Pre-workouts are one of the most popular supplements in the fitness world, and everyone wants something different.
You’ve got your out and out stim-junkies (their name not ours) that are forever chasing that caffeine high, then you’ve got people looking for fat loss, and others who want stim-free pre-workouts.
In this article we will be taking an in-depth look at Rhino Rampage pre-workout – a high stim pre-workout with a lot of caffeine.
We will be examining the claims, the label, and helping you to decide whether this pre-workout is worth your money.
About Rhino Rampage by Musclesport
Musclesport is a supplement company based in Ronkonkoma, New York which has been around since 2008. They are perhaps most famous for their amazingly flavored protein powders.
Rhino Rampage is one of seven pre-workouts sold by Musclesport and there are three flavors available: Mango madness, jungle juice, and wild berry.
The packaging claims that Rhino Rampage is an extremely powerful pre-workout.
It’s claimed to help boost your training volume, improve your power output, create a huge muscle pump, increase strength, increase muscle mass, boost your energy levels and improve focus.
Fairly standard promises, but exactly what you’re looking for in a pre-workout.
But we’ll be checking to see whether Rhino Rampage delivers on the above claims.
Rhino Rampage uses matrixes (otherwise known as proprietary blends) which is an annoying way to avoid giving customers accurate measurements of each ingredient.
This is particularly galling when it comes to reviewing a supplement. For example, there may be a really effective ingredient present in the pre-workout but without any information regarding how much is included, we are only guessing. Under dosed ingredients are basically useless, which is why proprietary blends are so irritating.
Luckily, Musclesport have provided the correct dosage of caffeine, which is almost certainly the most important pre-workout ingredient, so we’re not completely blind.
Rhino Rampage Facts
Serving Size: 2 scoops (7g)
Servings per Container: 30 servings of 2 scoops
Please note, while many pre-workouts tend to be “double scooped” (where people deliberately double the dosage) this certainly should not be the case here.
Check the caffeine content to see why – there’s 450mg of caffeine total per serving! (Made of caffeine anhydrous and dicaffeine malate).
That’s a full recommended DAILY dosage of caffeine in just ONE serving.
More on that shortly…
As you can see, the majority of ingredients in Rhino Rampage are actually registered supplement ingredients from other companies. This is not a bad thing; it is fairly common for a supplement to use commercial supplement ingredients from other companies.
However, the “Rampage Jungle Energy Matrix” is the proprietary blend we talked about – this is not something we agree with using in supplements.
We will take a brief look at all the ingredients contained within this matrix in a bit.
Directions for Use
Musclesport recommends taking just one scoop (half a serving) at first, particularly if you do not commonly consume caffeine.
This is sensible advice as the caffeine content in Rhino Rampage would affect most regular caffeine consumers (with potential jittery side effects)!
You are advised to take Rhino Rampage 20-30 minutes prior to exercise. As it is a powder, we’d recommend mixing with water but there doesn’t appear to be any advice on the packaging. Fairly obvious though so no real need to include it.
Rhino Rampage Analysis
There are five active ingredients in Rhino Rampage as well as an energy matrix that contains 14 ingredients, as such we will divide this analysis into two.
Firstly, we’ll look at the five active ingredients individually, and after that we will take an in-depth look at the 14 ingredients that comprise “Rampage Jungle Energy Matrix”.
3-Aminopropanoic Acid (2,500mg)
This sounds intimidating, but it’s just another name for beta alanine. No idea why Musclesport labelled it thus. Beta alanine is a great pre-workout ingredient; it has been shown to effectively reduce fatigue, increase muscular endurance, and may even help you lose some fat (though this is most likely due to increased exercise volume) [1]. The dosage is spot on.
Pepform® Citrulline Complex (2,000mg)
Pepform® is a citrulline supplement made by Glanbia Nutritionals that uses a proprietary way to bind free-form citrulline to peptides. According to Musclesport this helps it to outperform regular citrulline supplements by 200%. Like beta alanine, citrulline is incredibly effective at reducing fatigue, it can also reduce muscle soreness. Citrulline also works as a muscle pump by increasing nitric oxide levels [2]. The dosage is slightly low (2g rather than 3g) but if Pepform deliver on their promise then the dosage doesn’t need to be as high.
L-Norvaline (50mg)
An isomer of valine, L-Norvaline is added to pre-workouts due to its ability to enhance other nitric-oxide boosting supplement ingredients. It’s not an amazing ingredient on its own, but a good muscle pump booster when combined with other muscle pump ingredients.
