Pre-Workout

Mesomorph is a pre-workout supplement that’s been through some changes in the past, but remained one of the favourites amongst stimulant-loving gym junkies across the US.

VERDICT – OTHERS PREFERRED
You either love or it you hate. I’m awkward so I’ll say it’s just OK.

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.

Mesomorph Pre-Workout Review

Mesomorph is a pre-workout supplement that’s been through some changes in the past, but remained one of the favourites amongst stimulant-loving gym junkies across the US.

Most other countries don’t let this stuff past their borders because it’s usually got some kind of ingredient in it that rubs them up the wrong way.

You see, Mesomorph used to contain DMAA, which is – in my humble opinion – one of those potent but overhyped pre workout ingredients that became a stimulant sensation.

APS are a bit like Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals in that they seem to enjoy pissing off the FDA by taking an age to remove the ingredients they have been told to.

But remove it they did. Now it’s back with a couple of other impressive sounding stimulants to make up for the lack of DMAA.

APS are also a bit like the company GAT (German American Technologies) because they love putting long-ass scientific names for common ingredients on their labels to trick meatheads into thinking they are drinking pure Hulk juice.

Oooh, Methylxanthine Anhydrous…that’s probably going to give me metal bones like Wolverine.

Nope. It’s caffeine, which is in, umm..Everything. Ever. Made.

So, now we’ve cleared that up, and it’s got me sounding like I hate everyone and everything, let’s look at where Mesomorph lies on the scale of Stimulated Next Level Jacked Workout Heaven – to – About as useful as a fish with tits.

Why Use APS Mesomorph?

It’s not for the open labelling, that’s for damn sure.

Mesomorph’s formula is split into 3 proprietary blends that give you a total scoop of 15.5 grams.

Within that scoop, there’s nearly 3 grams unaccounted for on the label i.e. the active ingredients add up to a nat’s scrote above 12.5 grams.

So, within the mix is some additional non-active ingredients that are there for flavour, keeping the powder in good condition, that sort of thing.

When you compare 12.5 grams with some of the heavier weight pre-workout scoops out there, Mesomorph looks pretty thin.

Total scoop weight isn’t necessarily indicative of quality, but IF a formula is heavy AND contains good ingredients at good individual dosages, then it’s probably a safer bet. You’ve only got to look at products like Dymatize Pre W.O. and Nutrex Research Outlift to see what I’m talking about.

That said, APS are going after the stim-lovers with Mesomorph, and sometimes they don’t need to be present at such high volumes as the more nutrition type ingredients to have an effect.
Combine that with the potential cost of said stimulants and you have a lightweight but stim-heavy pre-workout.

I guess that brings me nicely to the actual answer to the sub-heading question: Why use Mesomorph?

Answer: You are the type of person who loves getting amped on stimulants for a workout.

What Are the Ingredients and Dosages?

Like I said, Mesomorph’s recipe is split into three blends that are mesmerizingly named:

1. Synthenox-Carnosine/Nitric Oxide Complex
2. Mesoswell-Cell Volumizing ATP Matrix
3. Neuromorph-Neuro Energized Stimulant Matrix

In plain human speak, that’s:

1. Muscle Pump and Endurance ingredients
2. Creatine and stuff
3. Caffeine and other Stimulants

Muscle Pump Ingredients

In the 6500 mg total, we’ve got Beta Alanine (which we’ve learned is 3200mg), Citrulline Malate, and Arginine Alpha Ketoglutarate (AAKG).

Straight away, I’d say Citrulline Malate should be included at 6000mg to 8000mg alone. Citrulline is the best ingredient for inducing vasodilation/muscle pumps that we know of but most of the literature highlights the 6 to 8 gram dose.

The AAKG is a bit of waste of space if you ask me. It’s not hugely effective or long lasting for pumps.

Beta Alanine is perfect at 3.2 grams. It’s the industry standard lactic acid buffer and an ingredient that is rightly included. B-Alanine can help you push out a couple more reps in a volume set, for example.

Creatine and Stuff

The 4500 mg blend includes Di-Creatine Malate, L-Taurine, Creatine Nitrate, Ascorbic Acid (Vit C), Creatinol-O-Phosphate and Agmatine Sulphate.

Let’s talk about Creatine first. There is much debate as to whether a pre-workout even needs creatine.

In my opinion, you should go and buy creatine monohydrate – still the cheapest and still the best – and you’ll get a quality brand that will last between 3 and 6 months for half the price of a pre-workout.

