NOXYGEN Pre-Workout: When massive pumps meets colossal performance

by Josh Davis

Purus Labs has long been the frontrunner in the realm of pre-workout pump additives with their signature product NOXYGEN. This formula combined potent doses of Hydromax Glycerol with Betaine Nitrate (as N03-T®) and Sodium Nitrate (as N03-T®) and a staple (and industry first) pre-workout pump amplifier was born! 

The all new NOXYGEN pre-workout from Purus Labs takes the cornerstones of the original NOXYGEN (NO3-T® Betaine Nitrate and efficaciously-dosed HydroMax® glycerol), that delivers some of the best muscle pumps ever found in a non-stimulant pump formula, and added clinical doses of other pre-workout staples such as Beta-Alanine and Vitacholine® (natural choline bitartrate), along with a specific stimulant blend to bring you a the most advanced and colossal pre-workout formula from Purus Labs yet!

NOXYGEN pre-workout starts off with their staple combination of NO3-T® Betaine Nitrate and HydroMax® Glycerol along with a potent dose of Citrulline Nitrate to delivery out of this world muscle pumps and extreme muscle fullness. Nitrates have the distinct ability to reduce oxygen depletion and therefore help you train longer and harder. They also drastically increase N.O. (nitric oxide) levels and blood flow to deliver fresh blood and nutrients to muscles for better recovery and endurance, and enhance muscle contraction efficacy during workouts which can lead to significant gains in both muscle size and strength.

Glycerol improves hydration and nutrient absorption by enhancing cell volumization (the cell’s ability to absorb water). Imagine Hydromax transforming your cells into ultra-absorbent sponges and allowing them to soak up extra water and nutrients, thus improving endurance, performance, muscle fullness, vascularity, and strength and power output! 

Next, we start to feel energy levels rise, the tingles from the Beta-Alanine kicks in, and the feeling of being zoned in hits almost instantly. The combination of Caffeine Anhydrous, zümXR® Extended Release Caffeine, VitaCholine®, L-Tyrosine, and Huperzia Serrata Extract (Huperzine A) creates the perfect atmosphere for a smooth, yet powerful rush of sustaining energy, and crystal clear focus, while the clinical dose of Beta-Alanine keeps endurance up high and delays muscle fatigue so we can push it to the limit for the whole workout. 

To get a better understanding of all the benefits that this performance powerhouse provides, let's breakdown the entire formula from start to finish.

  • Beta-Alanine - 3,200mg
Beta-Alanine has become a pre-workout staple over the last decade, and rightfully so! Beta-Alanine, or 3-aminopropionic acid is a naturally-occurring beta-amino acid and a component of the histidine dipeptides carnosine and anserine. This is the ingredient that brings on "the tingles" which (for me personally) flips a switch and says it's TIME TO GO!!
 
Beta-Alanine has the distinct ability to raise muscle carnosine concentrations. In fact, beta-alanine is the limiting amino acid in carnosine synthesis, meaning that its presence in the bloodstream is directly tied to muscle carnosine levels. The resulting carnosine then acts as lactic acid buffer for our muscles (Lactic acid buildup is the burning sensation you feel during an exercise due to not enough oxygen available to complete the process, so a substance called lactate is made). which provides numerous benefits, including increases in work capacity, reducing muscle fatigue, increasing peak power output, and boosting overall athletic performance. These sensational benefits are the reason why Beta-Alanine is a pre-workout staple and a very well-known ingredient.
 
