Hulk Smash, Then Crash
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout Review
After two weeks of scooping, shaking, and training using Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout, I’m here to give you the low-down on whether it’s worth your hard-earned cash.
Superhuman could be a decent choice for experienced and seriously cashed-up pre-workout users who can tolerate the mule kick of a caffeine hit.
But the suboptimal L-citrulline dose is a bogeyman that drags this product down.
Don’t get me wrong, the pump is good, but for the price that Superhuman commands, I expect near perfection. And Superhuman isn’t quite there.
These two alternatives will get you more bang for your training:
Table of Contents
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout Alternatives
Honestly, Superhuman comes close to these two. Knock $0.50 off the price, I could see myself almost recommending this over Outwork.
But in the end these two alternatives are cheaper and have more L-citrulline and less outrageous amounts of caffeine. That tips the scales against Superhuman.
Transparent Labs BULK
At $1.66 per serving ($1.49 if you subscribe), you’ll get more L-citrulline (5,300 mg) and a more humane 200 mg of caffeine.
BULK does have 4,000 mg of beta-alanine, though, so if you don’t like the tingles, opt for another product.
Read my full review of Transparent Labs BULK for more details.
Outwork Nutrition’s Pre-Workout
At $1.99 per serving, you’ll get 5,000 mg of L-citrulline and 300 mg of caffeine. Swapping that extra caffeine in Superhuman to 1,000 mg is likely worth the trade for most folks.
Read my full review of the Outwork Nutrition pre-workout for more details.
If you want to explore other pre-workouts, read through all my previous pre-workout reviews
Here to Build Muscle and Lose Fat?
Pre-workout can give you an extra 1% boost but won’t make up for a shitty diet and training. Taking a bunch of pre-workout without dialing in the diet and training is like stepping over $20 bills to pick up pennies. See how it works here.
If you’re still on the fence, keep reading. I’ll dive deep into the ingredient profile, exploring the good, the bad, and the mildly confusing.
I’ll also cover my personal experience with Superhuman.
By the end, you’ll have a clear idea of whether this pre-workout deserves a spot in your supplement stash.
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout Overview
Alpha Lion Superhuman
Score:
7.7
/10
Pros and Cons:
Pros
- Amazing energy boost
- Good pump
- Great taste
- Third-party tested
Cons
- Ridiculously expensive
- Low-ish L-citrulline
- Too much caffeine?
Product Name
Score:
9.0
/10
Pros and Cons:
Pros
- Ingredients: 9
- Price Per Serving:
- How It Made Us Feel: 8.9
Cons
- High caffeine (400mg)
- Price Per Serving: 6
- Third-party Tested: No
- How It Made Us Feel: 8.9
Product Highlights
Ingredients
6
/10
Energy
8
/10
Pump
8
/10
Price per serving
$2.38/$$2.02
Taste
10
/10
Mixability
10
/10
Customer Experience
10
/10
Third-party tested/GMP certified
Yes/Yes
Best For:
Experienced pre-workout users who need a serious caffeine kick.
If you’re looking to crush PRs and need laser focus in the gym, Superhuman delivers.
Those who can live with a good but not great pump.
Superhuman meets the minimum effective dose of L-citrulline but leaves you wanting just a bit more. It might be enough for intermediate lifters though.
Not For:
Anyone new to the pre-workout game.
Choosing Superhuman as your first pre-workout is like losing your virginity at an orgy: a bit too much too soon. The high caffeine content will leave you feeling like you just took in a gallon of espresso via an IV drip.
Getting the best pump you’ve ever felt.
Unless you’ve never taken L-citrulline before, the 4,000 mg in Superhuman is not going to be enough for an amazing pump.
Sticking to a budget.
The price per serving is excessive and tough to justify.
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout Ingredients
[image showing the ingredient label]
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout is a high-energy formula, and its website boasts about a 100% transparent label.
That might be true in terms of the ingredients, but the caffeine is baked into a proprietary caffeine blend.
Also, the label lists ½ scoop as an option, but I can’t see the point of that. Unless you just want a moderate dose of caffeine with none of the other benefits of a pre-workout. Hence, this review is all about the full scoop serve.
I suspect Alpha Lion includes the half-scoop dose to make its product look less overpriced.
As if we’re that stupid.
L-Citrulline
4,000 mg
L-citrulline is a naturally occurring amino acid that improves nitric oxide production. It can increase blood flow and oxygen delivery to muscles, potentially leading to better endurance and reduced fatigue.[1]
The minimum effective dose of L-citrulline is 4,000 mg and Superhuman meets that, just.
L-Taurine
1,000 mg
Taurine supplementation may improve training performance and recovery, but the evidence isn’t conclusive.[2]
The dosage in Taurine studies varies between 1 gram and 6 grams, so there’s a chance the 1,000 mg in Superhuman Pre might do something for you. But I wouldn’t hang all your gain-hopes on it working.
