Stimul8
$29.95Pros
- Many flavor options
- Good dose of caffeine (300 mg)
Cons
- 6-gram serving size only provides 2.6 grams of active ingredients
- Under dosed ingredients
- Missing most key pre-workout ingredients
- Bad value as you get little for what you pay for
- Contains Proprietary blend which doesn't reveal dosage for ingredients
Welcome to the most comprehensive Stimul8 pre-workout review on the internet.
Stimul8 is a pre-workout formula from the company Finaflex. Stimul8 is designed to increase energy, strength and endurance. The formula contains 8 active ingredients in the form of a proprietary blend, which means you don’t know exact doses of ingredients. However they reveal that the caffeine is 300mg per serving. The serving size is 6-grams but you only get 2.6-grams of that in the form of active ingredients. Even though Stimul8 contains very few proven ingredients such as Beta-Alanine it is highly likely that they are underdosed as 2.6 grams worth of ingredients is very low for a pre-workout.
Everything you could need to know about this supplement in one easy-to-understand product review. What ingredients are included and their dosages, and how these compare to what the latest scientific research says? Where to buy it from, how much it should cost, what flavors it comes in, and lots more?
Regardless of your training experience, there is a pre-workout out there to suit your needs. Whether you’re just starting your fitness journey or you’ve been a regular gym-goer for several years, the right pre-workout supplement has the power to take your training to the next level.
The nutritional supplement market is an absolute minefield to negotiate, particularly for the uninitiated. For every pre-workout product which contains optimal doses of ingredients which are scientifically proven to boost your physical performance, there are hundreds of others which will be of zero benefit to you whatsoever. Distinguishing between the two can be tricky, but fortunately for you, that’s where we come in.
About Stimul8 pre-workout
“Finaflex Stimul8 is an ultimate super pre-workout built for both men and women that stimulates your workout like never before! The tested and true Stimul8 formula is powered by ingredients designed to provide you with energy, strength and endurance needed to take your workout to the next level! Stimul8 built with IRISNXD, found only in Finaflex products, making the Stimul8 formula like no other pre-workout on the market! Strive to be great, drink Stimul8.”
A pretty stock product description, to be frank. Very little factual information about Stimul8 pre-workout and very little to base any kind of meaningful assessment on. The only real way of determining whether the product lives up to the hype and actually does provide its user with more energy, strength, and endurance is to dig a little deeper into what ingredients actually feature, and most importantly, in what quantities.
Ingredients in Finaflex Stimul8 Original pre-workout
Serving size: 1 Scoop (6 grams) | Amount Per Serving | %Daily Value |
Total Carbohydrate | 0g | 0% |
Calcium | 80mg | 6% |
Endurance + Ripping Matrix (Beta-Alanine (as CarnoSyn®), Caffeine, IrsinXD®[Green Tea Leaf Extract(Camellia sinensis) (std. min. 60% EGCG). Cocoa Seed Extract(std. min. 20% Theobromine), L-Phenylalanine, AMATEA Guayusa Extract (Ilex guayusa)(leaf), Theacrine(as TeaCrine®), Rauwolfia vomitoria(Root Extract)) | 2.6 g | * |
Before we touch upon any specifics, it is important to note that the key ingredients in this Finaflex Stimul8 pre-workout are part of a single proprietary blend weighing 2.6g. For those of you unfamiliar with this term, that’s when a supplement company tells you which ingredients they have included but not their individual doses, only disclosing the total weight of the entire blend.
In the case of Stimul8, their Endurance + Ripping Matrix contains several ingredients, including both beta-alanine and caffeine; we just don’t know exactly how much of each.
This is a really negative start to the ingredients section of our Stimul8 pre-workout review, as without full disclosure of ingredient quantities, you have no idea how much of anything you are actually putting into your body.
From a manufacturer’s point of view, there is only one reason they make use of proprietary blends in their products, and despite what they tell you, it’s not to hide secret formulas from competitors. It’s actually to hide underdosed ingredients from YOU, the consumer!
Beta-alanine
Outside of creatine, beta-alanine is the most widely researched and clinically effective nutritional supplement on the market for exercise performance.
Dosed correctly for a long enough period, it is capable of improving your anaerobic capacity. It does this by increasing your muscle stores of something called carnosine, which is directly involved in the buffering of lactic acid in your muscles during intense activity.[1] Given that lactic acid buildup is one of the primary causes of muscular fatigue, this seems like a pretty useful effect to us!
