Legion Athletics has been around almost a decade, and grown into one of the top-selling sports supplement companies in the world. They’ve based that success on real stuff, too. Legion uses only ingredients that have peer-reviewed scientific studies, sold at actually effective dosage levels, priced for value.
Legion builds on a team of scientists, educators, pharmacists, nutritionists, and athletes from all walks of life. They come together to develop products that have real-world effects on results and scientific integrity. Founded Mike Matthews has made his name on science-based nutrition and exercise, and brings it all to Legion Pulse.
Initial Impressions of Legion Pre Workout
Legion Pre Workout has slick, professional packaging with strong branding; it absolutely stands out on the shelf compared to many same-looking supplements.
Open up a can of Legion Pulse, and you’re immediately struck by the rush of scent (blood orange for us). There’s a small scoop, but they list a 2-scoop serving size. Legion Pulse is in an extremely fine powder (hence the strong smell as the powder puffs into the air), but that turns out to be great for mixing. Throw a scoop or two in your mixing bottle, and it dissolves almost immediately.
Energy Ingredients in Legion Pre Workout
- Caffeine anhydrous 350 mg
- L-Theanine 350 mg
Legion Pulse serves up a heap of caffeine at 350 mg, pretty darn close to the FDA-recommended limit of 400 per day. If you take your pre-workout the recommended 15-30 minutes before working out, the boost in energy should start kicking in around the time you finish your warm-up.
Fortunately, Legion had the foresight to add 350 mg of L-Theanine – a great big dose. Taken together with caffeine, L-Theanine has been shown to add focus, but also to calm the caffeine jitters. That means that strong dose of L-Theanine will smooth out that caffeine energy throughout your workout.
Nootropic (Focus and Mood) Ingredients in Legion Pre Workout
- Alpha-GPC 300 mg
- L-Theanine 350 mg
Everybody knows the advantages of nootropics in a pre-workout supplement these days – heightened focus, mental clarity, memory, and cognition. If you’re doing anything more complex than a handful of rote reps, you’re going to need that clarity.
In addition to L-Theanine, Legion Pulse offers an ideal dose of Alpha-GPC (Glyceryl Phosphoryl Choline), one of the hottest nootropics on the market. It’s great for memory, it’s great for cognition, and it’s one with a lot of performance potential.
Anti-Fatigue Ingredients in Legion Pre Workout
- Beta-Alanine 3.6 g
Legion Pulse includes 3.6 g of Beta-Alanine to take advantage of the anti-Fatigue and endurance qualities for that particular amino acid provides. If you’re looking for a boost in endurance for high-intensity workouts, the Beta-Alanine content in Legion Pulse should do the job.
Will you get a skin-crawling tingle from Legion Pulse? It’s possible. The 3.6 g dose of Beta-Alanine is on the high side, but not the overboard 5 g you’ll find in some pre-workouts. Unless you’re particularly sensitive, don’t fear the paraesthesia.
Pump and Blood Flow Ingredients in Legion Pre Workout
- L-Citrulline Malate 8 g
Legion Pulse puts the “pulse” in your workout with an optimal dose of L-Citrulline Malate. L-Citrulline is a non-essential amino acid that relaxes your arteries and boosts blood flow, so it’s a perfect addition to a pre-workout. When you need a pump, you need blood flow, and the L-Citrulline in Legion Pulse is on it.
Strength Support & Body Composition Ingredients in Legion Pre Workout
- Betaine anhydrous 2.5 g
When you’re doing serious weight training, what do you need? You need something that is going to build muscle and help with recovery. Legion Pulse offers an optimal dose of 2.5g Betaine Anhydrous, a supplement well-established for improving body composition and muscle size.
Studies have shown significant hypertrophy and body composition changes from Betaine supplementation, and the makers of Legion Pulse are obviously invested in helping you get the most out of your weight training.
Electrolyte Ingredients in Legion Pre Workout
- Sodium 110 mg
- Potassium 290 mg
A lot of pre-workouts ignore the electrolytes, but why? Legion Pulse knows that good hydration is crucial to a great workout, and not just for recovery. Excellent hydration means you get get more done in a workout, and good electrolyte support gives you the increased blood volume, strong muscular contraction, and cellular hydration you need to stick it out.
Legion Pulse has an optimal dose of sodium for blood volume and hydration, and a super-high dose of potassium for increased muscle contraction. Together, sodium and potassium gets you lifting more, lifting longer, and lifting stronger.
The Extra Mile?
Additional pre-workout ingredients found in Legion Pulse:
Like electrolytes, a lot of pre-workout supplements ignore Calcium, but not Legion Pulse. With 65 mg of calcium, Legion Pulse is offering 5% of the daily recommendation, but also taking care to protect your bones. During an intense workout, you’re literally sweating out calcium, and if you’re not replacing it adequately in your food, that can absolutely turn to a loss in bone density. The dosage isn’t enormous, but it shows that Legion Pulse cares about making a holistic supplement.
Taste & Flavors of Legion Pre Workout
Legion Pulse Pre-Workout offers a wide range of flavors – 17 in all – including unusual offerings like Strawberry Margarita and Apple Cider. We tested their Blood Orange flavor, and found it quite tasty, if a little heavy on the stevia.
Who is Legion Pulse For?
Legion Pulse knows their audience – for serious lifters who want to get in there, pound out a workout, and get enough beta-alanine to make their face tingle.
Who is Legion Pulse Not For?
Legion Pulse may not be for you if you don’t care for the slightly bitter sweetness of stevia, or if you have a low tolerance for caffeine – it packs a punch.
Potential Side Effects of Legion Pulse
- High beta-alanine dose can give users the tingles
Final Verdict
Legion Pulse has a lot going for it, especially the optimal doses of so many ingredients. We’d love it even more if they included Tyrosine for more nootropic benefits, and Creatine for muscle gain.
Related:
The Top 10 Best Pre-Workouts on Amazon
The 20 Best Pre-Workout Supplements With Nootropic Brain Enhancing Ingredients
