Welcome to the most comprehensive Altius pre-workout review on the world wide web!
Altius from Jacked Factory is a pre-workout supplement that contains 7 ingredients in big dosages. The highlights from this pre-workout are high doses of key ingredients such as Citrulline Malate, Beta-Alanine, Caffeine, and more. Altius pre-workout is designed to increase strength, power, endurance, focus, and muscle pumps while training in the gym. Overall it’s an excellent formulation with few downsides.
Fed up of scouring the internet in search of a pre-workout supplement that actually delivers what it says it will and is dosed with clinically effective ingredients in appropriate quantities, only to be met with marketing jargon and overhyped product descriptions?
Found endless online product reviews which say they are independent, but the content points to at least some degree of collusion with the brand in question…?!21Well, now you’ve found our Jacked Factory Altius review, those days are well and truly over. Instead, we offer nothing but a scientifically supported assessment of all the key ingredients and their dosages so that you can make an informed decision yourself as to whether this particular pre-workout product is worth the expense!
No more wasted hours of research, no more concerns about whether the product you’re purchasing is safe for human consumption, and a huge bank of product reviews to compare each supplement manufacturer against its peers!
About Altius by Jacked Factory
“You refuse to cut corners in the gym; we refuse to cut corners creating the best supplements to help you get results… Jacked Factory products contain nothing but powerful science-backed ingredients in effective doses. Our formulas have been created in line with some of the most promising sports nutrition ingredient research on the planet. Research conducted at top universities and labs around the world… We grew tired of the hype and lies that became the status quo in the supplement industry.”
A pretty standard brand description, which fails to distinguish itself from the hundreds of others out there! So, how do we sieve through the bullshit and work out whether Altius by Jacked Factory pre-workout is actually what the manufacturer says it is…?
Well, the best way is to take a closer look at the active ingredients and their dosages. Then, our Altius pre-workout review will judge whether they are scientifically backed and appear in clinically effective dosages… not Jacked Factory!
Ingredients in Altius pre-workout
Serving size: 1 scoop (20.4g) | Amount Per Serving | %Daily Value |
Calories | 5 | |
Vitamin B12 | 500 mcg | 20833% |
Sodium | 170 mg | 7% |
Potassium (as TriPotassium Citrate) | 300 mg | 6% |
Citrulline Malate 2:1 | 8 g | * |
Beta-Alanine | 3.2 g | * |
Creatine Monohydrate | 3 g | * |
Betaine Anhydrous | 2.5 g | * |
Caffeine Anhydrous | 325 mg | * |
AlphaSize® Alpha GPC | 300 mg | * |
Astragin™ | 30 mg | * |
Before we take a closer look at the ingredients in Altius by Jacked Factory, there is one question that needs to be addressed above all others. Does this product use any proprietary blends?
What’s a proprietary blend, I hear you ask?! It’s basically a mixture of ingredients where the total weight of the blend is disclosed but not the precise quantity of each of the component ingredients. This makes it very hard for you as a consumer to determine exactly how much of each active ingredient you are taking per serving. When it comes to nutritional supplements, such guesswork really won’t do!
Despite what manufacturers might try to tell you about keeping their patented formulas away from prying competitors there is only one reason they choose to make use of proprietary blends in their products, and that’s to hide underdosed ingredients from their prospective customers.
Fortunately for Altius, whilst many of the ingredients are grouped (most likely for marketing purposes), they do not use any proprietary blends, with the quantity of all component ingredients per serving listed on the Supplement Facts label!
A promising start to the ingredients section of our Altius pre-workout review. Long may it continue.
Citrulline malate (8g)
As the ultimate pump ingredient, citrulline malate offers some potential benefits for exercise performance beyond just the aesthetics of a simple muscle swell. By increasing your blood levels of arginine, citrulline supplementation boosts your production of nitric oxide, which helps to improve circulation and increases blood flow to working muscles during exercise.
Scientific research suggests that a dose of 6-8g should be consumed 30-60 minutes before your workout to achieve these effects.[1] That means the 8g per serving of Altius pre-workout is absolutely spot on. As a result, you can expect some serious vascular results when taking it!
Beta-alanine (3.2g)
Undoubtedly, one of the most exciting nutritional supplements on the market as far as exercise performance goes, beta-alanine is really only trumped by creatine in the world of legal training aids.
By helping to increase your muscle stores of something called carnosine, beta-alanine supplementation enables your body to buffer lactic acid more efficiently. This helps to maintain a less acidic pH within your muscles, which means you experience less of that burning sensation associated with some of your toughest workouts!
