SuperPump Max is a pre-workout supplement created by Gaspari Nutrition. It comes in 40 serving containers at $34.98, in numerous flavors – from Black Cherry to Watermelon.
Claimed to promote:
- Muscle Pumps
- Strength
- Reduced fatigue
- Endurance
This product is marketed as “the ultimate pre-workout supplement”, so we’ve analyzed its ingredient list to see whether it’ll deliver on these claims.
Take a look:
About the Company
Founded in 1988, Gaspari Nutrition is a supplements company that markets a range of products – from fat burners to pre-workouts.
They take pride in making sure their “products work better than our competitors”. Let’s see whether SuperPump Max’s ingredient list can back up this statement.
The Ingredients and How They Work
As soon as you look at the ingredient list, you can see a negative point – all of SuperPump Max’s contents are in a proprietary blend.
But you might be thinking, what’s a proprietary blend and why’s it bad? Well, proprietary blends are a mixture of numerous ingredients that’re shown to you as one quanitity – in SuperPump Max’s case, the quantity of its blend is 11.3g (11,300mg).
Proprietary blends are a problem, because you’ll never know the exact doses of each individual ingredient inside them. This leaves you exposed to a range of potential side effects if you’re sensitive to any nutrients in a blend.
These blends are also one of the biggest gimmicks in the supplements industry – companies often fill them with cheap, ineffective ingredients while adding minimal amounts of effective nutrients.
Anyway, we’ve analyzed the most important ingredients in SuperPump Max, to see whether it’s an effective product.
See for yourself:
Myovol Electrohydration Complex
This is a section of the proprietary blend in SuperPump Max. You’ll never find out the exact doses of each individual ingredient in here – you only know that the overall quantity of all 5 sections in the ‘SuperPump Mac Proprietary Blend’ is 11.3g (11,300mg).
Taurine
This is an organic acid containing sulfur, and is most commonly used to reduce cramping due to it’s ability to improve blood flow. It’s sometimes mistakenly believed to deliver boosts in energy due to it being in energy drinks.
Taurine’s shown to have no other benefit apart from reducing cramping, but it’s only proven to deliver this benefit in 500mg-2,000mg. This is a problem, as this ingredient’s part of a proprietary blend – meaning you’ll never know the exact dose of taurine in SuperPump Max.
There could be a tiny amount of Taurine in this product, making it ineffective.
Other Ingredients
The rest of the ingredients in this section, such as Calcium Glycerophosphate, are minerals. There’s not been any notable studies conducted on these minerals, so we can’t say for sure whether they’re effective in delivering benefits to help your gym session.
However, there is always the danger of overdosing minerals, which can cause unwanted side effects – Magnesium’s daily limit is 400-420mg, but you’ll never know how much magnesium is in SuperPump Max as it’s part of a proprietary blend.
Nitric Oxide Complex
Interestingly, Gaspari Nutrition has provided the dose of L-Citrulline in this section of the proprietary blend. But apart from that, you don’t know the doses of any other ingredient here.
L-Citrulline
This is one of the best ingredients in SuperPump Max – it’s an amino acid that’s turned into L-Arginine in your kidneys, which dilates your blood vessels (vasodilation).
From there, you’re blood flow is increased, which ultimately leads to intense muscle pumps in the gym.
However, the problem with SuperPump Max, is the dosing – although Gaspari Nutrition has shown you the exact dose of L-Citrulline in this pre-workout (2,000mg), it shows that it’s not effective.
This is because L-Citrulline’s optimal dose is 6,000mg-8,000mg, so half of SuperPump Max would have to be filled with this ingredient for it benefit you. This is very unlikely – if a company put’s 6,000mg-8,000mg of an ingredient in their product, they’d show it on the ingredient list to show it off.
We recommend looking for a pre-workout supplement that contains an optimal dose of L-Citrulline to experience great muscle pumps. If you want a slightly more beneficial form of Citrulline, look for Citrulline Malate – this is Citrulline mixed with Malic Acid, delivering enhanced endurance, as well as muscle pumps.
See SupplementTester’s
– Highest Rated Pre Workouts Here –
L-Carnitine L-Tartrate
Also known as ALCAR, this compound promotes energy metabolism (process of generating energy from nutrients). It’s a great addition to any pre-workout, as it’s proven to reduce fatigue and muscle damage, while improving endurance.
L-Carnitine’s optimal dose is 500mg-2,000mg to deliver these benefits. However, it’s hard to see whether it’s effective in SuperPump Max, as it’s part of a proprietary blend – meaning you’ll never know the exact dose inside this product.
If a company adds a respectable ingredient dose, they usual show it on their ingredient list (like Gaspari Nutrition has done with L-Cittruline) – so it’s likely that there’s a minimal amount of L-Carnitine in SuperPump Max.
L-Ornithine
This only benefit that this ingredient has shown to deliver is improving sleep quality and a minor reduction in fatigue. L-Carnitine (which is a more beneficial nutrient in this pre-workout) is more effective in reducing fatigue.
There’s no need for L-Ornithine to be part of SuperPump Max.
Branched Chain MTOR Stimulation Blend
We have no idea why Gaspari Nutrition has given BCAAs a different name, but this section contains the three Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs).
They’ve provided the dose of L-Leucine, but none of the doses for the other two ingredients.
BCAAs
Made up of L-Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine, BCAAs can deliver a boost in endurance, and reduction in fatigue.
However, while Gaspari Nutrition have provided an optimal dose of Leucine, the optimal dose of the 3 BCAAs is 20g.
