For many lifters, a pre-workout must have a good caffeine/stim blend. Rich was no exception - 5%’s powerful 5150 features a Stim-Crazy Caffeine Complex with 400 mg of total caffeine! There’s also our new Kill It RTD with a whopping 400 mg of caffeine. That kind of energy separates the big boys from everybody else. But wait, you need more than stims for a great workout. In Maxed Out Pre-Workouts: Beyond the Caffeine & Stims, we look at the other key components of our innovative, results-producing pre-workouts!

Looking Beyond The Caffeine & Stims

In 4 of the 5 pre-workouts 5% Nutrition makes, there’s varying amounts of caffeine and stims. Only Full As F*ck, our legendary pump pre-workout, is stim-free. What are other ingredients that make these pre-workouts stand out? Let’s find out.

Ingredients You Should Look For

Glycerol

One thing that sets 5% pre-workouts apart is the synergy of ingredients. We don’t give you just a single pump booster like many other companies do. No way! Kill It RTD alone gives you 3 water-based pump ingredients and 2 nitric oxide boosters. For starters, there’s a huge 10 grams of glycerin (glycerol). This is possibly the most exciting ingredient that’s come along in a while. It not only promotes stunning pumps, it also supports outstanding endurance. If you look at Rich’s workout mantra of moderate weight, higher reps, and chasing the pump, this is the ingredient for you.^(1,2,3)

Citrulline

This is one of the most effective nitric oxide-boosting ingredients available. That’s why it’s in all our pre-workouts. What does it do? Once in the body, citrulline converts into arginine, the amino acid that converts into nitric oxide. Once that happens, citrulline absorbs better than arginine itself, making it more effective. This means better pumps and better nutrient/oxygen delivery.⁽⁴⁾

Nitrosigine®

This is another effective branded nitric oxide booster. Nitrosigine is a patented complex of arginine, potassium silicate, and inositol. Here’s how it works. The primary advantage of Nitrosigine is that it extends your pumps for 6 hours. Plus, it also works fast - within 30 minutes of your first dose!⁽⁵⁾

Taurine

Here’s an ingredient that has both cognitive enhancement and osmotic benefits. By binding to the GABA receptors of the brain, taurine enhances focus and overall cognitive function. As an osmolyte, it works synergistically with other osmotic ingredients (glycerol, creatine, and betaine) to promote huge water-based pumps.^(6,7)

Creatine

Of course, this is the most studied supplement on the market. It has been proven effective time after time. Creatine is the original cell volumizer, so you can expect great water-based pumps. It also supports strength, power, cognitive performance, and recovery.^(8,9)

5% Has It All!

It’s not only about the ingredients, it’s also about the dosing. Perhaps you’ve seen some of the latest so-called pre-workouts. Many of them have full-disclosure labeling and a good ingredient profile, yet they have absolutely laughable dosing. What’s the point? 5% Nutrition gives you generous dosing of every ingredient for the best possible results. So stop by 5% Nutrition, stock up, and make the most of your workouts!

References:

1. National Center for Biotechnology Information (2023). PubChem Compound Summary for CID 753, Glycerol. Retrieved February 13, 2023 from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Glycerol.
2. Results for 'glycerol' - Examine
3. Patlar, S., Yalçin, H., & Boyali, E. (2012). The effect of glycerol supplements on aerobic and anaerobic performance of athletes and sedentary subjects. Journal of human kinetics, 34, 69–79. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10078-012-0065-x
4. Wijnands, K., Vink, H., Briedé, J., Van Faassen, E., Lamers, W., Buurman, W., & Poeze, M. (2012). Citrulline a more suitable substrate than arginine to restore NO production and the microcirculation during endotoxemia. Retrieved July 04, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3362574/
5. https://nitrosigine.com/about/
6. What does osmolyte mean? (definitions.net)
7. Albrecht, J. and A. Schousboe, Taurine interaction with neurotransmitter receptors in the CNS: an update. Neurochem Res, 2005. 30(12): p. 1615-21.
8. Buford TW, Kreider RB, Stout JR, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: creatine supplementation and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2007;4:6. Published 2007 Aug 30. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-4-6
9. Terjung RL, Clarkson P, Eichner ER, Greenhaff PL, Hespel PJ, Israel RG, Kraemer WJ, Meyer RA, Spriet LL, Tarnopolsky MA, Wagenmakers AJ, Williams MH. American College of Sports Medicine roundtable. The physiological and health effects of oral creatine supplementation. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2000 Mar;32(3):706-17. doi: 10.1097/00005768-200003000-00024. PMID: 10731017.