S7®
50 mg
S7 is a blend of seven plant-based ingredients (green coffee bean, green tea, turmeric, blueberry, broccoli, kale, and tart cherry) designed to increase nitric oxide production.
While individual ingredients have scientific backing, the research on S7 itself is hard to come by. The S7 sales page says, “In a 90-day double-blind, peer-reviewed study, S7® demonstrated a 53% increase in blood circulating nitric oxide levels with once-daily supplementation compared to placebo,” but to access that reference, you need to contact them.[3]
I don’t buy it. If it’s so good, why not make the research public? Also, S7 was compared to a placebo, not to a known nitric oxide booster like L-citrulline.
All that being said, I had a pretty good pump while testing Superhuman Pre. And it’s not something I was expecting looking at the L-citrulline dose on the label. So. . .
Beta-Alanine
3,200 mg
Beta-alanine is a nonessential amino acid that can help reduce fatigue and improve performance in high-intensity exercise lasting one to four minutes (think HIIT).[4]
The minimum effective dose of beta-alanine is 3,200 mg, and Superhuman Pre meets that.
However, what no supplement company will ever tell you is that for beta-alanine to be effective, you need to first hit the saturation point of 178,000 mg. Without that, you’re left with the tingles, a harmless side-effect of beta-alanine that doesn’t reflect its efficacy in any way.
Then again, some lifters, me included, feel those tingles help them mentally gear up for the session.
Betaine Anhydrous
2,500 mg
Betaine anhydrous, also known as trimethylglycine, is a compound found in beets and other foods. It’s said to improve power output and muscle endurance, but the science isn’t on the strong side.[5]
The effective dose is typically 2,000 to 2,500 mg per day — that is in the unlikely case it actually has an effect.
L-Tyrosine
1,500 mg
L-tyrosine is an amino acid that serves as a precursor to neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine, both of which are crucial for cognitive function and stress response.
But to see any real effects, you’d need a dose of 100–150 mg per kg of body weight.[6]
So unless you weigh 10–15 kg, the 1,500 mg in Superhuman pre-workout isn’t going to help you in any way whatsoever.
Now, some lifters report a difference with doses between 200 mg and 500 mg per kg. Like a lot of bro-science, there’s no hard evidence to back that up though.
SantEnergy™ Nu
400 mg
SantEnergy Nu is extracted from Eriodictyon californicum, also known as yerba santa. It is marketed for its potential energy-boosting and cognitive-enhancing properties, and it’s also insanely high in antioxidants.[7]
The effective dose of Eriodictyon californicum is not well-established and it’s frustratingly hard to find any science on it that isn’t from either animal or in-vitro studies.
I mean, maybe it’s the next Michael Jordan (or LeBron? Don’t @ me) of pre-workout ingredients. But if we go by what we’ve got right now, it shouldn’t be in a pre-workout.
As a side note, don’t confuse yerba santa with yerba mate. They’re two distinctively different plants. Yerba mate is the tea-like thing you might’ve seen making rounds in professional soccer circles and whatnot.
SXT Energy System
325 mg
This is a blend of caffeine anhydrous, zumXR® Extended-Release Caffeine, zumXR® Delayed-Release Caffeine.
Superhuman doesn’t disclose how much of each is in the mix, so we’re left with a total amount of 325 mg.
All in all, caffeine is a powerful central nervous system stimulant and well proven to improve focus and energy.[8] Mixing the three caffeine sources together is meant to offset the crash, but it didn’t work for me.
Just keep in mind that for most people, the recommended upper limit of caffeine is 400 mg a day.
Black Pepper Extract
10 mg
Black pepper is a source of piperine. It doesn’t do much on its own, but it can increase the absorption of other supplements.[9] The science isn’t clear on how well it works with every supplement though.
However, something like curcumin typically needs 20 mg of black pepper to improve the absorption. So, 10 mg of black pepper extract falls short of that.
[table showing ingredients and minimum effective doses]
My Experience Using Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout
I ordered Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout directly from the website and used it for two weeks.
And it was a trip.
The energy boost was nothing short of incredible, and I found myself plowing through session after session with rage (in a good way).
The focus was on point too.
However, I did experience a bit of a crash afterward, so be prepared for that.
The pumps were good-ish, especially considering the relatively low dose of L-citrulline.
Price
[image of the serving size]
A scoop of Superhuman Pre sets you back $2.38 and for a pre-workout, that’s a lot of dough.
There’s a generous 15% discount on subscriptions, so you definitely want to utilize that to keep the cost somewhat reasonable. There are also various discounts available if you order more than one item.
The average price of all the pre-workouts I’ve tested sits around $1.50, which is way cheaper than Superhuman. But it’s not fair to compare Superhuman to the average because, despite its downsides, its closest competition are the two top-shelf pre-workouts I recommend most often: Transparent Labs BULK and Outwork Nutrition, which sit at $1.66 and $2.00, respectively.
