Frequently Asked Questions About Phormula-1®

The cholesterol level looks a little high on the Phormula-1. Is this something I should worry about?

Cholesterol is a by-product using animal proteins (which is what whey protein is ... comes from whey, which comes from milk, which comes from cows). Cholesterol is extracted or removed from protein by a process that essentially cooks it out (a high temperature process that denatures the protein). In a protein that is all low temperature processed, like Level-1, the cholesterol never bakes out because it's never exposed to heat in order to maintain the integrity of the proteins. This is actually one really simple, tell-tale way to tell if a protein truly is low temperature processed.

The sodium levels are a little higher in the Phormula-1 than my other protein. Why is that?

Sodium is an electrolyte that acts as a transporter for nutrients and is a key nutrient to help all of our cells properly function, especially muscle cells. During an intense, prolonged (at least 60-90 minutes) exercise session, you will likely break a good sweat, which results in a loss of sodium in your body. This is one reason why electrolytes are added to sports drinks (such as Gatorade and Power Ade) and to Phormula-1. As mentioned before, your body uses sodium to transport nutrients throughout the body and into and out of various cells inside the body. The sodium provided in Phormula-1 is a relatively low amount (i.e., only 10% on your daily need) and when ingested in a post-exercise scenario, its enhanced availability will help ensure your body can effectively shuttle all of those key amino acids and other vitamins and minerals to where they are needed. Like many other key vitamins and minerals, enough sodium needs to be available to facilitate optimal absorption and uptake of other nutrients. You could kind of look at this like heavy traffic in NYC - Too many vehicles trying to travel where there's not enough infrastructure, or roadways, to support it. Without effective means to transport the cars, the process gets delayed and transport of passengers is slowed.

For those of you who are greatly worried about the sodium content of their Phormula-1 and whether the amount provided is dangerously high, consider that many fast-food choices are overwhelmingly high in sodium. For example, one serving of potato chips (only 13 chips)sports 850mg of sodium, a McDonald's Cheeseburger (yes, the little one) has 740mg of sodium (And honestly who eats just one…that's why the value meal contains two of them or 1,480 mg of sodium), or even Micky D's Grilled Chicken Sandwich (the healthy choice?!) - 1,690mg! I guess they add it as a transport mechanism for all the grease and fat, huh?!

Can I use Phormula-1 throughout the day?

Phormula-1 is a rapidly assimilating protein source that is specifically designed for pre and post-workout nutrition. Because of its rapid assimilation properties, Phormula-1 floods your bloodstream with aminos. After a workout, your body is primed and ready for uptake of these aminos, but throughout the day it really is not and your body will operate more efficiently on a sustained flow delivery system of aminos. This is why nutritionists always recommend you to eat 5-6 meals throughout the day; First it helps keep your metabolism strong, and secondly it feeds your muscles (the only metabolically active tissue you have) a steady flow of nutrients all day long which keeps you anabolic. For daily use, a sustained assimilation protein such as Level-1, which is designed to mimic the digestion of an actual meal, will be a much better tool for the job.

My son is a high school athlete. Can he use Phormula-1?

He certainly can; there is nothing in Phormula-1 that he cannot have. In fact, we have many high school, college, and professional level athletes who all choose Phormula-1 and Ignition™ for recovery from training. Because both the Phormula-1 and Ignition are rapidly assimilating products and designed to work in conjunction with one another, it makes the two an ideal combination for recovery from athletic events and resistance training.

Do I have to mix Phormula-1 with water or can I use a fruit juice?

Phormula-1 was formulated to instantize and mix with water, but you certainly can mix Phormula-1 with juice. Keep in mind that when you do that, you are adding carbs and calories in. The fruit sugars in juices are not as high on the glycemic index as pure dexanhydrous glucose that is in Ignition, so if you are mixing your Phormula-1 with juice for the benefit of the insulin spike, it will create one but it will in no way compare to the results from using Ignition with your Phormula-1. Pure dexanhydrous glucose can provide up to 6x the insulin response as table sugar.

