Surge
$29.99
Pros
- Not expensive
Cons
- Missing many key ingredients
- Under dosed formula
- Only 14 mg of caffeine
- Worse than most other pre workout supplements out there
- Very very poorly formulated pre workout
In this Paleoethics Surge Pre-Workout review, we took a closer look at this pre-workout formula and found out if it is good.
Surge Pre-Workout from the company Paleoethics is a pre-workout in powder form that contains three different proprietary blends. Surge contains ingredients such as caffeine, beetroot extract, Green Tea, and more. It is a low dosed pre-workout formula with a serving being only around 4-grams.
Wondering if Surge pre-workout is worth buying?
Fortunately for you, that’s where our Paleoethics Surge pre-workout review comes to the rescue. A detailed breakdown of the key ingredients and their dosages, in addition to where you can buy them and what flavors are available!
Surge pre-workout review: my initial thoughts
Before we focus on the specifics of ingredients and precise dosages, there are two important pieces of information that can be garnered from a brief look at the Supplement Facts Label, which will give you an instant indication of the merits of this product!
The first port of call is the total weight of one suggested scoop or serving. If this is only very small and the product contains a number of ‘active’ ingredients, then you know it’s pretty unlikely to contain meaningful, let alone optimal dosages of those ingredients. It can also be worth comparing this serving weight to the actual weight of key ingredients in that serving in order to ascertain how much of one scoop is made up of fillers such as flavourings and preservatives!
In the case of this Surge pre-workout, a one scoop serving weighs just 4.23g, and whilst the vast majority is active ingredients (3.8g), this still means the manufacturer is going to struggle to squeeze in good dosages of any of the most proven supplement ingredients… More on that a little later!
The second major issue to consider is whether the product contains any proprietary blends…
For the uninitiated, that’s when the company that produces a supplement chooses to group ingredients in one or more blends without listing the exact quantity of each ingredient per serving. Unfortunately, this means it is nigh on impossible for you, the consumer, to work out how much of any of the active ingredients you are actually putting in your body every time you consume a scoop.
Despite what supplement manufacturers try to tell you, there is only one valid reason they do this… And that is to hide underdosed key ingredients from their potential customers.
The bad news for this Paleoethics Surge pre-workout review is that there isn’t just one proprietary blend on show, but three. As a result, not only are the key ingredients, in all likelihood, underdosed, but you have no idea by exactly how much.
Surge pre-workout ingredients
| Serving size 1 scoop (4.23 g) | Amount Per Serving | %Daily Value |
| Calories | 15 | * |
| Total Carbohydrate | 3 g | 1% |
| Caffeine | 14 mg | * |
| Energy Blend (Maca Root Extract, Bee Pollen Powder, Panax Ginseng Extract, Royal Jelly Powder) | 1811 mg | * |
| Vascularity Blend (Beet Root Powder, Cranberry Juice Powder, Elderberry Fruit, Grape Seed Extract, Bilberry Fruit Extract, Hawthorn Leaf & Flower Extract, Organic Cinnamon Powder) | 1695 mg | * |
| Fat Utilization Blend (Instant Green Tea, Green Coffee Extract) | 277.5 mg | * |
Caffeine (14 mg)
No that isn’t a typo. This Surge pre-workout by Paleoethics contains a 14 mg serving of caffeine!!! Now, don’t get me wrong, caffeine is without doubt the most commonly found stimulant ingredient in pre-workout products, and for good reason, as it is proven to help boost energy levels and even increase fat burning during workouts.
However, to be effective, it must be consumed in the right kind of quantities, and 14 mg is so far from ‘right’ that it’s just plain wrong! Most scientific research suggests that caffeine is effective concerning exercise performance at dosages as low as 100 mg and is safe for consumption at levels as high as 400mg per day.[1] 14 mg, therefore, isn’t going to offer you any benefit whatsoever, even if you’ve never consumed caffeine before in your life!
Energy blend (1811 mg)
This proprietary blend contains several alternative ‘herbal’ ingredients aimed at boosting your energy levels and improving exercise performance.
Maca root extract, for instance, is purported to enhance endurance performance and help users gain muscle and increase strength. Whilst there is limited scientific research to support the notion of Maca root improving endurance in trained cyclists, there haven’t been any studies into the potential strength and muscle gain impacts.[2] All in all, there needs to be a whole lot more scientific research into this ingredient before its effects are confirmed, and an optimum dosage is put forward. Until then, our Surge pre-workout review will treat the inclusion of this product of an undisclosed quantity of Maca root with a large degree of skepticism!
