Marketed as an “ultra-concentrated anabolic amino acid formula”, CytoSport’s Monster Amino is essentially a vitamin-enhanced muscle mass booster that doubles as a kind of energy drink. As a part of the CytoSport Monster product series (Monster Milk, Monster Pump NOS, Monster Mass), Monster Amino was created with the purpose of encouraging muscle development as the tissue is being broken down and rebuilt with use before, during, and after training.
After a few months of study, Monster Amino, I discovered, acts as a beverage to increase the potential for muscle growth, and it uses the key amino acids – leucine, isoleucine, and valine – as the key ingredients for what CytoSport defines as the winning combination for “maximum muscle-building performance.”
In my own usage of the Monster Amino, while I couldn’t always pinpoint why I felt differently, I knew that with my use of it during and after my workouts, I felt more energized and that my body seemed to be more absorbent with my protein shakes after I ingested Monster Amino. Knowing this, CytoSport insider, executive, and head of the Monster series, Jeff Brucker, gave me this insight about my own testing of the product:
One of the reasons why you are experiencing enhanced blood flow with Monster Amino is because we added Citrulline Malate to the formula to help with vasodilatation and nutrient uptake. We also added a significant amount of Leucine with free-form L-Leucine and Leucine Peptides.
Another nice feature is that the formula does not contain any artificial FD&C dyes.
The Monster Amino flavor I tried was the Fruit Punch. It definitely is true to the flavor of what fruit punch tastes like. It’s a little gritty because of the mineral makeup of the beverage and it does take some getting used to the flavor, because it’s not actually fruit punch, but it does a pretty good job of simulating the essence of that kind of drink.
Overall, I feel like Monster Amino is a very solid supplement, and is a good way to enhance your workout experience with in-training use, and also a great follow-up tool to help in your body’s digestion of protein. Though it may not be necessary for casual trainers and athletes, seriously dedicated gymrats may be able to develop an appreciation for its unique properties. If nothing else, having Monster Amino to pair up with another product that you may use (Monster Milk, for example) can give you another edge of motivation to train, if but for the simple fact that you have accessories as an aid, and with the quality product that is CytoSport Monster Amino, there’s not much lose – just gain.
—
Disclaimer: For specific clarity, there was no payment given or distributed from the product company to the author in the production and composition of this piece, which is the true and honest expression of the sole opinions of this author.