Welcome to the most comprehensive Angel Dust pre-workout review on the world wide web.
Everything you need to know about this product to make an informed decision as to whether it’s right for you. A detailed assessment of the key ingredients and their dosages based on the latest scientific research; where to buy it, how much it costs per serving and plenty more!
Whether you’re just starting out on your training journey or you’re at the peak of your physical powers, there is room for an effective pre-workout supplement in your routine. The problem is, finding a product which is actually going do what it claims to is harder than you might think.
The lack of formal regulation of the sports supplements market means there are plenty of cowboy manufacturers out there who will promise almost anything in order to get you to part with your hard earned cash.
Sounds a bit daunting right…?!
Fear not, that’s where we come in with our Blackstone Labs Angel Dust pre-workout review. Yet another pre-workout product which you can tick off your list of research and decide whether to avoid like the plague or get ordering in bulk!
About Blackstone Labs
“Blackstone Labs, the hardcore holy grail of supplements. We feel that our motto truly encompasses what we are as a company. We know what bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts want, which is why we are so tirelessly dedicated to giving it to you…”
And it goes on and on like this by the way. Empty, vague and meaningless phrase after phrase which tell you nothing useful about the company or the supplements it produces. This is a perfect example as to why you shouldn’t rely on the manufacturers website to give you a grasp of what the brand is about and whether their products are actually any good.
Instead, you should rely on honest and independent reviews like ours which give you a real insight into what to expect from companies like Blackstone Labs.
Ingredients in Angel Dust pre-workout
There is one question we ask ourselves before any other when it comes to the ingredients of a pre-workout supplement. Do they appear in any proprietary blends? For the uninitiated among you, that means a mix of key ingredients where the total weight of the blend is disclosed but the the quantity of each individual ingredient, which makes up that blend is not!
This means you have no idea how much of any ingredient you are consuming per serving. Not a good place to be, given how important it is to take optimum doses of ingredients in order to feel their benefits.
Unfortunately, this product is made up of a single proprietary blend weighing 8.3g and made up of no less than 13 separate ingredients. Not a good start to our Angel Dust pre-workout review!
Beta alanine, citrulline malate and caffeine
We’ve grouped these 3 ingredients together as there is at least a good amount of scientific research to support their benefits for exercise performance.
Beta alanine helps to increase your muscle stores of something called carnosine which helps you buffer lactic acid and therefore fight fatigue during anaerobic activity.[1] In order to do so it must be dosed at 4-6g per day for a period of at least 2 weeks.[2] Given that the entire blend only weighs 8.3g and there are 12 other ingredients to squeeze in, it seems unlikely that this kind of dose is included. Unfortunately, without a chemistry lab in your living room, you’ll never know for sure.
Citrulline malate is one of the most exciting prospects on the supplement market and is increasingly finding its way into pre-workout products in particular. By increasing your blood levels of arginine, citrulline supplementation boosts your production of nitric oxide which improves circulation and increases blood flow to working muscles during exercise.
Most studies suggest that a dose of 6-8g of citrulline malate is necessary to have the desired effect.[3] This makes it incredibly unlikely that there is an optimum dose in the 8.3g blend, especially given that it is only the 3rd most prevalent ingredient present.
Caffeine is without doubt the most popular stimulant ingredient on the market and is a staple part of pretty much every pre-workout supplement. Not only is it capable of increasing your energy levels for a tough session, there is also evidence to suggest that it boosts your metabolism and enables you to burn more fat as you workout.
Scientific research suggests that it is effective at doses as low as 100 mg and that it can be safely consumed at levels as high as 400 mg per day. Given the relatively small dose required to be effective in comparison to the total blend weight, our Angel Dust pre-workout review can say with relative certainty that this product probably contains a solid enough dose of caffeine.
Taurine, Carnitine, Tyrosine and Betaine
We’ve grouped these 4 ingredients together because there is very little if any scientific research to demonstrate that they are effective nutritional supplements with regards exercise performance.
Research into taurine, for instance, has indicated that supplementing with 1-6g before exercise does not improve overall performance.[4] Carnitine is purported to have benefits for body composition, helping you to use stored fat as an energy supply.[5] Having said that, the research to support such claims is limited at best, and for every study that suggests a potential impact, there are plenty of others which refute such claims.
Tyrosine is thought to help improve cognitive performance and delay fatigue as a result of its effect on hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline.[6] Again, however, studies are limited at best, and as such there isn’t even a scientifically approved optimal dose.
Betaine is, perhaps, the most promising of these 4 ingredients, with a number of studies to suggest that it can help to increase strength and improve body composition. Having said that, the evidence to support such claims is nowhere near as convincing as for ingredients such as creatine, beta alanine and citrulline.
