You can’t walk into a gym these days without seeing most people carrying a shaker with some kind of mystery concoction contained within. Whether it’s a post-workout protein shake, an electrolyte based energy drink or a pre-workout, the role of nutritional supplements in the lives of everyday gym goers is certainly on the up.
We’ve put together this comprehensive Craze pre-workout review so that you can decide for yourself whether you want to jump on this supplement bandwagon, and if so, whether this product is a worthwhile option.
With all the information you could ever need about the key ingredients included in Craze V2 pre-workout , the quantity of each of those ingredients and what they are actually supposed to do for your training, the days of scouring the internet looking for the best products are well and truly over!
Why was old Craze pre-workout band?
Before we take a look at the latest Craze V2 pre-workout supplement from manufacturers Driven Sports, it would be helpful of us to address the enormous elephant in the room! Yes, the Craze name does have a tainted track record when it comes to it’s pre-workout range and it would be irresponsible of us not to bring it to your attention.
Back in 2013, the original Craze pre-workout was withdrawn from the market after research by the Harvard Medical School found it to contain pharmaceutical levels of “methamphetamine like compounds”.
The study likened the presence of N alpha-diethylphenylethylamine (DEPEA) to something likely less potent than methamphetamine but more powerful than ephedrine (which is prohibited in nutritional supplements). Ingredients with such properties can be incredibly harmful to your health and massively increase the risk of heart attacks!
In light of this, it is astonishing that Driven Sports have even been permitted to launch the Craze V2 pre-workout range at all, and our advice is to treat any product produced by this manufacturer with extreme caution!
Ingredients in Craze V2 pre-workout
Proprietary blend:
The first thing to note about the ingredients in Craze V2 pre-workout, and the only thing you need to pay attention to, is the fact they appear in a PROPRIETARY BLEND! The ultimate sin for any nutritional supplement manufacturer.
For any of you unaware exactly what a proprietary blend is then listen up. When you check the label on your pre-workout you should find a list of ingredients it contains and in what specific quantities. Sometimes, naughty supplement brands, like Craze in this case, group their active ingredients into one collective mix only telling the consumer the overall weight of this blend.
That means you have no idea how much of each ingredient you’re putting into your body and no idea whether each serving contains a worthwhile amount of any of the key compounds included.
The only scrap of information you have to work with, in fact, is that the ingredients appear on this list in order of their quantity, with the most prevalent ingredient kicking things off. Unfortunately, unless you have a degree in chemistry and a secret lab in your basement, you’re still gonna struggle to work out exactly how much of everything is in your one scoop serving!
If you haven’t already realised, we don’t like proprietary blends very much and neither should you! Not a great start to our Craze V2 pre-workout review!
Which ingredients make up the proprietary blend?
Given that we can’t tell you whether there are worthwhile doses of any of the ingredients listed by Driven Sports in their Craze V2 pre-workout product, this section will be based largely on educated guesses.
It’s 4.75g proprietary blend contains creatine, betaine, tyrosine, l-citrulline and caffeine as it’s main component parts.
Creatine:
Creatine’s inclusion in pre-workout supplements should always ring alarm bells. Given the optimal dose of 5g per day after an initial week long loading phase of 20g per day, there is rarely enough room in one scoop of pre-workout to include a worthwhile dose.
If you’re interested in the strength and lean muscle mass benefits associated with creatine supplementation then your best bet is to source a pure creatine supplement instead. That way you’re in complete control of exactly how much you’re taking on board.
Betaine:
An increasingly influential player in the nutritional supplement market, betaine has potential benefits for both resistance training and body composition. Studies suggest that supplementation at 2.5g per day can be beneficial.[1]
Given that the proprietary blend totals 4.75g, it is possible that it includes a meaningful dose but it seems unlikely that it would make up over half the weight of the product. Especially given it appears second on the list of ingredients and is therefore included in a lower quantity than creatine.
