Syntropy Labs Amped Ketones Review

Recently, the Ketogenic diet and lifestyle approach has exploded onto the scene after being quiet for some time. It seems like EVERYBODY has been dying to try this lifestyle approach, whether they are trying to get shredded for a competition, burn excess body fat, improve performance in the gym, or even just to help them feel better in everyday life.

Love it or hate it, there are plenty of science backed studies that can prove the efficiency and benefits of nutritional ketosis. With that being said, many of us writers at Modern Athletic Health have tried the ketogenic approach and loved it! In fact, our CEO has been living the ketogenic lifestyle for over 3 years! If you are one of the many who have tried the ketogenic approach, you are more than likely aware of the “keto flu” and the introductory downsides that come with this low carb lifestyle. For the avid gym goers who have switched to the ketogenic diet, you may have noticed a slight decrease in performance while your body adjusts. Maybe there is less of a “pump”, vascularity may have decreased, and your energy may not be as high as it was when you followed a traditional diet with carbohydrates.

During this period, you may load up on pre-workout, coffee, and other caffeinated beverages in order to get you through the day. While it may work for a short time (or maybe not at all) eventually your body and mind won’t perform at the level it should. This is where a science based exogenous ketone product should be used.

Enter Syntropy Labs Amped Ketones.

An exogenous ketone product that can be used as not only a pre-workout, but for those who need a pick me up any time of the day! Amped Ketones also works as a great product to help jump start your body into nutritional ketosis or rid you of the keto flu, fast. We had the opportunity to try a couple samples of Amped Ketones while we were on a regular carb diet, a low carb diet, and in a ketogenic state. Read below to find out what this product is all about and what we thought of it!

First: What are Exogenous Ketones?

Basically, in a low/no carb state (ketosis), your body looks to burn fat (ketones) as fuel, rather than glycogen (carbs). While in ketosis, your body actually creates 3 types of ketones: acetoacetate, beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and acetone. BHB is the only one of the 3 that moves through the blood stream and can actually be used by muscles, and that is why certain companies design their products based off of BHB.

A BHB salt, such as the one found in Amped Ketones, lowers the chance of GI distress as well as makes the taste and flavor substantially better. The two other types of ketones, esters and oils, can be effective, however esters have a high risk of GI distress and a horrid taste, and oils, while still very useful, provide a longer lasting effect rather than an immediate energy you receive with ketone salts.

Exogenous ketones provide those in ketosis with fast acting energy and can actually help to send individuals into ketosis nearly instantly, rather than needing to wait a few days from eating high fat and low or no carb foods.

Exogenous ketones will also aid those individuals that train at a high level while in ketosis, who are used to using carbohydrates as energy. They provide the fuel for those who already are in ketosis but also provide energy for someone that is undergoing a long strenuous training session that may not have had a carb meal in hours. Basically, exogenous ketones are a great form of fuel when you are glycogen depleted.

Now that you know what exogenous ketones are, lets dive into our review of Syntropy Labs Amped Ketones!

Flavor:

Amped Ketones comes in a cherry lime flavored powder. While it sounds delicious, we were a little nervous to try the Amped Ketones because of the bitterness and poor taste that we heard comes along with certain BHB products. As per the directions, we mixed up one pack with about 8 ounces of water. The flavor is actually pretty good and we were impressed by how much the cherry lime aspect actually shined through. There is a solid amount of sweetness that comes with the product but it definitely isn’t overly sweet.

There is really no bitterness, but rather it tastes a little sour and any residual bitterness resembles that of lime juice. As to be expected, the product did taste salty but the BHB’s are in the purest form and that is something that is to be expected. One of the greatest aspects of Amped Ketones is the fact that they only sweeten the product with natural flavors, stevia, and monk fruit. If you are someone who makes sure you are only putting natural ingredients into your body, Syntropy labs has you covered. Overall, the flavor turned out great!

