In today’s review we’re going to cover off on the ENGN pre workout from EVL Nutrition. I’m specifically going to focus on the performance effects and let you know if it’s a good pre workout for women to take. I’ll start as usual with flavor grade which will give you a good feel for what this pre workout tastes like. Then of course we’ll move into the performance review section in which I’ll document my entire workout and how Engine (can I call it that) performed during that workout. Next we’ll explore the supplement facts panel a little bit and breakdown what ingredients are in EVL ENGN. I’ll close things up with a label breakdown, and of course conclude as usual with our review summary that ties everything together into one neat package. Why don’t we get started then. So kick back, relax, and enjoy our super informative, always entertaining EVL ENGH Review!
As you know, my blog is almost exclusively dedicated to women’s specific pre workouts and fat burners and diet pills. And protein powders and even protein bars. But every once in a while we have to go outside the box and try a product that might not exactly be made for women. The EVL ENGN is one such product. I’d actually go as far as to say that ENGN is probably a men’s specific product. With it’s mysterious black and blue packaging, aggressive layout, and telling name- this is most certainly a product made for, and targeting male athletes.
But that hasn’t stopped me before, has it? Most certainly not. After all, I’ve reviewed all the ‘big-time’ men’s pre workouts out there. From Pre-Jym, to Assualt, to C4. And I’m sure there are others that I’m leaving out. But basically the only things that differentiates men’s and women’s pre workouts is the presence of creatine. Creatine will make you stronger, but also cause you to put on the infamous ‘water weight’, and give you that bloated appearance. Engine pre workout definitely has creatine in it, but I’ll talk more about the formula itself in a minute. First we will talk about the flavor, and if ENGN actually works.
EVL Nutrition ENGN Flavor Grade: 9.6
I had the pleasure of trying three flavors of ENGN as a product of buying a tub of the green apple for myself, and then sampling the blue raspberry, and also fruit punch options. So luckily for you, after this review you are going to have a good sense of all three flavors, and know which flavor of EVL ENGN Is the best.
- Blue Raspberry: Speaking of the best flavor of EVL ENGN- it’s 100% this one. The blue raspberry was the first flavor of ENGN that I tried, and it was the one that I liked far and away more than the other two. What’s odd about this blue raspberry flavor is that it really has a more tropical and citrusy taste than you would expect. It does NOT taste like the standard ‘blue snow cone’ that you get most of the time with a blue raspberry flavor. The taste sort of starts that way, but then you get some serious tartness and almost lemon flavors and the snow cone starts to fade into something even more delicious. I can’t really describe it any better than that- but just trust me this is the best flavor of ENGN.
- Fruit Punch: I don’t have a whole lot to say about this flavor because the sample pack was just two servings so I tried it just the one time (that’s right I beasted both servings in one sitting!) LOL. Beasted. Great verb, Allie. But yeah the fruit punch is ok. It does taste about exactly how you are imagining in your head right now. It mixes up bright red, and tastes like Hawaiian Punch. It’s really quite tasty.
- Green Apple: My least favorite flavor of EVL ENGN was the green apple. I must say that I came into this flavor with high expectations because my bff told me that this one was the best. And by BFF I mean the guy who works at GNC. LOL. (Like he’s not YOUR best friend, too?). I don’t know why I thought I would enjoy this flavor more than the others. I mean I don’t really like apples, much less the taste of an artificial tasting green jolly rancher. This flavor does taste alot like the Jolly Rancher, which is probably why I didn’t enjoy it very much. If you are going to get a tub of ENGN, go with the blue raspberry. Ok. Taste is done. How does EVL ENGN perform in the gym?
EVL Nutrition ENGN Performance Grade: 8.9
I took EVL before a really strenuous weight training session because I knew it had all the creatine in the world in it- and I figured if I was going to get all pumped up I might as well do it big. And do it big we did. My friend and I dove headlong into 500 crunches, followed by about an hours’ worth of zig-zag squats. Zig Zag squats are where you do a set of back squats followed immediately by a set of front squats. (The training partner must pull off some weight between the two, of course!). I felt ENGN start to kick in almost immediately as we got after the crunches. This pre workout definitely does not alleviate the feeling of your stomach being on fire during your tenth set of crunches, I can tell you that much!
