NCN Supps Synergy Review
All pre workouts are not created equally. And sometimes less can be a whole lot more! When it comes to getting your body and mind right prior to beginning your training, it is absolutely crucial to make sure you’re consuming a properly doses pre workout supplement that will improve your training and enhance your progress each and every session. Enter Natural Chemist Nutraceuticals (NCN) Synergy, an all-in-one pump, energy, and focus enhancing pre-workout. NCN had hinted at their development of a pre-workout for months before finally releasing it in early 2021. We’ve loved NCN’s line from Shredderex to VasoSwole and Genbolin, and we had equally high expectations for their newest product, Synergy. NCN was kind enough to send us both of their flavors (Strawberry Kiwi Splash and Blueberry Lemonade) for review. Will Synergy measure up to the rest of NCN’s product line? Keep scrolling for a long-waited review and more information about NCN’s newest hit product, Synergy!
Mixability: Being that this was NCN’s first non-capsulated product we really didn’t know what to expect as far as mixability goes. A quick look at the ingredient profile will usually give a good hint at what kind of mixability rating a product will stand to get, and Synergy checks out! We started with one scoop in the recommended 8-12 ounces of water—let’s call it closer to 12. A few quick shakes and swirls and our drink was crystal clear. No notable particles floating around and no settling on the bottom of the shaker! Synergy is formulated with no artificial dyes or colors so albeit a little cloudy, the mixed beverage was very clear. Really great job by the lab guys over at NCN!
Flavors: Synergy comes in two popular flavors; Blueberry Lemonade and Strawberry Kiwi Splash. Blueberry Lemonade sounded amazing, and to be honest we were a little skeptical about strawberry kiwi due to past experiences with many companies really botching that flavor into a chemically mess. Given our experience with previous products from NCN, we were confident they would have found a way to make this flavor work… and they did!
Blueberry Lemonade- At first sniff you get a subtle lemonade flavor and heavy blueberry notes with this one. It does smell natural and doesn’t have an off-putting fake scent. The initial flavor is VERY sweet—even in the recommended amount of water. You get a strong lemonade flavor with more subtle notes of blueberry; opposite of the aroma! As you continue sipping, the sweet turns into a little bit more sour and really gives the taste of an authentic southern style lemonade with more powerful blueberry flavor. The flavor itself is more sweet than sour and could easily be mixed in upwards of 16-20 ounces of water and maintain a great, refreshing flavor. Overall, if you are a fan of lemonade-based flavors you will absolutely fall in love with this; make this your first choice!
Strawberry Kiwi Splash: NCN absolutely nailed this flavor. When you think of strawberry-kiwi, you normally think of a strong strawberry flavor with sour notes as kiwi is one of those flavors that are usually pretty hard to make authentic. Strawberry Kiwi Splash Synergy is the perfect mix of authentic strawberry flavor with a hint of sour citrus. The drink itself is extremely refreshing and would be wonderful as is even without the added benefits of a pre-workout. Much like the Blueberry Lemonade, it is on the sweeter side, so add in some extra water unless you have a real sweet tooth! In a world full of botched Strawberry Kiwi flavors, NCN’s version stands rights a whole bunch of wrongs!
Ingredient Profile: Now for the second most important part of the review, because let’s face it, we only buy pre-workout for the flavor… right? Well, if for whatever reason you choose to buy a pre-workout for the pumps, improved blood flow, enhanced focus, and feeling untouchable in the gym, we will give you a rundown of what you’ll experience with Synergy. Synergy is broken down into 2 Matrices: Circulatory + Nitric Oxide + Endurance Matrix, and the Nootropic + Adrenaline Matrix. Synergy is a play on classic ingredients and clinical dosages which makes this preworkout great by itself, or perfectly stackable with other non-stim ingredients.
Dosing for synergy can be broken down into 1 or 2 scoops making the tub either 20 or 40 servings. As always, we suggest start with 1 scoop to assess your tolerance before moving up to 2 scoops.
