The PricePlow Podcast

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/david-dodrill-arms-race-nutrition If you’re active in the sports nutrition industry, then you’ve undoubtedly met — or at least heard of — David Dodrill of Arms Race Nutrition (ARN). He’s the man in the van, driving across the nation to retailers, gyms, and everything in between to spread the good word of the Arms Race. Arms Race Nutrition recently won the 2022 Breakout Brand of the Year in PricePlow’s 2022 Supplement Industry Awards. They had a phenomenal year with many great releases, upgrades, and flavors. From what we’re seeing so far in 2023, ARN will be in the discussion for brand of the year — if nothing else, they’ve made themselves a consistent brand to watch. A lot of this is in part of David’s hustle. He’s taken it upon himself to get ARN’s supplements into the hands of consumers nationwide, and he’s done a spectacular job of it. David leaks Harness Evolution formula on the Podcast In this episode, we discuss David’s backstory, get into the new Harness Evolution formula (where we were able to tease the formula first), talk about new Foundation Bars coming, and finally get into an RTD that’s in development! Great conversation with a great man — check it out below: Show Notes with David Dodrill of Arms Race Nutrition (0:00) – Introductions (9:10) – Bodybuilding (11:55) – Arms Race Breakout Brand of 2022 (20:45) – Story of the brown paper labels (24:38) – Cigars at Caesar’s Palace (28:08) – Harness Evolution (42:20) – Beta testing (44:45) – Pre-workout formulations and influencers (47:30) – ARN going forward (54:40) – Involvement with other brands (59:25) – Harness RTDs Follow David and Arms Race Nutrition on Social Media: David Dodrill on Instagram Arms Race Nutrition on Instagram David Dodrill on LinkedIn Big thank you to David, Doug Miller, and Julian Smith for having David on and allowing PricePlow to be the place where the formula’s announced!

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/scott-dicker-spins In late January 2023, we sat down to speak with Scott Dicker of SPINS, a wellness-focused data technology company that provides retail consumer insights and analytics, with a focus in the natural, organic, and specialty products industries. Gathering Market Insights at SPINS Scott is their director of market insights, and has a special love for sports nutrition products, as he’s a long-time user in the category. We first met him at SupplySide West 2022, where he and Ben both gave presentations in the Sports Nutrition’s Rebound and Regrowth session. When we needed a quote about the growth of collagen over the past few years, we called on Scott to provide it. This led to us inviting him onto the podcast, which was a great conversation about data, trends, the economy, energy drinks, and some of Scott’s own personal predictions for the coming years. On the record: Scott answers the call for collagen data To support a claim made in our recent Ingredient Optimized ioCollagen announcement, we asked Scott to talk to us about collagen’s growth. He replied with the following: “Collagen continues to expand it’s reach, both in protein powders as well as in functional food and beverages. When looking at protein powders, collagen now has the second largest market share on Amazon, only behind whey protein. While sales and unit both stagnated on Amazon this past year, brick and mortar sales grew by almost 24%. This is especially impressive since units also increased by double digits. This separates collagen from most other categories where sales growth was largely driven by inflation and rising prices. Collagen has really benefited from the diversity of merchandising opportunities that retailers are providing, often found in both the beauty and personal care section as well as