When choosing a pre workout, it’s always a good idea to stick to what everyone’s buying. It’s a safe decision and you’ll most likely get your money’s worth.
When it comes to old brands that everybody seems to like, you simply can’t go wrong with Cellucor’s line up. At least that’s what I’ve been told.
C4 pre workout by Cellucor is what’s in the oven today. It’s a revamped version of their original best selling pre workout. We like the bright yet simple design and we like the idea that they’re dressing up old flagship products.
Is C4 pre workout by Cellucor as hyped up as the company claims to be? Is it really America’s #1 selling pre workout? Read my C4 pre workout review to find out!
About C4 Pre Workout

C4 pre workout is sold by one of the world’s leading brands in supplements: Cellucor. Cellucor has been in the supplement industry for a long time now and does a great job at marketing their line of supplements. They even claim to be America’s #1 selling pre workout because of the number of cans sold since 2014.
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So, what’s C4 pre workout all about?
- Tons of flavors. Yo, you wouldn’t have a problem buying your favorite taste here. Collect them all!
- We know some of these ingredients. Right off the bat, we like what we recognize.
- Prop blend. It’s half a prop blend, but still a prop blend. Eww.
On top of the ones mentioned, C4 pre workout by Cellucor seeks to market itself to either people who are starting their fitness journey or are already up there where all the good lifters are.
If my experience were to be used, you can’t be a supplement for both young and old. New lifters have different needs compared to old lifters. I wonder which audience C4 pre workout really sells to…
C4 Pre Workout Review: nutrition label
Other Ingredients: Malic Acid, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Silicon Dioxide, Sucralose, Calcium Silicate, Acesulfame Potassium, FD&C Red #40
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Directions: Take one serving (1 level scoop) of C4® Original, mixed with 6 fl. oz of water 20-30 minutes before training. Some individuals may experience a harmless tingling sensation, which is attributed to beta alanine. USE ONLY AS DIRECTED.
C4 Pre Workout Review: ingredients list
Our C4 Pre Workout Review wouldn’t be worth reading if I didn’t dissect the ingredients C4 pre workout offers us. Rest assured this C4 pre workout review will be as transparent and as unbiased when it comes to C4 pre workout’s individual ingredients.
The serving size of C4 pre workout is six grams. For most people, six grams is good enough, but right off the bat it makes us assume we’re going to see a lot of underdosed ingredients. For this C4 pre workout review’s sake, I hope I’m wrong.
- We have a good lot of vitamins in C4 pre workout. We have Vitamin C, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12.
What I like about this minor blend of vitamins is C4 pre workout didn’t skimp out on the vitamin forms. B6 and B12 in particular are in their best, most bioavailable forms. Higher bioavailability means better absorption. Better absorption means faster effects.
- Beta-Alanine. We have one of the pre workout industry’s favorite ingredients as the branded form CarnoSyn. This brand is known for maximum absorption, long lasting effects, and reduced side effects like itching and bloating.
Performance wise, beta alanine is taken to improve strength (which is always a good thing) as well as delay fatigue. Problem is, it’s just at 1.6 g per serving which is rather small for my taste.
- Creatine Nitrate. Creatine is good, but many say Creatine Nitrate is better. At least, that’s what this study What makes it special is not only is it capable of improving our lifts, but it also helps with pumps.
How much help? I don’t really know but I reckon it ain’t going to be that much with just 1 freaking gram!
- Arginine Alpha Ketoglutarate. Also known as AAKG, this this ingredient serves as support to C4 pre workout’s pump boosting benefits. However, the dosage isn’t as good as what we wanted, falling short of at least one gram to make the good times happen.
Explosive Energy Blend
Oddly enough, C4 pre workout’s blend isn’t composed of the key ingredients, but of compounds that are like minor additions than anything else. The total weight of this prop blend (Ugh!) is just 425 mg, so you bet your ass these are all underdosed.
- N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine. Better known as NALT for obvious reasons, this ingredient is known for its anti-stress benefits as well as a bit of focus improvement. Unfortunately, it seems too low to do anything worth your time. We have this pegged at 500 mg at least.
- We only have 150 mg of caffeine which is really not that much considering one cup of brewed coffee is around 90-95 mg. This is what I like to call a soft dosage.
- Velvet bean. This is supposed to be one hell of a testosterone booster, capable of improving sperm cell count by almost 40%. Problem is, not only is it underdosed but we also think it’s out of place in C4 pre workout.
Even if the angle used was for a “feel good” benefit, it’s still too low, bro.
- This is a rather odd last addition. It comes in the branded form of TeaCrine and is a combination of theanine and caffeine. The intent is to make an energy blend that won’t result to a crash or cause jitters. Theanine sort of offsets the neurological side effects of caffeine.
While we like the idea of adding Theacrine, we think it’s more of a fairy dust at this point.
What is a fairy dust, you ask?
Fairy dusting is the act of adding minute amounts of trendy or popular ingredients in supplements just so they can claim to have it on the label. It works for a lot of bros who don’t know how labels work, but being so low on the list (literally being last) means C4 pre workout literally just sprinkled Theacrine.