3,200mg is a clinical dose of Beta Alanine and will provide substantial benefits in increasing time to muscle exhaustion, increasing muscle endurance, delaying muscle fatigue, and buffering lactic acid so you can push your body longer and harder every workout.
Beta-Alanine Benefits Include:
- Increase time to exhaustion
- Boost endurance
- Delay muscle fatigue
- Increase strength
- Helps preserve muscle mass
- Enables greater training volume
  • Hydromax Glycerol - 1,500mg
HydroMax Glycerol is a highly concentrated form of powdered glycerol.  Glycerol has been around the industry for several years, but has recently gained extensive popularity in pre-workout and intra-workout supplements for its many benefits that include; increasing cellular hydration, improving endurance, and increasing muscular pumps during physical activity. The most popular being muscular endurance and the oh-so sought out “PUMP”. 
Glycerol basically acts as a sort of sponge, drawing water into your muscles, allowing for a “hyperhydrated” state. This facilitates what we call a “water pump” that makes our muscles larger and fuller than usual. So, the better hydrated you are, the better the pumps will be! As muscles contract while under tension during training, blood and hydration flow into the muscle cells which increases their volume and size. Because hydromax absorbs quickly it helps to readily distribute high amounts of fluid to the skeletal muscle.
This is helpful to athletes because of the increase in blood flow and hyper-hydration. As this increase happens it stimulates protein synthesis rather than breakdown. When vascularity expands (the pump) blood and fluids can quickly carry muscle-building amino acids and nutrients to help the muscle recover.
Hydromax Glycerol Benefits Include:

-Increase cellular hydration
- Improve blood flow
- Greater muscle fullness and density
- Bigger pumps
- Increase power and strength
- Boost endurance
- Enhance performance
- Increase power

  • Citrulline Nitrate (as N03-T®) - 1,000mg
Citrulline nitrate is a compound containing a molecule of citrulline bonded to a molecule of nitrate.  Citrulline is a nonessential amino acid that serves as an endogenous precursor to arginine, thereby greatly enhancing nitric oxide synthesis through what is known as the arginine-nitric oxide pathway. Nitric oxide has various performance-boosting functions in the body including a vasodilatory effect, which will increase blood, oxygen, and nutrient delivery to working muscles. Furthermore, nitric oxide can also reduce the oxygen and energy cost of exercise allowing you to push the working muscles longer and harder.
Nitrates have the distinct ability to reduce oxygen depletion and therefore help you train longer and harder. Nitrates can also increase energy supplies to muscles for increased performance. When ingested, the nitrate molecule is converted to nitric oxide via the nitrate → nitrite → nitric oxide pathway. Similar to citrulline, nitrates have been noted to help reduce blood pressure, support cardiovascular function, and serve as a potential ergogenic aid for athletes as they can decrease oxygen consumption for a given workload. By binding citrulline to a nitrate molecule, this delivers a double punch for increasing training abilities and increasing athletic performance.   
This reduction in the oxygen cost of exercise can lead to greater energy efficiency during training, which increases the total time spent training before the onset of fatigue. From an athletic performance standpoint, the end result is better performance with greater muscle efficiency and less fatigue. Additionally, nitrates may also help to relax blood vessels, making them more flexible and subsequently reducing the burden on the heart to pump blood to the body’s appendages. In other words, citrulline nitrate offers a double dose of benefits in your pre-workout.
Citrulline Nitrate Benefits Include:
- Improve blood flow
- Increase nitric oxide production
- Amplify energy levels
- Boost strength & power
- Enhance recovery
- Increase endurance
  • Betaine Nitrate (as N03-T®) - 1,000mg
Betaine nitrate is the combination of betaine anhydrous with nitric acid. Betaine, also known as trimethylglycine, is a metabolite of choline and like nitrates, acts as a methyl donor to either help eliminate harmful molecules like homocysteine or form S-adenosyl methionine (another methyl donor that helps make creatine endogenously).
Much like creatine, betaine is an osmolyte, meaning it increases cellular water retention through osmosis. This gives betaine the distinct ability to cause muscle fibers to swell, which will also stimulate muscle protein synthesis, promoting muscle growth. These increases in cell volumization and muscle cell uptake can significantly increase anaerobic power aka strength gains, as well as improve both endurance and power/force output. Simply put, betaine pulls water into the muscle cells. This increases muscle fullness or volume. This process is also called water-based pumps.
As we discussed above with Citrulline Nitrate, nitrates are an incredibly powerful nitric oxide booster that comes along with a huge list of other benefits to improve your workouts/training sessions. Blood flow is something that you should not only want to improve during workouts but generally all of the time. Not only can the combination of Citrulline & Betaine Nitrate help improve blood flow during workouts, but upwards of eight hours after. Increasing blood flow not only carries oxygenated blood to your muscles but also key nutrients that aid in the recovery and muscle-building process. Additionally, during workouts, dilating the blood vessels and increasing blood flow can help remove lactic acid buildup in the muscle to help improve your workout performance.
 
