Pre-Workout

It’s the “ultimate pre-workout with dual-phase technology” according to MuscleTech, the manufacturer of all things HydroxyCut. How does SX-7 Shatter compare to other pre workouts?

VERDICT – OTHERS PREFERRED
Although this is the best Hydroxycut pre workout I have seen to date, the bar is not set particularly high.

It is a confusing product with 2 differing formula’s depending if you are in North America or Europe.

If you want a pre workout formula that contains exactly what you need, is trusted by the industry and tastes great then Crazy Nutrition Intensive Pre Train is for you.

HydroxyCut SX-7 Revolution Shatter Review

It’s the “ultimate pre-workout with dual-phase technology” according to MuscleTech, the manufacturer of all things HydroxyCut.

Many products have a US version and an “International” (non-US) version of their formula, and the HydroxyCut line is a prime example.

In a nutshell: The US allows some ingredients like Yohimbe to be sold, and other countries don’t. This means the international version usually has that/those ingredient/s swapped out for something else.

Muscletech have never been shy about hyping up their Hydroxycut products, and SX-7 Revolution Shatter is no different.

They make some massive claims, and pull some weird competitor-comparison table out of the hat to show you that this pre-workout is the best and others don’t even come close.

The MuscleTech brand might very well be the best selling bodybuilding supplement brand in America, but does that mean they manufacture pure bodybuilding gold, or does it mean their marketing game is strong?

Let’s see how Hydroxycut SX-7 Revolution Shatter holds up to some real scrutiny.

SX-7 Revolution Shatter – The USA Version

The American recipe is the one they want to sell you, because the ingredients it contains are the controversial ones. The ones that make people think they are taking something edgy, potent and maybe, just maybe a little dangerous.

MuscleTech have cottoned on to the fact that anyone with real sense wants to see an open label, i.e. all the ingredients and their inclusion rates laid out to bare on the back of the packaging.

If they could, these companies would put proprietary blend inside proprietary blend all day long, because it means they can put crap all in to the products, and still charge you an arm and a leg for them.

These days however, they are dealing with Customer2.0, that’s you by the way, and you are way more savvy about what you are putting in your body.

What Are the Ingredients and Dosages in the US Version?

The ingredients are presented in the MyoShock™ Performance Blend and the NeuroAMP™ Sensory Matrix

You can take 1 scoop or 2 scoops of the pre-workout, which equates to 50 or 25 servings respectively.

Here’s the ingredients in 2 scoops:

MyoShock™ Performance Blend

• 3200 mg – Beta-alanine (CarnoSyn®)
• 3000 mg – L-Citrulline (as pure form and peptide form as PepForm®)
• 2500 mg – Betaine anhydrous
• 1000 mg – Taurine

NeuroAMP™ Sensory Matrix

• 350 mg – Caffeine
• 250 mg – TeaCrine® using ActivSphere™
• 100 mg – Lion’s Mane
• 40 mg – Guayusa
• 40 mg – Yohimbe extract

Beta-alanine, L-Citrulline, Betaine and Taurine should come as no surprise to you if you’ve used pre-workouts.

They’re there for muscle pumps, intra-set muscle endurance, acid buffering, blood flow, tissue protection (from oxidation). And I’ll say right now that they are included at decent dosages.

However, there might be a few ingredients in the NeuroAMP Sensory Matrix that you’d like to know more about.

Lion’s Mane – aka Yamabushitake is a dietary mushroom that’s associated with cognitive benefits, such as general cognitive function, reduction of anxiety and depression.

Human studies with Lion’s Mane are thin on the ground but it’s showing some great potential. There’s evidence showing it can improve nerve-growth factors in the brain.

This could mean a couple of things: (1) it might be used to help people with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. i.e. it could help attenuate the loss of neurons; and/or (b) it could improve cognitive function in healthy people.

Option (b) there is a dream scenario. New neuron growth in otherwise healthy people would essentially equate to enhanced cerebral capacity and processing speed.

The study on humans (Japanese men between 50 and 80 years old) used a 1000 mg daily dose.

HydroxyCut SX-7 Revolution Shatter only has a 100 mg dose at the 2 scoop serving. One tenth of the studied dose.

In itself, that doesn’t necessarily mean 100 mg is useless but going from the study findings of “Yamabushitake is effective in improving mild cognitive impairment” at 1000 mg to the vague “contributes to the unique sensory experience” (at a 100 mg) that MuscleTech/HydroxyCut talk about…is a bit of a stretch.

Now, let’s look at Guayusa.

Guayusa (ilex guayusa) is a tea leaf extract similar to Green Tea and a natural source of caffeine.

It contains phenolic compounds, including Chlorogenic acid (one of the bioactives in green coffee) and several carotenoids of which lutein is the most abundant.

A study has shown it to be safe, comparable to Green Tea at appropriate dosages.

Another study investigating the effects of Guayusa as a natural source of caffeine showed that it induces less of an epinephrine (adrenaline) response than green coffee.

Cutting to the chase, Guayusa doesn’t look like a very potent nervous system stimulator and therefore won’t have much fat burning effect via that pathway. At least, not compared to caffeine anhydrous and even green coffee (and probably green tea).

By the way, Ilex guayusa tea is commercially available as Runa tea. There are probably similar benefits as green tea (C. Sinensis) with respect to antioxidant activity.

I’ll wrap up Guayusa by saying that the study that found less of an adrenaline boosting effect than green coffee also used a 200 mg dose of guayusa.

