Ok where are my crossfit people at. I know you’re out there. This Driven Nutrition Pre Wod pre workout review is for you. I know a few of my super close friends have taken this pre for a while now, and I’m really stoked to say that I’m finally able to give you the full low-down on how this pre workout, which has been heralded as the ‘best pre workout for crossfit’ performs. I think it’s a really enticing formula, and I was pleasantly surprised with it’s performance. I actually did take it before a crossfit workout for my review so I can give you the real-world crossfitters perspective on how the pre workout behaves. I will talk about the taste, the performance, the packaging, and of course conclude with a value summary. Oh, and of course we’ll go over the ingredients as well. I don’t want to bore you so I’ll mix in my usual Fit Life Allie humor into this Driven Nutrition Pre Wod pre workout Review. Let the Crossfit Games begin!
I actually watched the crossfit games for the first time on ESPN2 like a few days ago. I think it was a re-run, but I think it was really interesting. I had no idea just how CRAZY fit those folks are. I mean. The guys were animals. But what really struck me was how incredibly the women performed. I was also really blown away by the quality of their physiques. I was in total awe. Honestly it’s enough to make a girl want to start doing crossfit exclusively! Except I KNOW I would end up hurting myself. Unless I had the right trainer and nutrition…and of course the right pre workout…LOL. Well that was my segue so deal with it. But yeah I actually saw this pre workout on INSTA (where I see ALL the new pre workouts that I review), and sort of went down the rabbit hole until I found the brand that makes Pre Wod. It turns out to be Driven Nutrition- a company that also has a real crossfit gym along with their own line of supplements. I made a purchase for the ‘WOD Candy’ flavor of Pre Wod, and waited patiently for it’s arrival. Lucky for me, it arrived JUST as I was leaving for a crossfit workout. I ripped it open and added 2 scoops to my pre workout shaker instantly. Let’s begin with a brief overview of the flavor.
Driven Nutrition Pre Wod pre workout Flavor Grade: 8.8
This is one of the oddest flavors of pre workout that I’ve ever tried. Let me tell you about it. The flavor is called ‘WOD Candy’ but really it’s like, well, almost a Skittles flavor. Like Skittles if you were to take a handful from the bag and put like twenty five of them in your mouth at once. Who does that? I think we all did as kids right? Lol. But I think that’s why I actually LIKED it! It didn’t make me feel like the healthiest girl in the world just because I know there must be SO much artificial sweetener in it to give it this crazy candy taste. But the flavor is exactly how I describe it. It’s sweet and it’s sort of tart and it’s delicious. I guess if I had to complain about it in some way, my complaint would be that it could be a bit ‘too much’ for long term use. I.E. tomorrow morning I don’t know if my enthusiasm for ‘WOD Candy’ will be very strong. It might be one of those flavors that is good the first time and then you’re just kind of over it. But let’s move into the ingredients review now.
Driven Nutrition Pre Wod pre workout Formula Grade: 8.4
The formula of Pre-Wod is pretty basic. To be quite honest with you, there’s nothing about Pre-Wod that makes it much different from your traditional bodybuilding supplements. Actually there’s nothing different. It’s as good for bodybuilders as it is for crossfitters as it is for athletes, runners, etc. Let’s look at the full Pre Wod ingredient list:
Beta Alanine
Betaine Anhydrous
L-Taurine
Vitamin C
Citrulline Malate
Glycerol Monostearate
Caffeine Anhydrous
DMAE
Overall it’s not a terrible imaginative formula. You have just a tiny bit of a boost in each department. Betaine for strength. Taurine and vitamin C for focus along with DMAE. Citrulline Malate and Glycerol Monostearate for some muscle volume. And then of course your caffeine and beta alanine to round out a very traditional pre workout formulation.
The thing that makes me a little hesitant to give this a higher grade is just simply the dosages. You know from my other pre workout reviews that I do tend to favor ‘simpler’ pre workouts that don’t have millions of ingredients. But this one is a little bit skimpy. Let me explain.
