Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout Review – Classic Example of Ruining A Good Thing

You should be excited about Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout, another authentic product of the famous fitness website. This review should jack you up, much like the actual product.

About Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout

Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout “includes proven ingredients that promote intense pumps and growth while battling fatigue, so you can work out harder and longer,” per its official website. Formula notes:

• Five grams of l-citrulline per serving. For increased vasodilation and muscle pumps.
• Three grams of l-leucine per scoop. The most anabolic amino acid.
• Excellent reputation. This pre-workout has exceeded customer’s expectations to date.

Big Statement

When we sized up Bodybuilding.com Signature 100% Whey Protein, we had high expectations. After all, this is the signature protein supplement line of arguably the world’s most popular fitness website. It has to set the bar high.

Well, it didn’t. The product has great upsides (25 grams of protein per serving, digestive enzymes, etc.), but the high cholesterol content and fillers took a massive toll.

On that note, we hope Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout can pick up the slack. Many fitness enthusiasts look up to this website, so we’re crossing our fingers this pre-workout supplement can jack them up for their workouts.

Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout “includes proven ingredients that promote intense pumps and growth while battling fatigue, so you can work out harder and longer,” per its official website.

We like it. It’s a simple description which captures the essence of a good pre-workout product: increased muscle pumps and resistance to fatigue, more muscle growth, and ramped-up endurance.

When we first saw the ingredients list, we loved its simplicity. This supplement has just five key ingredients which should help you conquer your pre-workout goals.

Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout should help jack you up for your workouts.

L-Citrulline, 5 grams

If you’re a hardcore pre-workout enthusiast, l-citrulline is one of the ingredients you pine for. This is a non-essential alpha amino acid found abundantly in watermelon. It is popular among customers because of its powerful vasodilation properties.

Because of l-citrulline’s ability to improve blood flow, expect increased nitric oxide (NO) production, insane muscle pumps, better nutrient uptake, and healthier blood pressure levels. Studies also prove it helps ward off fatigue and boost concentration.

The manufacturer’s official website also says, “When your blood vessels are dilated, your body is better able to circulate oxygen and other performance-maximizing nutrients to working muscles.” We agree wholeheartedly. You just cannot afford to miss out on this important benefit.

Plus, l-citrulline has better bioavailability than l-arginine, another amino acid which helps boost vasodilation. If you have a choice between the two, the former should get the nod.

Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout’s five grams of l-citrulline per scoop should help you reap all of its awesome benefits. It’s not the most we’ve seen among pre-workouts (the likes of Optimum Nutrition PRO PRE have an insane six grams per serving), but it will certainly go a long way.

L-Leucine, 3 grams

Any time you have ample amounts of l-leucine in your pre-workout formula, it’s a huge bonus. L-leucine is a staple in BCAAs and post-workout supplements, but consuming this anabolic branched-chain amino acid prior to a workout can do wonders for your body.

In fact, the Auckland, New Zealand journal Sports Medicine published a study in in June 1999 (via NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov) saying, “Consumption of BCAA (30 to 35 percent leucine) before or during endurance exercise may prevent or decrease the net rate of protein degradation, may improve both mental and physical performance, and may have a sparing effect on muscle glycogen degradation and depletion of muscle glycogen stores.”

Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout doesn’t have all three BCAAs, but the presence of l-leucine should help preserve muscle mass and glycogen stores prior to a hard workout. In fact, the product’s official website says l-leucine is “a fuel source for your hard-lifting muscles.”

We say Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout’s three grams of l-leucine per serving is optimal. It will help you maintain a lean, muscular physique over the long haul.

CarnoSyn Beta-Alanine, 1.5 grams

CarnoSyn Beta-Alanine is the best of its kind on the market today. Beta-alanine is a naturally-occurring beta amino acid which is a staple pre-workout ingredient.

Simply put, it helps buffer muscle carnosine levels. When this happens, you’ll increase working capacity and delay the onset of muscular fatigue. You’ll be able to work out longer and harder.

Hard evidence: a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in August 2007 (via Penn State University’s official website) concluded beta-alanine supplementation for four to five weeks kept the fatigue of 15 male sprinters at bay.