supplements. I expect collagen to have another strong year, even in this uncertain economy.” – Scott Dicker, Market Insights Director for SPINS The above interaction then led to this podcast episode: Show Notes with Scott Dicker of SPINS (0:00) – Introductions (4:40) – Collagen data (9:35) – Does SPINS data help brands as well as retailers? (14:10) – How does SPINS identify upcoming trends? (16:40) – Direct-to-consumer channel (23:05) – Shrinkflation and stick packs (26:20) – Is the hydration category growing? (37:40) – Channel strategies in Walmart (40:00) – How has widespread information affected data? (52:35) – Is overall caffeine consumption going up? (56:40) – Paraxanthine is coming for caffeine’s marketshare (1:03:00) – The return of nicotine? (1:08:50) – Creatine going mainstream? 1:19:40 Is ashwagandha peaking? It took off in 2020, but Scott does see more modest growth for ashwagandha. It’s switching more from supplement status to functional foods. That capped off quite a great converation! Follow Scott and SPINS on LinkedIn: Scott Dicker on LinkedIn SPINS on LinkedIn

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/kaged-mindset-launch On January 23, 2023, Team PricePlow was joined by Team Kaged to discuss the Kaged Mindset launch. This episode is special because PricePlow Nation gets to meet two new faces: Aaron Heidebreicht (Chief Commercial Officer) and Brian Rand (Co-Founder and Product Developer). We’re also joined by Darin Decker, who was in Episode #058 discussing the brand’s renaming to Kaged as well as Episode #047 about navigating the supplement industry. Formulation Extraordinaire Brian Rand Steals the Show But the big story here is that we finally got Brian Rand to come and show his talents, and show him he did. PricePlow followers may remember him from our 2017 interview titled An Interview with Brian Rand: Kaged Muscle’s “Executioner”. All this time, since 2014, Brian has been the formulation and flavoring brains behind the brand. So when we got to dive into the creation of Mindset (filmed live on the PricePlow Discord), this episode became the “Brian Rand show”, and we’re glad it did, because he’s a phenomenal formulation talent who clearly goes above and beyond when testing supplements. The conversation is below on video and in our audio feeds (subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast with your favorite podcast app), and also be sure to sign up for our Kaged news alerts before checking out: Show Notes: Brian Rand, Team Kaged, and the Mindset Nootropic Launch (0:00) – Introductions (0:50) – Kaged doesn’t enter categories unless they can do something special (1:30) – More isn’t better for nootropics (2:45) – “Test, Don’t Guess” (5:00) – Caffeine and caffeine-free versions in Mindset (6:15) – Darin Decker buying the competition (8:15) – Introducing Brian Rand (9:30) – Did the userbase help with Mindset’s formulation (12:30) – The shift from Kaged Muscle to Kaged (15:15) – Aaron Heidebeicht (18:15) – Mindset doesn’t use novel stimulants (27:00) – Money back guarantee (28:30) – Kaged using 10 grams of citrulline in Pre-Kaged Elite (34:15) – The novel ingredients in Mindset (37:45) – How to Sell Mindset in Retail Stores (41:30) – Kaged Omega-3 Fish Oil is Back! (47:00) – What’s Kaged’s Biggest Product Gap now? (Protein Bar!) (49:00) – Try a protein bar 9 months after its creation… (52:00) – Mike wants a Kaged Magnesium supplement (55:00) – Discord Giveaways (56:30) – Brian Rand’s Doing it Right (57:50) – The Kaged Flavor Systems (1:00:15) – New Kaged Whey Protein Isolate Coming! (1:01:15) – The Kaged Pre-Workout Options (1:07:30) – Thank you Kaged and Brian Rand! You can follow Kaged at @Kaged on Instagram, but for you business-minded folks, don’t miss Kaged on LinkedIn as well! And as always, stay tuned to