Welcome to the most comprehensive Meth Lab pre-workout review on the internet.
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 TLM Research Meth Lab pre-workout review to give you all the information you could possibly need in order to decide whether this particular supplement is for you!
Whether you’re just starting out 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 in Meth Lab in relation to 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!
About TLM Research
The idea for TLM Research started back in 2014 as the brain child of Brian Terwilliger, coming to reality at the beginning of 2015. The aim of the company is to bring its customers high quality supplement ingredients in one scoop. According to Brian that makes their products expensive to manufacture as they contain high doses of each key ingredient.
Quality, efficiency and stuff that actually works seems to be the self professed name of the game for TLM Research… we’ll be the ultimate judge as to whether there’s any truth in that statement or not!
So what about this Meth Lab pre-workout more specifically…?
“The best, hardest-hitting, no crash pre-workout on the market today. So many companies these days come out with cheap, under dosed energy pre-workouts that feel like they’re working but in reality aren’t doing anything but making you bounce off the walls, followed by a hard crash. Have you ever taken the ‘latest and greatest’ pre workout, only to feel over stimulated and exhausted afterwards? I know most of us have. That’s why we set out to make a better pre workout.
So, who should take Meth Lab? Anyone who needs an extra boost of energy and mental focus-whether that is in the gym, on the field or even a long day at work.”
Meth Lab pre-workout ingredients
Before we take a close look at the key ingredients present and their specific dosages, we must consider the most important question there is when it comes to any nutritional supplement… Does Meth Lab include any proprietary blends?! No it doesn’t.
This means you know exactly how much of each ingredient you are consuming per serving and there has been no attempt by TLM Research to hide any under dosed components. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any, but at least the manufacturer isn’t trying to keep you in the dark about it!
An encouraging start to our Meth Lab pre-workout by TLM Research review!
Creatine monohydrate (5g)
Creatine monohydrate is without doubt the most widely researched and clinically effective nutritional supplement ingredient on the market when it comes to exercise performance.
With a huge body of evidence to suggest that regular dosing with creatine can help users boost the strength and lean muscle mass gains associated with frequent resistance training, it’s inclusion in Meth Lab is a huge positive.[1]
According to most research, 5g per day for an extended period of time ( a number of weeks) is the optimum dose of creatine monohydrate in order to achieve the above effects.[2] The size of this serving ordinarily leads us to be sceptical about the inclusion of creatine in pre-workout supplements, as the multi ingredient nature of the products can often make it hard to squeeze such a large serving in.
However, in the case of Meth Lab, there is nothing to worry about. Each scoop contains an optimal 5g serving, which means if taken regularly, this pre-workout will absolutely give you the training benefits associated with this ingredient! Great news for TLM Research, and great news for this Meth Lab review!
Beta alanine (2g)
Outside of creatine monohydrate, beta alanine is the next most widely researched ingredient out there, with some very exciting ergogenic benefits proven time and again by scientific studies.
Dosed correctly, beta alanine helps to increase your muscle stores of something called carnosine. Carnosine plays a critical role in the buffering of lactic acid during intense bouts of anaerobic exercise.[3] Given that lactic acid build up is one of the principle causes of muscular fatigue, this seems like a pretty useful benefit to us!
Now, in order to achieve these effects, beta alanine must be dosed at 4-6g per day for a period of at least 2 weeks. This enables carnosine stores to be raised sufficiently in order generate tangible results as far as training performance is concerned.[4]
That means the 2g serving per scoop of Meth Lab is quite a way short of optimum. However, given that carnosine saturation seems to increase the longer you consume beta alanine at the recommended dose of 4-6g per day, reaching 80% saturation after 10 weeks, this may not be a disaster. Presumably, a lower daily dose means it will just take you longer to achieve the same saturation, rather than being entirely useless!
Caffeine (350 mg)
The ultimate stimulant ingredient when it comes to pre-workout supplements, caffeine helps to boost your energy levels prior to and during training, whilst also increasing the fat burning potential of your sessions. That’s what we call a win win!
The research suggests that caffeine is effective at doses as low as 100 mg, and can be safely consumed at levels as high as 400 mg per day.[5]
That means the 350 mg dose per scoop of Meth Lab is a very significant serving. It is guaranteed to be effective for even the most hardened stimulant users, and may carry some minor side effects as a result… We’ll discuss those shortly!
