We released the information on Cellucor’s new Project Clear Evolution, a new campaign by the company to turn to fully transparent labels and removal of all artificial dyes and flavors from their products. In fact, they are even removing artificial sweeteners from others as well giving the consumer a natural version of their products.
The first two products released were C4 Extreme. One version was sweetened with Sucralose while the other version, Zero, was sweetened with Stevia.
We love the direction Cellucor is going with the transparent labels and removal of artificials, but we know the consumer still wants a product that works.
The first thing to know about C4 Extreme is that it is not the commercialized version of C4 many of us know. This is the version you find at Costco or Walmart. C4 Extreme is a more expensive formula that could not be sold at either of these locations with their price slope requirements.
C4 Extreme contains an endurance complex of a single ingredient. You get 2g of CarnoSyn Beta-Alanine. CarnoSyn recommends 3.2g-6.4g per day. The one thing to keep in mind here is that Beta-Alanine is designed for daily use; you don’t take a pre-workout daily. Yes, we’d like to see a full 3.2g dosage of Beta-Alanine, but we also know that with Cellucor stacks you may get Beta-Alanine elsewhere too. In terms of increased muscular endurance, it really comes down to if you’re at the saturation point of Beta-Alanine. It is hard to tell if there’s an increase in endurance.
The unique part of the profile is the two forms of nitrates. You get 1g of Creatine Nitrate and 1g of Citrulline Nitrate. Citrulline Nitrate was used in one other Cellucor product, but it was not used widely, so this may be the first time you use it. The pumps are noticeable with C4 Extreme. The fact that this product also has only 200mg Caffeine helps as it doesn’t restrict blood flow. Water intake and carbohydrate intake can impact pumps as well. To get the best pumps we recommend adequate water intake and a carbohydrate source pre-training.
Caffeine, as mentioned earlier, is at 200mg. If you’re a stim junkie you’re going to want more. However, for the vast majority of gym goers, 200mg (roughly 3 cups of coffee) is sufficient. We like the 200mg as it makes this product more versatile. You can take in the morning or even for an evening workout as it may not impact your sleep. You do notice an increase in energy, but it is not that “scratch your face off” kind of energy…which is a good thing.
Lastly, you get two ingredients for focus. You get 200mg NALT and 50mcg Huperzine A. Collectively, with caffeine, you get a bump in cognitive function. We would like to see slightly more NALT, but with 50mcg they synergistic component is in effect.
Fitness Informant’s Final Takeaway
This is not going to be a powerhouse pre-workout, but that is not a bad thing. If you are looking at coming off of stims, or are sensitive to stimulants and are looking for a good pump and focus, C4 Extreme plays to those notes. It is important that you don’t think commercial version pre-workout and give C4 Extreme a clear look. It is a simple formula that will provide adequate energy, good pump and a bump in focus. Having no artificial dyes and flavors is a big plus. Plus, the Icy Blue Raz is pretty tasty.
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