Welcome to the number one Pulse pre-workout review on the internet. Everything you could need to know about this Legion Athletics manufactured supplement to decide whether it can take your training to the next level!
Pulse from Legion Athletics is a pre-workout supplement that contains 6 ingredients. Pulse has a roughly 24-gram serving size; however, only 15-grams of that come in active ingredients. Pulse pre-workout contains large doses of L-Citrulline Malate, Beta-Alanine, Betaine, Caffeine, and L-Theanine. Pulse pre-workout helps increase muscle pumps, energy, and performance. There are no proprietary blends in Pulse, so you know exactly how much each ingredient you receive.
Fed up of marketing jargon, sales talk and supposedly independent product reviews which clearly have hidden agendas…? Can’t spend another hour trawling the internet researching pre-workout supplements only to be none the wiser as to which product is right for you?
Fear not, that’s where we, and this LegionPulse pre-workout review, comes into play. A simple breakdown of the key active ingredients and their dosages determines whether Pulse is all it’s hyped up to be. How much does it cost? Where can you buy it? And loads more!
So, whether you’re just starting on your fitness journey or you’re a seasoned gym monkey, and you’re interested in the potential of pre-workout supplements to boost your training performance. This Legion AthleticsPulse pre-workout review is definitely for you!
About Mike Matthews and Legion Athletics
Mike Matthews is a weight trainer and fitness instructor who has written many books aimed at helping people become healthier and stronger, including Bigger, Leaner, Stronger, and The Shredded Chef.
Baffled by his own inability to improve his physique despite spending thousands of dollars on personal training sessions and supplements over a number of years, Matthews eventually took things into his own hands. By studying the latest scientific research available and talking to proven bodybuilders and their coaches, he was able to better understand how to make significant changes to his own body.
After reaching his own physical goals so successfully, he was encouraged repeatedly by friends and family to write a book to help others.
In addition, Mike Matthews is also the owner of Legion Athletics, which he founded to “create healthy, high-quality sports supplements based on sound science, and sell them honestly at a fair price.”
A slightly strange decision given his self-proclaimed belief that you don’t need supplements to build a great physique, but we won’t hold that against him when assessing the quality and dosing of ingredients in Pulse by Legion Athletics.
Ingredients in Pulse pre-workout
Attention: Pulse have changed the formula of their supplement since we first wrote this review.
They changed the beta-alanine dose from 4.8-grams to 3.6 grams they took L-Ornithine HCl out of the formula completely and added an ingredient called Alpha GPC.
We have updated this Pulse review with the new formula.
Serving size: 1 scoop (23.76g)
Amount Per Serving
%Daily Value
Calories
10
Total Carbohydrates
6 g
2%
Calcium
148 mg
11%
Sodium (as Sodium Citrate)
230 mg
10%
Potassium (as TriPotassium Citrate)
345 mg
7%
L-Citrulline DL-Malate 2:1
8 g
*
CarnoSyn® Beta-Alanine
3.6 g
*
Betaine Anhydrous
2.5 g
*
Caffeine Anhydrous
350 mg
*
L-Theanine
350 mg
*
AlphaSize® Alpha GPC 50%
300 mg
*
Before we take a closer look at the key ingredients and their dosages, we would be prudent to consider the most important question of any pre-workout review… Does the product include any PROPRIETARY BLENDS?
For the less experienced supplement users among you, a proprietary blend is a mixture of active ingredients where the total weight of the blend is disclosed but not the quantity of each individual ingredient. It makes it impossible to determine how much of everything you are consuming per serving, which really isn’t a great place to be when it comes to taking supplements.
Whatever a supplement manufacturer tries to tell you on their website about hiding their formulas from competitors, there is only one reason they actually use proprietary blends. And that is to hide underdosed ingredients from YOU, the customer!
Fortunately for this Pulse pre-workout review, there isn’t a single proprietary blend in sight! Phew! I guess Mike wasn’t telling fibs when he claimed that Legion Athletics was founded to sell supplements “honestly”… an encouraging start!
Citrulline malate (8g)
Unquestionably one of the most exciting dietary supplements on the market when it comes to exercise performance, citrulline is increasingly finding its way into pre-workouts, and for a good reason!
Dosed correctly, it has the capacity to increase blood levels of something called arginine, which in turn increases your production of nitric oxide which can help to improve circulation and deliver more oxygen to working muscles during exercise.[1] Sounds pretty useful right…?!
Not only that, but it also gives you an almighty pump! Yes, please.
The majority of the scientific research suggests that 6-8g of citrulline malate 30-60 minutes before exercise is sufficient to produce the above effects.[2] That means the 8g dose in Pulse pre-workout is bang on. A great start to the ingredients section of our LegionPulse pre-workout review!
Beta-alanine (3.6g)
With the exception perhaps of creatine monohydrate, beta-alanine is the most widely researched and well-regarded dietary supplement available on the market, with tangible performance benefits for exercise.
By helping to increase your muscle stores of something called carnosine, beta alanine supplementation helps your body to buffer lactic acid and in turn reduces muscle fatigue during intense anaerobic activity.[3]
To achieve such benefits, scientific research suggests that a daily dose of 4-6g for a period of at least 2 weeks is required.[4] That means, once again, this Legion Athletics pre-workout gets its dosing almost spot on with 3.6g.
