If there’s one thing you can compliment GHOST on without hesitation, it’s phenomenal branding and marketing. But great branding doesn’t always mean a great product. 

That said, I’ve tested GHOST Legend for the last couple of weeks, and as the kids say, “it slaps” — in a good way.

But I don’t recommend GHOST Legend because its purity and potency haven’t been third-party tested, and it lacks a Good Manufacturing Practice certificate. 

If you don’t care about verified potency and purity, keep reading, and I’ll cover the good, the bad, and the ugly in this review. 

But first, a few pre-workouts that you can count on for safety and purity.

GHOST Legend Alternatives

Transparent Labs BULK

Unless you want to max out on all the ingredients (rarely necessary), Transparent Labs BULK is my go-to recommendation. It’s third-party tested, GMP certified, and at $1.66 per serving ($1.49 if you subscribe), it’s not that much more expensive than GHOST. 

It also hits the minimum effective dose of all the key ingredients. If you’re a caffeine fiend, just keep in mind that Transparent Labs BULK has 200 mg of caffeine compared to the 250 mg in GHOST Legend. 

Read more about Transparent Labs BULK in my review.

Outwork Nutrition Pre-Workout

Outwork Nutrition Pre-Workout is a safer bet and a more transparent, trustworthy alternative to GHOST Legend. It’s third-party tested, GMP certified, and comes with a higher dose of L-citrulline and 300 mg of caffeine. And although a bit more expensive, it’s still reasonably priced.

Learn more by reading my full review of Outwork Nutrition.

Or read all my pre-workout reviews.

Best For:

If you’ve taken a pre-workout supplement before but didn’t like the crash or the phoned-in flavor, Ghost will give you the focus you’re looking for without breaking the bank.

The biggest upside with GHOST Legend is the amount of energy you’ll get without crashing afterward. 

It delivers what you need to go from Roxanne to Rambo and dominate your leg day (or any other workout). 

GHOST Legend has 250 mg of caffeine (about three cups of coffee) and 100 mg of theobromine. That theobromine might offset the crash, so if you have to go back to work or class after the gym, you won’t feel like dog shit.

The second upside of GHOST is the focus you’ll feel in your workouts. 

Ghost claims its proprietary blend, NeuroFactor (more on this below), is the source of that focus, but this claim does not have scientific backing. 

I’ll chalk the increased focus up to the 250 mg of caffeine. Who wouldn’t feel focused after three cups of coffee, right? 

The third upside is the flavor. 

GHOST is known for products that just taste damn good. 

I am a slut for big fan of the Blue Raspberry flavor — these guys have done a great job of getting it right.

Lastly, the price.

When you subscribe on the website, the price of GHOST Legend drops to $1.12 per scoop. That’s one of the best pre-workout deals I’ve seen.

Not For:

If you care about full transparency on potency and purity.

Ghost Legend isn’t third-party tested or GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certified. For me, those two are nonnegotiable. 

As for the actual ingredients and what they do, I don’t have many complaints about GHOST Legend, but the two I noticed are significant enough not to recommend the product to everyone.

Not everyone likes beta-alanine.

If you’re familiar with the tingles that come with most pre-workout supplements, that’s beta-alanine talking. And there’s no escaping the tingles with this pre-workout. 

One scoop of GHOST Legend contains 3,200 mg of beta-alanine. And trust me, that’s enough to feel it. 

When I took GHOST Legend in a fasted state, the tingles were too much for me. However, it was bearable if I took it after lunch. 

In short, if you give GHOST a try and the tingles are too much, just try eating a snack or meal before downing it. 

And if the tingles are not your jam, I’ll suggest other pre-workout options later in this review.

The pump is on the weaker side.

L-citrulline is one of the most critical ingredients in a pre-workout because it improves pump. With GHOST Legend, you get 4,000 mg of L-citrulline in one scoop. 

The minimum effective dose to achieve a decent pump is 4,000 mg of L-citrulline, so GHOST’s doing a good job there. However, I typically like to use a pre-workout supplement with L-citrulline sitting at 6,000+ mg per scoop. 

