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Any pre-workout with “superhuman” in the name automatically primes you to expect extreme results, and the packaging even provokes thoughts of a shirt-ripping, superhuman pump. But is this Alpha Lion pre-workout really as extreme as we might expect? We ordered and tried this pre-workout supplement for ourselves and our ratings are in. We also asked our team of dietitians and fitness experts to share their thoughts in this Superhuman Pre-Workout review.
RELATED: Best Pre-Workout
Medical disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. For health advice, contact a licensed healthcare provider. GGR also recommends choosing a product that has been third-party tested for quality.
We Know Our Pre
Providing you with real, honest reviews about supplements is one of our main missions at Garage Gym Reviews. As a team of certified personal trainers, nutritionists, and athletes we are also fitness enthusiasts like you, so we always test the products we review and report our raw feedback to you, so you can be fully informed while you set out to find your new favorite supplements.
For more information, check out our GGR Supplement Testing Methodology.
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout
Product Highlights
- Pre-workout free from banned substances
- Transparent nutrition label
- GRAS verified
- Extended release caffeine formula
- Medium stimulant
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Money-back guarantee
- Keto-friendly
- No proprietary blend
Cons
- Names of flavors make potential taste unclear
- Contains sucralose
- Contains artificial flavors
- Contains dyes and food coloring
Bottom Line
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout offers a medium stimulant blend for just enough pump and focus during workouts. Each serving contains 50 mg of caffeine and 10 mg of black pepper extract. There are no proprietary blends or banned substances included in this formula.
A Quick Look at Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout Powder is one of many dietary supplements offered by Alpha Lion to support athletic performance, containing compounds purported to work as a fat burner and boost nitric oxide production while promoting mental focus.
With three different types of caffeine, this is a powder you can count on to boost your energy levels and the label includes modifications for those who may want to only take half a scoop in order to warm up to the beta-alanine and stims in the supplement.
Before You Buy
- Alpha Lion offers a 365-day money-back guarantee.
- We recommend buying from Amazon if you don’t like the $6.99 flat rate for shipping.
- Though the “pump formula” and other listed matrices sound nice, it largely contains the common pre-workout ingredients.
- It contains no sugar or soy.
Is Superhuman Pre-Workout Worth It?
It seems to be an effective, good-tasting pre-workout that gives you the energy boost many people are looking for in a pre-workout. However, for the price of $2.14 per serving, you can probably find other similar pre-workouts that contain boosters for nitric oxide production and fat burners in more significant doses.
Great for:
- People looking for a high-stim pre-workout with multiple forms of caffeine
- People who want a pre-workout that contains beta-alanine, but don’t want to feel the tingles
- Those who want a great-tasting pre-workout that may also help with muscle soreness
Not recommended for:
- People who can only take third-party tested supplements
- Those looking for compounds like creatine that can also function to improve muscle growth
- Individuals on a budget
RELATED: Best Pre-Workout with Creatine
Superhuman Pre-Workout Specs
| Price per serving | $2.14 |
| Flavors | Hulk Juice, Grapezilla, Lion’s Blood, Miami Vice, Muscle Melon, Orange Gainsicle, Unicorn Juice |
| Caffeine dosage | 300 mg |
| Creatine dosage | None |
| L-Citrulline dosage | 4 grams |
| Beta-alanine dosage | 3.2 grams |
| Other active ingredients | L-taurine, Black Pepper Extract, Betaine anhydrous, l-tyrosine, SantEnergyNu Extract |
| Third-party tested? | No |
Experience Using Superhuman Pre-Workout
Micky, a member of GGR head of content Kate Meier’s weightlifting team and USAW-L1 coach and trainer, tried Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-workout and gave it a 4 out of 5 rating overall. Micky gave this pre-workout review based on their experience:
“This takes about 15 to 20 minutes to kick in. I was definitely focused for a solid 40 minutes of my session after taking this. The pumps weren’t astounding, but I did feel it. I have sensitive stomach issues, so I usually have some kind of issue taking pre-workouts, but this one didn’t cause me any discomfort. The tingles were present in the beginning, but I didn’t feel itchy.”
Given a less than impressive pump and some tingles, Micky concluded, “I wouldn’t go buy this product on my own; I think there are better options. It might be good for people used to taking pre-workouts if they want to mix it up.”
RELATED: Best Pump Pre-Workout
Price Per Serving
On Amazon, Alpha Lion Superhuman is priced at $44.99 for 21 servings which comes to $2.14 per serving. This is pretty high compared to other pre-workouts we’ve reviewed in the past. However, if you choose to only take half a scoop before your workouts, you may get more value out of it.
