Wicked Pre-Workout
$64.95
Pros
- Likely a good dose of caffeine
Cons
- Contains DMAA which is illegal in many sports
- Has 3 proprietary blends which do not disclose how much of each ingredient you get
- Most ingredients likely under-dosed
Welcome to the most complete Wicked pre-workout review on the net!
Everything you need to know about this Innovative Labz pre-workout, from where to buy it and how much it costs, exactly what’s in it and how it measures up to the latest scientific research!
Wicked from Innovative Labz is a pre-workout formula that contains ingredients designed to help increase muscle pumps and energy levels. The formula contains 13 ingredients in 3 different proprietary blends with a dosage of 11-grams per serving. This means you don’t know how much of an ingredient you receive in one serving. The concerning part for Wicked pre-workout is DMAA, which is banned in most sports organizations.
The world of nutritional supplements can be a confusing one, especially for the uninitiated. There are so many products out there that claim to benefit your exercise performance, recovery, or general health, and pre-workouts are just part of the circus.
There is no doubt that pre-workouts can have a place in your training regime, and there are plenty of good options out there which will definitely help you to make gains! However, with loose regulations at best, it is easy for manufacturers to exploit their consumers, which means you have to be ultra careful when choosing the right pre-workout product for your needs.
That’s where we come in! There is no marketing bullshit and no sales pitch, just the cold hard facts about the product and its key ingredients. That’s why our Wicked Innovative Labz review is your perfect source of pre-workout knowledge, whether you’re just starting on your fitness journey or you’ve been a committed gym-goer for several years!
About Innovative Labz
“Innovative Labs is a dynamic supplement company that creates cutting edge supplements for people who want hardcore results…
Innovative Labs will continue to provide the finest-quality, innovative, SCIENCE-BASED nutritional supplements possible for generations to come…
We are dedicated to SCIENTIFICALLY AND MEDICALLY BACKED RESEARCH as a backbone to supporting nutritional advancement designed to enhance athletic performance, metabolic function and promote optimum health…
As much as things change, one fact remains the same-Innovative stands apart by delivering high quality, cutting-edge and VALUE-DRIVEN PRODUCTS to our consumers.”
As is the norm with “About us” sections on supplement websites, this Innovative Labz blurb is pretty generic—promises of scientific-based research, value for money, and high-quality products. And you can’t really blame them; after all, they are trying to sell you their products, so why wouldn’t they want to make them sound as good as possible.
That doesn’t mean, however, that it’s all true. And that’s where our in-depth look at this Innovative Labz pre-workout, particularly our analysis of the key ingredients, comes into play!
Wicked pre-workout ingredients
| Serving size: 2 Scoops (11 g) | Amount Per Serving | %Daily Value |
| Vitamin C | 250mg | 416% |
| Niacin (as Inositol Nicotinate) | 400mg | 2000% |
| Vitamin B6 | 20mg | 1000% |
| Inositol (as Inositol Nicotinate) | 100mg | * |
| N.O. Amplification Blend Matrix (Beta-Alanine, L-Citrulline Silicate, Red Wine Extract (standardized to 30% Glycerol)) | 5000mg | * |
| Anabolic Cell Volumizer (Creatine Nitrate, 2-Aminoethanesulfonic acid Silicate, Agmatine Silicate, (N-(aminoiminomethyl)-beta-alanine), D-Ribose, Creatinol-O-Phosphate) | 4010 mg | * |
| Neurogenic Energizers (Caffeine Anhydrous, 2-Aminoisoheptane HCL, Histidine, Rauwolfia serpentina extract) | 390 mg | * |
PROPRIETARY BLENDS, PROPRIETARY BLENDS, PROPRIETARY BLENDS! Need we say any more. For the less experienced supplement users among you, a proprietary blend is a mixture of ingredients where only the total weight of the blend is disclosed and not the weight of each component ingredient.
That means it is impossible for you to know exactly how much of a particular ingredient you are consuming per serving of any given blend. Never a good place to be when it comes to supplements!
Unfortunately for our Wicked pre-workout review, this product comprises not one but THREE proprietary blends. Not a good start to proceedings!
N.O. Amplification Matrix (5000 mg)
The first proprietary blend of this Innovative Labz pre-workout contains two of the biggest hitters in the nutritional supplement world in beta-alanine and citrulline.
When dosed optimally, beta-alanine helps raise your muscle stores of something called carnosine, which plays a pivotal role in buffering lactic acid and helping you fight fatigue during short bursts of anaerobic activity.[1] Most of the scientific research into this ingredient suggests that a daily serving of 4-6g for a period of at least 2 weeks is adequate to raise carnosine levels by a sufficient amount to offer a tangible training effect![2]
Whilst it is tricky for us to know for certain whether this product may contain such a serving, given that the total blend weighs 5g and there are 2 other ingredients present, it seems unlikely. It may however, at least contain a meaningful dose!
Citrulline helps raise your blood levels of an amino acid called arginine, which in turn increases your production of nitric oxide. This allows for greater vasodilation and improved circulation, which means increased blood flow to work muscles during exercise and hopefully a delayed onset of fatigue.[3]
Much like beta-alanine, to achieve these benefits, l-citrulline must be dosed at the correct levels. According to most studies, a daily serving of 3-6g for a period of 7 days should be sufficient to allow for these ergogenic effects.[4]
Again, whilst it is mathematically possible for this Innovative Labz pre-workout product to achieve the lower end of this range, it seems unlikely given the fact it is only the second most prevalent ingredient in the mix.