There are a number of other ‘active’ ingredients included in this TLM Research product, such as taurine, theobromine and higenamine. With very little, if any scientific evidence to support their efficacy for exercise performance, however, our Meth Lab review won’t be considering their presence any further.
Meth Lab pre-workout side effects
Each of the three key ingredients we have discussed in detail above can potentially have minor side effects for users.
Creatine monohydrate, consumed in large doses, has been associated with bloating and general gastrointestinal discomfort. A 5g serving may be enough to present such issues. An easy fix is to spread the serving over multiple intakes so that you’re consuming it in smaller bitesize doses!
Beta alanine can cause a mild tingling sensation on the surface of the skin (particularly the face), which normally subsides after around 20 minutes. The good news is, this symptom is completely harmless and can be taken as a sign you are consuming a meaningful dose of beta alanine and not something entirely useless. In all honesty, the 2g serving per scoop is unlikely to be enough to cause such a side effect anyway!
Caffeine, when consumed in large quantities, can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, the jitters and even anxiety. Make no mistake, 350 mg is a huge serving and will almost certainly cause some of the side effects mentioned, unless you are a particular hardened stimulant user.
If you are new to pre-workout supplements or you know you have a low tolerance to caffeine, our advice would be to start with a half scoop of this product in order to test the waters. You can then gradually increase your dose if you don’t feel any adverse effects!
Pros and cons of Meth Lab pre-workout by TLM Research
Pros | Cons |
● NO PROPRIETARY BLENDS!
● Optimum dose of creatine monohydrate (very rare in pre-workout supplements). ● HUGE dose of caffeine. ● Pricing. |
● Sub-optimal dose of beta alanine.
● Too many ingredients included which have very little, if any scientific research to support their efficacy for exercise performance. ● Flavor options. ● HUGE dose of caffeine. |
Where to buy Meth Lab pre-workout?
At $36.99 on the official TLM Research website, Meth Lab comes in at a fairly reasonable $1.23 per serving. It certainly isn’t cheap, but it also is nowhere near the most expensive pre-workout we’ve reviewed, and given the optimal dose of creatine and the whopping serving of caffeine, this seems like a fair price!
There is only one flavor option available and in typical pre-workout style it’s a rather whacky Gummy Candy flavor. This lack of choice does mean that you might struggle to find a taste to your liking, particularly if your fussy!
In addition to the official TLM Research website, Meth Lab can also be purchased at global online retail giant Amazon, as well as third party supplement sites such as barelylegalsupplements.com and jet.com.
Summary
All in all this has been a hugely positive Meth Lab pre-workout review. Any pre-workout product which includes an optimum dose of creatine monohydrate needs to be taken seriously.
As the most effective and widely researched ingredient on the market, you wouldn’t think it would be particularly difficult to find a product with it dosed optimally. The multi ingredient nature of pre-workouts, however, can make it tricky to squeeze the necessary 5g into one scoop. That’s why Meth Lab’s optimal dose is such as huge positive!
Unfortunately, the 5g serving of creatine monohydrate doesn’t leave an awful lot of room for much else, which explains why the other big hitting ingredient in Meth Lab, beta alanine, is significantly underdosed at 2g. Whilst this is disappointing, it still may be of benefit, given the tendency of carnosine saturation to gradually increase over a long period of time. It just means you’re going to have to consume this product on a daily basis for a much longer period of time to feel the benefits of its beta alanine dose, than if it contained the optimum 4-6g.
The 350 mg dose of caffeine rounds off a fairly impressive trio of key ingredients. This is a great quantity for hardened stimulant users but might prove a little too much for new comers or those who don’t want such a significant buzz during their workout. The dose is, after all, a whole 100 mg more than our optimum serving of 250 mg.
The lack of flavor options is admittedly a negative, I mean one option.. Come on!. That shouldn’t, however, detract from what is a pretty effective product. Let’s be honest, if you’re choosing your pre-workout supplement based solely on its taste then your probably not in this game for the right reasons.
Overall, this is a very good pre-workout product. Replace the questionable ingredients we’ve spoken about with more beta alanine and we’d have a genuine contender for supplement of the year on our hands! Be warned though, this product has a huge hit of caffeine and is absolutely not for the faint hearted!
References:
[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] 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
[4] International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine- J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015; 12: 30.
[5] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011
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