The world of sports nutrition is heavily saturated with many gimmicks and products that flat-out don’t work. Of those that do work even fewer are run by guys who understand what a combat athlete would need in order to sustain himself or to get him through a grueling workout / smoke session. Precious few groups of people understand how bad workouts can get. Rangers are one of those groups that understand. I’ve worked with Rangers quite a bit in my career. I like them, they are no-nonsense (unless downtown) get the job done kind of guys. Once they leave the military they grow sick beards and I’m one hundred percent on board with that. These guys do work, and they put their stamp on everything. Ranger Nutrition is no different. This company was founded by a former Army Ranger that served 26 years in the Army.
All products are designed and manufactured in the United States. I was afforded the opportunity to try out some products produced by Ranger Nutrition and consider me a believer. I was sent Nitro NO2 and Ranger Candy BCAA Powder (Ranger’s and their habit of putting Army Ranger on everything, right? I kid). The Nitro NO2 is a L-Arginine blend that was designed to be all natural with none of the physical side effects of previous NO2 supplements made by other companies. Indeed, other forms of NO2 were prone to leave me slightly shaky before, during and after workouts. This has been widely reported and was considered a quirk of taking a NO2 type supplement. So I was skeptical when I received the product and was told it would have no side effects.
I took it and had the most wild pump inducing workout of the last couple years of my life. Placebo effect? I thought so and tried cycling on and off by a month. My workouts on Nitro NO2 felt significantly better and my lifts increased as did my overall mood to crush the workout when on Nitro NO2. Placebo effect? Maybe, but that’s one hell of a placebo. Further I had no side effects that I typically had with other NO2 products. I think it’s a combination of using all natural high-grade products and not using any type of synthetic sweeteners, hormones, or antibiotics. What I like most about it is that it isn’t ridiculously expensive. A bottle of 90 capsules will cost you around 35 bucks.
The other product I had the pleasure of trying was Ranger Candy. Ranger Candy is a BCAA powder that tastes like smarties and not like crap. The benefits of taking BCAA’s are widely researched. BCAA’s when taken in supplement form helps to stop the breakdown of muscle and supports muscle synthesis. Of the many supplements out there BCAA’s are one of several that make the most sense to be taken on the regular. Ranger Nutrition has not done anything particularly revolutionary with their BCAA powder, they rather have put together a solid mix that doesn’t taste terrible and won’t break the bank at 29 bucks per jug. Further it’s supported by a Veteran run company made right here in the USA. I took the Nitro NO2 and the Ranger Candy separate from one another and not on the same days in order to test them out individually. While taking Ranger Candy I recovered more quickly, got stronger and was able to bust through a couple of lifting plateaus. My workouts felt more energized and more importantly I recovered from being sore faster than when not taking it.
I spent about two weeks taking these supplements together (and several months before hand) and I’m impressed with the boost they’ve given me in my workouts. Supplements won’t get you anywhere without a lot of grit and work. But when you’re hitting the gym hard, and need that extra push in your workout – you can’t go wrong with the supplements listed above or any of Ranger Nutrition’s product line up. Make sure you stay hydrated while taking these and maintain an excellent diet and you’ll see some results. If you’re considering buying some of Ranger Nutrition’s products I couldn’t recommend the company enough.
