Alpha Lion is a popular pre-workout brand that describes their products as “Motivation Juice” that is “Backed by Research for Maximum Effectiveness.”
But does Alpha Lion pre-workout contain research-backed ingredients for increasing power? What about for increasing energy? Does it have any unhealthy additives? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Alpha Lion Pre-workout?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective, and whether or not it's healthy.
This supplement contains a large number of ingredients, so we’ll break our ingredient analysis into four sections based on the Supplement Facts label: Pump Matrix, Strength Matrix, Energy Matrix and inactive ingredients.
We'll also feature unsponsored customer reviews.
Ingredient Analysis — Pump Matrix
L-citrulline is the first active ingredient in this matrix, and is an amino acid that’s an effective ergogenic (exercise-enhancing) compound.
A medical review on citrulline and exercise performance, published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, found that this amino acid enhances both performance and recovery.
The 4,000 milligram (mg) dose in one scoop of Alpha Lion Pre-Workout is an effective dose.
S7 is a blend of plant-based ingredients, and its manufacturer claims it can increase nitric oxide by 230%.
However, we cannot identify any clinical studies in peer-reviewed journals supporting these claims, and the above-linked page states that "study references are available upon request," which isn't particularly useful to consumers.
L-taurine (another amino acid) and black pepper extract are the two remaining active ingredients in this blend, and we can’t find any medical research suggesting their efficacy in a pre-workout formulation.
Ingredient Analysis — Strength Matrix
Alpha Lion's Strength Matrix contains two research-backed ingredients for improving strength.
Beta alanine was shown in a 2022 clinical trial to prevent fatigue and improve power in sprinters at a 1.2 gram (g) daily dose, which is less than the amount in half a scoop of this pre-workout.
Betaine is clinically proven to increase power during exercise, as we documented in our best pre workout for men article.
Ingredient Analysis — Energy Matrix
L-tyrosine is another amino acid.
A 2015 meta-review found that tyrosine may improve cognition and stress response, but the dose used in all of the 15 clinical trials examined was higher than the dose in Alpha Lion Pre-Workout.
SantEnergy is a trademarked herbal extract derived from the Eriodictyon californicum plant. Early research suggests this ingredient may be effective for weight loss, but we cannot identify any clinical studies finding it to improve subjective energy levels.
Caffeine is included in different formats, and as we discussed in our Arbonne reviews article, caffeine can improve both physical and mental performance during exercise, and is one of the most well-studied ingredients for energy.
It’s worth noting that one full scoop of Alpha Lion Pre-Workout provides 325 mg of caffeine, which is equivalent to over three cups of coffee.
This dose is effective for increasing energy, and should be tolerable to healthy individuals, but it’s high enough to cause side effects like anxiety in individuals who are sensitive to caffeine.
Inactive Ingredient Analysis
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre contains several inactive ingredients we recommend avoiding for health reasons.
FD&C Blue 1 and FD&C Yellow 5 are artificial colors, and a medical review on artificial colors found some of them to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing) and genotoxic (DNA-damaging).
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that’s been shown in medical research to cause negative changes to insulin function in healthy young adults, as we discussed in our Full Send Supplements reviews article.
Acesulfame potassium is another artificial sweetener that was shown in animal studies to have negative effects on the gut microbiome.
Artificial flavors were shown in a clinical trial to have toxic effects in animals.
Overall, we consider Alpha Lion likely to be effective for both energy and power increases, given its multitude of research-backed active ingredients.
We don't currently recommend this supplement due to the inactive ingredients discussed above.
Real People Try Alpha Lion Pre
A YouTube creator named "NoFate247" whose channel focuses on bodybuilding reviewed Superhuman Pre:
A TikTok creator named Victor Rodriguez reviewed Alpha Lion Pre-Workout:
@vjrod Replying to @jtanarchy93 ♬ Betty (Get Money) - Yung Gravy
Customers Rate Alpha Lion
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
At the time of updating this article, Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre has been reviewed over 4,500 times on Amazon, and has an average customer review rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “rbaraan” who gave the product a 5/5 rating, and claims it caused power gains:
“I've seen all the hype on the internet regarding this stuff, so I thought I'd give it a try. In the beginning I experience some slight jitters, which is actually what I like. Throughout my workout, the pump was pretty intense for a good hour! And it helped me to push weight that I haven't lifted in a while.”
A top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Sedric” who gave the product a 1/5 rating, and dislikes its taste:
“As a long time Alpha Lion supporter of 3 years I was appalled, this use to be my favorite flavor as of recently you can really taste and see the difference in the product!!! The pre workout bubbles up and the taste is horrific!!! It tastes completely different from the the original gainsicle flavor. Not sure what was changed in the ingredients I don’t recommend this flavor especially for the price!”
Alpha Lion currently has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars on Facebook.
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre currently has an average review rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars on Google.
Our Clean Pre-Workout Pick
Illuminate Labs Panax Ginseng Extract is our top pre-workout supplement.
Panax ginseng extract increases muscle recruitment (source) and reduces physical fatigue (source), and our supplement is third-party tested to ensure its purity and potency.
Pique Breakfast Black Tea Sticks is our top whole food energy pick.
Black tea consumption is "associated with rapid increases in alertness and information processing capacity" (source), and Pique's tea is organic and comes in convenient stick packs that can be mixed into water.
Both of the products mentioned in this section are entirely free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.
Alpha Lion Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Alpha Lion Superhuman Preworkout in our opinion:
Pros:
- Research-backed ingredients for strength
- Research-backed ingredients for energy
- Most active ingredients are effectively dosed
- Contains delayed-release caffeine
- L-citrulline may enhance recovery
- Highly positive online customer reviews
Cons:
- Contains artificial colors
- Contains artificial sweeteners
- Contains artificial flavors
