Tested: Wilderness Athlete Superman

If you’re shopping on the Wilderness Athlete website, you won’t find it. That’s because it’s sort of an insider secret.

Well, it used to be. News of the Wilderness Athlete Superman has spread, though, and it’s not just company employees mixing up this special concoction anymore. Athletes and outdoorsmen of all types have caught on and it seems like every Wilderness Athlete customer is a big fan!

So, what is the Superman?

It’s a mix of two popular Wilderness Athlete drinks (an energy drink and a recovery drink) into one super drink. Apparently it was a huge hit among company employees, and as news spread, everyone started mixing the two together.

To start, let’s look at each one individually…

Wilderness Athlete Energy & Focus

This is an energy drink uniquely formulated to feed the energy producing mechanisms in the body while boosting mental clarity and increasing physical output. It’s essentially the opposite of crap like Red Bull and Monster.

I didn’t take the description too seriously until I started testing some nootropics (i.e. brain enhancement supplements) and realized how impressive the ingredients in here are! You’re getting tons of vitamins and minerals for improved health and bodily functioning (especially tons of all the B vitamins for energy,) amino acids to keep your muscles ready for action, caffeine for that initial boost, and some interesting herbs and adaptogens to help you manage stress and keep your mind sharp.

• Golden root (Rhodiola rosea)
• Choline
• Caffeine
• Vitamins and Minerals
• B Vitamins
• Amino Acids

There’s a lot of stuff in there, and unlike most energy products filled with lots of ingredients, this is actually a good selection of ingredients!

First of all, you get tons of vitamins and minerals. There are good doses of Vitamins A, C, and E, plus key minerals like zinc, sodium, copper, and chromium. Plus, all the B vitamins you could hope for!!

Then the amino acids L-Carnitine and L-Phenylalanine, to help your cells produce energy.

Perhaps most importantly, Golden root extract, a.k.a Rhodiola rosea. I’ve been a fan of this for a while. It helps you deal with stress and improves your state of mind, freeing your body to use your energy for more productive purposes!

Also interesting is the inclusion of Choline. This micronutrient may help to improve nerve and muscle function, and possibly play a role in brain function. (You will also find this in the ingredients list of certain nootropics.)

Finally, there’s a little Gotu Kola Extract. I’ve never used this before, but it can help return blood from the legs to the heart, so it sounds interesting, especially for cyclists and runners!

There’s a 125mg dose of caffeine in there, too. That’s about what you’d get in a good cup of coffee.

If you value convenience, 20 single-serve packets will cost you $29.95. But, the 30-serving tub is also $29.95. That’s like getting 10 servings free!

Wilderness Athlete Hydrate & Recover

If you’re going to take an energy drink, there’s a good chance you want to get energized for a big adventure. Well, any big adventure I’ve ever been on required me to stay hydrated! And that’s where this drink comes in.

This is essentially a sports drink made for during your workouts. But again, it’s not some ordinary sports drink. It’s way better than Gatorade, and you can’t really compare it to one of the good ones like Hammer Heed either because it’s so unique.

You get your basic vitamins and minerals, but with an emphasis on electrolytes for hydration – sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

And a dose of Rhodiola rosea, which I mentioned above. And a good helping of the antioxidant Coenzyme Q-10. And Glutamine, Glucosamine, and Glutathione.

And Schizandra Extract, which can improve concentration, coordination, and endurance!!

And at the very end, there’s a tiny bit of sucralose. This surprised me since that’s not a natural ingredient and doesn’t fit the whole Wilderness Athlete theme very well. Either way, it’s a minuscule amount, and I’m not worried.

This formula is actually a bit cheaper, coming in at $29.95 for the 60-serving tub (twice as many servings as the energy drink) or the 30 packets.

The Superman

OK, so we just looked at two individual drinks. Energy and Focus, the all-natural energy booster packed with B-vitamins that will not leave you feeling jittery or cause you to crash. And Hydrate and Recover, which helps replenish essential vitamins and electrolytes that your body needs.

In the Wilderness Athlete offices, they mix both those powders together and secretly call it “The Superman.”

Makes me want a job at Wilderness Athlete headquarters!

While you could get the same benefits by drinking one before your workout and one during, it’s hard to resist drinking them Superman style!

Since this stuff ain’t cheap, I would definitely buy everything in the tubs from a cost savings standpoint. The good news is, that also lets you pre-mix a Superman powder if you want (and then use your Blender Bottle GoStak to keep it in.)

Of course, the packets are more convenient, and you can save money by shopping at the secret link where you can get a combo pack!

My Wilderness Athlete Taste Test

I taste tested both powders individually, along with the Superman combo. Here are my thoughts:

Energy & Focus (plain)

After mixing the first one with 16oz water and ending up with a crappy, diluted flavor, I was a little more careful the second time. I measured out 10oz water (the recommended amount,) shook it up, and achieved a pretty good taste.

