Beachbody Energize Pre-Workout is a nutritional supplement in a powdered form designed to be taken thirty minutes before workouts to provide energy, mental focus, endurance, and to delay the onset of muscle soreness. It is available in tubs or convenient, single-serve, on-the-go sticks, in two flavors, Fruit Punch and Lemon.
What we notice first is that Energize, unlike most pre-workout products in the sports nutrition space, does not promise additional lean muscle, or make any weight-loss claims. The closest they come to a muscle claim is the ability to “increase muscle power output.”
The product contains no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, or preservatives, and adheres to all cGMP guidelines. Also noteworthy, Energize does not contain any form of creatine, arginine, citrulline, or any of the other edgy ingredients found in most sports nutrition brands’ pre-workouts. We assume this is because the formulation is meant to be co-ed; many women avoid muscle-building ingredients. As opposed to bodybuilders, the Beachbody ideal physique is more slender and symmetrical.
With so many pre-workouts on the market, such as IdealLean Pre-Workout and 4 Gauge, how do you know if Beachbody Pre-Workout is right for you? We’ve gathered all the research. Let’s take a closer look at Beachbody Energize Pre-Workout. We’ll check out their ingredients, benefits, and more.
Beachbody Energize Pre-Workout Key Ingredients
The Supplement Facts panel for Energize Pre-Workout is easy to read and transparent – even their proprietary blend lists the specific dosage for each ingredient. The first ingredients listed are all minerals, their electrolyte blend, consisting of Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, and Potassium. For those participating in intense exercise, electrolytes are necessary for hydration and muscle contraction. Electrolytes are lost in sweat during exercise and need to be replaced to replenish water and maintain the proper fluid balance in the body.
The proprietary Performance Blend includes Beta-Alanine, Quercetin, and Caffeine (from green tea and coffee bean extract).
Let us start with the easiest to understand, Caffeine. At 100 mg per packet (a single dose), the caffeine content is one-third less than a Grande Starbucks Latte (150 mg). This relatively modest dose should be enough for a quick energy burst and may improve mental clarity. Although caffeine from green tea extract is used in many weight loss products to boost the metabolic rate and increase fat burning, the body adapts quickly, reducing its effectiveness. For those seeking a more potent dosage Beachbody recommends a second serving boosting the caffeine to 200 mg.
The Beta-Alanine in Energize is at 800 mg per serving. Although not indicated in the ingredient panel as such, the product label carries the CarnoSyn® logo indicating the company uses the patented, clinically studied version of Beta-Alanine.
CarnoSyn® has been proven effective in over 55 scientific studies, 15 of which have been published in peer-reviewed journals. The benefits include increased endurance, enhanced mental focus, faster recovery times, and building better muscle. Interesting, as CarnoSyn’s benefits replicate those cited on the Team Beachbody website for Energize. And now, our one caveat – the clinical dosage for CarnoSyn (or any beta-alanine), is 3.2 grams per day, far less than the 800 mg in Energize, or even the 1.6 grams in a two-stick serving.
There is 500 mg of Quercetin in Energize. Quercetin is a flavonoid found in many plants and foods, such as red wine, green tea, apples, and berries. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to help reduce inflammation, control blood sugar, and prevent heart disease. In recent clinical trials, Quercetin was shown to have a moderate effect on performance with trained athletes, and even more significant results for the untrained individual. Performance was further enhanced when quercetin is used in combination with green tea extract, so perhaps there is some science to this formulation. The dosage used in clinical studies was 1 gram, so double a single serving of Energize, but spot-on for a double dose.
Beachbody Pre-Workout Recommended Dosage
The company indicates the serving size is one packet, or one stick, a six-gram serving. For those over 160 pounds, Beachbody suggests two servings for optimal performance. The tub contains forty servings, and sticks are packed thirty-two servings to the package.
Benefits Of Beachbody Energize
The benefits of Energize are atypical for a sports nutrition drink in that the focus is on energy and endurance, mental focus, delayed exercise-induced muscle soreness, and increased muscle power.
Compare this to the benefits listed for several of today’s most popular pre-workout products in the sports nutrition space:
C4 from Cellucor, an industry leader promises … energy and focus to push you through your workout. It contains CarnoSyn® Beta-Alanine to promote muscular endurance and Arginine AKG to support nitric oxide production to help give you a great pump.
Pre JYM, the hottest brand on BodyBuiling.com claims to improve performance, “get stronger in the gym and train harder and longer,” and growth, “gaining muscle helps support all goals – strength, physique, and weight loss,” and will “spearhead your growth efforts to build more lean muscle.”
We are sure you’ll see the not so subtle differences between Energize and the competitive set with its focus on muscle pumps, strength, and building lean muscle.
How Does Beachbody Pre-Workout Perform – The Claims Versus The Reality
The company’s testimonials on the site, in their ads, and their videos are impressive. We’ll reiterate once again; this is a marketing machine. We have no doubt that the combination of Beachbody’s workout programs and Energize will produce results. We’ve done several of the Beachbody workouts, and they require energy, endurance, and stamina.
The Energize formulation addresses the need for electrolytes during intense exercise, caffeine for energy, and beta-alanine for endurance, focus, and faster recovery. The product delivers on what it is intended to do, and, not surprisingly, the company also offers a stand-alone Creatine supplement that can be used with Energize for those seeking muscle gains.
Potential Side Effects Of Beachbody Pre-Workout
As with other pre-workout drinks, there are potential side effects. The most disturbing side effect some people will notice is a tingling effect of the skin from the beta-alanine. It usually presents on the face, neck, and back of the hands. The severity depends on the dose consumed, so with its rather light dosage, the Beachbody Energize Pre-Workout product should not present a major reaction.
Another area for potential side effects is caffeine. Again, even though the dosage is minor, we don’t recommend taking the product in the evening or later to avoid insomnia.
We recommend consulting with your health care provider before taking any new supplement, to ensure this product doesn’t interfere with any other medications or supplements you may be taking.
Beachbody Pre-Workout Pricing
On the Beachbody website, the retail price is $49.95 for either the forty-serving tub or the thirty-two-serving single-serve sticks. If you opt for the subscription service (auto-ship), the price declines to $37.46 per unit, plus $4.00 Shipping & Handling.
Most sports nutrition products, including pre-workouts, are packed in a thirty-serve size, a one-month supply, and at a far more practical price point:
- C4 Sport from Cellucor, 30 Serve, $19.92
- NO-Xplode from BSN, 30 Serve, $26.71
- Mr. Hyde from Pro Supps, 30 Serve, $29.99
- Gold Standard from Optimum Nutrition, 30 Serve, $17.25
Keep in mind, the above sports nutrition products all contain more ingredients than Energize, typically including a form of creatine, arginine, and citrulline.
Best Places To Buy Beachbody Energize Pre-Workout
Energize is only available through the company website or a Beachbody Coach. The product is not available on Amazon, on other websites, or in traditional brick and mortar stores.
In Summary
Beachbody’s business is booming; even their supplements are indicating a one-week delay in shipping from their warehouse. We have used their workout programs, and they are staunch. If you stay the course, you will see results.
Their lead product, Shakeology, gets some of our highest marks. As we indicated in the Claims Versus Reality segment, the product delivers on its modest claims. And, for those seeking more muscle gains, you can use the stand-alone Creatine product. However, the absolute cost of the product, especially for those over 160 pounds, is astronomical. The forty-serve tub becomes only twenty servings. At $49.95, that equates to $2.50 per serving – versus national brands at less than $1.00 per serving.
