Total War Pre-Workout Review

Total War is a hard-hitting pre-workout and a staple for anyone seeking the ultimate in training intensity.

This pre-workout contains amino acids, stimulants and plant extracts and comes in a range of delicious flavours.

Redcon1 Total War increases energy levels, supports focus and mood and can even enhance motivation to train. This product also contains the nitric oxide enhancers citrulline malate and nitrates from beetroot extract.

Key Features

• Energy and Stamina
• Focus and Intensity
• Power and Strength
• Muscle Volumisation
• Promote Fat-Burning
• Reduce Muscle Soreness

Commonly Asked Questions

How much Caffeine is in Total War?

Total War contains a total of 325mg of caffeine per scoop. This is delivered from 250mg Caffeine Anhydrous and 100mg Di-Caffeine Malate (75% Caffeine). It also contains another stimulant called AMPiberry.

These ingredients put Total War on the high-end of potency compared to other pre-workouts on the market.

Should I take a Break from Total War?

The effects of stimulants like caffeine and AMPiberry do wear off over time when taken consistently. Because of this, taking a break after each tub for 1 week will re-sensitise you to the energy-boosting effects of the product.

How does Total War Boost Nitric Oxide?

Total war contains a 6 gram clinical dose of Citrulline Malate in each scoop. Citrulline increases blood Arginine levels, which is a precursor or building block for nitric oxide.

Most clinical research into Citrulline have used either a 6 gram or 8 gram dosage to achieve results. Total War also contains Beetroot Extract, equivalent to 1% nitrates. Citrulline and Nitrates have a synergistic effect in boosting nitric oxide levels.

Nitrates are fascinating natural compounds. They are actually converted to nitrites by bacteria that live on the back of the tongue! The enzyme nitrate reductase performs this job. Nitrites are then converted to Nitric Oxide in the body.

What does Nitric Oxide Do?

Nitric Oxide is a gas produced in the blood vessels. Its job is to open-up blood vessels, which enhances circulation to areas of the body, like muscle mass.

Improving circulation increases the delivery of oxygen and other nutrients to muscle, like glucose and amino acids.

As these are the nutrients needed for performance, it is believed that by boosting nitric oxide levels, exercise performance can be enhanced.

Will Total War make me Tingle?

It’s definitely possible! This is due to an amino acid called Beta-Alanine, which irritates the nerve endings in the skin. This is a totally harmless and reversible reaction.

Some people can be quite sensitive to the effects of Beta-Alanine, causing significant discomfort.

If you have never taken beta-alanine before, it would be best to begin with ¼ scoop to assess your sensitivity to this amino acid.

Who can use Total War?

It can be used by anyone wanting to improve their exercise performance and recovery. Total War Pre-Workout can be used by powerlifters, body-builders, crossfit enthusiasts, endurance athletes, sportspeople and more ...

Doesn’t Total War Contain an Illicit Substance?

According to the Australian Sports and Anti-Doping Authority, DMBA was banned by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in 2012. Total War used to contain a similar compound, called DMHA, which has since been removed.

Both DMBA and DMHA are strong stimulants. Due to the similarity between these 2 chemicals, DMHA was also included in the banning in Australia.

DMHA has been replaced with AMPiberry in Redcon1 Total War, which some call the “NEW DMHA”.

If you are participating in a competition or need to stay banned substance free year round, it would be a good idea to only use products that do not contain ingredients on the 2019 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list.

What else is in Redcon1 Total War?

Beta-Alanine

Total War contains 3.2 grams of Beta-Alanine in each scoop. This amino acid has been used for a long time in pre-workouts and can cause a tingling sensation in the skin.

Many performance-enhancing benefits have been associated with Beta-Alanine. It is believed that most of these benefits are caused by an increased Carnosine level in muscle.

Carnosine is a dipeptide made up of the 2 amino acids histidine and beta-alanine. Beta-alanine is called the rate-limiting amino acid in this reaction because the normal amount found in the body limits Carnosine synthesis.

 This is evident in research showing that beta-alanine supplementation increases muscle Carnosine levels somewhere in the range of 20-80%.  

So it’s really a question of what more muscle Carnosine can do for human performance, rather than beta-alanine.

