Red, White & Boom
$39.99
Pros
- Huge dose of L-Citrulline
- No proprietary blend
- Contains some proven ingredients
Cons
- Caffeine dose too high for most people
- Potential side effects
- Contains creatine which many people don't want to include in a pre wokrkout
Welcome to the most comprehensive Red, White, and Boom pre-workout review on the web!
Red, White and Boom is a pre-workout from the supplement company Merica Labs, it contains hefty dosages of ingredients such as Citrulline Malate, Beta-Alanine, Caffeine, and more. The serving size is 24.1-grams and the formula contains 400 mg of caffeine in a single serving.
Here’s the deal:
Everything you need to know about this Merica Labz produced supplement, from where to buy it and how much it costs to a detailed breakdown of the ingredients and dosages based on the latest scientific research.
If you’ve felt like this and find yourself becoming increasingly annoyed with brand sales pitches and marketing jargon, then you’re in the right place.
This Merica Labz pre-workout review offers nothing but cold hard facts about this product so that you can make the most informed decisions as to whether it’s right for you. No bullshit and no ulterior motives!
About Merica Labz
It’s pretty hard to find out anything particularly sensible about Merica Labz due to the tongue and cheek “About us” section on the official website, which explains how to direct descendants of George Washington founded the brand having left school at just 6 years old.
Whilst there is obviously no truth in these suggestions, it is clear from the brand website, the product colors, and the name that this supplement company is extremely patriotic!
As far as their pre-workout is concerned, Merica Labz claim that “it’s serving sizes double, triple and sometimes more what the “industry standard” is… combining those ingredients in an FDA-approved, cGMP (certified good manufacturing practices) facility that adheres to pharmaceutical-level standards of manufacturing.”
This all sounds pretty positive as far as consumers are concerned. Proven ingredients dosed at optimal levels are exactly what you should be looking for from your pre-workout supplement. There’s only one way for our Red, White, and Boom pre-workout review to determine whether this product lives up the hype, and that’s by taking a closer look at the ingredients included and their precise dosages!
Red, White and Boom pre-workout ingredients
| Serving size 1 scoop (24.1 grams) | Amount Per Serving | %Daily Value |
| L-Citrulline DL-Malate 2:1 | 8000 mg | * |
| Creatine Monohydrate | 5000 mg | * |
| Beta-Alanine | 3200 mg | * |
| L-Tyrosine | 3000 mg | * |
| Choline Bitartrate | 2000 mg | * |
| Caffeine Anhydrous | 400 mg | * |
| Theacrine (as Teacrine®) | 250 mg | * |
Before we consider individual ingredients in more detail, two pieces of information can be found with the briefest of glances at the Supplement Facts Label, which should give you a pretty good idea of whether the product in question has the capacity to benefit your training.
The first factor to consider is whether the product contains any proprietary blends…? For the uninitiated among you, a proprietary blend is a mix of ingredients where the total weight of the blend is disclosed but not the weight of each component part of that blend. That means you have no way of being certain as to how much of any ingredient you are actually consuming per scoop! Not particularly helpful when all of these ingredients have optimum dosages that are important to adhere to!
Despite what supplement manufacturers might try to tell you about why they use proprietary blends, there is actually only one reason. To hide underdosed key ingredients from YOU, the consumer.
As a result, whenever you see a product that includes any number of proprietary blends, then the alarm bells should be starting sounding in your head!
The good news for this Merica Labz pre-workout review is that there isn’t a single proprietary blend in sight!
The other key piece of information to consider is the total serving size as well as how much of that is taken up with ‘active’ ingredients! In the case of this Red, White and Boom energy drink, one scoop weighs a hefty 24.1g, of which 21.8g can be considered active ingredients. That means there is plenty of room in one serving of this product for optimal servings of a number of the most proven ingredients, with only a very small proportion of each scoop wasted on flavorings, preservatives and other fillers!
A great start to the ingredients section of our Red, White, and Boom review.
Citrulline malate (8g)
Citrulline malate is finding its way into pre-workout supplements with increasing regularity, and for a good reason. It is probably one of the most exciting nutritional ingredients on the market right now, with the capacity to help you to fight fatigue during sessions. How…?
If dosed correctly, citrulline helps you raise your blood levels of another amino acid called arginine. Increased arginine levels boost your production of nitric oxide, which in turn causes greater vasodilation and improved circulation. Better circulation means more blood flow and, therefore, extra oxygen to working muscles during exercise.[1]
In order to achieve such tangible effects for your exercise performance, citrulline malate must be dosed at 6-8g approximately 30-60 minutes before your session.[2] That means the 8g contained in each scoop of this Merica Labz Red, White and Boom energy drink absolutely smashes this dose out the park!
Creatine monohydrate (5g)
The holy grail of legal nutritional supplements aimed to enhance training performance, creatine monohydrate 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.[3]
In order to achieve such benefits, it must be dosed at a minimum of 5g per day for a number of weeks.[4] Consequently, the 5g per serving in this Merica Labz produced supplement is yet again bang on! Optimal servings of creatine monohydrate within pre-workouts are not common so this is a huge positive for this Red, White and Boom energy drink!