So, the 4,000 mg of L-citrulline did help with the pump, but it was far from the best pump I’ve ever had from a pre-workout.

In the chase for a better pump, I dialed up the serving size by adding another ½ scoop.

This gave me the 6,000 mg of L-citrulline I wanted. But it also increased the caffeine to 375 mg, which, if you’re sensitive to caffeine, will make you unable to type, write, or walk straight for the rest of the day.

Adding another half scoop of GHOST will also bring beta-alanine to 4,800 mg, and the following tingles reflect that.

So, don’t take GHOST Legend if you want a better pump without excessive tingles and caffeine. 

If you don’t mind the caffeine or the tingles, add an extra half scoop, and you’ll be good to go.

GHOST Legend Ingredients

Let’s run down the ingredients and their roles (intended or actual) in the GHOST Legend pre-workout.

L-Citrulline

4,000 mg

L-citrulline is a nonessential amino acid that converts into L-arginine and nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide expands blood vessels and can improve the pump in training.^[1]

As I mentioned earlier, the dosage of 4,000 mg here is on the conservative side. For a better pump, I’d like to see GHOST pump up (pun intended) the dosage to around 6,000 mg.

Beta-Alanine

3,200 mg

Also a nonessential amino acid, beta-alanine improves muscular endurance during one- to four-minute high-intensity activities (think HIIT-style training).^[2] 

What most pre-workout supplements don’t mention, though, is that to get those benefits from beta-alanine, you must hit a saturation point (more on that here). And to get there, you’d have to take beta-alanine every damn day. Not just on training days. 

So where does that leave us?

Beta-alanine acts as a potent placebo in a pre-workout supplement.

Red Bull tastes medicinal to tap into the trigger: “This tastes like medicine; therefore, it must work” in people’s minds. What does Red Bull have to do with beta-alanine?

Call me crazy, but I’d argue that beta-alanine does the same thing in pre-workout supplements: “I get the tingles; therefore, it must work.” 

A placebo effect doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. But let’s just be clear why a placebo works: It works because you think it works.

The beta-alanine in GHOST Legend gave me solid tingles, which isn’t everyone’s favorite sensation, even if it might make you think you’re pumped up. This is something to keep in mind when you’re choosing a pre-workout. 

If you’re not going to take this every day because you hate the way it makes you feel, it’s not worth it.

Nitrosigine

1,500 mg

Nitrosigine is a patented combination of inositol-stabilized arginine and silicate. It acts as a nitric oxide booster, similar to L-citrulline.^[3]

Now, is Nitrosigine better than L-citrulline? Or is it just clever marketing? 

Instead of taking the company’s word for its effectiveness, we need more unbiased studies comparing Nitrosigine and L-citrulline.^[4] Regardless of how potent the trademarked name sounds. 

I did rate the pump with GHOST Legend at 7/10, which leaves me wanting a little bit more. What would happen if they just replaced Nitrosigine with more L-citrulline?

A better pump. That’s what.

VitaCholine

500 mg

This is yet another patented ingredient that stands for high-quality choline bitartrate. 

Choline is an essential nutrient that supports various bodily functions. And supplementing can improve brain development, muscle movement, nervous system function, and metabolism. 

Choline supplementation might have limited effects on memory and physical performance in healthy young adults and trained athletes, but the supplementation does not consistently improve performance.^[5]

Some evidence suggests that choline may support endurance and delay fatigue in endurance sports.^[6] However, the current science on this is far from conclusive. 

Natural Caffeine from Coffee Bean

250 mg

You know that energy I rated 10/10 using GHOST Legend? That’s this one right here: a good ol’ hit of caffeine. A dose of 250 mg is around three cups of brewed coffee, and you’ll feel it.

I like the dosage here. It’s enough to spike my energy for the workout without bringing me crashing down right after. 

Theobromine

100 mg

Theobromine is a mild stimulant and diuretic found in cocoa beans, chocolate, tea leaves, and kola nuts.^[7]

Because it’s less potent as a central nervous system stimulant than caffeine, it might provide a milder, longer-lasting energy boost without the typical crash of high caffeine intake.^[8]

I like that the fine folk at GHOST have added theobromine instead of slapping you with more caffeine. 

