In this post: a PricePlow DISAPPROVED supplement, info on Capsimax, and Optimum Nutrition Reps acting like idiots
We all know Optimum Nutrition. They’re the big kid on the block, and they sell more protein than any brand on earth.
So you’d think that when they were making their new pre workout supplement, they’d have at least one product tester who wasn’t afraid to speak his or her mind.
You’d think that maybe, just maybe. a few guys would huddle up together in the corner and one would whisper “Hey bros, I know the bossman loves this stuff, but I’ve been shitting fire out of my ass since we started beta testing!”
And the other bros would say “Yeah, me too man! This is giving me acid reflux – we gotta say something”
Then they’d go bench press 415 pounds, gather up some nerve, and politely tell the Product Development Bossman that his new preworkout brainchild tasted like Tobasco sauce, and that maybe they should go back to the drawing board before unleashing it upon innocent men, women, toilets, and shaker bottles.
When Dreams Don’t Come True
But I guess nobody did that.
Because the final product was delivered with red pepper extract inside. and after a massive marketing campaign, America was duped into nothing more than a mild case of heartburn and workouts that are best described as “meh”.
This is our ON Platinum Pre Review…
…and if you couldn’t tell already, it is PricePlow DIS-Approved: Have a look for yourself:
Let’s Talk Capsimax – It’s Not to Blame
Quick lesson time:
As you’re likely aware, red hot peppers are just that — hot. After all, they do make most people sweat after eating them.
So it was postulated that they would be good fat burners — and they were! It further turns out that the compound that makes red hot chili peppers so thermogenic is the extract known as capsaicin .
But there’s a problem. When you put this capsaicin into a fat burner pill, you typically get the annoying side effects of heartburn.
This is where Capsimax came in and saved the day. This is a patented form of the red hot pepper extract where they encapsulate it so that it takes longer to break down and digest – getting it further down your gut before it kicks in, yielding less side effects.
It’s used in fat burners like ErgoShred by ErgoGenix (you can see www.ergoshred.com and see the site’s entire Capsimax write-up ), and it is extremely awesome.
In Comes the Next Problem
It’s a simple problem, but it’s one that ruins Platinum Pre. Capsimax’s awesome “encapsulation” just doesn’t seem to hold up in water for very long. Maybe long enough for you to digest it via pill form, but not long enough for it to keep stable in a shaker bottle.
So, assuming you’re not shotgunning your pre workout, by the end of your shaker bottle, you’re gonna be drinking what CJ thought was “acidic” without even knowing why.
You can read more about Capsimax at Capsimax.com – Let us reiterate that we are fans of this in ErgoShred
The Rest of the Ingredients
In one word? Uninspiring.
Pumps and Energy?
2g of citrulline per 200mg of caffeine simply isn’t anything to write home about. Especially when some of that comes in the form of whey protein isolate.
Then you have the Beet Juice Powder, Grape Seed Extract (Vitis Vinifera)(Seeds), and Red Wine Grape Extract (Vitis Vinifera)(Fruit), all alongside Citrus Bioflavonoids… but at 250mg, that’s borderline pixie dusting and just not enough to do much.
Only DMAE For Focus
DMAE might work for some people, but it’s never done anything for me. In fact, I have about half a bottle of Source Naturals brand if anyone wants it. Just subscribe to the newsletter and email me.
Optimum Nutrition, Optimum Marketing
Like I said in the video, I’m totally cool with ON putting out an “introductory” pre workout. With their monstrous customer base, nobody expects them to put out mega-doses of 3 pump ingredients and nearly every legal stimulant on the planet like in the new ANS Ritual that we just reviewed – it’d just be too risky, and they need to cater to the masses.
But, because this falls on its face so badly, we don’t recommend it to anyone.
What’s truly sad is how monstrous the marketing campaign was for this one. Maybe if they would have spent just a bit of that on actual product testing. they would have avoided this flop, and the duping of tons of their users.
What to Try Instead?
White Flood – A Better Introductory Pre Workout
So, if you want something more intense, see the link above. If you want something that’s a serious introductory pre workout, how about some White Flood ?
White Flood isn’t simple by any means, but I’m confident recommending it to just about anyone. Nothing insane, tastes great, higher on energy than pumps – just what a beginner might want to expect.
Platinum PRE, on the other hand, I recommend to nobody except someone who wants to prank their training partner (bonus prank points if you microwave it first).
Optimum Nutrition Responds
I’ll at least give you this: ON owned it. Unlike their competitor, BSN (who has also has Capsimax in their equally nasty Hyper FX pre workout), ON responded to my whiny tweet about it:
@priceplow Can’t please all the people all the time.
— Optimum Nutrition (@Team_Optimum) March 28, 2013
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