Optimum Nutrition are a powerhouse in the supplements industry, and their products have a great reputation too – especially their protein powders.
But today, we’re looking at their Gold Standard Pre Workout, to see whether it can compete with the new boys on the block such as 4 Gauge.
Both are claimed to promote:
- Energy
- Focus
- Endurance
However, we noticed that only 4 Gauge was advertised to offer enhanced muscle pumps; this is one of the main benefits we look for when choosing pre-workout supplements.
But this doesn’t always mean that Gold Standard Pre Workout doesn’t deliver this benefit. To ensure whether each pre workout actually delivers on their claims, we’ll see which nutrients have been included in their nutrient profiles.
Ultimately, after reading this review, you’ll get a strong feel for how safe and effective these pre workouts really are.
Take a look:
About The Companies
Roar Ambition
Roar Ambition are a specialist supplements company offering only 3 products – this pre workout, a fat burner and a market-leading testosterone booster.
We like that they don’t release an abundance of supplements, choosing to create less but more effective premium products. But the real reason you’re here, is to see whether 4 Gauge can compete with the old-but-gold Optimal Nutrition pre workout.
Optimum Nutrition
Even if you’re new to weightlifting, there’s a high chance that you’ve seen this company’s logo or products. They’re ‘Gold Standard’ protein powders are known for their high quality, so we’re expecting to see the same thing with their pre workout in the same series.
It’s important that you don’t just take the companies word for how good their products are; take a look at the ingredients and dosages of nutrients yourself, and you’ll never go wrong.
Anyway, that’s exactly what we’re going to do for you in the next section. Afterwards, you’ll be able to apply the same philosophy yourself to analyze other supplements in the future – to ensure you save time and money.
The Ingredients and How They Work
Here’s the important section. As we just mentioned, taking a look at the ingredients and dosages inside supplements allows you to see the safety and effectiveness of them.
Ultimately, this is the best way to see through the lies frequently given out to customers in the industry, and actually ensure that you receive a good pre workout.
To do this, we’ll see which nutrients 4 Gauge and Gold Standard Pre Workout have in common; this will allow you to see which contains the better dosages.
After that, we’ll determine which pre workout contains the better ‘unique’ ingredients.
So without wasting any more time, see for yourself:
Creatine Monohydrate
We’re glad to see that both 4 Gauge and Gold Standard Pre Workout contain this compound.
Why? Answer: creatine monohydrate has proven to improve your strength and endurance in numerous studies, and it’s actually one of the safest and most reliable ingredients in the industry.
But it’s important that you make sure you consume at least 1,000mg per serving in order for it to work.
Fortunately, 4 Gauge contains 1,000mg creatine monohydrate. However, Gold Standard Pre Workout takes the early lead, containing an even better 3,000mg dosage.
Keeping up with Optimum Nutrition’s glowing reputation, their pre workout has landed the first blow here.
Round 1 Results: Gold Standard Pre Workout
Caffeine Anhydrous
Caffeine Anhydrous can either be a great addition, or cause side effects; this is because consuming large amounts of caffeine can cause jitters and energy crashes.
As a result, we always check to see whether pre workouts contain a sensible dosage of caffeine anhydrous (most are overloaded with this stimulant, which is the reason why most pre workouts cause jitters).
The good news is that both 4 Gauge and Gold Standard Pre Workout contain under 200mg dosages of caffeine; this means that you’ll be safe from potential side effects with either product.
We’re calling this round a draw, as they both contain very similar dosages.
Round 2 Results: Draw
Citrulline
While both products contain citrulline, they’re different forms of this nutrient; 4 Gauge contains citrulline malate, while Gold Standard Pre Workout has l-citrulline.
But this isn’t a bad thing.
Simply put, both forms have shown to enhance your muscle pumps in the gym, due to raising your nitric oxide levels.
However, by looking at the dosages you can see that 4 Gauge contains the bigger, more effective dosage of citrulline. As a result, 4 Gauge has made a great comeback in this battle.
Round 3 Results: 4 Gauge
L-Carnitine
This can naturally be found in food such as avocados, and it’s known for its ability to enhance your focus, while also reducing muscular fatigue.
As these are great benefits to enhance your gym sessions, l-carnitine is a great addition to any pre workout supplement. So we’re glad to see that both 4 Gauge and Gold Standard Pre Workout contain this ingredient.
However, it’s also important to note that the optimal dosage of l-carnitine is between 500mg-2,000mg.
The bad news for Optimum Nutrition, is that Gold Standard Pre Workout contains less, at 375mg. But Roar Ambition have done their homework here, adding the optimal 500mg l-carnitine into 4 Gauge.