That’s your creatine sorted, trust me. This couple of grams business in pre-workouts is not much more than a token inclusion. You want about 5 grams daily, and it doesn’t matter what time of day either. You know what, go and read my bit on creatine and then come back.

Taurine, yep, good for blood flow. Protects the heart when you’re tanking in the gym, protects your cells from intense oxidation. It’s an all-round good guy amino.

Agmatine Sulphate is another good addition, but there’s some confusion as to whether it can be all that useful alongside Citrulline. They might fight for the same receptors, given that they work via the same pathway.

It’s in there for “cell volumizing” like the creatine and taurine and it’s becoming a staple inclusion in many pre-workouts for its improvements to bloodflow and cell hydration.

Caffeine and Other Stimulants

This mini proprietary blend comes to 1860 mg and it’s pretty much the pivotal aspect of APS’s Mesomorph.

Yes, it contains caffeine. No doubt.

It also contains Glucoronolactone (found in most energy drinks like Red Bull), Senegalia Berlandieri, Theobromine, Naringin and Isopropylnorsynephrine.

I’ll focus a little on Isopropylnorsynephrine and Senegalia Berlandieri given that they are the two ingredients added to the Mesomorph mix in lieu of DMAA.

Isopropylnorsynephrine is a common “isopropyl” derivative of synephrine, which is a common stimulant ingredient found in fat burners. It’s also known as betaphrine, and it’s been found to be more potent than synephrine (in the limited scientific literature that even mentions it).

It is not however found in Citrus Aurantium, the current – and most economical – source of synephrine.

Senegalia Berlandieri contains a bunch of phenylethylamine (aka PEA) derivatives which are probably the closest thing you’ll find to DMAA that is still available.

It interacts with serotonin and adrenaline levels, and can promote the “euphoric” sensation that people often ascribe to their first experience with caffeine.

Will the Formula Work For You?

I probably sounded like I was going wholly negative on APS Mesomorph. It’s mainly because I dislike the fancy schmancy words used for stuff like caffeine.

I also don’t appreciate the under-dosed Citrulline Malate, and the half-assed creatine.

BUT…

This is where I do a bit of a 180 because I’m going to say that Mesomorph is still awesome…if you like stimulants.

Because if you like stimulants, it will work for you. It somewhat lacks the optimum muscle nutrition that tends to work better for a lot of people (and ultimately works better for the muscles).

There’s a place for stims, though, when you just want to rock up to the gym, perform a mentally unhinged workout , and roll out.

Recommended Stacking Supplement

There are lots pre workout supplements on the market with different formulas and ingredients.

We consider Intensive Pre-Train from CrazyNutrition to be the Number 1 pre workout supplement as it contains high dosages of the ingredients to get the most from your training

If you want to stack then D-Bal Max is suitable for men and women and for people of all levels from the beginner to the competitive trainer

Read the DBal Max review here

Ghost Pump is the GOAT Pump Product, according to the company that makes it. “A year in the making”, they say. “The greatest ever”, they claim.

VERDICT – OTHERS PREFERRED
Ghost Pump is a good product. It is very nearly a great product.

There does appear to be a lack of real customer reviews – sure you can see tons of positive reviews but nothing beats a real person (not an already swole bodybuilder) holding the bottle.

If you wanted to buy Ghost I wouldn’t try to dissuade you too hard but I would seriously advise checking NO2 Max Nitric Oxide booster before hand.

Ghost Pump Review

Ghost is a relative newcomer to the sports, ergogenic and bodybuilding supplement industry, but it’s already making waves on social media with their daily activity.

The company is one of quite a few juniors that have landed on the scene with a loud statement at the ready:

– Transparent labels, scientifically proven ingredients, effective dosages, no BS.

Having learned from the mistakes and successes of the industry’s behemoths, Ghost and their peers have the option of starting off on the right foot, and hitting the ground running as a result.

I’d say they’re making a good go of it as well, which is more than I can say for some of the upstart supp companies out there. I won’t name and shame just yet.

Their products, so far, are going down a treat, and while their message, marketing and mingling might be on point, the real litmus test is the efficacy of the product.

So, is Ghost all noise and no trousers? Or do they have a winning formula with Pump?

Why Use Ghost Pump?

I mean, how much different can one muscle pump supplement be from the next? Surely we’ve got a grasp of the best ingredients and dosages by now.

You’d think so, but the reality is we still have much to learn about these ingredients, and we have more ingredients – natural and anthropogenic – to discover.

That said, we do have a scientifically supported effective dosage range of most of the currently known commercial muscle pump ingredients.

So, the key is whether companies like Ghost are willing to put those clinical doses in their products. That determines effective supplements from the crap ones.