Overall, it’s not the greatest drink, but it’s certainly not bad. I’ll drink it without a problem, but I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as my morning coffee. If I would ever make the switch to drinking this instead of coffee, I would still want some decaf coffee in the morning simply for the enjoyment that this lacks.

Mango is a pretty tough flavor to get right, though, and that’s whenever you don’t have to worry about masking caffeine taste. So in that regard, they did a very good job – they delivered a somewhat pleasant drink.

And if you think about it, the only reason I can nitpick at the flavor is because I taste the flavor and nothing else. There is no graininess or texture whatsoever, no hints of bitterness from the caffeine, and absolutely no aftertaste.

Hydrate & Recover (plain)

This drink was pretty good, and again, you need to mix it with 10oz water. No more than that! It kind of tastes like berry. It has a tart flavor to it. Tart blue raspberry perhaps?

Berry is an easier flavor to pull off than mango, and just going with “berry” makes it much simpler than a specific berry flavor. They made it interesting, though. I can’t think of anything to compare it to.

The Superman (both mixed)

While still not the greatest flavor in the world, it’s MUCH better than either individually! I actually got some enjoyment out of this one, and I would happily drink a Superman anytime.

It smells like a chewable Vitamin C tablet. The taste is probably similar, too. Thing is, I always enjoyed those, so I’m not saying it in a bad way!

What I’m getting at is, if you told me it was a “mango berry” drink, I wouldn’t believe it.

So, since the taste is only “not bad” to “I guess that’s pretty good,” it better give me results!

The Best Time to Use These Drinks

I tested the Superman at various times throughout the day.

In the morning?

This turned out to be the best option for me, by far. I just have it in the morning and I’m set for the whole day basically. It didn’t give me any trouble even on an empty stomach.

The energy boost comes on gradually, unlike coffee, despite having a similar caffeine content. Awesome. And it lasts longer. Double awesome!

Having it at 7am gave me energy virtually all day and allowed me to wind down in the late evening, then I could get to sleep easily.

During the afternoon slump?

Well, when I took one in the morning, I never experienced the afternoon slump.

However, if I had a big evening planned, I might do some coffee at 7am, then a Superman at 12pm. Because if I have the stuff at 7am, it’s going to be wearing off anywhere from 5-10pm. If I want it to still be energizing me at midnight, I’ll take it at noon.

Right before exercise?

This is a great idea and can work well, but I’d say you want to give it time to start working. So, for me at least, 30-60 minutes before exercise is ideal. Probably 60 minutes just to be safe. Then it’s in full effect when I begin my training or racing, and it will easily last through even a 4-6 hour epic ride.

The exception would be when your workout is in the evening. I learned (the hard way) not to take this after 1 or 2 pm. Once I took it at 5pm, and even when I was exercising all evening, it kept me up half the night!

Ah, the memories. Staying up till 3:30 am not to party, not to sober up, but to wait out the effects of a potent energy drink!

The most important thing I learned was not when to take it, but how well it works!!

It is so awesome to get such a big energy boost without feeling anxious. Normally with caffeinated energy drinks, if I don’t get jitters, I at least get some extra anxiety. NONE with Wilderness Athlete!

The Superman was a little more potent than FRS Healthy Energy (which works quite well,) and less expensive. You get a more noticeable boost at first for sure, and it lasts just as long if not longer. So overall, a Wilderness Athlete Energy & Focus is way better than any FRS energy drink.

It’s a similar effect as I get from Ginsana, except that I can have this on a daily basis without issue. (Ginsana I have to take in moderation or else I won’t be able to sleep.)

Compared to coffee, ha! This lasts way longer and feels way better than coffee.

Not to mention, it makes my mind sharper than any nootropics I’ve tried!

Also, no matter what time of day, the powder is easy to mix. I just shake it up in a water bottle of some type. The powder dissolves completely, the texture is smooth, it does not taste grainy at all, and there’s none left sticking to sides of the water bottle.

After this experience, Wilderness Athlete has a good shot at becoming one of my favorite nutrition/supplement companies!

Never heard of the company?

I had never heard of them before this year, but I like their mission statement:

“Wilderness Athlete is committed to improving the health & quality of life for the outdoor athlete by providing field tested, scientifically validated nutrition and sports performance product formulations.”

After testing some of their products, I’d say their commitment is paying off!

My final verdict is…

Wilderness Athlete has become one of my new favorite supplement companies. They use great, high-quality ingredients, they cater to athletes, and best of all, their products work!

I highly suggest grabbing a tub of the Energy & Focus drink! (Although getting both drinks and mixing up a Superman is ideal!)

Official website: www.WildernessAthlete.com

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