Welcome to the most comprehensive Havok Hardcore pre-workout review on the internet.
Havok Hardcore is a pre-workout supplement from the company American Metabolix. Havok Hardcore contains 13 ingredients and the formula is designed to help users increase muscle pumps, performance, focus, and energy while working out. Havok Hardcore contains ingredients such as L-Citrulline, Beta-Alanine, Betaine, Caffeine, and more. One serving is 16.1 grams and 13.75 grams of that dose come in active ingredients.
Fed up of trawling the world wide web for hours at a time in search of the perfect pre-workout product, only to be met with sales pitches and inflated marketing claims…?!
I know we were! That’s why we’ve put together a detailed American Metabolix Havok Hardcore pre-workout review to give you all the information you could need to decide whether this particular supplement is for you!
Whether you’re just starting on your fitness journey and you want gains quickly, or you’ve been training for a long time already and are struggling to reach beyond a plateau, then a pre-workout supplement could be exactly what you need to take; your training to the next level!
Unfortunately for consumers, the world of nutritional supplements is a little reminiscent of the Wild West with a loose regulatory system at best and an apparent willingness of manufacturers to hide critical information from buyers!
That’s where we come in. By cutting through the bullshit and giving you a detailed assessment of the key ingredients included concerning what the latest scientific research tells us, you’ll be under no illusions as to whether this pre-workout is worth parting with your hard-earned cash; for!
Havok Hardcore review: my initial thoughts
There is one thing I look at first and foremost when it comes to getting a rough idea about a pre-workout product, and that’s the Supplement Facts Label. With each ingredient listed, it is the perfect overview of what the product actually contains.
Most valuably, it is this panel of facts which is going to answer the single most important question you should have in your mind when it comes to any nutritional supplement product. Does it contain any proprietary blends?!
For any of you unaware exactly what a proprietary blend is, then listen up. Sometimes, naughty supplement brands group their active ingredients into one, or some, collective mixes, only telling the consumer the overall weight of this blend and not the individual servings of each ingredient.
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 realized, we don’t like proprietary blends very much, and neither should you! That’s why the complete lack of proprietary blends on show in this American Metabolix pre-workout is a major positive for our Havok Hardcore review!
The only other thing to note about this product before we get into the nitty-gritty of the ingredients section is that one scoop[ serving totals 16.1g, 13.75g of which are active ingredients, which means there aren’t a whole lot of useless filler ingredients included!
Havok Hardcore ingredients
Serving size: 1 Scoop (16.1g) | Amount Per Serving | %Daily Value |
L-Citrulline | 6g | * |
Beta-Alanine | 3.2g | * |
Betaine Anhydrous | 1.2g | * |
Agmatine Sulfate (as Agmass®) | 1g | * |
Taurine | 1g | * |
Havok® HARDCORE ENERGY & FOCUS FORMULA | ||
N-Acetyl-Tyrosine | 500 mg | * |
Caffeine Anhydrous | 250 mg | * |
Choline Bitartrate | 200 mg | * |
2-Amino-5-methylhexane HCl | 150 mg | * |
Methyliberine(as Dynamine® 40% Tasteless) | 125 mg | * |
Dicaffeine Malate (as Infinergy®) | 75 mg | * |
Hordenine HCl | 50 mg | * |
Rauwolfina vomitoria | 1 mg | * |
L-citrulline (6g)
Citrulline is perhaps the hottest ingredient on the supplement market right now, finding its way into pre-workout products with increasing regularity!
Its most significant benefit as far as exercise is concerned is in helping to delay fatigue. For the vain among you (let’s be honest, you wouldn’t be going to the gym if you weren’t at least a little bit), it also helps you get one hell of a pump on.[1] It does this by increasing your nitric oxide levels and causing your veins and arteries to expand, allowing more blood to flow through them.[2]
The latest research suggests that 3-6g of pure l-citrulline per day for a period of at least a week is an optimal dosage, which means that the 6g serving in Havok Hardcore is spot on! The only real negative is that citrulline malate is probably a better option than pure l-citrulline because it can help to improve endurance and energy production and doesn’t require the loading phase.[3]
Beta-alanine (3.2g)
Beta-alanine is probably the most widely researched and clinically effective nutritional supplement for exercise performance outside of creatine monohydrate. By increasing your muscle stores of something called carnosine, supplementation with beta-alanine helps you to buffer lactic acid and reduce the effects of fatigue during intense anaerobic activity.[4]
To do so, the scientific research suggests that a daily dose of 4-6g for a period of at least 2 weeks is required.[5] That means the 3.2g per 2 scoop serving comes a little shy of the lower end of this recommended quantity. Having said that, it still offers a better dose than the vast majority of pre-workout supplements on the market, which offers beta-alanine as a component ingredient.
You will still definitely feel the effects of this dosage, but it’s probably just going to take a little longer to saturate your muscle stores—all in all, not a bad effort from American Metabolix here.
