A pre-workout is a supplement you take 15-30 minutes before a workout to boost your energy, muscular endurance, and decrease your muscle recovery time. Pre-workouts come in many forms and flavors, but in general, they share common ingredients like high amounts of stimulants, vitamins, amino acids, and other micronutrients that are meant to boost your performance.
In this article, we're giving you a full Bucked Up pre-workout review. We'll take a look at all the different Bucked Up pre-workout products and highlight the differences between the formulas so you know exactly which, if any, pre-workout is best for your fitness goals. Remember, always consult your doctor or a licensed nutritionist before taking any supplements. But if you've gotten the all-clear, you might find what you're looking for in Bucked Up's products.
Why Trust Us?
The health and safety of ACTIVE's readers is of the utmost importance to us. To ensure your well-being when consuming nutritional supplements, the ACTIVE.com editorial team prioritizes products that are independently tested by a third party. We've also consulted with a team of nutritionists and dieticians to ensure the products we feature are of the highest standard. This helps us create the most accurate, authentic review content for our readers.
Bucked Up Pre Workout - Our Top Picks
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Bucked Up
SPECS
- Price (rating scale below): $$
- Flavor (rating scale below): 3
- Best for: Athletes who work out with high intensity
- Ingredients: Citrulline Malate, Nootropic, Carnosyn Beta Alanine, Actigin, Astragin, Himalayan Rock Salt, Caffeine
- Certifications: Creatine-Free, Paleo, and Keto Friendly
Bucked Up is the flagship product and the standard pre-workout formula. This formula has amino acids to increase blood flow and decrease lactic acid build-up. It also has a solid dose of caffeine at 200 milligrams, and Himalayan rock salt to give your body the sodium it needs to keep you hydrated.
One thing that makes Bucked Up unique is the Deer Antler Velvet Extract. This ingredient is meant to give your muscles a growth boost by increasing your body's natural production of growth hormones. (Note: The versions of these products sold on Amazon do not include this ingredient.) Other notable ingredients include Astragin and Actigin, both of which are patented, clinically-tested formulas to help your body absorb nutrients.
What We Like
- High-quality ingredients
- Use of Himalayan rock salt for electrolytes
- Several flavor options
What We Don't Like
- No vegan options
- The effectiveness of the Deer Antler Velvet is still being studied
BUY: Bucked Up Original
Bucked Up Woke
SPECS
- Price: $$
- Flavor: 3
- Best for: Athletes who want a lot of energy
- Ingredients: Bucked Up Formula plus 133 mg more Caffeine, Dendrobium, and Synephrine HCl
- Certifications: Creatine-free, Paleo, and Keto Friendly
There are three formula differences between Bucked Up and Woke. The Woke formula has 133 more milligrams of caffeine, plus two more stimulants: dendrobium and synephrine HCI. The goal of adding these stimulants is to spread out your energy boost over a longer period of time. Caffeine is for immediate energy, synephrine is next, and dendrobium is a long-burning energy source.
This supplement is not for beginners, and you need to be careful with consuming 333 milligrams of caffeine at once. But if you're looking for the maximum energy boost for your workout without a crash in the middle, then Woke may be exactly what you're looking for.
What We Like
- No mid-workout crash
- Good for extended workouts
- Keto-friendly
What We Don't Like
- Very high caffeine
- Artificial flavors included
BUY: Bucked Up Woke
Bucked Up LFG
SPECS
- Price: $$
- Flavor: 2
- Best for: People wanting a pre-workout, fat burner combo
- Ingredients: Bucked Up formula plus Nitrosigine, MitoBurn, Mucuna Pruriens Extract, Paradoxine, Huperzine A
- Certifications: N/A
Third in the line of Bucked Up pre-workouts is LFG. Like Woke, LFG uses Bucked Up's formula as its base with a few additional ingredients that make it a fat burner as well as a pre-workout. Fat-burner supplements raise your core temperature and encourage your body to use fat as energy instead of stored glucose. LFG has MitoBurn and Paradoxine for this.
MitoBurn is a patented combination of amino acids that are supposed to speed up your metabolism, particularly how fast it burns fat and converts it to energy. Paradoxine is another patented ingredient that extracts the antioxidant and fat-burning qualities from grains of paradise, a seed that acts as a natural stimulant.
