Primeval Labs Intracell 7 Black Re-Ups Workout Performance

One of the hottest brands on the market right now, Primeval Labs, has been on a major tear. They’ve always been known for their popular intra workout / EAA supplement, EAA Max and IsoLit whey protein isolate, but recently took things to a new level with a best-in-class ready-to-drink pre-workout, Ape Sh*t Untamed RTD.

But what if you need some carbs with that Ape Sh*t pre workout? EAA Max is great, but it only has 2.5g carbohydrates, not nearly enough for anyone getting after it hard and trying to load up their muscles with glycogen.

The answer is that you stack with Intracell 7 Black. This is an intra-workout supplement that took an older formula named Intracell 7 and added an extra edge to it. This has long been an underrated supplement at PricePlow Nation, since we love jamming our carbs around workouts and using them as performance enhancers, which is exactly what this supplement was made to do.

Intracell 7 Black: Aminos, Carbs, and Pumps

Intracell 7 Black is a carb-based EAA supplement from Primeval Labs that brings:

• Transparent amino acid dosages
• Low GI carb sources (18g carbs per two scoops)
• VasoDrive-AP for vasodilation-based pumps
• Hydration and water-driven pumps from taurine and glycerol

Before we get into this new label, be sure to sign up for PricePlow’s coupon-based deals, and don’t forget to sign up for our alerts so you don’t miss anything that Primeval is doing:

Instructions:

1. Drink Ape Sh*t Untamed RTD.
2. Mix Intracell 7 Black into a shaker with plenty of water.
3. Drink throughout your workout and go ape without concerns of bonking or crashing!

Intracell 7 Black Ingredients

This here is the definition of “performance enhancement”!

Note: Doses listed below are based on one full serving (i.e. two scoops). Intracell 7 Black is a 40/20 serving product meaning that a full serving is technically two scoops.

• Essential Amino Acids (5,820mg)

  Intracell 7 had had a few different versions along the way, and quite a while ago, they upgraded it to included all 9 essential amino acids.

  EAAs are the foundational “building blocks” your body needs to repair, rebuild, and grow muscle in the body. The three BCAAs are all well and good, but your body needs all nine to effectively construct proteins.^[1-3] We wrote about how EAAs took over BCAAs in the industry quite a while ago, whih you can check out in our article titled EAA is the New BCAA: Essential Amino Acids Stage a Coup.

  In this blend, we’re getting 5g of BCAAs in our standard 2:1:1 ratio, which Primeval upgraded from 4g in the “white” version. In addition, we’re also getting 820mg combined of the other 6 essential amino acids, consisting of Lysine, Threonine, Phenylalanine, Tryptophan, Histidine, and Methionine.

  Together, the EAAs help activate muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and prevent excessive muscle protein breakdown.^[3] Let’s look at them a bit deeper:

  • The BCAAs: Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine

    

    Elite training fuel with four trademarked carb sources, full-spectrum EAAs, endurance, and pump agents. Now this is a sports drink!

    When it comes to muscle-building and muscle retention, leucine is the king of the amino acids. This is because it’s the main stimulator of MPS, or muscle protein synthesis. Leucine activates a protein known as mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) which then carries out its effects on the S6K pathway, signaling for muscle growth.^[4,5]

    Research shows that 2-3 grams of leucine is best to begin stimulating MPS,^[5] and that’s what we get here.

    Isoleucine shares a similar chemical structure, but plays a slightly lesser role in MPS. The amino promotes glucose uptake into muscle cells and helps with glycogen restoration.^[6] This may then help keep blood sugar levels under control and promote recovery. This effect is exactly what’s needed in an intra-workout carbohydrate supplement.

    The last BCAA, valine, also contributes to glycogen formation.^[7] We’ve also become interested in the amino acid because its metabolite, L-BAIBA, happens to be a non-protein messenger signal that notifies the rest of the body that exercise is underway, going on to promote several exercise-based effects.^[8] It’s important to have this molecule’s precursor — valine — to make sure that message gets sent.

  • The Other Six EAAs

    While BCAAs alone are great for preventing muscle breakdown (catabolism), research shows that building muscle requires more from all of the essential amino acids.^[1-3] This is why Primeval Labs added “the other six” to their product line long ago.

    

    Amongst these primary amino acids, the essential amino acids are in red. Leucine, Valine, and Isoleucine are the three Branched-Chain Amino Acids.

