If you had to put your finger on it right now, what is the core aim of a pre-workout? To fight fatigue, to energize, to focus your mind, or just to deliver a serious pump? Maybe all the above?
Wild Thing by Assault Labs attempts to cover all the bases and is marketed as the “evolution” of pre-workouts. It goes about this with some interesting approaches that end up being a little drowned in the giant list of other ingredients. But it’s a popular supplement right now and priced from the mid-high end of the market.
As much as we’d love to buy into the evolution hype, the huge list of ingredients is an initial red flag, but let’s get into the nuts and bolts of this thing and find out what’s really going on.
Table of Contents
About Wild Thing Pre-Workout
Available in Mixed Berry Madness, Tropical Tornado and Rocket Popsicle, Wild Thing is marketed by Assault Labs as the next-generation supplement that will shift your position from trailing behind to leading the pack.
It has big claims which include helping increase your energy, focus, muscle pump strength and endurance. As well as helping improve your overall mood, accelerate muscle recovery and mental cognition, and decrease muscle fatigue. Formula notes:
- Nootropics: Choline Bitartrate and Noopept has most likely been included to lift mood and possibly bolster the claim that Wild Thing can increase focus.
- Heightened NO: stack of citrulline malate, agmatine sulfate are promising for those of you chasing a serious pump. The addition of citrulline malate instead of L-citrulline is also a big tick in the intra-workout energy production.
- Energy and fatigue fighting: what you’d expect from any quality pre workout, and at the outset, among all the ingredients, creatine and CarnoSyn stand out.
Wild Thing Pre-Workout Supplement Facts
Serving Size: 14.7 g (approx. 1 scoop)
Servings Per Container: 25
Ingredients | Amount Per Serving |
DiCitrulline Malate | 5,000 mg |
Beta Alanine (CarnoSyn®) | 3,600 mg |
Agmatine Sulfate (AgmaMax™) | 500 mg |
Creatine Anhydrous | 750 mg |
LGlutamine | 500 mg |
Choline Bitartrate | 750 mg |
Caffeine Anhydrous | 250 mg |
LTyrosine | 500 mg |
L-Norvaline | 100 mg |
Other Ingredients: | Niacin, Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B12 (as Cyanocobalamin), L-Theanine, Caffeine Citrate, Phenylethylamine Hydrochloride, Di-Caffeine Malate (Infinergy™), NPhenylacetylL-Prolylglycine Ethyl Ester (Noopept™), N-Methyl Tyramine Hydrochloride, Higenamine Hydrochloride, Hordenine Hydrochloride, Toothed Clubmoss (huperzia serrata) (aerial parts)
|
Wild Thing Directions: | Mix one scoop (max 16g) into 8-16 oz of water and consume 30 minutes before working out.
Do not exceed more than one scoop every 24 hours.
|
Focusing on the core ingredients, Wild Thing has all the elements of a good pre-workout. It’s got an effective stack of NO enhancers and fatigue buffers and there’s a solid effort in delivering cognitive-focusing nootropic ingredients.
Additional kudos to Assault Labs: there are no proprietary blends in sight. Great to see an honest label with all the ingredients and their doses listed.
With that, let’s dive into the ingredients:
DiCitrulline Malate
Coming in with the largest dosed ingredient first, DiCitrulline Malate is a quality ingredient for pre-workouts that combines NO boosting with energy. When absorbed, the body turns citrulline into arginine, which stimulates the production of Nitric Oxide.
By adding a malate molecule to the mix, you’re adding a second prong to the attack. Malate is a vital ingredient in one pathway of energy production and can provide a boost to energy during your workouts along with the increased blood flow of NO.
- NO is a powerful vasodilator, increasing blood flow and starting off ‘the pump’. The addition of malate boosts energy production.
Beta Alanine (CarnoSyn®)
A non-essential but powerful amino acid, beta alanine as CarnoSyn is effective at increasing muscle strength and endurance and even fat burning. In a nutshell, beta-alanine increases levels of the molecule, carnosine, which buffers ions in the muscles that come from lactic production during intense exercise.
