REVIEW: MDRN Athlete Pre Workout is WAY too Strong…

Posted on February 28th, 2018 By Allie Lewis in Pre Workout Reviews Read Time: 12 mins.

Recently updated on September 26th, 2022 at 09:47 pm

MDRN Athlete is the newest supplement brand to come onto the scene and it’s only fitting that I be one of the VERY FIRST to publish my MDRN Athlete pre workout review. In this review I’m going to talk about literally everything that you could ever want to know regarding MDRN Athlete pre workout. I’m going to discuss the flavors, the formula, the performance, and even the packaging in this completely in-depth, mostly useful, always entertaining MDRN Athlete Pre Workout review. Since most of you have never even heard of this new pre workout, it’ll be fun to introduce you to this new face in a way that only I know how. So if you’re ready, then I am too. Let’s get started.

MDRN Athlete Pre Workout is the first pre workout review I’ve done in a few weeks, since so much of my time has been spent doing vegan protein reviews, so it actually feels good to dip my toe back in the oh-so-familiar pre workout waters. I’m trying to recall where I first heard of MDRN Athlete, but I’m sure it was on Instagram. Where do any of us hear about ANYTHING anymore except Instagram? But anyways when I first hear about MDRN Athlete Pre Workout, and that it contains the new stimulant ‘Dynamine’, I knew I just had to try it. Why don’t we actually start with a quick breakdown of the ingredients, since I already teased the Dynamine

What’s in MDRN Athlete Pre Workout? 

This is one of the bulkiest scoops I’ve had since Pre-Kaged. Actually both have a pretty meaty serving size but it almost feels like a protein powder because there is just SO much powder in every scoop. But I actually enjoy these sort of ‘big-blend’ pre workouts because there are ALL KINDS of ingredients in here. Let me just list them off and then we’ll discuss them ok? Great. 

MDRN Athlete Pre Workout Ingredients: 

Vitamin C

Niacin

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B12

L-Citrulline

Beta-Alanine

Betaine Anhydrous 

Agmatine 

N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine

Alpha-GPC

Methylliberine (as Dynamine)

Theacrine

L-Theanine

Huperzine A

Caffeine Anhydrous 

Black Pepper Extract 

Other Ingredients: Natural and artificial flavors, citric acid, malic acid, silicon dioxide, sucralose

Well. If you know anything about pre workout, you know that is one MASSIVE formulation. Things that jump out at me first, are, well, just the sheer number of stimulants in this pre workout. It’s just ridiculous to use this many mental energy/focus ingredients in one product. it’s literally insanity. Keep this in mind. Huperzine plus caffeine alone is a lethal combo. Not lethal like it will kill you, but lethal like, you are probably going to be crying home to Momma because you can’t sleep. It’s a very very powerful stimulant combo, especially since the caffeine per serving in MDRN Athlete Pre Workout is a heavy 300mg.

So that’s a big stimulant kick alone. THEN we see the brand new designer stimulant ‘Dynamine’, which is so new that almost no human research exists to support it. So that’s fun. Theacrine is another pretty serious stimulant that is in every serving of MDRN Athlete Pre Workout. 

Some of the other ingredients, still in the neurohack complex, are alpha GPC, theanine, and tyrosine. Three popular focus ingredients. I still just can’t get over the fact that all of these are in here. It’s a little intimidating to be honest. 

The other ingredients, (believe it or not there are even room for more ingredients outside the neurohack complex), are designed to help strength and give the classic ‘pump’ effect. You have citrulline and agmatine for the pump. And then you have Carnosyn Beta Alanine to make your skin feel like it’s burning off. My favorite.

Ok. So the formula is extreme. You don’t have ANY CREATINE, which is notable, and you also will notice that the MDRN Athlete Pre Workout is artificially flavored and sweetened. I’m kind of glad it doesn’t have creatine, but I wish it was naturally flavored for sure. Ok let’s discuss those flavors now. I’ll give the MDRN Athlete Pre Workout an 8/10 on formula. It’s robust, but a little bit scary because of all the stimulants. 

What’s the Best Flavor of MDRN Athlete Pre Workout? 

There are three flavors of the MDRN Athlete pre workout, and I was fortunate enough to try all three. By fortunate enough, I mean that I shelled out well over a hundred dollars and BOUGHT all three. I’ll describe each flavor before I give you my personal opinion on which MDRN Athlete PRE flavor is the best. 

Tiger’s Blood: Okay so weird name aside, I actually really enjoyed this flavor of Modern PRE. The Tiger’s Blood flavor had some very interesting notes to it, and frankly it’s not a flavor I’d EVER had before. I did enjoy it greatly. It was smooth and very sweet, like just a tick away from being TOO sweet. But it went down smooth with each sip. I thought it could use a touch more sourness but maybe Tiger’s Blood isn’t sour. I wouldn’t know. Lol. 9/10 on this one. 

