BlackMarketLabs Cuts Review: Goal Specific Pre-Workout

Ingredients Profile

BlackmarketLabs Cuts pre-workout is a solid pre-workout for the person with primarily fat loss goals in mind. While this preworkout offers minimal pump benefits, it contains quality ingredients that are intended to “support the most disciplined cutting regimen.” BlackmarketLabs has chosen to formulate this product using a single proprietary blend. We are not huge fans of this. Even with several ingredients disclosed, it still makes it hard to determine if we are getting appropriate amounts of key ingredients. The Fat Burning Matrix in this product does in fact contain some quality ingredients, however we do not know the exact dosages. Now let’s see if we can do a little bit of engineering on this label.

The Fat Burning Matrix comes in at 5,636mg total for a single serving. Since this is a proprietary blend, we are not given the exact dosages of any of the ingredients except for Caffeine Anhydrous. Caffeine Anhydrous is dosed at 300mg, a dose that will definitely provide an energy boost and even can provide some fat oxidation properties. Since this is the only given dosage on this label, we can use it to estimate the dosages of the other ingredients based on the order they appear in the ingredient list.

Every ingredient that comes before Caffeine on this label will contain a dose of at least 300mg, while everything that comes after Caffeine on this label will contain no more than 300mg. Now we can jump right into this prop blend.

First on the list, we have Beta-Alanine which is responsible for the itchy, tingly feeling you may get with many preworkouts. This ingredient provides muscular endurance as well as volume benefits when dosed at a minimum of 2g. We are receiving a clinical dose of 3,200mg here, as indicated on the front of the packaging. The next ingredient is L-Carnitine Tartrate, which is known for its energy production, with some possibility of fat loss and reducing fatigue as well. The front of the packaging states we get 1g. We would like to see at least 1,500mg of total Carnitine, but at 1g it is not terrible especially since we also have ALCAR coming later. 

Agmatine Sulfate is next on the list, which adds a pump enhancing aspect to this preworkout. We like seeing Agmatine around 1g, and there is no way that we are getting that here. The last unknown dosage that comes before Caffeine (will contain at least 300mg), is Acetyl L-Carnitine which is responsible for providing a fat burning effect and also helps to provide muscle tissues with more energy. We like seeing Acetyl L-Carnitine at around 500mg (since we have 1g of L-Carntine earlier) so it is not very likely that we are getting that dosage.

Now we will discuss the ingredients that come after Caffeine on the label (dosed at no more than 300mg). The first ingredient is Choline Bitartrate, which helps add to the focus and mental energy aspect of this product. Choline’s clinical dose is between 500-1,000mg, so there is no way we are getting that here. Choline has no more than 300mg in this prop blend since it is dosed less than Caffeine. Raspberry Ketones are used in this prop blend; however, they do not have very significant evidence as a fat burning ingredient. We do not believe this is a necessary component of a fat burning product.

Mucuna L-Dopa is next on the ingredient list in this preworkout. It is an ingredient that gives us that “feel good” feeling. We would like to see this at 250mg minimum. Bitter Orange Extract is an ingredient that has a positive effect on your metabolic rate when taken every day, as well as acting as a powerful stimulant, similar to ephedrine. One double blind study showed that with an acute 50mg supplementation, the RMR (resting metabolic rate) of 40 participants increased an average of 65 kcal over the 75-minute window after the ingestion of the ingredient (compared to the placebo group). It is likely that we are getting 40-50mg here.

Evodiamine is used in this formula for its ability to increase body temperature, therefore increasing caloric expenditure. When our body heats up, it is burning more energy. An acceptable dose of Evodiamine can be anywhere in the 5-100mg range. We should be getting that here.

The final ingredient in this prop blend is Chromium Picolinate which has substantial research supporting its ability to reduce blood glucose levels. This could possibly have a beneficial effect on weight loss because lower blood sugar levels mean you have less insulin in your blood. High insulin levels are not a good thing when trying to lose weight, because insulin is a growth hormone that tells your body to store the energy (glucose) that is in your blood as fat. This ingredient is typically seen around 1-2mg, making it reasonable to assume BML is giving us a clinical dose of this ingredient.

As you can see, we attempted to reverse engineer this product (this proves to be difficult). Based on our calculations, we feel we are getting sufficient amounts of Beta-Alanine, Carnitine, Caffeine, Synephrine, Evodiamine and Chromium Picolinate. These are all the “fat burning” ingredients. We are under dosed on cognitive ingredients like Choline Bitartrate and Mucana L-Dopa. We should also have more Agmatine Sulfate.

Overall, since this is called Cuts, we want the fat burning ingredients to be dosed correctly and it appears it isn’t bad. The other ingredients could use some increased dosages however. 

Effectiveness

When I used this product as a preworkout for weight training, I noticed an increase in body temperature. I definitely can say that this product made me sweat more than normal. This is a good thing if your goal is weight loss. At 300mg of Caffeine with a possible clinical dosage of Synephrine, you will have enough energy to have a great workout.

The Pump aspect of this preworkout is primarily fueled by Agmatine Sulfate. Since this product is being sold as a fat-burning preworkout, it is not too big a deal. The pump was not great, and could be greatly improved if we were getting a clinical dose of Agmatine.

The performance aspect of this product was decent. Beta-Alanine allows for an increase in volume and endurance, especially when paired beside Acetyl L-Carnitine and L-Carnitine Tartrate. We could have seen another ingredient or 2 in this category that would make this profile more rounded and complete. Again, it is not completely necessary since BML markets this product for consumers with primarily fat loss goals.

The energy component is important part of a fat loss preworkout. You need a good burst in energy so you can push yourself in the gym and burn as much energy as possible. I felt great energy when using this product, even during 5am fasted workouts. The crash I experienced was noticeable. A simple fix to this could be the addition of an ingredient such as TeaCrine or Dynamine. 

Taste

Tiger’s Blood: (8.5/10)

I have never tried a Tiger’s Blood flavor before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. It tastes very smooth and refreshing. This flavor tastes like a strawberry with a hint of coconut. BML typically hasn’t had any issues with their flavoring system, and they did a great job with this one. If you like smooth and easy to drink flavors, you’ll love this!

Mixability

This product mixes quite well in the 8 ounces of water it calls for. As you can see in the video, there is a slight bit of powder in the bottom of the shaker. It tastes very smooth as you drink it, and you cannot detect any grittiness.

Value

This product comes in at $50-$55 for a 30 serving unit. That comes down to just under 2$ per serving. We like seeing 30-serving preworkouts retail for around $40-$50 per unit depending on ingredients used. 

You have to look at what you want from a preworkout. Here, we don’t for sure know the dosages of some of the ingredients, and several of them are under dosed. However, if you are looking for a preworkout that doubles as a fat burner with several quality ingredients, then this could be a product to consider.