The PricePlow Podcast

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/patrick-mabe-tactical-games-073 Patrick Mabe (@mr.patrick.mabe) of Core Nutritionals, Merica Labz, and Merica Energy joins the PricePlow Podcast to discuss his competition in the Tactical Games, fatherhood, and living the Crush It Lifestyle at Core Nutritionals in North Carolina! This was a great follow-up to The Boss Status Episode 8, where Patrick and Doug Miller interviewed Mike and Ben – now the tables are turned and we get to hear Patrick’s backstory and new path. Will Patrick be able to bridge the gap between sports supplements, tactical competitions, and the shooting world? With these brands, we’re hopeful. Get ready to learn some great new stuff in this episode: Video Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldxgg8mTTxs Show Notes: Getting Tactical with Patrick Mabe (0:00) – Introduction (4:45) – Patrick’s Entrance to Supplements (7:45) – Mike’s Opinion: “Patrick is the face of ‘Merica Labz” (12:30) – The Merica Labz launch and Core’s Innovation (15:00) – Fatherhood and Going for Seven Kids and a Farm (23:30) – The Return to Nature (27:30) – Men hanging with Men, is alcohol required? (39:00) – The Tactical Games (46:00) – How the Tactical Games Work (57:15) – Patrick’s Kit (1:04:00) – How to train for the Tactical Games? (1:06:00) – Bridging the Gap Between Supplements and the Shooting World – Can it be done? (1:12:00) – More Tactical Games Stories and Signing Off We will definitely have updates from Patrick over the next year or two after more competition – we didn’t even get into his books! Follow him at @Mr.Patrick.Mabe to see what he’s been reading!

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/raza-bashir-shawn-wells-muscletech-enfinity-paraxanthine-072 In late August of 2022, PricePlow revealed the next-generation stimulatory ingredient enfinity (Paraxanthine), set to launch shortly afterward through MuscleTech. We wrote about the new product line and briefly introduced paraxanthine to readers in our article titled MuscleTech Reveals New Workout Stimulant: enfinity brand Paraxanthine. To follow-up with more scientific information, we brought Raza Bashir (VP of Scientific Affairs and Product Innovation at Iovate and MuscleTech) and Shawn Wells (Chief Science Officer of NNB Nutrition and Co-Founder of Ingenious Ingredients) on to the PricePlow Podcast to explain Shawn’s latest innovation in enfinity brand paraxanthine. We then discuss how MuscleTech is using it to power cleaner, more consistent workouts and diet support through a new pre-workout supplement and two weight loss products. The MuscleTech iQ Series MuscleTech is going all-in on this ingredient, and through the episode, you’ll learn how Raza has been “hoarding” much of the stimulant for the better part of four years. Once you try it, you’ll understand why – for many users, it’s simply a better experience than caffeine. Finally, enfinity is ready for primetime, starting with three supplement launches covered in our introductory MuscleTech iQ Series article: EuphoriQ: Pre-workout supplement using 300 milligrams of enfinity Burn iQ Capsules: Capsule fat burner using 100 milligrams of enfinity per capsule Burn iQ Powder: Thermogenic fat loss powder using 150 milligrams enfinity per scoop MuscleTech is using the moniker iQ, stating that this is the smartest way to supplement your energy. After learning more about paraxanthine’s differences from caffeine, there’s a good chance you’ll agree — or at least understand why many users will like it more. Finally, this is a follow-up from Episode #048 of the PricePlow Podcast, where Shawn teased the ingredient a bit over a year ago. It’s finally here and upon us, so listen or watch and enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W0m3GNPc4E Raza Bashir and Shawn Wells Discuss Paraxanthine and enfinity-Powered EuphoriQ (00:00) – Introductions (03:00) – Shawn talks about the omnipresence of caffeine (05:20) – What paraxanthine / enfinity solves 06:20 “The net effect, when you just go to paraxanthine, in and of itself, is a much cleaner experience. And this is true across the board. And not only is it a cleaner experience, but we’re avoiding that bio-individuality.” (06:30) – Genes involved in caffeine metabolism bio-individuality: (07:10) – 80%! (07:30) – Societies rise and fall with their drugs (08:15) – Is the theophylline molecule the problem, or just the long half life of it? (10:30) – Shawn gets into the biochemistry of caffeine – 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine (12:00) &nd… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