Betaine Nitrate Benefits include:
- Increase cellular hydration
- Increase power/force output
- Increase capacity to perform anaerobic work
- Increase natural energy levels
- Boost ATP (the source of energy that is used to power the movement of contraction in working muscles)
- Increase nitric oxide production 
- Improve blood flow
- Enhance recovery
- Increase endurance
  • Choline L (+) Bitartrate (as VitaCholine™) - 750mg
Choline Bitartrate is the combination of Choline with a salt called Tartaric Acid. The Tartaric Acid is combined with the Choline to increase its bioavailability and absorption in the body so you get the peak benefits of each serving of choline. Choline Bitartrate is a chemical compound and very powerful nootropic, which is augments acetylcholine neurotransmission, thus enhancing muscle fiber recruitment.
A neurotransmitter is a chemical message that is released by nerve cells to communicate signals to other cells in the body such as neurons, gland cells and muscle cells. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that is found in neuromuscular junctions and helps signal muscle contractions, which is the key component to better “mind-muscle connection” when training. It also plays a key role in basically every cognitive function from balance, coordination, memory, mental alertness, to just learning in general.
While many of the positive adaptations you experience from lifting heavy weights or performing explosive movements are due to building muscular strength, your nervous system also plays an important role. Your nervous system adapts, becomes more efficient, and allows your muscles to fire with increased potency. These neurological adaptations require acetylcholine, so increasing your intake of acetylcholine precursors like choline bitartrate will drastically improve your power, performance, motivation, and mental clarity.
VitaCholine™ Benefits Include:
- Increase mental focus and mental clarity
- Enhance mind-to-muscle connections
- Enhance muscle fiber recruitment
- Increase mood, motivation, and alertness
- Optimize muscle contractions
  • L-Tyrosine - 500mg
L-Tyrosine is one of the most popular and widely sought out ingredients in pre-workouts these days, and for very good reason. L-Tyrosine plays a significant and crucial role in the production of Dopamine (our feel good hormone), Adrenaline and Noradrenaline, Epinephrine and Norepinephrine, and thyroid hormones.
Supplementing L-Tyrosine replenishes these important neurotransmitters and dramatically improves mental function (focus, concentration, memory, learning).
500mg is a potent dosage of L-Tyrosine and will trigger several of our “feel-good” neurotransmitters, including norepinephrine and dopamine. This will greatly enhance a sense of well being, boost mood, and drastically increase mental alertness and focus. As an added bonus, it can also lower anxiety and stress so nothing will stand in your way from demolishing every session!
L-tyrosine has also been shown to provide increased energy and endurance. This is great for all athletes and for anyone who works out regularly. These results are especially encouraging for endurance athletes like runners. 
L-Tyrosine Benefits Include:
- Enhance mental focus and concentration
- Heighten mood and motivation
- Increase energy and endurance
- Helps relieve stress and anxiety
- Helps boost training volume capacity
  • Caffeine Anhydrous - 200mg
Caffeine is without a doubt the most known and utilized stimulant in the world. Caffeine occurs naturally in plants such as coffee beans, tea, and cacao, which is the source of cocoa for chocolate. It's a CNS (Central Nervous System) stimulant that has been shown to reduce feelings of fatigue, increase energy levels, heighten mental alertness, lower perceived exertion, and even lower levels of perceived pain.
Caffeine also improves mental acuity and sharpness, helps maintain laser-like focus, and even improves some technical skills both during and after strenuous activity. And, if that isn't enough, it's also believed to enhance the body's ability to use its own fat as fuel, which can effectively increase the time to exhaustion in endurance events. 
Caffeine Anhydrous Benefits Include:
- Increased mental alertness and energy levels 
Caffeine works in the brain as a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, so when I say energy, I mean alertness. Caffeine blocks certain receptors in the brain that increase levels of epinephrine, adrenaline, and dopamine. Blocking these receptors in the brain gives you that drive you feel—and a bit of euphoria—when you consume caffeine before a workout
- Increased Strength and Power
The nerves that activate muscle fibers, once stimulated by caffeine, activate those muscle fibers with greater force. More force equals more strength, which is why caffeine can increase your strength during a workout.
