Already well known in supplement circles as the athlete’s choice, MusclePharm has added another pre-workout to their bag of tricks.
Combat Pre-Workout from MusclePharm is a supplement designed to use before workouts. The Combat Pre-workout formula contains 8 ingredients with a dose of 9.1 grams per serving. Combat pre-workout contains some proven ingredients such as L-Citrulline, Beta-alanine, and caffeine. The formula has no proprietary blends so you know exactly how much of each ingredient you receive.
This MusclePharm Combat pre-workout review aims to help you decide whether it could help you take your training to the next level. An in-depth look at the most important active ingredients and their dosages will determine whether MP combat matches what the science is really telling us!
With more and more pre-workout options for you to choose from, selecting the most appropriate one for your needs can be a fairly daunting process. After all, this is not a decision to be taken lightly. These products are often expensive and can contain some powerful ingredients. If you don’t approach it right, you can end up wasting an awful lot of money and even doing yourself harm!
With our one-stop shop to all things MP combat and pre-workout generally, you can rest easy that deciding on this product, at least, should be fairly straightforward.
Who was MusclePharm Combat pre-workout created for?
According to MusclePharm itself, its Combat pre-workout was designed with the mainstream consumer in mind… a tamer, more widely applicable to their already broad range of pre-workout options.
As a result, our Combat pre-workout review will consider this. After all, there is no point in criticizing a product based on its dosages of certain ingredients when its target market may not cope with what might be considered an optimum serving.
Ingredients in MusclePharm Combat pre-workout
Serving size: 1 Scoop (9.1 grams) | Amount Per Serving | %Daily Value |
Calories | 0 | |
Total Carbohydrate | 1g | <1% |
Energy & Performance | ||
Beta-Alanine | 1.6g | * |
Caffeine Anhydrous | 200mg | * |
Pump | ||
L-Citrulline | 3g | * |
Vaso6™ (Green Tea Extract (leaf)) | 150mg | * |
Focus | ||
Tyrosine | 400mg | * |
Alpha Glycerylphosphorylcholine (GPC) | 150mg | * |
L-Theanine | 100mg | * |
Huperzine A (Huperia Serrata) (Whole Herb) Extract | 50mcg | * |
The only foolproof way of determining the effectiveness of a pre-workout supplement is to take a closer look at the active ingredients and their dosages. But before we do, let us address a major issue with several pre-workout supplements on the market… The proprietary blend.
A proprietary blend lists component ingredients but not their individual weights, only offering a total weight for the entire mix. Unfortunately, this means you have no idea exactly how much of any given ingredient you are putting in your body, making it very hard for you to judge how effective a product is.
Despite what manufacturers tell you about keeping their special formulas secret from their competitors, there is actually only one reason they might use a proprietary blend. And that’s to hide underdosed active ingredients from YOU, the consumer!
Fortunately, despite many of the ingredients in MP combat being grouped together, there isn’t a single proprietary blend in sight. A promising start to this MusclePharm Combat pre-workout review.
Beta-alanine (1.6g)
Without a doubt, one of the most exciting nutritional supplements on the market as far as exercise performance is concerned, beta-alanine is becoming an increasingly popular pre-workout ingredient.
Scientifically proven to help your body buffer lactic acid and therefore fight against one of the principle causes of muscle fatigue, it’s popularity is no surprise.[1] Most studies suggest that a daily serving of 4-6g over a number of weeks is enough to bring about these ergogenic effects.[2]
MP combat contains just 1.6g per serving. Whilst we are aware that this product is aimed very much at those individuals new to pre-workout, beta-alanine is not an ingredient that you need to build dose gradually. You either take a serving that is going to give you the benefits we’ve already discussed, or you don’t. Unfortunately for MP combat, 1.6g isn’t going to achieve an awful lot for users!
Caffeine (200 mg)
Unlike beta-alanine, the dose of caffeine you take should very much be dependent upon individual tolerance levels. If you’re new to the pre-workout world or don’t ordinarily consume much caffeine, it is always best, to begin with, a moderate dose.
And, arguably, that is exactly what 200 mg is. Plenty enough to give you the energy boost and fat burning benefits which are well known, but not so much as to leave you with the side effects associated with high caffeine intake.
As a result, given the target audience, we’d say 200 mg is about spot on!
