Pros
- Contains proven ingredients
- Not expensive
Cons
- 10-gram serving gives only 4.5 g of active ingredients
- Proprietary blend that don't reveal dosage of each ingredient
- Missing many key ingredients
- Under dosed
Welcome to the most comprehensive Extreme Edge pre-workout review on the world wide web!
Extreme Edge pre-workout pre-workout is made by the company Bluebonnet. The formula is designed to help increase energy, focus, and muscle pumps. Extreme Edge contains several ingredients in the form of proprietary blends. Even though the dosage is 10-grams per serving you only receive from that 4.5 grams of active ingredients such as Creatine, Caffeine, Arginine, Beta-Alanine and more.
Everything you need to know about this Bluebonnet Nutrition-inspired product, from where to buy it and how much it costs, to exactly what’s in it and how that measures up to the latest scientific research!
The world of nutritional supplements can be a confusing one, especially for the uninitiated. There are so many products out there which claim to be of benefit to your exercise performance, recovery, or general health, and pre-workouts are just part of the circus.
That’s where we come in! There is no marketing bullshit and no sales pitch, just the cold hard facts about the product and its key ingredients. That’s why our Bluebonnet Nutrition Extreme Edge pre-workout review is your perfect source of pre-workout knowledge, whether you’re just starting on your fitness journey or you’ve been a committed gym-goer for many years!
Extreme Edge pre-workout review: my initial thoughts
The first thing I look at for an initial assessment of the pros and cons of a pre-workout product is the Supplement Facts Label, the panel of information on the back of the tub, which details exactly what’s in it and hopefully in what quantities!
With the briefest of glances at this information, you will be able to answer perhaps the most important question when it comes to making a good decision about supplements containing multiple ingredients. And that all-important question is…? Are there any PROPRIETARY BLENDS?!
If you’re into your training and have experience with pre-workout supplements in general then the chances are you know exactly what a proprietary blend is, but for the newbies among you… It’s when a supplement manufacturer chooses not to disclose the precise weight of each individual ingredient per serving, instead giving you a total weight for a blend of ingredients. Why is this so important?
Well, if you don’t know how much of each ingredient you are consuming, there is no way of you knowing whether you are taking on board an optimum serving!
Not a great place to be when it comes to supporting your training.
Despite what supplement manufacturers might try to tell you about why they choose not to disclose precise quantities, it has nothing to do with hiding secret formulas from competitors and everything to do with hiding underdosed ingredients from YOU, the consumer!
The bad news for this product is that it comprises not one but three proprietary blends. Not a good start to our Extreme Edge by Bluebonnet Nutrition pre-workout review!
Extreme Edge pre-workout ingredients
| Serving size: 1 Scoop (10g) | Amount Per Serving | %Daily Value |
| Calories | 15 | * |
| Total Carbohydrate | 4 g | 1% |
| Sugars | 2 g | * |
| Vitamin C | 30 mg | 50 % |
| Potassium | 75% | 2% |
| Explosive Energy & Mental Focus AMP Stack (As Carnosyn® Beta-Alanine, Caffeine – 125 mg [as Caffeine, Green Tea Leaf Extract, and Cocoa Bean Extract], L-Taurine, and L-Tyrosine) | 1325 mg | * |
| Extreme Muscle Pump Stack (As Creatine Monohydrate, Phosphate Matrix and Malate], and BCAAs [as 4:1:1 ratio, L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, and L-Valine]) | 2000 mg | * |
| Nitric Oxide Super (NOS) Charger Stack (As Arginine [as L-Arginine Alpha Ketoglutarate], L-Citrulline Malate, and L-Lysine HCl) | 1120 mg | * |
As we’ve already established the key ingredients in this product are contained within three proprietary blends weighing just shy of 4.5g in total. Given that the total serving size listed on the back of the product is 10g, that means less than half of what you are putting in your body every time you take a scoop is actually active ingredients!
Explosive Energy + Mental Focus Amp Stack (1,325 mg)
The first of the proprietary blends contain a mix of beta-alanine, a caffeine blend (125 mg), taurine, and tyrosine.
