Advocare Spark is a product that was recommended to me by one of my best friends of all time. She is actually a world class skier that I met back in college, and she absolutely swears by Advocare Spark. One day we were talking about my blog and she was like ‘wait- what did you think of Spark?’. And I was like ‘what’s Spark?’ And she was like ‘OMG you know nothing about energy drinks’. And so I felt dumb and knew I had to get my hands on some of this stuff. If there’s one thing my pre workout reviews have taught me, it’s that there is ALWAYS going to be something out there that you haven’t tried yet. That’s what makes the supplement industry so much fun, and is essentially why I started doing this in the first place. I love these products because there’s so many to try, and to find favorites for certain types of workouts. And you love them too, or you wouldn’t be doing your research here on my site! So I’ll stop babbling and get to it- here’s everything you need to know about Advocare Spark!
Spark Benefits and Performance: 8.6
Let me tell you a little bit about exactly what I used Advocare Spark for, because it will give you a better sense of when you should consider this pre workout in your life. I started out by trying Advocare Spark on my absolute heaviest lifting day of the week. I do a brief ab circuit to warm-up, and then one set of pull-ups for max reps. At this point I am so ready to crush the weights.
I start off by doing two sets of deadliest off an olympic platform with a moderate weight. I go relatively high rep on these ones to get the blood flowing. Then, I add weight, and bump down the reps to get to a comfortable 8 rep working set. I repeat twice, with about a minute or so in between. Then I add more weight, down to 6 reps. Add rest. Repeat. For my final two sets, I basically put as much weight as possible on the bar, and go for four reps. I don’t always get them, but that’s the foundation of my workout. Now. I had taken two full scoops of Advocare Spark about a half hour prior to my workout. This is usually a very reliable way to get the absolute maximum effect out of a pre workout drink for women. Or for whoever. And you know what? At the beginning- it kind of worked. For the beginning of my workout, and through even my lighter sets of deadliest, I felt very energized and ready to rock. But, that’s just about where to good part ended for me with this pre workout (at least for this type of training). Starting halfway through my first heavy-ish set of 6, I just kinda felt let down from an energy standpoint. I felt like I was almost light- in terms of weight. I just felt like I couldn’t stand up to the weight the same way that I can with some other pre workouts that I’ve tried. I also felt slightly shaky and light-headed. Now. Is it easy to say ‘well Allie that’s what happens when you try and deadliest a crap-ton of weight’? Sure. And I know that’s what you’re thinking. But here’s the thing. I know exactly what supplements make my body feel like. It’s something I’ve become very adjusted to both physically and mentally. And I can tell you 100% that this pre workout is just not going to get the job done if you’re trying to bang out some heavy reps in the weight-room. Now. That’s not to say that Advocare Spark doesn’t have it’s time and place, because it absolutely does.
The very next day was when I play pickup basketball in the early morning. If you’ve read my other reviews, than you know that I am hardly a morning person. As is such, I basically NEED a pre workout to help get my butt out of bed and into the gym. I also really wanted to give Spark another shot because basically all the other Advocare Spark reviews that I’ve ever read are incredibly positive. So I got out my tub and poured out another two scoops with cold water. Twenty minutes later I was on the court, and let me say I was feeling amazing. The balance of energy, and focus in this product is totally made for sports. It was at that moment that I understood what Hannah was talking about- and it all made sense that she- being an elite athlete- would endorse this product. The folks at Advocare were clearly designing for athletes when they first conceived Spark. If you take this pre workout prior to any sort of sport, you’re going to benefit. My favorite part was how focused I felt, and with the perfect amount of energy to go alongside. I feel like I actually played better because of this pre workout. So to summarize- use Spark for sports, and probably an endurance workout. But definitely not strength training. Now let’s look at the ingredients and figure out why this product does what it does.