L-citrulline (3g)
Citrulline is fast becoming the most popular ‘pump’ ingredient in pre-workout supplements. And rightly so. Dosed optimally, it is capable of helping your body to increase nitric oxide production, which in turn boosts circulation and allows you to transport more oxygen to working muscles, not only giving an aesthetic swell but also helping you fight fatigue.[3]
Most of the scientific research suggests that l-citrulline must be consumed at 3-6g per day for a minimum of 7 days in order for you to feel the effects.[4] As a result, at 3g per serving, MP combat just sneaks in at the bottom end of this range.
Whilst we would always rather see citrulline malate included in pre-workout products instead of pure l-citrulline because of the increased energy-boosting effects of the former, you can’t really argue with MusclePharm on this one. For a pre-workout aimed at your average joe gym-goer, this is a solid dose of citrulline.
Tyrosine (400 mg)
The main metabolic function of tyrosine is in the production of adrenaline and noradrenaline. These hormones are responsible for the fight or flight reflex you experience in stressful situations. Tyrosine also plays a role in the production of dopamine, which regulates the reward and pleasure centers within your brain and the thyroid, which helps regulate metabolism.[5]
There is, however, limited scientific research to suggest that tyrosine supplementation can be of benefit to exercise performance and as a result no optimal dose is known. Tyrosine might help boost your workout, but equally it might not. 400 mg of it might be enough to give you it’s purported benefits, but then again it might not.
All in all, our MusclePharm combat pre-workout review would suggest that the inclusion of tyrosine in any dose is largely inconsequential!
Side effects
Depending on the particular ingredients included and their dosages, pre-workouts can come with some minor side effects. These are normally the result of stimulant ingredients such as caffeine.
Given the fairly moderate 200 mg dose of caffeine in MP combat, it seems unlikely that this should cause any associated side effects, including anxiety, diarrhea, vomiting, and jitters. Having said that, if you are particularly intolerant of caffeine, then 200 mg may be enough to cause you some moderate discomfort.
Scientific research suggests that you can take as much as 400 mg per day safely, so MP combat is certainly not going to do you any serious harm on this front.[6]
As far as side effects go, the only other ingredient which is relevant is beta-alanine. This normally leads to a tingling sensation on the skin’s surface, which lasts around 20 minutes. However, this side effect is in no way harmful and should be taken more as an indication that you are indeed consuming beta-alanine and not something entirely useless. Having said that, we’re not entirely sure whether 1.6g is even enough to produce this effect!
So, is MP Combat any good?
Yes and no… It is undoubtedly a great place to start your pre-workout journey. The moderate but effective dose of caffeine and the just about useful serving of l-citrulline are real positives. They should definitely make a difference to your workout if you’ve never taken a pre-workout supplement before.
There is, however, no excuse for the mediocre dose of beta alanine. The fact MP combat is very much designed with beginners in mind is irrelevant in this case. Beta alanine should either be dosed optimally or not at all!
Pros and cons of Combat by MusclePharm
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Benefits of Combat pre-workout
This pre-workout has a wide range of benefits, as you have seen from our MusclePharm Combat pre-workout review so far.
A solid dose of caffeine will definitely get you in the right zone physically and mentally for all kinds of different workouts, but without some of the negative side effects associated with really significant doses. Perfect for all you beginners out there or anyone who doesn’t want such a stimulant heavy supplement.
The l-citrulline dosage is also just about high enough to offer the performance benefits we’ve already discussed.
Pricing
At $29.99 on the official MusclePharm website, MP combat comes in just under a buck per serving, which puts it kind of in the middle of the road cost-wise, if not at the cheaper end of the scale.
Summary
All in all, our MusclePharm Combat pre-workout review would have to conclude that this product is a solid effort. With a principal target audience of beginners in mind, it delivers a pre-workout with genuine potential to boost exercise performance.
The unwillingness to hide underdosed ingredients behind proprietary blends is a major positive. It means that once you feel like you’ve outgrown this pre-workout, you can always seek out pure sources of ingredients like beta-alanine and creatine to really take your training to the next level.
FAQ
Where to buy MusclePharm?
You can purchase MusclePharm supplement products from the official https://musclepharm.com website as well as several other online supplement retailers, including https://musclepharm.com and https://www.bodybuilding.com.
MusclePharm female workout
MusclePharm produces an entire range of performance supplements with female consumers in mind. Branded as MusclePharm Fitmiss, this range includes a pre-workout product called Ignite and some other nutritional supplements designed to support physical performance.
Resources
[1] Role of beta-alanine supplementation on muscle carnosine and exercise performance- MSSE 2010 42:6
[2] 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.
[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124046306000531
[4]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.
[5] Tyrosine, phenylalanine, and catecholamine synthesis and function in the brain- J Nutr. 2007
[6] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 201
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