Stimmed Up vs PrePhase: Clash of 2 Pre-Workout Titans

The stimulant and nootropic train doesn't stop there. Stimmed Up is also formulated with N-Methyltyramine Hydrochloride to modulate the activity of noradrenaline and adrenaline and increase the release of norepinephrine for a heightened sense of determination and mental drive, heightened mood, increased mental focus, increased energy levels, and muscle contraction capacity so you can train harder, more intensely, and for longer durations.

We round this stimulant haymaker formula off with high doses of Cocoabuterol (Theobromine), Alpha Yohimbine, and clinical doses of Beta-Alanine and Citrulline Malate. Alpha Yohimbe will stimulate better autonomic responses by triggering your nervous system, dilate blood vessels to deliver more nutrients and oxygen to the muscles, and help increase force development, power and speed. Cocoabuterol will provide more of an energy boost, while also boosting mood, and help reduce mental stress putting you in a better mental state to train. Beta-Alanine will drastically boost muscular endurance, decrease muscle fatigue, and delay the onset of lactic acid so you can push longer and harder. Citrulline Malate will vastly dilate the blood vessels allowing fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients to flood the muscles for increased natural energy, insane muscle pumps, increased muscle strength, and better oxygen saturation. 

Here is the full breakdown of this stimulant giant, and all the benefits you can expect.

• L-Citrulline DL Malate - 6,000mg

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.

6,000mg is a clinical dose of this potent vasodilator, so you can definitely expect massive pumps, extreme muscle fullness (that blown up balloon feeling that we all love), and some crazy vascularity. Supplying the muscles with all that fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients will also improve recovery time between exercises and between workouts, increase  strength and power that will likely also lead to an increase in muscle growth, and enhance overall training capacity so you can train longer and harder.

• Beta Alanine - 3,200mg

Beta-Alanine, or 3-aminopropionic acid is a naturally-occurring beta-amino acid and a component of the histidine dipeptides carnosine and anserine. Beta-Alanine has the distinct ability to raise muscle carnosine concentrations. In fact, beta-alanine is the limiting amino acids 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.

•  Caffeine Anhydrous 350mg 

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. 

• VasoDrive-AP 256mg

VasoDrive AP is derived from a compound that you probably consume on a regular basis: casein, which is one of the most abundant proteins found in dairy products. Casein protein is actually a peptide, and VasoDrive AP is very similar. The benefits of VasoDrive AP are largely due to its ability to help increase nitric oxide production in the body. In fact, it has been scientfically proven to be highly effective at increasing nitric oxide, greatly enhance muscle pumps, reduce musle soreness between workouts due to the influx of fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients, and even improve heart health as casein has been shown to help reduce stiff arteries in people who had high blood pressure or signs of atherosclerosis.

• Methyl Liberine Powder (Dynamine) - 350mg

Dynamine is a trademarked purine alkaloid found in the kucha tea leaf. It's a derivative of caffeine and its molecular structure is similar to theacrine. Like theacrine, methylliberine amplifies feelings of energy, mood and focus by activating dopamine receptors and other key neurotransmitters, inhibiting adenosine receptors, all without elevating heart rate or blood pressure.

Dynamine is amongst an extremely rare class of bioactive ingredients that are strictly neuro-activating and do not have an effect on heart rate, blood pressure, or vasoconstriction. Dynamine stimulates the central nervous system (CNS), while not affecting the cardiovascular system. Because of this, these compounds have less of an impact on your adrenals than caffeine and other stimulants. Along with the reduced load on the adrenals, you'll also experience a smaller increase in cortisol with Dynamine.

Dynamine stimulates the release of the two neuro-transmitters, epinephrine (aka. adrenaline) and nor-epinephrine (aka. nor-adrenaline), which are responsible for increasing focus, mental alertness, energy and also utilising body fat for energy. Dynamine also activates our dopamine receptors (both D1 & D2) to increase the amount of dopamine being released. Dopamine is known as the feel-good hormone in the body and is responsible for motivation, satisfaction, drive and number of other sensations. These effects are what gives Dynamine its very unique properties as an ingredient.

Benefits of Dynamine supplementation include: Improved athletic performance, increased energy levels, improved cognition, elevated mood, and no mid or post-workout crash or jitters.

• Bitter Orange (Citrus Aurantium) Fruit Extract (Advantra Z) 200mg

Synephrine is a naturally occuring alkaloid that is considered to be a stimulant and nootropic due to it’s affect on weight loss and cognitive processes in the brain. It's extracted and synthesized from the Citrus Aurantium Plant more commonly known as Bitter Orange extract. Synephrine helps to increase metabolic rate, increase caloric expenditure and elevate energy levels throughout the day. In particular, Synephrine is a beta-agonist similar to Ephedrine and acts to increase metabolic rate via increasing lipolysis and BMR (basal metabolic rate). 

