Total War Blue Lemonade by Redcon1
Do you prefer training with something that tastes like summer lemonade rather than medicine? Then Blue Lemonade is the flavor to start with. This pre-workout by Redcon1 combines a tart lemon flavor with a formula you can read down to the milligram. One 14.2-gram scoop contains 6 grams of citrulline malate, 3.2 grams of beta-alanine, and a total of 320mg of caffeine. One tub provides 30 servings.
What is in one scoop of Total War
Redcon1 simply lists all dosages on the label. No 'proprietary blend' (a mixture where you cannot see the individual amounts), but a number for each substance. In addition to the three well-known names, you will find 1 gram of beetroot extract, 1 gram of taurine, 150mg of juniper extract, 50mg of theobromine, 25mg of naringin, and 10mg of BioPerine®. In short: eleven lines, all with an amount next to them. This makes it easy to place this pre-workout next to another tub and compare fairly.
Citrulline malate and beta-alanine
Citrulline malate is the amino acid L-citrulline, linked to malic acid in a ratio of 2:1. Of the 6 grams, so about 4 grams is pure citrulline. Beta-alanine is a non-essential amino acid. Each scoop contains 3.2 grams. By the way, that tingling feeling in your face or hands after a few minutes comes from beta-alanine. It is harmless and subsides after half an hour.
320mg caffeine, where does that come from
Many people wonder how much caffeine is really in Total War. The answer is 320mg per scoop, made up of two sources. 250mg comes from caffeine anhydrous (water-free, purified caffeine). The remaining 70mg comes from dicaffeine malate, caffeine linked to malic acid. In addition, there is 50mg of theobromine, a relative of caffeine that you also know from pure chocolate. For comparison: a cup of filter coffee contains about 90mg. One scoop of Blue Lemonade is therefore equivalent to about three to four cups. That is substantial, and therefore this is not an entry-level pre-workout for those who rarely drink coffee.
The smaller lines on the label
Below the big three are substances that you see less often in a pre-workout. Beetroot extract comes from the root of the beet. Taurine is an amino acid-like substance that you also find in meat, fish, and energy drinks. Most people know juniper from jenever and gin. Naringin is the bitter substance that gives grapefruit its typical flavor. And BioPerine® is a standardized extract of black pepper, rich in piperine (the substance that gives pepper its sharpness). Good to know: precisely those small lines make the label long, but the large numbers determine the character of this formula.
Blue Lemonade is one of the flavors within the Total War line, but the formula is the same for every flavor. What you choose, you choose based on flavor. If you like fresh and lemony with a sweet aftertaste, then you are in good company here. If you train early in the morning or right after work, then a tart, fresh flavor often fits better than something heavy and candy-like. The sweeteners sucralose and acesulfame-K ensure that there is no sugar on the ingredients list.