Ah, what to do when a bad company makes a good formula? That’s the dilemma we face with Force Factor VolcaNO.
VolcaNO is a smartly-formulated NO booster, and… dare we say it? A quality product.
But Force Factor is so notorious for scamming consumers, any VolcaNO props we give must come with a disclaimer: Read the fine print, Bro.
Let’s take an objective look at the VolcaNO formula itself, and then you can make up your mind if it’s worth trying despite the Force Factor stigma.
Table of Contents
About Force Factor VolcaNO
VolcaNO is an energizer & workout-booster that works mostly via nitric oxide enhancements. It has fewer ingredients than other PWOs, but this means each ingredient gets its fair share of the spotlight. Formula notes:
- AgmaPure® and CON-CRET®: With these premium ingredients, you get purified agmatine sulfate and superior-solubility Creatine HCL.
- Novel vascular support: VolcaNO boosts nitric oxide in a few different ways, yielding synergistic muscle-circulation benefits.
- Bad reputation: Not as sketchy as Force Factor’s TestX180, but VolcaNO suffers from some “guilt by association.”
Force Factor VolcaNO Supplement Facts |
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Serving Size: 2 capsules Servings Per Container: 60 |
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Ingredients | Amount Per Serving |
Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine hydrochloride) | 1 mg (50% DV) |
Nitric Oxide Muscle Matrix | 1520 mg |
Vein-Annihilating Energy Blend | |
L-Citrulline, Agmapure® Agmatine Sulfate, L-Norvaline | |
Creatine Strength Complex | |
CON-CRET® Creatine HCl, L-Methionine, L-Glycine | |
Other Ingredients: Gelatin, Silica, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Magnesium Stearate, Titanium Dioxide, FD&C Red #40 and FD&C Blue #1. | |
Directions: On Workout Days, Take 2-4 capsules with breakfast and 2-4 capsules 30 minutes before working out. Non-Workout Days: Take 2-4 capsules with breakfast and 2-4 capsules with dinner. |
VolcaNO is designed to be a “Next-Generation” nitric oxide booster.
Let’s take a closer look at the key ingredients and analyze the VolcaNO formula:
- Vitamin B6: It uses pyridoxine hydrochloride and that’s not exactly a premium ingredient. They should’ve went with the P-5-P form of B6 to enable faster activation.
The real balls of this formula? The Nitric Oxide Muscle Matrix, which includes:
Vein-Annihilating Energy Blend
Are you ready to ANNIHILATE your freakin’ VEINS, Broseph??? This blend isn’t quite as extreme as it sounds, but combines three interesting choices for energy & pumps, all of which share Nitric-Oxide-Boosting bio-activities:
- L-Citrulline: Great choice; it’s among our top-ranked PWOs for its muscle-energizing, NO-boosting, and muscle-circulation benefits.
- AgmapureTM: Premium form of Agmatine Sulfate, naturally fermented for purity. It has nitric-oxide benefits, but is not that widely used in PWOs.
- L-Norvaline: Analog of Valine; promotes NO increase and vasodilation.
Creatine Strength Complex
As the name implies, this blend supplies creatine & creatine-optimizers that combine to enhance strength & power during high intensity training. Check it:
- CON-CRET: Branded, high-end (and expensive!) Creatine HCl. More soluble than Creatine Mono, and may deliver more benefits with a smaller dose.
- L-Methionine: Essential for Creatine production; helps boost the effects of CON-CRET. Good ingredient choice.
- L-Glycine: Helps Creatine production and improves sleep quality; it’s pretty handy for post-workout recovery.
Formula Analysis
Force Factor VolcaNO is a pretty good pre-workout! It could be a little better, considering the expensive price tag, but in terms of formulation quality, we like it.
VolcaNO’s Vein-Annihilating Energy Blend definitely slays. It supplies three compounds only, all of which live in the same space and complement each other nicely. Combining 3 compounds that boost NO in 3 different ways is a smart formulation strategy. Force Factor seems to position this blend as a “Next-Generation Nitric-Oxide Booster,” and we’ll back them up on that statement.
Don’t worry Bros… the Vein-Annihilating Energy Blend is not REALLY gonna annihilate your veins. But it will enhance your pumps and energize your muscles.
Creatine Strength Complex is another good call. We like the strategy of surrounding a high-quality, premium Creatine form — CON-CRET — with two creatine complements. It seems like it would really optimize Creatine’s benefits so you get more energy out of a smaller serving.