PricePlow.com/kage… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/jason-budsock-animal-080 In early January of 2023, we kicked the year off right by hosting Jason Budsock of Animal at Universal Nutrition on the PricePlow Podcast. Many know Jason for his two decades at Animal – He’s JDawgXL in the forums and on Instagram, and is the Vice President of Products at the company. In this discussion, we talk about Animal’s legendary past, the incredible product launches over the past year (see them on our Universal Nutrition news page), and what they have coming for us in 2023. We reminisce about The Cage, and Jason explains how they were the original EAA supplement, released in the early 2000s after following two studies published in 1999 and 2000. Some changes are coming to Animal Pak, a new value Whey Protein is on its way, and far more. Show Notes with Jason Budsock at Universal / Animal (0:00) – Introductions (4:30) – 2006: Animal Flex and Animal Omega (5:15) – The Animal Brand (6:45) – The Legacy of @UniversalUSA on Instagram (7:45) – Animal was the original lifestyle brand (10:00) – Animal provides an experience (13:00) – Flavor technology over the years (14:45) – Universal manufactures its own supplements (17:30) – Product development: listening to the customer base (20:30) – Some future product hints (23:15) – Old school but still ahead of the curve (25:30) – The Universal / Animal Demographic (28:00) – THE CAGE (38:30) – Bodybuilders and Powerlifters (40:00) – Where does Animal move forward? (43:00) – Any product leaks? (48:00) – Responding to 2020 (51:30) – Animal Nitro: The original EAA supplement That ended the conversation, and it was great catching up Jason! Stay in touch with Universal Nutrition and Animal: Instagram: @AnimalPak and @UniversalUSA TikTok: @OfficialAnimalPak YouTube: YouTube.com/@animalpak Jason Budsock’s Instagram: @JDawgXL

It’s that time of year again — time for PricePlow’s 2022 Supplement Industry Awards. Mike and Ben sat down to review 2022, and then got into a batch of awards similar to what we did in the 2021 Supplement Industry Awards. 2022 brought some great new ingredient innovations, but also came with some heartbreaking tragedy. The industry mostly broke away from some of the issues created in 2020 and 2021, but also dealt with ongoing issues such as supply chain difficulties and price increases (especially for protein, creatine, and citrulline). Once again, most players who went big in 2022 were already well-established before 2020, but there are definitely a few new movers to keep your eyes on for 2023 and beyond. This is posted as Episode #079 on the PricePlow Podcast. Video and audio versions are below, with the details after that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itcS-3g1KYM (0:00) – General 2022 Discussion (10:25) – 2023 MVP of the Year (Lifetime Achievement Award) (18:00) – 2022 Innovator of the Year (32:30) – Product of the Year (34:10) – Brand of the Year (48:40) – Breakout Brand of the Year (56:00) – Brands to watch for 2023 (1:03:30) – Protein Powder of the Year (1:06:55) – Pre-Workout of the Year? One we’d particularly like to highlight for its accessibility is Raw Nutrition CBum Thavage. It’s an excellent “daily driver” pre-workout formula that’s reasonable in both ingredients and price. It’s not over-powered or under-powered, it’s in that goldilocks zone. Our favorite flavor this year was their Ghost Legend Cbum Thavage Miami Vice Collab, although Myprotein put in yet another incredible The Pre-Workout Flavor, this time with their Mike and Ike Caribbean Punch flavor. What was your favorite pre-workout of 2022? Because we left this one a bit open… That wraps it up — as always, subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform. Next up is our discussion with Jason Budsock of Animal Pak / Universal Nutrition!