We won’t dispute that. Like we said, beta-alanine is a proven pre-workout component. We’re confident Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout’s 1.5 grams per serving will help you crush exercise fatigue for good.

Taurine, 1 gram

Taurine is one of the most versatile amino acids. Check out its plethora of benefits:

• Keeps oxidative stress at bay
• Incinerates fat
• Improves insulin sensitivity
• Ramps up testosterone levels
• Shorten recovery time
• Boost heart health
• Improve sleep quality
• Enhance cognitive function
• Wards off free radicals

A little-known benefit of taurine is is ability to ramp up energy production and metabolism. As a result, you will feel more satiated. You keep unnecessary fat gain at bay in the process.

As a pre-workout ingredient, taurine may stabilize muscle cell membranes, play a key role in muscle contraction, and increase exercise performance. One gram per scoop should suffice for pre-workout purposes.

Caffeine Anhydrous, 200 milligrams 

Caffeine: a bona fide double-edged sword

If you need a timeless pre-workout ingredient which is guaranteed to perk you up, caffeine is here to save the day. Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout has 200 milligrams of caffeine anhydrous per serving.

Caffeine anhydrous is the pure, powdered version of caffeine. Because of its ability to cross the brain-blood barrier with ease, its stimulatory effect on the brain kicks in relatively fast. You will feel more energized and alert.

As a pre-workout supplement ingredient, caffeine anhydrous helps increase fat loss, muscular endurance, strength, and power. In fact, the International Society of Sports Nutrition (via NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov) deemed caffeine anhydrous “to be of greater benefit for the purpose of enhancing endurance performance” than a regular cup of coffee.

So, if you’re an endurance athlete, you will benefit greatly from Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout’s caffeine anhydrous component.

On the other hand, caffeine may produce a spike-crash effect, anxiety, jitters, nervousness, and sleeplessness in some individuals. It bears repeating: this ingredient is a double-edged sword.

Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout’s 200 milligrams of caffeine anhydrous per scoop is roughly equal to two cups of brewed coffee. With that in mind, please consume this product at your own risk.

Our first impression: Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout’s smart and effective formulation make it a top-notch pre-workout. However, its caffeine and filler content (sucralose and FD&C Blue No. 1) get in the way of its climb to the top of the pre-workout supplement rankings.

Let’s check out the formula ingredients:

• Potassium (as potassium chloride) 100 mg: Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout is not a significant source of potassium at just three percent of the daily value (a daily value of five percent or lower is scant).
• Calcium (as calcium chloride), 25 mg:  Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout is not a significant source of calcium at just three percent of the daily value.
• Magnesium (as magnesium oxide), 50 mg: This product is an average source of magnesium at 13 percent of the daily value. This versatile mineral helps boost heart health, promote healthy muscle and nerve function, improve sleep quality, raise testosterone levels, regulate blood pressure levels, and strengthen bones.
• Chloride (as potassium, sodium, and calcium chloride), 145 mg: This pre-workout supplement is not a significant source of chloride at just four percent of the daily value.
• L-citrulline, 5 g: A non-essential amino acid which helps boost vasodilation for improved blood flow and nutrient uptake, increase muscle pumps, and promote healthy blood pressure levels.
• L-leucine, 3 g: The most anabolic amino acid which helps kickstart the muscle protein synthesis. Some experts also believe l-leucine helps preserve muscle mass and boost fat loss.
• Carnosyn Beta-Alanine, 1.5 g: A naturally-occurring beta amino acid which helps buffer muscle carnosine levels for increased work capacity and resistance to fatigue.
• Taurine, 1 g: A conditional amino acid which helps ward off oxidative stress, increase fat loss, improve sleep quality, increase testosterone levels, shorten recovery time, ramp up testosterone levels, and stifle free radical activity.
• Caffeine anhydrous, 200 mg: The pure, powdered version of caffeine which helps increase energy levels, strength, and power. Caffeine also helps torch fat, ward off free radicals, improve exercise performance, regulate blood sugar levels, and boost liver function. However, it may also produce a spike-crash effect, jitters, nervousness, and sleeplessness.

