Welcome to the most comprehensive Shatter SX-7 pre-workout review on the internet.
Our detailed assessment of the product’s active ingredients and dosages based on the latest scientific research will give you all the knowledge you need to make an informed decision about this MuscleTech Shatter SX-7 pre-workout.
Whether you’re a complete novice or a pre-workout connoisseur, the product descriptions offered by supplement manufacturers rarely give you a clear, concise and honest assessment of the product in question. After all, the company writing them will try almost anything to get you to buy their supplements!
As a result, simply relying on the information you can find on brand websites can make choosing an effective pre-workout product, which is also right for your training needs, a daunting proposition.
Fear not, that’s where our Shatter SX-7 review comes into play.
About MuscleTech
MuscleTech’s mission statement is “to continuously research, develop, patent, produce and market the most effective diet and sports supplements in the world.”
The company are quick to emphasise their “unflinching commitment to science and research as a means to producing the best supplements in the world…” something which “has been the backbone of the #1 selling bodybuilding supplement brand in America since the emergence of MuscleTech supplements back in 1995.”
“A portion of every dollar spent on MuscleTech supplements is allocated towards funding scientific research to discover new and more effective ways to help increase lean muscle mass and strength, reduce body fat and improve athletic performance.”
MuscleTech are well known for producing “groundbreaking, high quality supplements”… with “over 30 US and 50 worldwide patents… and tons of professional athletes and bodybuilders” flocking “to Team MuscleTech for researched and scientifically advanced formula.”
This is certainly one of the more detailed and impressive ‘about us’ sections we’ve come across on a manufacturer website and it’s easy to be sucked in and trust MuscleTech from the get go.
The only foolproof way of determining whether or not their products are worth parting with your hard earned cash, however, is to take a detailed look at which ingredients they contain and in what quantities!
Ingredients in Shatter SX-7
First things first, the precise quantity of every single active ingredient in this product is listed, which means no proprietary blends. This is a huge positive and great start to our Shatter SX-7 pre-workout review.
Whatever a supplement brand might try to tell you about why they make use of proprietary blends, there is only one explanation, and that is to hide underdosed ingredients from you. As a result, whenever you see a supplement, and pre-workouts in particular, which are made up of one or more proprietary blends, alarm bells should start ringing in your head… Avoid at all costs!
All of the ingredient dosages below are based on a 2 scoop serving of this MuscleTech Shatter SX-7 revolution pre-workout.
Beta alanine (3.2g)
Without doubt one of the most exciting nutritional supplements on the market when it comes to boosting your training performance, the inclusion of beta alanine is a real positive for this MuscleTech Shatter SX-7 pre-workout.
Dosed correctly it is capable of increasing your muscle stores of something called carnosine. This in turn helps your body to buffer lactic acid more efficiently and thus reduce the effects of muscle fatigue during anaerobic activity.[1] Most of the scientific research suggests that a daily dose of 4-6g for a period of at least 2 weeks should be sufficient to raise muscle carnosine levels enough to have a positive effect on your exercise performance.[2]
Consequently, the 3.2g per serving of Shatter SX-7 is a little shy of this optimum dose. Having said that, it should still be enough to raise muscle carnosine levels. It may just take a little longer to achieve optimal saturation!
L-citrulline (3g)
Citrulline is probably the hottest nutritional supplement ingredient on the market at the moment, finding its way into pre-workout products, in particular, with increasing frequency. Citrulline helps to raise blood levels of an amino acid called arginine which in turn boosts our production of nitric oxide. Higher levels of nitric oxide in the blood means greater vasodilation, improved circulation and increased blood flow to working muscles during exercise.[3]
In order to have such benefits, l-citrulline must be dosed at 3-6g per day for a period of at least 7 days. That means the 3g serving in this Shatter pre-workout just about reaches the bottom end of this range.
Whilst we prefer citrulline to be included in the malate variety as opposed to in its pure form due to the extra energy boosting benefits of the former, it’s difficult to criticise the use of a solid dose of an effective ingredient. A good effort from MuscleTech here!
Caffeine (350 mg)
Caffeine is without doubt the most common stimulant ingredient to appear in pre-workout supplements, and for good reason. There is, after all, a wealth of scientific research to support its energy boosting and fat burning benefits.
Most studies suggest that caffeine is beneficial to exercise performance at doses as low as 100 mg and that it can be safely consumed at levels as high as 400 mg per day.[4] That means the 350 mg per serving of Shatter SX-7 is very punchy and certainly isn’t for the faint hearted. It is almost guaranteed to give even the most hardened stimulant users a monumental buzz.