Caffeine (350 mg)
Even if you’ve never taken a pre-workout or a supplement, more generally, the chances are you’ve heard about the potential benefits of caffeine to your workouts.
Proven to physically and mentally prepare you for training and even help to boost your metabolism and increase fat burning, caffeine is probably the most common ingredient found in pre-workout supplements.[5]
The majority of research suggests that caffeine can be ergogenically effective at doses as low as 100 mg, and that it can be safely consumed at levels as high as 400 mg per day.[6] This means that the 350 mg serving in this Legion Athletics pre-workout is seriously punchy and is guaranteed to give even the most hardened stimulant users a serious workout buzz!
Betaine (2.5g)
Whilst betaine has been purported to have benefits for both strength training and body composition improvements, there are a few studies which actually demonstrate such an effect.
As a result, our Pulse pre-workout review considers their inclusion good as betaine has been shown to increase muscular endurance and performance while lifting weights.
Side effects?
As with any pre-workout supplement, Pulse has some potential side effects, which you should be aware of.
The most likely ingredient dose to cause you any problems here is without doubt caffeine.
350 mg is a seriously potent dose and can cause minor side effects, including diarrhea, vomiting, jitters, and even anxiety. If you are new to pre-workouts or have even a remotely low tolerance to caffeine, we suggest starting with a half dose of this product before slowly increasing your serving as your resistance increases.
The only other potential side effect from taking Pulse is related to its serving of beta-alanine. This ingredient causes a tingling sensation on the surface of your skin which normally subsides after approximately 20 minutes. The good news is it’s completely harmless and at least means you know you’re taking a solid dose of beta-alanine and not something else of zero benefits!
Pros and cons of Pulse pre-workout
Pros
Cons
NO PROPRIETARY BLENDS!
Optimal dose of citrulline malate.
The optimal dose of beta-alanine.
Enormous dose of caffeine.
8 flavor options.
Stim-free version available
Price
High caffeine dose could cause side effects
Only 6 active ingredients
Pricing review
At $40 on the official Legion Athletics website, Pulse pre-workout comes in at a whopping $1.90 per serving, putting it very much at the more expensive end of the pre-workout market.
Having said that, it contains some of the most impressive doses of citrulline, beta-alanine, and caffeine we have ever seen in a pre-workout, which makes it almost certainly worth the price tag. You really do get what you pay for in this world!
Where to buy Pulse pre-workout?
As mentioned above, you can purchase Pulse at the official Legion Athletics website.
It is also available on Amazon and Bodybuilding.com, which means it may be worth shopping around for the best price. Having said that, if you have any doubts about the legitimacy of where you’re buying a pre-workout product, our advice is always to source it directly from the manufacturer!
Pulse vs. Pulse Stim Free (What’s the difference?)
There are a few major differences to note when comparing the stimulant and nonstimulant versions of Pulse pre-workout.
The most significant change is obviously the removal of a whopping 350 mg of caffeine (the safest and most commonly used stimulant on the market). This is obviously going to have a pretty significant impact on the products impact, but if you’re looking for a pre-workout free of stimulants then this is the price you pay!
What’s more, is that is the L-Theanine dose of 350 mg is also not included in the stim-free version.
Other than that it is exactly the same.
The final major difference is that the stim-free version of Pulse is only available in four flavors.
Flavor options
The stimulant version of Pulse is available in 8 flavors, including 3 new options: pink lemonade, cherry limeade, and tropical punch. This means there should be plenty of choice for even the fussiest of customers.
Unfortunately, the stim-free option is currently only available in four flavors.
Summary
All in all, this LegionPulse pre-workout review has to be one of the most positive we’ve ever done.
No proprietary blends, 3 hugely effective ingredients in citrulline, beta alanine and caffeine dosed optimally, and 8 flavor options. Other than the fact that it contains only 6 active ingredients , there is very little to complain about!
Yes, the price makes Pulse one of the more expensive pre-workouts on the market, but you get what you pay for in this world, and products that contain such effective dosages of truly impactful ingredients really are few and far between.
Regardless of whether founder Mike Matthews really believes that you need supplements to build a great physique, his company has produced a pre-workout product that is guaranteed to help boost your training performance!
Resources
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124046306000531 [2]Pérez-Guisado, J., & Jakeman, P. M. (2010). Citrulline malate enhances athletic anaerobic performance and relieves muscle soreness. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(5), 1215-1222. [3] beta-Alanine supplementation augments muscle carnosine content and attenuates fatigue during repeated isokinetic contraction bouts in trained sprinters- J Appl Physiol (1985). 2007 Nov;103(5 [4] Stellingwerff T, Anwander H, Egger A, Buehler T, Kreis R, Decombaz J, et al. Effect of two beta-alanine dosing protocols on muscle carnosine synthesis and washout. Amino Acids. 2012;42(6):2461–72. doi: 10.1007/s00726-011-1054-4 and Harris RC, Jones GA, Kim HJ, Kim CK, Price KA, Wise JA. Changes in muscle carnosine of subjects with 4 weeks of supplementation with a controlled relase formulation of beta-alanine (CarnoSyn), and for 6 weeks post (Abstract) FASEB J. 2009;23:599.4. [5] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011 [6] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011 [7] https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-200/ornithine
Leave a Reply