What differentiates the effective ones from the must-haves is a combination of things.

1. A little added pizzazz, in the form of a unique ingredient inclusion or additional benefit
2. Strong flavour game – yeah, you chug this stuff but it’s better when it doesn’t taste like the sack sweat of an ostrich jockey
3. Money money money – hey if I can afford another tub because you’re not ripping me off, then you’re one up on those dudes charging for a silver tin for, ummmm, no reason whatsoever.

Why Ghost Pump over another?

Well, as you’ll see in the ingredient section, they check all the boxes I’ve highlighted to above. They have also elected to leave stimulants out of it, which allows you to caffeinate or otherwise stimulate, yourself to your heart’s content (‘scuse the pun).

There’s also the fact that they’ve prioritized the vasodilation / nitric-oxide boosting / muscle pump benefit over everything else. Literally every ingredient in Ghost Pump has some beneficial effect on blood flow, vascularity and hyperemia.

For me, a good muscle pump is the primary thing I’m looking for in a pre-workout supplement, and that’s because of its utility in the gym.

More blood to the muscles = more oxygen and nutrients. It also means your muscles look jacked because that increased blood flow is being pumped into the tissue in response to the mechanics of concentric and eccentric repetitions under load.

That doesn’t just look great. It feeds into the very cascade of reactions that ultimately trigger an anabolic growth response. You see, the pressure that the increased blood traffic puts on the cell walls in muscle tissue is one of the signalling mechanisms for the hypertrophy process to begin.

Increase that muscle swell and the signal is a little stronger. Add to that the additional work you can put in because of reduced fatigue and improved muscle oxygenation, and you have the anabolic programming for getting permanently jacked.

What Are the Ingredients and Dosages in Ghost Pump?

Again, it’s open label so the ingredients and their inclusion rates are all there on the packaging.

Here’s the formula in 2 scoops of Ghost Pump, which is 17.5 grams. There are 20 x 2 scoop servings in each tub:

• 4000 mg – L-Citrulline (vegan fermented)
• 2500 mg – Arginine Nitrate (NO3-T®)
• 2000 mg – Taurine
• 1500 mg – Glycerpump™ (Glycerol Powder 65%)
• 300 mg – Norvaline
• 200 mg – Pine Bark
• 50 mg – Astragin® (Astragalus membranaceus and Panax notoginseng)

L-Citrulline

L-Citrulline is the daddy of muscle pump and anti-fatigue ingredients. Citrulline converts to l-arginine in the kidneys, which in-turn boosts nitric oxide, which signals blood vessels to widen for increased blood flow.

Taking arginine itself used to be the way, but arginine is very quickly broken down before it reaches the blood. It’s still the key component to the muscle pump, but inside your body.

Arginine Nitrate – NO3-T®

Arginine Nitrate’s presence in the formula might make you think my comments on arginine above are wrong, or that this formula is weak.

It’s neither. This patented form called NO3-T takes advantage of nitrate bond allowing it to last a hell of a lot longer in your system.

The dose of 2500 mg is probably the strongest available on the market.

Two powerful pump ingredients at whopper doses, and we’re only 2 ingredients in.

Taurine

Taurine has quietly become a regular in pre-workout supplements across the board. It can increase blood flow, supplying yet more to the Citrulline / NO3-T swell.

A recent meta-analysis – the king of scientific studies (because it’s a study of studies) – informed us that taurine is beneficial for endurance too.

Taurine is an organic osmolyte, meaning it can regulate the volume of your cells via hydration. This serves to protect the cell during oxidative stressors such as exercise.

In many ways taurine is a lot like a neurotransmitter, and likely exerts positive effect on cognitive function, though no nervous system receptor has been found yet.

All in all, taurine remains a bit of an enigma, but one that is undoubtedly vital to survival and beneficial to supplement. The 2 gram dose is safe, and double the average industry dose.

GlycerPump™

GlycerPump is a patented form of high-yield glycerol that is a massive 65% glycerol by weight (old school clumpy glycerol powder was about one tenth, 10%, glycerol.

It’s more stabilized for better mixing and absorption (again, do you remember the clumps of old?).

Dosage is key here – 1500 mg at 65% yield is high!

The glycerol of yesteryear required grams of the stuff because of the low yield, poor mix, instability and clumpiness. Glycerpump (which is made by Pinnacle Ingredients by the way) requires less powder to work…but even then Ghost still put 1500 mg in!

Norvaline

I told you there’s nothing but pump ingredient after pump ingredient in this stuff.

Norvaline works as the NFL blocker for Arginine in your blood.

