MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout Review
MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout First Impressions
Combat pre workout looks like a great addition to the MusclePharm Combat line up. As a dependable and every day pre workout, the product seems well balanced and gets delivered quickly from Amazon.
MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout Expected Effects
MusclePharm has a good history of making awesome supplements. We’ve reviewed their Combat Protein Powder and loved it. Their new Combat Pre Workout is part of the same line. Which makes the two of them stackable.
This Pre Workout doesn’t disappoint from their usual style either. They kept their ingredients fully disclosed, which is always a plus.
Because of that, we know whether all of their ingredients are properly dosed. For example, they used an ingredient here (Beta-Alanine) that has been known to cause tingles at a certain dose and is effective only at dose larger than that. It doesn’t help them for us to know that it’s ineffectively dosed, but they still did it anyway.
They have three different blends in this formula. One for energy, one for pumps, and one for focus. Each of them is meant to promote unique sets of effects. To put it simply, here are a couple of its expected benefits:
- The MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout should provide energy and performance enhancing benefits by helping you work out for longer periods at a time.
- It should also help you focus on your workouts, and push aside any thoughts about fatigue.
- The company also claims that the supplement will help you get amazing pumps.
After trying out the MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout myself, I can testify for most of those benefits, except for the last one. I’ll explain more about why that is as we go on!
MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout Taste
The taste is about as you’d expect from a pre workout. They have it available in ten different flavors, but the most popular of which (and the only two available on their regular tub size) are the Blue Berry and Fruit Punch.
I opted for the fruit punch flavor. It’s common enough in pre workouts that it’s easy to compare it between the other pre workouts I’ve tried.
To be certain, it’s not all that bad. It didn’t incorporate all that well with the liquid. That’s to be expected with most powdered supplements though.
MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout Ingredients
Energy & Performance
This blend contains two ingredients, it’s the part of the pre workout that powers you up, so to speak. It’s a strong kind of effect, something I felt as soon as I took it! That’s because of the two ingredients used in this blend. One of which is a fatigue-decreasing ingredient and another is an energy-boosting ingredient.
It’s definitely the most “pre-workout-like” blend here. As it will no doubt help you work out longer and keep you motivated throughout that time.
Beta-Alanine
Ineffectively dosed for pushing back fatigue and causes side-effects.
The first ingredient, Beta-Alanine is the one that caused the tingles that I mentioned earlier. It’s not itchy or painful, but I immediately started to feel it in my arms and legs. It’s just something you kind of get used to these days.
A lot of the pre workouts we’ve tried are using this ingredient. That is because it has been proven to act as a buffer when it comes to building lean muscle. Which, ultimately, can help you work out for longer periods at a time.
The only thing is, it’s most effective at around 2-5 grams. That means, that the MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout is just a tiny bit short when it comes to the dosage. That’s probably why it didn’t last as long as I thought it would — I got tired pretty quickly still.
Caffeine Anhydrous
Effective but causes side-effects.
The next ingredient, Caffeine Anhydrous, is no doubt the most visible when it comes to effects. It’s a stimulant, so it’s the part of the blend that boosts your energy. For this one, they do have enough of it in here to be effective. However, it also caused some twitchiness. That’s no doubt because the dose is 200 milligrams of caffeine per day, which can be pretty risky.
It’s not so bad though. As we explain later on, they used another ingredient here that’s been said to stave off the worst of its side-effects. These include the possibile insomnia and energy crashes.
The twitchiness is not as bad too. Despite the amount used here. You can still expect to last quite long without feeling too uncomfortable.
Pump
Their next blend is the classic “pump” blend. This is what gives you that great after-workout feeling. Where your body looks the best and your veins are all popped and swollen. Nothing beats a formula that can provide this kind of effect! The MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout’s ingredients for this blend is so-so though.
L-Citrulline
King of the pumps
The king of pump enhancers, L-Citrulline will get you a day in, day out muscle pump and can also significantly improve muscular endurance.
Our current top pre workout has a hefty amount of L-Citrulline, and delivers a pump like no other.