As a result, 4 Gauge has landed another blow, taking the lead after a tough start.
Round 4 Results: 4 Gauge
Unique Ingredients
Now that you’ve seen which ingredients both 4 Gauge and Gold Standard Pre Workout have in common, we’ll examine which product contains the better ‘unique’ nutrients.
Ultimately, this will really help you see which product is better than the other – and whether any of them are likely to cause side effects too.
4 Gauge
L-Theanine
We mentioned before that 4 Gauge contains a sensible dosage of caffeine. Well, l-theanine is a great nutrient to consume alongside this nutrient, as it’s shown to work in synergy with caffeine to form what’s known as a ‘smart-caffeine’.
What does it do? Answer: l-theanine is a calming agent that’s able to enhance the benefits of caffeine (increased strength, endurance, focus and energy levels), while keeping you safe from jitters.
As a result, adding l-theanine is a much better option than trying to make a pre workout ‘stronger’ by adding more caffeine.
Good work by Roar Ambition here, and it shows that they’ve really done their research while formulating 4 Gauge here.
Rhodiola Rosea
You’re likely to find this in nootropic supplements, due to its ability to improve your cognition (memory, focus and alertness). However, these benefits can also play an important role in enhancing your performance in the gym.
Also, rhodiola rosea has shown to help reduce fatigue too; this enables you to work harder in the gym, and spend less time on the sidelines between gym sessions – to make faster progress on your fitness goals.
Coconut Water Powder
This is one of the ingredients that are unique to 4 Gauge, that you’re unlikely to find in other pre workouts.
Everyone knows the benefits of coconut water (helping you stay hydrated due to containing high amounts of electrolytes). While it’s not going to make a huge difference, it will give you an edge by keeping you safe from cramping during your workout.
As a result, coconut water powder makes a good ‘bonus’ addition to 4 Gauge here.
Gold Standard Pre Workout
Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine is a common addition to pre workout supplements, due to it being able to enhance your muscular endurance.
Sounds good so far, right? However, there’s a problem – beta-alanine also causes a side effect called paresthesia (which is a tingling and itching sensation on your skin).
As a result, many prefer to avoid products containing this nutrient, as we do personally. But we do understand that others don’t mind paresthesia, so we’ll leave this up to personal preference.
We will state that there’s not much need for beta-alanine in Gold Standard Pre Workout though, as creatine monohydrate offers the same benefit without causing any side effects.
L-Tyrosine
L-tyrosine is more commonly seen in nootropic supplements, as it’s only benefit is improving your cognition; this can increase your focus in the gym.
But as you don’t need improved memory in the gym, and caffeine already offers enough of a ‘boost’ to your focus in the gym, there’s not much need for L-Tyrosine here.
Round 5 Results: 4 Gauge
Pros and Cons
4 Gauge Pros:
- Contains optimal dosages of key ingredients
- Sensible dosages of caffeine
- Not likely to cause side effects
Gold Standard Pre Workout Pros:
- Optimal dosages of creatine monohydrate
- Sensible dosage of caffeine
4 Gauge Cons:
- Premium price – more expensive than other pre workouts on the market
- You can only buy from www.4Gauge.com
Gold Standard Pre Workout Cons:
- Likely to cause paresthesia (itching & tingling skin)
- Citrulline underdosed
Side Effects
Roar Ambition have shown their expertise while formulating their pre-workout, 4 Gauge; it doesn’t contain any potentially harmful nutrients, so you won’t be at risk from side effects.
In fairness, Optimum Nutrition have also done very well to create a formidable pre-workout for their ‘Gold Standard’ series. However, we have to tell you that beta-alanine is known for causing paresthesia, which is a tingling and itching sensation on the skin of your face, chest, hands and extremities.
Although it’s not very harmful, many find paresthesia very distracting in the gym. For this reason, we’ll be giving 4 Gauge the slight advantage in this round.
Round 6 Results: 4 Gauge
Summary: 4 Gauge vs Gold Standard Pre Workout
As you can see, this is a very close match-up, and there’s certainly no knockout victories here.
In fact, it might seem hard to choose a winner, even after we’ve analyzed everything for you. However, we believe that 4 Gauge has that slight advantage, due to not having the potential to cause any side effects.
But even so, one thing that impressed us about Gold Standard Pre Workout, was the great dosage of creatine monohydrate inside.
Ultimately, you’re getting a great product regardless of whether you choose 4 Gauge or Gold Standard Pre Workout. But personally, 4 Gauge gets the victory via split decision here.
Winner: 4 Gauge
To Buy, Visit
www.4Gauge.com