Ghost is a popular supplement brand that sells a pre-workout called “Legend All Out.” The brand describes this supplement as their “hardest hitting pre to date” and states in the use instructions that it’s “only intended for healthy adults,” which suggests that it’s highly stimulatory and may be unsafe for those in poor health.
But does Ghost Pre-Workout contain ingredients proven to increase power and energy? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? What was our Product Tester's experience trying this pre-workout for a month? And is it better or worse than other popular pre-workouts like Total War?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Ghost Pre-Workout to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to be effective, and whether or not it's healthy.
This supplement contains a large number of active ingredients, so we’ll break our ingredient analysis into three sections: “Ghost Legend” blend (the pump ingredients), “Ghost Smart Energy” blend (the stimulant ingredients) and inactive ingredients (the additives).
We'll also share our Product Tester's honest experience trying Ghost Pre-Workout for a month, and compare Ghost to other popular pre-workouts to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Ghost Pre-Workout contains some research-backed active ingredients
- This supplement contains inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend Ghost Pre-Workout
Ghost Legend Blend – Ingredient Analysis
The active ingredients in Ghost Legend Blend Grapefruit flavor are shown below:
Several of these ingredients have research backing.
L-citrulline is included at a 6,000 milligram (mg) dose. This amino acid is a nitric oxide precursor, meaning it can widen blood vessels and improve athletic endurance.
A medical review published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that citrulline increases muscular endurance, but describes the minimum effective dose as 8,000 mg, or slightly more than the amount in Ghost Pre-Workout.
Beta-alanine is clinically shown to improve power during exercise, and as we referenced in our review of another pre-workout supplement containing this ingredient called Total War Pre Workout, the minimum effective dose appears to be 1,000 mg.
Ghost Pre-Workout provides 3,200 mg so we’ll consider this an effective dose.
Betaine was shown in a 2010 clinical trial to increase bench throw power, isometric bench press force, vertical jump power and isometric squat force significantly.
Ghost Smart Energy Blend – Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Ghost Smart Energy blend are shown below:
L-tyrosine is frequently included in pre-workout supplements but we don’t understand why.
The only clinical trial we can find showing it to be effective in isolation used a dose of 150 mg per kilogram (kg) body weight, or a dose of 13,500 mg for a 90 kg man. That’s over 10x the dose as exists in Ghost Pre-Workout.
Taurine is another amino acid. We can’t find any clinical backing for it, and a medical review published in the Birth Defects Research journal found that it may harm the adolescent brain when combined with caffeine (which is also in this supplement).
Caffeine is included at a dose of 300 mg, equivalent to around three cups of coffee. As we documented in our review of Alani Nu Pre Workout, caffeine is clinically shown to improve both physical power and muscular endurance during exercise.
Theobromine is a mild stimulant derived from coffee that may improve energy, but we can’t find any evidence it improves exercise performance.
Inactive Ingredient Analysis
The inactive ingredients in Ghost Pre-Workout are shown below:
This supplement contains a number of inactive ingredients that we consider questionable from a health perspective.
Citric acid can cause inflammation throughout the body according to a medical review published in the Toxicology Reports journal.
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener which was shown to negatively affect insulin function in healthy adults in a clinical trial, as we documented in our review of Gorilla Mind Energy Drink (another supplement containing this ingredient).
Natural flavor may include preservatives, according to a medical review published in the Food and Chemical Toxicology journal.
Ghost has significantly improved this inactive ingredient profile since our initial review, removing artificial flavors and artificial colors.
We commend the brand for those changes.
We Tested Ghost Pre-Workout
One of our product testers named Joshua Martinez tried Ghost Pre-Workout for 30 days. Here's his experience:
Ghost Pre-Workout comes in a large container, so be prepared to have extra shelf space available.
The flavor I tried was Blue Raspberry and tasted pretty good. The taste is pretty similar to any other blue raspberry drinks/mixes.
Every pre-workout supplement has their own proprietary mix of ingredients that affect people differently. For me, this mixture didn’t have too much of a stimulating effect.
I did not experience any side effects while taking this supplement for a little over a week.
Overall, I would rate this product 5/10 and I do not plan to purchase it in the future.
Why Was Ghost Sued?
In 2022, Ghost Lifestyle (the manufacturer of Ghost Pre-Workout) was sued by a plaintiff in California who alleges that the brand was engaging in false advertising.
As we documented in our Ghost Greens reviews article, the plaintiff alleges that the supplement contains an undisclosed ingredient called malic acid, which may be unhealthy to consumers.
At the time of publishing this article, the lawsuit appears to be ongoing so there is no way to determine whether or not these claims are true, but this should be proven in court if it reaches that stage.
There is no mention of this ingredient being included in Ghost Pre-Workout.
Later in 2022 another complaint was levied against Ghost Lifestyle.
As documented in the above-linked article published on Truth in Advertising, two organizations submitted a notice to regulators asserting that Ghost is engaged in deceptive marketing practices targeting children.
Specifically, the complaint alleges that the brand is “failing to adequately disclose that its products are only intended for healthy adults and may be harmful to children): from its officially licensed candy flavors like Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish and Warheads that mimic the taste and packaging of candy brands popular among children”
While none of these claims have been proven in court, we do consider these facts to be a red flag about the brand as a whole.
Ghost Pre-Workout vs. Popular Pre-Workouts
Here's how Ghost Pre-Workout compares to other popular pre-workouts in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:
Total War Preworkout
Company founders were arrested by federal agent for introduction of unapproved drugs into interstate commerce, according to Natural Products Insider.
Nothing else needs to be said.
Winner: Ghost Pre-Workout
Myprotein Preworkout
Contains artificial flavors, which are clinically shown to be harmful to health, as we documented in our Myprotein preworkout review article.
This ingredient is worse for health than anything in Ghost Pre-Workout.
Winner: Ghost Pre-Workout
Ryse
Similarly unhealthy inactive ingredient profile, but a more impressive and potent active ingredient blend.
Winner: Ryse Pre-Workout
Our Clean Pre-Workout Picks
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 free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.
Ghost Pre-Workout Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Many effectively-dosed active ingredients
- Should cause pump
- Should improve power
- Should improve endurance
- Mostly positive online customer reviews
Cons:
- Contains artificial color
- Contains artificial sweeteners
- Contains artificial flavor
- Contains citric acid
- Expensive per-serving
- Brand website charges for shipping
- Doesn’t appear clinically tested
