Welcome to the most comprehensive ACG3 pre-workout review on the world wide web!
If you have any interest in the gym then chances are you’ve heard of pre-workout. A new breed of supplement designed to help you squeeze every ounce from your training sessions. They are rapidly becoming a mainstream product for nutritional supplement providers alongside stalwarts such as protein!
That means there are an awful lot of different providers for you to choose between when it comes to selecting the most effective pre-workout for your needs. It also means whenever you attempt to do any research into these products you are most likely met with marketing jargon and sales pitches. Not entirely helpful when all you want to know is whether the pre-workout you’re looking into is actually going to do what it says it will.
Fortunately for you that’s where we come in! This PMD ACG3 Supercharged review will give you a detailed breakdown of the most important active ingredients and their dosages, as well as telling you how much it should set you back, where you can buy it from and what flavors it is available in! Easy!
Ingredients in ACG3 pre-workout reviewed
The first, and most important thing to note about the ingredients which feature in ACG3 Supercharged + is that they are grouped into not one but four proprietary blends! Major fail!
This mean, whilst each of the ingredients included in the product are listed, their precise individual quantities are not, with only the total weight of each blend disclosed! That means you have no idea how much of anything you are consuming per scoop, which is never a good place to be when it comes to a nutritional supplement.
Despite what manufacturers may claim, there is one reason and one reason only why they choose to make use of proprietary blends, and that’s to hide underdosed ingredients from YOU, the consumer!
Magna-3 Complex (3g)
This blend includes a mix of a number of different varieties of creatine, including creatine citrate, magnesium creatine chelate and creatine alpha ketoglutarate. Whilst creatine is undoubtedly one of the most effective and widely researched nutritional supplement, the vast wealth of this scientific information pertains to the monohydrate variety.
It is creatine monohydrate which has been shown time and time again to help improve strength and lean muscle mass at doses of around 5g per day for a period of a number of weeks![1][2]
With limited, if any research into the varieties of creatine included in this blend and no specific dosage information, it is impossible for our PMD ACG3 Supercharged review to determine whether this aspect of the pre-workout will be of benefit or not.
Generally speaking, when it comes to creatine supplementation, we advise that you source a pure form of the monohydrate variety so that you have complete control over serving size. There are very few, if any pre-workouts which contain an optimum dose of creatine, so if you’re serious about the potential ergogenic benefits, look elsewhere for your creatine requirements!
Beta Pump Blend (5.5g)
The main ingredients included in this mix are betaine, beta alanine, taurine and l-arginine. There is limited if any scientific evidence to suggest the efficacy of either betaine or taurine for exercise performance, so we won’t be considering these particular ingredients in any more depth!
Raised blood levels of arginine have been shown to help boost nitric oxide production and improve circulation helping to alleviate exercise induced fatigue.[3] Unfortunately, oral supplementation with arginine has been shown to be ineffective at raising blood levels because the vast majority is broken down in the liver before reaching the blood. As a result, an amino acid called citrulline has been shown to be a much more effective choice for the same purpose.
Beta alanine, on the other hand, has been shown to be a particularly effective nutritional aid when it comes to exercise performance. Supplementation helps to raise muscle stores of something called carnosine, which plays a critical role in the buffering of lactic acid.[4] Given that it is lactic acid which is one of the primary causes of muscle fatigue, it should come as little surprise that increased levels of carnosine can help to alleviate such issues.
Most studies indicate that 4-6g per day for a period of at least 2 weeks is adequate to raise carnosine levels sufficiently to enable a tangible performance benefit.
As a result, whilst it is mathematically possible for there to be a meaningful dose in this 5.5g blend, given that beta alanine is only the second most prevalent ingredient and the blend includes 6 other ingredients, it seems unlikely. Ask yourself this… If there was an optimal, or even meaningful dose of such an impressive ingredient, why oh why would the manufacturer hide it from you in a proprietary blend?!
Neuro-Transmit Matrix (825 mg)
Includes doses of choline bitartrate, l-tyrosine and l-carnitine. Given the complete lack of research into the efficacy of these ingredients for exercise performance, however, our ACG3 pre-workout review isn’t going to waste your time on them!