Brian “Ike” Ikalina of Alpha Prime Supps is back on the PricePlow Podcast, and he’s brought a partner in Justin Weeks of Europa Sports Products to talk about their new collaborative effort: Europa and Alpha Prime Supps Partner for Purple Velvet AP Prime Bites Protein Brownie As the sports supplement industry’s largest distributor, Europa Sports handles countless specialty stores, gyms, e-commerce websites, and far more. Their flagship color is purple, and as one Alpha Prime’s key partners for AP Prime Bites, it made sense to have a Europa-exclusive flavor: Purple Velvet! In this episode of the PricePlow Podcast, we talk with Ike and Justin Weeks about the Europa-exclusive Brownie flavor, the state of distribution, the economy and ongoing labor shortage, and riding out the 2020/2021 storm as a distributor that works so closely with stores and gyms that were subjected to tyrranical lockdowns (our words, not theirs). Video: Learn about Distribution from Justin Weeks, Director of Sales at Europa Sports Products https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWCfSep9BGQ You may also remember Ike from PricePlow Podcast Episode #043 – see how far along they’ve come, thanks to the meteoric rise of the AP Prime Bites Brownie!

Dr. Cameron Sepah of Maximus is back with yet another must-listen episode on the PricePlow Podcast! In Episode #062, we introduced Dr. Cam and spoke with him about the Maximus King Protocol, a better and safer way to boost testosterone with clinically significant results. This time, we talk about libido, sexual health, and optimizing male performance and mindset. Maximus is a consumer telemedicine company for male health and hormone optimization. It comes with a highly-active community known as the Maximus Tribe, featuring men who are working to better themselves in all aspects of life. With the Maximus Lover Protocol, they’re focusing on boosting libido, male performance, and confidence using two prescription drugs described below – 5mg tadalafil (Cialis) and 2mg PT-141 (Bremelanotide). Beyond the drugs, Dr. Cam also covers many strategies to improve libido, which is a great indicator for overall health. The detailed show notes (with references) below, and you can watch it on YouTube or listen to it on your favorite podcast app: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Imyeo3kGP4 Discussion #2 with Dr. Cameron Sepah of Maximus: Libido, Men’s Health, Sex, and More (0:00) – Quick re-introduction (1:30) – Recap of Episode 062 (2:30) – Morning erections and libido – a very simple marker of overall health (3:40) – Anecdote of libido issues and ED drug sales (6:00) – Cosmetic pharmacology (8:00) – ED (erectile dysfunction) drugs and nitrate supplements (8:45) – Morning wood as a good status check? (13:00) – Libido is bio-psycho-social (15:00) – Warming up to The Maximus Lover Protocol (16:15) – Medications are not for any one particular purpose (16:45) – PDE5 Inhibitors (18:45) – Cialis vs Viagra (tadalafil vs sildenafil) (20:30) – Using tadalafil in the real world (22:00) – Side effects of PDE5 inhibitors (23:00) – Tadalafil dosage (25:15) – Interaction effects and pre-workouts (29:00) – Spiking NO supplements with PDE5 inhibitors?! (30:30) – Can you get a tadalafil prescription for gym pumps? (34:30) – Tadalafil post-surgery for blood flow (36:30) – Tadalafil and PDE5 Inhibitors as nootropics (39:30) – Caffeine vs. PDE5 inhibitors for focus and creativity (41:30) – Muscle protein synthesis and PDE5 inhibitors (42:30) – Is tadalafil the most important anti-aging drug? (43:30) – The Maximus Lover Protocol (44:30) – The background of sexual drugs for women and melanocortin agonists (46:45) – Introducing PT-141 (Bremelanotide) (48:00) – Combining PT-141 with PDE5 Inhibitors (48:45) – PT-141 / Bremelanotide / Vyleesi for women (50:00) – The Maximus Lover Protocol: Performance and enjoyment (51:00) – Melanotan-1 and Melanotan-2 vs. Bremelanotide (53:45) – Bremelanotide side effects? (57:00) – Bremelanotide taken sublingually with Maximus (58:45) – Healthy libido is important for successful men (1:01:00) – Channel libido instead of masturbate (1:02:30) – How do you get the Lover Protocol? (1:04:45) – Bremelanotide half-life? (1:07:30) – Enclomiphene… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/chris-waldrum-069 Chris Waldrum is back on the PricePlow Podcast for the long-awaited 69th episode! In this livestreamed episode, we go literally everywhere – and we mean everywhere. First, we check in on Chris’s bodybuilding prep and a few updates with his brand, Inspired Nutraceuticals, but it’s not long before things go off the rails. We chime in on climate, economy, inflation, the cost of quality food, theatrical video production, Mad Max stuff, and living in the modern world as a “black sheep” who has traditional values. Video: Chris Waldrum Explains it All Good chance the video gets taken down YouTube, but here it is if it’s still here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJIz5PlMOss To get a more business-centric background with Chris, listen to Episode #046 with Chris Waldrum (Catching Up with Inspired Nutraceuticals) on the PricePlow Podcast!

