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 improving athletic performance or are these just marketing claims? Does the product contain any unhealthy ingredients? Are pre-workouts safe? 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 review the ingredients in Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout which is the brand’s most popular pre-workout supplement. We’ll give our take on whether the supplement is likely to be effective or if it’s a waste of money.
We’ll also explain our thoughts on whether pre-workouts are safe to use regularly, and share real, unsponsored user reviews of this Alpha Lion Pre-Workout.
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.
Ingredient Analysis – Pump Matrix
L-citrulline is the first active ingredient in this formulation, 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 scientific or medical journals proving these claims, and the above-linked page states to “contact us” for clinical trial results.
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 for a pre-workout formulation.
Ingredient Analysis - Strength Matrix
The Strength Matrix contains two well-studied ingredients for workout performance.
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.
Overall we consider the Strength Matrix to be a well-formulated blend with two effectively dosed ingredients for improving workout performance.
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.
The remaining ingredients in this blend are different types of caffeine, and as we referenced 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 contains 325 mg of caffeine, which is equivalent to over three cups of coffee. This dose is effective for energy and should be tolerable for healthy people, but it’s high enough to cause side effects like anxiety in those who are sensitive to caffeine.
Inactive Ingredient Analysis
This pre-workout supplement contains several inactive ingredients we recommend avoiding.
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). They have no nutritive value so it seems logical to avoid them.
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 referenced in our Full Send Supplements reviews article, on another workout supplement that contains this ingredient.
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 on animals.
Our Take – Is Alpha Lion Worth It?
We do not recommend Alpha Lion Pre-Workout due to all of the questionable additive ingredients.
The formulation is actually impressive from an efficacy perspective. There are ingredients proven to optimize exercise performance and mental focus.
We believe that pre-workouts can be safe to use on a regular basis, but it depends on the ingredients in the pre-workout. We certainly wouldn’t recommend consuming artificial flavors and artificial sweeteners on a daily basis, and for some consumers the caffeine dose in a full scoop of Alpha Lion may be too high, but we don’t have issues with the supplement category itself.
Real, Unsponsored Alpha Lion Pre-Workout User Review
A TikTok user named Victor Rodriguez reviewed Alpha Lion Pre-Workout:
@vjrod Replying to @jtanarchy93 ♬ Betty (Get Money) - Yung Gravy
Real Alpha Lion Customer Reviews
The Superhuman pre-workout has been reviewed over 2,000 times on Amazon, which is a more objective resource for customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion. The average review rating is 4.3 out of 5 stars.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “rbaraan” who claims the supplement 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.”
The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Sedric” who claims the taste is poor:
“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!”
Our Clean Pre-Workout Pick
The pre-workout supplement we recommend is Naked Energy by Naked Nutrition.
Like Alpha Lion, it provides an effective dose of beta alanine and caffeine for power and stamina improvements.
The main difference is that it’s entirely free of questionable additive ingredients like artificial sweeteners and artificial colors. There are no inactive ingredients in this formulation at all, which makes it the healthiest pre-workout formulation on the market in our opinion.
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout costs $42.49 and contains 21 servings, which equals a cost-per-serving of $2.02. Naked Energy costs $44.99 and contains 50 servings, which equals a cost-per-serving of $0.90.
Interested consumers can check out Naked Energy at this link to its product page on the official brand website.