Alpha Lion shipping is $10.20 plus the automatic shipping protection, which costs about $1.50. There’s free shipping for orders of three or more items.
According to Alpha Lion, “If you don’t have an amazing experience with Superhuman Pre-Workout, you have 365 days to ask for a full refund.”
Third-Party Tested and GMP certified
[screenshots of third-party test results]
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre is both third-party tested and manufactured in a facility adhering to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.
Normally, pre-workout brands would blast this info all over their websites. But with Alpha Lion, I had to email them to ask about it. Here’s the reply:
As a reminder, a GMP certificate means the manufacturer follows high standards in cleanliness, etc., all throughout the manufacturing process. Third-party testing guarantees the purity and potency of the product.
Big points for the Alpha Lion team for doing their part in contributing to a more transparent, less-evil supplement industry.
Energy
It’s been a while since I’ve had a buzz like this from a pre-workout. Superhuman delivered the focus and the energy it promised on the label. I was able to really drill into my training and felt the caffeine carry me through the session.
But I had a crash each time. Nothing too serious, but enough to mess up the next few hours after training.
The tingles from beta-alanine were just enough for me. But if you’re new to pre-workouts, or just hate the tingles, you’ll want to look elsewhere.
Pump
The pump with Superhuman was good, especially considering that L-citrulline is dosed on the lower side at 4,000 mg.
My sweet spot for L-citrulline is around 6,000 mg, so I was pleasantly surprised. Just to be clear, it’s nowhere near the greatest pump I’ve ever had, but good nonetheless.
Taste
[screenshot of flavors from the website]
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout comes in six flavors. As is the norm in pre-workouts, the names of these flavors are ridiculous. But because Alpha Lion has gone a step further in the ridiculousness scale, I actually love the silliness of these:
- Hulk Juice
- Grapezilla
- Miami Vice
- Orange Gainsicle
- Unicorn Juice
- Lion’s Blood
I tried Lion’s Blood and . . . the taste is unreal. I mean, I don’t really care about the taste as long as the product is otherwise sound, but man. This shit tastes good.
And that’s not just me, the online reviews rave about the flavors too.
Mixability
[image of the pre-workout mixed up]
Superhuman is super easy to mix and super smooth to drink. No grittiness, clumps, or other annoying textures.
Customer Experience
Alpha Lion’s website is easy to use, and the whole ordering process was hassle-free. My only complaint is that it automatically adds shipping protection. But hey, it’s a small issue.
How I Tested Alpha Lion Superhuman 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
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre-Workout comes frustratingly close to being an exceptional pre-workout. The energy and focus are insane, and the pump is good. It also tastes as smooth, delicious, and velvety as Morgan Freeman’s voice.
However, the high caffeine content, suboptimal L-citrulline, and steep price tag are deal-breakers.
If you’re an experienced pre-workout user looking for a product that can power you through a tough session, Superhuman might be worth considering. As long as you can live without an exceptional pump.
Just be prepared for the potential crash afterward and the hit to your wallet.
On the other hand, if you’re new to pre-workouts or prefer a more balanced ingredient profile, explore other options.
FAQs
Is Alpha Lion Superhuman pre-workout safe?
Yes, Alpha Lion Superhuman pre-workout is likely to be safe for most people. It follows strict manufacturing guidelines and goes through third-party testing to verify its purity and potency. It’s high in caffeine though, which might cause adverse effects for some people.
How long does Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre take to work?
Alpha Lion Superhuman Pre takes about 20–30 minutes to work. That’s the time it takes for the caffeine to kick in.
Does Alpha Lion Superhuman have DMAA?
No, Alpha Lion Superhuman doesn’t have DMAA. It used to have DMHA, but the company stopped using it in 2020.
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. Kurtz, J. A., VanDusseldorp, T. A., Doyle, J. A., & Otis, J. S. (2021). Taurine in sports and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-021-00438-0
3. FutureCeuticals. Boost your own nitric oxide. https://www.futureceuticals.com/s7
4. 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(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-015-0090-y
5. Ismaeel A. (2017). Effects of betaine supplementation on muscle strength and power: a systematic review. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(8), 2338–2346. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001959
6. Deijen, J. B., Wientjes, C. J., Vullinghs, H. F., Cloin, P. A., & Langefeld, J. J. (1999). Tyrosine improves cognitive performance and reduces blood pressure in cadets after one week of a combat training course. Brain Research Bulletin, 48(2), 203–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0361-9230(98)00163-4
7. Richards, A., & Chaurasia, S. (2022). Antioxidant Activity and Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Scavenging Mechanism of Eriodictyon californium, an Edible Herb of North America. Journal of Chemistry, 2022, 6980121. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/6980121.
8. Guest, N.S., VanDusseldorp, T. A., Nelson, M. T., Grgic J., 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
9. Examine. Black pepper. https://examine.com/supplements/black-pepper/