Cannibal Ferox
$44.99
Pros
- Optimal dose of Beta-Alanine and Citrulline Malate
- No Proprietary blend
- 15.3 gram serving size
Cons
- Dangerously high dose of Caffeine(450mg)
- Not cheap
- Some ingredients included have little scientific backing
Welcome to the most comprehensive Cannibal Ferox pre-workout review on the web!
Cannibal Ferox is a pre-workout supplement from the company Chaos and Pain. The formula contains ten ingredients in a 15.3-gram serving size. The highlight of the pre-workout are the great dosages of L-Citrulline Malate, Beta-Alanine, and Betaine which are staples in every good pre-workout. The downside is the massive caffeine dose of 450mg which is dangerously high and not recommended for beginners or anyone for that matter.
Everything you need to know about this Chaos and Pain-inspired product in order to make an informed decision as to whether it’s right for you and your training needs!
We offer a detailed assessment of the key ingredients included and compare their dosages to the latest scientific research and what it tells us about optimum servings. With additional information about the manufacturer, where to buy the product and how much it costs, we really do have all your Chaos and Pain Cannibal Ferox pre-workout bases covered!
We know only too well how difficult it can be to find trustworthy product reviews online, particularly in a market where manufacturers seem more than happy to dupe their customers at every turn!
That’s why we try to dig beyond the marketing jargon and sales pitches which frequent most product websites and give you the cold hard facts that allow you to make your own mind up!
About Chaos and Pain
“Chaos and Pain began as a blog intended to be used as a means by which to disseminate the information… compiled on strength training and nutrition for… friends and rapidly grew beyond that.”
Founded by Jamie Lewis whilst studying at the University of Arizona, Chaos and Pain’s strong association with the word Cannibal is based on his interest in the fate of famous cannibalistic groups through time. He discovered that these groups were renowned for their strength, size, speed, and ferocity, far from being backward and sickly. Furthermore, theories suggest that human flesh was the optimum form of protein for humans to eat due to the amino acids and nutrients!
And it is upon these discoveries that the supplements of Chaos and Pain are based, not literally, of course, none of their products contain human flesh, as far as we’re aware anyway. A slightly surreal brand conception, but at least a little more quirky than the usual descriptions full of superlatives and total BS.
Only when we dig a little deeper into the ingredients included and their precise quantities can we determine whether this Chaos and Pain Cannibal Ferox pre-workout will offer you the same kind of strength, size, and speed gains as associated with the cannibalistic tribes of this world!
Cannibal Ferox pre-workout ingredients
Attention: Since we first published this review, the makers of the pre-workout have drastically changed the formulation of Cannibal Ferox. They changed the formula completely. The serving size went from 11.2-grams to 15.3-grams and overall it is a better pre-workout that it used to be. This review is updated with the new formula.
If you want to compare the changes they made to the formula, look at the picture below to see the changes they made.
First things first. Not a single proprietary blend in sight! For those out of the pre-workout loop, a proprietary blend is a mix of key ingredients where the total weight is disclosed but the servings of each individual ingredient are not. That means you have no way of knowing exactly how much of anything you are consuming.
There’s only one reason why a supplement manufacturer uses a proprietary blend, which is to hide underdosed ingredients from YOU, the consumer. As a result, products containing them should be avoided like the plague. Fortunately for Chaos and Pain and this Cannibal Ferox pre-workout review, there isn’t a single proprietary blend in this product!
Citrulline malate (6000 mg)
Arguably the hottest nutritional supplement on the market right now, finding its way into pre-workout products with increasing frequency, and rightly so.
Dosed correctly citrulline helps to increase your blood levels of an amino acid called arginine. This boosts your production of nitric oxide, which in turn causes greater vasodilation and allows more blood to flow to working muscles during exercise.[1] Pretty useful for fighting fatigue then!
The majority of scientific studies point to an optimal dose of 6-8g 30 minutes to an hour before your session.[2] That means the 6g included in Cannibal Ferox pulls just right.
Beta-alanine (3200 mg)
Outside of creatine monohydrate, beta-alanine is the most clinically effective nutritional supplement available when it comes to exercise performance.
By increasing your muscle stores of something called carnosine, which helps to buffer lactic acid, beta alanine supplementation has the power to reduce the impact of muscular fatigue during anaerobic sessions.[3]
A dose of 4-6g per day for at least 2 weeks is considered optimum to raise your muscle carnosine levels sufficiently to translate into tangible effects.[4] That means the 3.2g serving in Cannibal Ferox comes up a little short. It will, however, still be a significant enough dose to raise your carnosine levels eventually; it may just take a little longer!