200mg is a very potent dose of this powerful stimulant/nootropic and will work very synergistically along side caffeine and Dynamine to produce a long-lasting energy source and greatly enhance cognitive function (focus, concentration, and mental clarity). The boosts in fat oxidation and metabolic rate is also a major plus for those dieting as it will help you maximize the weight loss benefits of exercise.

• DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol bitartrate) - 250mg

DMAE is a naturally occurring compound found in high levels in some fish such as salmon, anchovies, and sardines. Additionally, small amounts are also naturally produced in the human brain. DMAE is an antioxidant and a precursor of the compound Acetylcholine (ACh). ACh is a chemical responsible for your feelings of wellbeing.

Studies have found that by increasing levels of DMAE, this will also result in an increase in the levels of Choline in the brain. Even though Choline is not technically considered a vitamin, it works closely with the Vitamin B chain. It is a precursor to Acetylcholine and is useful in getting rid of the excess fat which tends to accumulate in the liver. Choline can be found in very high levels in breast milk.

DMAE Bitartrate increases the amount of Choline and Acetylcholine found in the body, which are important neurotransmitters that support many functions of the brain, one of the most important being memory. Acetylcholine also helps transmit nerve impulses from points of contact directly to the brain. Converted by the brain, Choline can later become Phosphatidylcholine, which is essential in adding an extra layer of protection to cell membranes.

DMAE Bitartrate is extremely useful for bodybuilders and athletes of all levels because it helps increase overall rates of energy production in the body and lean muscle mass. This makes it a great performance enhancer for anyone involved in athletics. Benefits of DMAE in a pre-workout include positively affecting mood or uplifting mood, increased mental focus, memory, learning, and overall brainpower, improved energy levels, enhanced athletic performance, improved muscle reflexes, increased oxygen efficiency (Improving your VO2 max may be essential if you are an endurance athlete. Similarly, VO2 max can improve strength training performance), and improved blood flow.

• Phenylethylamine Hydrochloride -  100mg 

Phenylethylamine Hydrochloride (PEA) is an organic compound, natural monoamine alkaloid, and trace amine, which acts as a central nervous system stimulant which increases mental alertness, reduces fatigue, and helps boost athletic performance.

PEA has been used clinically for years as a possible treatment to psychiatric diseases and disorders like depression and PTSD. Each of these disorders has a possibility of being caused by low levels of PEA, due to PEA’s ability to increase the activity of the hormones that are responsible for mood and emotion regulation.

Phenylethylamine actually has amphetamine-like effects in its ability to release noradrenalin and dopamine. Dopamine is a hormone that has a role in feelings of wellness, while noradrenalin is a stimulant hormone that increases heart rate, blood pressure, and blood flow. Increases in such hormones have the two fold effect of improving mood, as well as improving exercise performance through increased blood delivery. It has been shown that levels of phenylethylamine in the body increases as a result of exercise and has been hypothesised that it may be one of the compounds responsible for the psychologically positive effects of exercise. Therefore, increasing levels of phenylethylamine through pre-workout supplementation can greatly benefit exercise performance.

• Dendrobium (Dendrobium Nobile) 100mg

Dendrobium is a member of the orchid plant family, and it’s one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has the name shihu and is used as a tonic and strengthening medicine. The plant is native to southern Asia, and Dendrobium nobile is by far the most widely used species because of its potent alkaloid content. More recently, researchers have discovered a variety of new chemical alkaloids in dendrobium, known to have some stimulating effects, which include delivering steady and sustained energy levels and improved mental focus.

The release of epinephrine during Dendrobium Extract supplementation improves not only alertness but also the mood of individual users. Epinephrine also boosts motivation, making performance in the gym or on the field at its best. Elderly individuals taking the compound may also experience relief from depression and other mood-related disorders.

The effective breakdown of fats during healthy metabolism due to Dendrobium Extract use helps release high levels of energy ready for use by body cells. Even after exposure to high levels of stress or extraneous exercises, individual users do not experience fatigue as Dendrobium Extract helps maintain adequate body energy levels.

• Theobromine 100mg

We've already discussed the benefits of caffeine for us as lifters/athletes so now, we'll discuss all the great benefits of theobromine. Theobromine is a bitter, volatile compound obtained from cacao seeds. It’s technically an alkaloid compound (meaning a nitrogen-atom containing chemical) that resembles caffeine and has similar effects, but it also provides vasodilation effects, and hence improved oxygen transport. When combined, caffeine and theobromine act synergistically to improve workout performance and intensity.

Theobromine and caffeine are similarly constructed types of pharmacologically active chemicals but with noticeably different effects. Theobromine is gentle, mild, has a slow onset, and is long lasting, whereas caffeine is intense, strong, fast acting, and short lived. While these two compounds have similar effects, the key difference is that caffeine has an effect on the central nervous system and theobromine most significantly affects smooth muscle. This provides a smooth long-lasting energy source that comes with zero crash!

