Welcome to the most comprehensive Jack3d pre-workout review on the internet.
Rewind 10-years back and you could read and hear everyone talk about the astonishing pre-workout called Jack3d that became one of the most popular pre-workout supplements. However with illegal ingredients and lawsuits on their hands, USPlabs was forced to reformulate the formula to something mediocre, that is the Jack3d formula that now that stands in the shadow of its former self, the old formula we all knew.
Sick and tired of trawling through the darkest corners of the world wide web in search of a pre-workout supplement that suits you perfectly? Struggling to see beyond the sales pitch and marketing jargon, supplement manufacturers are only too happy to feed you…?
Not any more! Our USP Labs Jack3d review is designed to give you all the information you need in one simple yet detailed assessment of the product in question.
Just the cold hard facts supported by the latest scientific research so that you can finally look beyond product descriptions and make your own mind up based on which ingredients are present and in what kind of dosages!
So let’s get started.
Why was Jack3d original pre-workout banned?
Before we get into the main bulk of this Jack3d pre-workout review, we need to address the enormous pink elephant in the room!
That’s right… Jack3d has been banned in the past for containing an amphetamine like chemical known as DMAA (Dimethylamylamine). Included for its stimulatory properties and impact on the Central Nervous System, DMAA was discovered to have potentially lethal health risks for users and as a result its use in pre-workout supplements was prohibited!
Whilst Jack3d is not the only pre-workout on the market to have had products taken out of the public domain for the use of DMAA, this is nonetheless a pretty scary start to our Jack3d pre-workout review and something which should always be in the back of your mind if you’re considering purchasing future USP Labs supplements!
To be honest, the original Jack3d formula was probably one of the best pre-workouts I’ve tried, probably because of the illegal ingredient.
However, the illegal ingredients included could cause serious health risks and, therefore, not a good idea to use.
Does Jack3d still contain DMAA?
The good news for you is that the latest Jack3d formula does not contain DMAA and is, therefore, safe for human consumption!
So is Jack3d banned?
In a word… NO. It has been previously, but since USP Labs complied with regulations to remove the controversial ingredient DMAA, they have continued selling the product.
This doesn’t sound like much of a punishment for endangering users’ lives of the original Jack3d product, does it…?! But, unfortunately, the world of nutritional supplements, and in particular pre-workout products, is still very loosely regulated. For that reason, you have to be exceptionally careful when deciding which supplements to take and which to avoid!
However, in 2020 the two executives of USPlabs were sentenced to jail for selling the old formula because it contained illegal ingredients that put consumers’ health at risk.
Ingredients in Jack3d pre-workout by USP Labs
Okay, so we know that DMAA is no longer included in this formula, which is definitely good news! Time to take a closer look at the ingredients that are listed and their dosages.
Before we do, however, we should consider the single most important factor when choosing a pre-workout supplement. Does it make use of any PROPRIETARY BLENDS? What exactly is a proprietary blend, I hear you ask..?
Well, quite simply, it’s a mixture of ingredients where only the total weight is disclosed and not the weight of each component. That means you are completely in the dark about how much of the active ingredients you are actually consuming per scoop, which is never a good place to be with a pre-workout.
Unfortunately, Jack3d is made up of a single proprietary blend weighing 3580 mg, with none of the weights of the component ingredients listed.
In fact, the only ingredient that we definitely know the quantity of per scoop is caffeine. So despite what supplement manufacturers try to tell you about keeping patented formulas away from competitors, there is only one reason they choose to use proprietary blends, and that’s to hide underdosed key ingredients from YOU, the consumer!
Between this and the questionable track record with DMAA, this is not a particularly encouraging start to our Jack3d pre-workout review!
Creatine monohydrate
The ultimate nutritional supplement as far as exercise performance is concerned. There is a wealth of research to support the use of creatine monohydrate, in particular, to help boost strength and increase lean muscle mass![1]
However, to achieve these ergogenic benefits, they must be dosed appropriately. That means at least 5g per day for several weeks to saturate muscle stores.[2] Given that the entire proprietary blend weighs just 3580 mg, and creatine is just one of multiple parts of that blend, it is impossible to achieve even close to an optimal dose.
This USP Labs JAck3d review seems to go from bad to worse!
Citrulline
Most scientific research suggests that pure citrulline should be dosed at 3-6g per day for at least a week to see the associated pump-inducing benefits.[3] Without such quantities, supplementation is unlikely to produce meaningful increases in nitric oxide production, allowing improvements in circulation and blood flow to occur.[4]
Once again, it is mathematically impossible, therefore, for Jack3d pre-workout to contain a meaningful, let alone optimal, dose of citrulline!