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C4 Pre Workout Review: formula analysis
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I originally thought this C4 pre workout review would end on a positive note, but the ingredients I’ve seen and the dosing they provided makes me want to call C4 pre workout’s company Cellucor right now and scream at them for making such a mess of a pre workout.
So, why is C4 pre workout a mess?
From the get go, we have poor dosages of beta alanine, creatine nitrate, and AAKG. Other supplements we’ve reviewed in the past know damn well these three ingredients require a shit ton of dosing to work not because they’re inefficient, but because the body has the tendency to use them up really fast.
Like, I wouldn’t go lower than 2 grams on beta alanine on any one of the three. It would make no sense to go below 2 grams for something like creatine, especially since the standard dosage is 5 grams if taken alone.
“What about synergy?”
Bro, I know synergy when I see one. There definitely is synergy, but synergy can’t be C4 pre workout’s cop out for providing low dosages. And the synergy they want to achieve? It ain’t gonna last 15 minutes.
Maybe for a young dude or some newbie lifter these low dosages will work, but for guys like us? We ain’t kids, man!
Then we have C4 pre workout’s “Explosive” Energy Blend. I put quotation marks on the word explosive because this blend ain’t gonna blow anything up.
Like, we see this blend as something that Cellucor added as an afterthought. They probably had a meeting where they all went “Hey fellas, what should we do to make C4 pre workout sell better?” then some old dude in a suit chimes in “Just add what everybody likes and hopefully no one notices.”
And I’m telling you my dear audience, I bet that’s exactly what happened because I could not for the life of me explain why they even bothered fitting in all these ingredients under 425 mg.
NALT, Velvet bean, and Theacrine are all severely underdosed. Not even sure if they can split 250 mg evenly. They’re not working no matter what you do.
The only one decently dosed among the bunch is caffeine at 150 mg, but even this is pretty weak. Might as well drink two shots espresso because at least two shots will have more caffeine.
Protip: Okay, so you bought this product and you realize it’s not really good. Now you don’t want to throw it away because really, every dollar counts.
So, how do you maximize C4 pre workout by Cellucor? Easy: You double the dose. However, take my advice with a grain of salt as I’m used to doubling doses. If you’re new to supplements, take it slow, bro.
Does C4 pre workout by Cellucor have a lot of caffeine?
Bro, 150 mg is child’s play. Your little sister probably drinks more caffeine when she buys those fancy Starbucks frapuccinos than one serving of C4 pre workout. Weak sauce is what it is.
How long does C4 pre workout by Cellucor take to work?
We don’t doubt C4 pre workout by Cellucor will not take long to work, but we also don’t doubt that it won’t last too long given the dosage given to each ingredient. Sucks balls.
C4 Pre Workout Review: benefits for muscle
Based on what I saw, C4 pre workout by Cellucor is more of a minor supplement relative to the market it’s trying to sell to. Because it’s a minor supplement, it will also have minor muscle benefits.
It will still make you feel pumped and help you get gains, but at the end of the day C4 pre workout by Cellucor is just not enough.
Who is C4 Pre Workout made for?
C4 pre workout by Cellucor thinks its market are the serious lifters. We think their market is the new guy who has no idea what he’s doing and thinks any supplement will do. We’re not saying it’s a bad supplement, but what we are saying is it’s a weak supplement.
C4 Pre Workout Review: side effects
Because of the low dosage, we’re almost confident enough to say any side effects normally associated with beta alanine or caffeine would be non-existent.
If you do experience itching sensations or jitters, it only means you’re not yet used to these types of compounds circulating in your bloodstream.
C4 Pre Workout Review: pros and cons
Pros
- High quality ingredients. We know almost all of them.
- Safe dosing. It’s meant to be as side-effect free as possible.
- There’s some synergy. Some.
- Vitamin forms. We have to mention this because this is rare.
Cons
- Semi-prop blend. It’s still a prop blend!
- Low dosing. They played it too safe, bros.
- What energy? We’re not even sure if you’ll get that same jolt you get with instant coffee.
- Sorta pricey. Those dosages make this pre workout too expensive IMO.
Pricing info
- 1 Can (30 servings): $29.99
- Available online and in retail stores
C4 Pre Workout Review: summary
C4 pre workout by Cellucor is one of the best selling pre workouts on the planet. Nothing can take that away from them. They’re good at marketing their product and they know which ingredients to include in their formula.
With that said, we C4 pre workout by Cellucor is out of touch with the current trends in dosing. We have seen a lot of standard brands equip their pre workouts with more than standard dosages, so I’m a bit puzzled as to why C4 pre workout by Cellucor couldn’t keep up or be bothered to update its formula.
At best, C4 pre workout by Cellucor’s formula is a good base for a pre workout stack. At its worst, only newbies will buy their pre workout and will discard them as soon as they know how supplements work.
If you’re starting out, then I guess I can recommend C4 pre workout by Cellucor. However, if you’re like me and has been around the scene for years, you shouldn’t bother with this product.
Again, this C4 pre workout review is not saying it’s a bad product. Just weak af.
Hey im kinda a newbie and been using c4 and i get nothing from it at all, nada. I’ve been working out seriously for around 5 months and I want to get a preworkout that will acctually improve my workouts and wont be a waste of my money what do you recomend.