Not the end of the world for this Cannibal Ferox pre-workout review, especially considering the effectiveness of beta-alanine!
Caffeine (450 mg)
Caffeine is by far and away the most common stimulant ingredient found in pre-workout supplements, and for a good reason. A wealth of scientific research has been conducted into its efficacy for exercise performance, with two major benefits emerging.
Firstly it is capable of giving you increased energy and ensuring you are in the right place physically and mentally for your session. And secondly, it has also been demonstrated to boost metabolism and help you to burn more fat during your workouts!
Most research indicates that caffeine is effective at doses as low as 100 mg and can be safely consumed at levels as high as 400 mg per day.[7] That makes the 450 mg dose in this Chaos and Pain Cannibal Ferox pre-workout an incredibly potent one and the most significant single serving of caffeine we have ever seen in a pre-workout supplement.
In all honesty, 450 mg really does push the boundaries between safe, effective stimulants and dangerous. It is almost guaranteed to lead to certain side effects that we will cover a little later and should definitely be avoided by those new to pre-workout supplements or low caffeine tolerance. However, even the most hardened stimulant users are going to find this dose seriously punchy!
Miscellaneous (Theophylline, Tyrosine, etc.)
This Cannibal pre-workout also contains a series of other ingredients, including Theophylline, tyrosine, and more. Unfortunately, whilst there is some evidence to suggest the efficacy of both of these for exercise performance, the level of research doesn’t even come close to that undertaken unto ingredients such as beta-alanine.
Consequently, our Cannibal Ferox pre-workout review considers their inclusion, at whatever dose, largely inconsequential!
Are there any side effects?
There are a few ingredients included in this product that may result in some side effects.
Without doubt, the most likely thing to cause you problems is the quite frankly ridiculous dose of caffeine. Be warned, this level of stimulant will almost certainly lead to diarrhea, vomiting, the jitters and even anxiety. We would certainly recommend starting with a half dose at the very most, particularly if this is your first time taking a pre-workout. Only once you have tested the water at lower dosages should you slowly increase your intake, and even then, 450 mg is probably still too much!
Beta-alanine tends to cause a mild tingling sensation on the surface of the skin (particularly in the face), which can last up to 20 minutes. However, this symptom is completely harmless and should be taken as solid evidence that you are, in fact, consuming a meaningful dose of beta-alanine and not something else entirely useless.
Pros and cons of Cannibal Ferox by Chaos and Pain
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Pricing of Cannibal Ferox pre-workout
At $39.99 on the official Chaos and Pain website, Cannibal Ferox comes in at $1.60 per serving. Whilst not the most expensive pre-workout we’ve ever reviewed, this price tag does put it at the more costly end of the market!
Where to buy Cannibal Ferox pre-workout?
In addition to the official Chaos and Pain website, you can also purchase Cannibal Ferox pre-workout at third-party supplement online retailers such as mz-store.com, ascension peak physique, and predator nutrition.
As a result, it could definitely be worth shopping around for the best price!
Flavor options
Unfortunately, this product only comes in 3 different flavor options (Carny Candy, Pineapple Express, and Strawbloody Kiwi Crush), which means if you are a little fussy about the taste of your pre-workout, then you might struggle to find something to your liking!
Summary
Our Cannibal Ferox pre-workout review undoubtedly has some positives. The highlights being NO PROPRIETARY BLENDS and solid dosing of beta-alanine, betaine, and citrulline malate. That does seem to be where the good news stops, though.
The caffeine dose of 450 mg is over the recommended 400 mg per day and could potentially be dangerous, this is were the pre-workout fails and only suits stim junkies that tolerate huge amounts of caffeine.
If you’re looking for a pre-workout that is likely to leave you anxious and unable to sleep, then, by all means, give Cannibal Ferox a go. And if you’ve been in the game a long time and are a regular user of high stim supplements, then this could actually be the product for you.
If, however, you want a little more from your pre-workout than a crippling buzz, we’d suggest looking elsewhere!
References
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124046306000531
[2]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.
[3] 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
[4] International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine- J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015; 12: 30.
[5] 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.
[6] Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance: an update- journal of international sports science and nutrition.
[7] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011
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