- Enhanced Muscular Endurance
Caffeine increases endurance in several ways. The first is by increasing fat burning during workouts. When you train with caffeine, you burn more fat. This spares muscle glycogen, which means you have more energy later in the workout, when you need it most. Another way caffeine can improve endurance is by boosting nitric oxide levels. That's right, research shows that caffeine can enhance vasodilation, the term for the widening of blood vessels. This allows more blood to flow to the muscles, which in turn delivers more oxygen and more nutrients, resulting in greater overall endurance.
- Reduced Muscle Soreness
Believe it or not, research shows that caffeine works incredibly well for helping ease muscle soreness by altering your perceived exertion during your workouts. With less muscle soreness, you can go harder, perhaps banging out a few extra reps you probably wouldn't have gotten if that muscle soreness was too much. More reps equals more work done by your muscles, and that equals better results.
  • zum XR® Extended Release Caffeine (std. min. 70% caffeine
zümXR® Caffeine is extended released caffeine that alters how caffeine is absorbed and then processed by the body. The technology of zümXR® takes you typical caffeine that has extremely rapid absorption and is processed in the body almost instantly and delays the entire process. This delaying effect then produces an extended-release effect on the caffeine.
Your typical caffeine anhydrous is fast-absorbing, fast-digesting and VERY fast acting! With effects felt within the first 15 minutes after consumption and all the energy being delivered within the first hour. This is why we see caffeine anhydrous used in 90% of stimulant formulas, the rapid onset of effects makes it extremely desirable for achieving increases in energy for users.
On the other side of the coin, zümXR® Caffeine, is designed to NOT provide the effects of caffeine anhydrous; at least from an energy release timeline point of view. The specific zümXR® technology is designed to allow no MORE than 50% of the caffeine ‘energy’ within the first hour after the consumption of zümXR® Caffeine. And then by the 5-6 hour mark, no LESS than 80% of the caffeine energy will have been released, absorbed and utilized by the body.
This slowed down release of caffeine allows for much more gradual onset of effects from the caffeine serve attached to the zümXR® and thus allows for much longer-lasting energy than you typical caffeine anhydrous. This slowed down release also helps to prevent any jitters and alleviates a mid or post-workout crash!
zum XR® Extended Release Caffeine Benefits Include:
- Longer-lasting energy source
- Smooth and sustaining energy during workouts
- No mid or post-workout crash
- Jitter-free energy
  • Huperzia Serrata Extract (std. min. 1% Huperzine A)(Club Moss) - 10mg
Huperzine A  is an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor, meaning it stops a specific enzyme, cholinesterase, from breaking down acetylcholine in the body. This results in increased levels of Acetylcholine in the body and thus improved neurotransmission and both cognitive and muscular performance.  Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that is used in many processes in the body.
Neurotransmitters are chemical messages that are released by nerve cells to communicate signals to other cells in the body such as neurons, gland cells and muscle cells.
Huperzine-A also has the ability to quickly and effectively cross the blood-brain barrier preventing acetylcholinesterase (AChE) from decreasing acetylcholine levels. Specifically, Huperzine-A not only stops the breakdown of Acetylcholine but also allows for a surplus of Acetylcholine above base levels which works to improves nerve and brain function and the direct signaling of muscular contractions.
Huperzine A Benefits Include:
- Improve mental focus and clarity
- Stimulate peak muscle contractions
- Boost motivation and mood
- Improve mental capacity
- Increase mind-to-muscle connections
Bottom Line:
Gargantuan muscle pumps and muscular fullness that will have your muscles feeling like a swelled up balloon that could pop at any moment... Smooth, clean, and sustaining energy that will stick with you for the whole duration of your workout so you can perform at peak intensity with no crash or jitters... Tunnel vision focus that will keep you dialed in so you can get the most out of every muscle contraction, every rep, every set, every workout... Clinically dosed and formulated to improve muscle endurance and delay muscle fatigue so you can push your body longer, harder, and get the most out of your workouts... Purus Labs NOXYGEN Pre-Workout!!