitamin). It basically involves taking 3 capsules of each in the morning and again in the evening. I was kindly gifted some via a friend and fortunately put in contact with someone at Xendurance who could guide me further. I want to stress though, whilst I’ve been gifted some products, there was no expectation to post on social media or review them. They were a genuine gift and this is some insight off my own back as a result of using them!

I was given further instructions on use and took two things away. Firstly, to be effective you need to stick to the dosage plan and not deviate. They won’t work if you use them only when you remember too. Secondly they work by absorption, so avoiding coffee and acidic juices when you take them was important. To the best of my ability I’ve followed the advice. I should also say Xendurance have been lovely to chat too and find out more about the product, a very Knowledgeable and insightful team.

There’s probably not too much more to say about the product itself…

• The packaging is full of information.
• The pack size is a ‘month’s serving’ (i.e. 180 capsules)
• All the Xendurance products can be used together (hence I was able to take Xendurance and Immune Boost) to compliment each other
• The Xendurance website is full of the details – ingredients, instructions, certifications, tests and studies – that you can geek out on for hours on end.

But what have I felt?

I’ve felt good! Coincidentally I started using the product shortly before the biggest race of my life – Trans Gran Canaria – and I’ve done some big mileage since (including a few other ultras and the mammoth MIUT 115km trail). Taking Xendurance has been the only change to my nutrition and recovery (which is made up of occasional stretching, Tailwind Recovery after big run, and just more running when I probably shouldn’t). Even after TGC, I found my muscles, in particular calves and quads, felt less achy and painful than previously. This might be down to me generally improving, but who knows.

What’s important here is that I feel better, less tired after endurance events. I’m taking this as a good thing which in at least some small part is contributed too by the reduction in Lactic Acid Xendurance has created?! I don’t understand the science of how it does this (whey hey!) but my recovery feels better, stronger and quicker. Now if only I can find something to make my old man joints and bones feel the same….

Verdict

I’m going to keep on using them. That is my belief in what I am using. I’ve a hectic year of running ahead and based on the first experiences, I need to be on top of my recovery game. I’ve much work to do that won’t be resolved by products and devices, but Xendurance will now be part of my routine. A reduction in Lactic Acid, however small, will be a benefit for me. Proof in these will be in the testing for each person individually. They come with some impressive quantification and scientific support and are widely used in triathletes across the globe. It’s a good indication.