Because the dose of L-Citrulline in MusclePharm being a little low, we were a little disappointed with the pump it gave us.
Vaso6™ (Green Tea Leaf Extract)
Ineffectively dosed fat burning ingredient.
Admittedly, I was a bit surprised to see this in the MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout formula. Overall, it’s not a bad ingredient. However, it’s definitely not a pre workout ingredient. They could have replaced this with something that can help enhance blood flow in the body.
As it stands, there’s no real classic pump ingredient in this list. Furthermore, they also haven’t dosed the Green Tea properly, what with only 150 milligrams per day. So, the Green Tea won’t give you the fat burner kind of effects that it’s used for everywhere else.
Focus
This has to be the most well-rounded list of ingredients in this formula thus far. If only because most of the ingredients used here are actual nootropics. Which you can definitely use for the purpose they set here, which is to increase the focus that you have while you’re working out.
Tyrosine
Nootropic that can help you feel less stressed while working out.
As far as nootropic ingredients go, Tyrosine is definitely one of the better ones. It’s commonly used in a lot of other pre workouts too, mostly for its ability to provide a calm-like energy that can help you feel less stressed and remember more.
It’s one of those ingredients that we do see being used in other pre workouts. Quite commonly in fact. It’s also seen in a lot of the more high-quality nootropics in the market. That makes it a pretty good sell here.
Although, with the number of nootropics they stuffed in this formula. Perhaps it would have been better if they added a pump-ingredient instead.
Alpha-GPC
Nootropic ingredient that has insufficient evidence.
There are several different uses for Alpha-GPC . However, for the most part, those benefits have not provided any sufficient evidence in studies and cannot be proven true. That includes its supposed ability to boost memory and focus.
In any case, it would be nice to get some more information on the ingredient first. As of now, some people believe that it might be an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s but even that needs to be researched further.
L-Theanine
Promotes calming benefits.
This ingredient is usually used along with Caffeine. That’s because of its supposed calming effect. It makes sense, that’s probably why I didn’t feel too wiped after the Caffeine had worn out.
I appreciate their use of it here. It made me much more comfortable taking the supplement as a whole. If only, because I know that I won’t have to worry about losing sleep. Which is something that I find myself facing with most of the pre workout supplements in the market.
Huperzine-A
Effective nootropic with troublesome side-effects.
With Huperzine-A, we have yet another nootropic. Really, the MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout is looking more and more like a nootropic supplement to me. What with their focus on getting effective nootropic ingredients. In this case, the ingredient is also fairly troublesome.
It’s slow to take effect (about 1-3 months.) Unfortunately, 1-3 months is about the same amount of time side-effects have been seen to appear too. Still, so long as you’re not taking it too often or are expecting to use it only as a temporary supplement, it’s not so bad.
-Click to See the Current Top Rated Pre Workouts-
>Top 5 Pre Workouts<
MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout Servings and Dose
To take the MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout, mix 9.6 grams of the powder in with some water. Much like most pre workouts, this is usually taken about 15-45 minutes prior to working out.
That makes it no different from other pre workouts. The only difference, if you’ve taken a pre workout before, is the size of the scoop that you need to take.
Side Effects of MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout
There are several side-effects in the MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout that you might want to watch out for. Some of these are pretty simple, but I certainly felt the first two when I was taking it. There’s also third, but I didn’t take it quite long enough to feel those side-effects. The ingredients to watch out for are:
- Beta-Alanine: The effect is primarily harmless. However, there’s no doubt that I felt the effects of this one. Even in the short amount that I tried it out, the tingles in my fingers and toes were prominent. It’s very distracting, sometimes I focused more on that than anything else.
- Caffeine: It’s not as bad as when this is taken alone (without L-theanine), but the jitteriness is still present. Afterall, you’re practically injecting yourself with it. What with the 200-milligram dose that you take all at once.
- Huperzine-A: This is the ingredient that I mentioned I didn’t feel the side-effects for. That’s because those have been seen only after prolonged use (more than a month or two.) Still, if you take the MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout long enough, you can expect nausea, stomach cramps, and other side-effects.
MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout Cost
It costs $29.99 for a 30 serving tub. Which isn’t bad, but it’s just not the same as our current top rated pre workout as it lacked certain ingredients to it.
We’d like to see more bang for your money.
Where to Buy MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout
Currently, it can only be bought on Amazon. Which is slightly disappointing as we’d have been happy to buy it directly from MusclePharm or use our Bodybuilding.com account.
If you are on Amazon Prime though, and desperate for a new pre workout, at least you’ll be able to order it quicker than usual.
-Click to See the Current Top Rated Pre Workouts-
>Top 5 Pre Workouts<
Commonly Asked Questions about the MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout
Is the MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout safe?
We answered this somewhat in the side-effect section of our MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout Review. However, the results are still pretty much up in the air. No doubt, there are side-effects here that are a bit difficult to contend with. However, they’re safe, for the most part!
You can expect some tingles (which might get distracting after a while ) and some jitteriness but that doesn’t make it unsafe to take!
How often should I take it?
This is one of those questions that beginners are more likely to ask. It seems obvious, what with the daily serving size being one scoop per day. However, I advise that you not use it every day. If only so that you can avoid getting too dependent with the stimulants used here.
Who’s not allowed to take the MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout?
For the most part, anyone can take pre workout supplements. However, it really depends on the kind of pre workout you’re using. If you’re afraid of it being contraindicated with a medication you’re already using, then you should consult a physician about it.
Also, as a general rule, people under the age of 18 should not take pre workout supplements. The same goes for women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or are expecting to get pregnant!
MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout Results
Much like most of the supplements that come from MusclePharm, the Combat Pre Workout ended up being fairly dependable. For one, we do get the benefit of L-Citrulline, Caffeine, and Beta-Alanine. All three of the aforementioned ingredients have been said to promote energy and performance boosting benefits.
Basically, you can expect to work out for much longer. The side-effects are pretty harmless too. They kept them manageable for the most part.
I can personally testify when it comes to the working out for longer part of their claims. Also, not that it’s something to beat, but I was able to best my personal time when it comes to my daily workouts by around 10-15 minutes each day or so. That’s no doubt because of the caffeine and the fatigue reduction benefits of both L-Citrulline and Beta-Alanine.
The ingredients used for focus-enhancement are not bad either. Most of them were effective too! The only blend here that didn’t work as promised, was the pump-enhancing blend. That didn’t work for pumps at all.
MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout Review Conclusion
It’s not, and probably will never be unless they make some changes, one of the best pre workouts out there. However, for the price that they’re asking, I can say that it’s worth giving it a try. You can get it pretty quickly with Amazon too. So, you won’t go wanting if all you’re looking for is an extra bit of boost.
The results were not surprising, what with the ingredients they used here. It’s always more fun to work out when you know don’t get tired after a couple of sets. Plus, with the nootropics they included here, I was able to focus on what really mattered.
That’s really all you need in a pre workout. The ability to reduce fatigue and be more focused when you’re working out.
Overall, it had its good points and bad points. There’s no doubt about that, but it did pretty well with the kind of ingredients that are used. If they added a real pump-ingredient like Creatine Monohydrate here, then it would have been even better!
MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout Pros
- Uses effective performance-enhancing ingredients:, L-Citrulline, and Caffeine
- Uses effective focus-enhancing ingredients: Tyrosine, L-Theanine
- Side-effects are kept to a manageable degree
- Available in 10 different flavors
- Fruit Punch flavor is better than some
- CHEAP — around $30 per container
MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout Cons
- Causes mild-paresthesia — a tingling in the arms an legs
- Causes jitteriness and possible energy drain
- Possible nausea, stomach cramps, and more after prolonged use
- Lacking a powerful pump-enhancing ingredient
- Available for sale only in Amazon
- Other flavours are only available in larger tub sizes
-Click to See the Current Top Rated Pre Workouts-
>Top 5 Pre Workouts<
MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout Review
A solid pre workout formula with a cheap price. Just lacks the wow we are used to with some of our top pre workouts.
- MusclePharm Combat Pre Workout