Welcome to the best AML pre-workout review on the planet!
AML pre-workout from Advanced Molecular Labs is a supplement designed to use before training. AML pre-workout contains three proprietary blends where they disclose the dosage of some of the ingredients. AML pre-workout contains a 400 mg caffeine dosage which is very high, the formula also has big doses of L-Citrulline Malate and Creatine Monohydrate. The formula should help with increasing energy level and performance while training.
If you take your training seriously and pay proper attention to what you eat, the chances are you’ve heard of and considered using a pre-workout supplement.
Marketed as the product which can take your workouts to the next level, there are so many pre-workout options available that choosing the one which aligns most closely with your training needs can be a troublesome process.
I can see it now. Hours and hours of internet research, wasting your valuable time going round in circles trying to look beyond the sales pitch and drill down to exactly what each product offers you.
Well, now you don’t need to. We’ve put together this Advanced Molecular Labs pre-workout review so that all the key information you need to make the right decision for you is in one convenient place. How kind of us!
AML pre-workout review: my initial thoughts
The first thing I look at when it comes to making an initial assessment of a pre-workout product has to be the Supplement Facts Label. Why…? Because with the briefest of glances, you can answer probably the single most important question you need to be asking yourself before making a pre-workout purchase… Does this product contain any proprietary blends?!
For the less experienced supplement users among you, a proprietary blend is a mixture of ingredients where only the total weight of the blend is disclosed and not the weight of each component ingredient.
That means you can’t know exactly how much of a particular ingredient you consume per serving of any given blend. Never a good place to be when it comes to supplements!
Unfortunately for our AML pre-workout review, this product is made up of not one, but THREE proprietary blends. Well, sort of. The doses of some of the active ingredients are disclosed, but not all!
With a whopping single serving size of 26g (21.3g of which are active ingredients), Advanced Molecular Labs certainly pack a whole lot of stuff into this pre-workout!
Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients included and how their dosages (where possible) compare to what the latest scientific research is telling us!
AL pre-workout ingredients
Serving size: 1 Level Scoop (26 g) | Amount Per Serving | %Daily Value |
Calories | 5 | |
Total Carbohydrates | 1g | <1% |
Folic Acid | 800 mcg | 200% |
Calcium (as Calcium Silicate) | 48 mg | 5% |
Magnesium (as Magnesium Citrate) | 100 mg | 33% |
Sodium | 10 mg | <1% |
Potassium (as Potassium Citrate) | 500 mg | 11% |
Adrenaline and Dopamine Activators (L-Tyrosine, Caffeine (400 mg), Velvet Bean (Mucuna pruriens) Seed Extract (standardized for 40% L-dopa), BioPerine (black pepper fruit extract) (95% Piperine). | 2.455 g | * |
Nitric Oxide Activators (Citrulline Malate (8g), Beet (Beta Vulgaris) Root Extract, Grape (Vitis Vinifera) Skin Extract (standardized for 30% polyphenols), Watermelon Fruit Extract.) | 8.7 g | * |
Power, Strength & Endurance Activators (Creatine Monohydrate (5 g), Betaine Anhydrous 98% (2.5 g), Beta-Alanine (2 g), Potassium Citrate, Magnesium Citrate. | 10.120 g | * |
Adrenaline and dopamine activators (2.945g)
The first of our three blends contain only two ingredients of any note: caffeine (400 mg) and tyrosine.
Effective at boosting energy, reducing your perception of fatigue, and enhancing your body’s ability to burn fat as a fuel, caffeine has become commonplace in most pre-workout supplements![1]
It is thought to be effective at servings as low as 100 mg and can be taken safely at doses as high as 400 mg per serving.[2] However, this kind of quantity can have some unwanted side effects, particularly for those new to pre-workout supplements or with low tolerance to caffeine.
As a result, our preferred dose is around the 250 mg mark. Consequently, the 400 mg dose in each serving of this pre-workout by Advanced Molecular Labs is extremely potent and should be treated with caution!
As far as tyrosine is concerned, whilst some studies suggest it can be beneficial for both cognitive performance and energy levels due to its relationship with hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline, this research is far from unequivocal, and an optimum dose remains unknown. Consequently, even if its precise dosage in this product were disclosed, we wouldn’t have anything concrete to compare it to anyway, and thus we consider its inclusion largely irrelevant!
Nitric oxide activators (8.7g)
The only ingredient of note included in this blend is citrulline malate, and thankfully AML has chosen to disclose its precise dosage. At 6g per scoop, AML gets its serving of citrulline malate pretty much spot on, with most scientific research suggesting that 6-8g approximately 30 minutes before your workout should be sufficient to generate the associated ergogenic benefits![3]
So what are these benefits?!