Formulation
Alpha Lion Superhuman contains several pre-workout ingredients that include compounds that provide support for exercise performance, help improve blood flow and mental focus, and may even help with muscle soreness.
RELATED: Best Pre-Workout for Focus
- Beta-alanine: Beta-alanine is a popular supplement for exercise performance due to studies showing it has the ability to help you perform more reps1. That said, studies used dosages of 3 to 6 grams per day to see the power output benefits, so just note you’ll only get about 1.6 grams if you opt for the half-scoop serving.
- Betaine anhydrous: Studies done on betaine anhydrous have shown that, after 15 days of supplementation, you may see an enhancement in muscular endurance and the quality of your reps2.
- Black Pepper Extract: Black pepper extract is a common ingredient in some of the best pre workout supplements, as it may optimize the absorption3 of the other nutrient compounds included in the supplement.
- L-Tyrosine and SantEnergy™ Nu: Both of these compounds are listed as part of the “superhuman strength” matrix, which is a bit confusing as neither compound really works to give you superhuman strength. Firstly, l-tyrosine has been shown to improve cognitive function4 in athletes. While SantEnergy™ Nu is a plant extract that claims to be effective at fat burning, we found no clinical evidence supporting its ability to promote fat loss.
- S7: This is a part of another “blend” called the “Superhuman Pump and Absorption Matrix,” but this is the most confounding part of the formulation for me. It includes extracts of green coffee bean, green tea, turmeric, and more, which are all cool nutrients, however I’m not quite sure how they fit into a pre-workout formulation and there are only 50 milligrams total, which isn’t enough to give many health benefits.
- SXT Energy System: Includes caffeine anhydrous along with both zumXR Extended-Release Caffeine and zumXR Delayed-Release Caffeine. According to Alpha Lion, combining these three different caffeines in SXT “promotes a fast-acting and sustained energy experience that minimizes the “spike and crash” effect with traditional pre-workouts.” Despite the claim of research-backed ingredients, however, we were unable to find a study cited that supports this claim.
- Taurine: Taurine is an amino acid known for helping encourage better cognitive function5.
Taste and Solubility
In this category, Micky gave a 4 out of 5 rating after trying the Unicorn Juice flavor. “The flavor is like bubblegum,” Mickey notes. “It’s sweet with some tangy notes in it. It’s very smooth going down; I can chug straight through the entire thing with no issues.”
As far as the solubility, it leaves just a bit to be desired (literally) in that category. “There are often a few bits left at the bottom after finishing the drink,” says Micky. “This happens every time, and I take a single scoop with at least 8 ounces of water.”
Side Effects
Our tester didn’t experience any of the jitters and other common side effects you often get with high-stim pre-workout supplements. To avoid any negative effects, however, it’s important to adhere only to the recommended dosages.
If you have heart problems, avoid pre-workout due to its effect on blood pressure. In addition, if you take prescription medication for blood pressure, or have liver or kidney problems, consult your healthcare provider before taking any supplement.
RELATED: Pre-Workout Side Effects
Third-Party Testing
Sorry to say, we had to give this product a 2 out of 5 rating in this category. Among the claims on the brand’s site are “banned substance-free” and “100% transparent label.” However, without any third-party testing, there’s nothing that really assures us the product is free of banned substances.
Alpha Lion also boasts that it is “GRAS verified” which, not going to lie, made me chuckle a little bit—as a dietitian I’ve never seen this phrase applied to dietary supplements before.
GRAS is a designation created by the FDA that stands for “Generally Recognized as Safe” which could apply to a wide range of food products from canola oil to black pepper. So, it doesn’t add a lot of value to a pre-workout supplement, as being safe to consume is the minimum standard we should expect.
Comparison to Kaged Pre-Kaged
Kaged Pre-Kaged
Kaged Pre-Kaged Pre-Workout
Product Highlights
- Contains research-backed dosages of key ingredients like caffeine, creatine, and citrulline
- Informed Sport-certified, meaning it’s been tested for quality assurance and banned substances.
- 7 flavors are available
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Good formulation of research-backed ingredients
- Label transparency
- 7 flavors and users overwhelmingly like the taste
Cons
- Big serving size
- Expensive
Bottom Line
Kaged Pre-Kaged is expensive, but is formulated with research-backed dosages of key ingredients like caffeine, creatine, beta-alanine, and citrulline.
Both products lack creatine and have a similar caffeine content, but Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout is slightly cheaper than Kaged.
Kaged also contains more l-citrulline, but less beta-alanine. All in all, if they are neck-in-neck for you, Kaged is third-party tested, so would be more appropriate for athletes.
