Kaged Elite Pre-Workout Review (2024)
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While Kaged offers several pre-workout supplements, Pre-Kaged Elite is their strongest option in terms of caffeine and active ingredients. However, this is also their most expensive pre-workout supplement.
In this Kaged Elite Pre-workout review, we’ll be taking a close look at Kaged’s strongest pre-workout to help you decide if it’s worth your money, or if you’re better off picking a different pre-workout. Let’s get into it.
Kaged Elite Pre-Workout Review Quick Summary
Kaged Elite Pre-Workout
- Item Form: Powder
- Best for: Muscular Strength, Muscular Endurance, Reducing Fatigue, Training Volume, High-Intensity Exercise Performance, Enhanced “Pumping” Effect
- Flavor: Fruit Punch, Orange Mango, Glacier Grape, Strawberry Lemonade, Caribbean Sunrise
- Caffeine: 388mg
- Special Ingredients: L-Citrulline, Beta-Alanine, Betaine, Creatine Monohydrate & Nitrate, L-Carnitine Tartrate, Taurine,
- Package Information: 1.59lbs (720g)
- Serving: 36g
- Company Founded: 2015
- Recommended by Athletes: Andrea Somer, Colt Nichols, Kris Gethin
Kaged is a supplement company founded in 2015 that’s become well-known for their high-quality formulas and wide range of products, from protein powder, and multivitamins to pre-workouts. Today we’ll be looking at Kaged Elite, which is Kaged’s strongest pre-workout both in terms of stimulation and active ingredients.
Overall, this has everything an experienced pre-workout user will want in a supplement, although the stimulation will likely be far too strong for pre-workout beginners. The other main downside to this product is its high price point. Coming in at around $3 per serving, this is one of the more expensive pre-workout supplements on the market.
Overall, we believe Pre-Kaged Elite’s formula does justify its high price point. Especially for experienced pre-workout users, this will be an excellent choice.
Pre-kaged elite has everything an experienced pre-workout user will want in a supplement, although the stimulation will likely be far too strong for pre-workout beginners.
Positives:
Could be better:
Who and What is Kaged Elite Pre-Workout For?
Kaged’s Elite Pre-Workout provides a powerful combo of caffeine and other active ingredients to provide a significant boost to your energy levels and ability to perform in the gym.
As mentioned above, this is far and away Kaged’s strongest pre-workout. Each serving of this supplement contains a whopping 388mg of caffeine. For reference, the original Pre-Kaged formula has 274mg of caffeine – which will still likely be too strong for many pre-workout beginners!
As a result of its high stimulation, we recommend that Kaged Elite be reserved only for people whose bodies are accustomed to the high doses of caffeine included in pre-workout supplements. If you’re not used to high doses of caffeine, taking Kaged Elite is a recipe for unwanted side effects like jitters, anxiety, and insomnia.
Kaged Elite Pre-Workout Review
Below we’ll be doing an in-depth Pre-Kaged Elite review, taking a closer look at its formula, taste/flavor, value for money, and more. Let’s get into it!
1. Ingredients Breakdown:
Kaged includes numerous active ingredients in its formula. Below, we’ll be taking a look at the 4 ingredients likely to make the biggest difference to your training!
It’s worth noting that Kaged also includes L-Carnitine Tartrate and Taurine, which may improve recovery and endurance respectively. However, their effects likely won’t be as significant as the ingredients mentioned below!
• L-Citrulline
For the first ingredient, we have L-Citrulline, which is included to improve endurance and exercise performance. It is dosed at 10g per serving here, which should be more than enough to produce both acute effects from a single serving, and cumulative effects with consistent use.
• Beta-Alanine
Next is Beta-Alanine, which is a common pre-workout ingredient for its use as a fatigue-reducing supplement. Unlike L-Citrulline does not have any acute effects. Instead, it has a cumulative effect which should become apparent after several weeks of consistent supplementation. Each serving contains 3.2g which should be right in the sweet spot for consistent use.
• Betaine
You can also expect Betaine, which is another supplement that will only have cumulative effects. This ingredient is used for endurance, similar to L-Citrulline, as well as improving force production. Each serving contains 2.5g of betaine, which once again, should be more than enough to provide significant effects with consistent use.
