Do you need to find a good pre-workout supplement to make sure you’re getting the most out of your trips to the gym?
A good pre-workout drink can not only help your body develop, but can also enable you to work harder. This Beyond Raw Lit Pre Workout review will help you decide if this supplement meets your needs.
What to Consider Before Buying
What exactly do you need from your pre workout?
Most people don’t want to use the same pre-workout drink for a heavy-weight workout as you do for a cardio session.
The reason why is because different ingredients are for different purposes. For example, if you plan on having a heavy cardio day, you may want to swap the “pump” ingredients for some more stimulants.
Am major concern when working out is lactic acid buildup which limits the amount of reps you can pump out. A good weight training pre-workout will help maximize muscle development as well as enable your body to push out extra reps in each set.
On the other hand, cardio workouts are about developing your endurance and giving you energy. A good running or elliptical pre-workout drink will be less concerned about muscle development as it is about enabling you to exercise for a long time.
If you are looking for a great pre-workout for cardio, you can check out our best picks here.
The different goals in your workout will lead you to needs in a pre-workout drink.
You also need to consider any added stimulants, sugar, and artificial flavoring. Obviously, the artificial flavors and any added sugar are simply about improving the taste. However, people who carefully watch their macro-nutrients might not want the extra carbs. In particular, people with diabetes will want to limit their sugar intake (the rest of us should also avoid sugar since it can not only cause testosterone to drop it also can cause inflammation).
Many people wish to avoid stimulants like caffeine, or the notorious ephedra that was frequently used in many “fat-burning” supplements in the early 2000s. This is particularly important if you’re putting a lot of cardio stress on your body, working out in high heat, or you have a heart condition.
While stimulants can help energize you during your workouts, many want to avoid them due to personal preference.
Beyond Raw Lit Pre Workout Review
This product comes from the workout supplement retailer GNC. GNC grew into an industry giant during the ’60s after its founding as a small health food store in 1935.
The Beyond Raw LIT Pre Workout supplement is one of the company’s many proprietary product lines. You can get it either in powder form or a ready-to-drink version that comes in a can. This LIT Pre Workout review will focus on the powdered supplement.
Pros:
- Unique Enjoyable Flavors
- Takes Effect Very Quickly
- Easily Dissolves in Liquid
- Contains Creatine and elevATP
- Contains NeuroFactor
Cons:
- Caffeine Amount can be High for Some
- Less Affordable
- Low Dosed Ingredients for Pump
Features and Benefits
Ingredients
The most important feature of any supplement is the ingredients. It should be the first thing you look at when considering whether or not to use a particular supplement. Here are the list of ingredients for this raw pre workout:
Creatine: 1.5g & ElevATP: 150mg
Creatine is a common supplement that enables your muscles to produce more ATP, which in turn helps with endurance. Beyond Raw LIT supplement includes 1.5 grams of creatine, which is actually a bit light compared to most pre-workout supplements. Many use 3 to 5 grams of creatine (typically creatine monohydrate) to support your muscle function. However, Beyond Raw LIT preworkout uses “micronized” creatine. The primary effect of micronizing creatine is to improve solubility, but some claim it is also more effective than unmicronized creatine.
The other ingredient is elevATP, which is made from a blend of adaptogenic mushrooms. GNC claims that it boosts Adenosine Tri Phosphate (ATP), which is the same effect your body has from supplementing creatine.
Beta-alanine: 3.2g
Beta-alanine helps modulate the acidity of your muscles. As you exercise, your muscles will produce lactic acid as a byproduct. Lactic acid build up is what causes you to feel a “burn” after pushing out a large number of reps. Beta-alanine helps reduce muscle acidity to counter lactic acid build up.
This is also the same ingredient that makes your face or other places “tingle.” Many people like this feeling and many people also don’t, its up to you. If you want a pre workout without out, check out our list of best pre workouts without beta alanine here.
Otherwise, this is a clinically dosed amount for beta alanine in your pre workout.
Caffeine: 250mg
Beyond Raw LIT provides it’s “kick” with the traditional caffeine. 250 milligrams can give you a significant jolt. It’s 2 1/2 times the amount in a typical cup of coffee.
NeuroFactor: 100mg
Along with the 250 mg of caffeine, Beyond Raw LIT adds 100 mg of NeuroFactor. This is the one nootropic ingredient included in this pre workout. NeuroFactor claims to help with the production of BDNF, which is a protein in your brain, to help you with your workout.
L-citrulline: 3g
L-Citrulline is a more effective form of L-arginine, which is used to stimulate nitric oxide production in your body. Nitric oxide boosts workout performance, lowers blood pressure, and helps to give you a great pump. L-citrulline’s big advantage is that it avoids digestive enzymes that break down L-arginine. Once past the gut, L-citrulline converts to L-arginine.
Overall, this is on the lower side of dosages for L-Citrulline, if you are looking to get a great pump.