…what?

Nitric Oxide (NO) levels are boosted by arginine, which is increased by the L-Citrulline and the NO3-T. That NO then triggers vasodilation, and hence the muscle pump swoleness.

To regulate the process, an enzyme called arginase is also set loose. This inhibits arginine and caps the NO production. It’s a good thing, because it creates a cycle, rather than a runaway reaction.

Norvaline blocks some of the arginase, which keeps your serum arginine doing its thing for longer, and boosting Nitric Oxide for your whole workout and a good while afterwards.

Basically, Norvaline extends the cycle, so you can extend your PPUUMMPP.

Pine Park for Pinus Pinaster at 95% Proanthocyanidins

“Pine bark in pump products is nothing new” says Ghost. They go on to say that the Pinus Pinaster genus has some hefty science in its favour with respect to NO boosting, performance and endurance.

It’s probably a bit of a ball-ache to look these things up yourself so I’ll throw a couple studies your way.

By the way, Pycnogenol is a branded form of French Pine Bark extract, which happens to belong to the Pinus Pinaster genus that Ghost are talking about:

• Here’s a study looking at vasodilation and NO production
• This study evaluated triathlon performance by athletes supplementing pinus pinaster extract, and of “normal subjects” having a crack at the Army Physical Fitness Test
• One study showed pine bark can even improve cognitive function, attention, mental performance and professional skills

There’s quite a lot more out there as well but I had those knocking around on my laptop and thought they added a bit of meat to Ghost’s claims.

If you don’t have time to dive into those links, suffice it to say that this ingredient improves performance, both mentally and physically and can boost nitric oxide production.

The Army fitness test and triathlon study there used a 100 mg/day and 150 mg/day respectively.

Ghost have lobbed 200 mg in to the formula. Because why not!

AstraGin®

AstraGin is a patented blend of Astragalus membranaceus and Panax Notoginseng. It’s purpose in the blend is to improve the absorption of amino acids, proteins and glucose.

Here’s a video from NuLivScience’s website explaining the ingredient’s benefits:

The two component herbs have also been studied for their neuroprotective capabilites, and found to also increase levels of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), improve energy metabolism and delay/reduce apoptosis (cell death).

A great ingredient to round out the formula.

Will Ghost Pump Work for You?

That is a very loaded question. We like Ghost Pump – when this review was first written we pretty much drooled over it

This is one of the best dedicated muscle pump pre-workout supplement I’ve seen. Yes it should work for most people, and it’ll do it tasting beautifully as well.

Ghost are making stackable supplements the right way. You could use Pump on its own and you’ll get monster swole, but they’ve elected to keep stimulants out of it.

Some of you might have seen that as a disappointment, but it’s actually what makes the most sense.

Think of it like this: Ghost have probably made the industry’s most effective muscle pump product by focusing entirely on ingredients that achieve that goal.

Adding a cursory 300 mg of caffeine would mean you wouldn’t be able to just dump a half or whole scoop of Pump into another stimulant based pre-workout.

It’s also at a price point that makes it feasible. You can buy Ghost Pump PLUS your stimulant/thermogenic pre-workout and stack the two together for not much more money than your all-in-one pre-workout…and I can almost guarantee the combination will do more for your workout anyway.

Ghost are partnering with other companies to make the Warheads flavour, and to include the GlycerPump, AstraGin and NO3-T, and they’re doing it in style, with good taste and with potent efficacy.

It’s hardly surprising they’ve made such a product when the CEO of the company is a huge fan of getting swole.

A man after my own heart.

Recommended Pre Workout

Although Ghost Pump is a premier supplement I feel that NO2 MAX is simple unbeatable.

NO2 MAX contains high dosages of the ingredients to get the most from your workout.

NO2 MAX is suitable for men and women and for people of all levels from the beginner to the competitive trainer.

Read the NO2 Max review

If you are sensitive to stimulants (caffeine) the it would make sense to use a stimulant free pre workout. Outlift is considered to be one of the best. Read our review and see what we think.

VERDICT
If you are sensitive to caffeine then this is a compromise. It is arguably the best of the Pre-Workout ‘lites’.

If you are serious about your pre workout supplementation then consider Crazy Nutrition Pre Train – a market leading pre workout

Nutrex Outlift Review

Nutrex released their pre-workout supplement Outlift in regular and stim-free versions. This review covers the stim-free version but they are close enough in ingredients for the information below to be useful to you.

If you’re anything like me, you have two pre-workouts in the cupboard, one with stimulants, and one stim-free option.

