What if you could have all the benefits you desire in just one supplement? Could it really be possible? After all, most supplements are designed as either fat-burners, pre-workouts, post-workouts, or other use-specific products, but typically not all at the same time. Yet, one such supplement called Cardio Cuts 4.0, claims to be able to offer many unique workout benefits all at once.
The question is, does this supplement really live up to all its claims? In this Cardio Cuts 4.0 review, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about this pre-cardio, weight loss accelerant to find out if it’s truly effective and worth the purchase.
Ready? Let’s dive in!
About Cardio Cuts 4.0
Created by NDS Nutrition, Cardio Cuts 4.0 is a sort of “all-in-one” product because it is designed to act as a pre-workout, fat burner, and workout recovery supplement at the same time. It features many different blends and numerous ingredients, all designed to offer those different benefits mentioned. Some of the ingredients in Cardio Cuts 4.0 designed to deliver these results include carnitine, MCT oil, BCAAs, ashwagandha, Huperzine A, and beta-alanine, among many others.
Cardio Cuts 4.0 is primarily advertised as a “pre-cardio” supplement, but they also mention it being a good pre-workout in general.
Cardio Cuts 4.0 Benefits
There are many different advertised benefits of Cardio Cuts 4.0, all attributed to the specific blends in the product. The main benefits are below:
- Increase energy, stamina, and endurance
- Improved focus
- Weight loss and improved body composition
- Enhanced recovery
Energy, Stamina, and Endurance
There are many different ingredients in Cardio Cuts 4.0 designed to enhance energy, stamina, and endurance, helping you to workout harder, for longer. Some of the key players include beta-alanine, caffeine, and carnitine.
Improved Focus
Cardio Cuts 4.0 is also designed to improve mental focus when training with ingredients such as Huperzine A and l-theanine.
Weight Loss and Improved Body Composition
There are also a number of ways Cardio Cuts 4.0 claims to improve body composition, such as by aiding weight and fat loss, improving muscle tone and definition, and sparking muscle growth. Some of the ingredients said to be involved here are MCT, tyrosine, carnitine, and CLA.
Enhanced Recovery
Despite being a pre-workout, Cardio Cuts 4.0 is also advertised to improve post-workout recovery by giving the body vital nutrients, such as BCAAs, glutamine, and taurine.
These are some pretty bold claims from just one supplement. So, can it actually live up to them? Read on to find out!
Cardio Cuts 4.0 Ingredients
There are many different ingredients in Cardio Cuts 4.0, all of which are under specific blends. They say the serving size is 1 to 2 scoops, but they list the information for 2 scoops:
- Tone-Lean Blend (2,500mg)
- Tone Tight Complex (2,000mg), which includes:
- Carnitine sources (1,000mg)
- CLA Powder (500mg)
- MCT Powder (500mg)
- T-Define Complex (500mg), which includes:
- Tyrosine
- Gum Guggul Extract
- Kelp Whole
- Blackberry Extract
- Tone Tight Complex (2,000mg), which includes:
- Lean-Pump Recovery Blend (3,770mg)
- Amino Acid-Performance Complex (1,600mg), which includes:
- Taurine
- Glutamine
- Recovamine
- Glutamine AKG
- Isoleucine
- Leucine
- Valine
- Endo-Recover Complex (1,170mg), which includes:
- Beta-Alanine (1,000mg)
- Glucuronolactone
- Histidine
- Ribose
- Vaso-Lean Complex (1,000mg), which includes:
- Arginine
- Arginine AKG 2:1
- Amino Acid-Performance Complex (1,600mg), which includes:
- Thermo-Rejuvenate Blend (985mg)
- Restore-Cognition Complex (460mg), which includes:
- Theanine (250mg)
- ALA (100mg)
- Goji Berry Extract
- Acai Extract
- Grape Seed Extract
- Coconut Water Powder
- Folic Acid
- Pine Bark Extract
- Thermo Cardio-Focus Complex (525mg), which includes:
- Caffeine
- Raspberry Ketones (100mg)
- TeaCrine
- Amla Fruit Extract
- Q-Drive95 Quercetin
- KSM-66 Ashwagandha Extract
- Schisandra Fruit Powder
- Rhodiola Rosea 4:1 Extract
- Magnolia Bark Extract
- Astralagus Root
- Licorice Root
- Guarana Seed Extract
- Phosphatidyl Serine
- Huperzine A (100mcg)
- Restore-Cognition Complex (460mg), which includes:
- Natural Health Blend (720mg)
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin B12
This is clearly a mammoth ingredient list, so in the below information, we will analyze the main players while also generalizing the effects of the other, smaller ingredients.
Tone-Lean Blend
The first major blend in Cardio Cuts 4.0 is the Tone-Lean Blend, which consists of two sub-complexes.
Tone Tight Complex
The first complex within the Tone-Lean Blend is the tone Tight Complex, which has carnitine, MCT, and CLA.
