Pre-Workout Powder (Fruit Punch)

Dicreatine Malate

Dicreatine Malate (1,5 g) — a form of creatine with malic acid (which together may act even better) — boosts ATP production (main energy molecule), increasing strength, power, and muscle contraction efficiency during high-intensity exercise.

• "...a regimen of 3–5 g/day over 4 weeks increased creatine stores, augmented muscle performance, mitigated recovery factors, and resulted in muscle accretion...Creatine supplementation facilitates more significant improvements in strength and fat-free mass...provides positive benefits to both males and females, athletes and recreational fitness enthusiasts, as well as younger and older individuals" [1] To add some additional grams — see also FCKN AWESOME Creatine Powder.

Alpha-Ketoglutarate

Alpha-Ketoglutarate may increase muscle protein synthesis, which supports muscle growth. [2, 3]

• ...[Alpha-Ketoglutarate] group also had higher daily body weight gain than the control group. In addition, 2% AKG administration reduced the abdominal fat of mice and enhanced the gastrocnemius muscle weight and fiber size of mice compared with the control." [2]

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is involved in more than 140 biochemical reactions in the cell [4], playing a critical role in:

• muscle protein synthesis [5, 6, 7],
• and in energy production [8].

Magnesium & Phosphorous

Magnesium acts as a cofactor in over 600 enzymatic reactions, including those involved in ATP production, protein synthesis and muscle contraction. Athletes require more of Magnesium than average people. [9] It is necessary for muscle strength, growth and recovery. [10, 11]

Phosphorous plays a crucial role in ATP synthesis (it is a component of ATP itself), supporting cellular energy for muscle contraction during exercise. [12]

Caffeine

Caffeine has been shown to improve muscle strength and power output by increasing the release of calcium ions in muscle cells, which enhances muscle contraction. [13]

• "...Bench press (Caffeine: 100.1 ± 1.9 kg; Placebo: 94.2 ± 2.5 kg), deadlift (Caffeine: 132.8 ± 3.5 kg; Placebo: 120.7 ± 5.7 kg), and squat (Caffeine: 130.1 ± 4.9 kg; Placebo 119.4 ± 5.4 kg) strength were all significantly improved..." [13]

Other ingredients

Betaine Anhydrous [14] can also support Muscle Strength and Growth enhancement.

Glycocyamine (Guanidinoacetic acid) — is a precursor to creatine, aiding ATP production for muscle power and strength. [15]

B-Vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B9, B12) are critical for energy metabolism, DNA synthesis and repair, red blood cell production and muscle recovery. [16]

Caffeine

Caffeine is well-known for its ability to delay the onset of muscle fatigue by enhancing endurance performance. [17] It can also promote fat oxidation and sparing glycogen, which helps delay exhaustion during prolonged exercise. [18]

• "...benefits of caffeine use include, but are not limited to: muscular endurance, movement velocity and muscular strength, sprinting, jumping, and throwing performance, as well as a wide range of aerobic and anaerobic sport-specific actions...in doses of 3–6 mg/kg body mass. Minimal effective doses of caffeine currently remain unclear but they may be as low as 2 mg/kg body mass...Caffeine appears to improve physical performance in both trained and untrained individuals...Energy drinks and pre-workout supplements containing caffeine have been demonstrated to enhance both anaerobic and aerobic performance." [17]

Dicreatine Malate

Dicreatine Malate increases cellular ATP stores, delaying muscle fatigue in high-intensity and endurance exercise. [1] Additional malate (malic acid) component, may further support ATP production by feeding into the Krebs cycle. [19]

Vitamin B3

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) enhances NAD+ and ATP production, oxygen utilization, improves fat metabolism, increases blood flow to muscles, and reduces fatigue by ensuring efficient energy availability during exercise. [20, 21, 22]

Alpha-Ketoglutarate

Alpha-Ketoglutarate enhances energy metabolism by supporting the Krebs cycle, which improves the efficiency of aerobic metabolism, leading to greater endurance and less fatigue over time. It is involved in the oxidation of fatty acids, amino acids, and glucose, and is involved in cellular energy and metabolism. [23]

L-Taurine

L-Taurine delays muscle fatigue by reducing oxidative stress and improving muscle contraction efficiency. It also supports proper hydration and electrolyte balance, important for muscle function. [24, 25, 26]