Beta-alanine
Beta-alanine is one of the most widely researched nutritional supplements on the market and is regarded as one of the most effective ingredients with regard to exercise performance.
Supplemented at the correct levels, it helps increase your muscle stores of something called carnosine, which plays a critical role in buffering lactic acid during intense bouts of short-duration exercise.[1] Sounds pretty useful, right?!
Most of the scientific research on beta-alanine suggests that a daily serving of 4-6g for a period of at least two weeks is sufficient to raise carnosine levels enough to have a tangible performance benefit![2]
Given that the total weight of this first blend in Extreme Edge is just 1,325 mg, it is literally impossible for it to contain a dose of beta alanine which is anywhere close to meaningful! A terrible start to the ingredients section of our Extreme Edge pre-workout review!
Caffeine
By far and away, the most common stimulant ingredient to be found in pre-workout supplements, and for a good reason, there is a wealth of research to demonstrate caffeine’s effectiveness for physical performance.
Not only can optimum doses of caffeine ensure you are in the right place both physically and mentally to train at 100%, but it can also help you to burn more fat during your sessions!
Most of the research suggests that caffeine is effective at doses as low as 100 mg and is safe to consume at levels as high as 400 mg per day.[3]
That means the 125 mg included in this Bluebonnet Nutrition product should benefit your training performance!
Having said that, it is important to note that this 125 mg isn’t even just pure caffeine anhydrous. It is actually a blend itself, containing green tea extract and cocoa bean extract too.
Taurine and tyrosine
We have grouped these two ingredients due to the distinct lack of scientific backing to support their efficacy for exercise performance. Research into taurine, for instance, has indicated that supplementing with 1-6g before exercise has absolutely no effect on physical performance.[4]
Whilst tyrosine has been purported to help with cognitive performance and alleviate fatigue due to its relationship with hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline, the studies into its efficacy for exercise performance have been far from unequivocal!
Extreme Muscle Pump Stack (2000 mg)
The second proprietary blend in Extreme Edge contains creatine (in 3 varieties) and BCAA’s.
Creatine
The holy grail of legal nutritional supplements to enhance training performance, creatine is, without doubt, the most widely researched ingredient out there. With mountains of studies to suggest that it can help users increase strength and lean muscle mass, it is easy to see why.[5]
The vast majority of these studies have been conducted using the monohydrate variety, which is incidentally included as one of the three forms in this Extreme Edge pre-workout. The blend also includes creatine phosphate and malate, which have far less research to corroborate their effect!
In order to achieve such benefits, creatine monohydrate must be dosed at a minimum of 5g per day for a number of weeks.[6] Given that the entire blend, which also includes a serving of BCAA’s, only weighs 2g, it is impossible for there to be a meaningful, let alone optimal dose of creatine in this product. The disappointments in our Extreme Edge review just keep piling up!
Bluebonnet Nutrition is certainly not alone in their underdosing of creatine, however. The nature of multi-ingredient products such as pre-workouts means there often isn’t enough room to accommodate a 5g dose of creatine.
Consequently, If you’re really interested in the ergogenic benefits of creatine, then we would highly recommend getting your hands on a pure source rather than relying on your pre-workout for a meaningful dose!
BCAA’s (4:1:1)
BCAA’s or branch chain amino acids are a group of 3 amino acids (Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine) thought to improve endurance, reduce mental and physical fatigue and limit muscle soreness in the aftermath of intense activity.[7] Sounds pretty useful to us!
Most studies seem to agree that BCAA’s should be consumed in a 2:1:1 ratio of Leucine: Isoleucine: Valine, which Extreme Edge does not (it opts for a 4:1:1 ratio instead). However, the recommended total dosage for optimum effect seems to vary quite a bit, with most agreeing that between 5-20g has benefits.
It is physically impossible for this pre-workout to contain anywhere near 5g of BCAA’s as the total blend only weighs 2g. Yet more disappointment for our Extreme Edge by Bluebonnet Nutrition pre-workout review!