What We Like
- Clinically-tested, patented ingredients
- Uses fat for long-burning energy post-workout
- Cost-effective combination supplement
What We Don't Like
- Not keto or paleo friendly
- Mucuna Pruriens is an herb that could cause reactions in sensitive stomachs
BUY: Bucked Up LFG
Bucked Up PUMP-Ocalypse
SPECS
- Price: $$
- Flavor: 3
- Best for: People who want to decrease recovery time between workouts
- Ingredients: GlycerPump, Peak O2 Blend, Arginine HCL, Agmatine Sulfate, Betaine Anhydrous
- Certifications: Creatine-Free, Paleo, and Keto Friendly
PUMP-Ocalypse is an entirely unique formula among Bucked Up pre-workouts. All of the ingredients in PUMP-Ocalypse work together to increase blood flow and maximize hydration. It also has amino acids to help your muscles recover faster during and after your workout.
PUMP-Ocalypse is the only non-stimulant pre-workout that Bucked Up offers, so it doesn't offer you the energy boost that other products do. But like the other Bucked Up products, it uses patented ingredients to make up the formula so it should be effective when used properly.
What We Like
- No caffeine
- Increases hydration and muscle recovery
- Can be taken during night workouts
What We Don't Like
- Includes dyes for color
- Some ingredients are in lower doses than the effective range
Which Bucked Up Pre-Workout is Best for Me?
Formula
All Bucked Up pre-workout supplements are based on the same formula. The active ingredients are caffeine, citrulline malate, nootropics, carnosyn beta-alanine, actigin, astragin, and Himalayan rock salt. But depending on the product there will be additional ingredients included to give you an extra boost for a specific purpose.
Purpose
When deciding which Bucked Up pre-workout is best for you, the purpose is what you really want to pay attention to. For example, Bucked Up is a standard pre-workout that will give you energy and increase muscle endurance so you can get a good pump. Some formulas are for that plus mental focus, others add fat-burning.
How We Rate Supplements
Price/Affordability (scale of $-$$$)
Prices depend on a number of factors, and tend to fluctuate over time, so we've kept our affordability rating scale simple so you can easily see how products compare:
$ = under $1 per serving
$$ = $1-2 per serving
$$$ = over $2 per serving
Flavor Options (scale of 1-3)
When it comes to dietary supplements that you take frequently, or even daily, options are important. And while your protein powder or pre-workout doesn't have to taste good to be effective, having several flavors to choose from can make it easier to stick with your fitness and health goals.
N/A = Unflavored
1 = 1-2 flavor options
2 = 3-4 flavor options
3 = 5 or more flavor options
Is Bucked Up Pre-Workout Safe?
Bucked Up pre-workouts all contain ingredients that have been studied and approved as safe for use by the FDA. Healthy individuals should see minimal side effects from Bucked Up Pre-Workouts. There are exceptions, and if you are not an experienced athlete it might be best to avoid pre-workouts altogether until you are comfortable in the gym.
Even if you are experienced, always consult your doctor or a registered dietician before taking new supplements.
FAQs About Bucked Up Pre-Workout
Is Bucked Up a good pre-workout?
Bucked Up's formula is comparable to some of the most used pre-workouts. What sets Bucked Up apart is the flavor options and formula additions to target certain areas based on your need.
Is Bucked Up Pre-Workout FDA approved?
The FDA does not regulate supplements. But all supplements can only use FDA-approved ingredients and Bucked Up pre-workout meets that standard.
How long does it take for Bucked Up Pre-Workout to kick in?
Depending on the specific product you are using, you should start feeling the effects of Bucked Up pre-workouts between 15 and 30 minutes after taking them.
Is Bucked Up pre-workout good for beginners?
No one, regardless of experience level, should use pre-workouts without consulting their doctor or a registered dietician. If you have done so, and know you are safe to use pre-workout, then Bucked Up is a good option with well-studied ingredients.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
About the Author
Cory is a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition coach. After spending six years as an educator and coach, Cory joined the ACTIVE team as a staff writer turning his passion for education toward helping ACTIVE readers live their best, healthiest lives.
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