Founded by horror aficionado and entrepreneur Dustin Lebleu, Insane Labz set out to be a different kind of supplement company. Insane Labz began with Lebleu deciding the products in his supplement store didn’t meet his standards, and today Insane Labz sources and makes all of their own products. Now to give the zombie-loving brand the Brainz treatment.
Initial Impressions of Psychotic Pre Workout
Look, if you can’t get past the Insane Clown Posse aesthetic or find yourself nauseated by horror imagery, Insane Labz is not the supplement company for you. That’s their thing. If it’s your thing, give Insane Labz props for going all-out with the gimmick.
Psychotic Pre-Workout sticks with the aesthetic, with an evil clown dominating the design. The product itself is a fine powder with a very strong orange scent.
We can’t help but notice that, in the Supplement Facts, Psychotic only lists “Psychotic Blend 4459mg” without differentiating how much of each ingredient is in the Psychotic Blend. This influences our review substantially.
Energy Ingredients in Psychotic Pre-Workout
- Caffeine Anhydrous
- AMPiberry (juniperus communis) extract
Unless you’re specifically looking for a stim-free pre-workout, most pre-workout formulas will start with a big dose of caffeine. After all, it’s the most readily available stimulant on the market, and pretty cheap to produce. So of course, Psychotic Pre-Workout contains caffeine. Unfortunately, we have no idea how much without extensive internet sleuthing.
It shouldn’t be surprising why we consider that a problem. Are there 150mg of caffeine? 400mg? There are warnings on the packaging not t consume caffeine from any other source, but that could simply be legal self-protection. The FDA recommends no more than 400mg, so much pre-workouts don’t go beyond that, but users need to know what they’re consuming.
Psychotic also includes AMPiberry, a juniperus communis extract that has stimulant qualities and is becoming popular in the supplement market. However, it’s not really been proven by research, and Psychotic doesn’t specify the content.
Nootropic (Focus and Mood) Ingredients in Psychotic Pre-Workout
- Huperzia serrata extract
At Brainz, we love nootropic workout supplements. It’s right there in the name – fitness is as much mental as physical, and nootropics are the stuff of focus and cognition.
Psychotic doesn’t put a lot of thought into nootropics, with just Huperzia serrata extract listed in the Psychotic Blend ingredients. Huperzia serrata is an herb known as club moss, and the extract has become popular in supplement formulas because of its potential to improve memory and cognition. However, not enough research has been done to support it, and Psychotic doesn’t tell us how much there is.
Anti-Fatigue Ingredients in Psychotic Pre-Workout
- Beta-Alanine
Beta-alanine is a proven product that athletes in all kinds of sports use to hold off fatigue and increase their endurance. Research has shown that beta-alanine can help increase endurance in high-intensity exercise by as much as 10 minutes. That might not sound like much, but sometimes it’s what you need to get you through.
So will Psychotic give you the beta-alanine skin crawl? We didn’t experience it, but we also have no idea how much beta-alanine is included in Psychotic because it’s not specified. High doses usually bring on the tingle, so maybe not much.
Pump and Blood Flow Ingredients in Psychotic Pre-Workout
- None
There are no specific pump or blood flow support ingredients listed in Psychotic, though Rauwolfia extract (listed below under Additional Ingredients) may have some effectiveness for increasing blood flow. But without known vasodilators like L-Citrulline or L-Arginine, it’s a big None for pump ingredients.
Strength Support & Body Composition Ingredients in Psychotic Pre-Workout
- Creatine Monohydrate
In the absence of banned substances, creatine monohydrate has emerged as the leading strength support supplement for weight lifters, gym rats, and all kinds of athletes. Some pre-workouts leave it out, expecting consumers to supplement on their own, but Psychotic does include creatine. Of course (not to beat a dead horse), Psychotic does not tell us how much creatine.
Electrolyte Ingredients in Psychotic Pre-Workout
- None
Psychotic also doesn’t include any electrolyte supplements or any other hydration support. That’s not surprising – a lot of pre-workouts don’t assume users will get their electrolytes elsewhere.
The Extra Mile? Additional Pre-Workout Ingredients in Psychotic Pre-Workout
- OxyGold (fulvic acid)
- Rauwolfia extract
- Dimethylethanolamine
One added ingredient in Psychotic, OxyGold, is a patented fulvic acid supplement. Fulvic acid is thought to have some anti-inflammatory effects, so many athletes use it for recovery support. However, it’s not clear from research how much is effective, or whether it’s really effective as a supplement.
Rauwolfia extract comes from a South African succulent and has been used in traditional Eastern medicine. Recently it’s become a common ingredient in pre-workout supplements, thanks to its supposed reputation for increasing blood flow and improving cognition. The one problem we have with rauwolfia is that it simply hasn’t been studied enough to know whether it is effective or not – not to mention, once again, we have no idea how much is in Psychotic.
Finally, we also want to point out dimethylethanolamine, which is not well-understood yet. Some claim it improves recovery time, others that it has nootropic qualities. Without further research, there are no guarantees.
Taste & Flavors
Psychotic Pre-Workout comes in 14 flavors, including some limited-time flavors like Blueberry Lemonade and, um, Santa’s Blood (sorry, Saint Nick). We tried Hawaiian Orange.
The flavor is extremely sweet, and it has a very strong sucralose aftertaste. But we have to say, it’s actually pretty drinkable, especially if you have a hankering for orange soda. Just don’t think about demon clowns.
Who Psychotic Pre-Workout is For
Psychotic is for gym bros who like horror movies and are more interested in marketing than transparency or scientific evidence.
Who Psychotic Pre-Workout is Not For
If we can say it again, Psychotic is not for users who want to know exactly what, and how much, of a substance they are putting in their body.
Potential Side Effects of Psychotic Pre-Workout
- Stimulant dangers such as irregular heart beat, seizure, and more
Final Verdict
Brainz likes scientific evidence and transparency – two things we don’t get from Insane Labz Psychotic. We didn’t experience any adverse side effects, but we can’t recommend a product when we don’t truly know what is in it.
Related:
The Top 10 Best Pre-Workouts on Amazon
The 20 Best Pre-Workout Supplements With Nootropic Brain Enhancing Ingredients