Most scientific studies suggest that a 4-6g serving per day for a period of at least 2 weeks is sufficient to increase your carnosine levels adequately to have a tangible effect on exercise performance.[2]
Whilst we are none the wiser as to the exact dose contained in Stimul8 pre-workout, the fact that the entire blend only weighs 2.6g is categorical evidence that this product does NOT contain anywhere near an optimal dose of beta alanine.
BIG FAIL!
Stimul8 Caffeine content notes (300 mg)
Without a doubt, the most common stimulant ingredient used in the pre-workout market. Given the name of this product, there should be no surprise that it uses a serving of caffeine.
Capable of giving you that all-important energy boost before your workout and helping you burn more fat during your sessions, caffeine has some really tangible implications for your exercise performance.
Most scientific research suggests that it is effective at doses as low as 100 mg whilst it can be consumed safely at levels as high as 400 mg per day.[3]
Now, whilst there is no information about the dose of caffeine included per serving of Stimul8 pre-workout where you would expect to find it… on the supplement facts label, the precise quantity is disclosed in the product warning section website. According to this statement, one serving of Stimul8 contains 300 mg of caffeine.
That’s a pretty significant dose (something you’d expect from a product called Stimul8) which will give even the most hardened pre-workout users a nice training buzz. It’s a little over our preferred 250 mg dose but we’re not really complaining!
Are there any side effects?
There are 2 ingredients included in Stimul8 pre-workout that have the potential to cause minor side effects.
Large doses of caffeine, such as the one in this product, can lead to symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, the jitters and even anxiety. As a result, if you are new to pre-workout, or have a low tolerance of caffeine, then it may be a good idea to start with a half serving of this Stimul8 pre-workout in order to test the waters before ramping up your dose.
Beta-alanine tends to cause a tingling sensation on the skin’s surface (particularly the face) for approximately 20 minutes. The good news is, this side effect is completely harmless, and if anything should be taken as evidence, you are consuming a meaningful dose of beta-alanine. In all honesty, the limited quantity of beta-alanine per serving of this product is unlikely to lead to this side effect anyway!
Pros and cons of Stimul8 pre-workout
Pros | Cons |
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Where to buy Stimul8 pre-workout?
In addition to the official Finaflex website, there are some other reliable online options for you to purchase this Stimul8 pre-workout product, including global retailer Amazon and trusted third-party supplement sites like bodybuilding.com, GNC tigerfitness.com, samedaysupplements.com, and nutritionwarehouse.com.
Pricing review
At $29.99 on the official Finaflex website, Stimul8 comes in at 75 cents per serving, very reasonable as far as pre-workouts are concerned. Given that you really are just buying a caffeine supplement, however, our Stimul8 review still considers this a little on the expensive side.
As mentioned above, the product is available at many sites in addition to the official Finaflex website, so be sure to shop around for the best price!
Flavor options
Stimul8 comes in 7 different flavor options, including Yummy Gummy Bear and Awesome Apple Blast, which means even the fussiest of customers should be able to find a taste to their liking.
Summary
To be honest it’s pretty hard for our Finaflex Stimul8 pre-workout review to look beyond this products use of a proprietary blend. For us, it is an ultimate sin of any supplement manufacturer! When you consider that the total weight of the blend is just 2.6g, things go from bad to worse pretty quickly.
It is mathematically impossible for there to be even close to an optimum serving of beta-alanine, which is another huge disappointment due to the proven effectiveness of this ingredient.
There are a few saving graces regarding the significant caffeine dose, the flavor options, and the price. But when you consider that you really are just getting a good amount of caffeine for your 75 cents per serving, then this price actually looks a lot more expensive. And whilst flavor options are important, if you’re purchasing a pre-workout based on taste alone, then you’re probably not in this game for the right reasons.
As a result of all of that, we would suggest that if you consider buying Stimul8 pre-workout, don’t bother. You can find a simple caffeine supplement for a fraction of the price, and if you’re interested in other ingredients outside this, then this Finaflex product really isn’t for you. Keep looking!
[1] 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
[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 release formulation of beta-alanine (CarnoSyn), and for 6 weeks post (Abstract) FASEB J. 2009;23:599.4.
[3] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011
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