Finally, a pre-workout review in which we don’t have to recommend sourcing your own pure creatine monohydrate supply to consume a meaningful dose! Well done, Merica Labz!
Beta-alanine (3.2g)
Outside of creatine, beta-alanine is probably the most well-researched and clinically effective nutritional supplement regarding training performance. By increasing your muscle stores of something called carnosine, beta-alanine helps buffer lactic acid during anaerobic activity and allows you to complete more sets and reps before fatigue sets in![5]
Now, most of the scientific research suggests that the optimum dose in order to achieve these ergogenic benefits is 4-6g per day, which means the Merica Labz dose of 3.2g per serving is a little low.[6]
Having said that, you’d be hard pushed to find a pre-workout supplement on the market with an optimal dose of beta-alanine, so this is by no means a poor effort. Given most of the research indicates that carnosine saturation continues to increase the longer you supplement with beta-alanine, a 3.2g serving will be of benefit; it might just take a little longer to take effect than if you were consuming a higher daily dose!
Caffeine (400 mg)
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.[7] That means the 400 mg included in this Merica Labz pre-workout is extremely potent. It will absolutely impact your training performance, but it may also result in some associated side effects (more on that a little later).
Tyrosine (3g) and choline bitartrate (2g)
We have grouped these two ingredients together because there is limited, if any scientific research, to support their efficacy for exercise performance!
Tyrosine is purported to benefit your energy levels and cognitive performance as a result of its relationship with hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline. Still, studies to corroborate such suggestions are few and far between!
As far as choline bitartrate is concerned, there is a complete lack of evidence to suggest it is of any tangible benefit to exercise performance. Therefore we consider its inclusion completely irrelevant!
Side effects of Red, White, and Boom pre-workout
There are probably 3 ingredients in this Merica Labz pre-workout which have the potential to cause some minor side effects!
Caffeine, when consumed in significant doses, such as the 400 mg in this product, can lead to a number of negative side effects, including diarrhea, vomiting, the jitters and even anxiety. We would recommend starting with a half serving of this product just to test the waters, particularly if you are new to pre-workouts or have a low caffeine tolerance!
Beta-alanine tends to cause a mild tingling sensation on the skin’s surface (face in particular), which normally subsides after around 20 minutes. The good news is this symptom is completely harmless and should be taken as a sign that you are consuming a meaningful dose. The 3.2g serving contained in this Red, White, and Boom energy drink will absolutely be enough to elicit such a response!
Creatine monohydrate is the final ingredient of note in this product when it comes to potential side effects. Large single doses of this variety of creatine are associated with bloating and general gastrointestinal discomfort. One simple way of avoiding such issues is by taking your daily dose of creatine over two separate servings!
Pros and cons of Red, White, and Boom pre-workout
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Pricing: how much does Red, White and Boom pre-workout cost?
Merica Labz Red, White, and Boom energy drink can be purchased on the official website for $44.99, which means it comes in at a rather pricey $2.25 per serving, making it one of the most expensive pre-workout products we’ve ever reviewed!
Flavor options
There are 5 flavor options of this Merica Labz energy drink to choose from, including partiotically named ‘Make America Grape again and ‘Merican made.’ This means even the fussiest of consumers out there should be able to find a taste to their liking!
Where can I buy Red, White, and Boom pre-workout?
As well as the official Merica Labz website, this pre-workout can also be purchased at global online retail giant Amazon, as well as third-party supplement sites such as suppz.com, bodybuilding.com, and tigerfitness.com.
Summary: Red, White and Boom pre-workout review conclusion
All in all, this has been an incredibly positive Red, White, and Boom pre-workout review. After all, any pre-workout product which contains optimum doses of citrulline malate and creatine monohydrate, a solid dose of beta-alanine, and a monumental serving of caffeine should not be overlooked. This Merica Labx energy drink will absolutely be of benefit to your training regime and should help you to reach your goals that much faster!
Add the mix of 5 flavor options to choose from, and things go from strength to strength for this pre-workout.
The only real negatives are the inclusion of two ingredients, in tyrosine and choline bitartrate, with questionable credentials, and such a huge serving of caffeine, which may put off consumers looking for a stimulant light pre-workout. Having said that, if you are a veteran of pre-workout products and a hardened stimulant user, then the 400 mg of caffeine in Red, White and Boom could be exactly what you’re looking for.
Whilst the $2.25 per serving price tag makes this one of the most expensive pre-workouts we’ve reviewed; it’s hard to argue that it isn’t worth the expense!
If you’re looking for a pre-workout that contains hard-hitting doses of THE most proven supplement ingredients on the market, then this Merica Labz product is definitely for you. Unfortunately, nothing in this world comes for free, and you’re gonna have to part with a decent amount of dollars to get your hands on it. As far as we’re concerned, however, it’s absolutely worth it!
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] 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.
[4] Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance: an update- journal of international sports science and nutrition.
[5] Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis
[6] 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.
[7] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011
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