G-Force Energy Blend (425 mg)
This final blend contains a number of ingredients but the only one we’re interested in is caffeine. And for a change, we actually know exactly how much is included per scoop, 325 mg to be precise.
Caffeine is one of the most common and effective stimulants used in pre-workout supplements, and for good reason. There is a wealth of evidence to suggest it provides a boost to energy as well as increasing your fat burning potential. Most research suggests that it can be effective at doses as low as 100 mg whilst it is safe to consume at levels as high as 400 mg per day.[5]
That means the 325 mg included in ACG3 Supercharged is a seriously potent serving and will give even the most hardened stimulant users a decent buzz!
So, is ACG3 Supercharged pre-workout any good or just hype?
It’s pretty hard to tell to be honest as the doses of all ingredients, other than caffeine, are hidden behind a number of proprietary blends! That means it’s impossible for us to compare this product to the scientifically proven optimum doses.
Generally speaking, supplement manufacturers use proprietary blends to hide underdosed ingredients which means we’re fairly confident in concluding that ACG3 Supercharged is almost certainly just hype!
Side effects in PMD ACG3 Supercharged pre-workout
There are a few ingredients included in this pre-workout which may result in some minor side effects!
Large doses of caffeine, such as the 325 mg dose in ACG3 Supercharged, can result in diarrhea, vomiting, the jitters and even anxiety. If you are new to pre-workout supplements or generally have a low tolerance to caffeine, it may be sensible to test the waters with a half dose of this product before ramping up your serving slowly but surely if you don’t experience any adverse effects.
Beta alanine does tend to cause a mild tingling sensation on the surface of the skin (on the face in particular) which generally subsides after 20 minutes or so. The good news is, this side effect is completely harmless, and at least demonstrates that you are consuming a meaningful dose of beta alanine and not something entirely useless!
Creatine can cause bloating and general gastrointestinal discomfort but these symptoms are normally associated with large doses of the monohydrate variety, so it’s unlikely you’ll experience such problems with this product!
Pros and cons of ACG3 pre-workout
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Pricing
At $66.49 on the official Professional Muscular Development pre-workout website, ACG3 Supercharged comes in at an astronomically expensive $2.22 per serving, making it one of the most costly pre-workouts we’ve ever reviewed.
Flavor options
There are only 4 flavor options available, including pre-workout stalwarts Blue Razz and Pink Lemonade, so if you’re a little fussy about the taste of your products then you might struggle to find something to your liking!
Where can I buy PMD ACG3 Supercharged?
In addition to the official PMD website, you can also purchase ACG3 supercharged + at global online retailer Amazon and trusted third party supplement site GNC.
Summary
It’s almost impossible for our ACG3 pre-workout review to look beyond the use of not one, but three proprietary blends in this product. There is simply no excuse for this lack of transparency and only one reason why PMD have chosen not to fully disclose dosage information, and that’s to hide underdosed ingredients from potential customers!
Let’s be honest, if you produce a pre-workout product containing 5g of creatine monohydrate, 4-6g of beta alanine and 6-8g of citrulline malate per serving then you’re gonna want to shout it from the rooftops. Hiding your doses in a proprietary blend, therefore, may as well be an admission of underdosing guilt!
Yes, ACG3 contains a considerable dose of caffeine, which will undoubtedly offer benefits to even the most seasoned of pre-workout users, but for $2.22 per scoop, you really should be getting more for your money than just a big hit of caffeine. After all, you can buy a pure caffeine supplement for next to nothing per serving.
When you consider that there are only 4 flavor options to choose from, things just seem to go from bad to worse for this product.
Our advice? If you’re serious about taking your training to the next level and you think a pre-workout supplement might help you do so, then you need to know exactly how much of all the key ingredients you’re getting for your money. When it comes ACG3 pre-workout, PMD simply don’t offer this kind of transparency and should therefore be avoided at all costs!
References:
[1] Grindstaff PD, et al. Effects of creatine supplementation on repetitive sprint performance and body composition in competitive swimmers. Int J Sport Nutr. 1997;7(4):330–46.
[2] Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance: an update- journal of international sports science and nutrition.
[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124046306000531
[4] 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
[5] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011
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