Formula Analysis

It sure seems to us the renowned fitness website Bodybuilding.com has formulated a solid pre-workout formula. One look at the ingredients list, and you’ll see what we mean.

You start with an impressive five grams of l-citrulline per scoop, and you’ll know right away you’ll enjoy increased muscle pumps and vasodilation when you take this pre-workout. We believe this ingredient dosage is this product’s main selling point.

Like we said, you’ll normally find the anabolic amino acid l-leucine in many BCAA and post-workout products. However, three grams per serving should help preserve muscle mass and act as a reliable fuel source for your toughest workouts.

We have no doubts about CarnoSyn Beta-Alanine (1.5 grams per scoop) and taurine (one gram per scoop) – these are two time-tested bodybuilding ingredients which should give you a fast return on your investment. We’re stoked they’re in Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout.

Say goodbye to sluggishness with this pre-workout’s 200 milligrams of caffeine per serving. We’re positive you’ll reap caffeine’s many benefits with this amount. However, caffeine is a double-edged sword: if you’re sensitive to this ingredient, better skip Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout.

Overall, this supplement’s ingredient combination, dosages, and formulation impressed us. The manufacturer kept things simple: that should resonate well with many consumers.

Speaking of which, customers have sung this product’s praises. They say it doesn’t produce any of the over-the-top side effects other pre-workouts do (the dreaded crash effect, sleeplessness, etc.).

That’s a remarkable accomplishment for a product which doesn’t have l-theanine (the amino acid which helps offset the stimulatory effects of caffeine), which you can find this in other pre-workouts such as 4 Gauge and MusclePharm Wreckage.

We also give props to the manufacturer for excellent transparency – it reveals all of the ingredient amounts. You won’t find any shady proprietary blends in Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout. Thumbs up.

This pre-workout has what it takes to stand out from the rest of the field. Unfortunately, the folks at Bodybuilding.com laced it with sucralose (a.k.a. Splenda) and artificial food colorings such as FD&C Blue No. 1. Natural alternatives such as stevia (a natural sweetener which helps regulate blood pressure levels) would have been far better.

If the company can formulate an advanced version without the fillers, Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout can easily crush the competition.

Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout Benefits

Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout “energizes and delays the onset of muscle fatigue” and “increases focus and fuels athletic performance,” per its official website.

We agree with these claims. This supplement’s key ingredients and dosages should help improve your workout quality on a long-term basis.

Who Takes It?

The manufacturer intended Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout for healthy and active individuals who are at least 18 years of age who want to increase energy, strength, endurance, and focus as well as achieve their daily fitness goals.

Any Side Effects?

Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout has 1.5 grams of beta-alanine, an ingredient which may produce an itching and tingling sensation in the upper body region.

This pre-workout supplement also contains 200 milligrams of caffeine, an ingredient which may cause a spike-crash effect, jitters, nervousness, and sleeplessness in some individuals.

This product also has sucralose (a.k.a. Splenda), an artificial sweetener which experts have linked to weight gain.

Finally, Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout’s Blue Raspberry flavor contains the artificial food coloring FD&C Blue No. 1, which has several side effects.

Bodybuilding.com Signature Pre-Workout Review Summary

Pros

• Simple and effective ingredients. Simplicity is the key.
• Five grams of l-citrulline per scoop. For increased vasodilation and muscle pumps.
• Three grams of l-leucine per serving. The most anabolic amino acid.
• Beta-alanine and taurine. Two time-tested bodybuilding supplement ingredients.
• Great reputation. Customers swear by this product.
• Excellent transparency. Manufacturer breaks down all of the ingredients. Bravo.
• Flavor options. Comes in Blue Raspberry, Cherry Limeade, and Fruit Punch flavors.

Cons

• Caffeine content. Proverbial double-edged sword.
• Fillers. Contains sucralose (a.k.a. Splenda) and artificial food colorings. Thumbs down.

Pricing & Where to Buy

• 1 420-gram Container (30-Day Supply): $27.99
• Available online and in retail