First Endurance: Sports Nutrition for Measureably Better Results.

By Tom Demerly for TriSports.com

First Endurance180 — First Endurance's products feature unique formulations manufactured to the highest standards in the industry. They produce measureably better performance.

A safe, effective and legal sports nutritional supplement that gives you a competitive edge: If it existed, would you use it?

First Endurance has been innovating sports supplements for ten years. They make some of the most unique and effective formulations in the sports nutrition category. Three things differentiate First Endurance: Clinical grade research to test and verify the effectiveness of formulae in compliance with clincal testing standards, unique formulae that fill needs unique to the endurance athlete and levels of manufacturing, packaging and delivery technology that exceed competing brands.

In this crowded category a product has to be measurably different and provide an easily noticeable advantage. Athletes have to know it works or they won’t buy it again. That has been one of the strongest sales cases for First Endurance, especially their Optygen HP product.

Optygen allows your body to make more effecient use of oxygen. If you use any type of heart rate enabled GPS or power meter to measure your performance you’ll have all the proof you need to see the results. Look at your heart rate and speed data. You will see they begin to diverge when using Optygen; at a given heart rate you will be faster. Your pace goes up, your workload stays the same. The results are significant enough that it’s unusual the product hasn’t been regulated by sports governing bodies.

“Rhodiola helped athletes adapt to physical stress better.”

First Endurance210 — A key ingredient in Optygen is Rhodiola. Rhodiola is proven to enhance the body's adaptation to stress stimulus by improving oxygen use efficiency.

The unique ingredient in Optygen is Rhodiola, a cold weather plant that grows at high elevations. There are widespread clinical and university studies on the effects of Rhodiola on fatigue resistance and oxygen use. Rhodiola is not a stimulant. It is an “adaptogen“. Adaptogens regulate an organism’s metabolism in response to damaging stimulus such as fatigue and stress. It is a relatively simple chemical adaptation within the body, another thing that makes Rhodiola use attractive. The recognition of adaptogens such as Rhodiola began in 1947 under the direction of pharmacologist A.V. Lazarev. Subsequent research in the former Soviet Union verified findings of physiological benefits. It wasn’t until 1998 that the word “adaptogen” was accepted as a technically valid descriptive term for the performance of a substance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This acknowledgement validated the concept of a specific substance chemically augmenting specific physiological adaptations to the stresses athletes experience. It proved Rhodiola helped athletes adapt to physical stress better.

First Endurance combined Rhodiola with chromium and the amino acid beta-alanine in Optygen. These supplements perform different functions in the Optygen mix, with beta-alanine assisting in lean body mass development as revealed in university studies.

First Endurance200 — Delivery and storage technology from First Endurance enhance the effectiveness of their ingredients. An anti-UV blue tinted glass bottle and special opaque capsule preserve the effectiveness of Optygen contents.

To make the active ingredients in Optygen work better First Endurance designed a special ultra-violet resistant glass bottle and opaque capsule for delivery. These sheild the active ingredients from ultra-violet light that degrades their performance over time. Because of this attention to detail and quality assurance the effective ingredients work more effectively.

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First Endurance Liquid Shot EFS.

Another unique First Endurance product is Liquid Shot EFS. EFS stands for Electrolyte Fuel System. Liquid Shot EFS is in between a sports drink and gel. The consistency is like syrup. There are three flavors: Wild Berry, Vanilla and new Kona-Mocha flavor. Our testers agreed the Vanilla was their favorite flavor.

“The unique, thick liquid consistency and high electrolyte content differentiate Liquid Shot EFS from its competition”

First Endurance220 — Be sure to remove the packaging from the top of the Liquid Shot EFS container before you get on the bike or start running. The unique consistency delivers ingredients more easily than a gel since it is a thick liquid.

The 5 ounce gel flask container of Liquid Shot EFS contains 400 calories and over 1500 mg of electrolytes. This is a potent solution for ultra-distance events where calorie intake and electrolyte maintenance are critical. There is a large refill container for Liquid Shot EFS to replenish the reusable 5 ounce flask container. You save money and packaging. During testing we had success diluting Liquid Shot EFS with water also, opening up more possibilities for use of this versatile product. The unique, thick liquid consistency and high electrolyte content differentiate Liquid Shot EFS from its competition in the sports drink and gel categories. Liquid Shot EFS is effectively the “missing link” in sports nutrition.

First Endurance Multi V.

First Endurance used the same packaging, quality control and delivery technology as seen in Optygen in one of the most important nutritional categories to every endurance athlete, the multi vitamin. Multi V is First Endurance’s athlete tuned, high potency multiple vitamin complex. This formulation includes high levels of bioavailable iron to improve oxygen transportation. It is also loaded with anti-oxidants. Not all anti-oxidants are the same and consistent with the First Endurance level of quality the anti-oxidant in Multi V has a very high ORAC score, a measure of quality of anti-oxidants.

First Endurance230 — Multi V uses the same attention to quality and performance as Optygen and other First Endurance products. It is highly soluable and easy on the stomach with a performance tuned, athlete specific compound of supplements.

It’s hard to tell when a multivitamin is “working” but easy to tell when it isn’t. This tester used Multi V for extended periods during substantial endurance training, including Ironman preparation and, along with good eating habits, adequate rest and other common sense recovery techniques had no illness or unusual health incidence.

First Endurance80 — The ingredient list for Multi V is tuned for endurance athletes. Note the levels of anti-oxidants to facilitate recovery and the iron at 100% RDA, which is a good start point for an endurance athlete since Recommended Daily Allowances aren't tuned for endurance athletes.

Another unique product from First Endurance is Pre Race. Numerous studies have documented the benefits of legal stimulant supplementation in athletic performance. One of the most effective stimulant amino acids is 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, most commonly called “Taurine” and know widely as the active ingredient in Red Bull energy drink. For athletes who want a mental and cardiac “jump start” (according to First Endurance) Pre Race is a solution.

First Endurance100 — Pre Race contains stimulants and metabolic optimizers to assist specific physiological functions and sharpen mental acuity. It's a better solution than sugary energy drinks.

A few things differentiate Pre Race from stimulant soft drinks. The content list is specifically configured to enhance aerobic performance and mental acuity. The product is a flavorless powder that contains no high concentration of simple sugars. The advantages are no taste interference so it can be mixed with other products easily and no blood sugar spike as with sugared energy drinks. Concentration can also be controlled through mixture and dilution. An interesting possibility is adding it to a pre-race liquid fuel source or a fluid replacement drink consumer early in an event or during an ultra-distance event to maintain mental focus.

First Endurance has established a well defined niche for clinically proven sports nutritionals with the industry’s highest quality control during manufacturing combined with unique storage and delivery technologies. Research and results prove the products make athletes perform better. If you haven’t included trials with First Endurance products in your training and incorporated them in your race nutritional plan, well, you could be going faster with First Endurance.