But where ENGN really shined was during the meat of the workouts- and of course I am talking about the zig-zag squats. I knew that ENGN would aid the most during this most rigorous part of the workout because that’s what it is built to do. I think the most profound effect that you notice after taking ENGN is how strong you feel, and how focused you get, and stay for the duration of the training session. I can’t remember the last time I squatted 165 for that many sets and reps- but I know that ENGN had something to do with it! I powered through set, after set, never feeling the need to quit at all. It’s so cliche but the weight actually did feel lighter. You should try it to see what I mean. After crushing out 15th (yes, 15th set!) of zig-zags, and then finishing with even more abs, I went to grab the jar of EVL to see what was actually in there. Surely there’s more to it than just creatine and caffeine, right? Let’s find out:
EVL Nutrition ENGN Formula Grade: 8.7
I think the most interesting part of this product is the formula, and how despite a very modest scoop size, they were really able to come up with a product that enhances your workout performance dramatically. If you read my Pre-Jym review, or my Assault review (or taken these products yourself), you know that they are the official ‘anti-concentrated’ pre workout. Meaning the scoop is like 20 grams big (think protein powder scoop). Yeah. They are monstrous. But EVL ENGN is pretty small in comparison. At just 8 grams per serving, the amount of powder seems almost laughable in this the age of the ‘mega-scoop’ pre workouts. Looking at this supplement facts panel, here are the key ingredients that jump out to me:
- Betaine: Improves strength. This is a very trendy ingredient these days.
- Choline Bitartrate: Enhances cognition and focus. I think I felt the effects of this ingredient for sure.
- L-Tyrosine: Another nootropic support amino that helps focus.
- Creatine Monohydrate: The most basic form of creatine to help boost strength and endurance.
- Magnesium Creatine Chelate (Creatine Magnapower): Probably my favorite form of creatine. This patented form give tremendous strength gains instantly without the need to load up on it for days before.
- Alpha-glycerolphosphorylcholine: I’m not even going to try to type that correctly. And no I don’t know what it does either.
- Caffeine: Of course the world famous ‘engine’ of the ENGN is caffeine.
- Agmatine Sulfate (Agmass): This is a pump ingredient in some fancy branded format.
- Beta-Alanine: Oh yeah, there’s beta-alanine in here. And a decent amount at that.
Overall this formula is very strong. Like I said, it’s impressive that they were able to give such a ‘kick’ from such a relatively small amount of ingredients. I didn’t give them an ‘A’ on the formula because yes it is proprietary, and also just because it is such a small blend my concern is that they may have skimped on some of the more expensive ingredients. Let’s move into package analysis, shall we? LOL. Get ittt. Wow it must be getting late.
EVL Nutrition ENGN Packaging Grade: 9.0
I AM giving EVL an ‘A’ on packaging because they have done something super super cool with the label on their ENGN pre workout. What they’ve done is that crazy image shifting/bending thing where depending on whether it’s tilted up or down, the colors change. It’s not pure holographic foil, but rather the kind where the thing REALLY changes because of that ridged plastic cover. I wish I knew for this effect because it is super hard to explain. But anyways. I like it because it’s the first time I’ve ever seen something like this on a pre workout. And as you know, originality goes a long way in my book when it comes to packaging and design. Nicely done, EVL! Other things that I like on this package are the colors themselves (blue, black, and green are striking together). The layout, while not the most logical, is effective and matches the edginess of the design as a whole. You get the sense of effectiveness, seriousness, and aggression from looking at this pre workout from EVL. I like it.
EVL Nutrition ENGN Review Summary:
- EVL Nutrition ENGN Performance Grade: 8.9
- EVL Nutrition ENGN Formula Grade: 8.7
- EVL Nutrition ENGN Packaging Grade: 9.0
- EVL Nutrition ENGN Value Grade: 9.6
I’m giving EVL a ‘B plus plus’ because it’s very affordable, it’s quite effective, and it looks fantastic. At about a dollar per serving, it’s within everyone’s price range. So the ‘band for the buck’ value of EVL’s pre workout is tough to beat. The only thing holding it back to us ladies in my opinion is the creatine and and just the amount of caffeine might be a little too much to take everyday. I did get a tiny bit jittery and had a bit of a crash after my workout. So, EVL, how ‘bout a women’s version? ;)*
EVL Nutrition ENGN Review Final Score: 8.9
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