Conclusion…? Whilst it is possible for there to be a meaningful dose of beta-alanine or l-citrulline in this blend, there certainly can’t be optimal servings of both!
Anabolic Cell Volumiser (4010 mg)
The only ingredient contained within this blend which is of any interest to us is creatine nitrate. Now, the vast majority of research into the efficacy of creatine supplementation for sports performance (and there is an awful lot of it, by the way) has been conducted using the monohydrate variety of creatine.
This research tells us that dosing creatine monohydrate at 5g per day for several weeks can help you to increase strength and lean muscle mass.[5][6]
There is however, nowhere near this level of research conducted into creatine nitrate, and whilst the creatine content is likely to have similar benefits, we have no way of knowing what kind of dosage is required in order to achieve the effects.
Given that the creatine nitrate in this blend appears alongside 5 other ingredients and the total blend weight is just 4g, it seems unlikely to contain a meaningful dose.
In our experience, when it comes to creatine supplementation, your best bet is to find a pure source of creatine monohydrate, which is proven to be effective at a certain dose which you are then in complete control of. If you’re looking at pre-workouts to fulfill your creatine needs, then think again!
Neurogenic Energisers (390 mg)
This final blend contains some ingredients, including caffeine, which is the most important component of this Innovative Labz pre-workout review. Capable of boosting energy and mental focus as well as improving your body’s ability to burn fat during sessions, caffeine is, without doubt, the most commonly used stimulant ingredient in pre-workout supplements!
Most research suggests that it can be effective at doses as low as 100 mg and is safe to consume at levels as high as 400 mg per day.[7] With the total blend weighing 390 mg, it seems more than likely that there is a meaningful dose of caffeine, but as with all proprietary blends, we can’t know for certain!
With around 70mg of DMAA in this blend makes it very powerful; however, keep in mind that DMAA is banned and can have hazardous side effects.
Wicked pre-workout side effects
A few ingredients are included in this Wicked pre-workout that can cause some minor side effects.
Beta alanine tends to cause a tingling sensation on the surface of the skin (particularly in the face) which lasts approximately 20 minutes. The good news is that this side effect is completely harmless and should be taken as a sign that you are consuming a meaningful dose. In all honesty, we have no idea whether there is enough beta alanine included in this pre-workout to produce such an effect anyway!
High doses of caffeine can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, jitters, and even anxiety. Whilst we don’t know exactly how much caffeine is included in Wicked, it is likely to be more than 200 mg. As a result, if you are new to pre-workout supplements or have a particularly low tolerance to caffeine, then it may be a good idea to start with a half dose of this product to test your tolerance levels.
It contains DMMA which is banned. It is a powerful stimulant that has been linked with life threatening side effects.
Finally, creatine supplementation has been linked with bloating and general gastrointestinal discomfort. These symptoms, however, seem to be associated with large doses of the monohydrate variety of creatine. As a result, given that this pre-workout includes a much smaller dose of creatine nitrate, this shouldn’t be an issue!
Pros and cons of Wicked pre-workout
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Where to buy Innovative Labz Wicked pre-workout?
In addition to the official Innovative Labz website, you can also purchase this Wicked pre-workout at:
- Samedaysupplements.com
- Ephedrawarehouse.com
- Bestpricenutrition.com
- Suppz.com
As a result, be sure to shop around for the best price!
At $64.95 on the official Innovative Labz website, Wicked pre-workout comes in at a whopping $2.17 per serving, making it one of the most expensive pre-workout products we’ve ever reviewed!
There are only 2 flavors available: Gruelling Grape and Punishing Punch, which means you may struggle to find a taste to your liking, particularly if you are fussy!
Summary
All in all, this has been a pretty disappointing Wicked pre-workout review. Whenever we see nutritional supplement products which contain proprietary blends, the alarm bells start to ring. Not only does it make it impossible for us, and therefore you, to work out exactly how much of everything you are putting into your body, it is also a sure-fire sign that the manufacturer is trying to hide underdosed ingredients from you!
Let’s be honest; if their products contained 5g of beta-alanine, 5g of creatine monohydrate, or 6g of citrulline malate, they would be shouting it from the rooftops, not hiding these doses behind proprietary blends.
Yes, Wicked pre-workout contains some really effective ingredients with a wealth of research to suggest their efficacy. Still, without knowing exactly how much of this stuff is included per serving, then they may as well not be present at all.
It also contains a dangerous ingredient called DMAA, unless you want to risk your health we recommend staying away from using this pre workout.
Add a seriously costly price tag and minimal flavor options into the mix, and things go from bad to worse.
Our advice? If you’re serious about taking your training to the next level, you need a pre-workout product containing clinically effective dosages of proven ingredients. That means you’re going to have to say no to products like Wicked, which don’t give you the information you need to make an informed decision!
References:
[1] Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis
[2] International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine- J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015; 12: 30.
[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] 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.
[6] Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance: an update- journal of international sports science and nutrition.
[7] Fat burners: nutrition supplements that increase fat metabolism- Obesity Reviews 2011
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