Nitric Oxide Super (NOS) Charger Stack (1,120 mg)
Our third and final proprietary blend contains two ingredients of note: arginine (2 varieties) and citrulline malate.
Arginine
Whilst raised blood levels of arginine have been demonstrated to increase your production of nitric oxide and, in turn, generate greater vasodilation and therefore improved circulation, supplementing orally with arginine is wholly ineffective at achieving this goal![8] That is because the vast majority of ingested arginine is broken down in the liver before ever reaching the bloodstream.
Consequently, it doesn’t really matter what different variants of arginine are present, or their precise dosages, as this ingredient simply doesn’t have any tangible benefits for exercise performance.
Citrulline malate
Arguably the hottest nutritional supplement on the market right now, citrulline is finding its way into pre-workout products with increasing frequency, and rightly so.
Dosed correctly, citrulline does actually help to increase your blood levels of arginine, unlike supplementing with arginine itself, as already explained. This boosts your nitric oxide production, which in turn causes greater vasodilation and allows more blood to flow to working muscles during exercise. 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.[9]
That means there is simply no way there can be even a meaningful, let alone optimal dose of citrulline malate in a 1,120 mg blend containing multiple ingredients. This Extreme Edge review seems to just go from bad to worse!
Extreme Edge pre-workout side effects
A few ingredients are included in this pre-workout product that can cause minor side effects.
Beta-alanine tends to cause a mild tingling sensation on the skin’s surface (face in particular), which ordinarily subsides after about 20 minutes. The good news is this symptom is completely harmless and is actually solid evidence that you are consuming a meaningful dose of beta-alanine. Given that it is impossible for there to be even a solid dose in this product, however, it seems more than unlikely that you’d experience these infamous tingles away!
Creatine monohydrate can cause bloating and general gastrointestinal discomfort but this is normally associated with significant dosages. As a result, the minute serving contained in Extreme Edge is unlikely to cause you too many issues.
When dosed at high levels, caffeine can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, jitters, and even anxiety, but the 125 mg dose in this product is far from potent and shouldn’t cause problems for even the most sensitive of users!
Pros and cons of Bluebonnet Nutrition Extreme Edge pre-workout
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Extreme Edge Where to buy?
Extreme Edge pre-workout is available in just 3 flavor options: Lemon, Strawberry Kiwi, and Grape, which means if you are a little fussy about the taste of your supplement products, then you may struggle; to find something to your liking!
There is a very handy ‘where to buy section on the official Bluebonnet Nutrition website, which lists some physical locations across the USA in which you can purchase Extreme Edge. In addition, it is also available online at global retail giant Amazon, as well as third-party supplement websites such as vitacost.com and iherb.com.
Summary: Extreme Edge review conclusion
All in all, our Extreme Edge pre-workout review would have to conclude that this Bluebonnet Nutrition-inspired product is extremely disappointing.
The alarm bells were sounded immediately on the discovery that this product was made up of not one but three proprietary blends, with over 10 separate ingredients included.
This makes it impossible for us to know precisely how much of each of those key components are present and prevents us from properly comparing dosages to what the science is telling us.
Sometimes the proprietary blends in products are at least large enough that it is mathematically possible for them to contain at least solid doses of the key ingredients, even if we still can’t be sure about exact servings.
With Extreme Edge, however, even this is not the case.
Each of the blends is so minute in their totals that it is literally impossible for any of them to contain even a fraction of an optimum dose of any key ingredients! Hugely disappointing.
Whilst the price per serving of $0.87 is relatively cheap when compared to a number of other pre-workout supplements we have reviewed, when you consider that there isn’t a single ingredient dosed at solid, let alone optimal levels, then even this doesn’t represent particularly good value for money!
Our final verdict? If you’re looking for brand transparency, a product that fully discloses what is in it and in what quantity, and a supplement that is actually going to help you make the gains you desperately want to in the gym, then we suggest continuing your search beyond Extreme Edge!
References:
[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] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011
[4] https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1024/taurine
[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] Administration of branched-chain amino acids during sustained exercise–effects on performance and plasma concentration of some amino acids- European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology.
[8] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124046306000531
[9]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.
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