Before jumping into what’s inside the bottle, it’s very much worth noting that as with all existing NCN products, the Synergy formula is backed by a fully disclosed label and validated by independent third party lab testing. For those who aren’t aware of the significance of that, it means you can rest assured that what’s on the Synergy label is indeed what’s in your bottle, and you will be consuming a clinically dosed supplement with no inferior fillers or ingredients.
Now, let’s dive into what makes Synergy so, well, synergistic!
Circulatory + Nitric Oxide + Endurance Matrix
L-Citrulline (3,000mg per scoop): A staple in most pre-workouts today, L-Citrulline is known for its ability to convert to nitric oxide to improve vasodilation, lower blood pressure, and help to deliver nutrients through the body. Studies have shown that citrulline can reduce fatigue, improve endurance, improve recovery (due to the increased blood flow) and decrease rest times—both during your workout and between bouts of exercise. Long term supplementation with Citrulline has been found safe and can amplify your body’s ability to resynthesize ATP as well. As if this wasn’t enough, citrulline is known to give you those skin splitting pumps so often chased after in the gym. 3,000mg is a fairly standard dose where individuals start to experience those pumps. Bump it up to 6,000mg in two scoops and you’ll find yourself pumped before you even begin your workout!
Beta Alanine (1,600mg per scoop): Another cornerstone in most pre-workout supplements, Synergy packs 1,600mg of that wonderful pins and needles feeling into every scoop. As you may already know, Beta-Alanine is known for its paresthesia or the “tingly effect” it gives users. Beta-Alanine is known for its role as a carnosine enhancer which can increase muscular endurance, improve rest times between sets and increased repetitions during your workouts. Much like citrulline, users have reported reduced time between sets and an increase in reps performed during their workouts. Beta Alanine isn’t a supplement you’ll notice working right away—in fact studies show the longer you supplement with beta alanine, the more profound its effects become! A standard dose is right around 3,000mg so going with two scoops of Synergy will deliver you a true clinical dose of beta alanine.
Betaine Anhydrous (1,250mg per scoop): One of our favorite ingredients—betaine is another supplement that you may not feel right away but has plenty of important long term benefits. Betaine has been shown to increase performance through enhanced power output, improved strength, and increased stamina. Studies also suggest betaine plays a positive role in maintaining positive hydration which makes it a great pairing with citrulline! Supplementing with betaine over time will not only improve your strength and stamina but can improve hydration and amplify the effects of other pump ingredients! Big shoutout to NCN for throwing this in Synergy—a truly synergistic ingredient!
Nootropic + Adrenaline Matrix
L-Tyrosine (375mg per scoop): L-Tyrosine is known for its ability to improve cognition, and is metabolized by the body to produce neurotransmitters such as dopamine, epinephrine, and adrenaline. Supplementing with L-Tyrosine has been shown to increase endurance and motivation due to its ability to open metabolic pathways and increase free flow of those previously mentioned hormones throughout your body. Studies found that Tyrosine combined with caffeine or other stimulants can improve cognition, alertness, focus, and reaction time even after exhaustive exercise! L-Tyrosine is the perfect ingredient to make sure you don’t fall short, even during the most grueling workouts. 750mg is a clinically tested standard dose of L-Tyrosine and can be achieved in 2 scoops of Synergy.
Caffeine Anhydrous (137.5mg per scoop) The best supplement ever found, created, synthesized, whatever, of all time! 137.5 mg of caffeine is right around the amount most energy drinks contain—nothing over the top but certainly enough to get the job done. 2 scoops of Synergy will pack a powerful 275mg of caffeine which may be a bit much for some users, so dose accordingly! We commend NCN for not overloading Synergy with stimulants in an attempt to make Synergy seem stronger than it actually is. Caffeine pairs well with ingredients like Tyrosine and Theobromine and synergizes well with pump agents, helping increase delivery into the blood stream. Caffeine can enhance aspects of thermogenesis, appetite suppression, heightened sense of well-being, mood elevation, focus, power output, and so much more.
