2011 pre workout reviews

If you’re a guy who likes to get “jacked” at the gym, this is the article for you. Pre-Workouts are now a staple in an amateur lifters nutritional arsenal and are promoted by NFL players, WWE superstars and professional body builders. Many people assume that pre-workouts have minimal physiological effects on the body and that simply jogging on the treadmill before hand will have the same effect. But this article will attempt to dispel those myths as I dissect and compare these supplements to find… The Ultimate Pre-Workout!

With that being said, the most popular and effective pre-workouts on the market today are there for a reason. They exhibit some if not all of these ingredients and have scientific evidence to prove how they are effective. My favorites are listed below:

NO-Xplode

NO Shotgun

Jack3d

Assault

Out of all of these supplements, it is difficult to choose the best one because they all offer different things and have different effects. Some of these pre-workouts are based solely off of only the nitric-oxide pump, creatine for stamina and strength, and the energy boost from the caffeine like NO-Xplode and Jack3d. Controversially, some of these include beta-alanine (I’ll talk about later) and high amounts of protein.

One of the most popular supplements and the first that I’ve ever used is NO-Xplode. Its main effect is the vaso-dilation of your muscles while giving you the focus to bust out a 2 hour workout. I loved this supplement and never felt such a pump in my life while lifting. NO-Xplode contains the usual suspects of caffeine, arginine, taurine, creatine, and beta-alanine. I see no issues with this supplement, yet it doesn’t include some of the greater effects of some of the other pre-workouts. It also has 6 grams of carbs per serving. I recommend this for someone who wants a crazy pump and doesn’t mind the not-so-desirable taste of it.

Jack3d has been highly successful in market for the past few years due to its affordability and small serving size. One of its great selling points is the “look” that the bottle has. USP Labs uses a design that resembles prescription medication that claims that is has no fillers and no gimmicks to try and sell it you. In fact, the serving size of Jack3d is much smaller than many of the pre-workouts on the market today in that each scoop is 5.55 grams vs. NO-Xplode which has 20.5 grams per scoop. Their motto is basically that they have everything you need in a pre-workout, and nothing you don’t. Also, Jack3d contains no “fat-storing” carbs as opposed to NO-Xplode. I recommend this for someone who doesn’t like taking too many supplements and just wants a good pump to get you going.

One of the more expensive pre-workouts that run for $69.99 at GNC contains something else that gives it an edge on these other supplements. The main selling point that attracted me, as a guy trying to gain weight, was that each serving had 18 g of protein. Conventional wisdom in the exercise world says that protein shouldn’t be included in a pre-workout, but the idea behind it is revolutionary. To get a head start on muscle repair and recovery during a workout is a genius thought. I personally gained 8 lbs while using this pre-workout in my sophomore year in college and highly recommend this for the guy who is looking to gain weight and is looking for more ways of taking in protein.

Finally, the last pre-workout on my list and my recent favorite is Assault. Voted BodyBuilding.com’s New Supplement of the Year Award in 2011, this pre-workout boasts pro football testimonials, a new stylish bottle and more enjoyable flavors. Again, Assault has a lot of the same ingredients that all of the other pre-workouts have, and it has a larger serving size than Jack3d at 23 g. However, the one thing that brings Assault over some of the other pre-workouts on the map today is that it has a higher level of beta-alanine than the other guys. Beta Alanine is a non-essential amino acid that increases muscular strength and output, and muscle mass. In fact, most pre-workouts only include 1g of Beta-Alanine, whereas Assault that contains 4g. The reason why this is so important is that for Beta Alanine to be effective, your body needs AT LEAST 4g. This fact alone puts Assault above some of the other pre-workouts on the market. I recommend Assault for the lifter who has been getting bored with the same old pre-workouts and wants to feel strength like they’ve never felt before.