Show notes posted at https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/dr-ralf-jaeger-atp-078 On December 28, 2022, we had the honor of hosting Dr. Ralf Jaeger to the PricePlow Podcast. For Episode #078, we dove into all things ATP — adenosine triphosphate — and how supplementing more with Peak ATP (sold and distributed by TSI Group) can improve workout performance — but not in the way most individuals expect. Dr. Ralf Jaeger: Using Peak ATP to improve blood flow Peak ATP provides exogenous ATP as a disodium ATP salt, which is the most stable form. While many think of ATP as the “energy currency” of all living cells, it’s also a signaling molecule. When supplementing, its real effects take advantage of that mechanism: Dr. Jaeger explains that ATP signals greater nitric oxide release, thereby improving blood flow. This is especially helpful to take before intense exercise, as ATP stores get used up quickly and the body needs to generate more. Low ATP levels means low performance. At the end. Dr. Jaeger also teases some new research coming up that we’re extremely excited about, and will follow on PricePlow. It’s all discussed in the video and audio feeds below – but first subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite podcast platform: (0:12) – Introductions (2:38) – What is ATP? (4:46) – Where is ATP stored? (7:10) – The benefits of ATP supplementation (8:50) – Peak ATP – How much supplemental ATP is beneficial? (10:05) – Limitations of our ATP stores (11:50) – ATP’s effect on blood flow (14:08) – Peak ATP and Citrulline: Complementary? (17:45) – Peak ATP Dose Range Testing (18:25) – Not over encumbering the muscle (20:20) – ATP’s effects on recovery and pain reduction (24:55) – What stacks well with ATP? (27:25) – How controlled are these studies in terms of diet, progression, etc.? (31:45) – NAD+ precursors and their “spending” of ATP (34:50) – Upcoming studies / events from Dr. Jaeger A note regarding ATP and calcium release Around the 8-minute mark in this episode, Dr. Jaeger mentioned that ATP increases calcium release, which aids in muscle contraction. We didn’t dive any deeper, but later asked for some supporting references when writing these show notes. He provided two studies, adding the following: Under conditions of fatigue oxygen availability and calcium release may decline in skeletal muscle. When this occurs red blood cells respond by releasing ATP into the blood, which triggers vasodilation, localized blood flow, enhanced nutrient uptake, and sustained muscle excitability by increasing extracellular uptake of calcium. — Dr. Ralf Jaeger (via email) He added that 50% decrease in calcium release = 80% reduced force, which comes from the second of those two studies provided (see Figure 5). Closing up: ATP is more than energy We’d like to thank Dr. Ralf for coming on, and to TSI Group for connecting us and funding his time and this episode. In summary, the point here is that ATP is often discussed in the context of cellular energy but not as much in terms of signaling. And it turns out that its role in signaling for greater nitric oxide during exercise is potentially more relevant to our user base (sports nutrition researchers and performance athletes). Because of what we’ve learned, we believe that Peak ATP belongs in more nitric oxide supplements. It’s great in any pre-workout sup… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

Show notes posted to https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/james-hedricks-impel-nutrition-077 On December 9, 2022, we had James Hedricks of Impel Nutrition on the PricePlow Podcast, filmed through the PricePlow Discord. It was a great day, and we had a great time talking about how James is running his brand in the Florida Panhandle, doing things the right way. One of Impel’s greatest strengths is James’s manufacturing auditing and lab testing requirements – he pays for additional third-party testing to make sure that his supplements are what they say they are. In this podcast, we talk about the above philosophies, and dig into some of his key products that are listed below. This is one of the good guys in the space, and if you’re tired of light tubs with 20 servings, take a look at these 30-serving beasts below. Show Notes and Product Coverage More detailed show notes are coming, but we want to show three products discussed in this episode: Impel IN Daily – Greens & Longevity The goal here is to add ingredients into a daily greens formula that will reduce the number of capsules required from other supplements. For instance, turmeric/curcumin (anti-inflammatory), NAC (antioxidant/immunity), Astrion (skin care), Coenzyme Q10 (antioxidant / cardiovascular health), and PQQ (cellular energy) knock out ton of things that you’d