If you’re on the market for a cheap pre-workout and want a good return for your money, do not buy ProSupps Hyde Signature pre-workout. I honestly can’t recommend this to anyone.

It’s cheap for a reason: They diligently underdose every single ingredient. 

While there’s just enough caffeine in it, a cup of coffee will do you just as much good as a scoop of this crap.

ProSupps’ mission seems to be to prey on novice pre-workout users who want a budget-friendly pre-workout but don’t know what to look for.

Usually, I’d save the recommendations for an alternative pre-workout for the end of the review. But because ProSupps Hyde pre-workout is so shit, I’ll save you the trouble of reading this review and give you a better alternative up front.

Alternative to ProSupps Hyde: Transparent Labs BULK

Transparent Labs BULK should be your number one choice if you can spend a bit more money on a pre-workout that hits the minimum effective dose of all the essential ingredients. 

At $1.66 per serving ($1.49 if you subscribe), it’s the most expensive alternative, but it’s still reasonably priced considering the ingredients.

And if you want to, you can read through all my previous pre-workout reviews. 

There you go. Ignore ProSupps Hyde pre-workout and buy Transparent Labs BULK instead. 

Keep reading to understand why ProSupps Hyde pre-workout is so shit. You might also improve your pre-workout literacy and become more resilient against bullshit supplement companies that want to steal your money.

Just bring a shovel because there’s a lot of shit to dig through.

I gave this pre-workout two points instead of zero on ingredients because there’s a cup of coffee’s worth of caffeine. So, in that sense, I guess a scoop of this is cheaper than getting a coffee at Starbucks. 

Besides caffeine and choline (not that it does anything for your training), the ProSupps Hyde pre-workout has such low doses of all other ingredients that whoever came up with it should be arrested.

It looks to me like the team at ProSupps swept their cupboards one Friday afternoon and whatever was on the shelves made it into this pre-workout.

Best For:

ProSupps Hyde pre-workout is not the best pre-workout for anyone, but just humor me for a second.

ProSupps Hyde pre-workout is an option if you want caffeine but can’t access coffee.

It’s not high in caffeine (169 mg) by any stretch of the imagination. But if you’re on a deserted island, want to lift weights with no coffee in sight, and happen to see a tub of ProSupps Hyde float by, you might as well use it. In any other situation, just drink coffee.

ProSupps Hyde makes a great doorstop. 

If you’re unfortunate enough to have a tub of ProSupps at home, stay cool. Empty the contents into the toilet, flush it twice, and then fill the jar with sand to use it as a doorstop. 

Not For:

ProSupps Hyde is not for you. Regardless of who you are.

Well, it’s not for you if you want a pre-workout that does something.

Besides the caffeine or an urgent need for a doorstop, there are zero reasons you should even entertain the idea of buying a tub of ProSupps Hyde pre-workout.

ProSupps Hyde Pre-Workout Ingredients

[image showing the ingredient label]

I applaud the ProSupps team for breaking down each ingredient in the “Matrix” mixes instead of hiding behind proprietary blends. Hats off to the ProSupps people: They aren’t hiding the fact that their product is shit. 

As sad as that compliment is, it is the reality of the supplement industry. At least ProSupps Hyde isn’t hiding the truth.

Beta-Alanine

2,000 mg

If you’ve ever taken a pre-workout supplement, you know the tingles. That’s beta-alanine talking. Yes, beta-alanine can improve endurance, but you must take it daily to hit the saturation point of >170,000 mg.

The minimum effective dose of beta-alanine is 3,200 mg. At 2,000 mg, ProSupps Hyde isn’t even close.^[1] 

Creatine Monohydrate

1,000 mg

No other supplement has the science to back it up as much as creatine. It can help your training and improve your odds of getting jacked out of your mind. But to get these benefits, you must take creatine around 5,000 mg daily.^[2]

ProSupps Hyde pre-workout has 1,000 mg of creatine, which isn’t enough to do anything for you. 

Besides, I can’t see the point of having creatine in a pre-workout in the first place because it doesn’t immediately affect your training.

