Currently MusclePharm has a total of five different pre-workouts available. You have the original Assault, Fitmiss Ignite, Arnold Schwarzenegger Series Iron Pump, Hardcore Series Wreckage, and the supplement we’ve got for review today, the Black Label Series Assault Black. Of all the pre-workouts Assault Black is definitely the one we’ve been most interested in trying, however being the most expensive one from MusclePharm it wasn’t at the top of our list. Fortunately for us the product hit a retailer not too long ago at a much cheaper price, so over the past few weeks we’ve been putting the supplement to the test resulting in today’s Assault Black review.
When MusclePharm first released details on Assault Black, we mentioned the Black Label pre-workout looked like a combination of two of the brand’s pre-workouts. Basically every one of its 11 ingredients or 13 counting the BCAAs individually, can be found in Wreckage and Iron Pump except for two of the BCAAs and elevATP. Assault Black shares 8 of its features with Wreckage, and 2 others with Iron Pump. Assault Black does have a few dose differences with Wreckage and the 8 they share, although overall we expected it to be much the same as the Hardcore Series pre-workout with a bit more pump.
After using Assault Black for about two or three weeks we discovered that the product is exactly what we expected, delivering an interesting balance of energy, performance and best of all pump. The supplement’s effects are almost identical to Wreckage however with a little less performance and kick, and a lot more pump, which is actually what we feel MusclePharm’s Wreckage lacks.
Enough energy
Like most effective pre-workouts Assault Black kicks in 10 to 20 minutes after taking it. The product doesn’t hit quite as hard as Wreckage, coming on rather smoothly. At its maximum of a heaped scoop Assault Black offers more than enough energy to fuel a good workout, and even lift you up on a somewhat slow day. While it does pack plenty of energy if you’re after something to get you moving on a day you’re really struggling, you may want to pass on this one. It does as mentioned give you enough to knock out a solid session, but if the desire and/or motivation isn’t there Assault Black’s kick and extremely light dose of focus won’t get you going.
Almost unnoticeable focus
Next is focus, an effect that if we had to give a score out of five we’d probably say it’s at about a one or two. Right around the time the energy comes over you Assault Black’s small amount of focus also makes a move, which most of the time will see it go unnoticed. Much like the supplement’s energy kick compared to that in Wreckage, the focus in Assault Black is also a lot less although still present. The strength of the effect borders on the line of you or the formula, with so little that the extra drive could be coming from within but enough to make you think Assault Black might be helping out.
Wreckage like performance
Moving on to the performance enhancing ability of Assault Black, MusclePharm has really managed to carry over the effect that makes Wreckage so competitive. Much like the Hardcore formula, the brand’s Black Label pre-workout has no trouble refueling you throughout a workout. Once you’ve destroyed yourself in a set you’ll find Assault Black keeps you feeling good and restores the natural kind of energy you need to continue pushing on. We did say earlier that the performance ability of the product is a lot less compared to Wreckage however that will only be a problem when it comes to much more demanding workouts. When doing an arms, chest or a shoulders day, Assault Black will refuel you with ease. On a high intensity leg or deadlifting back day though, you may find it doesn’t come through as well with exhaustion taking its toll as the usual rate.
The star of the show
Last but certainly not least we have the pump in Assault Black, which is definitely the star of the supplement. In a performance formula like this one, a good pump is quite rare. While pre-workouts like Wreckage and Pre Jym do have it, they don’t even come close to what some of the best deliver. Assault Black is somewhat in the same boat as its pump doesn’t exactly compare to the best, however it does have a lot more than Wreckage and Pre Jym.
If you’re looking at a high rep isolation workout Assault Black will give you everything you need to hammer your target muscle. With that being said the product’s pump is equally as good in other scenarios, it just won’t come on as quick. Either way you will find it a lot easier to get a pump going, one that has that desirable unnatural feel to it. What we mean by unnatural is that signature pump ability to blow a muscle up beyond what you’ve achieved by yourself. Assault Black won’t expand your arms that extra inch like some dedicated pump pre-workouts, although it will point you in the right direction and intensify each rep once it comes into full effect.
Assault Black review final words
MusclePharm’s Black Label Series Assault Black really took us by surprise. While we kind of knew what to expect after giving Wreckage a run for a month back to back with Pre Jym, we didn’t quite know how good the supplement’s balance of effects would be. As it turns out Assault Black comes through with a favorable energy and pump combination, the benefit of aiding in intense performance, and a touch of focus that’s probably not even worth mentioning. The mix of effects easily makes the product our favorite MusclePharm pre-workout to date, as it gives you a more ranged experience than Iron Pump and Assault, and a more enjoyable balance than Wreckage.
As good and effective as Assault Black is it doesn’t unfortunately compare to some of our favorite pre-workouts, mainly due to all the effects being on a slightly lower level. Despite that we can imagine some people actually quite enjoying the supplement. Fans of Wreckage will likely appreciate Assault Black due to its similarities, with some possibly even preferring it over Wreckage. If we had to compare it to a couple of competitors it’s a lot like Nutrex Outrage or a weaker Neogenix NeuroSurge 3.0. Assault Black’s balance however is definitely its biggest highlight, as very few pre-workouts featuring solid amounts of energy and performance include a noticeable level of pump, kind of making the product a bit of a rarity.