For more information, read our full Kaged Muscle Pre-Kaged review.
| Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout | Kaged Pre-Kaged Pre-Workout | |
| Price per serving | $2.14 | $2.25 |
| Flavors | Hulk Juice, Grapezilla, Lion’s Blood, Miami Vice, Muscle Melon, Orange Gainsicle, Unicorn Juice | Pink Lemonade, Fruit Punch, Grape, Orange Krush, Berry Blast, Cherry Bomb, Krisp Apple |
| Caffeine dosage | 300 mg | 275 mg |
| Creatine dosage | None | None |
| L-Citrulline dosage | 4 grams | 6.5 grams |
| Beta-alanine dosage | 3.2 grams | 1.6 grams |
| Third-party tested? | No | Yes, Informed Choice |
Customer Experience
When ordering from Amazon, their return policies apply. However, note that Alpha Lion offers an unheard of 365 day money-back guarantee. If you want to make a return, you can email info@alphalion.com, include your order number and the reason for your return. For other customer service, you can call 1 (833) 392-1623, which is open 9am-9pm EST, Monday-Friday.
Ordering Superhuman Pre-Workout
You can order Superhuman Pre-Workout directly from the manufacturer or on Amazon, which follows the typical flow of Amazon sales. From the brand website, purchases are handled through Shopify and shipping starts at $6.99, unless you get free shipping by spending over $100.
Customer Reviews
On the Alpha Lion website, the Superhuman pre-workout has an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 2,370 reviews. Most positive reviews praise the effectiveness, with negative reviews focusing on complaints around customer service and solubility issues.
On Amazon, the pre-workout reviews for Superhuman are slightly lower, with 4.3 out of 5 stars based on 4,167 ratings. Most positive reviews praise the quality, taste, and energy boost it gives. Negative reviews focus mainly on how pricey the product is for only 21 servings.
Final Verdict of Our Superhuman Pre-Workout Review
Despite including a supposed “fat burner,” there’s no evidence the supplement is effective with weight loss and the lack of creatine doesn’t make it the best pre-workout for muscle growth. However, reviewers say it is effective at boosting overall athletic performance and energy levels without the jitters due to the delayed-release caffeine.
- Contains compounds proven to improve blood flow, focus, and energy
- Offers a rare year-long money-back guarantee
- Expensively priced per serving compared to the market average and given its standard formulation, so those on a budget may want to look elsewhere
RELATED: Best Cheap Pre-Workout
Full Rating
Superhuman Pre-Workout
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout offers a medium stimulant blend for just enough pump and focus during workouts. Each serving contains 50 mg of caffeine and 10 mg of black pepper extract. There are no proprietary blends or banned substances included in this formula.
Product Brand: Alpha Lion
Product Currency: $
Product Price: 44.99
Product In-Stock: InStock
3.22
Superhuman Pre-Workout: FAQs
Is superhuman a good pre-workout?
It’s not the best pre-workout in terms of value for your money, but our tester and customer reviews loved its effects.
How much caffeine does superhuman pre have?
There is about 300 milligrams of caffeine in Superhuman Pre-Workout from various sources including caffeine anhydrous, green tea, and green coffee bean.
Is superhuman safe to use?
Yes, this pre-workout is considered safe to use for most people. People with medical conditions or who are taking medication should speak with their medical care provider before taking any pre-workout.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.
References
- Hoffman J, Ratamess NA, Ross R, et al. Beta-alanine and the hormonal response to exercise. Int J Sports Med. 2008;29(12):952-958. doi:10.1055/s-2008-1038678
- Hoffman JR, Ratamess NA, Kang J, Rashti SL, Faigenbaum AD. Effect of betaine supplementation on power performance and fatigue. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2009;6:7. Published 2009 Feb 27. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-6-7
- Khajuria A, Thusu N, Zutshi U. Piperine modulates permeability characteristics of intestine by inducing alterations in membrane dynamics: influence on brush border membrane fluidity, ultrastructure and enzyme kinetics. Phytomedicine. 2002;9(3):224-231. doi:10.1078/0944-7113-00114
- Coull NA, Watkins SL, Aldous JW, et al. Effect of tyrosine ingestion on cognitive and physical performance utilising an intermittent soccer performance test (iSPT) in a warm environment. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2015;115(2):373-386. doi:10.1007/s00421-014-3022-7
- Jakaria M, Azam S, Haque ME, et al. Taurine and its analogs in neurological disorders: Focus on therapeutic potential and molecular mechanisms. Redox Biol. 2019;24:101223. doi:10.1016/j.redox.2019.101223
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