I remember first hearing about the KILL CLIFF Recovery Drink about 3 years ago when I was living in Toronto, Canada.
It seemed like the Crossfit community really embraced the recovery drink so I was intrigued by the hype.
Unfortunately after doing some searching, I couldn’t find the product in stores, and if I remember correctly, at the time they didn’t ship to Canada.
Fast forward 3 years later and here I am in San Diego, California with a KILL CLIFF Recovery Drink on my office desk.
By the way…what’s up with the name?
I’ve read rumors on the Interwebz that it was named after one of the founders roommates who they didn’t, so when they took him out for his birthday, they wore shirts saying KILL CLIFF.
Not sure if that’s true, but if it is, hopefully they are cutting poor old Cliff in on the profits.
Anyway, long story short, KILL CLIFF was created by a former Navy SEAL.
Bad ass.
What’s even cooler is they are an official partner of the Navy SEAL Foundation. A portion of the proceeds from every sale goes to supporting these warriors and their families.
Even though the can is long and slender like most “Energy Drinks”, and I did feel an energy boost, KILL CLIFF is not categorized as an energy drink.
It contains just 25 mg of caffeine versus the energy drink standard of 160 mg or more.
KILL CLIFF is in a category of it’s own.
In other words, it’s intended to be taken after a sweaty workout, long days, longer nights, or as specified on the KILL CLIFF can, “whenever you want to feel more awesome”.
I’ll take a side of awesomeness, please.
KILL CLIFF contains a unique blend of electrolytes, plant extracts, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other “functional” ingredients to aid in reducing inflammation and speeding up recovery after a tough workout.
Also nice to see it does not contain any artificial coloring.
So after waiting 3 long years to try a KILL CLIFF recovery drink…
Here’s my first impression after taking my first sip of the Blood Orange flavor.
“Wow, am I drinking Orange Crush soda?”
Yes, it tastes just like soda.
Although this may sound like a good thing, I was a little concerned that I may not like the carbonation and taste during/after an intense workout.
The thought of drinking soda during a workout makes me cringe.
Plus, I just love water.
So I hit the San Diego Convention stairs to put the “Free Fall” KILL CLIFF Recovery Drink to the test.
After a 3-4 stair intervals, I took a sip and was pleasantly surprised.
Yes, it tastes like Sprite, but it was very refreshing without leaving your mouth feeling all “sugary” with aftertaste like most carbonated drinks do.
So if you’re a fan of carbonation and the taste of soda, you should like it.
What you’ll also like is the nutrition label.
Even though you may think it’s loaded with sugar and calories…
The KILL CLIFF Recovery Drink is sugar free and just 15 Calories from 3 grams of carbohydrates.
Yes, it’s sugar free and gluten free.
Nice.
Here’s a closer look at the Nutrition Facts on the KILL CLIFF can’s label:
Mostly comprised of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, here’s a complete list of the ingredients from the KILL CLIFF can’s label:
Note: loving the addition of green tea extract at a 90% EGCG (this is important for antioxidants and its inflammation reducing benefits).
As you guys know, I’m a big believer in consuming whole foods and drinks using natural ingredients.
When looking at the ingredients, yes there are some “science-y” sounding ingredients that don’t sound all that natural. But don’t worry, a lot of the big words are actually vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.
The only ingredient that jumped out at me is an artificial sweetener called sucralose (which I found out is actually only used in the Blood Orange flavor). I was surprised to see this so I reached out to the president of KILL CLIFF, Chris Irwin, and he replied to my email within hours.
Hi-5 for the speedy response Chris!
Here was his response to my e-mail:
Sucralose is actually only in the blood orange flavor. Â The others are naturally sweetened with stevia and erythritol. Â Blood Orange was our first flavor and at the time, natural sweeteners were difficult to work with which is why we used sucralose. Â The successive flavors we were able to naturally sweeten. Â AND, we have just gone back and naturally sweetened blood orange (took a long time to get the flavor profile right), so the next production of blood orange will be naturally sweetened as well. Â By 2017 all of our flavors will be naturally sweetened, and also non-GMO certified.
Freaking amazing!
Not only did I hear back from the president of the company within 2 hours, but they overcame numerous taste issues to successfully formulate a healthier solution for their customers.
Trust me, I know a lot of people who work in the food/drink manufacturing business and most would have just stuck with the cheap and more simple formulation.
This company truly gets it and you turned me into a fan!
If you feel like you’re not properly recovering from your workouts, grab a KILL CLIFF post workout on your walk home from the gym…
… in addition to a eating enough healthy calories and of course, sleeping.
Obvi.
Plus, if you’re a big lover of soda and just can’t seem to quit the bad habit, grab a KILL CLIFF.
Now I’m not a soda connoisseur, but to me it tastes just like one, and is much healthier alternative with potential post-workout recovery benefits.
And finally, if you’ve hit your water consumption goals for the day and just want something guilt-free, flavorful, refreshing, and makes you feel like a superdad…
Grab a KILL CLIFF.
If you want to try it for yourself, I encourage a trial purchase of a 4-Pack or full case at killcliff.com or smile.amazon.com with the Navy SEAL Foundation as the benefiting charity.
KILL CLIFF Discount Hack: You can also sign up for their newsletter at killcliff.com to get 15% off your first order.
Winning.
Quitting is not an option! Refresh. Recover. Repeat.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of KILL CLIFF. The opinions and text are all mine.
Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
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