LEGION- All Natural Nitric Oxide Preworkout Drink to Boost Energy, Creatine Free, Naturally Sweetened, Beta Alanine, Citrulline, Alpha GPC (Arctic Blast)

Been using since 2017 (2025 now). I don't write reviews but this is a staple in my supplement regime. I'm now in my 40s and this combined with a great EDM playlist while working out gets me so pumped up. I run 1-minute HIIT intervals on the treadmill starting at 24% incline down to 3%, perform Olympic weightlifting workouts, and finishing sets with ease, and enjoy the mental boost. If you take it you have to burn it. Taking it without exercising might make you feel jittery or have an uneasy stomach. It's a clean game changer to working out (coming from a former BSN NO-Xplode user in the 2010s).

First, I need to give Amazon a "shout out"...amazing customer service and company. Orders always received prior to "actual" delivery date. Had to return one product for refund...no problem. On another product I requested a "price match", Amazon helped me to secure the lower price (and refunded the difference)...no problem. As big as a company they are, Amazon seems to always go out of their way to help customers...that's a true "marker" of a great company!The review: I literally OCD'd researching PWO supplements. I looked at everything...ingredients, reviews, price...jumping from one website to the next...it was an exhaustive search! Pulse seemed to hit all the key notes - No Proprietary Blends, No Artificial Sweetners, No Fillers...just six main-ingredients with WHOPPING dosages - 3 to 4 times that of it's leading competitor!A little background on me...I am 51 years old, in good shape, workout 3-4 times a week and hit the lifecycle everyday. I've been taking PWO supps for years...as I've gotten older I found that I needed an extra "boost" to push through my workouts. I've tried everything under the sun, the latest was C-4... "ok" product for the money but could never finish my workout and I would literally "crash" within an hour of taking it. That's when my search began for a new PWO that led me to Pulse.Like many reviews, upon receiving Pulse, I discovered it to be clumpy; in fact, it was one solid mass...nothing that a fork couldn't handle...and it did not diminish it's effect. However, before I get to that, I would like to address Mike Matthews repeated response to this issue - that Amazon was storing this product in a 140+ wherehouse. First, if this were true the FDA would have a field day with this news...this product and others like it are PERISHABLE goods (i.e., they are consumed and have expiration dates) ; powered perishables should be stored in a cool, dry place; storing products like this in a warm environment will only last a fraction of the time. More importantly, the hottest internal temperature the human body can tolerate is around 108 degrees. If the temperature is at or near 108 degrees Fahrenheit for long, cells will not function properly at this temperature and multiple organ failure will occur; this organ damage is the cause of death from heat exposure. Now imagine an Amazon employee working in 140+ degree temperatures...you get the picture (yes, I "googled" this information). I highly doubt Amazon would store perishable or let employees work under these conditions. ALSO, if this were the case, I have not read one review from other "like" products that had this clumping problem...and believe me I read them all! So Mike, "C'MON man", your words are libelous, you are biting the hand that feeds you...as a "young" company who needs a large distributor, such as Amazon, to help you grow your business, you should choose your words more carefully. No, I am not an employee of Amazon, nor do I have friends or family associated with Amazon.All right, I got a little off track there...sorry. The product itself is AMAZING (clumps or no clumps). The recommended dosage of two sccops is a little over the top for me (I'm 5'10, 165lbs.); what I found works for me is one heaping scoop (even at one scoop the dosage is twice that of it's leading competitor!); also, I found that adding 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) of ON Micronized Creatine Powder makes all the difference in the world. My workouts are amazing; I can easily go at the weights for hours (did I mention that I am 51)...seriosuly. Even more amazing (to me) is that I feel stronger after an hour of hitting the weights...my strength intensifies the longer I workout! And the focus is AMAZING as well...I workout at home, and believe me, there are a lot of distractions (tv, computer, phone, etc. - you get the picture); I am able to power through my workouts now without turning on the TV...LOL! Also important...there is NO crash, NO jitters...this is just a "smooth operator" (that's my 80's Sade flashback for those old enough to remember!). And the MIXABILITY is AWESOME as well...it literally disovles the second it hits the water; almost no need to stir. I finish my workout with another 1/2 teaspoon of ON Creatine, one teaspoon of Glutamine Powder (5 grams) and ON Gold Standard Whey Protein...no DOMS the following day and ready to hit the weights again!At one scoop per serving the cost is reasonable; at two scoops it simply is cost-prohibitive; if I had to take two scoops I would probably be searching for another product. With that said, Mike has done an outstanding job on the PWO product. Mike, I hope you are reading this; this next paragragh is a WARNING!!What I've seen in the past, is companies (such as yours) who have experienced great success with a product decide to change the formula - a NEW and IMPROVED FORMULA - which, in most cases, means a less potent (inferior) product. These companies abandon their loyal "followers" for greater profits...I've seen it time and time again. Please dont's fall into this "trap", stick to what works and you will have loyal "followers" for life!

