Pre-workout supplements are relatively new entrants in the workout supplement world and have become wildly popular. They have been adopted by both professional, as well as amateur athletes because of the range of benefits they provide.
So, what are pre-workout supplements? Anyone who works out or hits the gym regularly is quite familiar with the feeling of lacking the energy to get there. And this is where a pre-workout supplement comes in.
Pre-workout supplements, as the name suggests, are supplements meant to be consumed before exercising or hitting the gym. These typically contain a range of ingredients like herbal extracts, vitamins, and minerals that can help you get the most from your workout, which is why in recent years, pre-workout supplements have become extremely popular for gym-goers.
4 Gauge is a rather new pre-workout supplement, and despite being new, it has become quite popular in the fitness world and is getting rave reviews. In this guide, we will give you a complete low down about the 4 Gauge pre-workout supplement.
What Is 4 Gauge?
Manufactured by Roar Ambition, who also makes the renowned Testofuel test-support supplement, 4 Gauge is designed as a pre-workout supplement that delivers optimal power while working out and enhances your athletic performance.
Packaged in cool shotgun cartridge packaging, 4 Gauge makes use of a unique formula made of a blend of natural ingredients that provides a wide range of benefits. And don’t forget, this supplement is vegan too!
Packaging & Branding
There’s no denying that 4 Gauge’s packaging is some of the dopest in the industry. The entire pre-workout container is shaped like a massive shotgun shell, which eludes to the potency and efficacy of this pre-workout.
Is it quite as strong as GAT’s Nitraflex? Maybe not in terms of pure energy, but it rivals most of the big hitters in the PWO space in terms of finding a balance between hard-hitting energy while also containing workout longevity boosters and pump-enhancers. The only other pre-workout that rivals 4 Gauge in terms of diversity of complimentary compounds is Betancourt’s B-Nox Androrush.
Sure, marketing is by far the most important thing to consider when shopping for a pre-workout, but getting amped up for your workout does have a very real-world impact, and things like listening to your hype playlist, watching workout videos on Youtube, and cracking into a giant shotgun shell can definitely boost the quality and intensity of your workout.
4-Gauge Flavor
Again, the flavor of your supplement won’t directly impact your actual workout, however, if you’ve ever bought something site unseen online and it ended up tasting like cheap perfume mixed with soap then you know that flavor does play an important role in simply being able to finish an entire tub of pre-workout.
If your flavor is too whack, then it’s going to be a massive pain in the ass every time you need to ingest your workout-boosting supplements. Fortunately, 4 Gauge is pretty dang delicious.
We tried the “Fruit Blast” flavor, which is essentially like a reddish pinkish fruit punch. It was inoffensive and easy to down, with no need to hold the nose, but it wasn’t as tasty as something like Pescience High Volume cotton candy flavor, although very few workouts come close to matching that.
Pro tip: if trying a new workout that you are unsure of always default to fruit punch. It’s “mixed” nature means it’s harder to mess up than “single flavor profile” blends like apple, raspberry, strawberry etc.
Overall the flavor gets a solid 4/5 stars and was never off-putting or gross, and we looked forward to drinking it when workout time came each day.
Mixablity & Solubility
Another issue we need to cover is mixability. This is the pre-workout ability to dissolve in water. You’d be surprised how many pre-workouts have big chunks that don’t dissolve well. Betancourt’s Androrush, for example, has great flavor and a great ingredient profile, but some of the compounds are too large, and you end up wasting $ when you see chunks of your PWO in the bottom of your glass.
4 Gauge dissolves fantastic, and we never noticed any wastage at the bottom of the glass upon downing. 5/5 stars for mixability.
Key Active Ingredients
You can check the 4 Gauge website for detailed nutrition information. However, below, we have discussed some of the key ingredients in Gauge 4 in detail.
L-Citrulline DL-Malate
This natural ingredient contained in 4 Gauge is extracted from watermelon. Every serving of Gauge 4 contains 6 grams of L-citrulline DL-malate. This is converted into L-arginine, which boosts the nitric oxide level, which acts as a vasodilator i.e., helps to dilate the blood vessels and boosts the ability of your body to pump blood.