• Rauwolscine (Alpha Yohimbine) 2.5mg

 Rauwolscine (also known as Alpha Yohimbine), similar to its stereoisomer, yohimbine, is most commonly used as an amped-up fat burner. Recent developments are showing it has some potential as a pre-workout as well, especially when combined in bodybuilding stacks. 

Rauwolscine has two notable mechanisms through which it positively impacts pre-workout formulas:

- Alpha blocking. Rauwolscine’s first-line mechanism is as an alpha-adrenergic receptor antagonist. This bioactivity helps with blood pressure, and may have pre-workout benefits related to enhanced circulation and better pumps.

- Activating serotonin. The compound elevates serotonin levels by activating 5-HT1a/b receptors – a bioactivity that may directly promote a bright mood and indirectly help fat-burning by helping to promote appetite satisfaction.

The breakdown of fat cells is restricted by a number of processes, including the activation of alpha-adrenergic receptors by epinephrine and norepinephrine. Rauwolscine acts to oppose such activity by blocking alpha-adrenergic receptors and enabling fat burning to continue functioning seamlessly. As an antagonist, rauwolscine does not directly activate fat burning, but rather allows the operation to carry on unreservedly, which suggests increases in weight loss concurrent with the upkeep of body muscle and definition. In other words, for bodybuilding applications rauwolscine may help with “shredding” efforts.

Rauwolscine’s alpha blocking activity leaves excess quantities of epinephrine and norepinephrine readily available for use, for a stimulant effect. Following this reasoning, rauwolscine is suspected to amplify performance as a potential adrenaline booster. Holding more available adrenaline in the system may likely enhance muscle strength and net performance due to the importance of related hormones in workout regimens. Moreover, muscles might be able to get started the slightest bit sooner and sustain workout duration for longer stretches of time.

Through activating 5-HT1a/b receptors, rauwolscine is capable of inducing serotonin-like effects throughout the body.⁷ Serotonin is largely renowned for being a formidable mood booster. Sustaining a positive disposition may be an idyllic state of being for people engaged in exercises. It can thus possibly account for more motivated and enjoyable workouts. Accompanying effects of increasing serotonin levels include padding pain sensitivity and regulating blood pressure, which may additionally benefit workout sessions.

• TITAN VS TITAN - THE FINAL COMPARISON

Now that we have seen the complete breakdown for both of these pre-workout giants, we start to see the similarities such as the clinical doses of Beta-Alanine and Citrulline Malate, but we also start to see the differences and the advantages/attributes that each can provide. 

• Similarities

Both PrePhase and Stimmed Up contain clinical doses of Beta-Alanine and Citrulline Malate so you can expect massive muscle pumps from both, a huge surge in muscular endurance, and a noticeable difference in delaying muscle fatigue or time to muscle failure. They both are also stacked with a potent blend of stimulants and nootropics to greatly enhance energy levels for the whole duration of the workout, and to keep you sharply dialed in so you can get the most out of each and very rep, set, and workout. Lastly, both also contain ingredients that will help provide a sustaining energy source with no mid or post-workout crash and no jitters. That's pretty substantial for two pre-workouts that are loaded to the gills with stimulants and nootropics.

• Differences

PrePhase, while still very potently dosed to boost energy and motivation, with the additions of Betaine Anhydrous and L-Tyrosine this pre-workout takes the upper hand in boosting athletic performance and providing massive muscle pumps. Betaine Anhydrous, with the distinct ability to increase cellular hydration and volumization, will pull water into the muscle cells creating water based pumps. Combined with the clinical dose of Citrulline Malate, the pumps and muscular fullness will be massive!! Not to mention the increases in strength, power, and capacity to perform anaerobic work. L-Tyrosine adds the ability to greatly enhance a sense of well being, boost mood, and drastically increase mental alertness and focus so you can truly dial in and get peak benefit of that massive increase in strength and performance from the Betaine Anhydrous and the rest of this colossal formula.

Stimmed Up without a doubt takes the upper hand in producing massive and relentless energy and slightly in the focus department. Prephase will be very close in terms of focus, but in terms of energy... Stimmed Up is rightly named. The energy from this pre-workout is not for the faint of heart. You will experience the energizing effects of Stimmed Up almost immediately. You will notice a huge surge in energy & mental focus just 15-20 minutes after your first dose, and that surge will stick with you throughout the entirety of your workout. The addition of Dendrobium is what gives Stimmed Up a slight edge in the focus category. Dendrobium acts much like amphetamine or adderall with the increases in mental sharpness and sustaining energy, and allows you to train harder. It works very synergistically with both caffeine and PEA to increase the effectiveness and work capacity of your workouts.