Hardcore Nutrition Mutate Extreme is a pre workout that I’m so excited to review for you guys. The pre workout energy supplement by Hardcore Nutrition, or ‘HN Supps’ to the layperson, is one of the newer and most popular companies to come around, and I’m delighted to do some reviews for you to get a feel for what they’re all about. I’ve already done one HN review- on their protein powder. But this is a Mutate Exreme pre workout review. Pre workout reviews are a little more complex as you have the added component of workout performance. Speaking of which- that is one of, if not THE most important category within this whole review. The workout performance gives you an idea how the product kicks in the gym, and is most important in my opinion. But other important pre workout elements are of course the taste, the formula, and the packaging. Yes, the packaging is important. Hardcore Nutrition knows this, clearly. I mean just look at this pretty little jar! So yeah- those are the criteria that we’ll be covering off on in this Hardcore Nutrition Mutate Extreme Pre Workout Review. Let’s hit the button to start this thing off.
Mutate Extreme is going to be such a fun review because I already have such a good direction for how to craft this review. I just finished an amazing workout and am still riding my post-workout ‘high’…or wait…is this just my post ‘pre workout high’? Lol. It very well could be. This pre workout is quite strong. Mutate Extreme kicked in almost right from the start, and I ended up having one of the better workouts of this new year. As you know from my other reviews, I’ve had some trouble with injuries, and unfortunately my body and physique have suffered because of it. But I was not to be denied with this pre workout on my side. let me tell you exactly how the workout went, from start to finish. As always, we’ll start with the taste.
Hardcore Nutrition Mutate Extreme Pre Workout Flavor Grade: 9.0
It’s easy to choose a flavor when there is only one. The flavor that HN Supps chose to make happens to be the watermelon flavor, and I will sum it up in one word: good. ‘Wow, Allie, not so descriptive, geez!’. Lol. I know. But give me a break my brain isn’t working at full speed right now. Hashtag long weekend. Lol. Seriously though, Mutate tastes quite good. The watermelon flavor is somewhere between an authentic ‘true watermelon’ taste and more of an artificial ‘jolly rancher’ taste. I’d say it’s more of an authentic watermelon with just a bit of a sour kick. I found it very enjoyable in almost every way. If I had to pick out the best strength of this flavor, it is definitely the sweetness level. This pre workout is on point in terms of the level of sweetness. It’s not overpowering, but it has enough sweetness to make your taste buds cry out for more. It’s nicely balanced with the bitterness, and has a tremendous profile in general. I enjoyed every last drop of Mutate Extreme, and really didn’t want it to be over by the time I finished. Sometimes the highlight of my day is getting ready for a workout, so it’s nice that Hardcore Nutrition has made a pre workout that compliments that ritual. Speaking of Rituals…
Hardcore Nutrition Mutate Extreme Pre Workout Performance Grade: 8.8
This pre workout by Hardcore Nutrition reminds me a TON of ANS Ritual pre workout that I reviewed back in the Summer. Much like the Ritual, Mutate Extreme gives you almost immediate energy to get you motivated for the gym. There is almost no limit to that energy by the 20 minute mark of your pre workout process. This product builds up your energy levels to an unbelievable and climactic peak at about the twenty five minute mark, and you know it’s now or never to begin the workout. At first I thought the product was just a little bit too strong because my heart felt a little bit like it was beating out of my chest. However, that feeling thankfully went away as I moved from my warmup sets into the meat of my workout. I ended up doing a little extra warming up just to make sure I had a good feel for how I would feel during the workout in terms of heart-rate and energy.
The workout that I used Mutate for was a high volume squat workout. I’ve been trying like heck to get my lower body to grow, and especially since my elbows have been disrupted, I’ve really been forced to use my lower body to do the harder workouts. I guess it was the Big Man’s way of telling me to try and get some symmetry for once in my physique. I think my upper body has always been pretty good, but my legs just have never been as toned as I wanted them. But after today’s workout, I think I really did them some good.
