American Metabolix Havok Pre Workout Review
American Metabolix Havok Pre Workout First Look:
I really like the look and branding image of the American Metabolix range. It look and feels like a proper supplement without the need for images of bulls, bears or lions….you never see a rabbit though and those fuckers go like the clappers.
Either way, this pre workout compliments the range of other products available and we have reviewed some of their other items before which didn’t perform too well.
Let’s see if this can do any better and change the tide of disappointment so far suffered.
Ingredients:
Ribose – Ribose is used to improve athletic performance and the ability to exercise by boosting muscle energy. Research suggests that taking ribose supplements by mouth, alone or with other supplements, does not increase power or improve muscle strength in trained or untrained individuals.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-827-ribose.aspx?activeingredientid=827
Niacinamide (Vit B3) – Higher amounts of niacin can improve cholesterol levels and lower cardiovascular risks and maybe symptoms for Alzheimer’s . However, the jury is out on these real benefits.
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/924.html
Synephrine – This increases fat oxidation rate whilst reducing carbohydrate oxidation rate during low to moderate exercise.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27038225
Hordenine – Technically Hordenine can be used as a stimulant and fat burner due to its associated with tyramine and noradrenaline, but not enough evidence exists currently to support its usage as nutritional supplementation.
https://examine.com/supplements/hordenine/
Arginine – This is found in many pre workout supplements or products designed to make you more vascular. L-Arginine opens up the blood vessels and arteries to assist with blood flow. This may assist with any impotency issues that are not helping you attain that hot chick in the gym who is 15 years your junior, but only if you have 5g a day!
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-875-l-arginine.aspx?activeingredientid=875&
Creatine HCI – Nothing is as effective or more effective than normal, run of the mill Creatine Monohydrate. The differences with creatine are more to do with solubility.
https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-014-0060-9
Taurine – It has been touted that Taurine can help mental performance. Early clinical research suggested that taurine, in combination with caffeine, glucuronolactone, and B vitamins, can improve attention and reasoning in adolescents, but does not improve memory.
However, there is insufficient evidence to prove this is always the case.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1024-taurine.aspx?activeingredientid=1024&
Beta-alanine – Supplementation of this non essential amino acid aids the production of carnosine. That’s a compound that plays a role in muscle endurance in high-intensity exercise.
That said, studies have been small and not entirely conclusive.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1222-beta-alanine.aspx?activeingredientid=1222&activeingredientname=beta-alanine
L-Tyrosine – Tyrosine is taken for depression, attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the inability to stay awake (narcolepsy), and improving alertness following sleep deprivation.
It is also used for stress, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS).
https://examine.com/supplements/l-tyrosine/
Caffeine Anhydrous – The purest form of caffeine available. It stimulates the central nervous system (CNS), heart, muscles, and the centers that control blood pressure to give you an extra boost and hit that PB.
This is found in Instant Knockout which is the best fat burner available at present.
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-979-caffeine.aspx?activeingredientid=979
Citrulline – This is used as a sports performance and cardiovascular health supplement. L-Citrulline supplementation results in reduced fatigue and improved endurance for both aerobic and anaerobic prolonged exercise. An increase in growth hormone has been noted with exercise, but not at rest.
https://examine.com/supplements/citrulline/
https://examine.com/supplements/citrulline/
Rauwolscine – Highly stimulatory and may also be mood-elevating. Not enough info is known for an active oral dose but approximately 15mg in combination with other fat loss supplements. Very similar to yohimbine, it alleviates pressures the body exerts to preserve fat mass.
https://examine.com/supplements/rauwolscine/
Dose:
1 scoop with water which weighs in at over 9g! That’s not as much as some other pre-workout supplements though.
Effects:
There are 5 proven ingredients contained within this pre workout that will help towards providing energy, endurance and blood flow.
But that leaves 6 that are not proven or with not entirely conclusive evidence and therefore may not have any beneficial effects
Caffeine is found in many supplements, however, not usually in the purest form as found here. Caffeine is probably the most popular and widely used stimulant in the Western world.
Tyrosine offer’s cognitive function improvement plus anti-fatigue as well as improving attention.
Citrulline again is good for endurance and combating fatigue.
Beta-Alanine is good for muscle endurance.
READ: Read our favorite testosterone boosters for muscular size and strength
Negatives:
There’s too many ingredients that are not proven in scientific studies to have any benefits in endurance, energy or focus.
This is also made up of a proprietary blend which means we are not entirely sure of the exact ingredient break down which matters.
Particularly as ingredients such as Arginine and Rauwolscine require specific amounts and we are unable to check up on these.
The fact that Arginine falls within a blend of less than 3500mg yet a dose of 5000mg alone for Arginine is required per day gives us a glimpse in to the un-researched nature of this product.
If they are skimping on ingredients with one you can be sure there are other corners cut throughout.
Strangely we are made aware of how much Caffeine is present and it is very low for a supplement that is promoting alertness.
American Metabolix Havok Pre Workout Review Conclusion:
This product looks to have cut way too many corners to get a product on the shelf.
It is missing vital ingredients, it is hiding the ingredient profile breakdown and it has clearly provided less than what is required by scientific studies which alarms me.
With the sudden rise in trend with pre workout supplements which are either used for physical or gaming activities it seems many have been quickly produced with little understanding of the ingredients and what is required for maximum performance.
This falls in to that category and scores low.
Score:
2/5