Well, supplementing with citrulline has been proven to help increase your blood levels of arginine. This, in turn, leads to greater nitric oxide production (hence the name of the blend), which generates greater vasodilation and improves circulation and blood flow to working muscles during exercise.[4] Not only does this help to delay the onset of fatigue, but it also gives you one hell of a pump!
As a result, this is a great ingredient for AML pre-workout to include at such an optimum dose. Well done them!
Power strength and endurance activators
The third and final blend contains three ingredients of note in creatine monohydrate (5g), betaine (2.5g), and beta-alanine (2g).
Creatine monohydrate is the biggest nutritional supplement of them all—comfortably the most researched and clinically effective training aid on the market.
Now, normally when we see creatine included in a pre-workout supplement, we are automatically suspicious… Why? Because ordinarily, there isn’t room in a multi-ingredient scoop for the optimal dose, and most manufacturers grossly undercook their creatine serving as a result.
In this case, however, AML gets it spot on. At 5g per serving, this pre-workout supplement is bang on the scientifically recommended daily dose.[5] That means you are going to get all the great benefits of taking creatine. Provided you take this pre-workout daily for an extended period of time, you can expect to see improvements in strength and lean muscle mass![6]
Outside of creatine monohydrate, beta-alanine is probably the next best nutritional supplement on the market! The body converts it into something called carnosine, which can help to buffer lactic acid and reduce the feeling of fatigue in your muscles when you are completing a short-duration anaerobic exercise.
In order to achieve such benefits it needs to be dosed at 4-6g per day for at least 2 weeks.[7] That means the 2g per serving included in AML is quite a way short of this optimum dose. Having said that, given that muscle carnosine saturation levels continue to increase the longer you supplement with beta alanine, a 2g daily serving may still be of benefit, it will just take twice as long to take effect as an optimum 4g dose would!
Betaine is purported to benefit both strength and body composition goals, but the evidence is far from unequivocal! Some studies suggest it can be effective at doses as low as 2.5g, which means, arguably, the serving in AML pre-workout is bang on![8] However, for every study that indicates a tangible benefit of betaine supplementation for exercise performance, plenty of others do not!
AML pre-workout side effects
There are many ingredients in this pre-workout by Advanced Molecular Labs, which can cause some minor side effects.
Consumed in the kind of quantity which appears in this product, caffeine can lead to symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, the jitters and even anxiety! As a result, if you are new to pre-workout supplements or have a low, or even average tolerance to caffeine, we would suggest trialing this product at a half serving just to test the waters, before gradually increasing the dose if you don’t experience any adverse effects.
Beta-alanine tends to cause a mild tingling sensation on the skin’s surface (particularly the face), which ordinarily subsides after around 20 minutes. The good news is, this symptom is completely harmless and should actually be taken as a sign that you are consuming a meaningful dose of beta-alanine and not something entirely useless. Although, in all honesty, we’re not sure whether the 2g dose in this AML pre-workout is going to be sufficient to elicit such a response anyway!
The final ingredient which has the potential to cause some problems is creatine monohydrate. When consumed in large enough doses, this ingredient tends to cause bloating and general gastrointestinal discomfort. The 5g serving in this product may be sufficient to cause some users difficulties, particularly those with sensitive stomachs!
Pros and cons of Advanced Molecular Labs pre-workout
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Where to buy AML pre-workout?
With just 3 flavor options to choose from in Blue Raspberry, Watermelon, and Fruit Punch, AML pre-workout doesn’t have a great deal of variety, which means you’re a little fussy about the taste; of your pre-workout, you might struggle to find something to your liking!
This product is available on the official Advanced Molecular Labs website for $39.99, which means it comes in at a pretty pricey $2 per serving.
It can also be purchased at third-party supplement sites, including muscleandstrength.com and vitaminshoppe.com, as well as global online retail giant Amazon, so be sure to shop around for the best price!
Summary: AML pre-workout review conclusion
All in all, our AML pre-workout review considers this product a pretty impressive addition to the marketplace. Optimal doses of two big-hitting ingredients in citrulline malate and creatine monohydrate should never be underestimated. Add to the equation a whopping 400 mg of caffeine and a fairly solid dose of beta-alanine, and this product has some serious bang for its buck.
Yes, there are only 3 flavor options to choose from, and not all of the ingredients included have their precise weights disclosed, but the significant information is there for you to see on the Supplement Facts Label!
As a result, whilst we consider the $2 per serving a little on the expensive side, you are getting a product which will absolutely be of benefit to your exercise performance and should help you to make the gains you’ve been yearning for! Well done, Advanced Molecular Labs!
References:
[1] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011
[2] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011
[3]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.
[4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124046306000531
[5] Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance: an update- journal of international sports science and nutrition.
[6] Kreider RB. Effects of creatine supplementation on performance and training adaptations. Mol Cell Biochem. 2003;244(1–2):89–94.
[7] 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.
[8] Betaine in human nutrition- the American Journal of clinical nutrition 80:3 2004
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