The big drawback of the Creatine Strength Complex is that Creatine HCl in general is easily 5x more expensive than Creatine Monohydrate; we expect branded CON-CRET to be even more expensive than that.
We frown upon VolcaNO’s use of prop blends. But there’s only 7 ingredients… the formula is not spread too thin, giving ingredients a chance to hit Critical Mass dosage. Plus, VolcaNO uses a couple of “luxury” ingredients where smaller dosages deliver high activity. These advantages make the prop blend easier to swallow.
A couple of more notes: It’s good to see a Pre-Workout like VolcaNO that is not relying on caffeine & stimulants as its energy source. Thumbs up. But thumbs down for the artificial food dyes and synthetics, which seem unnecessary.
Overall, VolcaNO is an intelligently-formulated Pre-Workout, using nutrient combinations & forms that make sense.
VolcaNO Benefits
They talk about benefits that skyrocket strength, increase muscle mass, enhance endurance, and promote “amazing vascularity.” These claims actually check out. We think VolcaNO will reliably amp-up your gym performance, accelerate energy recovery between sets, and make good on its promise of turning your body into “a muscle-building machine.”
Who Takes It?
Serious bodybuilding competitors with fat wallets. VolcaNO targets hardcore weightlifters, and positions itself as a professional-strength formula. It’s not really an entry-level Pre-Workout.
Any Side Effects?
Probably not. VolcaNO has taken steps to make this formula more tolerable than most, including using premium ingredients that are effective at lower dosages and can be comfortably digested. And, since it’s stimulant-free, it avoids the jitters that are associated with many other Pre-Workouts.
VolcaNO Summary
Pros
- Big NO Benefits. Their “Next-Gen” strategy is a new take on nitric oxide.
- Simple & Strong. Only 7 ingredients means better dosages & tolerability.
- Premium Forms. Quality CON-CRET & Agmapure branded nutrients.
- Smart Formulation. Ingredients work well together; may have synergy.
- No caffeine. No fake stimulant energy, no crashes, no BS.
The Big Con
VolcaNO is made by Force Factor, the same company that makes Test X180. Unfortunately, this means VolcaNO inherits some of Force Factor’s bad reputation. In VolcaNO’s defense, there seem to be a lot fewer complaints about it than Test X180. But the threat of Autoship Scammery is there, as seen in this complaint from Consumer Affairs:
The above complaint is consistent with what we’ve heard about Force Factor. But at least they responded within 1 day. Maybe Force Factor is turning over a new leaf in the customer service department? Still, beware their history of Autoship scams, refund difficulties, & rude service.
Other Cons
- Expensive. 4 pops a day means you’ll burn a $70 bottle in 2 weeks.
- Not clear on doses. Can’t definitively analyze with dosages hidden.
- Autoship & Refund issues. We can’t entirely trust this company.
Pricing & Buying Info
- 1 bottle (2-4 weeks): $69.99
- Sold mostly at GNC, also online
Final Word on Force Factor VolcaNO
VolcaNO has strong PWO mojo. In fact, based on its formula alone, it earns our recommendation… despite its high expense and Force Factor’s scammy reputation. If you buy it, just watch your back — read the fine print, Bro.
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samy says
What type of gelatin does volcano pre work out have is it pork or planet. Thanks
Best 5 Supplements says
VolcaNO does not specify where their gelatin comes from, but gelatin in general is typically made of mostly pork skin, with some cow parts and bones mixed in too. Go to the Force Factor website https://www.forcefactor.com/ and they have a bunch of contact numbers at the bottom where you can find a definite answer. But it seems to us that if you’re worried about that stuff, you’d be better off seeking out a vegan supplement, and avoid the issue altogether. Thanks for the question Bro, good luck.
Chris Leppo says
I always try to find a good pretty workout supplement. I can honestly say that Force factor volcano is worthless. I take it when I get home, wait 30mins to start lifting, while I wait….I fall asleep! It’s been 2 weeks so far and have not notice any difference. This for sure will be my only bottle I buy….that’s $70 gone down the drain!!
Best 5 Supplements says
That sucks Chris. Thanks for letting us know. The ingredients look good for Force Factor Volcano, but their reputation is so sketchy. Maybe your experience is suggesting that they are SO underhanded, that the powder inside the capsules does not match the ingredients and dosages that are printed on the label. That would be some dirty pool. You should demand your money back from them, and ask them to produce a Third Party Assay. Reputable supplements will have these assays done so they can prove that their labels are 100% accurate. Which I suspect more and more that Force Factor Volcano is not. Maybe give Legion Pulse a try as a pre-workout for your next round.