MusclePharm : Assault Pre-Workout

Musclepharm's Assault has been one of the best selling preworkouts of the last decade thanks to the brand adopting a different focus to most companies by aiming for the sports market rather than the bodybuilding market.

What does this mean in practice?

Unlike the vast majority of preworkouts at the time Assault was first released in 2010, Musclepharm have stayed away from so-called ultra-concentrated formulas which rely heavily on stimulants and very little else (due to small serving sizes preventing adequate dosing of ergogenics). Instead, Assault has always used large, clinically effective doses of ingredients which have a track record of showing improvements in performance in the gym or on the playing field. More brands are moving towards this approach but Assault is one of the few preworkouts which has remained consistent to this ethos since it was first released.

Assault Continues to Evolve

Musclepharm have frequently reformulated Assault, adding and removing ingredients and we currently stock two different versions. In this review we will be discussing their latest edition which goes by the byline Assault Sport. Pay careful attention to the nutrition information of the flavour you select so you know the version you are buying is the one here (unless of course you prefer the old version!).

Assault Sport uses three main ergogenic ingredients at the heart of its formula - creatine monohydrate, beta-alanine, and betaine anhydrous.

Creatine is the most widely known, most popular and most effective ingredient available for athletes seeking improvements in performance as well as lean body mass. It works by increasing levels of creatine phosphate in the muscles which acts as an energy substrate helping to replenish ATP levels. ATP itself is only available to the body for a very short period of time and once it is depleted it leads to a massive drop in performance. A real life example of this is that when a 100m sprinter gets to about the 60m line their speed drops and by the end their running speed will be quite a bit slower than earlier in the race. By using creatine it lets you quickly recycle ATP levels though enabling you to maintain a high intensity for longer (not coincidentally perhaps, 100m sprinters in the modern age see less of a drop-off in speed at the end of the race).

The beta-alanine used in Assault is the branded CarnoSyn® version. This is the form used in studies which have shown that beta-alanine helps increase carnosine levels in the body. The relevance for an athlete is that by increasing carnosine levels it helps to delay the type of burning sensation that rapidly puts a stop to a workout when you go into higher rep ranges. It is for this anti-fatigue/lactic acid buffering quality that beta-alanine has been considered by many users as the number 1 ingredient for athletes engaged in anaerobic sports or high repetition weight training.

Finally, Assault includes betaine. Betaine is another endurance enhancing supplement which has found increasing popularity in recent years. Betaine helps lower homocysteine levels as well as helping with water balance and studies in athletes have shown that it has been linked to increases in power, work capacity and endurance.

The Assault Sport formula is rounded off by a few other ingredients which includes an interesting mix of fast acting caffeine anhydrous and acetyl-l-carnitine, a nootropic which helps balance the energy from the caffeine by increasing focus.

Assault Summary

MusclePharm's Assault preworkout has seen a few versions but it has remained true to the MusclePharm philosophy of using big doses of research proven ergogenics such as creatine, beta-alanine, and betaine, allied to a stimulant complex that combines natural stimulants such as caffeine with nootropics that boost performance through a better focus/mind-muscle connection.

Assault is not a blow your socks off preworkout but a great change-up from such products which with its open label shows users exactly how much of each ingredient you are taking making it better to plan your use of those ingredients if you are using other products with the same ingredients.

Flavours

Assault flavours for sale in our shop:

• Blue Arctic Raspberry
• Green Apple
• Fruit Punch
• Watermelon
• Strawberry Ice