That being said, there’s a good chance theobromine isn’t going to do anything whatsoever.

NeuroFactor Coffee Fruit extract

100 mg

Another trademarked ingredient, NeuroFactor, is made out of coffee fruit extract and is said to boost memory, learning, and overall brain health. So why the hell is it in GHOST Legend? 

They’re using it to improve your focus, enhancing your workout. 

But does it work?

Sure, I felt focused during the workouts. But I’m 99% sure it was because of the caffeine.

The one study I could find was positive about the effect of NeuroFactor. But it was done on eight (that’s right, eight) people and funded by the manufacturer.^[9] 

For now, I call bullshit.

AstraGin

50 mg

This one’s a patented proprietary blend of two herbal extracts: Astragalus membranaceus and Panax notoginseng. Both are traditional Chinese herbs.

Astragalus membranaceus is known for its immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties.^[10] 

Panax notoginseng is recognized for its benefits to cardiovascular health and as a blood tonic (whatever the heck that means).^[11]

In GHOST Legend, AstraGin is “used” to enhance the absorption of ingredients like amino acids. 

Who knows whether this blend enhances anything except marketing?

And because it’s a proprietary blend, I have zero idea how much of each ingredient is in the mix. 

So yeah, I call bullshit until I see some non-sponsored studies.

My Experience Using GHOST Legend

I ordered GHOST Legend (without them knowing I would review it publicly) and used it for a little over two weeks.

I tried it in a fasted state (first thing in the morning before food) and a fed state (after lunch). 

The energy was great, and the pump was okay. 

The suboptimal pump with GHOST Legend really bothered me, but you might find the pump just right.

Those tingles in a fasted state were something else.

When I took GHOST Legend in a fasted state, the tingles were a bit too much for me because of the high amount of beta-alanine. When I took GHOST in a fed state, the tingles were manageable and didn’t hit me nearly as hard.

Price

Based on the pre-workouts I’ve bought and tested, the average price is $1.51 per serving. At $1.49 per scoop, GHOST sits right in the middle of pre-workout supplements. However, if you subscribe, the price per scoop comes down to $1.12, which is pretty damn good.

By subscribing to GHOST, you can save $0.37 per scoop. That’s more than $10 per canister. 

All in all, GHOST Legend is a great middle-of-the-road option, as long as you get a proper pump with 4,000 mg of L-citrulline and can live without the third-party testing and GMP certificate (I can’t).

Third-Party Tested and GMP Certified

GHOST Legend has not been third-party tested and doesn’t have a GMP certificate to verify its potency and purity.

Go here to read more about why these two certificates are a deal-breaker when deciding on a pre-workout.

Energy

As I mentioned earlier, my energy during the workout was 10 out of 10 each time I used GHOST. 

Yet, even with an increased serving size, I didn’t get the typical post-workout energy crash. This is somewhat surprising, considering I was ingesting 375 mg of caffeine (four-ish cups of coffee) in one go.

However, I tend to have a high tolerance for caffeine. You might feel like absolute garbage with 375 mg of caffeine. 

You have to ask yourself how many cups of coffee you can tolerate in one go. If it’s less than three cups, look elsewhere for your pre-workout. 

Pump

As you’ve already gathered, the biggest drawback was the subpar pump. However, the pump improved once I increased the dosage by an extra half scoop. 

That higher dosage boosted the caffeine to almost 100% of the recommended daily intake (400 mg), about four cups of coffee.

So, it’s not going to be for everyone. 

I’d like to test a version of GHOST with 50% more L-citrulline and less (or zero) Nitrosigine to see if that would improve the pump and omit the need to up the dose. 

Taste

[screenshot of flavors from the website]

GHOST Legend comes with a bunch of different flavors:

• Sonic Cherry Limeade
• Sour Patch Kids Redberry
• Warheads Sour Watermelon
• Blue Raspberry
• Lemon Crush
• Welch’s Grape

I only tested Blue Raspberry and was happy with the flavor. It’s tasty without being overbearing. 