These ions hamper the muscles’ ability to contract, hitting you with early fatigue. By reducing these ions, carnosine keeps you stronger for longer in the gym.
- As well as being an acid buffer, beta-alanine has also been seen to act as a neurotransmitter, stimulating the nervous system to aid in full contractions.
Agmatine Sulfate (AgmaMax™)
Agmatine is an uncommon ingredient, possibly because it doesn’t absorb well with protein (like l-glutamine) and arginine. But it is effective at elevating NO levels in the blood. It is actually a metabolite of arginine, the molecule citrulline breaks down into that stimulates NO production.
- Thought to also be related to a release of growth hormone, however more research is needed into its effectiveness.
Creatine Anhydrous
One of the most researched and effective ingredients to be taking before a workout, creatine increases strength, endurance and muscle mass over time. Note that there seems to be some confusion over the form of creatine included in Wild Thing online, but we are sticking with the official Assault Labs’ website description and label, which lists creatine anhydrous.
- Effectively saturating your muscles with phospho-creatine molecules, a vital component of ATP (chemical energy). Creatine also increases fluid flow to your muscles, helping the delivery of nutrients for swifter recovery.
LGlutamine
Thought to help with fatigue, l-glutamine is an essential amino acid often supplemented by vegans and vegetarians. It has been seen to reduce the catabolic effects in the muscles of training while fasting and maintaining a calorific deficit.
- Hailed by many as a must-have amino for muscle building, it’s not been proven to elevate muscle building, though there is some evidence that it may help muscle strength recovery and soreness.
Choline Bitartrate
Another uncommon ingredient, but for a different reason to agmatine. Once absorbed, choline bitartrate is converted into acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter associated with learning, cognition and muscle control.
- As far as the cognitive benefits during your workout go it’s been seen as ineffective. It’s also generally avoided because of the way it can produce a fishy odor from your skin and mouth as it breaks down throughout the day. Mix this with its relatively small amount of research… we’ll leave that one up to you.
Caffeine Anhydrous
Caffeine, super-common and a predictable ingredient to see. It will boost your energy levels and help you train harder. It’s also been seen to increase thermogenesis, the process of producing heat through the burning of fat for energy.
However, as with all stimulants, there’s a drawback.
- The benefits of the relatively big 300 mg of caffeine could be outweighed by the huge crash you will get after peaking. Hopefully this happens after the workout and not halfway through. (There’s always the option of a non-stim pre-workout such as Performance Lab SPORT Pre-Workout if the caffeine bothers you).
L-Tyrosine
An essential amino acid found in meat, poultry and dairy foods, l-tyrosine produces noradrenaline and dopamine in certain circumstances — two neuro-hormones you might be familiar with. These circumstances, known as an “acute stressor”, have been seen to be the trigger for anti-stress, memory and cognition-boosting properties to kick in.
- The stressor in this case is… an intense workout, where it heightens mood and lowers anxiety throughout.
L-Norvaline
L-norvaline is another nitric oxide-boosting ingredient that has taken a hit recently and it’s not an ingredient I would recommend anymore due to new research.
L-norvaline works through its ability to inhibit the enzyme arginase which breaks down the NO-boosting arginine. Arginase is a big limiting factor when it comes to the amount of NO that can be produced from arginine, so halting this means you can increase the levels of NO and the length of time it’s in your system. Meaning you get a bigger pump for longer.
- Sure, the NO boost down another pathway is sweet. So, what’s the problem? In a recent study, very similar compounds have been linked to neurological degenerative diseases, and it is now thought that exposure to high doses, or long-term usage, can increase the risk of damaging brain cells.
Check out our
– #1 Pre-Workout This Year –
Formula Analysis
When you consider all the ingredients in Wild Thing, the picture starts to become clearer: Assault Labs aren’t delusional when they talk about creating the “next generation” of pre-workouts.