Research has so far demonstrated that beta-alanine supplementation can increase power output, improve strength gains, reduce neuromuscular fatigue and support tactical performance.

Taurine

This is a non-essential sulfur-containing amino acid that has been used in pre-workout for decades. It is well known for its antioxidant role, blood pressure lowering effects and its ability to support heart health.

But taurine is has some really interesting roles to play when it comes to exercise performance and recovery too.

A clinical trial in cyclists demonstrated that taurine could increase time to exhaustion by 10%.  So if everyone is crashing at 1 hour, you can power on for another 10 minutes!

This study from the European Journal of Sports Science also showed that lactate levels were reduced by 16.5% and core temperature even decreased.

Other research has indicated that Taurine can increase peak torque and reduce muscle soreness after exercise.

Bioperine (Black Pepper Fruit Extract)

Black pepper is referred to as a universal absorption enhancer. Due to this effect it may help to increase the potency of all the ingredients in Redcon1 Total War.

Naringin

Naringin has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. It is believed to assist with fat-burning, perhaps due to it anti-inflammatory effects.

Naringin is a flavanone glycoside commonly found in citrus fruit. The clinical research so far supports its use for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome.

Cocoabuterol (Theobroma cacao)

This is a natural extract of cocoa, using the latest advancements in extraction technology.

Cocoabuterol contains a range of naturally occurring compounds, such as methylxanthine and phenylethylamine. These compounds are believed to boost mood, fat-burning, muscle protein synthesis and have antioxidants effects.

References

Beta-Alanine

Culbertson JY et al. Effects of Beta-Alanine on Muscle Carnosine and Exercise Performance: A Review of the Current Literature. Nutrients. 2010 Vol 2 p. 75-98

Mate-Munoz et al. Effects of B-alanine supplementation during a 5-week strength training program: a randomized, controlled study. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2018 Vol 15;19

Trexler E T., et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2015

Naringin

Alam MA et al. Effect of Citrus Flavonoids, Naringin and Naringenin, on Metabolic Syndrome and Their Mechanism of Action. 2014 Vol 5;4 p.404-417

Chen R et al. Therapeutic potential of naringin: an overview. Pharmaceutical Biology. 2016 Vol 54;12 p.3203-3210

Taurine

Page LK et al. Acute Taurine supplementation enhances thermoregulation and endurance cycling performance in the heat. European Journal of Sports Science. 2019 Vol 18 p.1-9

McLeay Y et al. The effects of Taurine on the Recovery from Eccentric Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Males. Antioxidants. 2017 Vol 6;4 p.79

Schaffer SW et al. Physiological roles of taurine in heart and muscle. Journal of Biomedical sciences. 2010 Vol 17

Xu Y-J et al. The potential health benefits of taurine in cardiovascular disease. Experimental and Clinical Cardiology. 2008 Vol 13;2 p.57-65

Citrulline, Nitrates and Nitric Oxide

Bescos R et al. The effect of nitric-oxide-related supplements on human performance. Sports Medicine, 2012 Vol 42;2 p.99-117

Gonzales J.U., et al. Does L-citrulline supplementation improve exercise blood flow in older adults? Exp Physiol 2017 Vol 102;12 p.1661-1671

Ashley J et al. Impact of L-citrulline supplementation on oxygen uptake kinetics during walking. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2018 Vol 43;6 p.631-637.

Perez-Guisado J and Jakeman P. Citrulline malate enhances athletic anaerobic performance and relieves muscle soreness. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2012 Vol 24;5 p.1215-1222

Glenn J.M. et al. Acute citrulline malate supplementation improves upper- and lower-body submaximal weightlifting exercise performance in resistance-trained females. European Journal of Nutrition. 2017 Vol 56;2 p.775-784

Agarwal U et al. Supplemental citrulline is more efficient than arginine in increasing systemic arginine availability in mice. The Journal of Nutrition. 2017 Vol 147;4 p.596-602

Lidder Satnam and Webb AJ. Vascular effects of dietary nitrate (as found in green leafy vegetables and beetroot) via the nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 2013 Vol 75;3 p.677-696

Qu XM et al. From Nitrate to Nitric Oxide. The Role of Salivary Glands and Oral Bacteria. Journal of Dental Research. 2016

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