Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout is a supplement sold by ProSupps. The brand claims that it can provide “clean energy” to fuel you physically, and also that it increases mental focus and energy.
But does Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout contain research-backed ingredients for improving energy? What about for increasing strength? Why was this supplement recalled? And what was our Product Tester's honest experience trying it for a month?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective, and whether or not it's healthy.
We’ll also explain why it was recalled in the past, feature our Product Tester's experience testing it, and compare Mr. Hyde to other popular pre-workout supplements to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Contains effective active ingredients for gym performance
- Contains many inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout
Active Ingredient Analysis
The active ingredients in Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout are shown below:
Beta alanine is an effective ingredient that can increase power.
A clinical trial published in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that this ingredient prevented fatigue and increased power in athletes at a 1.2 gram (g) dose, which is less than that in Mr. Hyde.
Creatine can also increase power, but may be underdosed at only 1 g.
As we documented in our Con Cret Creatine review article, clinical research suggests that the effective maintenance creatine dose is around 2.5 g.
Caffeine is included in almost all pre-workout supplements, and for good reason.
A medical review published in the Sports Medicine journal found that it increases power and reduces fatigue. The 169 milligram (mg) dose in Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout is an effective dose.
Nitrosigine and citrulline are shown in a 2020 clinical trial to increase blood flow in young athletes, but at a dose of 1.5 g and 8 g, respectively.
The doses in Mr. Hyde are only 500 mg and 500 mg, and we can’t find clinical evidence backing such low doses.
Choline is often included in pre-workout supplements, but we’re not sure why.
A medical review published in the Sports Health journal analyzed data from three clinical trials on choline supplementation, and found that there was no significant benefit in any of the three trials.
The remaining active ingredients are included at too low of a dose to have any benefit for exercise performance in our opinion.
Overall, we consider Mr. Hyde likely to improve exercise performance and endurance given its effective dose of caffeine and beta alanine.
However, we aren’t particularly impressed with the formulation, given that this is two active ingredients that we consider effectively dosed out of 11 total.
But the main reason we recommend avoiding Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout is due to its inactive ingredients, which we’ll examine in the next section.
Inactive Ingredient Analysis
The inactive ingredients in Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout are shown below:
Artificial flavors were shown in a clinical trial on animals to be toxic.
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener shown to cause negative changes to insulin levels, as we referenced in our review of the Feel Great System.
Acesulfame potassium is another artificial sweetener.
Citric acid is commonly derived from a fungus when used in manufacturing, and is clinically shown to cause whole-body inflammation in a small subset of individuals.
Natural flavors is a healthier choice than artificial flavors in our opinion, but there are toxicity concerns regarding some natural flavoring agents in clinical research.
Overall, we consider Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout to be unhealthy due to these inactive ingredients.
To the credit of the brand, they removed artificial dye since our initial publication of this article, so the healthiness of the formulation has improved somewhat.
We Tested Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout
One of our product testers named Matt Donnelly tried Mr. Hyde Signature Pre-Workout. Here's his experience:
The canister and seal were easy to open. The scoop inside was easy to dig out.
The instructions on the outside of the canister are in very small text and were hard to read.
The blue raspberry flavor tasted like what you would expect from this flavor. On the positive side, it was not as sweet as other blue raspberry flavored supplements I’ve tried.
The intended effect was inconsistent. I had a good workout and experienced an energy boost during one workout.
And then during a subsequent workout, I felt like it did not give me the same boost, and I found myself needing to power through the last five minutes of my workout.
The product has beta alanine and so there is a tingling sensation that happens on the surface of the skin.
This is not harmful according to reports, but between the inconsistency of the energy boost and the tingling, it’s enough to make me want to not continue taking the supplement.
Overall, I would rate this product 3/10 and I don't plan to purchase it in the future.
Why Was Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout Recalled?
Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout was recalled in 2016 according to Clark's Nutrition.
The recall was apparently due to an unapproved drug ingredient called picamilon being included.
Picamilon is not allowed for use in dietary supplements according to the FDA, and has lacking safety data.
ProSupps also received a warning letter from the FDA in 2017 for "significant violations" of good manufacturing practice.
According to the letter, the manufacturer of Dr. Hyde failed to follow written procedures for the investigation of customer complaints, and failed to establish proper quality control procedures.
This is a red flag about the company as a whole in our opinion.
Will Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout Cause Side Effects?
Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout doesn’t appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, so it’s impossible to say for certain whether or not it causes side effects. However, we can make an educated guess based on its active ingredients.
Pre-workouts are generally more likely to cause side effects than most supplements due to all of the stimulants they contain.
Caffeine can cause jitteriness and anxiety in those who are caffeine sensitive, though the dose in Mr. Hyde is only around two cups of coffee which probably won’t have a negative effect on most individuals.
Beta alanine has been shown in a 2012 medical review to cause an uncomfortable tingling sensation at the dose included in Mr. Hyde, and this side effect is also reported by a number of individuals online.
Artificial dyes like Blue 1 can cause hyperactivity in some people (especially in children and adolescents) according to the medical review linked in the inactive ingredient section.
We consider Mr. Hyde somewhat likely to cause side effects overall.
Mr. Hyde vs. Popular Preworkouts
Here's how Mr. Hyde Pre-Workout compares to other popular pre-workout supplements in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
Ghost Pre-Workout
Contains betaine, which is clinically shown to substantially increase power.
Like Mr. Hyde, this supplement contains some inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy, but the brand substantially improved the healthiness of their formulation and removed some.
We consider both supplements likely to be effective, but Ghost Pre-Workout is the healthier choice.
Winner: Ghost Pre-Workout
Naked Energy
This supplement contains research-backed active ingredients for increasing power and energy, and is free of any unhealthy ingredients.
This is why we picked Naked Energy as our top overall pick in our best pre workout review article.
Winner: Naked Energy
Myprotein Pre-Workout
Very similar formulation to Mr. Hyde; research-backed active ingredients and almost the exact same unhealthy flavoring additives.
We give Myprotein the edge overall because we consider the brand to be more reputable (as there haven't been any hidden drug ingredient scandals we're aware of).
Winner: Myprotein 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.