A stim-free option is useful for a day where you want to get your stimulant fix another way, or you want to take advantage of the other ingredients a stim-free will use, or you just don’t want the stim “feel”.

Of course, some of you always go stim-free for any number of reasons, and so these are your go-to products.

I have alternated Nutrex Research’s Stim-Free Outlift with another product I have been testing, Dymatize Pre W.O.

This gave me a great idea as to how a stimulant based pre-workout compared with the stim-free pre. They are also fairly similar with respect to some of the key inclusions and their dosages, and they provided an even better platform for comparison.

Why Use Nutrex Outlift Stim-Free?

The obvious reasons are that you want a stim-free pre-workout, Nutrex Research are a reputable company, and Outlift is a fairly recent product line, so why not?!

One thing to point out from the beginning is the 26 grams of Outlift powder for every scoop.

That’s a pretty big scoop and worthy of your attention, because there are only a couple grams of non-active ingredients in Outlift, meaning it contains about 24 grams of active ingredients.

Companies who routinely put out these pre-workouts, the servings of which are in single figure grams, can not compare their products to something like Nutrex Outlift.

Here are the reported benefits of Outlift Stim-Free:

• Enhances Power and Strength
• Amplifies Muscle Pump, Reduces Fatigue, Supports Recovery
• Stim-Free
• Scientifically Based Formula
• Non-Proprietary Blend

Yep, that last point brings be to the next section. The formula is an open book; no proprietary blends to trick the customer.

What Are the Ingredients and Dosages?

Nutrex have used the majority of their regular Outlift pre-workout formula, taken out the caffeine and l-tyrosine and added Betaine instead.

To that end it’s a true non-stim version of the same formula, which is not the route a lot of companies go mainly because they usually have too many stimulants so after they replace them, there is very little of the original formula left.

My point is, if you like the look of regular stimulant Outlift except for that darn caffeine and l-tyrosine, well, you’re in luck.

The main active ingredients in each 26 gram scoop are as follows:

Citrulline Malate [8 g] – the chief of the muscle pump ingredients at the moment. It’s better than straight arginine for boosting nitric oxide levels because arginine is broken down too quickly.

So, taking citrulline increases serum arginine more than taking arginine does (just go with it).

Beta-Alanine (as CarnoSyn) [3.2 g] – CarnoSyn is the most respected branded form of beta-Alanine, the non-essential amino acid that helps you push a few more reps in your volume set.

L-Leucine [3 g] – the primary branched chain amino acid (BCAA), which can be used in the muscle as direct fuel, and triggers the anabolic muscle growth process.

Betaine Anhydrous [2.5 g] – a heart protecting methyl-donor that helps reduce cellular damage from exercise oxidation. Research tells us it might have a similar effect to creatine with respect to drawing water into cells.

Creatine Monohydrate (as Creapure) [2 g] – creatine needs no introduction, it’s the most proven strength building supplement ever. However, I would add another 3 grams of Creatine monohydrate to this amount to replenish your phosphocreatine energy stores.

Taurine [2 g] – helps speed recovery and reduce muscle soreness, especially in combination with the BCAAs in the blend. It may also be able to help aerobic function and increase exercise induced fat burning (thermogenesis).

L-Isoleucine [1.5 g]
L-Valine [1.5 g]
BioPerine [5mg]

Like I said in the Creatine bit, the only thing I would do is add some additional creatine to your shake. Timing for creatine is not critical, it simply builds up in your cells to saturate them and form a phosphocreatine reservoir.

By adding 3 grams more of creatine monohydrate you will provide your body with enough for each day with a little in reserve to top up your phosphocreatine stores. Whereas the 2 grams in Outlift may potentially be used up during intensive workouts.

Your phosphocreatine reservoir is basically an energy store that you muscles can tap into when they need it.

Will the Formula Work for You?

It depends on whether you enjoy/need a stimulant kick up the backside. If you’re okay taking stimulants, then I’d stick with stim-formulas for the most part because they provide something that non-stims just can’t.

I mentioned in the intro that I like having one of each; a stimulant containing pre-workout and a non-stim pre-workout. That’s personal choice, but it lets me have a coffee heavy morning some days and still get pumped in the gym without overdoing the caffeine.

The most common possibility is that you are a non-stimulant kind of person. I don’t care why you don’t take stimulants, but I want you to have a solid pre-workout, and with Nutrex Outlift you’ve got one, trust me.

Recommended Pre Workout

The market is not exactly short of pre workout supplements – everybody their favourite. This is ours

D-Bal MAx is a premier supplement – 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

More on D Bal Max Pre Workout here