Whilst other ingredients in this Energy blend, such as bee pollen, ginseng and guarana seed, all seem to have some very encouraging effects on your overall health, there is insufficient evidence to suggest that any of them can boost your exercise performance, let alone offer an optimal dose in order to do so!
Our Surge pre-workout review assessment of this Energy blend…? Disappointing!
Vascularity blend (1695 mg)
The ingredient included in this proprietary blend that is most likely to benefit your exercise performance is beetroot powder. The high level of nitrates in beetroot is thought to help you produce more nitric oxide, thus achieving the same performance benefit as citrulline supplementation (just not quite on the same level). That means better circulation, increased blood flow, and thus more oxygen and nutrients to working muscles.
Details on exactly how much beetroot powder is required to achieve such effects are a little hard to come by, however, and given we don’t actually know how much is contained in this Vascularity blend, a recommended dose wouldn’t be much help anyway!
The remaining ingredients in this blend, including elderberry, grape seed extract, bilberry fruit extract, and cranberry fruit extract, may well be beneficial to your overall health. Still, there isn’t any evidence to suggest that they will help to boost your exercise performance.
Shock! Another disappointing proprietary blend in a pre-workout product!
Fat Utilization blend (277.5 mg)
Our third and final proprietary blend does actually contain one ingredient in green tea extract, with relatively convincing evidence to suggest it may help boost fat burning.
Research has demonstrated that supplementing with green tea, for instance, and in particular with ECGC can increase energy expenditure and stimulate fat oxidation.[3] In a 12 week study of overweight males, for instance, consumption of higher doses of ECGC compared with a lower dose, was associated with far greater reductions in body weight, body fat and visceral fat.
While green coffee extract has also been purported to benefit weight loss, the scientific evidence to support such claims is somewhat lacking!
Surge pre-workout side effects
The ingredient to be most aware of in this Surge pre-workout as far as potential side effects are concerned is Panax ginseng. When taken orally, it can be harmful in the long term, with insomnia’s most common side effect!
Pros and cons of Surge pre-workout by Paleoethics
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Surge flavor review
There are only two flavors available in citrus and tropical, which means if you are a little fussy about your pre-workout taste, you might struggle to find an option to your liking!
Where can I buy Surge pre-workout? Amazon, GNC, Canada, UK?
This Surge pre-workout is available on the official Paleoethics website for $29.99, which means it comes in around a buck per serving, putting it towards the cheaper end of the pre-workout market.
Surge is also available at global online retailer Amazon and trusted third party online supplement store GNC so be sure to shop around for the best price!
For European and UK delivery, you can visit paleoethicseurope.com, and for Canadian delivery, you can visit paleoethics.ca.
Summary: Surge pre-workout review conclusion
All in all, this has been a very disappointing Surge pre-workout review! When a product has a serving size of just over 4g, it is simply impossible for it to contain many of the most proven exercise performance supplement ingredients on the market!
The one ingredient that could feature in an optimal dose is caffeine, which is included at bafflingly low levels with absolutely no performance benefits whatsoever!
Whilst there are a number of ingredients present which may have far reaching benefits for your overall health, very few that feature are proven to have positive implications for your exercise performance, and that is ultimately what a pre-workout supplement should be about.
Add to that the availability of just two flavor options, and things don’t look a whole lot better from a consumer perspective either.
Whilst, ordinarily, we would consider the $1 per serving price tag a pretty reasonable one, in this case, it really doesn’t represent value for money at all.
Our final verdict…? If you’re looking for a pre-workout that will help boost your exercise performance and contain the right ingredients in the right dosages to do so, then this Surge pre-workout by Paleoethics simply isn’t going to cut it. But, trust us, and you can do a whole lot better for your money!
References:
[1] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011
[2] J Ethnopharmacol. 2009 Dec 10;126(3):574-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2009.09.012. Epub 2009 Sep 23.
A pilot investigation into the effect of maca supplementation on physical activity and sexual desire in sportsmen.
[3] The effects of EGCG on fat oxidation and endurance performance in male cyclists- International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism
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