Red Beetroot Extract
Also called Beta vulgaris, this is extracted from the beet plant. 4 Gauge contains around 300 mg of red beet extract. Just like citrulline DL-malate, red beetroot extract helps to boost nitric oxide that increases the blood flow, which in turn, boosts endurance and enhances performance.
Creatine Monohydrate
Creatine monohydrate is a common ingredient in gym supplements. This is a neuroprotector and performance enhancer that helps to boost your stamina, strength, and ability to exercise effectively. Each 4 Gauge serving contains 1 gram of creatine monohydrate.
Acetyl L-Carnitine
The amino acid compound is commonly contained in several pre-workout supplements. Mainly a fat burner, acetyl L-carnitine also helps to prevent muscle damage and fatigue. The compound helps to transport fatty acids to cells that convert fat into energy.
So, while helping to burn fat, the acetyl L-carnitine gives you the energy boost required during strenuous workout sessions, and a serving of 4 Gauge has 500 mg of acetyl L-carnitine.
Caffeine
All of us are familiar with caffeine. A common ingredient in coffee, caffeine is a popular stimulant that is consumed the world over. Caffeine is a common ingredient found in pre-workout supplements, and 4 Gauge contains around 150 mg of anhydrous caffeine in 1 serving.
When caffeine is combined with L-theanine (another ingredient in 4 Gauge), it offers an effective synergy. While caffeine acts as a stimulant, L-theanine promotes calmness and steadies your mind, and the 2 ingredients together are called “smart caffeine.”
L-Theanine
L-theanine is an amino acid that is commonly found in tea leaves. As mentioned earlier, this is commonly paired with caffeine and has become a very popular nootropic (brain booster) and works by boosting GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), a neurotransmitter. L-theanine helps you to stay focused by calming your brain. And 1 serving of 4 Gauge contains 200 mg of L-theanine.
Rhodiola Rosea
Rhodiola rosea is a Nordic herb from Scandinavia. Used in traditional Russian and Scandinavian medicine, this herb helps to boost motivation and cognition and helps to combat fatigue and depression. Rhodiola rosea works by reducing the resistance of the body to physical stress and also reduces the lack of motivation. 1 serving of 4 Gauge has around 100 mg of the Rhodiola rosea powder.
Coconut Water Powder
A great source of electrolytes and nutrients, coconut water helps to lower your blood pressure while keeping you hydrated. 1 serving of 4 Gauge contains around 300 mg of coconut water powder that can help you stay hydrated during your workout.
Potassium
An essential mineral, potassium helps in the normal functioning of the muscle and nervous system. 1 serving of 4 Gauge contains 10 mg of potassium.
Calcium
4 Gauge contains calcium, a very important mineral that helps the muscles to function normally and also helps in energy release, and 1 serving of Gauge 4 contains 30 mg of calcium.
4 Gauge Key Benefits
There are many advantages associated with using the 4 Gauge pre-workout supplement. 4 Gauge helps you to push yourself harder while working out and have the mental focus that lets you stay motivated to achieve your fitness goals. According to Roar Ambition, the key benefits of 4 Gauge can be summarized as follows:
- Provides additional motivation that encourages you to push further and perform better in the gym.
- Boosts mental performance and increases your focus and motivation levels.
- Helps you to work out for longer, builds muscle, and cuts fat.
- Increases the blood flow to deliver increased oxygen and energy.
- Helps to increase stamina so that you can work out harder and longer.
4 Gauge Negatives
It’s not all sunshine and roses, though, and we take our reviews seriously, so we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the downsides because nobody is perfect!
The biggest downside with 4 Gauge is also its greatest strength. We’re talking about the shotgun shell design factor. While it looks rad from the outside, particularly the metal cap, it also makes it hard to maneuver the scoop around, and when you first open it and the bottle is full, the scoop actually doesn’t fit inside because the handle is too long (see above).
The fix is just to ditch the plastic scoop and use a regular kitchen spoon each time. It’s tough, we get they needed a long handle to reach down the long narrow bottle, but in doing so, they made something that is hard to close once you dig that scooper out.