Arginine Silicate Inositol (Nitrosigine®) 

500 mg

Nitrosigine is a patented combination of inositol-stabilized arginine and silicate. It acts as a nitric oxide booster, similar to L-citrulline, used in pre-workouts to improve the muscle pump. 

Whether Nitrosigine is better than L-citrulline (it isn’t) is irrelevant here because 500 mg in ProSupps Hyde is too low either way.^[3]

L-Citrulline L-Aspartic Acid 1:1

500 mg

L-citrulline may help you train harder and allow you to bang out a few extra reps. It doesn’t directly affect your muscle strength, but it can improve muscle pump. L-citrulline can also reduce post-training muscle soreness and improve anaerobic performance.

There is f*ck all L-citrulline in ProSupps Hyde to do anything for you.^[4]

The same goes for L-aspartic acid, which is a protein-building block. Keeping consistent with the theme of ProSupps Hyde pre-workout, there isn’t enough L-aspartic acid to give you any benefits in your training.^[5]

Choline Bitartrate

500 mg

​​Choline is an essential nutrient, and supplementing it can improve brain development, muscle movement, nervous system function, and metabolism. It might also improve strength and conditioning performance. But the science isn’t super robust on that.

As for choline’s effect on endurance and delaying fatigue in endurance sports, the science is mixed, at best.

You need a daily dose of 250 mg to 500 mg of choline for general health purposes.^[6] There’s technically enough choline in here, but it isn’t going to do much unless you take it daily. And even then, it’s unlikely to improve your training.

L-Theanine

26 mg

L-theanine is an amino acid that can help you focus and possibly prevent that jittery feeling you get from too much caffeine. Not that there’s enough caffeine in ProSupps for you to worry about that.

The research suggests that you need 97 mg of L-theanine with caffeine to get those benefits.^[7]

The 26 mg of L-theanine in ProSupps Hyde makes about as much sense as placing Viagra on your bedside table and wondering why you’re not feeling…what you’re supposed to be feeling. You simply haven’t taken enough for it to make a difference.

N-Acetyl Tyrosine

26 mg

Tyrosine can improve alertness and focus and reduce blood pressure in stressful situations. Lifters report benefits of tyrosine when taking 500–2,000 mg a half an hour to an hour before exercise.^[8] But that dosage isn’t backed by science.

The only effect that the 26 mg of tyrosine in ProSupps pre-workout has is that it extends the ingredient list on the label. The dosage is far too low to give you any benefit for training. 

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)

13 mg

GABA can increase growth hormones, and there are also some mixed results about its effect on sleep, stress, and overall mood. Even if all those claims were true, the effective dose range would be 20 mg to 300 mg.^[9]

The 13 mg of GABA in ProSupps Hyde is another ingredient that is offensively underdosed to give you any benefits. 

Caffeine Anhydrous

169 mg

When you find a bright spot, you latch on to it with all you’ve got. Caffeine is about the only bright spot in ProSupps Hyde pre-workout. 

Its 169 mg of caffeine (or one cup of coffee) isn’t a lot, but likely enough to improve energy and focus for anyone new to pre-workouts.^[10] 

Di-Caffeine Malate

37 mg

Di-caffeine malate combines caffeine and malic acid, usually at roughly 75% caffeine and 25% malic acid. The loose theory is that combining the two offers a prolonged and smoother release of energy compared to just straight-up caffeine. 

But 37 mg of di-caffeine malate is too low to make any difference to your training.

Theacrine (as TeaCrine 40%)

16 mg

The early evidence on theacrine suggests it stimulates the central nervous system and acts similarly to caffeine. But the research isn’t strong enough to validate theacrine’s use in pre-workouts.^[11] 

Even if it would work, 16 mg of theacrine is too low to provide any noticeable benefits.

[table showing ingredients and minimum effective doses]

My Experience Using ProSupps Hyde Pre-Workout

There isn’t much to say here. I ordered ProSupps Hyde pre-workout (without them knowing I would review it publicly) and used it for a week. I usually test pre-workouts for two weeks, but this one was so useless I didn’t want to ruin any more of my training sessions. And I moved on to testing pre-workouts that actually have proper doses of ingredients.