HydroxyCut SX-7 Revoluton Shatter contains 40 mg at the maximum serving of 2 scoops.

It also contains Caffeine, Theacrine and Yohimbine, the latter being potent, so I’m not too bothered about the dose Guayusa as it all stacks up cumulatively.

However, with a 40 mg dose of Yohimbe extract, 350 mg of caffeine and 250 mg of Theacrine, I don’t see the Guayusa making a drop of difference.

Yohimbine is definitely worth a mention at this point

The 40 mg dose in 2 scoops is actually Yohimbe extract bark, from which the Yohimbine – the active compound – content is estimated.

Here it’s standardized at 6% which yields a 2.4 mg dose of Yohimbine. That’s considered a good starter dose of the stimulant, especially in the presence of the other stimulants in the blend.

That said, there are definitely some precautions you should take with Yohimbine.

1. Yohimbine can cause anxiety symptoms, even panic attacks, especially in people pre-disposed to such conditions. It’s actually often used in scientific studies: to induce such side effects in investigations of anxiety.
2. It’s a powerful stimulant and can raise the heart rate, sometimes uncomfortably if combined with intense exercise.
3. The yohimbe bark used in this product is associated with more side effects than the isolated yohimbine compound.

If you want to try Yohimbine, I would try and find a product containing isolated Yohimbine rather than the yohimbe bark.

Also start with a very low dose, particularly if it’s stacked with other stimulants. And go steady in the gym, on the track or whatever the first few times you use it.

Will The HydroxyCut SX-7 Revolution Shatter USA Version Work?

Yes.

As a pre-workout supplement for getting a muscle pump, as a cognitive booster for focus and drive, even as a fat burner…it will work.

Personally I would like to mess with the dosages a bit so that it’s not simply a case of halving every one of them if you take 1 scoop versus 2 scoops.

Basically, I’d like the option of keeping the MyoShock blend at the 2 scoop doses and the NeuroAMP blend at the 1 scoop dose.

As that’s completely impossible, I’ll say this: Please, if you are unused to stimulants, or pre-workout supplements, take the single scoop – or even half a scoop – on your first try.

Ironically if you use caffeine and other stimulants habitually/daily then you are going to get less out of the product in general.

My advice would be to cycle off stimulants, winding down your daily intake until you are basically on nothing for a week. Then start your cycle on this.

Begin with a half or single scoop on day 1 and see how you go from there.

Rant alert !!! Incoming Rant !!!

I don’t like the way MuscleTech compare their products to the unnamed “Competitor 1” and “Competitor 2”.

I don’t like the way they say it’s “Creatine Free” as if that’s a good thing – Creatine is one of the most proven and effective muscle growth/strength supplements ever.

It means nothing to say other companies “bulk up their formula with creatine” without any context.

Yeah, some companies, e.g. Nutrex and (all hail) Jim Stoppani (JYM Supplements) put Creatine in their pre-workout formula. But they also have massive 26 gram single scoops of ingredients compared to the 16 grams in 2 scoops of the HydroxyCut SX-7 featured in this review.

Winds me up. Anyway…

MuscleTech also say there’s no L-Citrulline and no Lion’s Mane in Competitor 1 and 2. Also that there is Beta-alanine and Betaine in the competition, but the amounts are hidden in proprietary blends.

Exactly who are these competitors, MuscleTech, and why do you select those as your #1 and #2 ???

It’s a crock of sh!t, plain and simple!

These days, every single company with open label products are saying “other companies hide their ingredients in proprietary blends”.

Some still do, sure, but not your main competitors. And all of these companies with open labels are only doing so now because they have been forced out of their BS ways by the trail-blazers.

Rant. Over.

Conclusion: This product will definitely get you going. There’s just no need for MuscleTech to be d-bags about it.

Additional Comments – International Recipe for HydroxyCut SX-7 Revolution Shatter

Yes, right, there is another recipe for people who don’t live in the US, because certain ingredients can’t get through customs.

MuscleTech have taken out the Yohimbe, which is due to the aforementioned side effects of the stimulant.

They’ve also taken out the Guayusa for the non-US version. I’m not sure why but perhaps it isn’t economical to source it in Europe and other countries. Either way, it’s got the boot, but I doubt it’s a safety issue.

Niacin, as nicotinic acid, is the one replacement at 10 mg or 20 mg (1 or 2 scoops). That’s basically a bit of Vitamin B3. In those quantities there’s not much point talking about it because it won’t do much. It certainly isn’t a replacement for Yohimbine in terms of stimulation.

All other doses are the same in the US and International versions. At least with the international recipe you don’t have to worry about the potential for anxiety. Some people might prefer that assurance.

Summary

HydroxyCut SX-7 Revolution Shatter is an effective pre-workout supplement, and in my opinion a vast improvement on many of the previous products in the same line.

There is a lot of quality competition out there though, so I would ignore the blatant marketing trickery of MuscleTech, and encourage you to do your own comparisons.

I understand they have to do something to stand out in a competitive market, but there must also be people like me to balance the equation.

I’m the Yin to their Yang…or something.

Recommended Pre Workout

There are hundreds of pre workout supplements on the market with a hundred different ingredient profiles.
Our recommended pre workout is – Crazy Nutrition Pre-Train, a pre-workout supplement that’s specially formulated to boost energy and focus without causing jitters or digestive issues.

You stack with D-Bal Max – a premier supplement as it contains high dosages of the ingredients to get the most from your workout.

It is suitable for men and women and for people of all levels from the beginner to the competitive trainer