On Saturday, I was working out next to these two very hot firemen, in their late 30s, with amazing physiques, and overheard them talking about using a supplement called No-Xplode. They said that it gave them energy and a boost to lift more in their workouts. I've looked online, and although it was voted best muscle builder by bodybuilding.com, I was wondering if you knew a lot about it or if you knew a better supplement. Right now, I am using a whey protein supplement in my after my workout smoothie to help build muscle. Any suggestion is helpful as I am trying to intensify my workouts a bit. 

—Rod, Las Vegas

Keep in mind that supplements come and go, and very few are actually road tested by the FDA or the medical community, so caution is warranted.  “No-Xplode” is a vaso-dilater, which have been around for years. This particular product’s “Meta-Fusion technology” claims to “open the door to vaso-muscular enlargement by immediately ramping up and sustaining Nitric Oxide (NO) levels... widen[ing] the blood vessel[s], which in turn accelerates blood flow to the muscle. This sudden blood surge causes mind blowing pumps and a rapid increase in the overall size and shape of your muscles.” 

This effect, however, is not permanent.  So you may have a great pump, but the effect will go away after a while.  The product claims to contain creatine (one of the most  road tested supplements), but in amounts not indicated on the packaging. 

To be fair, I asked my good friend Todd, who is currently using the product, to give me his take. He says: "If you take the two scoops that it tells you to, there's an incredible rush. It gives me an amazing pump, and I can really feel my biceps almost popping out of the skin."

The downside? "Sometimes it gives me an upset stomach,” he says. “I tend to gulp it down instead of sipping it, most my friends tend to take it all 30 minutes before working out."

And if you didn’t need another reason to steer clear of this supplement, consider that the product is labeled with the following warning:  “Before using product, seek advice from a health care practitioner if you are unaware of your current health condition or have any pre-existing medical condition including but not limited to: high or low blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia, stroke, heart, liver or thyroid disease, anxiety, depression, seizure disorder, psychiatric disease, diabetes, pernicious anemia, difficulty urinating due to prostate enlargement or if you are taking an MAO inhibitor or any other medication. Do not use if you are pregnant, nursing, prone to dehydration or exposed to excessive heat. Reduce or discontinue use if sleeplessness, tremors, dizziness, nervousness, headaches, or heart palpitations occur. This product is only intended to be consumed by healthy adults 18-50 years of age.”

Sheesh.

I think you’re better off supplementing with good old whey protein after every intense weight workout, and possibly creatine.  “No-Xplode” does nothing to convince me that it’s anything but the latest flash in the pan.