They are, however, a little ahead of themselves…
CarnoSyn is a great addition, but other ingredients are underdosed
Some of the ingredients in this list are right on the money and live up to the intentions of Assault Labs. Like 600mg of beta alanine. Right in the middle of the effective dose range and CarnoSyn is premium quality.
Whereas, 5,000mg of citrulline malate is not bad, but research suggests 6,000-8,000mg to enhance performance. 1g would’ve made the difference, and as citrulline malate is a core plus-point for this supplement, you’d think it would have been bumped up to standard. Creatine is also underdosed at 750mg.
Nootropic aspect of Wild Thing Pre-Workout doesn’t work for us
The nootropic element of the supplement is promising in its inception, but it doesn’t live up to expectations. There is insufficient evidence for phenylethylamine hydrochloride’s effectiveness, and N-Phenylacetyl-L-Prolylglycine Ethyl Ester (Noopept) has been seen to help aid in the rehab of cognitive decline in people suffering from cerebral trauma, but any other applications are not proven.
Okay, Assault Labs may be getting ahead of themselves, but that’s not to say this is a bad supplement.
Not a bad pre-workout, but we’ve seen better.
Overall, Wild Thing is a good supplement that’s been buried in extraneous and distracting ingredients. This has led to its core purpose being lost and the nootropic element, which could really elevate the product, under-delivering. It’s thoughtful of Assault Labs to include some B-vitamins, but the rest of the ingredients do little except increase the price.
The high dose of caffeine may be the sole change in mood you feel… followed by a big crash of course.
Wild Thing Pre-Workout Benefits
Wild Thing has all the elements of a good pre-workout. The caffeine is at a pretty high dose for those of you who take it on a regular basis and know how to handle the peaks and crashes, and the combination of NO boosters will result in a good pump and vascularity.
The CarnoSyn is one of the most redeeming factors of Wild Thing. A quality fatigue-fighting and performance-boosting ingredient at a solid dose. Such an amount will give you the infamous tingles, however.
Who Takes It?
Definitely marketed to the general bodybuilder/ gym-goer looking to gain an edge. Assault Labs plays on the competitive side of the market, even talking about “crushing” personal bests on their website.
Wild Thing Pre-Workout Side Effects
Wild Thing contains a high dose of Caffeine that will result in jitters if you’re not used to it and should be avoided if you’re unsure of the effect on you, or if you have high blood pressure. The dose of beta alanine is high enough to cause the “tingles” and the choline could lead to a “fishy” odor after taking.
They also state a few times on their website to consult a physician before use.
Check out our
– #1 Pre-Workout This Year –
Wild Thing Pre-Workout Summary
Pros
- Great core ingredients. CarnoSyn, Citrulline Malate, L-Tyrosine and Creatine.
- CarnoSyn. Quality ingredient at a great dose
- Dose is okay if you’re supplementing it already.
- NO stack. Combination of NO-boosting ingredients are effective.
- Increased blood flow and energy will get you pumped.
Cons
- 300mg is pretty high.
- Too many extraneous ingredients.
- No… otropic. Nootropic stack not particularly effective
- It’s not going to break the bank, but it’s expensive for what it delivers
Wild Thing Pre-Workout Price and Where to Buy
- 1 tub of powder (25 servings): $39.95
- Available from Assault Labs directly and a couple of online retailers.
Wild Thing Pre-Workout by Assault Labs: Final Word
Wild Thing has some solid elements to its formula, some of which, like CarnoSyn are given at optimal doses. But where it tries to reinvigorate the pre-workout model, it falls short in dosing core ingredients, like creatine, and doesn’t include others that many competitors do at this price, like BCAAs or Piperine.
This is most-likely due to the distracting list of other ingredients, and this definitely contributes to the high-ish price.
This is a great pre-workout for someone looking at exploring the higher end of the stimulant pre-workout market before moving on to more focused, engineered products.
[yasr_overall_rating]
- Check out our #1 Pre-Workout this year: Performance Lab Pre
Leave a Reply