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/matt-karich-soul-performance-nutrition-068 At the end of May of 2022, Team PricePlow went live with Matt Karich of Soul Performance Nutrition, a young upstart brand that has a lot of deep-thinking built into its core. Matt explains his background as an engineer, and how he used that not only to formulate his supplements, but to find his contract manufacturer. His process is more intense than most brands magnitudes greater than his size, and it led him to a place where he could formulate incredibly unique supplements that suited his needs while obtaining coveted BSGC Drug-Free Certified status. In this episode of the PricePlow Podcast, we cover this and far more, digging into his first four products: Electrolyte Endurance Powder Essence Active Greens Oasis Midnight Dream Bliss Revitalize Collagen We also have a live taste test of his Milk Tea flavored collagen listed above, which is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced! All of Soul’s formulas lean heavily on natural flavoring, various mushroom and/or adaptogens, NuLiv Science ingredients, and use zero artificial coloring. We even get a great lesson in the different forms of stevia used across his products – not all stevia extracts are the same! Matt’s a regular in the PricePlow Discord community, where we encourage you to jump in and share your knowledge and questions. This is a fun one, and despite Matt’s recent entry into the market, everyone including industry vets will stand to learn something here. Video: PricePlow Goes Live with Matt Karich of Soul Performance Nutrition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x_00wPy3GQ

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/npa-vs-dick-durbin-s4090 On April 26, Senators Dick Durbin (IL) and Mike Braun (IN) proposed a bill titled Dietary Supplement Listing Act of 2022, which would have serious ramifications on the way business and commerce is done in the dietary supplement industry. We invited a powerhouse team of industry veterans and experts to discuss what this bill would mean for the industry: Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D – CEO/President of the Natural Products Association (NPA) Joe Weiss – President of branded ingredient developer Nutrition21 and NPA Board Member Doug Kalman, Ph.D – Senior Vice President of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs for The Natural Products Association All Dietary Supplements would now need FDA pre-approval? The discussion centers around the text of the bill, and how its subtle wording would effectively create a situation where supplement manufacturers would require pre-market approval in order to enter the marketplace, otherwise they’d be deemed misbranded and subject to legal action. Quick links before listening Read the bill’s text – https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/4090/text Compose a message to your representatives – https://www.votervoice.net/NPA/Campaigns/94238/Respond Video: PricePlow Invites the NPA to Discuss Dick Durbin’s S.4090 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl5gDfFFGpQ Detailed Show Notes (0:00) – Introduction to the situation (0:40) – Guest introductions (3:30) – Dan Fabricant’s opening statement: (4:35) – Pre-Market Approval (5:00) – NDI (New Dietary Ingredient) (6:15) – The bill’s vagaries: (7:45) – There are no specifics and no protection for what gets on the list. (7:50) – FDA’s recent activity (9:20) – Joe Weiss talks about the consumer-facing side (11:30) – There’s precedence for FDA malfeasance (12:20) – The bill is sneakily-worded (12:50) – Commerce in America (13:45) – Supplements aren’t pharmaceuticals (14:05) – Tianeptine?! Dick Durbin’s presentation of this bill (16:55) – This bill does not enhance or improve consumer safety (18:40) – FDA correct action? (20:30) – Joe discusses how DSHEA 1994 affected the industry (22:20) – What would you say to Dick Durbin? What’s the NPA’s negotiation line? (24:20) – Opening the door for frivolous lawsuits (24:50) – Senator Durbin and the Supplement Industry (27:15) – The bill’s aim (28:00) – The listing of retailers?! (29:45) – New flavors require pre-market registration! (31:15) – Opens the door for politicization (34:00) – The manpower required for this (35:00) – FDA’s facility inspections