The following blog post is my review and analysis of the pre workout supplement Total War. My name is Alex Rogers, and I am a dietary supplement expert. I have over 20 years of experience in manufacturing, formulating, marketing, and distributing dietary supplements. I have a vast knowledge of the Code of Federal Regulations For Dietary Supplements 111’s. My focus is on sports nutrition products; therefore, I am qualified to review and give my commentary on Total War Pre Workout Supplement.
What Is Total War Pre Workout
Total War pre workout is a dietary supplement manufactured by the company RedCon1. On the manufacturer’s website, they claim that it is an all-in-one pre workout supplement. Total War Pre Workout supplement comes in about 20 different flavors, from names like Tigers Blood to Green Apple. It is mainly sold in 30 serving containers.
Who Manufacturers Total War Pre Workout Supplement
Redcon1 is the supplement company that manufacturers Total War pre workout. On their website, they claim to be the fastest-growing supplement company in the history of the sports nutrition industry. Making that claim they are asking to be scrutinized, so I went ahead and analyzed their muscle-building products to determine why they are making this claim. After looking at their products, I could tell their growth comes from marketing and not extraordinary supplements. In fact, in my opinion, most of their muscle-building category supplements are ingredients that are weak and ineffective. Most of them date back to the 1980s. For example, RedCon1 sells a product called MOAB1, which stands for mother of all builders. And they claim it is powerful. The main ingredient in MOAB is HMB. HMB is junk, in my opinion. HMB and its by-products like HICA, have literally been around since the 1990s when some guy Bill Phillips stated that it felt like you were on an anabolic steroid when using it. I do not know one single person that has ever RE BOUGHT HMB. Most people agree with me and think it’s a scam. After 25 years, it is time to retire this junk.
I’ve written an article about HMB as well, entitled, “Please stop using HMB”
Next, RedCon1 sells a product called Halo, which is Smilax. Smilax?? Are they serious? I think this junk has been around since the ’80s.
They also sell essential amino acids, which are worthless. If it was 1975 I could see maybe using them, but not 2021, when everyone has easy access to quality protein powders, which contain all the essential amino acids one needs from plant-based proteins to animal-based proteins.
They also sell beta-ecdysterone (but from Cyanotis Vaga, which is garbage from China). After assessing these products that they sell, I don’t have much respect or positive anticipation of Total War Pre Workout, but let’s begin to analyze it anyway.
BTW only one company I know sells high-quality Beta Ecdysterone.
Ingredients In Total War
This is about my 6th pre workout supplement review of other supplement companies products, and I can tell you right off the bat Total War pre workout is very similar to all the other pre workout supplements. The first ingredient in Total War pre workout is Citrulline Malate. This is the most common ingredient in other pre-workouts as well, Nothing special here. Citrulline malate is a good sports nutrition product to use. It does help with muscle endurance and vasodilation. Total War contains 6 grams which is the correct dosage to use.
The next ingredient is beta-alanine. The serving size of beta-alanine is 3.2 grams which is the proper dosage to use. However, my issue with the beta-alanine is what my problem is with other pre workout supplements that contain beta-alanine. I do not know if they are using the highest quality beta-alanine, Carnosyn. Total War pre workout does not list Carnosyn on the label; therefore, I can only assume they are not using Carnosyn, and they are using a cheap Chinese version of beta-alanine.
The next most important ingredient is the stimulant. All mass-market pre workout supplements contain a massive dose of stimulants. Total War pre workout is no exception, it includes 250 mg of caffeine, which is the average amount most pre workouts have. However, it also contains another 100mg of di-caffeine malate, which is just another fancy version of caffeine, which brings the total caffeine amount to about 350 mg. This equates to about 4 cups of coffee.
Finally, Total War contains other ingredients like taurine, green tea, and juniper, which I feel have no ergogenic benefits or are weak at best.
Final Opinion on Total War Pre Workout.
The first words that come to my mind to describe this supplement, “nothing special, average”. People like it because they like the Citrulline malate, the beta-alanine, and the caffeine. All three of these ingredients are good sports nutrition ingredients. (even though I don’t like caffeine for pre workout) However, there are dozens of other pre workout supplements that contain these exact same ingredients at the exact same dosages. Therefore that is why I describe Total War pre workout as nothing special and average. There is no way RedCon1 can debate another supplement company with the same exact ingredients that Total War is better. How could they when both have the same ingredients? The only thing they can debate is the flavor system. Maybe their product tastes better than another pre workout.
In conclusion, I recommend buying citrulline malate and beta-alanine by themselves. One does not need to mix all these ingredients together. Caffeine should not be used pre workout because it is a vasoconstrictor. It restricts blood flow, the exact opposite of “the pump.” Finally, I don’t recommend consuming artificial flavors, and especially artificial colors (if the product contains them)
Side note. One labeling compliance issue I see is that I cannot find on their labels if the product contains artificial colors. Yellow 5, which is the name for an artificial color, MUST be listed clearly on the label. Some people are deadly allergic to yellow 5. RedCon1 comes in pineapple, which I assume is yellow in color once mixed with water. I could be wrong because I did not purchase pineapple or see it, but this is something that must be addressed by RedCon1. The FDA could force them to recall the product.
Check out my other pre workout supplement reviews.