Scitec Nutrition has given their pre workout supplement an explosive name. But is it likely to work? This is exactly what we’ll be looking at in this review.
Claimed to promote:
- Strength
- Endurance
- Reduction of tiredness & fatigue
This company is a big name in the supplements industry, so it’s always good to see whether they’re products match their reputation. We’ll be checking whether this pre workout can compete with the top rated supplements on the market.
Take a look:
About The Company
On the information page of their website, Scitec Nutrition claim that they’re one of the ‘leading manufacturers of sports nutrition’. And they’re not wrong.
Everyone that’s involved with the fitness and bodybuilding industry knows about Scitec Nutrition. They’re probably best known for their protein powders, but they market a variety of products from test boosters to fat burners.
We’ve chosen to review their pre workout supplement, Big Bang, to see how effective it really is. So we’ll do this by taking a look at the ingredients inside.
The Ingredients and How They Work
We’re quite shocked to see that Big Bang is filled with over 20 nutrients. Priced at $41.25, this would be great if these ingredients are dosed optimally.
However, a quick look at the nutrient profile of Big Bang will show you that some important nutrients have been under-dosed; for example, citrulline malate only works in dosages of over 6,oomg, but this pre workout only contains 800mg.
Let’s be honest, if we were to take you through each ingredient in this pre workout, then we’d be here all day. So we’ll examine the main nutrients that’ll ‘make or break’ Big Bang.
See for yourself:
Citrulline Malate
We briefly mentioned above that Scitec Nutrition had under-dosed citrulline malate; it’s proven to boost your nitric oxide levels, resulting in enhanced muscle pumps (which can raise your strength and endurance in the gym).
But here’s the problem; studies have shown that this nutrient only works when consumed in dosages between 6,ooomg-8,000mg.
You can see that there’s a small 800mg dosage of citrulline malate in Big Bang. Well, this means that Scitec Nutrition has severely under-dosed this ingredient – meaning it’s not likely to work.
Beta-Alanine
This molecule has mixed opinions, because it’s infamous for causing itchy & tingly skin. However, it’s also shown to enhance your muscular endurance, so it’s actually beneficial too.
As a result, whether you like beta-alanine or not comes down to personal preference. Personally, we prefer to stay away from beta-alanine, as creatine monohydrate offers the same benefit without causing you to suffer from any side effects.
Garcinia Fruit Extract
Otherwise known as garcinia cambogia, this is a fruit that’s believed to improve the taste of foods and help keep you full.
However, the problem is that garcinia fruit extract hasn’t shown to deliver any benefits to suggest it’ll help improve your gym session. As a result, this is an ineffective ingredient inside Big Bang.
L-Arginine
Now, remember that we mentioned citrulline malate as a key pre workout nutrient? Well, it’s able to convert into l-arginine in your kidneys, resulting in increased nitric oxide levels and improved muscle pumps in the gym.
However, when consumed orally, l-arginine has a bad absorption rate; this is why studies have shown citrulline malate to be more effective.
L-Tyrosine
L-tyrosine is a cognitive enhancing ingredient that’s proven to work. This means that it can boost your memory, focus and attention span – which can be useful in the gym.
However, we think that l-tyrosine is better suited to a nootropic product; in case you’re unaware, nootropics are designed to improve your mental performance at your job or intense situations.
But there’s no denying that l-tyrosine is still effective in Big Bang.
Bitter Orange Fruit Extract
This is known for containing synephrine, which isn’t a good thing; this nutrient has been banned in certain countries after causing harmful side effects.
But that’s not all, bitter orange fruit extract isn’t even likely to improve your gym session. In a nutshell, this ingredient’s main benefit is promoting fat loss, meaning it’s not even needed in big bang (remember that this is a pre workout supplement).
See SupplementTester’s
– Highest Rated Pre Workouts Here –
Caffeine
Caffeine is the most commonly consumed stimulant on the market. Everyone knows that it can improve your energy levels, but it can also enhance your strength, endurance and focus in the gym.
Simply put, this makes caffeine one of the best ingredients to add to a pre workout – in safe dosages.
What’s a safe dosage? We always recommend that you intake less than 200mg caffeine per serving in these supplements.
Unfortunately, Big Bang contains a massive 331mg caffeine with every scoop; this means that you’re almost certain to suffer jittery side effects.
Guarana Seed Extract
The amount of caffeine in Big Bang is very worrying. We’ve mentioned that Scitec Nutrition has already overdosed caffeine, but this product also contains guarana seed extract (which increases your risk of jittery side effects).
In a nutshell, this makes big bang a potentially harmful pre workout supplement.