Amentopump® Amentoflavone (50mg)
According to Musclesport, Amentopump has the ability to directly increase strength, breakdown fat, and increase vasodilation. It is almost impossible to verify these claims. Surely if Amentopump was so effective then everyone would be raving about it, and there’d be a bunch of studies surrounding it. As far as we can tell so far, Amentopump is made by biotechnology company Genabolix Lifescience Ltd, operating since 2004 out of China. There doesn’t appear to be any official website for Amentopump, though Genabolix has launched a ‘news-led’ website which suggests normal dosages are between 100-200mg of amentoflavone in pre-workouts. Strange then that Rhino Rampage only includes 50mg.
KannaEase (25mg):
This is another herbal product that has been “enhanced” by a secondary company. Kanna is an herb that is often taken in South Africa by hunters looking to reduce stress and anxiety while maintaining high cognition. Studies have shown that kanna can reduce anxiety and slightly boost cognition, which justifies its inclusion within Rhino Rampage.
Rampage Jungle Energy Matrix (890mg)
There are 14 ingredients contained in the Rampage Jungle Energy Matrix, but caffeine makes up more than half of the matrix (450mg out of 890mg).
Caffeine Anhydrous (400mg)
Caffeine has many benefits when it comes to performance, boosting power, increasing muscular endurance, reducing fatigue, and even increasing your metabolic rate – which can lead to weight loss if combined with a calorie-controlled diet. 400mg is a massive amount of caffeine though; to put it into context 400mg is the equivalent of five double espressos (one 2oz double espresso contains around 80mg of caffeine).
On the one hand, it is interesting to see a properly dosed pre-workout; caffeine is often severely under-dosed in pre-workouts as the unpleasant side effects can outweigh the benefits. On the other, this is an almost dangerous level of caffeine, and many people will experience a number of side effects after consumption.
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Dicaffeine Malate
The idea is that dicaffeine malate can reproduce similar results to regular caffeine but without the side effects. The idea is that combining caffeine with malic acid will slow the digestion of caffeine which increases the amount of time it takes to be released. Prolonging the effects. It’s great when combined with caffeine anhydrous because you get the initial jolt and then a longer, smoother ride thereafter. There is 50mg of dicaffeine malate in Rhino Rampage, taking the total caffeine content to 450mg per serving.
Tyrosine
Combining caffeine and tyrosine can help to improve reaction time, tyrosine can also help reduce stress slightly. It can also boost your cognition.
L-Theanine
Cleverly combined with caffeine, l-theanine is able to counteract some of the side effects while improving some of the benefits. L-theanine will help to reduce stress, reduce anxiety, and help to prevent insomnia. It can also boost cognition, leaving you feeling sharper and more focused. Combining lots of caffeine with dicaffeine, tyrosine and l-theanine, will deliver a superb workout. Of course, we don’t know exact dosages of either l-theanine or tyrosine, so it’s impossible to say for sure that they will be effective. That said, there’s not much point including them if you don’t include enough to work.
Dimethylethanolamine (DMAE)
Added in as a cognitive enhancer, but research appears to indicate that DMAE doesn’t achieve much. Could help to prevent spots though … which is kind of a benefit!
Synephrine
Controversial supplement ingredient synephrine can help to boost your metabolism delivering a large shot of energy and a potential fat loss experience. It is viewed as quite dangerous though, as it works in a similar way to ephedrine (which is a banned substance).
Octopamine
Metabolite of synephrine which provides similar benefits and similar risks.
Eria Jarensis Extract
Another stimulant that is very similar in structure to ephedrine, synephrine, and octopamine. Great cognitive benefits, big metabolic boost. Possibly dangerous depending who you ask.
Theacrine
Similar to caffeine, found in coffee, theacrine has a lot of potential to become a household favorite in the future. However, there is a lack of reliable evidence so far, and it may be another dud.
Dynamine
Like theacrine, dynamine (methyliberine) is a compound found in coffee with a lot of potential but a lack of evidence. Could be good, could be a dud, nobody is sure either way.
Juglans Regia Extract
Another name for walnut extract, this supplement ingredient may help to improve your metabolism, but evidence is limited. Probably ineffective.
Nelumbo
A source of hordenine which may be an effective metabolic booster and fat burner, but there is a severe lack of evidence for this. Are you starting to sense a theme here?
Rauwolfa Vomitoria Extract
What a great name, fancy a large dose of vomitoria? Didn’t think so! Musclesport claim to have added this as it may lead to fat oxidation, reduce your blood pressure, and reduce psychosis.