Beta-alanine
Except for creatine, beta-alanine has to be the single most exciting nutritional supplement on the market to improve your exercise performance. By increasing your muscle stores of something called carnosine, beta-alanine helps your body buffer lactic acid and fight fatigue during anaerobic activity.[5]
But guess what…? There’s no way Jack3d can contain the optimal 4-6g dose per serving…? Yep, that’s right. It is just another really promising active ingredient that has zero chance of actually helping you improve your workout performance because it is grossly underdosed!
Great work USP Labs… Naaaaaaat!
Yohimbine
Yohimbine is derived from the bark of the African Yohimbe tree and is commonly taken as a thermogenic supplement. It increases the activity of several important hormones, including adrenaline, noradrenaline, and dopamine, and is thought to boost metabolism.[6]
There is, however, limited scientific research to support its benefit to exercise performance and no information as to what might constitute an optimal dose for such purposes.
As a result, our Jack3d pre-workout review considers its inclusion in this product, whatever its dose, largely inconsequential!
Caffeine (135 mg)
Finally, an ingredient that has its precise weight listed. Caffeine is probably the most commonly used stimulant in pre-workout products, and for a good reason.
There is a load of trusted scientific evidence which suggests that caffeine not only gets you in the right state both physically and mentally for your workout but that it also may help to boost your metabolism and, in turn, burn more fat during exercise.[7]
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like USP Labs can even get something as simple as their caffeine dose right though. 135 mg per scoop is quite a way short of our preferred dose of 250 mg, and whilst there is evidence to suggest caffeine’s effectiveness at doses as low as 100 mg, a pre-workout should probably contain a little more. Particularly for those users who have become hardened to the effects of stimulants!
Are there any side effects?
Whilst most pre-workout products come with a list of potential minor side effects, in all honesty, the likely dosages included in Jack3d pre-workout are probably not enough to cause them.
High doses of caffeine can ofcourse cause diarrhea, vomiting, the jitters and anxiety but consuming 135 mg is very unlikely to result in any of those symptoms. Especially considering that most research tells us it is safe to consume up to 400 mg of caffeine in one go.[8]
Creatine monohydrate is linked with bloating and general gastrointestinal discomfort, but this is normally associated with high doses, which Jack3d definitely doesn’t contain.
Finally, beta-alanine normally causes a tingling sensation on the skin’s surface immediately after consumption, ordinarily lasting no longer than 20 minutes. This, however, is in no way, shape, or form harmful and, if anything, should be treated as evidence that you are, in fact, taking a meaningful dose of beta-alanine and not something entirely useless! Having said that, the likelihood of there being enough beta-alanine in Jack3d to produce such a side effect is very low!
Pros and cons
Pros | Cons |
|
|
Pricing
At $24.99 on the official USP Labs website, Jack3d comes in at a very reasonable $0.55 per serving, which definitely puts it at the cheaper end of the pre-workout market. Given its complete lack of transparency and failure to dose, a single ingredient optimally, why would anyone pay more!
Flavor options
There are 7 ‘typically pre-workout flavors to choose from, including fruit punch, blue raspberry, and pink lemonade. That should be enough for even the fussiest of potential customers to find a taste to their liking!
Where to buy it?
Jack3d pre-workout is available on the official USP Labs website, and this seems like the most logical place to make your purchase. That way, you should be guaranteed to receive the product you order, and you can take up any issues you have directly with the manufacturer.
However in 2020 some of the executives of USPlabs were sentenced to jail and it seems like the USPlabs website is no longer around, therefore your best bet would be to try to find leftover stock from some third-party retailers.
Having said that, Jack3d is available at other online retailers, including Amazon, and you may be able to find a better price by shopping around a little!
Summary
All in all, this has to be one of THE most disappointing pre-workout reviews we have ever done. There is literally nothing positive about this product except the wide variety of flavors on offer. If you’re choosing a pre-workout supplement based solely on taste, then you probably don’t need to be taking it!
Whether it’s the manufacturers previous association with a banned and dangerous amphetamine-like chemical in DMAA, the use of a single proprietary blend, or the fact that there doesn’t seem to be a single key ingredient included at anywhere close to an optimal dose, there are huge disappointments everywhere you look!
Whilst it certainly is reasonably priced, you get what you pay for in this world, and in this case, that is not an awful lot!
Our Jack3d pre-workout review advice…? If you’re serious about finding a supplement which is going to take your training to the next level and you want a product you can trust, then Jack3d is not for you! Be sure to look elsewhere!
Resources
[1] 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.
[2] Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance: an update- journal of international sports science and nutrition.
[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.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124046306000531
[5] 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
[6] Dietary supplements for body-weight reduction: a systematic review- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
[7] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011
[8] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011
Leave a Reply