Theobromine HCL (75mg per scoop): Not a common ingredient in many pre workouts but one that should absolutely be included in most! Theobromine is derived from the cacao plant and has been shown to improve cognition, lower blood pressure, and provide a mild stimulant effect. Although there have been no nootropic-like effects studied from theobromine supplementation, its ability to signal dopamine-like reactions make it a great synergist for other stimulant and nootropic-like ingredients. Theobromine will boost your mood while it keeping elevated energy levels flowing through your workouts.
Astragin (12.5mg per scoop): Astragin is undoubtedly one of the most underrated ingredients in pre-workouts. Astragin is the ingredient that makes Synergy, and any other supplement for that matter, the best version it can be. Astragin is a top-tier absorption enhancer and bioavailability preserver when paired with other ingredients. What this means is Astragin makes sure that the nutrients you want are being delivered into the blood stream safely, effectively, and at the amounts that should be getting delivered. Essentially, Astragin is the vehicle that guides all the goodies inside Synergy into your blood stream to make sure you’re getting exactly what the supplement label says.
BioPerine (2.5mg per scoop): Truly a rare and synergistic combination with two bioavailability enhancers in one product. If Astragin is Batman, then BioPerine is certainly Robin. Bioperine is a trademarked version of Piperine, an ingredient that enhances bioavailability through different mechanisms. Derived from black pepper fruits, BioPerine has been shown to increase absorption of a variety of nutrients by AT LEAST 30%. When coupled with Astragin, Bioperine can further enhance the ingredients in Synergy, creating one of the most bioavailable pre-workouts on the market!
Price Point: NCN is known for both quality AND affordability with their products. Right now, without any sales, NCN is running Synergy for $45/tub or a little over $1 per serving if you use 1 scoop per workout, which is a great price for a great blend that is extremely stackable or great on its own. But when you enter code NCN20 at checkout on https://www.ncnsupps.com/products/synergy you’ll get an additional 20% off of your entire order! NCN also runs frequent deals and has multiple sponsored athletes with discount codes to get you an additional 10% off! And if you’re an Amazon Prime Member, NCN Synergy is also available on Amazon!
Our Experiences: We rolled with both the 1 and 2 scoop doses during our trial with Synergy and had great results with both. At 1 scoop, the energy was solid, nothing over the top, but it was definitely noticeable. Focus was improved and the long-term energy from the added theobromine was a great bonus. The pumps and vascularity were certainly present but again, nothing over the top. No crazy tingles from the beta alanine but the endurance factor was also something that hit us even on the first workout. 1 scoop of Synergy is a truly a solid all around great workout for both experienced and novice users. With 2 scoops, we noticed a HUGE boost of long-lasting clean energy. The theobromine/caffeine combination takes this preworkout to another level. As if the jitter-free energy and focus wasn’t enough, you really start to get those skin splitting pumps with 2 scoops. 6g of citrulline alongside 3.2g of beta alanine and 2.5g of betaine really checks all the boxes you want before heading into an intense training session. Outside of the massive pumps, you will actually FEEL stronger after about the second week of usage due to how ingredients like beta alanine and betaine build up and accumulate in your system over time for enhanced endurance and power output. Simply put, Synergy is everything you want in a pre-workout, without any added fluff.
Final Thoughts: We never really questioned what kind of product we would be getting when NCN released Synergy. Like all of their other products, Synergy has been rigorously third-party tested for quality and dosage, and it showed during our trial with it. From taste, to effectiveness, mixability, and the SICK pumps we got workout after workout, Synergy will be on the front shelf of our supplement cabinet for months to come. If you’re looking for a staple pre workout that is clinically dosed with 2 AMAZING flavor options, and an ingredient profile that allows for so much versatility, then look no further than NCN’s Synergy. We want to give a major shoutout to the guys over at NCN who put us on to their new pre workout—and for those of you who are ready to step up your training game, make sure to use code NCN20 at checkout to get an additional 20% off of your entire order on NCNSupps.com or visit the NCN Amazon storefront!