• Creatine
Finally, Pre-Kaged Elite also includes 5g total of Creatine, split between 3g of Monohydrate and 2g of Nitrate. It’s worth noting that monohydrate is the optimal form of creatine, with there being less research on alternative forms like nitrate.
The main effects of creatine include increased exercise performance and strength, as well as improved recovery. Similar to the previous 2 ingredients, this supplement needs to be taken daily for optimal effectiveness. 3-5g a day should be sufficient to produce effects within several weeks.
2. Stimulation:
One of Pre-Kaged Elite’s defining features is its intense stimulation. It contains 388mg of caffeine per serving, making it one of the strongest pre-workouts on the market.
While this will be great for seasoned pre-workout users accustomed to the high doses of caffeine, this will likely be way too much for most beginners to handle. As a result, this is the main thing we recommend considering before buying Pre-Kaged Elite.
3. Taste/Flavor:
This pre-workout has a pretty great taste, especially considering how strong it is. It mixes pretty well and has excellent flavor with the orange mango flavor tasting like Fanta soda. There are currently 5 different flavors available, which is not bad for a pre-workout supplement.
4. Nutrition Label Transparency:
Kaged offers a great formula free of any artificial flavors or colors. It is also third-party tested by Informed Sport, which is a great gauge of quality. Informed Sport ensures this supplement is free of any potentially harmful or banned substances, making this a great choice for any competitive athlete subject to drug testing.
5. Value for Money:
One of the main downsides to Pre-Kaged Elite is its price. While it’s undeniably a high-quality pre-workout supplement, the price reflects this. Each serving will cost about $3.00. While this will be worth it to some, we’d imagine many people would want a slightly cheaper option.
How do you use Kaged Elite Pre-Workout?
Overall, Kaged Elite will not be suitable for everyone. Because of the high dosage of caffeine, we generally recommend this product be reserved only for experienced pre-workout users.
If you have some experience with pre-workout, Pre-Kaged Elite may still work for you. However, we recommend starting with a half serving (~194mg of caffeine) and slowly taking more to acclimate yourself to the heavy dose of stimulation.
Because Pre-Kaged Elite is so strong, we generally recommend considering a different supplement entirely if you’ve never tried pre-workout before. However, if you have your heart set on Pre-Kaged Elite, consider starting with a quarter serving (~97mg of caffeine) and working your way up from there.
Just be aware that if you take a half or quarter dose of Pre-Kaged Elite, you will also be getting lower doses of its active ingredients as well as caffeine. As a result, you might be better off choosing a supplement with more moderate stimulation and effectively dosed active ingredients. Consider one of Kaged’s other options (Pre-Kaged Sport or Pre-Kaged Original), or an option from one of Kaged’s competitors covered below!
Similar to caffeine, it’s also worth noting that you should pay attention to active ingredient doses, especially if you already take these supplements on their own. This way you can avoid taking unnecessarily high doses of creatine or beta-alanine for example.
| Experience with Pre-Workout | Recommended Serving of Pre-Kaged Elite |
|---|---|
| Strong Experience | Full Serving (388mg of Caffeine) |
| Some Experience | Start with a Half Serving (194mg of Caffeine) |
| No Experience | Start with a Quarter Serving (97mg of Caffeine) or consider a more moderate supplement. |
Kaged Elite Pre-Workout Alternatives
Below we’ll quickly be taking a look at some of Kaged’s competitors, Transparent Labs and Naked Nutrition, to see if these pre-workouts may be better choices for you. You may also want to consider one of Kaged’s other pre-workouts, Pre-Kaged Sport or Pre-Kaged Original.
1. Kaged Elite Pre Workout vs TL BULK
Transparent Labs BULK Pre-Workout
- Serving Size: 1 scoop (21.2 g)
- Servings per Container: 30
- Calories Per Serving: 5
- Betaine Anhydrous Per Serving: 2,500 mg
- Taurine per serving: 1,300 mg
- Recommended by Athletes: Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, Pat Li, PAULINA
First, Transparent Labs Bulk contains only 200mg of caffeine, making it a milder option. It has similar active ingredients (Citrulline, Beta-Alanine, Betaine), although their doses vary slightly compared to Pre-Kaged Elite. It also does not contain any creatine. Bulk is also about half the price of Pre-Kaged Elite at only ~$1.67 per serving.
