USP Labs Jack3d Pre Workout Review First Look

You may have heard of Jack3d previously, in fact you may have even used Jack3d the original formula.

Why, well it garnered a lot of attention due to it being banned because it contained 1,3 dimethylamylamine (DMAA) which was considered to be dangerous.

This was after a couple of soldiers died while performing training exercises. A post mortem of their bodies found traces of DMAA in their bodies which were linked to kidney and liver failure.

USP Labs said that their product was entirely safe to use in healthy individuals not people who had pre existing medical issues as these soldiers did.

Either way there is a new formula on the circuit minus the DMAA and if you want to get hold of some of the original get your credit card at the ready because it is selling at over $120 on eBay…

So with notoriety out of the way what do we have?

Well I must admit the notoriety is what drew me to this product, otherwise it doesn’t particularly stand out.

That’s not to say it doesn’t look good. It looks clean, crisp and professional and the taste was amazing, I really enjoyed it.

In fact I was feeling sluggish after being at work and needed something to try and persuade me to the gym to do some deadlifts.

I ripped open the sachet mixed with water and knocked it back. If I didn’t do any weights now I would have felt very guilty so I trudged off to the gym.

In that respect at least it got me to the gym.

Ingredients

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).

Acetyl Tyrosine is a more soluble form of tyrosine.

https://examine.com/supplements/l-tyrosine/

Caffeine

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.

Caffeine Anhydrous is the purest form of caffeine so always look out for it.

This is found in 4 Gauge which is the best pre-workout.

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-979-caffeine.aspx?activeingredientid=979

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 not exactly been positive nor entirely conclusive.

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1222-beta-alanine.aspx?activeingredientid=1222&activeingredientname=beta-alanine

L-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.

L-citrulline boosts nitric oxide production in the body. Nitric oxide helps your arteries relax and work better, which improves blood flow throughout your body.

Supplementing can help lower blood pressure in people with prehypertension.

https://examine.com/supplements/citrulline/

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/l-citrulline-uses-and-risks#1

Choline Bitartrate

Taking choline orally does not seem to improve athletic performance or reduce the symptoms of fatigue during exercise.

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-436-choline.aspx?activeingredientid=436&

Beta Vulgaris (Beet)

Beet can also increase nitric oxide in the body. This chemical can dialate blood vessels and was popular with athletes at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

This is also found in 4 Gauge which is rated as the best pre workout, however, it is not commonly found in many others.

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-306-beet.aspx?activeingredientid=306&activeingredientname=beet

Creatine

A well regarded supplement overall!

Supplementation increases creatine storage and promotes a faster regeneration of adenosine triphosphate between high intensity exercises.

These improved outcomes will increase performance and promote greater training adaptations.

There are many alternative forms of creatine, however, none are more effective than the basic creatine monohydrate be it in tablet, chew or powder form. There’s really no need to spend any more money than what is required.

http://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-9-33

http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/creatine.html

Malic Acid

Used to combat tiredness but this is not proven.

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1495-malic%20acid.aspx?activeingredientid=1495&activeingredientname=malic%20acid

Pinus Pinaster (Maritime Pine) – Decreases the amount of circulating inflammatory substances in the blood stream. It is also useful in order to reduce the risk of a heart attack.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3203267/

Dose

The sachet is 11g. However, this amounts to a double dose.

I just had a double dose and necked the whole sachet mixed with water.

It did taste very nice and had a good consistency to it.

Effects & Benefits

Citrulline is great and found in the best pre workout.

It helps increase nitric oxide in the blood stream and opens up the blood vessels to pump more blood and oxygen around the system.

It also helps with endurance, reduces fatigue and also increases growth hormone when you are resting.

Beet is of the same ilk too, it also increases nitric oxide production and was very popular during the 2012 Olympics.

Tyrosine can also benefit by improving cognitive function and alertness when tired.

Caffeine is a widely popular stimulant used in many pre workouts formulas and fat burners for its thermogenic and energizing effects.

Creatine, when used regularly in doses of approximately 5g and over can help increase muscular strength and size.

Pinus is a slightly less regular ingredient to be found in a pre workout but nevertheless it is a positive contribution due to reducing inflammation circulating the bloodstream. Too much inflammation can cause joint issues, to lowering testosterone levels to even contributing towards the effects of obesity.

READ: Read about our favorite pre workout that turned me in to a beast on the rugby pitch

How did it feel?

I felt the initial tingly sensation as is the case with Beta-Alanine in my face immediately.

I did also feel quite wide awake. I wasn’t too keen on going to the gym because I felt that I had other , more pressing matters to attend to but after taking the pre workout I was more than happy to do some dead lifts that I haven’t performed for quite some time.

There was a distinct lack of aggression or focus though. I think this is also due to the low overall daily dose, plus it is proprietary blend which means we have no idea if there is 10mg of Caffeine included or 1000mg.

Video Review

Negatives

I did not feel particularly ‘jacked’ if I am honest.

I did feel more awake and was more than happy to do my deadlifts and I wasn’t yawning halfway through my session as is the case with so many pre workout supplements. So I guess there is a substantial amount of coffee contained within this proprietary blend, however, we have no idea of the exact amounts.

Having this concealed blend loses trust in the brand, especially from such an infamous product.

And there’s a really low daily dose. I barely felt the effects of a double dose so a single dose would be lackluster at best.

Choline bitartrate and Malic Acid offer no proven benefit either.

USP Labs Jack3d Pre Workout Review Conclusion

This does contain some great, well regarded, common and proven ingredients that are often seen in some of te best pre workouts.

However, I feel it has been marred by a low dose and the proprietary blend.

I expected to feel more and get much more from it but it felt weak and barely noticeable.

We have had this before in other products where the ingredient profile just doesn’t match up to the effects – they also were in products with proprietary blends! That speaks volumes.

As long as supplement companies can keep hiding their exact ingredient inclusion behind a screen the consumer is going to suffer.

As a result this is purely playing on the infamous name for sales and not on the effects.

Take a look at the best rated pre workouts, here.