I can’t comment on the other flavors since I haven’t had a chance to try them. But they seem to get mostly positive reviews from other users. At least if you believe the Amazon reviews.

[screenshot of two Amazon reviews praising the flavor]

Mixability

[image of the pre-workout mixed up]

Like most other pre-workout powders, GHOST Legend gets 10/10 from me for mixability. Easy to mix in the shaker, clump-free, and zero grittiness. 

Mixability might not seem like a big deal, but besides the physical factors, I use the pre-workout as a mental trigger to help me switch into focused training mode. 

And having a pre-workout that’s easy to mix and drink is crucial for me to make that switch.

Customer Experience

Ordering GHOST Legend was straightforward. The website is easy to navigate, and the checkout is as simple as any good e-commerce site I’ve used. 

I made the order on Wednesday, and it was on my doorstep on Saturday. So, three days all up. 

How I Tested GHOST Legend Pre-Workout

I test each supplement across eight categories, pouring over studies and combining them with personal feedback.

When I conduct tests and write my pre-workout reviews, my commitment is to the truth, even if it ruffles a few feathers. There are no hidden agendas, no fluff — just rigorous research.

1. Ingredients

I care mostly about two ingredients in pre-workout supplements: caffeine and L-citrulline. Then there are two that might be worth your dollars: beta-alanine and electrolytes. But those two are far from mandatory.

Once I know a pre-workout has the two ingredients I care about, I check that the dosage of both ingredients is where it should be to provide the stimulation I need. 

Besides those two, most other ingredients serve a different purpose: marketing. The fewer ingredients I see on the label, the better. 

You can read more about the ingredients I look for on my how I test ingredients page. 

2. Price per serving

I care whether a single serving will give me enough of the two ingredients above for the needed stimulus. Ultimately, I want the best bang for the buck per serving. 

Often, the key ingredients are about the same in most pre-workout supplements. It’s the proprietary blends and trademarked ingredients that raise the price. Both of which rarely contribute to the quality or effectiveness of the supplement. 

Another reason why fewer ingredients are better is that it keeps the cost down.

You can read more about how price factors into my scoring system here.

3. Third-party testing and Good Manufacturing Practice certification

When a supplement company wants third-party testing and certification, it pays an outside organization to test for ingredient potency and accuracy.

Getting certified means an independent organization has reviewed the product and determined it complies with safety, quality, and performance standards.

The absence of third-party testing doesn’t immediately mean a poor product. But knowing the dishonest bullshitting going on in the supplement industry, third-party testing gives me peace of mind knowing a product is safe and has — and does — what it says on the box. 

GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certification means the manufacturing facilities comply with the rigorous quality standards of regulatory authorities. It covers the entire manufacturing process, including sourcing of raw materials, production processes, packaging, and labeling. 

These guidelines provide minimum requirements that a manufacturer must meet to ensure its products are consistently high in quality.

In short, third-party testing is about the product, and GMP compliance covers the manufacturing.

Read more about third-party testing and GMP compliance here.

4. Energy

Out of all the effects I look for in a pre-workout, this is the one I care about the most. I want to feel psyched and focused for my strength training. And I want to finish without getting the dreaded post-workout caffeine crash.

You can read more about how the energy factors into my scoring system here.

5. Pump

The second most important thing I need from a pre-workout is the pump. The product must have enough L-citrulline (4,000 mg) to increase the blood flow into the muscles I’m working. In most cases, anything less than 6,000 mg, and I’d rather spend my money elsewhere.

Read more about what I look for when scoring the pump.

6. Taste

Let’s face it: Making a decent-tasting pre-workout shouldn’t be that difficult. Yes, a pre-workout with high-quality ingredients in high doses often tastes worse because it’s hard to mask the flavor of the ingredients, but anything less than 8/10 is only acceptable if the product is otherwise exceptional. 

Then again, taste is subjective so don’t get too hung up on this.

You can read more about how taste factors into my scoring system here.

