Man the pumps.
The ‘pump’. Otherwise known as the temporary swelling around the muscles of oxygen-rich blood, at the end of a high rep, low rest workout. A young Arnold Schwarzenegger said it felt better than sex [1], whilst others are convinced it can actually improve muscle growth in of itself [2].
Denver-based Sports Nutrition outfit Performix look to get in on the ‘pump action’ with its Pump pre workout. A stim-free product, they say it will deliver strong and steady nutrient delivery to targeted muscle groups, improve focus – and, yes, extend the titular ‘pump’ long after your workout’s finished.
Does it get the pistons firing then, or is it all a lot of hot air?
We’ll go through the ingredients in detail after the scores.
It’s clear after a quick glance at the Pump packaging that Performix place a lot of emphasis on the ‘science-y bit.’
Much is made of the formula’s ‘ballistic Terra Intelligent [Multi Phase] bead nutrient delivery system.’ We’re not CERTAIN what some of that actually means, but it sure makes for a fine Scrabble effort.
There’s then a rundown of Pump’s delayed release feature, along with a handy diagram showing how it all works. Cue more choice phrases like ‘polymer designed [Intelligent Rate Control]’ and ‘multicoat matrix.’
All very impressive. As ever though, all the info you really need is right round the corner, in the distinctly more low-key ‘list of ingredients.’
The news on this panel maybe isn’t so encouraging: Pump is composed almost entirely of a proprietary blend. This means that you’re told what is in the supplement, but not how much.
Why is this a problem?
Well, imagine you’re making Spaghetti Bolognese. You definitely need pasta, ground beef and tomato sauce, right? Now, imagine you have all of those things, but you have three strands of spaghetti, thirty pounds of beef, and half a tomato. Sure, you could make SOMETHING of it, but you’d be hard pressed to call it spaghetti like mama used to make …
Proprietary blends are a nightmare, then, because even although they might contain some good things (in the case of Pump, L-Citrulline Malate,) you just don’t know what measures you’re getting. Consequently, they’re a stab in the dark.
Dosing really is important, and Performix Pump definitely lost points here – multicoat matrix notwithstanding…
Averaging around $40 for 235g (or 40 servings,) in terms of price Performix Pump is roughly middle ground.
Performix seem to place a lot of their own trust in a flashy approach, and they ask you the buyer to do the same.
They should probably have spent a bit more time telling us how and where their products are actually manufactured (we could find no information on this at all). And their website might look nice enough, but they’ve made no effort at all explaining why they’ve formulated the product the way they have.
They haven’t even included one of the ingredients in their own product description.
User reviews, although a tad thin on the ground, are fairly mixed. Some rave about it, remarking on the strong pumps, whilst a few with a caffeine intolerance found it worked for them.
Others were less positive, with the main adjectives being ‘overpriced’ and ‘ineffective.’
Performix was founded in 2014, and is based in Denver. Despite manufacturing dozens of products from t-boosters to wireless work out earbuds, there really isn’t a lot more available on them as a company.
The ‘Team’ section of their website consists of a series of photographs each featuring an athlete or fitness model alongside an inspirational quote.
Fear not though, over on the ‘Technology’ section there’s always more techno-babble like
Your guess is as good as ours. Actually, with their willful secrecy and convoluted ‘laser’-like schemes, there’s more than a hint of the Bond villain about Perfomix, in which case you have to admire their ambition.
Mix one scoop with 4-5 oz of water, 20-30 minutes before exercise. For maximal effects, use two scoops. And don’t forget to shake those beads..
There’s only one concern when it comes to side effects – Agmatine Sulfate doesn’t react well when consumed with Arginine.
As both of these ingredients are contained in PUMP, you might experience side effects like shortness of breath.
The issue with this product is that it contains both Agmatine Sulfate and Argenine. They don’t go well together for neurological reasons, and also cardiovascular (https://examine.com/supplements/agmatine/#things-to-know).. In other words it might make you short of breath.
It is available on Amazon, various eBay retailers, and direct from Performix’s website.
A compound of citrulline (an amino acid found naturally in watermelons,) and malate, an organic salt.