Nitrosigine: 1.5g
This is another L-arginine compound that avoids gut enzymes. In this case, Nitrosigine is silica bonded to L-arginine. Not only does the silica help the L-arginine evade gut enzymes, but it also helps relax the veins. This is another way this supplement improves blood flow and therefore, benefiting your pump.
Taste
Beyond Raw LIT actually tastes quite good. It includes 4 grams of carbs (but no sugar) and citric acid for taste. While the product contains zero sugar, it does have sucralose (Splenda), which is an artificial sweetener. The downside of sucralose is that it harms healthy gut bacteria (the good bacteria) that we need to maintain digestive health.
Personally, I am a big fan of the Icy Fireworks because it reminds me of those red, white, and blue ice pops you would get as a kid.
Mixability
As mentioned above, this stuff mixes well. It dissolves easily and their are no complaints in this department.
Crash
The problem with most supplements intended to boost energy is that many people will suffer from a crash after the supplement “wears off.” While I had some crash after using Beyond Raw pre workout, it’s not nearly as bad as many workout supplements and energy drinks with higher stimulants.
Side effects
Using Beyond Raw preworkout will cause most people to have “tingly” muscles, which is a common side-effect of pre-workout supplements because of the beta alanine. It also can elevate your heart rate due to the caffeine and can lower your blood pressure. Caffeine also can dehydrate you, which is something you want to avoid especially if you’re doing something that makes you sweat a lot. The product can also cause headaches and an upset stomach as well.
Overall, it’s not a huge list of side effects compared to many pre-workout supplements, but any cardiac patient or person with low blood pressure will want to use caution before starting with pre workout.
What Are Others Saying
Beyond Raw Pre Workout has 2,645 customer reviews on Amazon. Seventy-four percent of users gave the product a five-star review, while only 4% rated it at one-star. Overall, customers gave Beyond Raw LIT preworkout a healthy average rating of 4.5 stars.
Mikvikpik called Beyond Raw LIT Pre Workout “candy [that] is good for you.” He said that this product helped keep him going through long working days. North to the future considered this pre-workout product “better than most.” Jake E. felt like he could “bench press a giraffe three times” after using it.
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Alternative Pre Workout options
Vintage Blast Pre Workout
Vintage Blast markets itself as the “world’s first two-stage natural pre-workout energy drink.” They claim that this two-stage effect helps power you through long workouts. It contains a wide variety of vitamins as well as energy boosters and performance enhancers to get you ready to go for your workouts.
It also contains D-aspartic acid (which Beyond Raw LIT does not) to help you with post-workout muscle recovery.
Pros:
- Contains Multiple Vitamins that Beyond Raw LIT does not
- Has D-aspartic acid for Muscle Recovery
- Includes Branch Chain Amino Acids for Muscle Development (Not in Beyond Raw LIT)
- Sweetened with Stevia, which is the healthiest artificial sweetener
- Gluten-free and 100% Vegetarian
- Contains Electrolytes
Cons:
- More Expensive per Serving
- Doesnt Contain Any Nootropics
- Limited Flavors
Pre Jym Pre Workout
The classic pre workout debate of lit vs pre jym. This solid pre-workout contains more stimulants and ingredients than Beyond Raw LIT. Overall, Pre Jym contains more creatine, more caffeine, more nootropics, less beta alanine, but slightly more ingredients for a better pump.
This pre workout is definitely more for an experienced user who has been using pre workout for a while. This isn’t a pre workout you want to start off on, due to the high dosages of some ingredients, like the caffeine.
Pros:
- Contains More Creatine, in the form of CON-CRET
- Contains Slightly More L-Citrulline, in the form of Citrulline Malate
- Contains BCAAs (unlike Beyond Raw LIT)
- Contains More Nootropics and Stimulants
Cons:
- Limited on Flavors
- Compared to Raw pre workout, this is a more expensive option
- Contains less Beta-Alanine
- Contains Artifical Sweeteners
Bucked Up – Woke Pre Workout
This pre-workout markets itself as a high-stim option. It contains 333 mg of caffeine, which is more than the 250 mg boost you get from Beyond Raw LIT. Bucked Up – Woke also has an ingredient called Actigin that the company claims increases your VO2 max, which is a measure of lung capacity. This suggests you can workout harder and longer.
This product promotes a great taste with a strong boost and pump. I am personally a fan of the Rocket Pop and Red Raz, while I found the Strawberry Kiwi a little too sweet for my liking.
Pros:
- Contains antigen (an ingredient Beyond Raw LIT lacks)
- Contains More Nootropics
- Contains same amount of Beta-Alanine
- Contains Slightly More L-Citrulline, this is just shipped as Citrulline Malate instead
- Contains Alpha GPC, an ingredient intended to improve mental focus
Cons
- High Caffeine Dosage to use frequently
- A More Expensive Options
- Additional stimulants Theobromine and Huperzine (though some might see extra stimulants as a benefit)
- Personally, Not a Fan of How Small the Packaging Is
Take-Away
Also, supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so please pick products that are reputable and backed by science.
If you’re looking for something that will help you perform at your best in the gym with a strong pump, you can check out Beyond Raw LIT.
