Nutrition for Athletes – FRS Energy

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Tired of Being Tired

Next up on the nutrition for athletes review train is the Lance Armstrong backed, FRS Energy. FRS is an energy supplement company that provides their products in the form of chews, a liquid concentrate, and Ready To Drink bottles. The company’s catchy tag line, “tired of being tired?” suggests that FRS can help get you on track and ready to attack the day. Since I normally have to wake up at 5:45 a.m. and, as a result, am perpetually tired, I was of course interested in giving this product a try.

Gimme a Boost

The premise behind the construction of FRS is to use quercetin, an antioxidant found in natural foods like blueberries, red apples, and grapes to trigger the body’s ability to produce it’s own energy. This is a stark contrast to other energy drinks and pills that attempt to provide energy through stimulants like caffeine or sugar. Their website claims that the amount of quercetin in a single 11.5-ounce serving of FRS contains is healthy but that you would have to eat about 40 apples to get the same amount. I’ll pass on the apples.

FRS gives free samples of their products for you to try. This is great because you can check to see if you like the taste and the benefits of what they have to offer. When you visit the FRS website, you will be prompted to start an account and sign up for autoshipping. This is a very common practice by many supplement companies. So, be aware that your debit or credit card will be charged monthly or quarterly, depending on how you set up the preferences in your account. Of course, you can always cancel your auto-ship at any time.

My samples arrived in just a few days and I was happy to see that I had received the liquid concentrate as well as a bag of their energy chews.

Tasting Time

The Pomegranate/Blueberry chews taste good enough, especially considering that they are basically vitamins and minerals with a few other anti-oxidant blends and various ingredients to promote energy. They have a fruity sort of “mixed-berry” flavor that I actually enjoy but I would venture to say that the taste could be a love/hate thing. While I like it, I would certainly understand if others did not.

As far as the orange flavored concentrate goes, it is a citrusy but there is an overbearing vitamin and mineral backdrop to it. It’s not totally unpleasant but I definitely prefer the flavor of the chews. All you have to do to mix up the concentrate is take the prescribed amount of liquid and pour it into a water bottle. I usually just put it into a 16 oz. bottle then filled it with some filtered water. Shake it up and you’re good to go.

Results

The energy that the chews provide is good enough. Although, I never really feel a lot of a difference from many of these types of products. However, I did feel like the concentrate worked very well. All you have to do is mix it with water and chug it down. Or if you get one of the Ready-to-Drink cans you just eliminate a step. In my experience with supplements, I always feel like a liquid absorbs better into the body better than a pill or in this case, a chew. So, maybe that is why I felt like the concentrate was more effective. I didn’t feel jittery like I’d just drank a double shot of espresso but I did feel a little more alert and chipper than normal. Yeah, I said “chipper.” Don’t judge me.

Summary

All in all, I think FRS makes a good product. I have lent some of my energy chews to friends from bankers and bicycle shop owners and nearly all of them enjoyed the product and the results. I still use them a few times a week when I am especially groggy in the wee hours of the morning.

Again, be aware that when you request the free samples you will be put on an auto-shipping plan. Be sure to change that if you do not wish to be charged every month or so for products you may not end up wanting. If you have any problems they also have a customer support line you can call, Monday-Friday and I have to say, the people they have working the phone lines are extremely helpful. Turns out, you can change your auto-shipping to be flexible with your needs. If you’re going to use FRS products, it pays to use the auto-ship because there are pretty good discounts for doing so.

FRS has Ready-to-Drink cans in new flavors as well as a powder form but as yet, I haven’t had a chance to check them out. So there could be another article sometime in the future about the newer products in their line.

Whether you are looking for a little more energy for a long ride or just a little more balanced feeling during your workday, FRS Energy is certainly a product worth looking into.