Price

[image of the serving size]

It’s cheap. At $0.62 per scoop ($0.46 if you subscribe), it’s way cheaper than the $1.50 industry average for pre-workouts. 

ProSupps Hyde might feel like a good budget buy, but it’s not. Don’t do it. 

The shipping cost is $7.95. But why would you bother?

Third-Party Tested and GMP certified

[screenshots of third-party test results]

ProSupps Hyde isn’t third-party tested or GMP certified, but it’s banned-substance tested. Meaning that if you compete in something at a high level, ProSupps Hyde is safe to use without getting banned. Absurd to imagine anyone could enhance their performance with this one.

Energy

I rated the energy as 2/10 only because the 169 mg of caffeine did…something. But I could get just the same energy from a cup of coffee.

Naturally, there was no crash after using this product because there isn’t enough caffeine to cause one. In this case, the lack of a crash doesn’t do much for the energy score because there’s barely any energy to speak of.

Pump

With a laughable 250 mg of L-citrulline, the pump was piss-poor. Sure, there’s 500 mg of Nitrosigine in it too, but again, it’s not enough to add any benefit.

Taste

[screenshot of flavors from the website]

ProSupps pre-workout comes in four flavors:

• Blue Razz
• Fruit Punch
• Watermelon
• Pixie Dust (no, really)

The Blue Razz flavor was good, if a little sweet. The internet seems to like the other flavors, too.

But can we talk about the blue dye in this product? I’m not one to care too much about the effects of this, but this shit was unnaturally blue. 

Have a look at this picture: 

Image caption: When you somehow end up with a urine sample from Aladdin’s Genie.

Mixability

[image of the pre-workout mixed up]

ProSupps Hyde pre-workout mixes well. No clumps, grittiness, or other annoying textures to distract you from the drinking experience. Then again, I might’ve been too mesmerized to notice anything but the blue color.

No, but seriously. It mixed great.

Customer Experience

The customer experience ordering ProSupps Hyde was great. The website was easy to navigate, the ordering process was quick, and the box was at my doorstep two days later.

How I Tested ProSupps Hyde 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.

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.

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.

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.

Conclusion

ProSupps Hyde Signature pre-workout is cheap for a reason. It’s absolute garbage, and I can’t recommend it to anyone. Don’t be tempted by the low price — that’s how they get ya.

The ingredient list of ProSupps Hyde might look appealing, but except for 169 mg of caffeine and 500 mg of choline, the ingredients are so low they make zero difference to your training.

Luckily, you don’t have to settle for a crappy pre-workout.

Opt for Transparent Labs BULK instead. It has the minimum effective dose of all the key ingredients. It’s the most expensive alternative, but you won’t regret spending a bit more.

FAQs

References

1. 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

2. Kreider, R. B., Kalman, D. S., Antonio, J., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Wildman, R., Collins, R., Candow, D. G., Kleiner, S. M., Almada, A. L., & Lopez, H. L. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z

3. 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

4. Gonzalez, Adam M. & Trexler, Eric 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

5. Examine. What is D-aspartic acid? https://examine.com/supplements/d-aspartic-acid/faq/what-is-d-aspartic-acid/

6. 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

7. 8. Einöther, S. J. L., Martens, V. E. G., Rycroft, J. A., De Bruin, E. A. (2010). L-theanine and caffeine improve task switching but not intersensory attention or subjective alertness. Appetite, 54(2), 406–409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2010.01.003 

8. Examine. L-tyrosine. https://examine.com/supplements/l-tyrosine/ 

9. Examine. GABA. https://examine.com/supplements/gaba/

10. Guest, N. S., VanDusseldorp, T. A., Nelson, M. T., Schoenfeld, B. J., Jenkins, N. D. M., Arent, S. M., Antonio, J., Stout, J. R., Trexler, E. T., Smith-Ryan, A. E., Goldstein, E. R., Kalman, D. S., & Campbell, B. I. (2021). International society of sports nutrition position stand: Caffeine and exercise performance. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-020-00383-4

11. Examine. Theacrine. https://examine.com/supplements/theacrine/