Other Ingredients

• Magnesium plays a critical role in muscle contraction and relaxation, reducing cramping and aiding endurance performance. Magnesium deficiencies can contribute to fatigue during prolonged exercise. [9, 10, 11]
• B-vitamins: "...vitamin B complex supplementation [B1, B2, B6, B12] significantly improved
  exercise endurance performance and reduced exercise fatigue biochemical metabolites...". [27] For example, Vitamin B12 supports red blood cell formation and oxygen transport, vital for endurance during high-intensity exercise. [28, 16]
• L-Arginine and L-Citrulline may improve blood flow and oxygen delivery for prolonged endurance. [29, 30]
• Betaine Anhydrous improves cellular hydration, supporting longer endurance during exercise. [31, 32]

L-Arginine & L-Citrulline

L-Arginine increases blood flow, which may improve nutrient delivery to muscles. [33, 34]

L-Citrulline Malate gradually converts into Arginine, what may contribute to blood flow and nutrient delivery for longer. [35, 36, 37, 38, 39]

Vitamin B3

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) enhances blood vessel dilation and improves circulation, which complements the NO-boosting effects of L-Arginine and L-citrulline. [20, 21, 22, 40]

While caffeine is a vasoconstrictor (it narrows blood vessels), at moderate doses like 175 mg, its impact on blood flow is less than at higher dosages [41]. And caffeine's other effects, such as increased endurance and strength, and reduced fatigue, together with enhanced blood flow from other substances in the mix, makes it beneficial.

Caffeine

Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, which increases dopamine and norepinephrine release, leading to enhanced focus, alertness, reaction time, and mental clarity. Strong and fast-acting stimulant, well-documented to improve cognitive function at dosages around 100-200 mg. [42, 43]

L-Tyrosine

L-Tyrosine increases production of dopamine and norepinephrine, neurotransmitters that improve cognitive function under stress and help maintain mental clarity. [44, 45]

B-vitamins

• Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) is necessary for converting carbohydrates into glucose, essential for neuron function and cognitive performance. [46]
• Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) supports energy production through its role in the electron transport chain, maintaining focus and cognitive function. [47]
• Vitamin B3 aids in energy metabolism by producing NAD+, crucial for energy and cognitive performance; especially in moderate-to-high amounts. [48]
• Vitamins B6, B9 & B12 also support nerve health, but it takes longer for them to act. [49, 50, 51]

Creatine

A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis of 16 randomized placebo-controlled studies has reported: "Creatine supplementation showed significant positive effects on memory and attention time, as well as significantly improving processing speed time..." [52]

Other ingredients

• Alpha-Ketoglutarate (AKG) can protect brain cells and support cellular energy in the brain; it is reported to have anti-aging and neuroprotective properties. [53]
• L-Taurine stabilize excitatory–inhibitory balance, and stabilize mitochondria and thus of energy production and Ca2+homeostasis. [54]
• Magnesium regulates neurotransmitter balance (serotonin, dopamine) and supports relaxation, reducing mental fatigue. [55] Magnesium also helps reduce stress and anxiety, indirectly improving cognitive performance. [56, 57]

Creatine (Dicreatine Malate)

[in addition to strength, agility, jumping, endurance] "Creatine supplementation may enhance recovery from intense exercise...Creatine supplementation provides positive benefits to both males and females, athletes and recreational fitness enthusiasts, as well as younger and older individuals..." [1] To add some additional grams of creatine — see also FCKN AWESOME Creatine Powder.

AKG & B-Vitamins

Alpha-Ketoglutarate (AKG) [3, 53] and B-Vitamins [27, 48] maintain energy production and muscle growth, supporting faster recovery after intense workouts. As well, as a fine protein intake — shout-out to these FCKN AWESOME mouth watering Chocolate and Vanilla Whey Protein shakes!🥛

Magnesium

Magnesium supports muscle recovery: "...Magnesium Supplementation reduced muscle soreness, improved performance, recovery and induced a protective effect on muscle damage." [58] It also can reduce muscle cramps [59], headaches and muscle tension, which helps speed up recovery. And its glycinate form in the evening improves sleep quality even more, making you recover faster! [60, 61]