Green Tea Extract
We’re struggling to understand why Scitec Nutrition has added green tea extract in Big Bang. This is another fat burning nutrient that’s shown to boost your metabolism (and help you lose body fat).
There’s no need for there to be fat burning ingredients in a pre workout. If you’re looking to lose body fat, then you’ll be better checking out fat burner supplements instead.
Bacopa Monnieri
In case you’re unaware, Bacopa Monnieri is a cognitive enhancer, which is why it’s a perfect addition to a nootropic supplement.
However, we’ve already mentioned that a serious increase in cognition isn’t really needed in a pre-workout supplement. But saying that, there’s no negatives of having Bacopa Monnieri here either.
AAKG
The long-name for this ingredient is ‘alpha-ketoglutarate’, so you can see why if often gets shortened to AAKG.
So what is it? Well, AAKG is the salt extracted from arginine, and is thought to raise your nitric oxide levels (which would enhance muscle pumps).
However, AAKG hasn’t shown to be very effective in any study conducted on it. As a result, we have to consider this as an ineffective nutrient in Big Bang.
See SupplementTester’s
– Highest Rated Pre Workouts Here –
L-Carnitine L-Tartrate
Finally, a key pre workout ingredient…
L-carnitine is a great pre workout nutrient; it’s proven to reduce muscular fatigue and damage, while being able to enhance your focus in the gym.
This is one of the few ingredients that Scitec Nutrition have dosed correctly too. Studies have shown that you need at least a dosage of 500mg for this to work, so good job here.
Choline Bitartrate
This is 1 ingredient that we always try to avoid in supplements.
Why? Answer: because choline bitartrate causes fishy odors in your body secretions.
But the worst part is that choline isn’t proven to deliver any useful benefits to help improve your gym session. As a result, we consider this to be an ineffective ingredient in Big Bang.
Grape Seed Extract
In all fairness to Scitec Nutrition, they’ve brought it back with another positive ingredient here. Grape seed extract is believed to raise your nitric oxide levels due to containing high amounts of nitrates.
While not every study shows that it works, on paper, grape seed extract seems like a beneficial ingredient. We probably sound like we’ve been overly critical of Big Bang so far, so we’re giving this nutrient the benefit of the doubt here.
But we still don’t believe that it’s better than citrulline malate; Scitec Nutrition should have simply increased the dosage of grape seed extract first.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
More commonly known as ALA, this has long been believed to decrease blood glucose, which can keep it stable. However, while it’s not even reliable, ALA would be better suited to a fat burner supplement anyway.
Bitter Melon Fruit Extract
You might have seen this labelled as ‘Momordica Charantia’ before. Well, this is quite commonly consumed in meals in Asia, Africa and the Carribean.
It’s been used in these countries to help treat stomach problems, and diabetes (due to being able to lower your blood sugar levels).
However, the bad news is that bitter melon fruit extract has also shown to cause side effects. As a result, we would recommend you to avoid this ingredient – especially as it’s not needed in a pre workout supplement like Big Bang.
Black Pepper Extract
While black pepper extract isn’t necessary in pre workout supplements, it can be quite beneficial.
In a nutshell, black pepper extract has shown to improve digestion and the absorption rate of supplements. As a result, this is more of a ‘bonus’ ingredient rather than a key feature.
See SupplementTester’s
– Highest Rated Pre Workouts Here –
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- L-carnitine reduces muscle fatigue
- Citrulline malate boosts nitric oxide levels
Cons:
- Bitter orange extract banned in certain countries
- Risk of side effects
- Massive dosage of caffeine
Side Effects
In terms of side effects, there are a couple of ingredients that put you at risk here. Basically, we’ll list the ones that bitter orange extract can cause, while beta-alanine makes your skin itch.
But the worst thing about Big Bang, is that the massive dosage of caffeine can cause jitters and energy crashes – which would send you home early from the gym.
See the possible side effects with Big Bang here:
- Paresthesia
- High blood pressure
- Nausea
- Jitters
- Energy crashes
Not what you’re looking for? See SupplementTester’s
– Highest Rated Pre Workouts Here –
Review Conclusion
You might be surprised to hear that we didn’t even include every ingredient inside Big Bang in this review. This should illustrate that Scitec Nutrition have added an unnecessary amount of ingredients in their pre workout.
Not only that, there are some ingredients that put you at risk from side effects; if you’re paying for a premium supplement, then you shouldn’t be at risk from any negative effects at all.
Ultimately, the biggest mistake that Scitec Nutrition has made is under-dosing the ingredients inside Big Bang. This means that it’s likely to be ineffective and not worth its asking price.
As a result, you would be better off looking elsewhere for a pre workout supplement.