Three Nootropics for Better Productivity

RYSE BCAA and Focus

In recent years, Ryse blew up in popularity for a plethora of reasons. They are known for creating high quality products with a heavy emphasis on providing a memorable user experience. Perhaps most notably, Ryse has collaborated with a slew of companies to bring back some of our childhood favorite flavors. Let’s name a few:

• Ring-Pop
• Kool-Aid
• Sunny-D
• Bazooka
• Skippy 
• Sour Punch Straws
• Smarties

Formula Breakdown

It’s not too often a company in the supplement industry puts such an emphasis on providing that nostalgic factor for their consumers. Now yes, many companies have indeed tried to take a page from their book and have released their own collaboration products. But the fact of the matter is, Ryse was one of the first to do so and also has done each collaboration on an extremely high level by targeting flavor profiles us 20-30 year olds grew up loving so much. Ryse continues to go above and beyond in this manner and has expanded their collaboration flavors to several new products, including their BCAA and Focus product.

Ryse BCAA and Focus is the jack of all trades. It features the golden 2:1:1 ratio of BCAA’s leucine, isoleucine, and valine. BCAA’s are branched chain amino acids that play a role in muscle protein synthesis, recovery, and glucose uptake into cells to be used as energy. Because of this, BCAA’s are typically taken during a workout.

On the focus side of this formula, Ryse went ahead and included two choline precursors in choline bitartrate and Citicholine; both of which are used to create our neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholine plays an essential role in focus, cognition, and muscle contractions. To add on, BCAA and Focus features our most beloved central nervous system stimulant in caffeine anhydrous dosed at 80mg. Caffeine is one of the most studied ingredients on the planet and has been proven to :

• enhance energy
• increase focus
• promote thermogenesis

BCAA and Focus packs 30 servings at a price point of $26.99 and is available on Ryse’s website in three flavors; Sunny-D Orange Pineapple, Country Time Lemonade, and Kool-Aid Tropical Punch. 

KAGED Mindset

KAGED has made it clear over the years that they spare no expense when it comes to creating quality products; their Mindset product follows right along those lines. Mindset features several nootropics with an intention of enhancing working memory, improving focus, and sharpening cognition. 

Mindset packs one of the most popular focus-enhancing amino-acids in the supplement industry with 1000mg L-Tyrosine. It’s an amino acid that’s been shown to increase focus and cognition in times of acute stress, such as working out. L-Tyrosine is a precursor to dopamine, our feel good neurotransmitter which elevates both mood and memory. Mindset also packs in a massive dose of Alpha-GPC at 1200mg! Clinical dosing ranges from 300-600mg; 1200mg is almost unbelievable. To our knowledge at FI, it is potentially the largest dose of Alpha-GPC included in a formulation and will be sure to keep you wired in the gym. Alpha-GPC is an acetylcholine precursor that promotes focus, cognition, and muscle contraction. To stack on to that, this formula includes 10mg Huperzine A 1%; an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor that prevents the breakdown of acetylcholine. And as previously mentioned, more acetylcholine in the body also means more focus.

Mindset also features 1000mg ACL Carnitine; an ingredient that plays a role in many body processes including reducing mental fatigue and promoting energy production. It’s often used to prevent many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis, and dementia. Another nootropic compound, phosphatidylserine, can be found in Mindset and is dosed at 100mg. It’s an amino acid highly prevalent in the human brain and plays an important role in cognitive functioning and reducing cortisol.

To round things out, Mindset yields 300mg of phenylalanine; another precursor to dopamine and norepinephrine. Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that must be consumed from exogenous sources, as the body cannot produce it. It helps with neuronal conduction, maintaining an aroused state, and improves memory. Phenylalanine also plays a role in reducing depressive symptoms. Plus Mindset also has 200mg American Ginseng in the form of Cereboost. Cereboost has been shown to slow cognitive decline via enhancing acetylcholine levels along with playing a role in neuroprotection.

Mindset comes in at a price point of $44.99 for 15 full servings and is currently available on KAGED’s website in an Orange Mango flavor.

Apollon Nutrition Universal Soldier

Apollon Nutrition is known for sparing no expense in creating some of the most premium products in the supplement industry; their Universal Soldier product is no different. It is loaded with 15 different ingredients with the intention of improving mood, focus, and energy levels. Universal Soldier is coined an “Elite focus, gaming, and productivity elixir”. Sounds fancy, right?

To kick things off, Universal Soldier packs 3000mg L-Tyrosine; a non-essential amino acid and precursor to neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline. L-Tyrosine is primarily used to enhance both focus and cognition during bouts of acute stress, such as exercising and is also responsible for that slightly euphoric feeling gym rats adore. To stack on to that, there’s 1500mg of ACL Carnitine; an ingredient that plays an essential role in many body processes by improving fat metabolism, mental fatigue, and aiding in energy production. It is one of the most researched supplements on the market and plays a significant role in brain and cardiovascular health.

Universal Soldier also packs in a clinical dose of NooLVL; a combination of bonded arginine silicate with added inositol that poses many cognitive benefits. This ingredient has been extensively studied on gamers and has many documented benefits including increased energy, focus, selective attention, accuracy, and faster reaction time. Because of this, it has rightfully landed itself a spot in this productivity formula, which is the main topic of this article.

Universal Soldier also packs in 1000mg of the magical mushroom, Lion’s Mane. While unfortunately it is not actually magical, it does pose many nootropic benefits. It is rich in antioxidants which reduce inflammation and help to protect the brain from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers, multiple sclerosis, and dementia. While we’re on the all natural topic, Universal Soldier also boasts 300mg of Bacopa Monnieri; a nootropic herb utilized for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine for its cognitive enhancing properties. Supplementation with bacopa has been shown to be beneficial for reducing stress, reducing depressive symptoms, and improving cognition in humans.

This loaded formula also features the adaptogenic compound, Rhodiola Rosea. Adaptogens are compounds that get your body ready to deal with acute stress. Rhodiola supplementation poses a number of benefits, both cognitive and physical. These include increases in performance, reduced stress/anxiety, and elevation in mood. In one study, Rhodiola was shown to reduce lactate levels and muscle damage following bouts of intense exercise. A 14-day trial showed that Rhodiola supplementation improved cognitive flexibility, elevated mood, reduced stress and anxiety, while also showing improvement in depressive symptoms.

There’s several other ingredients in here that play a role in focus, brain health, or productivity including:

• Grape Seed Extract
• Uridine 5′-monophosphate
• Caffeine sources (caffeine anhydrous, di-caffeine malate, Coffeeberry)
• KannaEase
• Alpha-GPC
• Huperzine

Linked here is a more in depth breakdown of the ingredients found within Universal Soldier. Overall, Universal Soldier is loaded with focus ingredients which promote productivity and has rightfully learned itself a slot in the starting lineup.