I felt amazing from my first set of 20-rep squats to my last. I know Mutate Extreme helped me battle through the harder reps (15-20), especially in the later stages of the workout. I’ve never been that great of a squatter, but with Hardcore Nutrition powering my body, I had some amazing energy stores. I think the best benefits of this pre workout are, (in order of most beneficial to least):
- The immediate rush of energy to get you into the gym
- The endurance aspect of the product
- The focus and cognitive elements
That’s not such a bad trio of effects to get from a pre workout. Now I know I’m spending a long time on the workout performance side of things- but you should really understand just how this pre workout does impact your workout. I truly enjoyed the energy and endurance. Some pre workouts are good at one of these things and not the other, but Mutate Extreme did both in perfect harmony. Super well done. Let’s talk about why it is so good at these things.
Hardcore Nutrition Mutate Extreme Pre Workout Formula Grade: 8.7
I am only grading this pre workout formulation just short of an ‘A’ because it does use a series of proprietary blends instead of one single list of ingredients. There is a pump matrix, a mood & focal matrix, and then finally a stimulant matrix. I think that the pump matrix is the least important to me because sometimes a pump just ends up getting in the way of your workout. But I also didn’t really notice that this pre workout had too much of a pump element, so that’s fine.
The key things are the mood and stimulant matrix. As I said above, the most significant aspect of this pre workout is the amount of energy it provides right off the bat. When you look at the stimulant matrix, it’s not hard to see why it gives all that energy. Check this out:
Stimulant Matrix: 425 mg
- Caffeine Anhydrous
- Infingergy Caffeine Di Malate
- Caffeine Citrate
Um. 425 mg of caffeine. That’s a pretty solid amount. I’ve seen pre workout with high caffeine levels but this is pretty crazy. 425 mg is the equivalent of like 5 cups of coffee I believe. Or 1 Venti from Starbucks. Lol. It is a really wild experience though. Especially when you combine it with these focus, mood, and energy enhancers:
- Choline Bitartrate
- DMAE Bitartrate
- Synephrine
- Sulbutiamine
- Yohimbine
These things all go together with the caffeine to create something that is altogether very powerful. I am excited to try the product again tomorrow to see if I get the same effects or if I end up having a little bit of an adjustment to it. I think I should call out those last two ingredients though. Sulbutiamine is one of the less researched nootropic (brain boosters) out there, and I don’t always feel comfortable taking those more questionable ingredients. You know the old phrase ‘if it’s too good to be true, it usually is’. Well, that’s how I feel about sulbutiamine, and to a lesser extent, the yohimbine. But it could be worse. The FDA hasn’t formally banned this one yet, so, how bad could it be?
Hardcore Nutrition Mutate Extreme Pre Workout Packaging Grade: 8.8
While I was in love with Hardcore Nutrition’s Whey Isolate appearance, I think this one is just a little bit less captivating. It’s strange because the colors, graphics, and overall design language is very much the same across their entire line of products. But for some reason this one just doesn’t hit me the same way as the others. Mutate Extreme uses the ‘HN’ logo as the primary front panel graphic, while the product title ‘MUTATE EXTREME’ is laid out vertically along the side of the product. There is a watermelon graphic on the lower right side that indicates the product’s flavor. Overall it’s still an attractive product. Hardcore Nutrition has a good look going, and Mutate Extreme is a nice example of their design. I think I just liked the protein more because it was bigger in every way. But this is still pretty nice.
Hardcore Nutrition Mutate Extreme Pre Workout Review Summary
- Hardcore Nutrition Mutate Extreme Pre Workout Flavor Grade: 9.0
- Hardcore Nutrition Mutate Extreme Pre Workout Performance Grade: 8.8
- Hardcore Nutrition Mutate Extreme Pre Workout Formula Grade: 8.7
- Hardcore Nutrition Mutate Extreme Pre Workout Packaging Grade: 8.8
- Hardcore Nutrition Mutate Extreme Pre Workout Value Grade: 8.7
I really liked this pre workout on taste, I loved it on performance, and I think the formula is sound. I’m a little hesitant to give it the five star rating because of the sulbutiamine and also because the price point is a little high. But all things considered, this is a successful product.*
Hardcore Nutrition Mutate Extreme Pre Workout Final Review Score: 8.6
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