As you can see, whilst these ingredients may offer a benefit to exercise performance, we are a long way from knowing whether they definitely do! As a result, our Angel Dust pre-workout review treats their inclusion in this product with a large degree of scepticism. Especially given we have no idea in what quantities they are included thanks to the use of a proprietary blend.
Was Angel Dust pre-workout banned?
The original Blackstone Labs Angel Dust DMAA formula does seem to have been banned, and for obvious reasons.
DMAA is a potentially lethal, amphetamine like drug which can cause dangerous side effects including heart palpitations and increased blood pressure. The good news is, the offending ingredient no longer appears in this Blackstone Labs Angel Dust pre-workout which means it is safe for human consumption.
The bad news is, in Blackstone Labs, we are dealing with a supplement manufacturer who is more than happy to blur the lines between effective pre-workout product and potentially dangerous drug!
My opinion on Angel Dust and Blackstone Labs
In all honesty, I don’t trust Blackstone Labs as far as I can throw them. Their prior inclusion of a potentially dangerous ingredient in DMAA and use of a proprietary blend in Angel Dust, brings both the brand and this particular product into disrepute!
If you’re genuinely serious about supporting your workout regime with good quality and well dosed nutritional supplements, then products containing proprietary blends should be avoided at all costs!
Are there any side effects?
Given that we have no idea how much of anything is actually included in this product, determining likely side effects is almost impossible!
There are, however, a couple of ingredients, which if dosed optimally may lead to some minor symptoms.
Caffeine, consumed at high levels, can cause diarrhea, vomiting, the jitters and even anxiety in some individuals. If you are new to pre-workout supplements or generally have a low tolerance level to caffeine then we suggest taking any pre-workout product in small doses to begin with as you assess their potency.
Beta alanine tends to cause a mild tingling sensation on the surface of the skin which normally subsides after about 20 minutes. The good news is, this side effect is completely harmless and at least is a sign that you are taking a meaningful dose of beta alanine and not something entirely useless!
Pros and cons of Angel Dust by Blackstone Labs
Pros | Cons |
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Angel Dust vs Dust X- what’s the difference?
The most noticeable difference between the Angel Dust and Dust X products is the fact that there are no proprietary blends in the latter. It contains a number of similar ingredients, including citrulline malate, beta alanine and caffeine, all of which have their precise quantities disclosed.
Whilst these changes are most welcome, after all, why wouldn’t you want to know exactly how much of these ingredients you are consuming, there is one other major difference with potentially lethal consequences.
Dust X includes a dose of 2-aminoisoheptane, known more commonly as DMHA. This ingredient has a very similar effect to the controversial amphetamine like compound DMAA which has led to a number of pre-workout products being banned, including the original Angel Dust formula!
Pricing
At $44.99, Blackstone Labs Angel Dust pre-workout comes in at $1.80 per serving.This puts the product very much at the more expensive end of the market, especially when you consider that you don’t have a clue as to exactly what you’re getting for your money!
The Dust X range will set you back $54.99 which means a cost of $2.20 per serving. This makes it a particularly expensive pre-workout. The 40 cents price difference per serving between Angel Dust and Dust X can probably be justified by the fact that the former is made of a proprietary blend and the latter is not, but both prices are certainly too high in relation to what these products actually offer users.
Flavor options
Angel Dust is available in 6 flavors, including Black Lemonade, Blue sky and pre-workout classic Cotton Candy. This means there should be enough taste options for even the fussiest customers.
Dust X is available in a more limited 4 flavors.
Where to buy Angel Dust pre-workout?
In addition to the official Blackstone Labs website, you can also purchase Angel Dust at mysupplementstore.com and a1supplements.com.
Summary
There are two key words when it comes to our Angel Dust pre-workout review, and that’s PROPRIETARY BLEND. The product is made up of a single ingredient mix with only the total weight disclosed. That means the quantities of as many as 13 separate ingredients in each serving of Angel Dust remain a complete mystery to both us and more importantly YOU.
As a result, it is impossible for us to assess the efficacy of these ingredients and whether they will actually help to boost your training performance as advertised. This factor, in addition to Blackstone Labs previous record with now banned substance DMAA and current use of DMHA in their Dust X formula, makes us extremely wary of this product and supplement manufacturer more generally.
Finally, at $1.80 per serving, it’s not even like this Angel Dust pre-workout is particularly affordable. For that price, you can certainly find a pre-workout product containing disclosed doses of high quality ingredients, and you never know, they may also be included at optimal levels.
Our advice…? Avoid Angel Dust, and Blackstone Labs more generally, at all costs. You deserve so much better from your nutritional supplements!
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]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.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1024/taurine
[5] The effect of (l) carnitine on weight loss in adults: a systematic review and meta analysis of randomised controlled trials.
[6] Biomedical Research 2017- effects of tyrosine supplementation ration on anaerobic sports capacity and plasma catecholamine levels in soccer athletes.
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