Advocare Spark Ingredients: 8.3
Ok. I’m going to teach you exactly how to interpret a supplement facts panel in this review of Advocare Spark supplement facts. Start with the serving size. 15g. Ok. Now move through the itemized ingredients in the panel. We have our vitamins and micronutrients. Okkk Vitamins A, C, & E..things are looking good. Small quantities of course. Copper, zinc, and chromium. Good stuff. Small quantities of course that’s all your body needs. Now. We have our energy and focus. Choline, Tyrosine, Taurine, and Caffeine. That’s the engine right there. That’s why you will feel more energize and focused. Caffeine puts your body in ‘fight-or-flight’ mode, and the others are there to support the increased adrenal gland load. About a gram and a half of total ingredient there. Ok so we’ve got a little bit of a sense of the composition now. We have vitamins and minerals, and then some caffeine with it’s supporting aminos. So what else is in here that comprises the 15 gram serving size? Move down to the ‘other ingredients’ section and you’ll find your answer. Yep. Maltodextrin, beet root extract, sucralose (artificial sweetener), and your flavorings (also artificial). This is not exactly what I like to see in my pre workout. Now before you accuse me of being a carbophobe- Don’t. Because I’m not by any stretch of the imagination. If you know your stuff- you know that before a strenuous workout, about 12 grams of simple carbs is actually going to do you a world of good. However, I don’t do any workout for much longer than an hour or so, and no matter how hard the intensity, I just don’t really need the sugars- especially when it’s a lower-impact style of training, and/or if I’m trying to lose a few pounds. From that stand-point I’m not such a huge fan of this formula. I understand it, and why an elite athlete would benefit from it (think of a three hour match or something), but for the rest of us, it’s not really needed. And that’s why I gave Advocare Spark a B- for the ingredient breakdown.
Advocare Spark Packaging Review: 7.8
Yikes. If you’ve read my other reviews, you know what’s coming. Well maybe you don’t. Because I think my eye for design changes depending on the mood I’m in. And unfortunately for Advocare, I’m just a bit cranky today. And when someone cranky is asked to evaluate Spark from the perspective of package design- it’s just not a pretty picture. It’s cheap, ugly shaped plastic frame are a totally unimpressive backdrop for the bland red and silver label that covers very little of the expansive white exposed plastic material. Even the shade of read is just weak and cheap looking. There are some stock fruit images overlaying a silhouetted stock picture of a man and women sharing a high-five. Like. Really. Really? Who designed this? The font’s are all horrible with poor letter-spacing. Even the name bugs me. It reminds me of spark gum which is even cheap and crappy. Oh and it say’s ‘active’ rotated vertically on the front panel. Just ‘active’. Ok. I can’t even. It’s bad. Don’t make your purchasing decision based on the looks of this thing- but if you DO buy it. Put a bag over it’s container or something. Just sayin’. So those are the ingredients- but does Advocare Spark taste good?
Advocare Spark Flavor Review: 9.5
I’ve been tough on Advocare on some things, so I have to give it props when they are do. This pre workout tastes ridiculous. Is it the best tasting pre workout I’ve ever tried? Probably not. But I truly enjoyed the effort that went into flavoring Advocare Spark. I was given the fruit punch flavor to try for my review- which didn’t exactly pique my interest, because, well, it’s fruit punch. We’ve been having fruit punch flavored drinks since inception. I sometimes see the Kool Aid punch bowl guy in my dreams (slash nightmares). But. This fruit punch is well done. Yes, it’s totally artificial tasting. But in the best way. I mixed two scoops with ice cold water, which makes a huge difference versus one scoop and not-that-cold water. If you go this route, use two scoops for best taste. Other than that, there isn’t a ton to say about the flavoring. It’s very solid, and a terrific example of how far artificial flavoring has come in the last few years. Well done Advocare.
Advocare Spark Value and Final Score: 8.4
Spark certainly has it’s place among the world of pre workout supplements. It’s a game-changer for sports and other long endurance activities. For weights- forget it. But is it really made for strength-training? No. Not really. At the end of the day- this stuff is very affordable, performs nicely for it’s price-point, and even tastes pretty good. Of course, you would expect it to being almost 90% sugar AND using artificial sweeteners, but, hey. Let’s not be too judgmental. Advocare Spark is an effective and reasonably priced product that is really a great fit for sports and some cardio. Give it a try.
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