2. Kaged Elite Pre Workout vs Naked Energy
Naked Energy
- Servings per Container: 50
- Beta-Alanine: 2 g
- Creatine: 1 g
- L-Arginine: 1 g
Next, Naked Energy also has a more moderate amount of caffeine with 200mg of caffeine as well. It has a very weak assortment of active ingredients, containing only Beta-Alanine and Creatine. While Beta-Alanine is dosed somewhat low at 2g per serving, Creatine is dosed at a completely ineffective dose of 1g. Naked is still a great budget option at only ~$0.90 per serving.
FAQ
What are the Side Effects of Pre-Kaged Elite?
The main side effects of Pre-Kaged Elite will be related to its high dose of caffeine. Especially if you’re not used to high doses of caffeine, taking a full dose of Pre-Kaged Elite will likely lead to jitters, anxiety, and insomnia. If you’re not super experienced with pre-workout, we recommend starting with a quarter or half dose instead and working your way up to a full dose.
Beyond this, the only side effect we can think of would be paresthesia from the Beta-Alanine. This is an itchy/tingling association that’s most common in people first taking Beta-Alanine. It will likely become less pronounced with several weeks of consistent use.
How much Caffeine is in Pre-Kaged Elite?
Each serving of Pre-Kaged Elite contains 388mg of caffeine, which is exceptionally high, even for a pre-workout supplement. Because of this, most people will likely be better off choosing a more moderate supplement, or splitting up the dose if they choose this one.
Is Kaged Muscle FDA-Approved?
Because supplement companies are not subject to review from the FDA, Kaged is technically not FDA-approved. However, Kaged has multiple third-party certifications from reputable organizations like Informed Sport. So, although they are not technically FDA-Approved, you can still have confidence in the overall quality of their products.
Conclusion
Overall, especially for experienced pre-workout users, Pre-Kaged Elite would make an exceptional supplement. On top of its super high stimulation, it has effective doses of all its active ingredients, as well as solid third-party certifications. While it does have a high price point, this is an undeniably high-quality supplement.
However, for the majority of people, the 388mg of caffeine per serving will be far too strong. Pre-Kaged Elite may still be a good choice, we just recommend taking smaller servings to start to acclimate yourself to the supplement. Otherwise, we recommend choosing a milder pre-workout. Consider another option from Kaged, like Pre-Kaged Original, or perhaps a competitor like Transparent Labs Bulk.
With all this being said, for the right person, Pre-Kaged Elite Pre-Workout will still be the optimal choice. We hope these Pre-Kaged Elite reviews can help you make a more informed choice.
Are you an experienced pre-workout user, or are you looking to try pre-workout for the first time? Are you planning on buying Pre-Kaged Elite or trying a different supplement? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Also read:
References:
- C. Snoke, et. al, "EFFECTS OF ACUTE L-CARNITINE SUPPLEMENTATION DURING LOW-INTENSITY TREADMILL EXERCISE," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 8: Iss. 9, Article 15. (2021).
- Kurtz, J.A. et al. “Taurine in sports and exercise.” J Int Soc Sports Nutr 18, 39 (2021).
- Wethington, L. N. “The Ergogenic Effects of Acute Citrulline Malate Supplementation on Weightlifting Performance in Trained Females.” Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses. (2016).
- McGonigle, B, et. al, "EFFECTS OF BETA-ALANINE ON ANAEROBIC PERFORMANCE," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 8: Iss. 8, Article 67. (2020).
- Apicella, Jenna M., "The Effect of Betaine Supplementation on Performance and Muscle Mechanisms" Master's Theses. 109 (2011).
- Richard B. Kreider, et. al, “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 volume 14, Article number: 18 (2017).
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Camila has worked as a Nutritionist for 7 years. In addition to being a nutritionist, she is an amateur weightlifting athlete for 2 years. Camila has experience at Flamengo’s football base and in a food supplement company and currently provides services at a clinic. At the moment she is coursing a postgraduate study in Sports Nutrition.
Still have questions after reading our article? Unlock your full potential by engaging with our experts and community! Don’t hesitate — leave a comment below and Camila Parente Santos will provide a personalized answer and insights to help you reach your goals.