Legion Pulse Pre Workout Review (stim free)- Does it really work?

If you subscribe to the Supplement Reviews Lab newsletter (hint you should at the bottom), I said in one of the newsletters a few weeks ago that I was going to finally be ordering Pulse by Legion Athletics.

This is a huge deal and milestone for me. My whole motivation from starting this site to begin with stemmed from having an awful reaction to a pre workout years ago.

Ever since that time, I wanted nothing to do with a pre workout ever again. Of course, the one that caused the issues, was produced by a big-name supplement company and totally full of garbage. Which I was ignorant of at the time.

Luckily things have changed in the years since and there are some reputable and trustworthy companies out there producing supplements that we can feel good about using.

One of those companies is Legion Athletics. I am a big fan of their whey and casein protein. I have been eyeing their pre workout supplement called pulse since the beginning.

After realizing that I could trust Legion and the ingredients they put in Pulse, I finally made the jump a few weeks ago and bought it.

What follows is my Legion Pulse Pre Workout Review. Due to my sensitivity to caffeine, I purchased the stim free (caffeine free) version however, that’s insignificant as we all know what caffeine does. The ingredients are still the same as the original minus the caffeine so this review will be applicable to both versions.

Why take a pre workout?

If you are new to supplements, you may be asking yourself this question. Pre workout supplements are created to give you a boost in energy and performance.

While the formulas are not all identical, they typically overlap in many ingredients. Most pre workouts are designed to boost energy, performance and the quality of muscle pump you get during the workout.

While they definitely work, the major ones on the market are absolutely filled with things like chemicals, preservatives, sweeteners and caffeine.

A lot of less than trustworthy companies are basically selling a flavored caffeine supplement. They load their pre workouts with caffeine and throw a few other useless things in it under the guise of a proprietary blend.

Although it may seem harmless, I have known a ton of people that had some major side effects from pre workouts, myself included. A lot of the big ones make you feel like you are on speed mixed with crack. Not a good feeling.

You want to feel a smooth rush of energy and a boost in your endurance. At least that’s what I want. I want a kick in the ass, but I don’t want to be dragged through a tornado.

About Pulse

Pulse is a pre workout powder created by Legion Athletics. If you have been around my site for a bit, then you have definitely heard of Legion Athletics.

If you don’t know about Legion, you can learn more about them here or here. I don’t want to bore you guys by saying the same thing about Legion every time I review one of their products.

Basically, they are an awesome company that produces awesome supplements. Their supplements are free of artificial garbage and you can feel good about taking them.

Pulse by Legion is a pre workout powder designed to be taken before a workout. According to Legion, it provides a smooth energy rush, powerful performance boost and “super human endurance”.

Pulse is not a combination of random stimulants like many pre workouts on the market. It contains natural ingredients that actually work.

The key ingredients in pulse are citrulline malate, beta-alanine, ornithine, and betaine. Each of these ingredients has been proven effective by peer reviewed research.

Pulse is free of artificial sweeteners, dyes, colors, preservatives and gluten.

The claims made by Legion about Pulse are pretty impressive. Who doesn’t want super human endurance?

If you are here because you are thinking about buying Pulse, then you are definitely wondering how well it stacks up to its claims.

My experience

I honestly did not know what to expect with Pulse. It had been at least 8 or nine years since I had taken a legitimate pre workout supplement.

The closest thing to a pre workout supplement I had taken was Foundation, but that’s not a true pre workout supplement. Just a creatine supplement that rocks.

Anyways, I ordered Pulse a few weeks ago with a little apprehension due to my experience with pre workouts. Legion makes Pulse with or without caffeine, so I ordered the one without caffeine.

If you like the kick you get from caffeine then you probably want to try the one with caffeine, but I don’t need caffeine to get going. On top of that, I usually drink coffee before I work out so I already have it in my system.

At the time I ordered, the stim free version only came in fruit punch however, they added a blue raspberry flavor like a day after I ordered. My name is all over the blue raspberry for the next order.

The first time I took pulse, I took half the recommended dosage, which Legion advised to do. Even with taking half of the normal dosage, I noticed a big difference.

I definitely noticed a smooth energy rush, which I love. I don’t like the nervous energy rush that comes from caffeine and other stimulants.

The energy rush I feel from Pulse is smooth and constant. Although I definitely have energy, I could easily go sit in a library and read a book after taking it if I needed to. I wasn’t all over the place, which is perfect for me. I just felt very focused.

I have been taking Pulse for every workout now for several weeks and still haven’t gotten up to the recommended two scoops as I am feeling the benefits without doing so. I don’t know if I will build up a tolerance to it, so I am making the most out of it.