Take the first portion of the complex- the ‘Endurodrive Fusion’, which weight in at 2.6 grams. This includes your beta-alanine, your betaine, and your Taurine. You have to imagine that the beta-alanine is taking up about 2 grams of that part of the formula, if not even a little more. That means your betaine and taurine are most likely under-dosed, possibly very under-dosed to the point where you’re only getting a sprinkling. The same concept is used in the other parts of the formula, where you have the label panel broken down into three proprietary blends. This will allow Driven Nutrition to allocate the various ingredients however they want to in order to create the most cost efficient product.
I’ll still give the formula a ‘B’ because at least there’s aren’t any harmful or dangerous stimulants in here, but I think that overall it’s just a very basic pre workout formulation. And you know what? That’s just about exactly how it performs.
Driven Nutrition Pre Wod pre workout Performance Grade: 8.4
I did a pretty horrific ‘Sondra’ WOD this morning at Crossfit Playa Del Mar and it was actually gag-inducing. I instantly was wishing that I hadn’t eaten Italian the night before. But really the memory of any food was going to come back to haunt me. Let me be very frank- I’m not a ‘real’ crossfitter when it comes to diet. I’m not sitting there on my high horse eating almonds and salmon and olive oil for dinner every night. With maybe some dried fruit as a snack if I’m feeling really adventurous.
But here’s what happened performance-wise with Pre-Wod. I started out pretty strong. We had a 7 lap sprint essentially around the warehouse/parking lot, followed by 50 pullups for time, followed by 200 burpees, followed by more running, followed by more pullups. About halfway through the burpees I thought I was going to pass out. The energy that Pre Wod had given me through the first portion of the workout just up and left me. Just like that. Poof. It was like the scene in Bradley Cooper’s ‘Limitless’ when he sobers up from the NZT pill. His face gets all gaunt and ugly and you can literally feel his energy leaving him. It was just like that.
I ended up dragging ass through the remainder of the workout, but don’t get me wrong, it was unpleasant. I think the performance really matched what this pre workout is on paper. It’s an average formula that seems like it won’t get the job done for the longer, more strenuous workouts. Now. It would/will be VERY easy for you to sit there and say ‘But Allie, you just got tired, this has nothing to do with pre workouts’. And to you I say, first of all, you don’t talk to me like like that! Lol. And secondly, I know my body and what it’s capable of. And thirdly…that you’re probably right. Ok let’s talk packaging.
Driven Nutrition Pre-Wod Packaging Grade: 8.8
Ok so here’s the confusing thing- there is apparently TWO pre workouts called Pre-Wod. The other one is by a company called Nutriforce, and I’m going to post a full review on that one tomorrow. But let me describe the packaging of the Driven Nutrition one first. This pre workout (pictured above as well), has a black tub, and then a dark colored label on top of it. The graphics are white and red and quite frankly they are not terribly attractive. I think the best thing about the label design is the little gear logo. It reflects a sort of serious ‘crossfit’ attitude that makes you say ‘ok this product is for me’. there are also some strange little crossfit figurines nestled into the bottom sort of half circle along the bottom of the main banner thing. It’s overall a label that has some interesting elements but lacks any one really remarkable or identifiable thread that would tie it all together and make it a more impactful design.
Driven Nutrition Pre-Wod Pre Workout Review Summary
- Driven Nutrition Pre Wod pre workout Flavor Grade: 8.8
- Driven Nutrition Pre Wod pre workout Formula Grade: 8.4
- Driven Nutrition Pre Wod pre workout Performance Grade: 8.4
- Driven Nutrition Pre-Wod Packaging Grade: 8.8
- Driven Nutrition Pre Wod pre workout Value Grade: 8.8
$40 for 50 servings is a fair deal for Pre-Wod. It’s not the best performer on the shelf but it’s a good value play. And it’s certainly not just for crossfit.*
Driven Nutrition Pre Wod pre workout Final Review Score: 8.7
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