likely have to take on your own, since they’re rarely in multivitamins but are incredibly healthy on a daily basis. Even you use even a few of these on a daily basis, it’s a great idea to switch. Impel VAIN – Stimulant-Free Pre-Workout Supplement In 2020, we covered VAIN in our blog post titled Impel Nutrition Vain: 30 FULL Non-Stim Servings of Insane Vascularity, and loved how you get 30 full servings, the way it used to be. This was also one of the first supplements to use FitNox, an ingredient that brands are just coming around to. Lab tests available! This is the product where we show Impel’s lab testing prowess — you can see one of his tests (and the costs) from this image – they’re definitely not cheap, but this is doing it right. Impel GSD Pre GSD Pre is for getting stuff done, of course. Impel’s pre-workout supplement keeps the caffeine moderate with about 230 milligrams of caffeine, yet still brings you a full 30 servings (as with Vain), so you can always dial it up more and still have it last a whole month! And as you can see from the featured image, Impel also has a new whey protein isolate powder named In Whey, transparently labeled and third-party tested in an NSF-certified facility. Follow James and Impel Nutrition on Social Media @ImpelNutrition @impel_ceo

On Monday, November 14th, MuscleTech held their first ever virtual press conference with a major announcement: Blessing Awodibu, otherwise known as The Boogieman, has joined Team MuscleTech! PricePlow joined media companies from both sides of the announcement, which included sports nutrition supplement press as well as bodybuilding news experts. This was announced just a month from the 2022 Mr. Olympia showdown. MuscleTech is back in bodybuilding with The Boogieman MuscleTech has recently taken the supplement world by storm, releasing their iQ Series of supplements that include enfinity brand paraxanthine – a caffeine replacement – headlined by their EuphoriQ pre-workout supplement. Blessing is well-known for his high-energy antics, incredible work ethic, and jovial sense of humor, which can get under the skin of his competitors, to say the least. In this podcast episode, we’re merging two interviews with Blessing: The MuscleTech press conference, where Blessing tells a must-listen story about his previous sponsorships. A PricePlow Podcast episode that was live in our Discord chat. Both are great, and show you an entertaining but competitive man who will have the freedom to do some really fun things at MuscleTech. Note that the podcast audio file includes MuscleTech’s press conference, which is then followed by our Podcast episode. Parts of the press conference — especially at the 14 minute mark — were too good to not include! Notes from the MuscleTech Press Conference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOjGjB0GGhE MuscleTech’s Scott Welch came up with a great idea for this announcement: the first virtual press conference in MuscleTech history, with media coverage from both sides of the space. This included PricePlow and Fitness Informant from the supplement news side, but RX Muscle and Muscular Development from the bodybuilding news side. It led to some good questions from both sides: (0:50) – Introduction from Scott Welch of Iovate / MuscleTech (4:35) – Blessing Awodibu joins the call (6:35) – The brands that competed for Blessing’s endorsement (7:55) – The Legacy of MuscleTech in Bodybuilding (9:20) – Blessing’s changes over the past year (11:40) – How important is endorsement these days? (13:35) – What was Blessing looking for in a sponsor? (14:20) – What happened with The Boogieman Pre-Workout and Trec Nutrition? (16:25) – Blessing’s time at Redcon1 (17:45) – Blessing wants to change bodybuilding for the better (18:15) – The end of the Redcon1 story once Aaron Singerman was gone (19:30) – Meeting with other companies (20:35) – New things coming with MuscleTech and Blessing (22:50) – A personality who happens to be a bodybuilder (23:35) – Can we expect to see “Blessing 110%” viral videos with MuscleTech? (26:20) – Any product pipelines? (28:20) – Has Blessing tried MuscleTech’s EuphoriQ pre-workout? (30:35) – Mr. Olympia Predictions (32:50) – MuscleTech History and athletes (35:20) – Blessing’s Immigration status (36:15) – Introductions, Big Boogie Energy (37:00) – Blessing’s Backstory (39:00) – Find a way to get out of being the victim (39:… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/todd-spear-katie-emerson-nutrition21-075 In early November of 2022, the SupplySide West convention was held at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, showcasing the premiere ingredients and technology in the dietary supplement and functional food industries. As is tradition, Team PricePlow met with Team Nutrition21 to