The good news is that in processing citrulline malate, our kidneys produce more l-arginine. This in turn results in higher levels of nitric oxide (NO,) stimulating blood flow – which equals better muscle pumps during workouts.
It can also slow the production of lactic acid, a big player in the pain threshold. The longer it takes for the acid to build up around your muscles, the longer ’till you really feel the burn. In theory, this means better workouts and bigger gains.
The bad news is that you need quite a lot of citrulline malate to achieve all this, around 6,000 to 8,000 mg. When you consider that all of Pump’s ingredients combined add up to under 5,000 mg – well, even the proprietary blend fails to hide that you just aren’t getting enough here.
A neurotransmitter, some research suggests that agmatine has a synergistic relationship with certain opioid painkillers[3].
However, despite its increasing use in ‘pump’ supplements like this one, there isn’t much to suggest it does much by itself – supplemented alone, in fact, it may even INCREASE pain perception.
Forget the hype: in truth, very little clinical research has been done on agmatine. As a matter of fact, the only studies involving humans thus far have all used intravenous rather than oral dosing. If we were being kind, we’d say it might have been included as an attempt to regulate higher levels of nitric oxide but, in all honesty, this one smacks of a classic ‘filler’ ingredient.
To top it all, it’s known to react adversely with l-citrulline and l-arginine – both present in the formula.
A compound of l-argenine, inositol and potassium silicate. In this case listed under the trade name Nitrosigine.
Regular readers might be aware of our scepticism as to the benefits of l-argenine as a pre workout ingredient. Yes, arginine is essential to NO production, but there’s little evidence to suggest that oral supplementation is effective. This is down to its poor absorption rate, with larger doses otherwise problematic.
A relatively recent innovation, early reports on inositol-stabilised arginine silicate are far more positive. One clinical study [4] described increased blood levels of arginine, whilst admitting the necessity of further research on the effect to NO levels in the longterm.
A tentative thumbs up on this ingredient.
An amino acid, thought to limit arginase production. Arginase plays an important role inhibiting l-arginine, and thus helps to act as a sort of bodily ‘NO limiter.’
By reducing arginase then, the theory is that l-norvaline can increase NO-availability beyond normal means, in the quest for better ‘pumps.’
The health-conscious gym goer should consider the effects of overriding this natural cut-off too heavily though. Nitric Oxide is a potent vasodilator, meaning it opens the arteries and promotes circulation.
Over-do this, however, and you could experience abnormally low blood pressure, leaving you lightheaded, dizzy and nauseous. None of which is going to help your workout..
And remember, with its proprietary blend, we simply don’t know what Performix Pump’s norvaline dose really is..
Also called ‘winter cherry,’ this herb has been used for centuries in traditional Indian medicine.
A so-called adaptogen, ashwagandha currently has many uses, and it is currently thought to act as an anti-inflammatory as well as a mild sedative (sedatives being just what you want in a pre workout.)
Several studies do exist claiming that it raises testosterone and increases muscle mass. They’re poorly reported, though, and (amazingly,) each of them seems to have been conducted by the same roster of people – with the word ‘doctor’ nowhere to be seen.
We have no idea what this ingredient is doing in a pre-workout. There are so many better alternatives for the feel good factor, Rhodiola Rosea is the obvious one that springs to mind.
This is a relatively unusual pick for a pre-workout, it’s one that’s occasionally found in test boosters as it protects the testicles from toxin damage such as alcohol. An anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant, it has been shown to bolster capillaries, making them more durable and better at transporting oxygen. So it’s likely to be here for improved blood flow.
We say ‘likely’ as the reason for it’s inclusion isn’t mentioned anywhere on the Performix website.
Behind its flashy graphics, Performix Pump genuinely boasts some interesting ingredients. All credit to any new stim-free pre-workouts, too, as some gym goers have intolerances to the likes of caffeine.
Having said that, there’s too much filler involved, whereas the citrulline malate (one of Pump’s better ingredients,) is sorely under-dosed. And the whole thing is grotesquely one-dimensional. OK, you want a pump from a pre-workout – but you also want it deliver a whole lot more than than. Where’s the energy, the focus, the feel-good factor?
We hate to burst any bubbles, but this pumped-up proprietary blend just feels a tad self-inflated.
