Legion’s Pulse pre-workout formula is the best one certified personal trainer and nutrition coach Anthony O’Reilly has tried. And he’s tried over a hundred.
In his time as a certified personal trainer and certified nutrition coach, Anthony O’Reilly has tested quite a few kinds of supplements, from protein powders to creatine. Leaning into his journalist background and using himself as a test subject, he’s cut the root quickly on if these products do what they say they do—or don’t. With this intensive research and hands-on testing, he’s found that this isn’t always the case with supplements, and makes it a point to educate others on how to discern this information for themselves.
One supplement, pre-workout, is a popular supplement used to provide energization and muscle stimulation ahead of demanding lifts, cardio sessions, and extended workout sessions. However, some key ingredients within them may be doing more harm than good. They can be discreetly serving up more “junk” than actual effective energy sources, or putting more strain on your body that’s already under some duress via excess caffeine.
The first step with any supplement, including pre-workout, is to understand how it will fit into your nutrition and exercise regimen goals. For some, you may not need to rely on a supplement at all, opting for everyday things like a cup of coffee to accomplish the same purpose.
O’Reilly actually agrees with this sentiment, outlining that it is an accessible, entry-level way to get started with this category of supplement. “I think a great place to start is with caffeine because it can be a great aid in working out. People just think about it as energy, which of course it does provide that,” he says. “If you're more awake, if you're more energized, you're going to be able to get through your workout a lot easier than if you're groggy and yawning throughout your entire set, of course.”
Caffeine usage for exercise is very much rooted in science. “There's also research to show that caffeine can also help eke out that last little rep, just because of the blood flow that is also increasing through your arteries and through your veins as well,” O’Reilly shares. “Caffeine is great for promoting that and increasing that.”
Body chemistry is crucial here, though, as some people can handle caffeine better than others. Excess caffeine can lead to a jittery feeling, heart palpitations, anxiety, and generally, not as great of a workout as you would’ve hoped. This goes for different types of caffeine sources, from coffee to pre-workout formulas.
“It does have to be something that you're careful of. A lot of pre-workouts on the markets have the equivalent of three to four cups of coffee in one single scoop,” O’Reilly says. “I personally have been drinking espresso since I was about twelve years old. So that's not too much of a problem for me.”
“I can take three hundred milligrams of caffeine during a workout, especially when I used to work out at 5 a.m. I used to be one of those five a.m. warriors, and so that was very necessary. But if you're working out after work and you need to sleep later that night, caffeine is something that you should avoid.”
Caffeine also can’t do all the heavy lifting, no pun intended. Pre-workout formulas have to incorporate a few other key components to ensure there is true muscle support and engagement.
“Another important ingredient is something called L-citrulline,” O’Reilly states. “This is something that helps to promote blood flow to all of your muscles, and that's going to allow your muscles to work better during the workout. Blood delivers all of the nutrients and everything that your muscles need to operate and also not be fatigued at the same time.”
To make sure you’re getting the most impact, O’Reilly advises that you make sure a pre-workout serving contains the right amount of L-citrulline. “I would say a minimum of six grams of L-citrulline per serving. The ideal one is eight grams per serving, so I would look for something in that range. Anything less than six isn't going to give you the benefits that you're looking for.”
Beta-alanine is another core ingredient to verify in your pre-workout. “This is an interesting ingredient, because if anyone's ever had pre-workout with beta alanine in it before, they know that they get itchy. Their skin starts to feel like there's little things crawling all over you. And that's natural; that's a natural side effect.”
While this may be eyebrow-raising to those who have never consumed beta-alanine, this effect does have its purpose in the gym. “Yeah, it doesn't sound pleasant,” O’Reilly concedes, “but the benefit of that is that you're delaying muscle fatigue. You're allowing your muscles to work harder longer. And that itch only lasts a few minutes. As you continue taking beta-alanine, you're going to develop a tolerance to that itch, so it's going to get less and less severe the more that you continue to use that product.”
Like L-citrulline, exact amounts will be key in getting all the benefits of beta alanine. “You want to look for about 3.6 grams per serving. That is the research-backed dosage for that ingredient. Again, anything less than that, probably not going to be getting the full benefits.”
Out of the hundreds he’s tried, one in particular has remained in his daily rotation: Legion Pre-workout. This formula hits all his requirements for ingredient dosage, quality, effectiveness, and of course, tastiness.
“So with Legion Pulse, they meet the mark on all of the key ingredients at research back to dosages: L-citrulline at 8 grams, beta-alanine at 3.6 grams. Another reason why I like it is because many brands will give you different formulations for their caffeinated versions versus their non-caffeinated versions. With Legion Pulse, you're getting the same product, but if you pick the non-stimulate version, the only thing missing from it is the caffeine.”
“You're still getting all of the other ingredients that we discussed at the dosages that you needed. It also tastes pretty good. I've had multiple flavors of Legion Pulse and they're all really, really good first thing in the morning or if you're doing an afternoon or evening workout.”
Aside from caffeine content and other ingredient usage, there is one more piece of the puzzle on why Legion Pulse is such a standout. “The other big thing is third-party testing, which is another reason why I picked Legion,” O’Reilly shares. “They have Labdoor tech conduct testing on all of their products to make sure that there's no foreign substances; to make sure that there's no banned substances.”
This is crucial not just for health, but for athletes who are regularly tested as well. “So if you're an athlete, you can take this knowing that nothing's going to show up on any drug test that you might have to take that might get you fined or suspended from competition.”
“There are some pre-workout supplements and other health supplements out there that do contain compounds or ingredients that could show up on a drug test. If you're someone who needs to pass that for athletics or what have you, that could get you into trouble.”
“There are stimulants out there that are put into pre-workouts that do have pretty good benefits in terms of giving more alertness, giving more muscle strength, delaying muscle fatigue. But depending on the specific athletic federation that you might belong to, there are some federations that ban that specific compound. So if you're looking at a pre-workout, just look at the ingredients. If there's one that you don't recognize, do a quick Google search and make sure that it's not something that you could potentially get in trouble for taking,” O’Reilly advises.