catch up in-person — Nutriton21 being the industry-leading developer and supplier of dietary supplement ingredients well-known for ingredients such as Nitrosigine, nooLVL, Chromax, and Velositol. Mike and Ben met with Todd Spear (Sports Nutrition Category Leader) and Katie Emerson (Manager of Scientific Affairs) to discuss the latest research and industry trends coming out of both the industry at large and Nutrition21’s team. This was a fun, informative, and fast-paced conversation where you get to meet some of the personalities behind the brands. We cover all four of Nutrition21’s ingredients listed above, discuss their research, potential opportunities, and the reasons these ingredients are important in today’s dietary landscape. Show Notes: (0:00) – Opening (2:00) – Nitrosigine (3:15) – Nitrosigine and Cognitive Function (3:45) – nooLVL vs. Nitrosigine (5:30) – What is inositol? (7:00) – The problems with traditional L-arginine (8:30) – The big scoop craze (9:30) – Vasodilation and Lowering of Blood Pressure (10:30) – Testing ingredients on gamers (12:00) – Early experiences with Nitrosigine (15:00) – Nitrosigine Dosing (19:00) – The point of no return for pumps? (21:30) – A transition back to lower-cost pre-workouts (23:30) – The University of Arkansas Study (25:30) – Stick Packs and Sachets (26:30) – Comparing ingredients fairly and measuring them (29:45) – Any ingredients NOT to combine Nitrosigine / nooLVL with? (32:15) – Velositol (35:00) – Soil mineral levels are worse than ever – need to supplement (37:00) – Nutrient timing (42:00) – Looking at actual endpoints from Velositol use (44:15) – Velositol does even more than what’s currently claimed (44:50) – Velositol and Collagen?! (49:00) – Velositol should be in protein bars! (50:00) – Appetite suppression from chromium? (52:00) – Body awareness and fitness/nutrition (55:00) – Bucking the age-old trends of bad nutritional advice (58:30) – What’s next for Nutrition21?

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/brent-laffey-armada-nutrition-074 Brent Laffey of Armada Nutrition — a premier contract supplement manufacturer — re-joins the PricePlow Podcast to talk about Armada’s expansion. Armada is well-known for producing some of the world’s most popular supplements in their highly-acclaimed Tennessee facility, but now they’re expanding with an even larger facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. We bring Brent onto the show to talk about Armada’s history, its other closely-related businesses (such as Prinova of the NAGASE group), supplement technologies such as blending, and the extraordinary amount of testing Armada performs on the products they produce. Then we get into the Utah expansion, which marks a major upgrade in the company’s capabilities and throughput. Along the way, you’ll learn about flavor technology, industry careers, and even types of dairy used in different whey proteins. This is an incredibly informative episode for any supplement user or entrepeneur, highlighting how to do things the right way — a stark difference from episode #027, where we last invited Brent on the podcast to discuss the ABH Pharma indictment / scandal. The Armada way is clearly the better way. Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BRas9xHiKM Show Notes: The History and Future of Armada Nutrition (0:00) – Introductions (1:00) – Discussion of Brent’s background (3:50) – Founding Armada Nutrition (4:40) – Scaling Armada in Tennessee (6:30) – Focusing on flavoring (7:26) – Buying the Capstone facility after the MusclePharm blow-up (9:32) – Industry Transparency (12:40) – Prinova’s Flavoring (14:30) – Exclusive flavors (17:35) – Are brands moving to control their supply chains? (19:50) – Armada’s new Utah facility (21:28) – Does Armada have any job listings for entry-level positions? (22:30) – Careers in Contract Manufacturing (23:18) – Is humidity a factor when deciding on a location? (23:58) – Utah facility details (24:55) – Blending (27:45) – The TikTok girl who sold supplements from a blender (29:00) – How involved is Brent in flavor reviewing and tasting? (32:50) – Blending – How do you avoid having hotspots in a scoop? (34:50) – Rauwolfia Example – How to spread very small doses? (37:00) – Where do the carbs come from in a lot of these products? (39:00) – How many lab tests are performed on a standard pre-workout supplement? (39:53) – Armada’s third party lab (40:30) – Will Brent lab test some mayonnaise for Mike? (42:15) – At what point does a batch fail a test? (44:55) – Do you ever mix batches of protein? (47:11) – Up and coming brands (49:13) – Mega-Scoop Formulas? (52:38) – Vertical integration for Armada? (54:39) – Armada’s own Trademarked ingredients? (57:25) – Wrapping up, farewells (58:04) – Carbon Culture Gym