Carnitine has a number of roles in the muscles, but it also aids in fat metabolism. And some research shows that carnitine supplementation helps to reduce body weight and fat, especially in overweight and obese people.
Also, both MCT and CLA are thought to increase satiety and decrease appetite, which could theoretically lead to weight loss. They are also both sources of healthy fatty acids which can be used for energy and to promote the burning of body fat. Overall, there is moderate evidence to suggest that MCT and, to a lesser degree, CLA can reduce body fat and overall weight.
T-Define Complex
Also included in the Tone-Lean Blend is the T-Define Complex, which has tyrosine, guggul, kelp, and blackberry.
Tyrosine is a stimulating amino acid that may improve metabolism, although its effects on weight loss are inconclusive. It also may improve mood through increased dopamine and norepinephrine.
The final ingredients in this blend, guggul, kelp, and blackberry, may offer weight loss benefits due to their effects on fat metabolism, insulin, triglycerides, and overall metabolism. Plus, kelp contains a natural fiber that may block fat absorption.
Lean-Pump Recovery Blend
Next up is the Lean-Pump Recovery Blend, which itself consists of three different blends.
Amino Acid-Performance Complex
The first blend within this is the Amino Acid-Performance Complex, which consists of a few sources of glutamine, taurine, and the BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine, and valine). Basically, all of these amino acids are abundant in skeletal muscle. As a result, they are important for optimal muscular function and performance during exercise, as well as recovery after exercise. Research generally shows that these amino acids, especially BCAAs, can reduce muscle damage and inflammation, as well as promote greater muscular recovery.
Endo-Recover Complex
The next blend within this is the Endo-Recover Complex, which consists of beta-alanine, glucuronolactone, histidine, and ribose.
Beta-alanine can increase muscle carnosine levels, which ultimately can improve workout performance by reducing fatigue and increasing muscular capacity. Its effects on workout recovery are relatively unknown though, so it is better as a pre-workout. Histidine is also necessary for the formation of carnosine, although combined supplementation of histidine and beta-alanine doesn’t seem to be any better for workout performance compared to beta-alanine alone.
D-ribose is known to enhance recovery by helping restore ATP levels back to normal, which are vital for energy production. However, the benefits are mainly seen in people newer to training.
Vaso-Lean Complex
The final blend within this blend is the Vaso-Lean Complex, which consists of two different forms of arginine. Arginine helps to increase nitric oxide levels, which ultimately improves blood flow to the muscles, which can improve exercise performance. Research shows that arginine supplementation is effective for improving both anaerobic and aerobic exercise performance. It may also assist recovery by helping to shuttle nutrients into the muscles after exercise.
Thermo-Rejuvenate Blend
The third major blend in Cardio Cuts 4.0 is the Thermo-Rejuvenate Blend, which consists of two smaller blends.
Restore-Cognition Complex
First up is the Restore-Cognition Complex, which includes theanine, ALA, coconut water powder, folic acid, and extracts from goji berry, acai, grape seed, and pine bark.
Theanine increases alpha waves and GABA levels in the brain, which can improve feelings of calmness yet also alertness. And when paired with caffeine (which is also in Cardio Cuts 4.0), it can enhance overall cognitive function, including alertness and attention.
Coconut water powder may also help to increase recovery by restoring the body with various minerals and vitamins, although research on coconut water powder is very limited.
Finally, ALA and the remaining plant-based extracts are all similar in that they offer antioxidant effects. Goji, acai, pine bark, and grape seed are all loaded with various phytonutrients that can decrease inflammation and muscle soreness, and potentially improve recovery.
Thermo Cardio-Focus Complex
This next complex has so many different ingredients. One of the major ones is caffeine, which is a potent stimulant known to increase physical and mental performance due to its effects on the central nervous system (CNS). Research shows that caffeine can improve mood and alertness, increase exercise capacity, and decrease fatigue, among many other things.
They also included TeaCrine, which is a patented form of theacrine that behaves somewhat like caffeine. And research shows TeaCrine can also improve focus, energy, and motivation, yet its effects on resistance training performance are negligible.
Another major ingredient in this complex is raspberry ketones, which research shows can increase fatty acid oxidation, balance glucose levels, and decrease inflammation. However, its effects on weight loss specifically are inconsistent.
There are also many adaptogens and other herbal ingredients in this complex, such as ashwagandha, Schisandra, amla, Rhodiola, licorice, and guarana, among others listed above. These herbal extracts can help to decrease physical and mental stress by acting on the HPA-axis and CNS, which can indirectly improve physical and mental performance. These herbs have been shown to offer many different benefits, such as improved mood, heightened cognition, lower stress, improved exercise performance, and increased testosterone and other hormones.
Somewhat similar to the adaptogens just mentioned, phosphatidylserine also helps to decrease exercise-induced stress, both from a physical and mental standpoint, which could help to improve recovery and performance. It is able to reduce cortisol levels, just like the adaptogens.