I'm a big fan of Legion products and their overall mission. You can see all the ingredients below, although Mike always does a great job of breaking everything down. So why not a perfect five stars? Well, it's expensive...I know you get what you pay for..but still (especially at only 21 servings). I also wish there was a bigger energy boost. I find it to be a little lacking. Part of that is probably my fault as I should regularly take a break from all stimulants, but I find that hard to do because of the immediate headaches and withdrawal symptoms from caffeine. Overall, you can't go wrong with trying this at least once.L-Citrulline MalateCitrulline is a precursor to the amino acid Arginine, which is a precursor to Nitric Oxide (NO). As demonstrated in a 2007 study, supplemental Citrulline is significantly more effective at raising plasma Arginine than supplemental Arginine itself, and while results with Arginine are mixed, Citrulline has demonstrated clear efficacy as a performance enhancer.The problem with supplemental Arginine is that it is metabolized in the intestines and liver into other substances such as Ornithine and Urea. The intestines and liver contain relatively high levels of Arginase, the enzyme that converts Arginine to Ornithine and Urea. As a result, very little goes on to be involved with the synthesis of NO because it is being diverted for other purposes. Citrulline, on the other hand, is able to bypass the liver and is metabolized into Arginine elsewhere, where not as much Arginase is present. Thus, more of the Arginine is able to go on to convert into Nitric Oxide.A 2002 study, published in the “British Journal of Sports Medicine” found that Citrulline Malate supplementation (6g/day for 15 days) significantly increased ATP production during exercise in healthy adult males.A 2008 study from “The Journal of Strength & Conditioning” found that 8g of Citrulline Malate was able to progressively increase the amount of reps performed later in the workout (by as much as 52%) and significantly reduced muscle soreness.A 2009 study, published in the “Journal of Free Radical Research”, found that 6 grams of Citrulline Malate given to male cyclists before a race increased “plasma Arginine availability for NO synthesis and PMNs priming for oxidative burst without oxidative damage”.A 2011 study, the subjects of which were rats, found that supplemental Citrulline increased muscular contraction efficiency (less ATP was required for the same amount of power), in-line with the findings of the above-mentioned human study.Citrulline is generally considered to be most effective at doses of 6-8g, though it is rare to find that much in pre-workout supplements (it gets kind of expensive). Pulse contains a highly effective 8 gram dose of Citrulline (as Citrulline Malate) per serving, consistent with the dose used in the above mentioned 2008 study and beyond that used in most other studies.Beta-AlanineBeta-Alanine is a precursor to the amino acid Carnosine, which functions as a lactic acid buffer capable of reducing fatigue in the working muscle. Though it takes time to accumulate in muscle tissue, Beta-Alanine supplementation, for at least two weeks, is highly effective at increasing muscular Carnosine concentration.One study in particular that measured the Carnosine levels of sprinters found that individuals with higher muscular Carnosine levels exhibited higher power output in the latter half of a 30m sprint (because they had less lactic acid build-up). Multiple studies have confirmed that Beta Alanine supplementation increases muscular Carnosine in a dose dependent manner. In particular, a 2012 study published in “Amino Acids” found that subjects who consumed 1.6 or 3.2 grams of Beta Alanine daily experienced significant increases in muscle carnosine in as little as two weeks, with the higher dose achieving a higher concentration of Carnosine. The doses used in this study, 1.6 and 3.2g, are the most common doses seen in supplements.A 2008 study, published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine, noted improvements in power in resistance trained males using 4.8g daily for 30 days. This same 4.8 gram dose was also shown to increase muscular endurance in sprinters in a 2007 study from the “Journal of Applied Physiology”. Generally speaking, the highest dose used in most pre-workouts is 3.2g because that is, after all, an effective dose. However, Legion has gone the extra mile with Pulse by including 4.8 grams of Beta-Alanine per serving, in-line with the highest, most effective dose used in studies, and more than we’ve ever seen in any pre-workout.Betaine AnhydrousBetaine (also known as Trimethylglycine) is the amino acid Glycine with the addition of three methyl groups attached. Betaine is alleged to increase power output and strength by increasing cellular swelling, a phenomenon well established with Creatine supplementation, which can drastically reduce the damaging effect of outside stimuli (such as exercise) on the working muscle. So far, Betaine has been investigated in several human studies, and has had some pretty encouraging results in most.A 2009 study, published in the “Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition”, found that 2.5g Betaine (split into two 1.25mg doses) over the course of 15 days increased muscle endurance during squats and appeared to improve the quality of each rep (likely because they were easier).A 2010 study, again from the “Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition”, found that the same supplementation protocol (2.5g daily in two equal doses) effectively increased isometric bench press and squat force as well as bench throw and vertical jump power.A 2011 study, published in “The Journal of Strength & Condition Research” noted improvements in number of bench press repetitions and total volume load with same 2.5g dosing protocol for 14 days. However, another 2011 study from the same journal noted no such improvements in power output or number of reps performed, though there were subjective reports of fatigue reduction.A 2012 study from the “Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition” noted improvements in cycling sprint power after just one week of supplementation at the standard 2.5g dose.Most recently, a 2013 study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition” noted increases in arm size, bench press work capacity, overall body composition, and a trend toward increased power (but not strength). This was the first study to specifically measure the effects of Betaine supplementation on body composition, so further study is needed to corroborate these findings.Pulse contains the standard dose of Betaine used in the above mentioned studies of 2.5g, a highly effective amount which eliminates the need to take two daily doses.OrnithineOrnithine is an amino acid used alongside Arginine and Citrulline in the Urea Cycle, the process by which Ammonia is metabolized into the harmless substance Urea. Prolonged exercise generally brings about increases in Ammonia, which causes fatigue in the working muscle after enough has built up. As evidenced in a 2010 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, supplemental Ornithine, at a dose of 100mg/kg, has failed to influence fatigue in short duration exercise. However, a 2008 study from “Nutrition Research” noted a significant reduction in fatigue during prolonged exercise in healthy volunteers who consumed 2g Ornithine daily for 6 days and 6g prior to testing. Unfortunately, because of the structure of this study, it is unclear whether Ornithine requires “build-up time” or if acute supplementation is effective. Either way, it appears Ornithine will only be noticeably effective during prolonged exercise, when Ammonia would usually cause fatigue. Pulse contains 2200mg of L-Ornithine, much more than the average Ornithine-containing pre-workout which may be somewhat synergistic with the hefty dose of Citrulline that Legion has also packed into the Pulse formula.TheanineIn a 2008 study, published in “Nutritional Neuroscience”, researchers investigated the cognitive effects of a combination of Theanine and Caffeine compared to Caffeine alone on various measures of cognitive performance. Participants received either 50mg of Caffeine or 50mg of Caffeine and 100mg of Theanine before completing various tasks including word recognition, visual image processing, and attention switching. While Caffeine was able to increase alertness and accuracy during the attention switching tasks, the combination of Caffeine and Theanine was able to improve both performance and speed, while reducing the subjects’ susceptibility to distraction.Another 2008 study from “Biological Psychology” found that, while 150mg of Caffeine increased alertness and improved (decreased) reaction time, adding 250mg of Theanine further improved reaction time, alertness, and decreased the number of headaches reported from Caffeine.A 2010 study, also from “Nutritional Sciences”, found that the combination of 97mg of Theanine combined with 40mg Caffeine significantly improved focus and attention on various cognitive tests, compared to placebo.Another 2010 study, this one published in “Appetite”, noted an improvement in task-switching ability using the same 97mg Theanine/40mg Caffeine combination.Theanine is, in our view, a very under-utilized ingredient in pre-workout supplements these days. Despite a well-established synergistic relationship with Caffeine, supplement companies seem reluctant to include Theanine in effective doses mostly because of cost issues (it is relatively expensive). However, Pulse contains a highly effective 350mg of Theanine to go alongside the 350mg of Caffeine.Caffeine AnhydrousCaffeine is a well-established ergogenic aid, oral consumption of which triggers the release of Catcholamines (Noradrenaline, Dopamine, Adrenaline, etc.), generally inducing a state of increased alertness, focus, and perceived energy. A vast multitude of studies have concluded that Caffeine consumption prior to exercise can favorably impact performance and enhance muscle contractibility.Since habitual Caffeine consumption often leads to tolerance build-up, those seeking to get the most out of their Caffeine-containing pre-workout should limit Caffeine throughout other parts of the day. Pulse contains 350mg of Caffeine which is enough to make even a somewhat Caffeine-tolerant individual feel noticeably more focused and alert. Though 350mg would normally be considered “jitter territory”, the 350mg dose of Theanine present in the Pulse formula may partially (if not completely) reduce the likelihood of the Caffeine causing any negative effects.

Bro, I had so many different different pre-workouts in my life and this is only one that has me not crashing, it’s stim free and it really makes you feel like you’re on wings as soon as you hit your sets. So freakin worth it!