It’s impossible for SuperPump Max to contain 20g of BCAAs as the whole product only adds up to 11.3g – meaning it’s likely to be ineffective in this product.
Phosphodrive Signalling Complex
Creatine Monohydrate
This is a molecule that can rapidly generate energy during periods of stress – like when you’re lifting weights in the gym. You can find it in foods, such as meats, eggs, and fish, but it’s hard to consume enough to experience its benefits.
But what are the benefits of Creatine Monohydrate? It’s proven to increase strength an endurance in countless studies conducted since the 1990’s – making it one of the most reliable ingredients out there.
It’s slightly under-dosed at 1.3g, but you’ll still be sure to experience the benefits of this ingredient.
Magnesium Creatine Chelate
This is another form of creatine that comes with the same benefits as Creatine Monohydrate. It’s believed to be more effective than Creatine Monohydrate in lower doses.
But this is a problem – creatine can cause side effects like stomach cramping, diarrhea, and nausea when consumed in large amounts.
As SuperPump Max contains two forms of creatine, the risk of experiencing these side effects are increased – especially as you don’t know the dose of Magnesium Creatine Chelate in this product.
You should know the exact amount of creatine that you’re consuming, to avoid experiencing these side effects.
See SupplementTester’s
– Highest Rated Pre Workouts Here –
CogniDrive Acceleration Matrix
This is the last section of the proprietary blend in SuperPump Max. Gaspari Nutrition hasn’t provided any doses for the ingredients here.
L-Tyrosine
This is an amino acid that’s shown to reduce stress levels and improve mental function (memory, reaction time). It’s classed as a stimulant, so it’s better to avoid consuming Tyrosine with other stimulants.
This is a problem – Tyrosine is part of a blend that containing caffeine, which is a powerful stimulant, meaning Tyrosine could negative interact with Caffeine to cause side effects like jitters, energy crashes, and insomnia.
Also, Tyrosine’s only shown to be effective in doses of 500mg-2,000mg. As you don’t know the exact amount of this ingredient in SuperPump Max, there’s a chance it could be ineffective.
Caffeine
This is one of the most beneficial and safe ingredients out there, as it’s proven to boost strength, endurance, and mental function (memory, focus, reaction time).
The only problem is when you don’t know the amount of Caffeine you’re consuming – as it’s part of a proprietary blend, you’ll never know the exact dose in SuperPump Max.
This is a problem, as high doses (over 350-400mg) can cause side effects, such as jitters, energy crashes, and insomnia – it’s possible that this product contains a large dose, but you won’t know until you experience these side effects.
We recommend looking for a pre-workout supplement that shows you the exact amount of Caffeine inside – so you avoid any unwanted side effects and only experience its benefits.
Glucuronolactone
This molecule is most commonly found in energy drinks, so it’s believed to provide an energy boost.
However, there hasn’t been any notable studies conducted on Glucuronolactone, so it’s not been proven that it’s effective in delivering any benefits.
This is also a problem – this ingredient could put you at risk of unknown side effects as it’s not been studied. It’s also worrying that it’s part of a proprietary blend, so this ineffective ingredient could be taking up most of this product.
Ultimately, this would mean SuperPump Max is an ineffective supplement overall – this is why you should look for pre=workouts that don’t contain any proprietary blends.
SuperPump Max contains some great ingredients, but they’re part of a proprietary blend, so you don’t know the doses of most of them. This means heightened risks of side effects.
Side Effects
There are a few cause for concerns with SuperPump Max – mostly because all the ingredients are part of a proprietary blend, meaning you don’t know the exact doses of each individual ingredient inside.
The creatine content is one major concern. This product contains two forms of creatine, so there could be a high dose inside – meaning you’re at risk from suffering from side effects like upset stomach and diarrhea.
Take a look at the list of side effects:
- Upset stomach (potentially high Creatine content).
- Diarrhea (potentially high Creatine content).
- Jitters (contains two stimulants – L-Tyrosine and Caffeine).
- Energy Crashes (contains two stimulants – L-Tyrosine and Caffeine).
- Insomnia (contains two stimulants – L-Tyrosine and Caffeine).
- Risk of unknown side effects (Glucuronolactone).
See SupplementTester’s
– Highest Rated Pre Workouts Here –
Pro’s and Con’s
Pro’s
- Contains great ingredients – Creatine Monohydrate, L-Citrulline, Caffeine, and L-Carnitine.
Con’s
- Severely under-dosed L-Citrulline.
- All ingredients part of a proprietary blend – you don’t know the exact amount of most ingredients, apart from the ones that’ve been revealed.
- L-Ornithine and Glucuronolactone are both ineffective.
- Not good value for money.
- Potentially an ineffective product overall.
SuperPump Max Review Conclusion
The only positives of SuperPump Max is that it contains some great ingredients – but even then, they’re either under-dosed or you don’t know the exact doses of them, meaning you can’t be sure whether they’re effective.
The negatives all stem from the fact that SuperPump Max is filled with a proprietary blend. This is bad, because you don’t know whether the ingredients inside are effective, as you don’t know their exact doses.
What’s even worse, is that there could be an over-dose of ingredients in the proprietary blend, meaning it could cause you numerous side effects.
It’s definitely safer, and more beneficial to consume a product that tells you the exact doses of the ingredients inside – so you avoid any unwanted side effects and experience benefits to help you smash your gym session.
We recommend looking for a pre-workout supplement that contains key ingredients, such as Citrulline Malate & Beetroot Extract (both promote intense muscle pumps), and L-Theanine (works in synergy with Caffeine to provide enhanced benefits without risking side effects like jitters and energy crashes).