The scientific research indicates that a daily serving of 4-6g for a period of at least 2 weeks is sufficient to generate these fatigue fighting effects, with muscle saturation levels steadily increasing the longer you supplement with it.[2]
As a result, the 3.2g per serving, which features in Altius by Jacked Factory pre-workout, is a little shy of optimum. Having said that, it’s a darn sight better dose than most of the pre-workouts on the market, which choose to include beta-alanine. This quantity is still likely to benefit your exercise performance, but it may just take a little longer for muscle stores to become fully saturated!
All in all, by no means a bad effort from Jacked Factory here!
Creatine monohydrate (3g)
Creatine monohydrate has a reputation as one of the most widely researched and effective nutritional supplements going. After all, there is plenty of evidence suggesting that it can be incredibly effective at helping users increase strength and lean muscle mass.[3]
We, however, tend to treat its inclusion in pre-workouts with a degree of caution. Why?
Because the 5g dose per day over an extended period of time required to be of benefit to your exercise performance is hard to squeeze into a multi ingredient formula, which means it is often grossly underdosed.[4]
And sure enough, the 3g dose per serving in Altius pre-workout is evidence enough of this trend!
A slightly disappointing turn to our Jacked Factory Altius review!
Caffeine (325 mg)
As one of the most effective and safe stimulant ingredients on the market, caffeine has become a mainstay of pre-workout supplements in recent years. Capable not only boosts energy and focus for tough sessions, but there is also evidence to suggest that it helps boost metabolism and enables you to burn more fat during training.
The scientific research suggests that caffeine can produce the above benefits at dosages as low as 100 mg and is safe for consumption at levels as high as 400 mg per day.[5]
As a result, the 325 mg per serving of Altius pre-workout is certainly a sizeable one. Whilst we prefer a little less at 250 mg, we can hardly complain about a potent dose of a truly effective ingredient.
Betaine (2.5g)
Some limited scientific research suggests that supplementing with betaine may benefit your exercise performance in terms of strength and power gains! However, there are also plenty of studies that indicate no benefit whatsoever.
The research that exists into this supplement suggests that it is safe for human consumption at levels as high as 15g per day and is effective at doses as low as 2.5g per day. As a result, the 2.5g per serving of Altius pre-workout may indeed be effective.
Until there is more conclusive evidence to support its use, our Jacked Factory Altius review will remain skeptical about its inclusion in this product.
Are there any side effects?
Pre-workout supplements come with a range of side effect warnings, most of which revolve around the stimulant ingredients which are often included. In the case of Altius, 325 mg of caffeine can cause some minor side effects, particularly for those with lower tolerance levels. This can include symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, anxiety, and jitters.
Our advice would be to start with a half dose of this product in order to test your resistance, particularly if you are new to pre-workout supplements or stimulant ingredients.
Creatine monohydrate can cause bloating and general gastrointestinal discomfort, but these issues are normally associated with high doses consumed in a single serving. So, in all honesty, a 3g serving is unlikely to cause you any problems.
The only other ingredient included in Altius which may cause a minor side effect is beta-alanine. This tends to cause a tingling sensation on the skin’s surface, which normally subsides after about 20 minutes. The good news is this symptom is completely harmless and can be taken as evidence that you are actually consuming a meaningful dose of beta-alanine and not something entirely useless!
Pros and cons
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Pricing
At $35.99 on the official Jacked Factory website, Altius comes in at a pretty pricey $1.80 per serving, making it one of the more expensive pre-workout supplements on the market.
Flavor options
There appears to be only one flavor option available, which is a mixed berry. Unfortunately, if this taste isn’t your bag, then you’re going to have to look elsewhere to satisfy your pre-workout needs.
Where to buy Altius pre-workout?
In addition to the official Jacked Factory websites, you can also purchase Altius from Amazon.
Summary
All in all, Altius by Jacked Factory is a very encouraging pre-workout product. The inclusion of a whopping 8g of citrulline malate, a solid enough dose of beta-alanine, and a potent 325 mg of caffeine arguably justify the expensive price tag alone.
The lack of proprietary blends is also a major positive and means you know exactly what you’re taking, even if that turns out to be an underdosed ingredient.
The only major disappointment is the underdosed serving of creatine monohydrate, but that is common in pre-workouts and the inclusion of a few ingredients, which have limited scientific research to support their inclusion.
Whilst the availability of only one favor option is unusual within the pre-workout market, we would never advise picking a supplement based on its flavor anyway, so our Altius pre-workout review doesn’t consider this a major issue.
Yes, $1.80 per serving is a lot of money, but you do get what you pay for in this world, and the doses of citrulline malate, caffeine, and to a certain extent, beta-alanine probably warrant this price tag.
All in all, a solid effort from Jacked Factory here. You can rest easy knowing that money spent on Altius pre-workout will actually be helping to boost your training performance!
Resources
[1]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.
[2] 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 ost (Abstract) FASEB J. 2009;23:599.4.
[3] 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.
[4] Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance: an update- journal of international sports science and nutrition.
[5] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011
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