As a result, if you are new to pre-workout supplements or you have a particularly low tolerance to caffeine then it may be a good idea to start with a one scoop serving of this product, just to test the waters.
Betaine (2.5g) and Taurine (1g)
We’ve grouped these two ingredients together because there is only very limited research to suggest that they are of any benefit to exercise performance.
Betaine is purported to have benefits for both strength and body composition and taurine for endurance, but until there is a bank of convincing evidence to corroborate such ergogenic effects, our Shatter SX-7 pre-workout review will treat their inclusion in this product with a degree of scepticism!
Are there any side effects?
As with any pre-workout supplement, there are a number of potential minor side effects associated with consumption of this Shatter SX-7 pre-workout.
High doses of caffeine, such as the 350 mg per serving in this product can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, the jitters and even anxiety.
Our recommendation would be to start with a single scoop of this pre-workout (175 mg caffeine) until you build your tolerance levels. Only once the effects of a half serving become less should you increase your dose accordingly.
The only other ingredient included in this MuscleTech Shatter SX-7 pre-workout which may cause a side effect is beta alanine. This can cause a tingling sensation on the surface of the skin which normally lasts around 20 minutes. The good news is this symptom is completely harmless and at least confirms that you are indeed taking a meaningful dose of beta alanine and not something else entirely useless.
Shatter SX-7: Revolution vs Black Onyx- what’s the difference?
The main difference between the Shatter SX-7 Revolution and Shatter SX-7 Black Onyx seems to be the use of citrulline malate rather than pure citrulline, and the slightly lower dose of caffeine at 300 mg rather than 350 mg.
The beta alanine dosage is identical and Black Onyx also makes use of the largely unfounded taurine within it’s formula.
The 6g dose of citrulline malate in Black Onyx is a far better option than the 3g serving of pure l-citrulline included in the Revolution range. A slightly lower dose of caffeine also means that you are less likely to experience some of the negative side effects associated with extremely high caffeine consumption.
All in all, we would probably say the Black Onyx range is a better product, and given it’s cheaper price, it definitely offers better value for money!
Pros and cons of Shatter SX-7 by MuscleTech
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Pricing of Shatter SX-7 pre-workout
At $44.99 on the official MuscleTech website, Shatter SX-7 Revolution comes in at a very pricey $2.25 per serving, which puts it very much at the expensive end of the pre-workout market.
Strangely enough, the Black Onyx range, which we think is actually a superior product, is priced at $36.99 and comes in at $1.85 per serving. Whilst this still makes for a costly supplement, it is a considerable amount cheaper than the Revolution alternative!
Flavor options
Shatter SX-7 Revolution pre-workout comes in 5 typical whacky flavors including Icy Rocket, Miami Spring Break and Wild Cherry Punch, which means even the fussiest among you should be able to find a taste to your liking!
Black Onyx, unfortunately only comes in 3 flavors so your choices are a little more limited in this respect!
Where to buy Shatter SX-7 pre-workout?
As well as the official MuscleTech website, Shatter SX-7 can also be found at global online retail giant Amazon, as well as respected online supplement stores like bodybuilding.com, GNC, and the vitamin shoppe.
Summary
All in all our MuscleTech Shatter SX-7 review is pretty positive. The product contains no proprietary blends, which means you know exactly how much of all the key ingredients you are consuming per serving.
It contains a solid dose of l-citrulline and beta alanine and a seriously punchy serving of caffeine, all of which will almost certainly be of benefit to your exercise performance.
The use of ingredients such as taurine and betaine, which have very limited scientific evidence to support their benefits for training is a little disappointing and we would much rather they upped the dosages of well respected ingredients instead.
The only real negative seems to be the price tag, which puts the product well and truly at the more expensive end of the market. We’re not entirely convinced that ‘solid’ dosings of 2 proven ingredients and the huge dose of caffeine really warrants such a cost.
In fact, the Black Onyx range, which arguably offers a better balance of high quality ingredients is around 30 cents cheaper per serving. Whilst still on the expensive side, if you’ve got your heart set on a MuscleTech pre-workout supplement, then this is definitely the better option.
Having said that, for over $1.80 per serving, we still think you can find a much better product than either Shatter SX-7 Revolution or Black Onyx!
Resources
[1] 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
[2] International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine- J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015; 12: 30.
[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124046306000531
[4] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011
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