Next’s Ultimate Orange “Workout Booster” Review

Posted By elissa on May 1, 2008 | 1 comment

Ultimate Orange has been discontinued (again!).

“Wow, now that’s a blast from the past.”

That was the response I got when I e-mailed one of my buds, Will Brink, to ask about the original “Ultimate Orange” formula. Ultimate Orange is the stuff of bodybuilding legends. The original formula—devised “back in the day” by steroid guru Dan Duchaine—contained a solid whack of caffeine, plus an herbal blend containing ephedrine (from Ma Huang and Sida cordifolia). You can visit different boards, and find posts from people reminiscing about the amazing workouts they used to have while using it.

Naturally, Ultimate Orange went down with the ephedra ban…although not for long. A new “legal” formula is now on the market. Is it a match for the original?

Calories 110
Total Carbohydrates 15g
Sugars 4g
Protein 13g

Proprietary Blend 26,289mg
Xpress Whey™ 8,650mg
(Whey Protein Isolate, L-Leucine, L- Isoleucine, L-Valine, L-Arginine, Betaine Hydrochloride)

Quadracarb™ 7,860mg
Maltodextrin, Sucrose, Dextrose, Fructose)

Focus-In ™ 5,170mg
L-Tyrosine, Glucuronolactone, Taurine, Dmae, Phosphatidyl Choline, L-Phenyalanine, Vinpocetine)

Stimol™ 3,000mg
(Citrulline Malate, L-Citrulline)

Bio-Vite™ 1,240mg
(Magnesium Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Magnesium Aspartate, Pantothenic Acid, Chromium Aspartate, Niacinmide, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cyanacobalamin)

Epileine™ 369mg
[Caffeine (300mg), Green Tea Extract, 9% Epigallocatechin Gallate]

Other Ingredients
Citric Acid, Natural And Artificial Orange Flavor, Malic Acid, Lecithin, Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose, FD&C Yellow #6, Natural Vitamin E (As Mixed Tocopherols).

It looks like many of the basics were retained: the original formula also featured high glycemic index carbs and whey protein, as well as vitamins, minerals and caffeine…a lot of caffeine. The ads for the current version equate it to “3 shots of espresso,” and this doesn’t appear to be too far off the mark. While the amount of caffeine in espresso can vary considerably, one recent study put it at approx. 106 mg per serving. Multiply that by 3, and you’re pretty close to what Ultimate Orange is packing.

Caffeine is a pretty well-characterized ergogenic aid, which is why it’s included in so many pre-workout supplements. Although caffeine’s effects on strength performance are less clear than for endurance, it can certainly help with focus and training drive. It makes a potent combo with ephedrine—which is why it was included in the original product. The “EC” stack has a hallowed place among bodybuilders as a pre-workout stimulant, beyond its ability to help shed fat. Since the current version of Ultimate Orange is ephedrine-free, other compounds have been added to try and pick up the slack.

This is the purpose of the “Focus-In” and “Stimol” blends, although I don’t think anyone will be fooled. A closer look reveals why.

The Focus-In blend contains 7 ingredients:

• Tyrosine: a non-essential amino acid synthesized from phenylalanine. Tyrosine is a precursor for several important physiological compounds, including thyroid hormone(s) and the catecholamine neurotransmitters, dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. Tyrosine administration has been shown to improve mood and performance under environmental and physical stress.
• Glucuronolactone: a naturally-occurring metabolite of glucose. Glucuronolactone is used in energy drinks as well as some pre-workout supplements as an energy booster. It’s also sold in bulk powder form. There are no studies on glucuronolactone that validate its use for enhancing mood or energy. Most people using the bulk powder, however, give it a thumbs up. I’ve tried it myself: it seems to give a mild boost.
• Taurine: as noted in the taurine review, it appears to have some effects on mood in larger doses. It’s unknown, however, if lower doses (such as is likely in Ultimate Orange) offer any benefits in this regard.
• DMAE: Dimethylaminoethanol is a choline analog and may influence levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. It’s marketed as a mood/cognitive enhancer, but there is little evidence to support its use.
• Phosphatidyl choline: a phospholipid and source of choline, the precursor for acetylcholine. Phosphatidylcholine is abundant in the brain, but even in large doses, it appears to have little effect on mood or cognition.
• Phenylalanine: an essential amino acid and precursor to tyrosine.
• Vinpocetine: an alkaloid derived from periwinkle that affects cerebral blood flow, memory and learning.

The Focus-In blend contains a little over 5 g—enough for a reasonable dose of tyrosine and vinpocetine at least, which appear to be the strongest and best-characterized of the 7 ingredients. Unfortunately, the positive effects of the tyrosine are likely to be blunted, due to competition for transport across the blood-brain barrier by the other amino acids (from the whey protein) in the product.

“Stimol” combines L-citrulline with citrulline malate. As discussed in the citrulline review, citrulline malate may improve endurance and reduce muscle fatigue. The amount of Stimol in one scoop of Ultimate Orange is on the low end of the typical dose range (3–6 g), however.

Taken together , the Focus-In and Stimol blends just don’t look very strong. There are some worthwhile compounds, perhaps, but there are others which have not been very carefully chosen (or dosed). They don’t add up to a replacement for ephedrine, nor are they particularly potent on their own. In other words, nice try, but no cigar.

Thus, it comes down to the caffeine.

Ultimate Orange lives up to its “3 shots of espresso” billing. Although I love my morning jolt of fresh brewed coffee, I tend to avoid large doses of caffeine later in the day, as it can hit me rather hard. So I noticed the effects right away when I gave Ultimate Orange a shot.

Tastewise, it’s so-so: the orange flavor is offset by some bitterness, although this was less noticeable after I added some orange-flavored GenR8 (a Vitargo-based carb supplement). I took a full scoop: which gave me a larger dose of caffeine than the NO/workout boosters I typically use before I hit the gym.

The stimulating effect was there all right, but it seemed harsh and edgy. I had a decent workout, but was left feeling “wired and tired” simultaneously. I also had a hell of a time getting to sleep that night, despite the fact that I took it a good 6 hours before bedtime.

I think Ultimate Orange is not for me—the caffeine is too strong in relation to the other compounds…it feels unbalanced vs. my preferred pre-workout blends.

For caffeine aficionados, however, it could be another story. While it may not be a match for the original, it certainly provides a significant buzz. If you like 3 shots of espresso before a workout, then it could work out for you.