Muscletech’s pre-workout Anarchy is the brand’s most recent addition to their Performance Series since the hyped launch of Clear Muscle, international addition of ISO Zero, and introduction of the stimulant free Hydroxycut. The supplement not only took us by surprise because it was both a Performance Series product and a pre-workout, a category the line was already in with NaNO Vapor. But because the formula turned out to be quite interesting, especially coming from a giant like Muscletech. Thanks to a lot of past releases we haven’t come to expect great things from the brand in the popular pre-workout category, although Anarchy has now somewhat changed that. Over the past month we have been running the latest from Muscletech, resulting in enough experience with the supplement to bring you today’s review of the Performance Series pre-workout.
The main catch with Muscletech’s Anarchy is that it is a Muscletech product. As mentioned we haven’t come to expect much from the brand in this department, but were more than happy to give the pre-workout a run through. The formula didn’t look too bad, and certainly suggested we were in for an effective experience. After throwing back the maximum amount of Anarchy, a total of two scoops, it does bring back memories of the first NaNO Vapor, or at least the fruit punch does as Muscletech have managed to hold on to that over-the-top artificial fruity flavor. As for the effects of Anarchy, following that usual delay of 10 to 15 minutes you’ll quickly realize why we’re saying the brand have definitely done something interesting this time around.
Anarchy starts off with a very stimulating kick that isn’t intense or anything overly off putting, instead it’s probably one of the best examples of high powered focus you’ll find. In combination with the surge of energy you’re going to notice early on, the product manages to get you in the right mindset for working out. It actually does quite a bit more than the clearing of thoughts we’ve seen in other effective formulas, by removing everything you shouldn’t have in your head and centering you around wanting to work your ass off. As much as we didn’t expect a hard hitting amount of focus in Anarchy, in the beginning it comes on stronger than the energy, a balance that does shift when you start lifting. It will of course depend on when you drink the supplement and the length of time it takes to kick in. However if the timing is right you will get that sense of rampage when you enter the gym and spend very little time thinking, preparing or getting ready and just head straight in to working out. The streamlined combination of energy and focus is really to blame here and what sets up the rest of the experience.
Once you get past the extremely exciting introduction of Anarchy, that energy and fire will carry quite far into your workout. The focus does tend to die down a bit transforming into a small dose of alertness once you get up around that 30 minute mark, although the energy will soldier on. It is worth mentioning that on occasions the mental aspect does disappear a lot sooner than 30 minutes, leaving the energy that was once relatively intense, to surprisingly somewhat boring and ordinary. It’s at this point you’ll realize just how much mind stimulation was involved, as the energy does quickly become a lot less powerful. If you’re an extremely hard or maybe even an average worker it won’t be a problem, as you’re likely to notice it fade away and not let it affect your workout. In that sense you will unfortunately be left wondering how hard you could have gone or how much more you could have lifted, if Anarchy had been able to maintain its intensity. It is a difficult one to explain, but it’s one of those pre-workouts that if you’ve come across before you’ll know what we’re talking about, where it can potentially bring down or subtly change your whole workout. As mentioned most will have no problem pushing on, however the drop won’t go unnoticed.
Despite the short life of Anarchy’s focus, as promoted the product also packs a bit of pump, which like the energy side of the supplement does carry on right throughout. The trick here is that there are dedicated pump pre-workouts now, so anytime a formula promises pump it is going to be compared to the best from that department. In saying that there are also pre-workouts that can match the quality of dedicated pump products, also something we have to compare all pump experiences to. Muscletech’s Anarchy as said does have a pump, although it borders on that line where it could be from the supplement just as much as it could be from your own effort. The effect is a very deep muscle breaking pump that doesn’t create too much dilation if any, more of a lively feeling in the area you’re working on. It’s because of that you may find yourself wondering whether Anarchy was responsible at all, especially since it’s without that obvious exaggerated swole factor. The popularization of the pump category is probably to blame for raising our standards, however we look it as brands lifting the bar. A couple of years ago Anarchy’s pump may have been praisable. Sadly due to dedicated formulas introducing to us as well as many others just how impressive a pump product can be, supplement companies now need to pick up their game if they want to be acknowledged for the effort put into the effect.
While we did notice some major downsides to Muscletech’s latest innovation, as stated right at the beginning it does do better than any of the brand’s previous efforts, with of course the exception of the original Neurocore. The energy and focus make for a great start to the show, and despite the fact that the focus does die down leaving the energy somewhat helpless. There is enough fire to carry you through with the light touch of pump, that is there regardless of whether it came from the product or was a by-product of the effects Anarchy delivers. For those after a bit of a comparison it’s very much like a less intense version of Neon Sport’s Volt or a lot less intense version of Scivation’s Psycho, but with the balance favoring the focus a little more, that debatable pump, and a somewhat shorter lifespan. Unfortunately due its small range of effects and the pre-workout category becoming more and more competitive, there are a lot better formulas out there and at the risk of sounding like a broken record. These days brands do really need to bring a supplement that covers all areas to even come close to the top.