The last ingredient in this complex is Huperzine A, which has a number of benefits for cognitive function in people with cognitive impairments and other neurodegenerative disorders. It primarily works by increasing levels of acetylcholine in the brain. However, research is inconclusive for its effects on focus and alertness during exercise.
Natural Health Blend
The final blend is the Natural Health Blend, which contains calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin C, and vitamin B12.
Calcium and magnesium are both vital minerals for overall health, and they have a number of roles in exercise too. For example, they’re necessary for muscular contraction, a healthy nervous system, and for workout recovery, among many other things.
Next, vitamin D is a pro-hormone that influences many systems in the body. It is essential for sexual health, immune health, and it also plays a role in muscle strength, injury prevention, and overall sports performance.
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, so it can help to reduce inflammation and muscle damage from exercise.
Lastly, vitamin B12 is necessary for brain health, especially mood and energy levels. And intense exercise can deplete vitamin B12, so athletes and other highly active individuals may need higher amounts than other people.
Does Cardio Cuts 4.0 Work?
Clearly, there is a lot to go over with Cardio Cuts 4.0. But overall, it should be an effective pre-workout and overall athletic performance supplement. There are so many different ingredients in Cardio Cuts 4.0, all of which are backed up by research for the most part.
The main issue is that every ingredient is within a blend, and while some of the individual ingredients have listed dosages, most of the ingredients don’t have listed dosages. As a result, it’s impossible to tell how effective those ingredients will be.
Despite that limitation, the overall quality of the ingredients in Cardio Cuts 4.0 is high. And we do know the dosages for the total blends, so that makes it easier to analyze the effectiveness.
The Tone-Lean Blend consists of various ingredients known to stimulate metabolism, improve insulin, and help break down fat, so users might get a benefit in weight loss. Of course, the research is mixed overall.
Next, the Lean-Pump Recovery Blend consists of many powerful and important amino acids, and other substances known to enhance muscular recovery, reduce muscle damage, improve exercise performance, and improve blood flow, all of which have benefits for athletes and exercisers. However, the dosages for each of the three blends within this major blend are relatively low, meaning that you might not get as much of a benefit.
The third major blend is the Thermo-Rejuvenate Blend. Within this blend, an optimal dosage of theanine along with many antioxidant-like plant-based extracts should help to improve cognition and promote recovery, respectively.
Also, the combination of raspberry ketones, caffeine, and TeaCrine should be able to not only improve metabolism and thermogenesis, thereby promoting weight loss, but they should also improve aspects of exercise performance, especially caffeine.
The many adaptogens included are also a benefit since they can decrease stress and improve physical and mental performance, although the dosages of these are unclear.
Finally, the Natural Health Blend contains five very important micronutrients for overall health and wellness, but again, the dosage of each individual ingredient is unclear, so it’s impossible to gauge the effects these will have on an athlete’s health.
Claims vs. Reality
Overall, I’d expect moderate benefits for all of the claims mentioned. You should get a decent boost in energy, stamina, and endurance thanks to ingredients such as beta-alanine, caffeine, arginine, and various adaptogens.
I’d also expect a moderate increase in focus, primarily from the caffeine and l-theanine combination. But many of the adaptogens, such as guarana and ashwagandha, could help to improve focus and alertness too.
Also, many ingredients in Cardio Cuts 4.0 can help with workout recovery, such as glutamine, BCAAs, and taurine. In practice, this probably means a little less soreness and fatigue, and a slight reduction in workout recovery time.
The benefits of weight loss and improved body composition are speculative. Yes, there are ingredients shown to improve fatty acid metabolism, increase thermogenesis, and promote weight loss, such as carnosine, tyrosine, caffeine, and raspberry ketones. But a lot of the evidence is mixed, and there really isn’t any ingredient in here that definitively drives major changes in bodily appearance. Yes, some of the ingredients will help a little, but it won’t be a magic pill for the goal of a better-looking body.
Who is Cardio Cuts 4.0 Best For?
All in all, Cardio Cuts 4.0 is best for athletes and high-intensity exercisers who want general improvements in workout performance, recovery, and body composition. I say generally because many of the ingredients aren’t at optimal dosages for their own respective benefits, but as a whole, Cardio Cuts 4.0 offers moderate benefits for many different areas of performance. So, if you’re looking for a general, all-in-one moderate performance-enhancer, Cardio Cuts 4.0 is worth looking into.
Is Cardio Cuts 4.0 Safe?
With so many ingredients, the potential for side effects increases. Below are some ones to watch out for (although this list is not exclusive):
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, stomach upset, and related issues
- Nervousness, irritability, anxiety, and insomnia
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Changes in blood pressure
- Changes in heart rate
Where to Buy Cardio Cuts 4.0
You can buy Cardio Cuts 4.0 on Amazon at this product link. As a reminder, the makers of this product are NDS Nutrition.
Each container of Cardio Cuts 4.0 includes 20 servings (40 scoops) and costs $59.99. So, the price is basically three dollars per serving (or $1.50 if you just use one scoop), which makes this a pretty expensive pre-workout (most others are a little over a dollar per serving).