Cotton Candy: Some people don’t love cotton candy, but I sure do. I would eat it all day long if I could. And now that I have the opportunity to drink it, in pre workout form, I’m a little afraid that that’s ALL I’m going to want to do. Because this MDRN Athlete Pre Workout flavor is BOMB. It ACTUALLY tastes like cotton candy. Sometimes these things just taste like bubble gum or something like that, but I really truly loved this flavor. Very sweet and smooth, but with the most real cotton candy flavor. So good. 9.5/10. 

Sour Gummy: This pre workout flavor was probably my least favorite but it had a very tough act to follow after the Tiger’s Blood and the Cotton Candy. I loved how this one had a little bit more sourness to it, but the fruit flavors all just sort of clashed in my opinion. I also thought that it could’ve used some more sweetness but my little brother ADORES this MDRN Athlete Pre Workout flavor so I will give it an 8.5/10 out of courtesy. 

As you could probably tell by that synopsis, Cotton Candy was by far my favorite MDRN Athlete Pre Workout pre workout flavor. It was delightfully sweet and the cotton candy flavor is spot on. The Tiger’s Blood was also quite good, and even my least favorite one, the Sour Gummy, is pleasant. Overall MDRN Athlete did a FANTASTIC job on flavoring. 9/10. Let’s now chat about how this pre workout actually performs. 

Does MDRN Athlete Pre Workout Work? What Does it Feel Like? 

So usually I just give a basic ‘did it work’ yes or no and then discuss my workout. But with MDRN Athlete, there is just more to it than that. As you know from reading my analysis of the formulation, there are a TON of nootropic and brain-impacting ingredients in here that go much further than other pre workout supplements. In fact this might be the MOST HARDCORE pre workout I’ve ever had- and THAT my friends is saying something, as I’ve literally reviewed hundreds of pre workouts.

But when you take a serving of MDRN Athlete Pre Workout, you enter into a very interesting mental experience. Frankly, it’s not one that is for everyone. Similar to the Genius pre workout, or Cass Martin’s ‘WRKETHIC’ pre workout, this Modern Athlete pre workout is not to be taken lightly. 

I took it twice, both times at one single scoop. Both times, I had an unbelievable workout. Absolutely 1000% a better workout than I would’ve had without it. My focus and energy were almost unparalleled, and the sensations lasted not just for the significant duration of my workouts, but the rest of the workday as well. 

My workout performance itself was impressive. I don’t know if PHYSICALLY this pre workout was boosting my physical capacity as much as it was altering my mental state to be able to perform at exceptional intensities for so long. It’s really quite an experience. My leg day and back day were completely impressive. 

But there is a catch. As with the other pre workouts that prime your mind to higher levels, I think the MDRN Athlete Pre Workout has a little bit of a ‘come-down’ at the end. A little bit of that post-stimulated ‘icky’ feeling that basically are your brain telling you that you overdid it—whatever ‘IT’ was. 

And so for that reason. That reason of feeling just too mentally over-worked by MDRN Athlete Pre Workout, I have to say even my crazy workout intensity doesn’t outweigh the hangover you get from it. I’ll give MDRN Pre an 8/10 for that reason on performance. Let’s end by breaking down the MDRN Athlete Pre Workout packaging. 

MDRN Athlete Pre Workout Labeling Looks Familiar…

Call me crazy but I see several borrowed elements from other brands when I look at MDRN Athlete’s packaging. I see a LOT of carry over from the other hot brand on the block, which is Ghost Lifestyle. I also see some influence from the other pre workout I mentioned before which is Cass Martin’s WRKETHIC Hard Work pre workout. 

Now. I know they say ‘imitation is flattery’ and even the great artists have been quoted as saying that they borrowed inspiration from their peers or superiors. But in this case, I think the similarities to the Ghost Brand just rub me the wrong way. Just a little bit. Not a lot, but I can definitely tell that MDRN Athlete didn’t re-invent their own design language. The textures and sort of ‘tearing’ graffiti look are too similar to Ghost

That being said, I think despite any copy-catting, the MDRN Athlete Pre Workout does look good. It uses a unique color palette for each of the three flavors, which I have always loved. It uses yellow for the gummies, blue and pink for the cotton candy, and a teal color for Tiger’s Blood. The fonts are tastefully chose and reflect the bold nature of the product within. So. I guess I’ll give MDRN Pre Workout an 8.4/10 on the packaging. 

MDRN Athlete Pre Workout Review Summary

  • Flavors: 9.2/10
  • Formula: 8.5/10
  • Performance: 8/10 
  • Packaging: 8.4/10
  • Value: 8.3/10

Final Score: 8.6/10 

MDRN Athlete Pre Workout is not for the faint of heart- I’ll say that. The product tastes great, and looks handsome. But even the strong packaging understates the potency of the product within. If you have not used many pre workouts, I would advise staying away from this one. But if you’re a stim-junkie, this might be a better fit.*

Allie Lewis

By Allie Lewis

Hi, my name is Allie and reviewing products is my hobby. I am passionate about being fit and active, so making a blog about my experience with different products that help me stay healthy made sense to me. Please contact me at any time if you would like to guest post or advertise on-site.