are down! (37:00) – Potential FDA improvements and comparisons to the food industry (42:30) – Many companies are more brazen these days (45:00) – Giving FDA ability to remove existing products through this bill (48:00) – Take Action Take Action! If you’re against this bill, then see NPA’s Voter Voice page and compose a message to your representa… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/dan-lourenco-ryan-hughes-ghost-tmnt-collabs-066 On April 18, 2022, Team PricePlow flew into Chicago, IL to visit the Ghost Lifestyle headquarters, celebrating the Ghost Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles collaboration launch. After meeting up with CEO Dan Lourenço, CMO Ryan Hughes, and the rest of the team, we received a tour, then got down to business. You can see much of our trip in the incredible Building The Brand episode (S8:E27) named “Turtle Power”, where we got to participate in “mailtime”, doming a scoop (or two) of the new OOZE flavor, and celebrating in this launch. But most importantly, our podcast with Dan and Ryan, where we talk about branding, the future of collabs, Ghost Energy’s insane success, and where Ghost goes from here. Detailed show notes are below, and you can find the episode on our audio feeds or watch on YouTube: Video: PricePlow Visits the Ghost HQ with Dan and Ryan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmgEIiNDjDw (1:00) – The official announcement of Ghost’s collaboration with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Dan comments that there were some frustrating leaks, but when was the last time people were so excited about a sports nutrition release that they couldn’t wait to leak it? (2:15) – Ghost is now strategic about when they release collaborations. They don’t just want to trot everything under the sun. (4:10) – Mike backs things up and explains the entire collaboration – four different supplements, a new one in Ghost Gamer Non-Stim, and a new flavor named OOZE. (4:45) – In the late 80s and early 90s, Mike explains that the Ninja Turtles were everything. They sold over a billion dollars worth of action figures (in 1990s money)! (5:00) – Dan’s first exposure to the Ninja Turtles were the legendary Konami video game. (5:45) – Dan loves to force that nostalgia on the younger folks in the office. Whether it’s Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish, Oreos and Chips Ahoy, Space Jam, Ninja Turtles… they like to have a lot of fun with what they do. (6:15) – It’s become an easier story to tell to new partners. When pitching a new idea to a potential partner, Ghost already has social proof. They pitch their idea, and can essentially ask “Are you guys in or out?” — and then they get feedback and dial things in. (7:30) – Any content with licensed products needs to be extremely well planned and curated – you can’t always have humans or objects next to the cartoons… but Space Jam could do that. Turtles didn’t have that, because that’s not how the brand ever worked. (8:30) – Which Ninja Turtle are you? Dan, Ben, and Mike all gravitated towards Donatello as a kid, and Ryan liked Michaelangelo — none of this is not surprising. As a side note, if we had to move things in person now, we’d make Ben into Raphael and Dan into Le… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/drew-peters-alpha-lion-065 Drew Peters is now the formulator for Alpha Lion, so we cover some of their supplements launched in early 2022 like SuperHuman Sport and SuperHuman Scorch It’s time we caught up with Drew Peters, the new formulator (or VP of Scientific Affairs) at Alpha Lion, whose recently come out with a couple of unique supplements! Drew has previously been on episodes 044 and 045 with other formulators, but this time, we got him to ourselves to talk about Alpha Lion’s new supplements. In this conversation, we zero in on SuperHuman Sport, an athlete-based pre-workout supplement with under 100 milligrams caffeine, and SuperHuman Scorch, an enhanced thermogenic L-carnitine liquid. Both of these supplements contain novel ingredents from NNB Nutrition, including RhodioPrime 6X in SuperHuman Sport and MitoBurn + CaloriBurn GP in SuperHuman Scorch. We also get into the recurring topics of beta alanine and creatine in pre workouts, synthetic vs. natural caffeine sources, hydration supplements, and