    • Lysine is the only amino acid next to leucine that can not get broken down into a sugar. It supports collagen production and is beneficial to the immune system.^[9] Further, L-lysine is used to form L-carnitine, an amino acid very important for fatty acid transport.
    • L-threonine is one of the main reasons why all nine EAAs are better than BCAAs alone. It’s critical to produce glycine and serine, two other collagen-synthesizing amino acids that are important to healthy joints and connective tissue. There are also several immune system supporting facets to it, including (but not limited to) its ability to create a glycoprotein named mucin that helps protect the intestinal lining.^[10]
    • L-phenylalanine is a bit less important for muscle-building, but is instead highly involved with the production of feel-good neurotransmitters epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine that help with sympathetic nervous system (SNS) response.^[11] Small studies have shown L-phenylalanine leading to more fat oxidation, possibly from these signals, which led to the release of more plasma glycerol and glucagon when exercising.^[12]
    • L-tryptophan is well-known as being a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin. Don’t worry, it won’t put you to sleep, but does play a role in mood, digestion, memory, and appetite. In addition, it’s used to synthesize several key biological molecules such as proteins, tryptamine, NAD/NADP, and niacin.^[13]
    • L-Histidine is important because it pairs up with the popular pre workout ingredient, beta alanine, to form carnosine. Carnosine then goes on to buffer lactic acid in the muscles, increasing endurance.^[14-16]
    • Methionine may be the least flavorful amino acid, but it helps thanks to its sulfur content. The amino acid promotes the synthesis of several key molecules, including the critical “master antioxidant” in glutathione^[17] and creatine, taurine, and cysteine. It’s also a precursor to SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine), a critical methyl donor that helps tissue healing while reducing homocysteine levels.^[18]

  Remember, leucine is still (and always will be) the anabolic trigger that drives mTOR signaling, and rightfully so, it’s the amino with the largest dose.

• Electrolyte Blend (1,438mg)

  

  Reserved for your best performance yet!

  A blend leading off with coconut water concentrate, we have a very nice dose of electrolytes to help with muscle contractions, and keeping yourself properly hydrated. From this blend we’re yielding 66mg of calcium, which aids in muscle contractions, 56mg of magnesium, 11mg of sodium, and 60mg of potassium. That’s 7%, 14%, <1%, and 2% of US RDA respectively, which leaves sodium in your hands to add more if you’d like (this often depends on your diet).

  These will help keep your body in balance and hydrated while you’re sweating during your workout, so the water you take in doesn’t upset the body’s natural electrolyte balance.

• Carbohydrate Blend (20,000mg)

  The keystone of this formula, Intracell 7’s carbs come from a blend of Carb10, Palatinose, MODCARB (bringing Organic Oat Bran, Organic Amaranth, Organic Quinoa, Organic Buckwheat, Organic Millet, ModCarb), and Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin. Since we don’t know the dosages, and this is quite the list of carb sources, we’ll give you a breakdown of the first two. Overall, this new version is still getting 20g of carbs, just from a variety of sources.

  • Carb 10

    

    Comparison of Carb10 and Maltodextrin for insulin response, blood glucose, stomach volume and glycemic index.

    Leading with Carb10, a product sold by Compound Solutions, we have a very unique carbohydrate that comes from pea starch. What’s fascinating about it is that it’s simultaneously fast-absorbing but low-glycemic, and we’ve demonstrated this with blood glucose monitors as well.

    This gives you the benefit of replenishing glycogen stores, but without having a massive spike in insulin, theorized to cause fat storage if done for a prolonged amount of time while muscle and liver glycogen stores are already full.

    Thankfully, you use Intracell 7 while training like a beast, so this will keep you going as you deplete the muscle glycogen, and we are far less concerned about these carbs ever ending up in fat storage mode – just as planned.

    Compound Solutions has marketed Carb10 as “providing 82% lower insulin response and 27% lower blood-sugar response. With an osmolality of just 30 mOsm, it’s the choice for weight gainers seeking healthier sports nutrition,” as per their materials.^[19]

  • Palatinose

    Palatinose, also known as isomaltulose, is a low glycemic form of sucrose derived from beet sugar that’s roughly 50% as sweet as regular sucrose.^[20] The advantage to palatinose, as opposed to other high glycemic intra workout carbs, creates a smaller plasma insulin, leading to higher fat oxidation in the body during exercise as well as sparing of glycogen.^[21]

    On top of that, palatinose has also been shown to prevent post-exercise hypoglycemia, a condition that can occur when your blood sugar stores are depleted too quickly following intense training.^[22]

    We consider this a highly-underrated carbohydrate source that Primeval Labs is tapping into.

  • MODCARB and Cluster Dextrin

    

    The Borg Scale shows the rate of perceived exertion, meaning Cluster Dextrin makes it feel like you’re working less hard than maltodextrin!