7. Mixability

I need a pre-workout that’s easy to mix in a shaker. That means no powder clumps! I expect something smooth and grit-free that doesn’t get stuck on the side of the shaker. Most pre-workouts add silicon dioxide and calcium silicate as anti-caking agents, so look for that if you’re as annoyed by clumps as I am.

Read more about how mixability factors into my scoring system.

8. Customer experience

In this testing stage, I find and navigate the website, complete the ordering process, and accept delivery, evaluating each company every step of the way. I also review customer service in cases where I have problems with the order. I have high expectations for customer service and will harshly judge brands with missing links in their customer experience.

You can learn more about how customer service factors into my scoring system here.

Conclusion

GHOST Legend ticks most of the boxes you’d want in a pre-workout supplement without going overboard on any ingredient. I rated it 10/10 for energy because I was able to go the distance without any caffeine crashes. 

Sure, I had to add an extra scoop to get a better pump, which increased the price (and caffeine) per serving, but that’s just me.

But although the ingredient list is good, GHOST Legend doesn’t tick the two boxes that matter most. It’s not third-party tested, and it doesn’t have GMP certification. Both of those are nonnegotiable when you want to be 100% sure of a pre-workout’s potency and purity. 

Frequently Asked Questions

References

1. Gonzalez, A. M., & Trexler, E. T. (2020). Effects of citrulline supplementation on exercise performance in humans: A review of the current literature. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 34(5), 1480–1495. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003426

2. Trexler, E. T., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Stout, J. R., Hoffman, J. R., Wilborn, C. D., Sale, C., Kreider, R. B., Jäger, R., Earnest, C. P., Bannock, L., Campbell, B., Kalman, D., Ziegenfuss, T. N., & Antonio, J. (2015). International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-alanine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 12, 30. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-015-0090-y

3. Kalman, D., Harvey, P. D., Perez Ojalvo, S., & Komorowski, J. (2016). Randomized prospective double-blind studies to evaluate the cognitive effects of inositol-stabilized arginine silicate in healthy physically active adults. Nutrients, 8(11), 736. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8110736

4. Rogers, J. M., Gills, J., & Gray, M. (2020). Acute effects of Nitrosigine® and citrulline malate on vasodilation in young adults. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 17(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-020-00343-y

5. Kansakar, U., Trimarco, V., Mone, P., Varzideh, F., Lombardi, A., & Santulli, G. (2023). Choline supplements: An update. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 14, 1148166. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1148166

6. Warber, J., Patton, J., Tharion, W., Zeisel, S., Mello, R., Kemnitz, C., & Lieberman, H. (2000). The effects of choline supplementation on physical performance. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 10(2), 170–81. https://doi.org/10.1123/IJSNEM.10.2.170

7. C. Crews. (2014). Natural toxicants: alkaloids. Encyclopedia of Food Safety, 2, 251–260. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-378612-8.00175-X

8. Baggott, M. J., Childs, E., Hart, A. B., de Bruin, E., Palmer, A. A., Wilkinson, J. E., & de Wit, H. (2013). Psychopharmacology of theobromine in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology, 228(1), 109–118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-013-3021-0

9. Robinson, J. L., Yanes, J. A., Reid, M. A., Murphy, J. E., Busler, J. N., Mumford, P. W., Young, K. C., Pietrzkowski, Z. J., Nemzer, B. V., Hunter, J. M., & Beck, D. T. (2021). Neurophysiological effects of whole coffee cherry extract in older adults with subjective cognitive impairment: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over pilot study. Antioxidants, 10(2), 144. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10020144

10. Zheng, Q., Zhuang, Z., Wang, Z. H., Deng, L. H., Jin, W. J., Huang, Z. J., Zheng, G. Q., & Wang, Y. (2020). Clinical and preclinical systematic review of astragalus membranaceus for viral myocarditis. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2020, 1560353. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/1560353

11. Zhou, R., Zhang, J., Zhang, W., Zhang, X., Zhang, H., Shi, X., Wang, B., Zhang, Q., & Zhang, H. (2024). Clinical efficacy and safety of Panax notoginseng saponins in treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with blood hypercoagulability: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Phytomedicine 125, 155244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2023.155244