Well here are we are guys. Yet another pre workout review. And this one is of the new GNC house brand ‘Beyond Raw LIT pre workout’. I had the chance to sample this new pre workout just today, and I have all the info you need. I have the flavor grade, the formula breakdown, and of course how it performs in the gym. I’ll rate it for pumps, endurance, and strength. In the Lit pre workout review, you’re going to get overwhelmed by information. Just kidding you really aren’t. I’m a little tired and hungry so I’m actually going to be pretty straightforward and to the point in this one. Nice and short and sweet. That’s what she said.
Beyond Raw pre workout is one that I didn’t really expect to like. I’ve tried plenty of GNC’s products in the past. We all have, haven’t we? I feel like at some point in ALL of our lives we’ve all been at that darn GNC with a plan to buy something we read about online or on Insta, only to walk out with something else entirely, just because the GNC rep needed to push their house brand. But. That’s neither here nor there. GNC is clearly back-pedaling anyways as all of us stop paying their ludicrous prices for all their pre workouts and proteins. But. Let’s talk about their new LIT pre workout. And I’ll start from the outside in. That’s right. Let’s talk packaging first.
Beyond Raw LIT Pre Workout Looks Pretty Bad.
And by bad, I mean in the tough, ‘oh that’s cool and mean-lookin’, way. Sort of how you talk about Ronda Rousey (is she even relevant anymore?). But yeah. You know what I mean. It has a cool dark vibe and really edgy fonts and angular graphics to give you the feeling that you are holding something that you don’t want to mess with. I love the shiny black. I love the background flame exploding into the background. I love the orange callout circles. It’s just a handsome looking pre workout. I have to give it to GNC– they’ve made an absolutely STUNNING pre workout, aesthetically-speaking. Let’s turn it over and look at the booty of the Lit pre workout. AKA the back of the label. AKA where the ingredients are listed.
Beyond Raw LIT Pre Workout Has an Okay Formula.
For a company with the resources that GNC has, I’m still surprised to see a relatively simple and basic pre workout formulation. You can count the number of ingredients on your own two hands, and it’s not a terribly large quantity of raw material overall. This was something I saw in the last GNC pre workout that I had- which was the Total Lean Advanced ‘Energize and Burn’ pre workout. I actually scored that pre workout a B+ because while overpriced, it was an okay product. But here are the ingredients in the LIT pre workout:
- Beta Alanine
- Creatine
- Caffeine
- ElevATP
- Coffee Fruit Extract
- L-Citrulline
- Nitrosigine
And that’s all. Just seven ingredients. No vitamins. No crazy micronutrient element to speak of at all. Just the seven basics, really. Some strength ingredients, some pump ingredients, and some endurance ingredients. It’s a tried and true formulation that sells well, all day long. It’s a non-proprietary blend, which I appreciate, and it has a BIG dose of beta-alanine. So I expected a big old tingle going into this LIT pre workout experience. So I poured my sample of LIT into 8 ounce of water.
How does Beyond Raw Lit Pre Workout Taste?
So I only had the one sample serving of LIT from the guy in GNC (I did my packaging and formula review in the store, LOL), and when I drank it, I was expecting something a little bit different from what I got. Because what I got was not all that great. I wanted something more sweet and less tart. But this one was SO tart. It was almost on another planet with the sourness factor. Lips were puckering and everything! I did not really enjoy that level of sour taste in the LIT pre workout. It was almost as if they didn’t mix up this batch thoroughly enough, and all the sour powder was left on top for good ‘ole Allie. I thought the fruit level was fine, and about what you expect from any other pre workout, but, yeah. Turn down the sour, guys. I guess Beyond Raw Lit pre workout IS drinkable though? If you are into drinking pure Sour Warhead sugar? Lol. Let’s talk performance though.
Does Beyond Raw LIT Pre Workout Work?
I thought this pre workout kicked just about right from an energy standpoint. The 250 milligrams of caffeine start coursing through your veins about 15 minutes into the workout. I also definitely got those beta alanine tingles like I expected. The GNC Beyond Raw Lit pre workout most certainly has an element of surprise in it for those of you not familiar with beta alanine. Basically this is an ingredient that will make your skin have that creepy-crawly feeling. That feeling that makes your neck feel like it’s on fire. And your ears. And face. It is borderline unpleasant with the amount that Beyond Raw put in their Lit pre workout. But. The itching DID sort of subside after about 90 minutes. During my workout, I thought the pre workout performed adequately. Not crazy good. Not bad by any means. Just kind of, well, plain. I felt strong. I felt a bit of a pump during the hypertrophy stages of my workout where I was really going for some size. I felt like I completed more reps than I would have been able to without it. But. I felt like something was missing. I felt like there was no real ‘x-factor’ that really pushed Beyond Raw Lit Pre workout over the edge into the realm where I would want to really RAVE about it to you guys. It was just sort of average for me. That’s what she said.
Beyond Raw Lit Pre Workout: Report Card
- Performance: 8.0
- Flavor: 7.9
- Formula: 8.6
- Packaging: 8.9
- Value: 8.3
Final Score: 8.2
At still over a dollar per serving (almost 40 bucks for a 30 serving tub), you really need to get a BIG performance out of your pre workout. That’s my opinion. I think the product is GOOD, but it’s not GREAT, and for them to demand GREAT pricing, it needed to blow me away in the gym, and also with the flavor. And Beyond Raw LIT did neither. It’d be a good one to try out at like $10 cheaper, but for me, it’s not getting the thumbs up.*
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