Tyrosine:
Purported to have benefits for cognitive performance and mental stimulation, tyrosine doesn’t as yet have a scientifically determined optimal dose. With recommendations varying between 500 mg irrespective of weight to 150 mg/kg of body weight.[2]
It is quite possible therefore, that Craze V2 pre-workout does in fact contain enough tyrosine for you to feel the positive effects. Unfortunately we can’t be any more certain than that.
L-citrulline:
The don of all ‘pump’ ingredients, citrulline is fast becoming a stalwart ingredient in pre-workout supplements. Let’s face it, who doesn’t want to watch themselves doing bicep curls in the mirror and see their veins pulsating!
Unfortunately, with an optimum dose of between 3 and 6g, it’s very, very unlikely that citrulline appears in this pre-workout in any meaningful quantities, especially given how far down the list of ingredients it appears.[3]
Caffeine:
Let’s face it, a pre-workout without caffeine is like a post-workout without protein. The staple stimulant component of pretty much any supplement designed to focus the mind and get you in the right place to work hard physically, caffeine plays a huge role in this market.
We like to see caffeine content at around 250mg, which given the relatively small amount of space that kind of dose takes up in a 4.75g proprietary blend makes it possible. Again, however, we can’t say with any kind of certainty whether Craze V2 pre-workout includes that amount or not!
Pros and cons of CRZ the O.G.
| Pros | Cons |
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Pricing
At $49.95 per pot, Craze V2 pre-workout comes in at around $1.24 per serving which puts it somewhere in the middle of the road as far as expense goes.
At $65.99 per pot, CRZ the O.G. comes in at an eye watering $2.20 per serving which is very much at the more expensive end of the market.
Summary
Given the sketchy track record of Driven Sports supplement creations, and of previous Craze pre-workout products in particular, there can only really be one outcome to this Craze V2 pre-workout review.
Avoid this pre-workout, and any other products in the Craze range, or anything produced by Driven sports for that matter, like the bubonic plague. This brand simply cannot be trusted to produce supplements which are safe for human consumption and their consistent use of proprietary blends demonstrates a complete lack of interest in manufacturing genuinely effective pre-workouts!
FAQ
Stacking a pre-workout with protein powder
There is no reason you shouldn’t combine an effective pre-workout supplement with your normal protein shake. There is no scientific research to support the common misconception that you must take on protein at specific times of the day (like immediately after a workout) in order to support the physical gains you want to make.
What is important is that you consume enough protein across the course of the day to support muscle growth and repair.
Provided consuming your protein shake with your pre-workout around 30 minutes before your training session doesn’t cause you any gastrointestinal discomfort then go for it!
Are there any FDA approved pre-workouts?
Pre-workouts are NOT, we repeat NOT regulated by the FDA, which means there is the potential for them to contain harmful ingredients, as was the case with the original Craze product.
Many brands, however, do offer pre-workout supplements which have been batch tested for substances prohibited by WADA. By purchasing these products you can be safe in the knowledge that what you are consuming doesn’t contain substances that would cause you to fail an athletic drug test and in all likelihood therefore, substances which could damage your health.
Can creatine cause hair loss?
There is no definitive scientific study linking creatine supplementation with hair loss!
Is pre-workout bad for your kidneys?
Since many pre-workouts contain diuretics such as creatine and caffeine it is important to ensure that you consume adequate water when taking them. Otherwise, both ingredients can lead to dehydration and in extreme cases kidney damage!
This concludes our craze pre workout review, please leave a comment below with your very own Crazy Review :).
References
[1] Betaine in human nutrition- the American Journal of clinical nutrition 80:3 2004
[2] https://www.bulkpowders.co.uk/the-core/l-tyrosine-benefits-dosage-side-effects/
[3]Bailey, S. J., Blackwell, J. R., Lord, T., Vanhatalo, A., Winyard, P. G., & Jones, A. M. (2015). L-citrulline supplementation improves O2 uptake kinetics and high-intensity exercise performance in humans. Journal of Applied Physiology, 119(4), 385-395.
[4] https://www.webmd.com/diet/dhea-supplements#3
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