    ModCarb and Cluster Dextrin bring up the rear. MODCARB is interesting because it’s also a low-GI carbohydrate source, coming from plant-based sources like oat bran, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, and chia — natural sources you don’t generally see in workout supplements!

    Cluster Dextrin (also known as Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin (HBCD)) is interesting because it has a high molecular weight but low osmolality, which means it gets into the muscles quickly and has little-to-no gastrointestinal upset.^[23]

    However, MODCARB and Cluster Dextrin are at the back-end of the proprietary blend, and we believe that Carb10 and Palatinose are doing most of the heavy lifting here, which is fine by us.

• Performance Blend

  This is where Intracell 7 Black further separates itself from the competition: by providing us with ingredients commonly seen in pre workout supplements for hydration-based pumps… but adds them to an intra-workout product. These ingredients, combined with the carbs they provide, make Intracell 7 Black the best choice for those working out for long or intense (or both!) sessions.

  • Taurine (2,000mg)

    A very useful amino acid, Taurine has several functions in the body, yielding benefits to the muscles, brain, and heart. Taurine also functions as an osmolyte, facilitating the movement of water between cells. This helps with cellular hydration, as well as increased endurance.^[24] Read all about taurine’s awesome endurance effects, where it has been shown to effect.

    Again, make sure to stay extremely hydrated with this ingredient, especially when paired with GlycerPump, the next ingredient in our performance blend.

  • GlycerPump (1000mg)

    

    It’s time to train!

    Up next we have the newest form of glycerol on the market, GlycerPump (also known as GlycerSize). The concept of pre workout glycerol is certainly not new, but it’s unfortunately been held back by two massive drawbacks: low yield and clumping. GlycerPump helps prevent by using a special spray drying technique. In addition, its 65% yield is over double what the typical glycerol monostearate yield was in years past.

    The reason glycerol is such a great ingredient, especially with this new form, is that it is a highly hydrophilic molecule that makes its way to our plasma and muscle tissue. This causes water to be drawn up into the muscle, resulting in what we call a “water pump,” which makes our muscles noticeably fuller than usual.^[25] Dosing this during your workout will make sure that your muscles are full of water, but be sure to be keeping up on your hydration when using this, especially when paired with taurine.

  • VasoDrive AP (254mg)

    One of the newest and rather underutilized pump ingredients on the market is VasoDrive-AP. Sold and distributed by Maypro Industries,^[26] VasoDrive-AP is a research-backed, proprietary ingredient derived from casein produced through a patented fermentation and enzymatic process. This unique process yields two tripeptides, Valyl-Prolyl-Proline (VPP) and Isoleucyl-Prolyl-Proline (IPP), which have the remarkable effect of inhibiting angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE).

    Originally, this was seen in Primeval Labs’ original stimulant-free pre workout, but since it’s not in Ape Sh*t Untamed (or most other pre workouts, for that matter), it’s a great addition to Intracell 7 Black. We enjoy intra workout supplements that have ingredients not most commonly found in pre workouts, and this is one.

    What’s ACE mechanism, and why do we want to inhibit it?

    

    When Primeval Labs enters a niche, they enter explosively. Get ready to go Ape with Ape Sh*t Untamed RTD – no shaker cup needed.

    ACE causes vasoconstriction, which reduces blood flow, decreases nutrient and oxygen delivery, and ultimately decreases your performance, the exact opposite of what you want while training! VasoDrive-AP stops ACE dead in its tracks, promoting greater vasodilation, blood flow, and PUMPS! It can even help lower blood pressure as well!^[27-30]

    As with taurine and GlycerPump, dosing this during your workout will help you keep your nasty pumps much, much longer than usual, something especially valuable for lifters who tend to workout for longer bouts of time than usual.

Flavors Available

Below is a list of the flavors scooped up by the PricePlow system:

Takeaway

Primeval Labs is non-stop lately, so sign up for our Primeval news alerts!

The original Intracell 7 was a revolutionary product in its time, and then Primeval went ahead and improved that for the new addition, bringing pump ingredients, carbs, and EAA’s. They went and did it again, upgrading their formula for the latest iteration in their Black series. Primeval has been consistently putting out solid products, making them one of our favorite companies out there.

And given that this has carbohydrates, and Primeval has some of the best flavors ever (their Rainbow Sherbet flavor system is basically unbeatable for those of you with a sweet-tooth), we these flavors are as good as expected. But that comes secondary to the performance you should get from the carbs, aminos, hydration, and pump agents inside!

So after you’ve had your Ape Sh*t, this is how you sustain the ape.