Mixability:

Again, this was something we were a little bit concerned with because of things we had read about exogenous ketones and BHB-salts not mixing very well. If the flavor was palatable, then like most pre-workouts, we wouldn’t have a problem swallowing it down. Well, there was absolutely nothing to worry about with a few shakes and 8oz of water. This stuff mixed up amazingly well and we can honestly say that we have seen more residue in the bottom of other amino acid and pre-workout products than with Amped Ketones. For the amount of water that is recommended to be used, the product mixes phenomenally and rose way above expectations. So far Syntropy Labs is 2-for-2 on some make or break aspects of exogenous ketone supplementation.

Nutrition Label:

Upon first looking at the nutrition label, before we get into the ingredients, you’ll see that with each scoop of Amped Ketones, you are getting 1,463mg (61% of your daily recommended value) of sodium and 1,213mg (121% of your daily recommended value) of calcium. Before you go running for the hills because of the sodium content, remember: BHB salts are created to not only help you avoid GI discomfort, but to also improve taste and absorption. Plus, those of us in ketosis are also in need of those valuable electrolytes to avoid cramping, headaches, and other ketosis induced symptoms. The amount of sodium and calcium in Amped Ketones is JUST FINE and absolutely beneficial to those of us in ketosis.

Let’s dive into the ingredients:

Beta-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB):

As we have said before, BHB is literally the driving force that jump starts your body into ketosis, provides energy to those who are carb depleted, and relieves symptoms of keto flu. In reality, while those are the most important aspects of BHB salts, they can also help increase focus, aid in sustained mental clarity, and jump start your body into fat burning mode. The mental effects that exogenous ketones can provide may sometimes even resemble that of certain nootropics. In each scoop of Amped Ketones, you are getting 11.7g of BHB salts which is a clinically tested dose. While most of us would gain quite a bit from just the BHB salts alone, Syntropy Labs added even more goodies into their mix

L-Carnitine Tartrate:

L-Carnitine Tartrate or LCT is involved in fat metabolism and burning fat to be used as energy. For the most part, the body can create this ingredient, however supplementing with it may be key for those who could be deficient. LCT also plays a role in mitochondrial protection while driving long chain fatty acids there to be used as energy. At 1.5g of LCT in Amped Ketones, your fat burning and metabolizing efforts will be further increased. It is to be noted that LCT is not a “cure all” ingredient and it works better to help metabolize fat as energy, rather than simply “help you lose weight”.

Creatine Monohydrate:

We all know the benefits of creatine monohydrate. This ingredient has more scientifically backed research than any other athletic performance supplement on the market. Creatine monohydrate is known to help increase power output, provide strength boosts, and help shuttle water into muscles. In Amped Ketones, you are getting a 1.5g dose which, although seems a bit low, will more than likely be plenty for most individuals on a ketogenic diet. Due to creatine monohydrate being found abundantly in red meats, most individuals on ketogenic diet will be consuming plenty of creatine already.

Taurine:

Taurine has numerous benefits and plays a key role in Amped Ketones. Taurine is none for its ability to reduce cramping, increase blood flow without raising blood pressure, and can assist in fat oxidation. In Amped Ketones, one of its most important roles is ensuring users do not experience bad cramping from underutilizing electrolytes or lacking water. Many individuals who use taurine also report that it can helps with getting a pump in the gym, and help recovery by increasing blood flow for periods even after a workout. Amped Ketones contains 2g of Taurine, which is more than enough to aid individuals in all aspects listed above.

Beta-Alanine:

While the dosing isn’t extreme, it is just under the clinically dosed 2g that will provide you plenty of results. Beta alanine has been known to help buffer lactic acid in muscles which can prolong your ability to keep going strong in the gym, on the field, on the court, or wherever you may use it. Beta-alanine has also been shown to increase your physical performance in activities lasting between 1-3 minutes. Beta-alanine has additionally been shown to positively affect body composition, with studies showing it can increase lean mass while also helping to aid in fat loss. Couple that with increased power output, increased VO2 max, reduction of fatigue, and increase of muscular endurance, and you have the perfect ingredient to assist your ketogenic needs.