working as a formulator remotely. Drew Peters is now at Alpha Lion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBBtn_Gdl_8 The SuperHuman Sport Label In this podcast, we compare this to other “Sport” pre-workout supplements like Pre-Kaged Sport. You can read more about Rhodiola in our article titled Rhodiola: The Salidroside-Powered Adaptogen of the Vikings and about RhodioPrime 6X specifically in our article titled NNB RhodioPrime 6X: The Strongest Rhodiola Extract (6% Salidroside). The SuperHuman Scorch Label You can read more about the key NNB ingredients in our articles titled BAIBA: Weight Loss Ingredient Generates Exercise in a Pill?! and Grains of Paradise: Fat Fighting Spice of the Goddesses. The SuperHuman Hydration Label In the video, we compare this to products like Ghost Hydration, which is naturally sweetened, another topic of discussion. Synthetic vs. Natural Caffeine? A recurring topic, some of the arguments against synthetic caffeine are discussed and linked in our article on PurCaf caffeine. You can sign up for our Alpha Lion news alerts on PricePlow.com/alpha-lion#news

SmartPrime-OM is a novel omega-3 amplifying dietary supplement from Nutrashure, so we interview Dr. Hector Lopez to understand how it boosts EPA/DHA!Show notes at https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/dr-hector-lopez-nutrashure-smartprime-064 Are you one of the tens of millions of Americans who have taken an omega-3 supplement? Are you a supplement formulator looking for a new innovation in the fatty acid / fish oil space that might actually improve health? If so, read on… this podcast and series of show notes is for you. Optimizing Omega-3 Fatty Acids with Nutrashure’s SmartPrime-Om We sat down with Brandon Sojka, founder and CEO of Nutrashure (website, Instagram, news alerts), and Dr. Hector Lopez, a specialist in sports medicine and nutritional biochemistry, to discuss Nutrashure’s new ingredient, SmartPrime-OM, which is designed to help optimize the omega-3 levels of those who take it. This is a novel, naturally-sourced dietary supplement ingredient technology that is one of the most promising things we’ve seen in years. One of the many interesting things about SmartPrime is that it can raise omega-3 levels independently, without the use of other supplements – but it can also be combined with an omega-3 supplement for an even bigger effect size. Watch the Video: SmartPrime-Om with Dr. Hector Lopez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b43Qpulu7h0 SmartPrime Show with Dr. Hector Lopez and Brandon Sojka (0:43) – Brandon discusses his professional background starting his own brand, doing consulting, and working logistics in the supplement industry. (1:37) – Dr. Lopez discusses his professional and personal background, which includes biochemistry and medicine, medical research, consulting with major supplement brands like Nordic Naturals, performing clinical research on ingredients like creatine, vitamins D and K2, collagen, and fish oil, and beginning Supplement Safety Solutions. (8:39) – Background on Nutrashure SmartPrime, the main topic of today’s interview. SmartPrime grew out of a collaboration with its lead inventor Dr. Ryan Yates, who had a special interest in the metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and is author of a study published on SmartPrime’s constituents. (10:02) – An overview of different fatty acid lengths, and the characteristics of each. (11:38) – Longer-chain PUFAs are typically found in cold-water fish or other marine organisms, like algae. This category includes the famous EPA/DHA combination that most consumers of fish oil supplements will be familiar with. (12:06) – Characteristics of PUFAs: the more unsaturated a fat, the more prone it is to oxidation, but also the more powerful it is as a signaling agent in the body. (12:47) – Discussion of AI and how it relates to nutritional research. In the opinion of Dr. Lopez, AI is not of much inherent use – AI models and algorithms need to be in the hands of competent researchers who understand the regulatory environment and the current state of nutritional research. (14:25) – Having access to the Oakridge National Laboratory’s AI tools was a “powerful opportunity” for Dr. Lopez and his team to ask some importan… Read more on the PricePlow Blog