As far as the performance boost, I definitely noticed that as well. I felt noticeably stronger. Nothing mind blowing, but I noticed it.

The super human performance is where I think Pulse really shines. It seems a bit over the top to make that claim, but I honestly think it’s true.

I have blown through my workouts every time since taking Pulse without getting tired. No matter how many sets I seem to do, I can just keep going. I don’t know what exactly in Pulse does that, but it’s something powerful.

I just feel like I want to keep lifting all day long. I am getting the best workouts I have had in a long time with Pulse. I’ve added about two exercises to every body part with it because I just don’t want to leave the gym and have the endurance to keep going.

This might sound odd, but I really noticed the benefits after the workout when I thought back about how it went. I was so used to the standard pre workouts where you feel like jumping out of your skin the whole time.

As I thought back, I realized that I had constant energy and did a good deal more sets then I typically do. The benefits have continued every time I’ve used Pulse since.

One thing that I didn’t notice a big difference with was pumps however, Pulse doesn’t claim to increase your pump. If I had one criticism it would be this however, I found that when I mix it with Karbolyn, I get mind blowing pumps.

I will take the blame for that as I don’t typically eat carbohydrates (or anything) before a workout but that’s for a future post.

Ingredients

Here are the following ingredients in the Pulse stim free version: L-Citrulline DL-Malate 2:1, Carnosyn Beta-Alanine, Betaine Anhydrous, AlphaSize Alpha-Glyceryl Phosphoryl Choline (GPC), Swerve natural sweetener (Erythritol & Oligosaccha), Calcium carbonate, silica, natural flavors, Stevia leaf extract, silicon dioxide, red beet (for color).

You may not recognize every single one of these ingredients, but they are all natural. If you look at any of the commercial pre workouts on the market, you will see that most of their ingredient lists are easily double that of Pulse.

Since there are a few in here that not everyone will probably know about, I’m going to give you a quick break down of the important ones that actually make pulse effective.

L-Citrulline DL-Malate 2:1- A natural substance found in a lot of fruit that’s been found to improve endurance and aerobic performance while decreasing muscle soreness.

Carnosyn Beta-Alanine- This is a form of beta-alanine (nonessential amino acid) created by Carnosyn. According to the company, it’s a more effective form of beta-alanine. Beta-alanine has been found to reduce fatigue while improving your potential workload and aerobic performance. This usually causes some tingling in your face or skin, which is harmless however, I didn’t experience any of that with Pulse.

Betaine- A compound found in plants such as beets, it’s been found to improve muscular endurance and strength.

AlphaSize Alpha-Glyceryl Phosphoryl Choline (GPC)- A compound that increased acetylcholine in the brain. Acetylcholine is a chemical used by the nerves to communicate with each other. Supplementation with it has been found to increase power output, minimize cognitive decline as you age and increase growth hormone levels.

I really think that the combination of these ingredients in the correct amounts is what gives Pulse it’s power. They definitely have the formula down.

Where to buy and price

Pulse is available on Legion’s website as well as on Amazon.

*If you decide to try Legion’s Pulse pre workout powder for yourself, you can use the coupon code FIRSTPURCHASE on Legion’s website to get 10 % off of your first order!*

The price for Pulse is approximately $40.00, which is what I paid. If you follow the recommended guidelines of using two scoops per workout, there are 21 servings per container. That’s just under two dollars a serving.

A lot of you will probably use less than two scoops a serving, at least in the beginning, so you will likely get more than 21 servings out of it.

I think the price for Pulse is definitely fair considering the quality of ingredients and the effectiveness of it. It’s a little more expensive than most of the toxic commercial ones, but you are getting what you pay for.

Taste

I really enjoy the taste of pulse. The fruit punch tastes really good and doesn’t taste artificial. I am used to natural flavors, but I really like that it’s not overpowering.

It’s also not overly sweet. I haven’t never used anything with the sweetener Swerve in it before, so I didn’t know how I’d like it. I didn’t notice any difference from the other supplements I’ve tried that are just sweetened with Stevia alone.

Pre workout reimagined

As Legion says, they didn’t invent the pre workout, they just perfected it. I think that’s a very true statement and sums up what Pulse is.

This is not the usual stimulant loaded pre workout designed to make your heart beat out of your chest the whole time. This is designed to actually work and improve performance.

I am very impressed with Pulse and I will definitely continue to use it. It meets the claims made by Legion and works like it says.

What else can you ask for?

I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to find a company that actually makes supplements that live up to the claims they make while containing ingredients you can trust.

If you decide to give it a try, I think you are going to like it and find that it will make a big difference in the quality of your workouts.

Stay pumped,

Dan

P.S. Have you ever tried Pulse by Legion Athletics? I would love to hear your experience, thoughts and questions below!