BCAA Instantized 2:1:1:

Instantized BCAA’s just add to the impressive mixability properties of Amped Ketones. In each scoop you are getting 1g of BCAA’s which, although it isn’t a ton, is still a good amount to help spare muscle tissue during workouts. By now, we have determined through much research that BCAA’s do not necessarily “build muscle” as they are the building blocks of protein and only assist with gettin muscle protein synthesis activated. 1g of BCAA’s are surely going to help you if you are doing fasted cardio or are running on fumes towards the end of your workout.

Caffeine Anhydrous:

Last, but certainly not least, the king of supplements, caffeine. It seems like caffeine has millions of positive benefits such as increased energy, increased strength and power output, decrease of fatigue, improved mental clarity and alertness, increased ability to concentrate and focus, increased daily energy expenditure, and so much more! With 150mg of caffeine in Amped Ketones, you are getting more than just a little pick me up. We were happy to see Syntropy Labs didn’t load up on the stimulants which really lets the rest of their ingredients do the work with this product. Caffeine is just the icing on the ingredient cake.

Our Thoughts:

Ketogenic: This just might be the pre-workout that ketogenic community needs. Let’s put it this way, the energy we received from one scoop was amazing. Not a jittery energy, but a long-lasting energy that allowed us to push through the tough workouts without feeling like we were slowing down. It’s hard to explain “energy” without saying caffeinated but in all honesty, this made us feel like we could workout all day long. Even after the gym, we were still able to accomplish things without hitting the wall and crashing, not many pre-workouts, caffeinated or not, can do that. Rest times decreased, work efficiency and work capacity increased. We were able to hit our low rep heavy sets and then turn around and still be able to do all of our accessory work. For those of you who have been in ketosis or have used a ketogenic diet before, you know not many pre-workouts can help you in the strength department. This product also does a decent job of giving you a little pump. While the product is designed for performance first, the small things like giving a pump and prolonged energy are also certainly worth noting. This was the real deal.

Low Carb:

To test the pre-workout from a low carb stand point, we decided to just abstain from carbs for roughly 2 days. Now some products we consumed had carbs but we were under 50g over the course of a few days; but not in ketosis. We have to say; this stuff still rocked the house. Energy wasn’t quite as amazing as it was for those in ketosis but it provided more than enough of a pick me up for a longer session. We were able to test it with cardio after training and were definitely surprised to say the least. Being able to do 200m repeat rows for time and have the time stay within 5 seconds each round was something that we definitely did not expect. For what it is worth, this product may provide just as many benefits if you are carb depleted as it would if you were on ketosis. If you forget a meal here or there and just can’t get something in before your workout, Amped Ketones has you covered.

Traditional Diet:

Lastly, we did want to test a traditional, balanced diet to see if this truly did have any other special properties to it. What we found was the energy levels stayed consistent through all 3 trials. Although there was only 150mg of caffeine, we again completed our normal workout, and were able to do cardio after. One of the truly great aspects about this product is that it can make your total gym experience better and feel more worthwhile. If you have ever felt tired and skipped out on a couple of accessory lifts, ab training, or cardio, this stuff makes sure you aren’t depleted and allows you to get EVERYTHING done that you had planned for your workout.

Price Point:

Let’s face it, BHB salts aren’t cheap, regardless of the brand you use. Rightfully so, these ketogenic products play a huge role in performance in the gym and in daily life. Syntropy Labs is currently available exclusively on Amazon, but you can navigate through their company website to get to their Amazon store as well. Currently, Amped Ketones is listed at $54.45 for a 20 serving bag and that is also with free shipping.

However, if you use the code MODATH15, you can get an additional 15% off your order, bringing your total down to under $50. Although that seems expensive, that is competitive with ANY other BHB product on the market right now. In fact, that will certainly beat many of the BHB salt products you can find on Amazon as well, many of which will not include the myriad of other effective and important ingredients found in Amped Ketones.

Improved efficiency, improved work capacity, and clean energy without a massive amount of stimulants; that is what Amped Ketones can do for you. We definitely loved being able to try a BHB salt product and appreciate Syntropy Labs for hooking us up with some samples to put to the test. We have been able to test a lot of products here at Modern Athletic Health and without a doubt, this is one of the better Keto based products we’ve used. Head over to Syntropy Labs website and give them a follow on Instagram as well!