Caffeine (250 mg)
Caffeine is, without doubt, the most common stimulant ingredient found in pre-workout supplements, and for a good reason. It has, after all, been proven not only to help users achieve physical and mental readiness for sessions, as well boosting the amount of fat you can burn during training!
The latest scientific research seems to agree that caffeine is effective in doses as low as 100 mg whilst it is safe to consume at levels as high as 400 mg per day![6] That means the 250 mg per serving of this Havok Hardcore pre-workout offers what we consider an optimum level for a pre-workout not so much that you are likely to experience some of the negative side effects associated with significant caffeine intake (more on that later) but plenty enough that you will feel physically and mentally prepared to train and may also burn that little bit more fat during your workout!
Betaine (1.2g), Taurine (1g), Tyrosine (500 mg), Choline Bitartrate (200 mg)
We have grouped these 4 ingredients because there is minimal scientific research to support their efficacy for exercise performance.
Betaine improves strength and body composition, but there is minimal scientific evidence to support such claims. As far as Taurine goes, research has indicated that supplementing with 1-6g before exercise does not improve overall performance.[7]
There are some suggestions that tyrosine can help with cognitive function and boost energy levels due to its relationship with hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline. Still, once again, the research to support these claims is limited at best, and as a result, there isn’t even a recommended or optimal dose!
Choline bitartrate is believed to increase cognition and memory, improve focus and motivation, and reduce fatigue, but studies are far from unequivocal.
All in all, the 2.9g of this pre-workout product which is made up of the above 4 ingredients could absolutely be out to better use boosting the servings of proven ingredients such as beta alanine or citrulline!
Havok Hardcore side effects
There are probably two ingredients in this American Metabolix pre-workout which you should be aware of when it comes to potential side effects.
Beta-alanine can cause a mild tingling sensation on the skin’s surface (particularly in the face), which normally subsides after around 20 minutes. The good news is this symptom is completely harmless and should be taken as evidence you are consuming a meaningful dose of beta-alanine and not something entirely useless. The 3.2g serving in this Havok Hardcore product will almost certainly be enough to elicit such a response.
As mentioned above, high doses of caffeine can also present a few issues as far as side effects are concerned, and 250 mg can certainly be considered a high dose!
Diarrhea, vomiting, jitters, and even anxiety are all potential issues users could suffer from. As a result, we recommend starting with a half scoop of this product to test the waters, particularly if you already know that you have a low tolerance level!
Not to mention 2-amino 5 methyl hexane (1,4 DMAA) which is an illegal stimulant and could cause side effects as well, since it’s illegal it could come with more dangerous side effects. Based upon that information we would have to advise users to stay away from the product.
Havok Hardcore pre-workout benefits
The presence of three high-quality nutritional ingredients dosed at optimum or close to optimum levels means this product definitely benefits users.
Not only should it help you achieve the aesthetic muscle pump you’ve been longing for, but it should also help to boost energy levels and delay fatigue, meaning you ultimately get more out of your training. Over time, this translates into one thing… GREATER GAINS!
However, as we have mentioned earlier we have to advise you to stay away from the product because it contains an illegal ingredient that could potentially be harmful.
Havok Hardcore is available on the official American Metabolix website for $54.99, which means it comes in at a rather pricey $2.20 per serving. This makes it one of the more expensive pre-workouts we’ve ever reviewed, and whilst it certainly contains some hard-hitting ingredients at good levels, we’re not convinced it warrants such a high price tag.
There are just three flavors to choose from Tigers Blood, Sour Peach, and Bombsicle, which means if you are a little fussy about your supplements’ taste, you may struggle to find an option to your liking!
Summary: Havok Hardcore pre-workout review conclusion
All in all, this has been a pretty positive Havok Hardcore pre-workout review. After all, it is hard to be too critical of a product that contains optimal, or at least solid, doses of citrulline, beta-alanine, and caffeine. These ingredients will make a difference to your training capacity and, therefore, help you make gains.
The most negative part for me would have to be the illegal ingredient it contains, even though other ingredients in the formula are dosed well.
Having said that, for $2.20 per serving, we still think American Metabolix could offer a little more bang for the buck in this particular product! The inclusion of multiple ingredients, which have limited, if any, scientific research supports their efficacy for exercise performance, such as choline bitartrate and taurine, is a major disappointment and takes up valuable scoop space, which could be put to better effect with larger servings of proven ingredients!
The limited availability of flavors (just 3) is another slight negative, offering little choice for the fussy consumers out there. Not that you should be selecting a pre-workout product based on the taste alone!
Our final verdict…? If you choose to go with Havok Hardcore by American Metabolix as your pre-workout option then you’re unlikely to be disappointing. For the price, however, you can almost certainly find a product dosed even more highly with even more quality ingredients! Also take into consideration that it contains a potentially harfmful illegal ingredient.
References:
[1] https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/l-citrulline-or-citrulline-malate-n-o-content.html
[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124046306000531
[3]https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/l-citrulline-or-citrulline-malate-n-o-content.html
[4] 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
[5] 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.
[6] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011
[7] https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1024/taurine
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