Naked Harvest Pre Workout
By Liv Stampke
My usual pre-workout went on holiday with me to Darwin and thanks to the humidity it didn’t come back, so it was time for me to look for something new and boy am I glad that I did. Introducing Aussie owned Naked Harvest Natural Pre-Workout in the flavour Grape. The first draw card for me was the aesthetics, the pastel pink and slim packaging sucked me in immediately (well played marketing team). Does it taste as good as it looks? 100% yes. Remember those Hubba Bubba grape bubble tape wheels that you and your siblings or friends would fight over? This is a nostalgic recreation that is sweet, refreshing and gives me the youthful energy I often need before a workout. I’ve tried pre-workouts before where skulling it as fast as you can is the only way to avoid the nasty flavour but this one is enjoyable and doesn’t leave a bad aftertaste in the mouth at all. Containing 120mg of caffeine, this pre-workout gives me the mental stimulation I need but also contains other ingredients that contribute to physical benefits for performance.
Let’s break down the active ingredients list per 10g serving:
3000mg of creatine monohydrate – stored in the body as creatine and phosphorylcreatine which provide energy to support short-bursts of high-intensity exercise.
1200mg Beta-alanine – an amino acid which helps to reduce the negative effects of acid by-products produced during high-intensity exercise which limit performance, essentially allowing you to train harder for longer.
600mg Taurine - an amino acid that plays a role in glucose and lipid regulation and energy metabolism.
100mg Raspberry ketones – found in raspberries and other fruits which encourage the body to burn higher levels of fat for energy use.
120mg Tea extract & Guarana extract – sources of caffeine which work by stimulating the central nervous system, heart and muscles to increase alertness and reduce perceived effort during exercise.
Beta-alanine stimulates the nerves which are responsible for initiating the tingling feeling in your skin. So if you feel itchy, especially on your hands and face, that’s totally normal but can be a strange sensation for those that haven’t felt it before. If you’re new to the pre-workout game I would recommend starting with a half-serve to assess your tolerance. I have the recommended 3 scoops in approx. 400mL of water, 15-20 minutes before my resistance training sessions. I chose to take pre-workout because I believe it gives me an extra boost of energy that I sometimes need to get me into the gym, however, I wouldn’t say that pre-workout is a necessity for everyone, but I do notice a difference in alertness and readiness to train hard when I do take it.
If you weren’t a Hubba Bubba kid, Soul Supps also currently stocks Naked Harvest flavours of Strawberry, Sour Worms and Fruit Tingle. Bonus: these pre-workouts are vegan friendly, gluten free and artificial additive free.
Sources:
Naked Harvest. Natural pre-Workout. https://www.nakedharvestsupplements.com/collections/natural-pre-workout/products/grape
Australian Institute of Sport, (2021). AIS SPORTS SUPPLEMENT FRAMEWORK, CREATINE MONOHYDRATE. https://www.ais.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1000501/Sport-supplement-fact-sheets-Creatine-v4.pdf
Sports Dietitian Australia. BETA-ALANINE (Β-ALANINE). https://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/factsheets/supplements/beta-alanine-β-alanine/#:~:text=What%20is%20Beta%2Dalanine%20(β,chicken%20breast%20meat%20and%20fish).
Kurtz, J., VanDusseldorp, T., Doyle, J.A. & Otis, J. (2021). Taurine in sports and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8152067/pdf/12970_2021_Article_438.pdf
Bulk Nutrients. Raspberry Ketones. https://www.bulknutrients.com.au/categories/shop-by-ingredient/raspberry-ketones
IMPORTANT: all content provided here is of a general nature only. This information should not substitute for individualised professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. For personalised medical or nutrition advice, please make an appointment with your doctor, dietitian or qualified health care professional.