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Product Review: Platinum PRE by Optimum Nutrition

Posted on Dec 03, 2012. 1 comment

BY ALEX LEWIS, CHIEF HUGENESS OFFICER

It’s 2:00 PM on Friday afternoon at the Mr. Olympia Expo in Vegas and I’ve consumed an extraordinarily unhealthy amount of supplements after stopping by nearly every booth to try the latest and greatest in sports nutrition. 

I’m pre-workouted out, but I still haven’t tried the one I’ve been looking forward to the most due to an enormous line at the Optimum Nutrition booth. When we make our way through line to the Platinum PRE- samples, I eagerly chug my shot of it and relish in the deliciousness while I toss my sample packets into my overstocked supplement bag of goodness. Aside from the taste, I’m too tweaked on stimulants to really tell how awesome this stuff is.

Fast forward a week later when the stims have worn off and I’m back to the gym. I bust out a 2 serving packet of Platinum PRE- (Raspberry Lemonade) and only take half of it about 20 minutes prior to hitting the gym for leg day (YEAH BUDDY). This half serving is equivalent to 1 scoop and it’s plenty for me because I’m a lightweight when it comes to stimulants and pre-workouts. A few quick notes:

• Mixability is great (as expected since even Optimum’s protein powders are known to mix well with just a spoon)
• Taste is solid - Raspberry Lemonade was my favorite of the three flavors. Superfruit was 2nd best and fruit punch was 3rd. They are all pretty good in my opinion and to be honest I really don’t care since a) I care about performance more and b) I chug it so I barely taste it anyways.

I felt the energy and beta-alanine tingling sensation kick in about 15 minutes after taking it. Platinum PRE- packs a solid punch in the energy department (200 mg caffeine in 1 scoop; 400 mg in 2 scoops), but it’s a clean energy rush since it isn’t loaded with a bunch of sketchy stimulants that you can’t pronounce. With 1.6 grams of beta-alanine per scoop, you’ll definitely feel the tingling in your ears and forehead unless you are really insensitive to beta-alanine.

I had a very solid leg workout the first time I tried PRE-  and I continued to have great workouts as I kept using it. I worked up to 1.5 scoops after a week and I never felt too jittery or had a bad crash on this stuff. Let’s take a closer look at some of the ingredients that make this product a winner.

Once again Optimum has created an awesome product that contains a solid combination of safe and effective ingredients in pretty hefty dosages (listed below per scoop). One of my favorite things about Optimum’s products is that they never contain BS ingredients or fillers and their labels are always very transparent. Only well researched and trusted ingredients make it into their products. Main ingredients in Platinum Pre include:

1. 2g of L-citrulline: Gives you a solid pump (Arnold would approve) + helps promote endurance. See an extensive explanation here.
2. 1.6g of Beta-Alanine: Helps big time with endurance/muscle fatigue by helping with pH balance in muscle tissue. See an extensive explanation here.
3. 200mg of Caffeine: Energy, mental focus, delayed muscle fatigue.
4. 250mg of DMAE Bitartrate: Said to help with memory and focus. Not as well researched as all the other ingredients in Pre.
5. 250mg of PhytoBlend: A blend of antioxidants to help with recovery and general health.
6. 125mg of Capsicum Fruit Extract: Capsicum is the stuff in chili peppers that helps you crush fat. Capsicum helps boost your metabolism and you can actually feel a little bit of heat after taking this product most likely because of the capsicum extract.

You’ll notice that Platinum PRE- does NOT include any forms of creatine so you’ll need to add 3-5 grams if you are currently using creatine.

Conclusion: Platinum PRE- is absolutely one of the best pre-workouts to hit the market in 2012. Its solid combination of safe and effective ingredients make it a no brainer for any serious meathead.

Check out our awesome deal HERE and save nearly 50% off MSRP. YEAH BUDDY!