The only other downside is the price; this isn’t the cheapest PWO on the market at around $45, which may be a bit more than some people are willing to pay. Still, when compared to other premium transparently-dosed options out there, like Pre-Jym ($40) and Pre-Kaged ($40), it’s not that ridiculous.
Finally, because 4 Gauge is a premium U.K based brand, they don’t currently don’t sell on Amazon (at the time of publication), so if you are a “Prime or nothing” online shopper, then acquiring 4 Gauge will require you to exit the Jeff Bezos hemisphere, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Competitive Comparison: 4 Gauge vs. Pre Jym vs. C4
4 Gauge Pros & Cons
This is a pre-workout supplement that contains natural ingredients and delivers a boost of energy while you work out without any unpleasant side effects, i.e., crashes, itchy skin, or a jittery feeling.
Containing key ingredients like citrulline malate, creatine monohydrate, caffeine, acetyl L-carnitine, red beet, and L-theanine, 4 Gauge provides enhanced power, stamina, strength, and cognitive capabilities.
With only 5 calories per serving and low in caffeine, 4 Gauge does not contain any artificial sweeteners or flavors and is a powerful pre-work supplement.
Jym Pre-Jym Pros & Cons
Containing 13 powerful ingredients, Jym Pre-Jym is a pre-workout supplement that optimizes your workout efforts. The formula of the supplement helps you to improve your workouts, giving better results.
The award-winning pre-workout supplement contains effective ingredients like creatine hydrochloride, betaine, beta-alanine, beetroot extract, and caffeine.
Pre-Jym is available in a variety of 10 flavors and provides better recovery, muscle growth, increased focus, and more energy.
What does this all mean? Well, Pre-Jym has held the title of “gold standard” when it comes to clinically efficacious dosages of active ingredients, and they were one of the first huge brands to buck the “proprietary blends” fad that allowed makers to obscure how much of the good (read: expensive) ingredients were in their pre-workouts.
4 Gauge stacks up nicely to Pre-Jym but doesn’t quite match it. For example, both have 6mg of citrulline malate, but where 4 Gauge has 1 gram of creatine Pre-Jym has 2 full grams. Given creatine is one of the most scientifically backed compounds, it’s worth pointing out this disparity.
Cellucor C4 Pros & cons
Available in eight different flavors, Cellucor C4 is a popular pre-workout supplement and has been around for a long time. C4 is more like a multivitamin drink with a few ingredients like creatine nitrate, beta-alanine, and arginine alpha-ketoglutarate.
The supplement contains sucralose and acesulfame-K, which can cause sensitivity in users. Also, beta-alanine can cause tingly and itchy skin. Nevertheless, C4 nourishes your body with the required minerals and vitamins while working out.
4 Gauge trounces C4 when it comes to both the total variety of active compounds as well as how much of those compounds is in each serving. Honestly, C4 vs. 4 Gauge isn’t really a fair comparison as Cellucor offers a more hardcore version of C4 called C4 Ultimate (similar to MusclePharm Wreckage) which is fully transparent and more “hard-core.”
If comparing C4 Ultimate to 4 Gauge, they both come up pretty similar in terms of fair, effective dosages, but 4 Guage edges ahead due to the sheer variety/diversity of ingredients.
Some C4 formulas are significantly better than others. To find out the differences and which ones to buy and which to avoid, check out our complete guide to all the C4 versions available for sale.
Skinny Yoked Summary
In conclusion, 4 Gauge is a pre-workout supplement with a solid list of ingredients ideally suited for people looking to enhance their overall physical and mental performance. If you want to check out more clinically efficaciously dosed pre-workout supplements, we have a roundup of the best brands here you can review.
If you don’t need something as hard-hitting as 4 Gauge, we’d also suggest checking out PEScience because they are a good balance between quality and affordability, as well as Transparent Labs for bulk orders (where you can save). If powders aren’t your thing and you prefer capsule pre-workouts on the go, then check out the Sport range from Performance Lab.
If you’re tired of pushing through your workout every day without any perceptible results or if you’re forever struggling to motivate yourself in the gym, then 4 Gauge is sure to make all the difference.
Last update on 2024-09-01 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
