Rivalus Burn Powder 2 pre workout is one our LAST pre workout reviews of 2015, and I’m very excited to give you yet another highly entertaining overview of this orange and black pre workout powder. This pre workout is one that I tried just this morning for what will surely be my most intense workout of the holiday week. We know that Christmas week can lead some wonderful and indulgent meals, followed by, of course, several Christmas cookies. It’s delicious at the time, but can fuel some rather lethargic workouts in the following moments. I was looking for this pre workout to counter some of that sleepiness and allow me to have a really good holiday workout. In this Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0 Review, I’ll tell you if the product delivered for me across four different criteria. The first is of course the flavor section. We’ll go over the entire workout experience from the moment I first opened the tub from the moment I finished my last rep. So after flavor, that means we’ll discuss performance, the formula, and even the packaging. My aim is to give all the information you need in order to decide if Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0 is the right pre workout for you. Will this pre workout grasp a last minute spot in the BPW Top Ten of 2016? Let’s find out.
I’ve had some familiarity with Rivalus over the past few months as this company has made a really made an effort to elbow it’s way into the sports nutrition industry. I actually tried two of their product this month. The first was the stimulant free pre workout ‘Complx5fs’, which quite frankly did NOT get the job done for me (I mean, do any of the stim free ones?). Er, actually Layne Norton’s Carbon Prep DID actually do it for me (read my full Carbon Prep Review here). The second product I tried from Rivalus was the Promasil protein. Other than the name, and the flavors being just mediocre, I actually really enjoyed that protein powder because it has such a strong formula (including GOAT’s milk!). So. Does Rivalus Burn fall more on the side of Promasil, or Complx5? Let me start by discussing the Complx5 flavor.
Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0 Flavor Grade: 8.8
I tried the ‘Knockout Punch’ flavor of this pre workout, and will tell you that it is above average. It’s not the pre workout you dream about, and not the pre workout you look forward to everyday, like you do with some of them. But it IS the pre workout that is just kind of like “ok, nice, it’s time to drink my Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0. The pre workout that is claimed to be the ‘Long Lasting Pre-Workout Powder’ is actually not quite the product that I wanted it to be on taste. I ordered the Knockout Punch thinking it would be some kind of twist on the classic fruit punch. Needless to say, it was not. The product tastes identical to almost every other fruit punch-flavored supplement on the market. It’s very tart and very sweet, but not QUITE as sweet as some of the comparable pre workouts on the market with a fruit punch flavor. Another thing that Powder Burn has going for it, is that it mixes very, very well. Sometimes their is some clumpy-ness in these pre workouts for women, but that was not the case with this one. Great texture both in the tub (nice and fine, sand-like texture), and mixed in.
Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0 Performance Grade: 8.8
Wow, this is sort of strange. I’m going to give Rivalus Powder Burn Long Lasting Pre Workout Powder (ugh that’s so annoying to type out lol) the same EXACT grade on the performance as I did on the taste. It’s like this product was developed to be perfectly above average without going overboard on cost. It’s not one of the ‘big blend’ pre workouts like you get with good old Pre Jym or Pre Kaged (bigger than most protein shake sevings), and I think that’s why it may seem to under-deliver.
I took 1.5 scoops of Powder Burn this morning before my workout this morning. As you know from my other reviews, I have NOT been working out as diligently as I usually do. I have been injured. Seven years of being an idiot and training virtually every day without resting is a REALLY bad idea. Please take my word for it. There. That’s my good deed of the day. But. Yeah. I slurped down my pre workout about 20 minutes before hitting my first warmup set of squats. The initial sets of 15 felt great, I must say. I was excited to see if I felt as strong and without limit on the heavier sets. I did, but once I got up close to my 3 RM (165), I really started to feel the weight bear down on my back hard. I called on all my inner-strength and all the last drops of Powder Burn 2.0 to pump out the reps. And I did. But this pre workout had NOTHIN to do with that. That was all me. Lol.
I finished up my high-rep split squats, did some abs, and called it a day. I was really gassed after the squats. I made it through all the sets and rep ranges that I planned, but I will admit that I dropped my weight on the split squats to avoid injury. On top of my injury, I’ve also felt a little sick lately, so that might have had something to do with the overall drop in intensity as the workout went on. But there may also be something to be said for the endurance element of Powder Burn. That it may not be as good in that department as some. But overall I do like how this Rivalus pre workout performs. I’d definitely take it again.
Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0 Pre Workout Formula Grade: 8.8
Well, I’m going to go out on a limb and say I think I know what Rivalus is going to get overall on the final score, lol. This is almost uncanny how consistent the Rivalus Powder Burn is impressive enough to get into the upper ‘B’ range, but just not quite all the way impressive to the point where it’s an ‘A’. It really could be a metaphor for my life. Lol. But here is the full ingredient list in Burn 2.0. Have a look and see if you notice the same talking points as I do. I think you will.
- Beta Alanine
- L-Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate (A-AKG)*
- L-Citrulline-Malate
- L-Arginine
- Betaine Anhydrous
- L-Tyrosine
- Taurine
- Agmatine Sulfate
- Caffeine Anhydrous
- Vitamin B6 & B12
- Vitamin C
So I guess there are really two things to say about the product. The first is that there is really nothing fancy at play here. The product performs nicely, in my opinion, because of it’s simplicity. I like how it really does give a nice kick of energy and beta alanine tingles at the front of the pre workout experience. But other than the Agmatine for pumps, which is a trendy new (well, 5 year-old technology is still ‘new’ right?), there is nothing very exciting that makes you go ‘wait, what is that?’. Or ‘I’m really excited to try that!’. It’s very, very basic. In fact this pre workout recipe that Powder Burn uses could have been sitting on the shelf like five years ago. I don’t mind it though. There’s nothing in here that’s going to make your heart beat out of your chest, or crash mentally. I’ve been erring on the more conservative side with these pre workout products lately, so I don’t mind this formula. I don’t care much for Ariginine AKG anymore though. This is an ingredient from pre workout prehistoric times lol. It does nothing for you.
Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0 Packaging Grade: 8.2
Ohh snap. The streak is over for the B pluses! But once again, I’m going to have to rag on the Rivalus packaging for a hot second. I won’t take too long because as you know from my other Rivalus reviews, I’ve just never been a big fan of this products branding or aesthetic in general. But. Let me try to be nice in this one. It is Christmas, after all.
And I said Christmas. Not Halloween. But the way this pre workout is decorated, you would think that this one really is a Halloween pre workout. I gave it to Rivalus pretty good in my Promasil review re:Halloween colors. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I have a problem with orange. It’s that I have a problem with the shade of orange that they picked. It’s literally Halloween orange! If I have to spit out some kind words about Powder Burn’s packaging, I think I have to say that the background flame sort of pattern is rather pleasing. It’s subtle, but gives the product a little extra flair that other Rivalus products don’t have.
Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0 Review Summary
- Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0 Flavor Grade: 8.8
- Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0 Performance Grade: 8.8
- Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0 Pre Workout Formula Grade: 8.8
- Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0 Packaging Grade: 8.2
- Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0 Value Score: 8.8
I’ll excuse the ‘ugly’ packaging for the purpose of my Powder Burn Review. This is a product that TASTES pretty good, PERFORMS well, and has a nicely arranged FORMULA. In my book, that makes Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0 a successful pre workout, ladies and gentlemen.*
Rivalus Powder Burn 2.0 Final Review Score: 8.8
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