Why they think that lowering psychosis is important for people taking pre-workouts we don’t know (though there are a LOT of stimulants in this product, so who knows?).
To be honest, this is a weird choice for their supplement.
Huperzia Serrata Extract
This contains Huperzine A which may help to improve cognition and could one day be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
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Rhino Rampage Formula Analysis
Phew, there’s a LOT in the Rhino Rampage formula.
More than 20 separate ingredients in fact. Some of those are tried and tested substances that we approve of in a strong pre-workout – beta-alanine, caffeine, citrulline, l-theanine, tyrosine, Huperzine A – but there is also a lot in this formula that we’re just not convinced by.
The jury is out on a fair few ingredients in the Rampage Jungle Energy Matrix (dynamine, Nelumbo, Juglans Regia Extract) because evidence is lacking or inconclusive, plus we’re just not convinced that you need to add an additional three (potentially dangerous) stimulants on top of the 450mg of caffeine already included in this formula.
Of course, not knowing exact dosages of the Rampage Jungle Energy Matrix – another bugbear – we can’t even say whether those additional stimulants are included in high or low dosages. They could therefore be potentially dangerous or completely ineffectual as a result. There’s just no way to tell.
Rhino Rampage Benefits
There are several benefits to taking Rhino Rampage by Musclesport.
It is ridiculously high in caffeine which will give you a physical and mental boost; it also contains ingredients that combine well with it too (dicaffeine malate, tyrosine, theanine).
You’ll feel much less fatigued, your muscles will ache less, you’ll be more focused, and you’ll be able to grind out more reps than you would usually.
Everything you want from a pre-workout. Just to be sure to avoid all other sources of caffeine when taking this pre-workout.
Who Takes it?
This pre workout is designed for fat loss, performance enhancement, and a decent muscle pump, so the target audience would probably be young men interested in bodybuilding. Athletes would probably avoid it as there are a lot of ingredients that could be banned (or are about to be), and it just seems too strong for regular gym goers to try.
Any Potential Side Effects with Rhino Rampage?
Where to start?
The 450mg of caffeine is just the start of the story: too much caffeine can lead to jitters, anxiety and insomnia.
These can, of course, be tempered by tyrosine and l-theanine, though again we don’t know how much is included in this proprietary blend.
Caffeine isn’t the only stimulant in this formula, however: there’s also synephrine, octopamine and Eria Jarensis extract: all of which are very similar in structure to the highly dangerous and banned substance, ephedrine.
Again, without knowing exact dosages, it’s impossible to know how potential dangerous this product could be.
At the very least, we would agree with Musclesport’s recommendation to take one scoop to begin with. We would also recommend cycling this product on a regular basis.
Oh, and don’t forget the likely tingling you’ll feel in your hands and feet as a result of the beta-alanine. This is a harmless side effect, but it can be off-putting if you’re not prepared for it.
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Rhino Rampage Summary
Pros:
- Very high caffeine dosage
- Complimentary ingredients such as dicaffeine malate, tyrosine, theanine
- Powerful stimulants such as synephrine should help with fat burning (though it may be questionable in other ways)
- Cognitive enhancers should improve mood and focus
- Decent muscle pump
- Your exercise capacity will increase
Cons:
- Lots of side effects associated with caffeine at this level (palpitations, nausea, headaches, upset stomach)
- Many ingredients are on banned lists for athletic events
- Many dud ingredients
- Use of proprietary blends hides true dosages
Rhino Rampage Price and Where to Buy
You can buy Rhino Rampage directly from the Musclesport website, it does not appear to be available on Amazon or similar websites. A tub of Rhino Rampage costs $49.99 on the website, and this is for 30 servings. Round about $1.67 per serving. This is an average price per serving, we’ve certainly seen pre-workouts that are a lot cheaper, but also ones that are a lot more expensive.
Muscle Sport Rhino Rampage Conclusion
There are a LOT of ingredients contained in Rhino Rampage, and often having a ton of ingredients does not always represent a good product.
You end up with lots of under-dosed ingredients, or ingredients that haven’t been proven to do anything. This is the case here. Ingredients such as Nelumbo, Rauwolfa Vomitoria, etc. could easily have been left out without anyone noticing any difference.
The caffeine is so strong that everything else is going to get overshadowed. High caffeine doses are sort of controversial. Many pre-workout customers LOVE super high-caffeine products, but many regular people find it too much.
It’s like using a sledgehammer to bang in a nail, overkill.
This could have been a clever formula, but it suffers from too many pointless ingredients and the inclusion of a proprietary blend is also a shame as hiding ingredient dosages is a shady practice (in our opinion).
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