For more in depth answer check out this Q&A from our blog on the same topic: My personal trainer told me I can just use table sugar instead of Ignition and it’ll work the same, is this true?

Do I have to take Phormula-1 with Ignition?

Phormula-1 and Ignition were formulated specifically to go with one another for pre & post-workout nutrition around resistance training, but there will be some instances such as after a fat burning cardio session, where it will not be necessary to mix Ignition in with Phormula-1. Ignition was formulated to go with Phormula-1 to help replenish glycogen levels and spike your insulin to drive the protein in Phormula-1 directly into your muscle cells after training. Without providing a source of glycogen for your body after training, you run the risk of a portion of your Phormula-1 being wasted or being converted in the body to glycogen instead of being used for muscle recovery. Your body is built for survival … and replenishing glycogen stores always trumps new muscle growth. That being said, there are certain types of exercise, such as cardio, where your body does not utilize much glycogen and therefore replenishing glycogen stores isn't a priority. Not to mention, an insulin spike from Ignition directly before or after cardio is not ideal, as insulin will stop fat loss in its tracks. After cardio exercise, mixing Phormula-1 without Ignition is ideal. Any time where resistance training is involved, you should use Ignition with your Phormula-1 in order to provide your body with what it needs to recover properly.

For more in depth answer check out this Q&A from our blog on the same topic: Can I just use Phormula-1 and not Ignition post-workout and get proper recovery?

What does hydrolyzed mean and why do I need that?

Hydrolysis is a process where natural enzymes are introduced into the protein during manufacturing to help break the proteins down. Proteins are comprised of chains of amino acids and the natural enzymes used in hydrolysis break them down into their individual components, essentially pre-digesting them. In a pre- and post-workout product like Phormula-1, the speed at which your body can digest and uptake the aminos and get them put to work where they belongs, in your muscles, is extremely important. Protein can be hydrolyzed to any degree from 1 100%, and the degree to which the protein is hydrolyzed represents how much it is "pre-digested" and the quicker that your body will be able to uptake it and get the aminos into your bloodstream. The hydrolyzed portion of the Phormula-1 Matrix uses only 100% hydrolyzed protein fractions.

How soon do I need to take Phormula-1 and Ignition after my workout?

The sooner the better! During resistance training, your body is doing 2 things: creating small microscopic tears on the muscle fibers called micro trauma and depleting glycogen stores. In doing this you have put your body into a catabolic state where it is breaking muscle down. Downing some Phormula-1 mixed with Ignition right after you train will help spike your insulin to drive nutrients directly into the muscles to help repair and rebuild the micro-trauma you created while training. The quicker that you get it in, the quicker that your body can "flip the switch" and get it out of its catabolic state and get it doing what you want it to do … build muscle. There is no exact time that it has to be taken … but sooner is always better. What many people do is throw a scoop of Ignition along with 2 scoops of Phormula-1 into a shaker cup and just keep that in their gym bag. When they're done training, they just head to the drinking fountain at the gym, add water, shake it, and drink it on their way home from the gym.

When I blend Phormula-1 post workout it foams a lot, is this normal?

Because of the purity of the 100% hydrolyzed protein fractions used in manufacturing the product and the refined nature of Phormula-1, it is extremely light and fluffy. If mixed in a blender, too much air will be whipped into your Phormula-1 and it will certainly foam too much. If you mix it in a standard shaker cup, however, you will find that this foam dissipates very quickly. It is completely normal for the Phormula-1 to foam a bit when blended, which is why we specifically state on the directions to not blend it in a blender and to let Phormula-1 sit for a minute after shaking before drinking your shake.

Is there any other time to take Phormula-1 besides after workouts?

Have a question that you don't see answered here? Please ask us HERE. We'll be glad to answer it for you!